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Marlins, Three Other Teams Pursuing Randy Choate

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8:30pm: Choate confirmed to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times that he is in fact in talks with the Marlins, as well as three other teams that he declined to name.

11:17am: Looking to bolster their bullpen, the Marlins are "working to sign" Randy Choate, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

Choate, 35, spent his last two seasons in Tampa Bay, and appeared in over half of the Rays' games in 2010. The left-hander pitched just 44 2/3 innings in his 85 appearances, recording a 4.23 ERA and striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. He's best used as a one- or two-out pitcher against left-handed batters, as exhibited by his 2010 splits – lefties posted a .529 OPS against him, while righties hit at a 1.162 clip.

Choate declined an arbitration offer from the Rays, so as a Type B free agent, he'd net Tampa Bay a supplemental round draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

Cardinals Rumors: Ryan, Bengie Molina

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The latest out of St. Louis, from Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch….

  • The Cardinals appear to be getting closer to moving Brendan Ryan, who is drawing interest from the Twins.
  • The team has "pressed" to sign Bengie Molina, but a club source believes a Ryan trade is likely to happen before Molina makes a decision one way or the other.
  • Molina has been told by the Cards that he's their preferred choice as a backup catcher, but he'd have to be willing to accept the reduced playing time and salary that come with that role. The club has allotted about $1MM for their backstop opening.
  • Tony La Russa on the possibility of adding Molina: "He's built up a certain value and what his role needs to be. That's one thing that might be a complicating factor. It would be great if it can work for us and work for him."

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Pavano, Buehrle, Millwood

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe names the winners and losers of the Winter Meetings in his newest piece, with the Red Sox, Nationals, and White Sox topping his list of winners. Cafardo also shares a handful of hot stove notes. Here are the highlights:

  • Before they signed Carl Crawford, the Red Sox "did a ton of work" on Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Beltran.
  • Carl Pavano figures to wait for Cliff Lee to sign, so he can see the type of offers he receives as the top pitcher on the market. Cafardo thinks Pavano could be a backup plan for the Rangers if they don't land Lee, though the Twins still remain the favorites for the 34-year-old. Texas has also inquired on Matt Garza and James Shields.
  • The White Sox will listen to offers for Mark Buehrle, whose contract expires after the 2011 season. Buehrle earned ten and five rights this year, so he'd have the option of vetoing any trade.
  • Agent Scott Boras says a strong market is developing for Kevin Millwood.
  • Team officials that spoke to Cafardo had mixed opinions on free agent backstop Russell Martin. One opined that Martin "can't call a game," while another raved about the enthusiasm the catcher brings each day.
  • According to Cafardo, the Red Sox were the only team to discuss Justin Upton with the Diamondbacks, balking at Kevin Towers' insistence that Daniel Bard be included in a potential deal.
  • The Astros would have interest in trading Matt Lindstrom and Jeff Keppinger.
  • Grant Balfour is seeking a three-year contract. The Red Sox have looked into him, but are hoping Matt Guerrier will accept their offer. As Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston noted today (via Twitter), Guerrier is one of the top relief targets for Boston, along with Brian Fuentes and Jesse Crain.

Rockies Hoping To Extend Carlos Gonzalez

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FRIDAY, 4:45pm: Monfort confirmed that the team has offered Gonzalez a seven-year extension, but questioned the salary number reported by the Post. "I'm not sure where $100MM came from," Monfort told Wilmer Reina at the Venezuelan paper La Verdad (link in Spanish). "It's true that our organization has talked with his agent about an agreement of seven years, but not with those numbers." – Nick Collias

THURSDAY, 6:18am: Rockies owner Dick Monfort has already committed over $100MM this winter to one of the cornerstones of his franchise, Troy Tulowitzki. Now, Monfort tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he'd be open to a six- or seven-year extension, potentially in the neighborhood of $100MM, for another of Colorado's stars: Carlos Gonzalez.

"I am hopeful, yes, that we can get something done," Monfort said. "Why? Well, I haven't talked directly with Carlos, but I know he likes it here. And as a player, I would like to know that Troy Tulowitzki is going to be hitting behind me forever. And I would like that I don't have to play center field every day because we already have a gazelle out there (in Dexter Fowler)."

Monfort acknowledged that, considering Gonzalez's representation, getting a deal done wouldn't be easy. But according to Scott Boras, if the young outfielder is interesting in pursuing an extension and feels that it's "economically suitable for him," he would be open to the idea.

According to GM Dan O'Dowd, any extension negotiations won't continue into spring training, so if the two sides intend to work out anything this winter, talks will need to pick up in the coming weeks. While there were rumors of an informal long-term offer for CarGo, discussions don't appear to have become serious yet. With Gonzalez still a year away from arbitration eligibility and under team control through 2014, the club likely won't be in any rush.

Royals To Sign Melky Cabrera

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Not content with signing just one ex-Brave, the Royals have agreed to sign another. Kansas City will sign Melky Cabrera on a one-year contract worth $1.25, plus $250K in incentives, pending a physical. The deal represents the latest move in a busy offseason for ACES, Inc.

Cabrera, who earned $3.1MM in 2010, was released by the Braves following a disappointing campaign in which he hit just .255/.317/.354 in 509 plate appearances. The 26-year-old is arbitration eligible for the third time this year, but as a Super Two, he will be under team control for one more season, through 2012.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were closing in on a deal, while ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas (via Twitter) confirmed the pact and added the financial terms. The team has announced the agreement.

Orioles Acquire J.J. Hardy, Brendan Harris

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The Orioles officially acquired shortstop J.J. Hardy, infielder Brendan Harris, and $500K from the Twins for relievers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey, the teams announced.

Hardy, 28, hit .268/.320/.394 in 375 plate appearances this year for the Twins after coming over from Milwaukee for Carlos Gomez.  He missed time with wrist and knee injuries.  Hardy earned $5.1MM this year and is arbitration eligible one last time.  He would have been a free agent already, but fell just short of the service time requirement because the Brewers briefly demoted him to Triple-A late in the '09 season.  Hardy joins Mark Reynolds in a revamped left side infield for Baltimore.  He became expendable for Minnesota with their expected signing of Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

Harris, 30, received only 120 plate appearances from the Twins this year after more regular duty in previous seasons.  He was outrighted in June due to poor performance, and a $1.75MM commitment for 2011 likely allowed him to clear waivers.  Harris is capable of playing all around the infield.

Hoey, 28 later this month, hasn't pitched in the Majors since '07.  In a season split between Double and Triple-A, the reliever posted a 3.25 ERA, 12.0 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 in 52 2/3 innings in 2010.  Prior to his '08 shoulder surgery, Hoey's average fastball velocity exceeded 95 mph.

Jacobson, a 24-year-old reliever, posted a 2.79 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 71 High-A innings this year.  Baseball America ranked him 16th among Orioles prospects heading into the season, noting that he came over from the Tigers in the Aubrey Huff deal in August of '09.  He's said to have a power repertoire and a setup man profile.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Day In Review: 12/8/10

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Wednesday was another typically busy day in Orlando at the Winter Meetings. Let's run down the most noteworthy news and rumors since yesterday's Day in Review post….

Minor Deals: Oxspring, Oeltjen, Ryal

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The latest minor transactions….

  • MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers signed Chris Oxspring, who made five appearances for the Padres in 2005. Oxspring, 33, has spent time pitching in Japan, Korea, and Australia since then.
  • The Dodgers have re-signed Trent Oeltjen to a minor league deal, according to CBS Sports. The 27-year-old outfielder got some big league playing time over the season's final month, making 30 plate appearances in 14 games. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers last week.
  • Rusty Ryal appears to be headed to a Japanese club, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. While it's not official yet, "there's a pretty good possibility" it'll happen (Twitter links).

Odds & Ends: Young, Francis, Twins, Fielder, Nady

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A handful of links to start the final day of the Winter Meetings….

  • The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, and are still trying to sign one of the two veteran starters, says Mike Puma of the New York Post. However, both pitchers are looking for upwards of $4MM for 2011, which is more than the Mets are willing to pay.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Twins are seeking front-end rotation help, such as Carl Pavano. They're also considering moving arms from their back-end surplus, such as Kevin Slowey.
  • The amount of money being spent on free agents this offseason might be making it more obvious to the Brewers that they have little chance of retaining Prince Fielder past next year. As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes, that could make Milwaukee more inclined to deal Fielder sooner rather than later.
  • The Diamondbacks are talking to Xavier Nady, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports initially linked the D'Backs to Nady on Tuesday.
  • With Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox are still pursuing another catcher, according to GordonEdes of ESPNBoston.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade says he doesn't intend to acquire a left fielder, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. If the Astros added an outfielder, it would move Carlos Lee to first base and leave Brett Wallace out of the picture, and the club wants to give Wallace a chance to earn the first base job.

Crawford Fallout: Lee, Downs, Ordonez, Beltre

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While Boston's agreement with Carl Crawford is, of course, a huge move in its own right, the impact it could have on other free agents can't be overlooked. Here are a few players and teams who may be affected by the Crawford signing:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates (via Twitter) that the Angels and Rangers, who were in on Crawford, could make a stronger push for Cliff Lee now. Brian Cashman, however, says the move won't affect the Yankees' tactics with Lee (Twitter link). Regardless, Crawford's contract is widely viewed as great news for the southpaw. Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes that "it just gets better and better to be Cliff Lee this winter."
  • As Lou Merloni writes at WEEI.com, the Red Sox could become more interested in Scott Downs now that the Type A free agent wouldn't cost a first round pick. Boston will send its first round pick to Tampa Bay as compensation for Crawford, so they'd only have to surrender a second rounder if they signed Downs.
  • The Red Sox have almost certainly been eliminated as a suitor for Magglio Ordonez now, which is good news for the Tigers. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Detroit "badly wants to re-sign" Ordonez, and while the veteran has a handful of suitors, it appeared Boston's interest was serious.
  • Having missed out on Crawford, the Angels are expected to turn their "full attention" to Adrian Beltre and perhaps Rafael Soriano, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

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