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Carl Crawford Signing Reactions

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The Red Sox landed another big bat Wednesday night, outbidding other suitors to reach an agreement with Carl Crawford. After Jayson Werth signed his $126MM deal with the Nationals, it was thought that it might take an eight- or ten-year contract to secure Crawford's services; ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (Twitter link) hears that Crawford was originally seeking $20MM annually over ten years. However, Boston got it done for seven years and $142MM. Here are some early reactions to the move:

  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs likes the deal for the Red Sox, noting that just because a contract is unique doesn't mean it's bad.
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider required) is also fairly positive, opining that Crawford figures to hold his value through the length of the contract.
  • At least one AL executive thinks Crawford's athleticism will be wasted in left field at Fenway, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com passes along another executive's first impression on the deal: "Holy (expletive). Think about that lineup."
  • It appears few people took news of Crawford's signing harder than Torii Hunter, who congratulated the outfielder, but is disappointed he won't get a chance to play with him. "That hurts my heart, man," Hunter told Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "But hey, what can you do?" (all Twitter links). Speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Hunter said, "I'm sitting here in a daze right now, like, what the heck just happened?"
  • There's virtually no downside to the move for the Red Sox, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
  • A former teammate of Crawford tells Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal that, even at $142MM, the Sox got a bargain.

Cardinals Rumors: Pujols, Backup Catcher, Berkman

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On Wednesday night, we heard that the Cardinals would like to add some pitching depth to supplement their current staff. As we enter the early hours of Thursday morning, let's take a look at some other Cardinals notes:

  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com discusses Albert Pujols' contract negotiations, wondering if the Cardinals will be able to fit an Alex Rodriguez-esque contract into their budget. Within the piece, Tony La Russa reiterates that Pujols doesn't want negotiations to leak into spring training, leading Stark to conclude that if the two sides don't reach an agreement within the next ten weeks, Pujols will be heading for free agency.
  • Speaking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, however, Cards chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said he wasn't feeling any urgency about a Pujols extension.
  • Goold writes that the team believed they were close to a deal for a backup catcher before talks faltered late Tuesday night. As of Wednesday, the Cardinals' search for a catcher was in a "holding pattern," according to GM John Mozeliak. St. Louis has been linked to names such as Bengie Molina and Gregg Zaun so far at the Winter Meetings.
  • La Russa told Goold that the Cardinals may go into the year with newly-signed Lance Berkman in right field and Matt Holliday in left, rather than vice versa as initially thought.

Andy Pettitte Rumors: Thursday

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A year ago today, the Yankees and Andy Pettitte reached an agreement to keep the left-hander pitching in New York for at least one more season. Whether that will be Pettitte's last contract remains to be seen. Here are the latest updates on the 38-year-old's talks with the Yankees….

  • Brian Cashman spoke to Pettitte again on Wednesday, with the southpaw still on the fence about his decision, tweets Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
  • According to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter), Pettitte told the Yanks that pitching itself isn't a problem, but following his groin injury, he's not sure he can still do all the work necessary to pitch.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday suggests that Pettitte benefits from waiting to see how the Cliff Lee sweepstakes play out – if Lee signs elsewhere, the Yankees will have an increased need for Pettitte, while if the Yankees do land Lee, Pettitte would have additional motivation to return. Cashman believes Pettitte will be a Yankee in 2011, according to Davidoff, who agrees with the New York GM.

A’s Do Not Reach Deal With Iwakuma

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9:32pm: The A's announced they were unable to reach an agreement with Iwakuma and his representatives.

5:20pm: It would be a surprise if the A's reach a deal with Iwakuma, Billy Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

3:53pm: There has been no movement between the A's and Iwakuma today, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The deadline for a deal is just over seven hours away.

9:19am: The Athletics and Iwakuma are still talking today, tweets Slusser.  There is a report out of Japan suggesting Iwakuma will return to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, with a press conference due Wednesday.

MONDAY, 12:00am: Slusser hears (Twitter link) that Iwakuma would be able to take his physical after the negotiating deadline, with any agreement being nullified should he fail the physical. As such, talks could continue into Monday.

SUNDAY, 8:46pm: The deal with Iwakuma appears to be dead, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The 29-year-old would need to be in the Bay Area tomorrow for a physical and he is still in Japan.  If a deal is not reached, Oakland will be refunded the $19MM posting fee.

9:05am: With less than 24 hours left to reach an agreement, negotiations between Hisashi Iwakuma and the Athletics are "not looking good," tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. While Oakland's window doesn't officially close at midnight tonight, Slusser explains that an agreement must be reached by then to allow time for a physical (Twitter link).

After the Athletics posted the winning bid for Iwakuma, earning the rights to negotiate with right-hander, it appeared the two sides were far apart, with discussions reaching an impasse. While talks have continued since that point, it seems likely that no agreement will be reached and the A's will have their posting fee returned. As for Iwakuma, one source in Japan who spoke to Slusser thinks that remaining in Japan could be the best outcome for the 29-year-old anyway (Twitter link).

Josh Willingham Likely To Be Moved

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4:38pm: The Orioles have had internal discussions about Willingham, potentially as a first baseman, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The O's haven't ruled out bringing Ty Wigginton back.

1:56am: The Nationals added one huge piece to their outfield today, but could subtract another key contributor before Opening Day. MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that Josh Willingham will "most likely" be traded by the Nationals sometime this offseason. The 31-year-old isn't the only National on the trade block either; earlier today, we heard that the club would listen to offers for everyone on its roster besides Werth and Ryan Zimmerman.

There would be room in the Nationals' outfield for both Willingham, a left fielder, and Werth, who is expected to play right. However, Ladson writes that Washington would like to get something back for Willingham rather than letting him leave via free agency after the 2011 season.

Last month, it appeared Willingham and the Nationals would be unable to work out an extension to keep the outfielder in Washington. GM Mike Rizzo indicated that the team would go year to year on Willingham, with Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post suggesting that a trade was also a possibility.

According to Ladson, the Nats are also eyeing first base options, and Carlos Pena remains their top choice. If they can't lock up Pena, the team might like Adam LaRoche as an alternative.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Werth, Padilla, D’Backs

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A grab bag of overnight links, as we look forward to updates out of Orlando….

Joe Crede Poised For Comeback

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He may not be the biggest name among Scott Boras' free agent third base clients, but Joe Crede is hoping to earn a contract for 2011. According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com (via Twitter), Boras says Crede is "healthy, ready to go and he's going to continue his career. He's ready to come back and play."

Playing for the Twins in 2009, Crede battled injuries, but was effective defensively in the 90 games he played. His +21.6 UZR/150 increased his career UZR/150 at third base to +10.8. And while his .289 OBP was hardly impressive, Crede exhibited his usual power, hitting 15 home runs in 367 plate appearances. The 32-year-old sat out the 2010 campaign though, in part due to questions teams had about his health. When the Twins decided not to re-sign Crede last offseason, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune cited his inability to stay on the field as a primary factor.

If Crede is indeed back to 100%, he could be a low-cost bounceback candidate. Clubs will likely be reluctant to use him as an everyday player, but as a part-time defensive specialist, Crede has some appeal.

Stark On Crawford, Beltre, Lee, Greinke, Bartlett

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In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark discusses the ripple effect that Jayson Werth's $126MM deal will have on the remaining free agents. One AL official opines that it raises Carl Crawford's price in a "big, big way": "He's looking at maybe eight years, $180 million now, maybe 10 years, $190 million." Here are the rest of Stark's hot stove notes:

  • Crawford is the clear top target for the Angels, but in the past they've tried to avoid going as high as eight years for any player, let alone ten.
  • Despite getting Werth's contract done already, Scott Boras often drags out negotiations for his top clients. Stark polled a dozen people across baseball on when Adrian Beltre would sign, and many predicted it wouldn't happen until Christmas or later.
  • Neither the Yankees or Rangers have made a formal offer to Cliff Lee yet, but many of those baseball people polled by Stark expect a deal to get done within the next week.
  • There's good news and bad news for the Royals and Zack Greinke's trade value: with many free agent arms coming off the board already, Greinke has become more valuable in a pitching-thin market. However, according to one AL source, "Greinke has been trying to convince the Royals that it's not a great idea if he's there next year," which reduces Kansas City's leverage.
  • The Diamondbacks haven't totally ruled out trading Justin Upton, though it appears unlikely. Kevin Towers tells Stark "it's going to take somebody a little on the crazy side" to get anything done.
  • There's a sense that Jason Bartlett is the player most likely to be traded this week. However, Stark has trouble finding a team in need of a shortstop that matches up well with the Rays, who would like a late-inning reliever in return.
  • With Werth off the market, the Phillies will look to replace him with a complementary player rather than a big name. Stark lists Scott Hairston, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz as a few possible targets. Philadelphia has also been trying to find a taker for Raul Ibanez, but would likely have to eat a good chunk of salary to do so.

Chien-Ming Wang Seeks Major League Deal

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It's been more than 17 months since Chien-Ming Wang pitched in a major league game, but that won't stop him from searching for a major league contract this winter. Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that Wang is seeking a big league deal; if he can't find one, the 30-year-old figures to accept a minor league offer from the Nationals.

The Nationals had hoped to work out an agreement with Wang before last week's non-tender deadline, but couldn't get anything done. Still, agent Alan Nero says the right-hander would like to return to Washington, who signed Wang to a one-year, $2MM deal last winter.

While it remains to be seen if any team will take a major league flier on Wang, the righty received some good reviews this fall following his recovery from shoulder surgery. One scout who watched the ex-Yankee pitch in instructional league action said he looked "filthy."

Diamondbacks Unlikely To Trade Justin Upton

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Although he has become one of baseball's most intriguing trade candidates early in the offseason, Justin Upton likely won't be going anywhere, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. According to Sherman, the Diamondbacks are actively trying to fill holes on their roster that otherwise would have been filled in an Upton trade.

Nearly two weeks ago, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that GM Kevin Towers was growing increasingly pessimistic that the Diamondbacks would find an acceptable offer for Upton. Since then, rumors concerning the young outfielder have been sparse; it appears the D'Backs have, at least for now, moved on to explore other ways of addressing their needs.

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