B.J. Upton Declines Rays’ Qualifying Offer
B.J. Upton has officially declined the Rays’ qualifying offer, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The centerfielder was widely expected to turn down the one-year, $13.3MM offer, putting the Rays in position to pick up a compensatory draft pick.
Now that Upton is officially off the books, the Rays may now use the new found freedom to pursue B.J.’s younger brother, Justin Upton. Tampa Bay is obviously working with a pitching surplus and could use James Shields, David Price, or Jeremy Hellickson to get such a deal done.
Mets Notes: Niese, Gee, Murphy, Nickeas
The latest on the Mets..
- Earlier today at the GM meetings, Sandy Alderson brought up the idea of possibly trading Jon Niese or Dillon Gee unprompted, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Mets will listen on anyone but are more reluctant to move Niese than others.
- A Mets official told Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter) that the team probably won’t trade Daniel Murphy because of the void it would create at second base. Jordany Valdespin would be the alternative and he isn’t viewed highly enough in the organization to be moved up into that slot.
- The Mets announced that they have agreed to terms with catcher Mike Nickeas on a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
Heyman On Yankees, Giants, Belt, Red Sox, Hamilton
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't expect Hiroki Kuroda or Nick Swisher to accept their qualifying offers, Heyman tweets. We learned last night that Rafael Soriano will reject his as well, but the sides are still talking (Twitter link).
- Even though the Giants have been getting calls on Brandon Belt, they won't be trading him, according to Heyman (via Twitter). The club's current goals are to goals are to re-sign Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro while fortifying their bullpen. That includes retaining Jeremy Affeldt, if they can.
- The Red Sox don't see Zack Greinke as a fit for Boston but they are still thinking a bit about Josh Hamilton, Heyman tweets. It remains unlikely that the Red Sox will go for the free agent slugger, however. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the Phillies could be one surprise suitor for Hamilton.
- The Mariners have reached out to catchers Russell Martin and Mike Napoli, tweets Heyman. Heyman adds that General Manager Jack Zduriencik is also looking at corner outfield bats. Nick Swisher is one corner bat that the Mariners are considering, Heyman tweets.
- The Giants have been getting lots of calls on Brandon Belt, according to Heyman (via Twitter). Belt comes with solid upside and quality defense and is not yet arbitration-eligible.
AL Central Notes: Tigers, Sanchez, Soria, Bonderman
The latest out of the AL Central..
- The price for Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez could be going up, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Sanchez asked one team for $90MM across six years and another for $100MM over seven years, according to Heyman.
- Joakim Soria has received interest from the Red Sox, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Royals declined their $8MM option for Soria on Halloween, but the right-hander has said that re-signing with Kansas City would be good for him and his family.
- More from Morosi (via Twitter), who hears from sources that the Tigers have offered Jeremy Bonderman a contract. Bonderman hasn't pitched in the majors since 2010 but he says that his arm feels good following reconstructive surgery.
- The Royals announced that they have signed first baseman Ian Gac and outfielder Luis Durango to minor league contracts. Durango spent last season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, hitting .289/.352/.335 in 565 plate appearances.
Rosenthal On Hamilton, Hart, Pagan, Indians
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke with agents and rival executives about where Josh Hamilton might land and the Nationals, Phillies, Mariners, and Orioles often came up in conversation. The Phillies would appear to be a stretch for both financial and baseball reasons, but two industry sources say the club is quietly checking in on him. It was reported earlier this week that the O's are targeting Hamilton but Rosenthal would be surprised if owner Peter Angelos, who emphasizes that his GMs find him players with a history of good conduct, can be talked into it. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- The Brewers are discussing a new deal with first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart. The 30-year-old is seeking a three-year extension but the Brewers might prefer to give him two more years while increasing his 2013 salary. Hart is under contract for one more season at $10MM.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean expressed confidence that the team would re-sign free agents Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro, and Jeremy Affeldt. Meanwhile, sources say that other teams are more aggressive than the Giants on Pagan right now.
- It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Indians trade Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez, and Justin Masterson, all of whom have two or fewer years of control remaining. However, catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana, signed for four more years, is more likely to stay.
Blue Jays Sign Justin Germano
The Blue Jays announced that they have signed right-hander Justin Germano to a minor league contract. The deal comes with an invitation to major league spring training next year.
Germano elected free agency from the Cubs in late October after being outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. The 30-year-old had a a 6.75 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in twelve starts and one relief appearance for the Cubs in 2012. Prior to that, Germano was with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate where he posted a 2.40 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9.
Mets Won’t Trade Ike Davis
Determined to become more of a power-oriented team, the Mets have decided against trading Ike Davis this winter, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets originally considered trading Davis and moving Lucas Duda to first base, but the club will now slot Duda in left field and keep Davis at first in an effort to boost their home run total.
General Manager Sandy Alderson is expected to do even more to add power to the Mets lineup. If the Mets wind up trading R.A. Dickey, they would push to get at least one young slugger in return, preferably an outfielder. Sherman also writes that the Mets can be expected to pursue low-cost veteran sluggers and may consider names such as Jonny Gomes and Raul Ibanez.
Quick Hits: Jurrjens, Dickey, Blue Jays, Dodgers
Wednesday night linkage..
- Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens is drawing some trade interest, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Jurrjens earned $5.5MM last season and could be a non-tender candidate for next season. While he finished the year healthy, he may not have a spot in Atlanta's deep rotation next year.
- Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey now sounds very optimistic about his future with the Mets, a marked change from his tone just a couple of months ago, tweets Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.
- Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter) hears that the Blue Jays may sign a second baseman in the next few days, though it's not clear who it might be.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says that he is “probably unlikely” to trade for a starting pitcher this winter and might instead address that need in the free agent market, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers are looking to add a No. 2 or 3 pitcher to put alongside ace Clayton Kershaw.
- Earlier today, the Dodgers formally announced that they have hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. McGwire previously served as the Cardinals' hitting coach but hooked on with the Dodgers as he can now work closer to his home in Irvine, California.
- Shortstop Alex Gonzalez has hired Praver Shapiro Sports Management to represent him, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. You can keep track of every player's representation with MLBTR's Agency Database.
- Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson interests the Cubs, but they don't have the trade chips to land him, Heyman tweets.
- The Red Sox announced that they have named Juan Nieves as their new pitching coach. Nieves spent the last 14 seasons in the White Sox organization and most recently served as their bullpen coach.
- Agent Joe Urbon told Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter) that outfielder Grady Sizemore plans to play in 2013. Indians GM Chris Antonetti has said that he is open to bringing Sizemore back, but for less than the $5MM he received last year.
- Mets assistant GM John Ricco says that the club won't rush to fill their void in the outfield, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Instead, the Mets plan to let the market define itself first.
Rockies Hire Walt Weiss As Manager
The Rockies announced that they have hired Walt Weiss as their next manager. The former shortstop now becomes the sixth manager in club history, dating back to 1993.
Colorado cut their field of candidates down to a field of six at the end of October with Weiss, veteran player Jason Giambi, bench coach Tom Runnells, Jerry Manuel, former Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, and current Diamondbacks bench coach Matt Williams in the mix. That field was brought down to a final four with Weiss and Williams eventually left as the remaining two candidates.
Weiss now takes the place of manager Jim Tracy who amassed a 294-308 record in his time in Colorado. Tracy's status as manager for 2013 was uncertain as he was said to have nothing more than a handshake agreement for next season. The skipper wound up walking away from the job before the club could move to fire him. While Tracy declined to go into detail about his reasons for leaving, it was widely speculated that he was less-than-thrilled with the front office's level of control in on-field decision making.
The 48-year-old has a good amount of history with the organization as he played for the Rockies from 1994-97 and worked as a special assistant to the GM from 2002-08. Weiss has no previous professional managerial experience but will now be charged with turning around a club that finished at the bottom of the NL West with a 64-98 record.
Red Sox Notes: Bay, Hunter, Ellsbury, Upton, Farrell
A source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter) that Jason Bay would be very interested in returning to the Red Sox. Earlier today, the Mets reached an agreement with the outfielder to make him a free agent this winter in exchange for deferring some of the $21MM owed to him. Here’s more on the Red Sox..
- While Bay would like to return to the Red Sox, signs point towards him preferring a west coast team, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
- The Red Sox have expressed interest in free agent outfielders Torii Hunter and Grady Sizemore, tweets Silverman.
- General Manager Ben Cherington says the club has not yet discussed Bay, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- The Red Sox will listen on Jacoby Ellsbury but they will listen on him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. One rival official noted that the club won’t be overly anxious to move Ellsbury as they’re already in need of two outfielders.
- Boston is expected to be in the mix for Justin Upton this offseason, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. It’s not yet known if the Red Sox have had talks with the Diamondbacks about the outfielder previously or at the GM meetings, however.
- Manager John Farrell says the club is thinking about hiring two hitting coaches and would even prefer it, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “I think it’s evolved into more than a one-man system. We’re going in that direction,” Farrell said (Twitter link).
- Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com looks at the decisions facing the Red Sox in advance of the Rule 5 draft.