Orioles Willing To Trade Matt Wieters?
12:48pm: A club source tells Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) that rumors that J.J. Hardy and Wieters are available just part of initial dialogue with teams. The source maintains they aren’t on the trading block or being shopped.
11:19am: The Orioles are willing to trade catcher Matt Wieters, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). An extension is unlikely for the Scott Boras client and the Orioles believe that he is set to hit the open market after the 2015 season, barring a dramatic change in thinking.
Wieters, 27, had a solid season in 2013 (.235/.287/.417 with 22 homers) but it wasn’t quite on the level of his previous two campaigns. Rosenthal suggested over the weekend that the O’s could conceivably move Wieters and target a replacement such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the open market. If the Orioles move him now, however, it’ll be selling low on one of the best young catchers in baseball.
Mets Notes: Wilpon, Granderson, Cruz, Davis
The latest out of Queens, New York, by way of Orlando, Florida..
- Owner Jeff Wilpon says the Mets have been busy and could have something working later this afternoon, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. He also added that the free agent prices in this market could be "scary."
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) says that if something is close with the Mets, it's not with Curtis Granderson since they have yet to meet with his agent.
- Meanwhile, the Mets' interest in Granderson and Nelson Cruz has been overstated, a team insider tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Asked about the Mets enthusiastically being linked to Granderson and Cruz, a team insider said: "I would not believe everything you read."
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Executives yesterday predicted a lot of interest in Mets first baseman Ike Davis and that is already taking shape today, according to Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). The Mets and Brewers reportedly discussed a deal involving Davis and earlier today Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Astros, Orioles, Rays, and Rockies have also checked in on him.
AL East Notes: Ryan, Arencibia, Napoli, Rays, Yankees
Mark DeRosa didn't stay unemployed for long. After the Blue Jays announced his retirement from baseball yesterday, the MLB Network announced that DeRosa will be coming aboard as a studio analyst. Here's more out of the AL East..
- There's mutual interest between the Yankees and Brendan Ryan and a deal could happen quickly, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The free agent doesn't offer much in the way of offensive firepower but he does boast a career 11.7 UZR/150 at the shortstop position.
- Multiple teams have expressed interest in Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, prompting the Blue Jays to explore the free agent catching market for a possible replacement, sources tell Rosenthal. The Jays have contacted all of the free agent catchers but have yet to make an offer, one source said.
- The Red Sox have not come to Mike Napoli with a contract offer since he rejected their one-year, $14.1MM qualifying offer, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. However, the Red Sox want to keep Napoli and the veteran would like to stay.
- Rays GM Andrew Friedman says that rather than committing to a true closer, he'll be searching out a reliever or two capable of handling late-inning, high-leverage duty, creating the possibility that Jake McGee or Joel Peralta will become the primary ninth-inning option, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Friedman added that the Rays are looking externally for a first baseman and a catcher to pair with Jose Lobaton while keeping an eye on their own free agents James Loney and Jose Molina. They also aren't planning to go for a true DH, instead eyeing a rotation consisting primarily of outfielders David DeJesus, Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce, and Wil Myers, plus possibly a player off the bench.
- Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter) would be shocked if the Orioles moved J.J. Hardy. Earlier today we learned that the O's discussed a deal involving Hardy with the Cardinals to get Shelby Miller, but St. Louis extinguished those talks pretty quickly.
- General Manager Brian Cashman has no delusions of Robinson Cano taking a hometown discount to stay with the Yankees, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. “He loves the money, but I think we’ll have a substantial offer,” Cashman said. “Somebody might come in and have a much more substantial offer. It’s just the way it works.”
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) proposes six trades for the Rays' David Price.
- Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke with reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger, about the club's efforts to get under the $189MM tax threshold and the club's interest in Masahiro Tanaka.
- Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if the Marlon Byrd signing could hurt the Orioles. Yesterday, the Phillies agreed to sign Byrd to a two-year, $16MM deal.
Mariners Express Interest In Matt Kemp
The Mariners have expressed interest in Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It was reported last week that the Dodgers are open to moving Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford this winter.
Kemp, 29, nearly won the National League MVP in 2011 and was selected to the All-Star team in 2012 but hit only .270/.328/.395 in 290 PA for the Dodgers in 2013. The outfielder still has plenty of trade value, but he is owed $128MM through the 2019 season and Los Angeles may have to foot some of the bill if they move him. Health has been an issue for Kemp in recent years – he played 106 games in 2012 and just 73 last season. Of course, the Dodgers can afford to move one of their outfielders thanks to last year's emergence of Yasiel Puig.
Luis Mendoza To Sign With Japanese Team
Today's minor moves..
- Luis Mendoza agreed to a two-year deal with the Nippon Ham Fighters for approximately $1MM per year, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Kansas City requested release waivers on Mendoza earlier in the week to allow him to pitch in Japan. Mendoza earned just $532K last season but our own Matt Swartz estimated that he would get $1MM in arbitration this winter. The 30-year-old posted a 4.72 ERA, 1.51 K/BB ratio and a 5.4 K/9 in 58 games during his tenure with KC.
Heyman On Trumbo, Ellsbury, Davis, Santana
Mark Trumbo is the Angels' most wanted player via trade, but the Halos are very reluctant to trade him, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. "He fits us," said someone connected to the Angels. Meanwhile, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Peter Bourjos and Chris Iannetta also are getting a fair number of trade inquiries, and they could move one of them. Here's more of Heyman's latest..
- One club with interest in Jacoby Ellsbury says that agent Scott Boras has set Carl Crawford's $142MM contract as a benchmark in discussions, Heyman writes. One rival GM who isn't in on Ellsbury argued that Crawford was better and more durable at the time of his deal.
- The Astros, Orioles, Rays, Brewers and Rockies all have checked in on Mets first baseman Ike Davis, despite his awful 2013 campaign, according to Heyman. In the case of Milwaukee, however, they may prefer re-signing Corey Hart instead.
- Heyman suggests that the Marlins and Cubs could discuss a swap of top prospects and officials from both sides agree that they could have something to discuss. The Cubs have high-end position prospects such as Kris Bryant (who may be untouchable), Javier Baez, and Albert Almora, while Miami has a stockpile of strong young arms.
- We learned last week that Ervin Santana's asking price was $100MM and today Heyman hears that agents Bean Stringfellow, Joe White, and Jay Alou are seeking a five-year, $112MM pact. The agents are going around with a book of arguments to support their case, including some comparisons to Dodgers star pitcher Zack Greinke.
- The A's have joined the fray for free agent Nelson Cruz, but the small-market club could run into problems when it comes to dollars and years, Heyman writes. Oakland has been looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder after declining to pick up the option on Chris Young, but Cruz would be a much bigger splash than anyone anticipated.
Cards Turned Down Orioles’ Pitch For Shelby Miller
The Orioles and Cardinals had trade talks revolving around Shelby Miller and J.J. Hardy, but the Cardinals told Baltimore there's no deal to be made, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Some have speculated that the Cards could consider trading Miller this winter despite his brilliant rookie season. However, there was no indication that St. Louis is thinking that way in this exchange.
Hardy is coming off of a season in which he hit .263/.306/.433 while belting 25 home runs. Of course, the Cardinals are aggressively pursuing an upgrade at the shortstop position, but this deal wasn't up their alley.
While the Cardinals believe in keeping an open mind to all opportunities, many at the GM Meetings are wondering why they would even think about trading the right-hander, Heyman writes. The Cards have recieved many inquiries about their wealth of young pitchers over the last couple of days.
White Sox Won’t Trade Sale, Garcia, Quintana
As the White Sox look to rebound from their 99-loss season, everyone is available on the trade block. Well, almost everyone. Avisail Garcia, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and the newly-acquired Jose Dariel Abreu are off limits, executives told Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.
Meanwhile, multiple MLB execs confirmed that the White Sox are open to any and all avenues to reconstruct the roster, outside of moving those four players, of course. General Manager Rick Hahn wouldn't comment on three of the four but he did take the time to say that Sale is off limits.
“There’s a group of guys that we feel are part of our long-term success and having Chris at the front of our rotation we think is a big part of that potential for success,” Hahn said. “Obviously he’s signed for the next six years if we exercise both his options and we fully intend to win within that window. So while we have to not close off any avenues and have to hear other clubs when there is certain valuable commodities, moving him is not something we’re looking to do.”
While those players apparently won't be going anywhere, trades involving second baseman Gordon Beckham, shortstop Alexei Ramirez, and outfielder Alejandro De Aza might make sense.
Phillies Sign Marlon Byrd
The Phillies have signed free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd to a two-year, $16MM deal, according to a team release. The deal includes an $8MM option for 2016 that vests if Byrd gets 600 plate appearances in 2015 or 550 plate appearances in 2015 and a total of 1100 plate appearances in 2014 and 2015. If the option does not vest, it becomes a team option.
The deal will bring Byrd back to the team that he started his major league career with in 2002. The 36-year-old is coming off of a season in which he posted a career-best .294/.336/.511 slash line and 24 homers for the Mets and PIrates. It was a well-timed strong campaign for Byrd and it helped his stock tremendously after he was slapped with a 50-game suspension for PED use in 2012.
Byrd crushed lefties in 2013 slashing .344/.376/.583 with eight homers in 178 plate appearances, but he showed that he can handle right-handed pitchers as well. Byrd batted .268/.318/.480 against right-handers in 2013, giving him a 129 OPS+ against righties and a 157 mark against lefties.
The Phillies have been linked to Byrd this offseason as they were in search of a right-handed hitting outfielder. They weren't the only ones, however, as the Mets, Pirates, and Mariners all had varying degrees of interest this winter.
General Manager Ruben Amaro & Co. certainly hope that they'll be getting the 2013 version of Byrd and not the '12 incarnation. Byrd had just 153 plate appearances in 2012 thanks to his suspension and slashed just .210/.243/.245 for the Cubs and Red Sox.
The outfielder is represented by Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database. Earlier this month, our own Steve Adams predicted a two-year, $16MM deal for Byrd.
Michael Barkann of WIP reported that Byrd and the Phillies had agreed to terms. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York tweeted that Byrd would get two years and $16MM. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweeted details of Byrd's 2016 option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: Kazmir, Royals, Rodney, Wilson
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Mets aren't considering a reunion with Scott Kazmir. Earlier today, we heard that the Indians don't expect to hang on to the left-hander as he's likely to command a multi-year pact and they're not willing to go beyond one. Here's more from around baseball..
- Royals manager Ned Yost told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (Twitter links) that his priorities are starting pitching and second base. Yost also indicated that Carlos Beltran, Brandon Phillips, and Ervin Santana have popped up in discussions.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti is scheduled to talk to agent Dan Lozano about two of his clients, closers Fernando Rodney and Brian Wilson, according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Cleveland is looking into out-of-house closing options after parting ways with Chris Perez.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he's looking to add "400 innings" to the rotation this winter, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers says he has scouted Masahiro Tanaka extensively and hopes to be in the mix for him, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- If Carlos Ruiz really has a two-year, $20MM offer on the table, then he probably shouldn't let it sit for too long, opines MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter).
- Nationals assistant GM and VP of player personnel Roy Clark has the club to take a job with the Dodgers, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (on Twitter).