Giants Rumors: Ichiro, Theriot, Swisher, Ben Francisco
The Giants picked up 2014 options on manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean today, and they're working to bring second baseman Marco Scutaro back. More on the team:
- The Giants have discussed Ichiro Suzuki this offseason, admitted Bochy to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Giants are talking with Ryan Theriot about a utility role, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Theriot is a free agent after spending 2012 with San Francisco.
- The Giants view Nick Swisher as a big-ticket item and won't engage seriously with him, tweets Baggarly.
- Agent John Boggs spoke with the Giants about free agent outfielder Ben Francisco, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Rangers Rumors: Hamilton, Greinke
The Rangers have been connected to all the biggest names so far at the Winter Meetings: Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke, R.A. Dickey, and Justin Upton. The latest on the team:
- It will be an upset if the Rangers don't sign Hamilton or Greinke, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels feels "very strong" that shortstop Elvis Andrus will be a Ranger in 2013, he told reporters including Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
- The Rangers finalized their two-year, $8MM deal with reliever Joakim Soria today. ESPN's Keith Law sees this as "a good deal for Texas that could turn out to be outstanding."
- The Rangers signed outfielder Chih-Hsien Chang to a minor league deal, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. Chang, 24, hit .249/.281/.363 in 479 plate appearances across the Mariners' Double and Triple-A affiliates, spending most of his time at the outfield corners.
Dodgers Rumors: Schumaker, Ryu
The Dodgers are the favorite for Zack Greinke, which may be why they're shopping starters Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano. They're also fishing around for a player to pair with Hanley Ramirez on the left side of the infield. Other rumors around the team:
- The Dodgers are interested in Cardinals infielder Skip Schumaker, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The Dodgers' offer to Ryu Hyun-jin "fell a tad short," GM Ned Colletti told reporters including Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Agent Scott Boras suggested Ryu could make the jump from South Korea to Japan if the Dodgers can't get a deal done, which Hernandez finds far-fetched since it is unprecedented. At any rate, Boras said he's presented the Dodgers with a counter-offer and negotiations continue.
Red Sox Rumors: Chavez, Ellsbury
The Red Sox are interested in corner infielder Eric Chavez, reports WEEI's Alex Speier. Chavez could add balance to Boston's lineup and fit GM Ben Cherington's stated need: a versatile, left-handed hitting first baseman. But as Speier notes, Chavez could potentially find more playing time with the Yankees.
Elsewhere in the Red Sox rumor-verse, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe says the team is open to the idea of trading Jacoby Ellsbury, playing the newly-signed Shane Victorino in center field, and signing Cody Ross or another right fielder. Rival executives believe the Red Sox are laying the groundwork for a trade of Ellsbury for pitching, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
Latest On Nick Swisher
The Nick Swisher market is heating up, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. Agent Dan Lozano met with four teams, and Swisher spoke directly to two managers. With the Red Sox seemingly out on Swisher and the Giants not terribly interested, the Mariners seem to be the favorite in my opinion. The latest:
- The Orioles met today with Swisher's representatives, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
Latest On The Yankees
The Yankees have been eerily quiet so far at the 2013 Winter Meetings. Still, here's the latest from GM Brian Cashman's media briefing.
- Cashman confirmed he's talked to the representatives for Kevin Youkilis, A.J. Pierzynski, Eric Chavez, Raul Ibanez, and Ichiro Suzuki (MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reporting).
- It's still probable that the Yankees' catcher is already on the roster, and the team is focused on a corner outfield replacement for Nick Swisher as well as left side infield depth (Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting).
- Cashman described the third base market as "a very limited sandbox to play in."
Rangers Sign Joakim Soria
Despite ranking as one of the best closers in baseball from 2007-10, Joakim Soria will try his hand at setting up Joe Nathan in 2013. Soria, 28, officially signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Rangers today. The contract includes a club option for 2015. The longtime Royals closer had Tommy John surgery in April, and the team declined his $8MM club option. Soria is represented by Oscar Suarez.
Soria owns a 2.40 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9, and 160 saves in 315 1/3 career innings. The Royals picked him up in the 2006 Rule 5 draft, and he ranks third among franchise saves leaders. The Rangers had a need for a late-inning addition, having lost Mike Adams and Koji Uehara to free agency and Alexi Ogando to the rotation.
The Angels, Reds, and Red Sox are among the other teams that expressed interest in Soria, who ranked 37th on MLBTR's top 50 free agents list.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports initially broke the story. Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire.
Market For Mark Reynolds
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.
Indians Met With Youkilis’ Agent Today
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.
Giants Exercise Options On Sabean, Bochy
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.