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Poll: Who Will Sign Magglio Ordonez?

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Magglio Ordonez’s season came to an abrupt end on July 24th, when he fractured his ankle sliding across home plate. He had been hitting .303/.378/.474 in 365 plate appearances up to that point, and appeared to be on his way to having his $15MM option for 2011 vest. The injury changed everything and Magglio is a free agent for just the second time in his career.

Agent Scott Boras said that Ordonez has completed the rehab required for his ankle and has “returned to full workout routines.” He also held a private work out for the Tigers last week. The Rangers have interest in Magglio and the Red Sox did as well, at least until they traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford. Tim Dierkes examined Ordonez’s free agent stock last month, speculating that the Rays, Blue Jays, and Athletics could have some interest in a DH role. 

With the big free agent outfielders off the board, the market for Magglio should heat up very soon. Where do you think he’ll land?

Which team will sign Magglio Ordonez?
Tigers 39.43% (4,021 votes)
Another team not listed 20.37% (2,077 votes)
Blue Jays 10.26% (1,046 votes)
Rangers 8.67% (884 votes)
Red Sox 8.52% (869 votes)
Rays 6.92% (706 votes)
Athletics 5.83% (595 votes)
Total Votes: 10,198

National News: Lee, LaRoche, Pavano, Webb

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Let's round up the latest from the nation's capital, courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson…

  • The Nats have expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, echoing a report from yesterday.
  • All of their eggs are not in one basket however, Ladson says the team also maintains interest in Adam LaRoche. It appeared that a deal between the two sides was a go last week, but obviously nothing came from it.
  • "We will explore both options, so it expands our pool a little bit more," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to short and long-term first base options, not Lee and LaRoche. "I don't ever want to feel rushed to do a deal. I think when you feel rushed to do a deal, you make a deal that you may not have wanted to do. So we are going to look at our options. We feel there are still good options out there, and we will see where they take us."
  • The Nats are still in on Carl Pavano and expect talks to get serious this week. Two days ago we learned that Washington wasn't thrilled with the idea of offering the right-hander a multiyear deal.
  • Brandon Webb "remains excited" about the Nationals, and the two sides talked during the winter meetings.

Cliff Lee Rumors: Saturday

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There was not much movement on the Cliff Lee front yesterday, but the free agent lefty could agree to a contract at any moment. Here are today's batch of rumors, with the latest news featured at the top throughout the day…

  • Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of The Star Ledger that he hasn't been to Arkansas to visit Lee since the team's last visit, but he'll go again "if necessary." (Twitter link)
  • Nolan Ryan told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he expects Lee to take the weekend to mull over the offers, then come to a decision on Monday. "I've run all my traps and don't know anything," said the Hall of Famer, "so we'll just wait and see."
  • Jack Curry of the YES Network hears from people that have spoken to Yankee officials that they have expressed "a bit of skepticism" about signing Lee (Twitter link).
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Rangers originally offered five years and $100MM, but they added a sixth guaranteed year and what is believed to be "some form of option that could turn the new deal into a seven-year contract" when they last visited Lee in Arkansas.

Carl Pavano Rumors: Saturday

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Yesterday we learned that the Nationals are reluctant to offer Carl Pavano a multiyear deal, but they're still interested in the right-hander. The Twins and Brewers would also like to sign the man once traded for Pedro Martinez. Here's the latest on Pavano, with any updates up top…

  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Pavano isn't close to a deal with anyone, and is instead "evaluating his options."

Twins Interested In Brendan Ryan

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The Twins are attempting to trade for Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Minnesota just sent the incumbent J.J. Hardy to Baltimore, and Ryan became expendable when St. Louis acquired Ryan Theriot. 

The 28-year-old Ryan isn't much with the stick, just a .256/.308/.344 hitter over the last two seasons, but his defensive skills are second to none. His +18.7 UZR since the start of 2009 leads big league shortstops, just about four full runs ahead of the second best defender, the aforementioned Hardy. The Twins are expected to sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka this month and they also have Alexi Casilla in house, though it's hard to fault them for wanting to create some middle infield depth.

Odds & Ends: Arroyo, Varitek, Angels, Werth

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The Red Sox officially introduced Carl Crawford to Red Sox Nation at a press conference this morning, but that's not the only hot stove news today…

Six Teams Interested In Derrek Lee

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The Orioles, Athletics, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals, and Diamondbacks have all expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). We've heard that Lee wouldn't mind playing for Arizona, and the interest from the O's and A's is nothing new. Heyman reiterated the D'Backs interest in Xavier Nady as well.

Lee, 35, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb after the season. He's expressed a desire to join a playoff club for 2011, but calling any of those six teams a contender would be generous. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers was the Padres GM when Lee broke in with the team in 1997, and the running theme of the offseason has been Towers bringing some of his former players to Arizona. Nady obviously fits the bill as well.

I examined Lee's free agent stock back in October.

Blue Jays Have No Intention Of Trading Snider And Drabek For Greinke

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The Blue Jays have been connected to Zack Greinke basically all offseason, but they have no intention of trading Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek for him according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter). Obviously, Toronto is not close to completing a deal for the Royals' ace.

Kansas City understandably want a bounty for Greinke, who has two years and $27MM left on his contract. Snider, 23 in February, is a .255/.318/.446 hitter in 675 big league plate appearances, though Baseball America ranked him the sixth best prospect (and third best outfield prospect) in the game prior to the 2009 season. The 23-year-old Drabek was the centerpiece of the Roy Halladay trade, making three very respectable starts for the Jays late in the season. Baseball America said the development of his cutter and changeup "would put him over the top as a frontline starter" when they named him the team's top prospect last month.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Greinke, Crawford

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On this date in 1973, the late Ron Santo became the first player in baseball history to invoke 10-and-5 rights, blocking a trade that would have sent him from the Cubs to the Angels. Santo instead consented to a trade to the White Sox, where he spent the final season of his great career. 

Here are this week's batch of links…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dodgers Sign Juan Castro

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The Dodgers have signed infielder Juan Castro to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. It's his fourth stint with the organization.

Castro, 38, hit just .194/.237/.233 in 140 plate appearances for the Phillies and Dodgers in 2010. He's a career .228/.268/327 hitter, but has carved a 16-year big league career out of versatility and solid glovework. If he makes the team, Castro will earn $500K in 2011.

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