Paul Konerko Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday the talks between the White Sox and longtime first baseman Paul Konerko hit a snag, with GM Kenny Williams talking about moving on. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf still may step in and make it work, but here's the latest…
- Yahoo's Steve Henson calls a Konerko-White Sox reunion "dead in the water for the time being." He suggests Jayson Werth's signing caused Konerko to raise his demands as a ripple effect.
- Rival teams bidding on Konerko are convinced he's returning to the White Sox, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Cubs Targeting LaRoche, Pena
11:28pm: The Cubs met with Carlos Pena's agent, Scott Boras, again tonight, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago reports that Boras is looking for a two or three-year deal.
2:06pm: The Cubs are targeting first baseman Adam LaRoche and would like to close a deal soon, reports CBS Sports' Scott Miller. The Nationals are known to be in on LaRoche as well. The 31-year-old hit .261/.320/.468 with 25 home runs in 615 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks this year, earning $6MM. His walk rate slipped while his strikeout rate rose.
Both clubs have also been linked to Carlos Pena; Cubs GM Jim Hendry met with Scott Boras on that front but did not exchange dollar figures, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Red Sox Considering Carlos Beltran
10:49pm: The Mets and Red Sox met to discuss Beltran tonight, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
6:14pm: The Red Sox-Beltran rumor was not grounded in fact, a team source told ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (Twitter link).
12:20pm: The Red Sox are "at least talking internally" about a Carlos Beltran trade with the Mets, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin. There is no potential deal at this point. The Sox consider Beltran a secondary option if other outfield alternatives fall apart, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Beltran is set to earn $18.5MM in 2011, the last year of his seven-year deal, and he cannot be offered arbitration when the season ends.
The Red Sox have also been linked to Magglio Ordonez, Josh Willingham, and Matt Diaz in recent rumors.
Free Agent Tracker
Just a reminder that MLBTR has a sweet new free agent tracker you can use to keep track of all the signings and available free agents. You can filter by team, position, years, and amount.
Matt Diaz Rumors: Tuesday
7:30pm: The D'Backs made Diaz an offer, but it appears that he'll sign elsewhere, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
12:42pm: Matt Diaz seems to be one of baseball's more popular non-tenders. His agent Larry Reynolds believes he'll sign in the "next couple of days, even today." Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds the Diamondbacks to a list of suitors that also includes the Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Yankees. The Phillies and Pirates have come up in a more speculative sense.
Rosenthal notes that the Diamondbacks prefer a first base/left field utility type like Diaz or Xavier Nady to a full-time option like Derrek Lee. It seems they could end up with platoons at third base, first base, and left field in 2011.
Nationals, Rockies, Indians Eyeing Adam Everett
7:20pm: The Nationals are also considering Eckstein, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
1:57pm: The Rockies and Indians are eyeing slick-fielding shortstop Adam Everett for a utility role, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Everett sat out the last three months of the season after the Tigers released him in June. He played only 31 games this year. Everett has played shortstop almost exclusively in his pro career, so he'd have to learn the other positions to act as a true utility infielder.
The Rockies also have an eye on Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan for shortstop protection, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Cubs Shopping Tom Gorzelanny
6:52pm: The Tigers contacted the Cubs about Gorzelanny, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
9:38am: The Cubs are aggressively shopping lefty Tom Gorzelanny, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Trading Gorzelanny would open up a spot in the Cubs' rotation, but wouldn't clear much payroll.
Gorzelanny, 28, posted a 4.09 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9, and 40.7% groundball rate in 136 1/3 innings this year. He's arbitration eligible for the second time after earning $800K in 2010.
Pirates Looking At Free Agent Relievers
6:49pm: The Pirates' interest in Chan Ho Park appears to be cooling, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
4:34pm: The Pirates have inquired on Aaron Heilman as a reliever, MLBTR has learned. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (on Twitter) that the Pirates are not targeting Matt Guerrier.
1:42pm: The Pirates are showing interest in and making offers to a number of free agent relievers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says they were in on J.J. Putz before he reached an agreement with Arizona and are looking at guys like Kevin Gregg. I'm told the Pirates showed lukewarm interest in Hiroyuki Kobayashi, only on a minor league deal.
The Pirates already have Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan as closer candidates, so it appears they're trying to once again build a late-inning reliever surplus. It worked well with Octavio Dotel this year.
Brewers, Phillies In On Delwyn Young
5:50pm: The Marlins are not interested in Young, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). Rodriguez notes that the Marlins haven't considered pursuing Joe Crede, either.
2:26pm: The Brewers, Marlins, and Phillies are talking to Delwyn Young, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Young was designated by the Pirates prior to the non-tender deadline and elected free agency.
Young, 28, hit .236/.286/.414 in 207 plate appearances for the Pirates this year, spending time at second base, third base, and right field. He joined the Pirates via a trade with the Dodgers in April of last year.
Orioles-Rays Swap ‘Not Happening’
5:13pm: The Orioles are moving on to other targets, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). Those alternatives include trade candidates Brendan Ryan, J.J. Hardy and free agent Orlando Cabrera.
4:48pm: Reimold is off the table, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). He isn't going to Tampa and he's probably staying put.
4:13pm: The trade is "not happening," a source tells ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).
3:37pm: There will be no deal today, according to Ghiroli (on Twitter). The sides are close, but a trade now seems less likely than it did earlier.
2:38pm: No deal is imminent and the names vary, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Rays want Reimold and Alfredo Simon for Bartlett, tweets Connolly.
1:26pm: The Rays are talking with the Orioles about Bartlett, and it's for more than Reimold, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
11:49am: A possible deal sending Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett to the Orioles for outfielder/first baseman Nolan Reimold is heating up, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He has one source who expects the trade to happen today.
The Rays are one of few teams with a shortstop surplus, and Bartlett may earn over $5MM in his last year before free agency. Reimold had a strong rookie season for Baltimore in '09 but had a lost 2010.