Cubs Close On Milton Bradley Trade?
6:03pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says Bradley is not a fit for the Jays.
5:37pm: A high-level Mariners official shot down the Cubs-Mariners rumor, according to Wittenmyer.
5:34pm: Another AL team – not the Angels or Mariners - is involved in the Bradley talks, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
5:27pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports that no deal is imminent. One Cubs person tells Miles that the team is more likely to complete a deal tomorrow.
5:17pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown reports that the Cubs and Mariners are talking about a Bradley for Carlos Silva swap, though nothing is imminent.
5:12pm: Wittenmyer reports that the deal is "three quarters done." Three teams are involved, but the Rangers and Rays aren't among them.
4:12pm: The Cubs are close on trade with a "surprise AL team" for Milton Bradley, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. He says the deal could happen tonight. We know the Royals aren't in on Bradley, and the Rangers or Rays wouldn't be a surprise. So let's hear your guesses.
On the other hand, we talked to someone familiar with the situation who said there's "nothing new" on Bradley. Early this morning, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan had this to say:
Sources outside the organization insist the best bet remains a deal with the Rays involving Pat Burrell, whom the Cubs would try to deal elsewhere, possibly to the Blue Jays for prospects.
Meanwhile Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Seattle is a possible destination for Bradley, in a trade for Carlos Silva. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rangers are no longer interested.
Rockies Offer Torrealba Two-Year Deal
5:58: Renck reports that the Rockies made a two-year offer worth $4.5-6MM. The two sides continue to talk and they could reach a deal tonight. Miguel Olivo is currently a fallback option for the Rockies.
5:08pm: The Rockies made progress with Torrealba this afternoon, according to Renck. The catcher is looking for a two year deal worth about $6MM, like the one Ivan Rodriguez signed.
3:36pm: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has multiple teams competing for free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba, with the Rockies a "slight favorite." Torrealba hopes to re-sign with Colorado, but the Mets, Giants, Blue Jays, and Royals are other suitors. Torrealba met with the Mets today, and his grievance from 2007 is apparently no longer an issue.
With Brian Schneider and Ivan Rodriguez surprisingly getting two-year deals, Torrealba has a case for the same.
Marlins Talking Uggla, Lindstrom, Pinto
5:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Marlins are exchanging names as they discuss potential deals involving Uggla, Pinto and Lindstrom.
3:38pm: John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle heard four teams are in on Uggla.
12:17pm: CBS Sports' Danny Knobler has five or six teams in on Lindstrom, and says talks for the reliever are further along than those for Uggla.
8:15am: The Orioles are in the mix for second baseman Dan Uggla, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Since Marlins officials were late to arrive in Indianapolis, Uggla talks with various clubs did not begin until the evening. Frisaro believes Uggla will wind up in the AL, unless the Giants get him. ESPN's Buster Olney heard last night that the Giants were not close to a deal. Frisaro notes that there aren't many clubs seriously interested in Uggla.
A couple of other arbitration-eligible Marlins are hot topics on the trade market: Renyel Pinto and Matt Lindstrom.
Nationals Interested In Vicente Padilla
The Nationals have interest in free agent pitcher Vicente Padilla, writes Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. The Dodgers appear to have some interest in re-signing Padilla to a one-year deal, but we haven't heard much otherwise.
Padilla, 32, was released by the Rangers in August. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers and pitched well in nine starts (two of which were in the postseason). The Nationals have also been connected to starters Jon Garland and John Smoltz in previous reports.
Twitter Rumors: Mulder, Pie, Torrealba, Sheets
Random rumors collected from Twitter…
- The Brewers will meet with Mark Mulder's people today, says SI's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal tweets that a meeting with the Royals already occurred today.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says the Royals like Felix Pie, but are "finding it tough to meet Baltimore's needs."
- The Brewers are working to re-sign pitcher Claudio Vargas, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy learned. They view him as a reliever. UPDATE: McCalvy says the Brewers think they're close.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Ben Sheets' agent Casey Close will meet with both New York teams, among others. A throwing audition appears unlikely. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers would like a medical update on Sheets, who they almost signed before the season.
- Newsday's David Lennon says the Mets met with Yorvit Torrealba's agent this morning. He could be an alternative to Bengie Molina, if the Mets and Torrealba can settle their grievance. Torrealba had a signed term sheet with the Mets two years ago for a three-year, $14.4MM deal, but the Mets pulled out over concerns with the player's shoulder. Lennon's colleague Ken Davidoff says the Giants are still involved on Torrealba.
- The Brewers have a meeting with minor league free agent/knuckleballer Charlie Zink this afternoon, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says LaTroy Hawkins will meet with the Astros today in hopes of getting a deal done soon.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick finds the Brewers likely to tender a contract to righty Dave Bush on Saturday. Despite a rough year Bush could get a small raise on this year's $4MM salary.
- WEEI's Alex Speier says five to six teams have checked in on free agent outfielder Brian Giles, the Red Sox not among them.
- Joe Crede doesn't expect to sign until late in the offseason, reports Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.
Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers
Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…
- Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
- The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
- WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
- The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
- Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
- Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
- The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
- The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
- The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Kelvim Escobar
TUESDAY, 2:49pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Escobar received a positive medical report today, and could either pitch winter league ball or just audition for suitors. Crasnick names the Rays, Mariners, Brewers, and Orioles as potential suitors, in addition to the New York teams.
MONDAY, 4:29pm: The Yankees and Mets checked in on free agent pitcher Kelvim Escobar, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says Escobar might pitch in the Venezuelan winter league to prove his health. Escobar had labrum surgery in August of 2008. Yanks GM Brian Cashman told reporters his priorities are "pitching, pitching, pitching, and then left field."
Earlier today, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweeted that the Red Sox met with Escobar's agent Peter Greenberg, who also represents Rafael Soriano.
Dodgers Want One-Year Deals For Pitchers?
6:08pm: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that no one has instructed him not to offer multi-year deals. Still, this doesn't mean the team will consider them.
2:46pm: The Dodgers have talked to the agents for Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla, and Joel Pineiro, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, but the team won't discuss multiyear deals. Wolf and Pineiro will almost certainly get multiyear contracts this winter, Padilla maybe not. The Dodgers already passed up one chance to get Wolf on a one-year deal (or at least two draft picks) when they decided not to offer him arbitration.
Gurnick says the Dodgers intend to wait out the market and find pitchers who will sign one-year deals later in the offseason. It worked with Wolf last time around.
On a related note, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Dodgers are "essentially in lockdown financially."
Pirates, Blue Jays Discussing Ryan Doumit
The Pirates and Blue Jays are discussing a trade for catcher Ryan Doumit, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. One Kovacevic source wonders if Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo could be involved. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported mild interest from Toronto in Doumit on Wednesday. The backstop is owed $9.15MM over the next two seasons and was sidelined by wrist surgery this year.
Kovacevic says the Mariners and Giants might also be in the mix, but not the Mets, Rangers, or Marlins.
Granderson To Yanks, Edwin Jackson To D’Backs, Scherzer To Tigers
WEDNESDAY, 2:35pm: This deal is official, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
TUESDAY, 1:24pm: As chronicled here, a three-team blockbuster trade has been agreed upon between the Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Tigers. The players:
- The Yankees receive center fielder Curtis Granderson, who turns 29 in March. Granderson is owed $5.5MM in 2010, $8.25MM in '11, and $10MM in '12, with a $13MM club option/$2MM buyout for '13. That's $25.75MM guaranteed over the next three years. Melky Cabrera could now be expendable for the Yankees, and the Cubs are one possible suitor.
- The Diamondbacks receive a pair of starting pitchers: Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Jackson, 26, is under team control for '10 and '11 and is owed an arbitration raise on this year's $2.2MM salary. Kennedy, 25 this month, missed most of the '09 season due to surgery to remove an aneurysm near his shoulder. As far as I can tell he is under team control for another six seasons. This is the second year in a row Jackson has been traded at the Winter Meetings.
- The Tigers receive four players: starter Max Scherzer, relievers Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke, and center fielder Austin Jackson. The Tigers get five years of Scherzer, six of Schlereth, five of Coke, and six of Jackson, potentially 22 years of control in total. Scherzer, 25, and Jackson, 23 in February, are probably considered the prizes of the haul.