First baseman Mark Reynolds has a nice market, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, including the Cubs, Yankees, Indians, Marlins, Mariners, Orioles, Rays, and more. The Mets were previously linked to Reynolds.
The Orioles have not met with Reynolds' agent since he was non-tendered, however, executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette told reporters today. The Marlins have not met with Reynolds' agent yet either, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The Indians met with Kevin Youkilis' agent Joe Bick today, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Indians would like to use him at first base. Earlier today, we learned the Yankees have also spoken with Bick about Youkilis.
The Giants exercised their 2014 options on GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bochy joined the Giants initially in October of '06, while Sabean became assumed his role in '96 and is the game's longest-tenured GM. With the pair having won two World Series in a three-year span, it was an easy call to keep them in place for 2014.
Sometime next year the Giants will initiate extension talks for Bochy and Sabean beyond 2014, president and CEO Larry Baer told reporters including Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
4:03pm: A Bay-Mariners deal is close, but nothing is final yet, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
1:54pm: While the Mariners are definitely in on Bay, a deal is "not done by any means," according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Bay is still talking to a number of teams, says Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
12:49pm: The Mariners are pretty close to signing free agent outfielder Jason Bay, according to ESPN's Brock and Salk show. Bay, who attended college at Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, agreed to part ways with the Mets last month with an eye on a fresh start.
2:16pm: Hinske's deal with Arizona will be worth a little more than $1MM, sources tell Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports believes the deal to be worth $1.075MM.
12:50pm: The Diamondbacks signed first baseman/outfielder Eric Hinske to a one-year contract, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 35-year-old struggled with the Braves this year, posting a .197/.272/.311 line in 147 plate appearances. He's represented by MVP Sports Group.
Hinske, the 2002 AL Rookie of the Year winner, has served as a solid bench bat at times and owns a .236/.315/.407 line over the last three seasons, facing mostly right-handed pitching.
The Red Sox and Angels are among the suitors for free agent righty Kyle Lohse, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The 34-year-old turned down a qualifying offer from the Cardinals, signing him will cost a draft pick.
The Mets and David Wright have officially finalized the largest contract in franchise history. The Mets have extended Wright for seven years and $122MM in new money, which can be considered an eight-year, $138MM deal if the value of Wright's previously-exercised 2013 club option is included. In that sense, Wright passes Johan Santana's $137.5MM deal from February 2008. Wright is represented by ACES.
Wright, 30 in December, frequently stated his desire to remain with the Mets for his entire career. The Mets drafted him 38th overall in 2001, as a supplemental pick for the loss of free agent Mike Hampton. Wright has a .301/.381/.506 career line with 204 home runs in 5,453 plate appearances, totaling 47 wins above replacement. With six All-Star Game appearances and six seasons worthy of at least one MVP vote, Wright is the face of the franchise. He already holds franchise records in most offensive categories. This is Wright's second extension with the Mets, as he signed a six-year, $55MM contract in August 2006.
Longtime shortstop Jose Reyes left the Mets as a free agent after last season, increasing pressure from the fans for Mets ownership and GM Sandy Alderson to lock up Wright. Remaining on the agenda: a new contract with 38-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who won the 2012 NL Cy Young award and will not negotiate during his contract season. Currently, Wright and starting pitcher Jonathon Niese are the only Mets under contract beyond 2013.
WFAN's Ed Coleman first reported the agreement, with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirming that it was official. Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire.
The Rays are close to a deal with the Marlins for shortstop Yunel Escobar, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler says middle infield prospect Derek Dietrich will go to Miami.
Escobar, a 30-year-old Cuban, hit .253/.300/.344 in 608 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year. In September, he was suspended for three games by the Blue Jays after displaying an "unacceptable message" on his eye black. He was shipped to the Marlins as part of the November blockbuster, and the Rays appear to be buying low as they often do. Escobar is owed $5MM in 2013 and has $5MM club options for each of the following seasons, on a deal signed in June of 2011. His ability to play an acceptable shortstop generally makes him worth a couple of wins. The Rays had a need at the position, and the Marlins prefer to use Adeiny Hechavarria, acquired from Toronto in the same blockbuster deal.
Dietrich, 23, hit .279/.338/.457 in 563 plate appearances across High-A and Double-A this year, playing shortstop and second base. The Rays drafted him in the second round in 2010. Baseball America sees him as a second or third baseman long-term, and given above-average power, suggested prior to the season he had a chance at becoming an above-average big league regular.
9:11pm: The Rockies are closing in on acquiring Lopez, tweets Renck. Colorado would look to send two young pitchers to Houston.
9:05pm: The Rockies continue seeking relief help and have talked with the Astros about Wilton Lopez, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Questions exist regarding Lopez's health, as the 29-year-old very nearly joined the Phillies last month before they called it off. Lopez, who is arbitration eligible for the first time in 2013, posted a 2.17 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 1.1 BB/9, 0.54 HR/9, and 55% groundball rate in 66 1/3 innings this year.
The Rockies have been in active trade discussions for pitching at the Winter Meetings, tweeted Renck. The Rockies appear to want the best of both worlds in their relief hunt: a late-inning guy capable of throwing multiple innings.
Tuesday, 1:42am: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that the Cubs and Yankees have also checked in on Escobar. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle also recently confirmed that the A's are in ongoing discussions with the Marlins about Escobar.
Monday, 9:05pm: A's GM Billy Beane met with Marlins officials today, hears MLB.com's Jane Lee. However, Lee does not know if the meeting involved Escobar.
6:23pm: The Rays are pursuing Escobar and the A's could be in play, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
5:58pm: The Marlins are "actively shopping" shortstop Yunel Escobar, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The Marlins are in trade talks with at least two teams, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Escobar, acquired in last month's blockbuster trade/salary dump with the Blue Jays respresents one of the Marlins' bigger contracts at $5MM. The Marlins also acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria in the trade, so Escobar has been penciled in as the team's third baseman.
The Marlins' highest-paid player, pitcher Ricky Nolasco, would prefer a trade, agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Neither Nolasco nor Sosnick has directly requested a trade, however, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Nolasco, 30 in December, posted a 4.48 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9, and 46.6% groundball rate in 191 innings this year. He'll earn $11.5MM in 2013.
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