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Dodgers Win Bidding For Hyun-Jin Ryu

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The Dodgers won the negotiating rights to Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu with a $25,737,737.33 bid, MLB has announced. It's the largest bid ever for a South Korean player, and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that there was at least one more bid in the $20MM range. The numbers three and seven are considered lucky in Korea, hence the unusual winning amount. Ryu is a Scott Boras client and the two sides will now have 30 days to work out a contract since the Hanwha Eagles have already accepted the bid.

Uspw_3647164Ryu, 25, was posted earlier this month. He's been one of the Korea Baseball Organization's most dominant pitchers over the last five years or so, helping the country to Olympic gold in 2008 and a second place finish in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. ESPN's Keith Law said Ryu has an 88-91 mph fastball and a "plus changeup with good arm speed and a fringy curveball in the upper 70s, which is a better left-on-left option right now than his slider." He ranked the southpaw 37th on his Top 50 Free Agents list and said he could wind up in the bullpen given concerns about his durability and thick body. 

The Dodgers already have six starters, but Ted Lilly (shoulder), Chad Billingsley (elbow), and Clayton Kershaw (hip) are coming off injuries. Upgrades over Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano could be found as well. Los Angeles has reportedly kicked the tires on free agents like Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, and Hiroki Kuroda this offseason, though it's unclear how winning Ryu's rights would impact their search for pitching. They still have to sign him first, of course.

Jon Heyman, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, ESPN's Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun, Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian all reported on the story, mostly through Twitter. Dan Kurtz of MyKBO first reported the winning bid amount (on Twitter) while Mike Petriello of the blog Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness first reported that the Dodgers had won the bidding (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Nightengale On Hunter, Dodgers, Greinke, Simmons

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Here's the latest from Bob Nightengale of USA Today…

  • The Dodgers are "aggressively pursuing" Torii Hunter according to a team executive. GM Ned Colletti wouldn't confirm the team's interest, but he did say that he did not have any trade talks about Andre Ethier during the GM Meetings this week.
  • The Dodgers will have meetings early next week to formulate a plan that involves signing Hunter and acquiring a frontline starter. They've already spoken to representatives for Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez, but are out on Ryan Dempster.
  • The Rangers tried to acquire Andrelton Simmons from the Braves so they could flip him to the Diamondbacks in a deal for Justin Upton. Arizona wants a young shortstop, but Texas is loath to give up Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar. Atlanta wouldn't budge, however.

Red Sox To Sign David Ross

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8:28pm: It's a two-year, $6.2MM contract, tweets Rosenthal.

7:49am: The Red Sox have agreed to sign catcher David Ross to a two-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The deal is still pending a physical. Ross is a Sports One Athlete Management client.

Uspw_6106010Over the last four seasons, the 35-year-old Ross has established himself as the best hitting backup catcher in baseball. He hit .269/.353/.463 with the Braves during that time, including .256/.321/.449 with nine homers in 196 plate appearances this year. Thanks in part to the presence of Brian McCann, Ross has not come to the plate even 200 times in a single season since 2007. He played with the Red Sox very briefly in 2008.

Rosenthal hears that Ross will be "more than a backup but not a starter" with Boston (Twitter link). The Red Sox already have Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate, but the former hit just .170/.211/.283 against left-handers this year while the latter hit .157/.211/.248 overall in 166 late season plate appearances. Ross gives them a platoon partner for Salty while Lavarnway could continue to refine his game in Triple-A. As a right-handed hitter, Ross should benefit from playing in Fenway Park.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes did not rank Ross on his Top 50 Free Agents list. The backstop earned $1.625MM in each of the last two seasons, and he did not receive a qualifying offer from Atlanta. The Red Sox won't have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him. McCann may miss the start of next year following his offseason shoulder surgery, so the Braves will have to find a capable replacement for Ross.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Quick Hits: LaRoche, McLouth, Mets, Bauer, Weglarz

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Condolences to the family and friends of Lee MacPhail, who passed away at the age of 95 today. MacPhail was a long-time executive who worked with the Yankees and Orioles in addition to serving as Commissioner William Eckert's chief aid. He also served as president of the American League and was the oldest living Hall of Famer.

Here is the latest from around the league as Friday turns into Saturday…

  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that Adam LaRoche hasn't heard from the Nationals in a few days, but he's still interested in returning to the team (Twitter link). LaRoche turned down Washington's qualifying offer today.
  • The Orioles are still talking to Nate McLouth, reports Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The team is optimistic a deal will get done, but nothing is imminent.
  • The Mets have more payroll flexibility than expected, but GM Sandy Alderson told Mike Puma of the New York Post that he's still "realistic" about the players they can acquire (Twitter links). Alderson referenced the "bottom end" of the free agent market.
  • "We are not shopping him," said Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez when asked about the Trevor Bauer trade rumors. "Again, if they ask, [GM Kevin Towers'] response is 'Hey, we are willing to listen,' and that's what's happened here."
  • Earlier today we heard that the Tigers made a contract offer to Jeremy Bonderman, but the right-hander told MLB.com's Jason Beck that it's news to him (Twitter links). Bonderman cautioned that he usually lets his agent handle contract matters.
  • MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (on Twitter) that outfielder Nick Weglarz is drawing interest as a free agent thanks to his left-handed bat. The 24-year-old hit .239/.349/.413 with 14 homers in 436 plate appearances for the Indians' Double-A affiliate last year.

Twins Rumors: McCarthy, Blanton, Dempster, Myers

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Here's the latest on the Twins from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN…

  • So far, the Twins have reached out to free agents Brandon McCarthy, Anibal Sanchez, Joe Blanton, Ryan Dempster, and Brett Myers. They're interested in Myers as a starter. They've also reached out to Brandon Webb even though he hasn't thrown a pitch in the big leagues since 2009.
  • The club continues to have regular conversations with Alan Nero, who represents right-hander Scott Baker. The two sides are working on a new contract after Baker's $9.25MM option was declined.
  • The Twins have not shown any interest in Jon Garland and were not present when the right-hander threw for teams during an audition back in September.
  • Talks with reliever Jared Burton about a contract extension are underway. Matt Swartz projects a $2.1MM salary for the right-hander next season, after which he'll become a free agent.
  • The Twins have inquired about reliever Randy Messenger, though the Hanshin Tigers in Japan will not allow the right-hander out of his contract.
  • The team has not contacted Bill Bray after he hit free agency. Special assistant Wayne Krivsky acquired the left-hander during his tenure as Reds GM.

Multiple Teams Interested In Michael Bourn

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The free agent crop's best leadoff hitter is also one of this winter's most popular players. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that multiple teams are interested in Michael Bourn, including the Nationals, Phillies, Reds, and Red Sox. The Dodgers are considered a very long shot to sign the speedy outfielder.

Bourn, 29, hit .274/.348/.391 with 42 steals for the Braves this year and offers both elite speed and elite center field defense. The Reds and Nationals are known to be seeking leadoff hitting outfielders while the Red Sox are looking for outfielders in general, presumably corner bats given the presence of Jacoby Ellsbury. The Phillies originally drafted and developed Bourn before sending him to the Astros in the Brad Lidge trade.

Earlier today, Bourn officially rejected the Braves' qualifying offer and will require draft pick compensation to sign. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked him third in his Top 50 Free Agents list, predicting he would sign with Washington.

Rangers Interested In Zack Greinke

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The Rangers have joined the fray for Zack Greinke, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Their interest in the free agent right-hander seems to further indicate that Josh Hamilton's time in Texas has come to an end.

The Angels are seen as the favorite to re-sign Greinke according to Heyman, but they'll have plenty of competition. The Rangers are looking for rotation help with Colby Lewis unlikely to be healthy in time for Spring Training and the trio of Scott Feldman, Ryan Dempster, and Roy Oswalt hitting free agency. A nine-figure commitment to Greinke would greatly improve their rotation while also weakening their division rival's.

Because he was traded at midseason, Greinke was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer and will not require draft pick compensation to sign. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked the right-hander as the top free agent available this offseason in his Top 50 Free Agents list, predicted that the would wind up back in Anaheim.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Ellsbury, Santana, Pierre

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As we wait for the GM Meetings to wrap-up in California, here are some links from the week that was around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

AL East Links: Orioles, Red Sox, Sizemore, Yankees

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The Blue Jays have pulled off a trade, a signing, and a DFA today, all before lunch time where the GM Meetings are being held in California. Here's the latest from the AL East…

Bay Area Notes: Athletics, Pence, Giants

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Congrats to Athletics GM Billy Beane, who was named the Executive of the Year by the Sporting News following his team's surprising run to the AL West title. Here's the latest out of the Bay Area…

  • "We're not going to do that," said Beane to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer when asked if the Athletics will trade one of their starting pitchers for a shortstop. "In years we've been successful, it's because we've had good young pitchers."
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean confirmed to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that the team will tender a contract to Hunter Pence prior to the November 30th deadline. With a projected salary of $13.8MM, Pence will be this winter's most expensive arbitration case.
  • Sabean also told Crasnick that the Giants are "actively working" to re-sign Angel Pagan, Jeremy Affeldt, and Marco Scutaro. He said he's "optimistic" about all three but declined to go into detail about the talks.

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