Rays Making Serious Run At Josh Willingham
3:04pm: The Rays are making a serious run at Willingham, tweets Crasnick. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds that while the Rays are not close on Willingham, they're one of three to four finalists.
2:21pm: Nine teams have called on free agent outfielder Josh Willingham, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, including the Twins, Red Sox, Indians, and Reds. The Pirates have also been linked to him. Willingham is something of a backup plan for the Red Sox and Twins, suggests Crasnick, as those teams are trying to re-sign David Ortiz and Michael Cuddyer, respectively. ESPN 1500's Phil Mackey tweets that nothing is currently brewing with the Twins and Willingham. The Indians' interest has been mild, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Reds' interest in Willingham is "simmering on the back burner, if that," GM Walt Jocketty told reporters including MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
Willingham, 32, hit a career-best 29 home runs for the Athletics in 2011. A right-handed hitter, Willingham compiled a .246/.332/.477 batting line in 563 plate appearances. He tallied 829 1/3 innings in left field, and also has experience in right field in 2009. First base and designated hitter could be options as well. Willingham's agent Matt Sosnick guessed in October that his client would sign a three-year deal.
Phillies In On Aramis Ramirez
TUESDAY, 2:19pm: Phillies advisor Pat Gillick met with Ramirez last month in the Dominican Republic, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Gillick also scouted Yoenis Cespedes on the trip, though the Phillies are unlikely to bid.
MONDAY, 9:32am: The Phillies are strong players for free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki confirmed the interest, and guesses Ramirez is a backup plan for Jimmy Rollins.
A week ago, Ramirez's agent Paul Kinzer named the Angels as one of four or five teams with serious interest in his client, and an offer from the Halos seems likely after Ramirez visited the club. The Brewers are also in the mix. Kinzer said in November that Ramirez seeks a four-year deal or three-year contract with an option.
The Phillies have third baseman Placido Polanco under contract for 2012, though the 36-year-old had double hernia surgery in October.
Rockies Claim Jamie Hoffmann
The Rockies claimed outfielder Jamie Hoffmann off waivers from the Dodgers, announced the team on Twitter. Hoffmann, 27, hit .297/.356/.497 with 22 home runs in 533 plate appearances for the Dodgers' Triple-A team this year, playing all three outfield positions.
Friedman Decides Against Astros Job
Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has already decided against taking the Astros GM job, tweets Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Joel Sherman of the New York Post agrees that Friedman is definitely staying in Tampa Bay. Friedman, a Houston native, was said to be the first choice of the new Astros ownership group.
Rockies senior vice president of scouting and player development/assistant GM Bill Geivett has interviewed for the Astros position, and Rockies folks told Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post today that Geivett has a real shot. I interviewed Geivett in August as part of MLBTR's GM Candidates series. Our top 20 GM candidates have been getting interviews and GM jobs left and right since the list was published on August 12th.
Tigers Rumors: Crisp, Buehrle, Strieby
The latest Tigers info…
- The Tigers would like to add a leadoff hitter, but they're unsure free agent Coco Crisp is the right guy, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The 32-year-old posted one of the worst OBPs of his career in 2011, with a .314 mark.
- The Tigers aren't pursuing free agent starter Mark Buehrle right now, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They're more likely to acquire a fifth starter type.
- The Tigers announced they've outrighted first baseman Ryan Strieby to Triple-A, leaving 39 players on the 40-man roster.
Twins Claim Pedro Florimon
The Twins claimed shortstop Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Orioles, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Florimon, 24, hit .267/.344/.396 for the Orioles' Double-A club this year. The switch-hitter is a flashy but erratic defender, wrote Baseball America prior to the season. BA ranked him 29th among Orioles prospects at that point, questioning his ability to hit advanced pitching.
The Orioles also announced they've outrighted lefty Pedro Viola to Triple-A, leaving their 40-man roster at 39.
Twins Inquired On David Murphy
The Twins inquired on Rangers outfielder David Murphy, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Rangers are reluctant to compromise their outfield depth.
Murphy, 30, hit .275/.328/.401 in 440 plate appearances this year while playing all three outfield positions. Murphy is arbitration eligible for the second time this winter and MLBTR projects a $3.2MM salary for 2012.
Diamondbacks Targeting Kuroda, Saito
12:16pm: The D'Backs also have reliever Takashi Saito in their sights, tweets Henson. Recently Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted that the Brewers and five other teams have shown interest in Saito.
9:18am: We've known for a while now that the Diamondbacks are targeting free agent righty Hiroki Kuroda. According to a tweet from Yahoo's Steve Henson, an official says a deal could get done this week if the 36-year-old drops his demand for a second-year player option.
Reportedly, Kuroda will consider all offers regardless of location, and seeks a $12-13MM salary. In addition to Arizona, the Hiroshima Carp, Rockies, Red Sox, and Angels appear to have varying levels of interest.
White Sox Have Big Demands For Danks, Floyd
The White Sox are asking for big returns for starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees like Danks, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but they're unwilling to meet Chicago's request of top prospects Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero. In fact, Heyman says the Yankees wouldn't trade either for Danks.
Though Danks is generally regarded as a better pitcher than Floyd, it's possible Floyd has more trade value since he's potentially under club control for 2013.
Indians Considering Casey Kotchman
Free agent first baseman Casey Kotchman is on the Indians' radar, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Heyman says the Tribe is looking at every everyday first baseman aside from Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Earlier today, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted that the Indians are "focused on either a first baseman or complementary outfielder."
Kotchman was one of the year's best minor league signings, as he hit .306/.378/.422 for the Rays in 563 plate appearances. He ranked 36th on my top 50 free agents list.