Quick Hits: Lincecum, Bailey, Marlins, Dodgers
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- The Giants are seeking middle ground with Tim Lincecum in their contract talks, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The club's first offer was for four years but the right-hander would like eight years in a long-term deal. Lincecum is also comfortable with a one or two-year deal.
- The Mets would love to trade for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey but are more likely to sign one or two relievers from a list that includes Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Brad Lidge, and Matt Capps, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post.
- The Marlins are in the mix for most of this winter's top free agents but haven't landed a big-name free agent since signing Carlos Delgado after the 2004 season. Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel caught up with Delgado's agent, David Sloane, to recap how that came to happen. The slugger was pursued by the Mets, Orioles, Rangers, and Mariners during the Winter Meetings but didn't hear from the Fish until ten days after they concluded.
- The Dodgers' payroll will be below $90MM, the lowest in years, thanks in part to the backloaded deal they gave to pitcher Chris Capuano, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
Three Teams Made Three-Year Offers To Buehrle
Three teams have made three-year offers to Mark Buehrle in the monetary range that he is seeking, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). None of the teams have put forward the no-trade clause that the veteran is seeking, but two of clubs, both from the National League, are close to including that in their offers, Cowley reports (Twitter links).
The White Sox are not one of the three teams, but Buehrle will talk to Ken Williams & Co. before he puts his name on the dotted line, Cowley tweets.
A deal could happen quickly, unless more clubs ramp up their pursuit at the Winter Meetings, Cowley tweets. Cowley (via Twitter) notes that he was told that there is one club lurking that could come in and swoop Buehrle up, though it could just be a bluff. On Thursday we heard that Buehrle is drawing interest from 14 teams.
AL East Notes: Lucchino, Youkilis, Orioles
Yesterday, we learned that the landscape for free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is now "wide open". The Red Sox have long been interested in the right-hander and was involved in trade talks to acquire him over the summer before Kuroda decided that he would rather finish the season with the Dodgers. The Yankees are also expected to be in the mix for the hurler. Here's more news out of the American League East..
- The Orioles will announce more front office hires today, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).
- Red Sox CEO/president Larry Lucchino said he would not attend the Winter Meetings, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. This could be a sign that Lucchino is willing to back off or that he is showing full confidence in his new management team of GM Ben Cherington and skipper Bobby Valentine.
- Cafardo also writes that Boston could use Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick as trade bait and wonders if the club would part with Kevin Youkilis in a bigger deal.
- More from Cafardo, as he writes that Red Sox VP of player personnel Allard Baird is likely to come up in connection with the Astros' GM job. Baird was in the mix for Baltimore's GM vacancy but ultimately opted not to interview for the position.
- There has been little connection between the Orioles and any starters on the free-agent market which could mean that a trade is their best option, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. The O's could also use a middle infielder and a DH but both are considered to be back burner issues.
- New Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich says he'd like to hire some new amateur scouts by the end of the year, writes Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Rajsich will look to adding a scout in central Florida and add a scout for the New England area to replace Keith Connolly, who recently left the organization.
Winter Meetings Notes: Giants, Beltran, Astros
With the Winter Meetings just around the corner, here's the latest on what we can expect to take place..
- An executive told Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter) last night that this weekend was much busier than most pre-meeting weekends with lots of teams bargain hunting.
- The Giants aren't expected to be big spenders, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. The club won't seek the offseason's elite free agents or make an aggressive push to re-sign Carlos Beltran, but they will look to fill-in some gaps at reasonable prices. Baggarly writes that they are after a right-handed hitting middle infielder such as Alex Gonzalez or Jerry Hairston Jr. and an outfielder such as Josh Willingham or Coco Crisp.
- In a piece for ESPN.com (Insider req'd), Jim Bowden runs down the situations facing the "new" GMs at the Winter Meetings. In total, there are six GMs who have just signed on with their respective clubs as GM and one interim GM in the Astros' David Gottfried.
- An agent with prominent clientele told ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider req'd) on Thursday that he's gotten less phone calls in recent days as clubs are simply waiting to get things done face-to-face at the Winter Meetings. Last year, the meetings provided tons of surprises including the Zack Greinke trade and Jayson Werth's seven-year, $126MM contract deal with the Nationals.
Marlins, Reyes Agree To Six-Year Deal
8:54pm: Reyes' deal does not include a no-trade clause, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
8:47pm: The Marlins and Reyes have agreed to a six-year, $106MM deal, pending a physical, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
8:35pm: Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed the media and confirmed that if the Marlins are offering a six-year, $111MM deal, the Mets won't be able to compete, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Furthermore, the Mets have yet to make a concrete offer to the shortstop, tweets Mike Puma of the NY Post.
8:21pm: Reyes to the Marlins appears to be imminent, but Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) continues to hear that the numbers are less than those being reported.
7:57pm: The Marlins and Reyes are close on a six-year deal, believed to be for $110MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
7:49pm: The reported terms of $111MM over six years are definitely not correct, an American League source tells Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Rodriguez stresses that this doesn't mean that the Marlins aren't closing in on Reyes.
6:37pm: The Marlins came to the meetings with the idea of bumping their offer to Reyes and setting a deadline, but now they've upped the offer so much that they may not need to give the shortstop a deadline, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
6:29pm: The Mets are now aware of the Marlins $100MM+ offer and are out of the bidding, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Barring a change of heart, it would seem that Reyes is leaving New York. The Mets were willing to go to a five-year deal for $75-85MM with an option for a sixth year to take the deal over $100MM, but felt that they were stretching for the five-year deal and won't extend to a sixth, Sherman tweets.
6:15pm: The Mets have not been alerted yet by the Reyes camp of the reported six-year, $111MM deal and if the numbers are accurate, it would mark a dramatic increase from what the Mets heard 48 hours ago, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links).
The Mets and Brewers had planned to offer Reyes something in the range of $75-80MM, says Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).
5:53pm: The Marlins have offered Jose Reyes a six-year, $111MM deal, a source tells Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com (Spanish link). The deal would pay $106MM for six years with a $22MM option for a seventh season with a $5MM buyout.
This marks a significant increase from Miami's offer a few weeks ago, which was reportedly in the neighborhood of $90MM over six years. It was recently reported that Reyes might be down to just the Marlins and Mets, but the Brewers have also made plans to meet with the shortstop's agents this week.
Rojas' source also says that the Marlins are the favorite to land Albert Pujols if he does not return to St. Louis.
Wily Mo Pena Close To Deal With Softbank Hawks
MONDAY: The two-year deal could be worth more than $5MM with incentives, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
SUNDAY: Pena's deal is expected to be for two years with a seven-figure annual salary, an industry source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The contract will allow Pena to hit the open market after his age 31 season.
SATURDAY: Slugger Wily Mo Pena is nearing a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Japan's Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, MLBTR has learned. Pena played in 17 games for the Diamondbacks and 22 games for the Mariners in 2011.
Pena, 29, drew the attention of several clubs after he was cut by the Diamondbacks in July. Across eight major league seasons, Pena owns a .250/.303/.445 slash line with 84 homers.
The Hawks are the defending 2011 Japan Series champions and featured a handful of former big leaguers on their squad including Brian Falkenborg and Jose Ortiz.
Broxton Likely To Sign Soon
2:05pm: Broxton is down to a small handful of teams and will choose before the Winter Meetings next week, says ESPN's Jerry Crasnick in a series of tweets. Crasnick says Broxton seeks a one-year deal to re-establish value, and about a dozen teams requested his medical records. The Rangers were in on him before signing Joe Nathan, and the Rockies discussed him as an option if they trade Huston Street. Crasnick thinks the Rays, Marlins, Red Sox, Twins, and Reds could be in the mix.
MONDAY, 12:13pm: A friend of Broxton tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post that all things being equal, the reliever wants to be close to his Georgia home. Sherman finds the Braves unlikely, but thinks the Marlins or Rays make sense. Abbott told Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times this morning that a tentative deal should be reached in the next few days, but his client won't be returning to the Dodgers.
SUNDAY, 8:40pm: Jonathan Broxton's agent, BB Abbott, doesn't think his client will wind up signing with the Mets but does think that he could sign somewhere soon, tweets Mark Hale of the New York Post. Broxton underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in September and pitched just 12 2/3 innings for the Dodgers last season.
Last Sunday it was reported that more than ten teams are interested in the 27-year-old and the Blue Jays are among the teams in the mix. Ben Nicholson-Smith took a look at Broxton's free agent stock in late September and predicted a one-year deal with plenty of incentives.
Astros Dismiss Ed Wade, Tal Smith
11:33pm: The Astros have confirmed in a press release that they are letting General Manager Ed Wade and President of Baseball Operations Tal Smith go. The release goes on to say that Assistant GM Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM until a new GM is hired. However, Gottfried is not a candidate for the permanent position. The search for a new GM "begins immediately".
11:21pm: Tal Smith said he was told by team president George Postolos he and GM Ed Wade are being dismissed, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26.
8:41pm: The Astros, coming off the worst season in franchise history, are expected to announce major changes Monday, including the dismissal of GM Ed Wade, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Furthermore, Tal Smith, the team’s president of baseball operations, is also expected to leave his current position, possibly by retiring.
The fate of manager Brad Mills, who is under contract through 2012 with an option for ’13, is uncertain. Mills could be part of the initial housecleaning, or his future could be decided later by the team's next GM.
Last Sunday it was reported that Astros owner Jim Crane was prepared to make a swift decision on the futures of Wade and Smith. Now, Crane and new team president George Postolos plan one-on-one meetings with all of the team’s top executives starting Monday, sources tell Rosenthal and Morosi.
Wade has served as Houston's GM for just over four years and is under contract through 2012. Smith, meanwhile, has been with the Astros a total of 35 years, the last 17 as club president. In total, he's spent 54 years in baseball.
There has been a great deal of speculation surrounding Wade's job security in recent weeks. Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com wrote that if Wade were to be fired, the club could have an ambitious wish list including Rangers executives A.J. Preller and Thad Levine and Rays executives Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker. Hunsicker previously served as Houston's GM from 1996-2004.
As we've heard before, Friedman is happy with his job in Tampa Bay and unlikely to leave, despite being a Houston native, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler also tweets that friends of Crane say the owner is a fan of the Rangers organization.
Central Notes: Pena, Twins, Quade, Rodriguez
Some items out of the AL and NL Central to round out the evening..
- Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is unlikely to accept the club's arbitration offer, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Heyman writes that the Type B free agent should be able to land a multi-year deal after hitting .225/.357/.462 with 28 homers in 2011.
- Twins insiders believe that the new collective bargaining agreement will make it easier for them to sign the No. 2 pick in next June’s draft, writes Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune. The slot bonus for that pick has been set at $6.2MM.
- More from Christensen as he writes that before hiring Gene Glynn as their Triple-A skipper, the Twins spoke to recently dismissed Cubs manager Mike Quade, who was a top minor-league manager before landing the Cubs' job. Quade wasn’t interested, as he’ll still be drawing a paycheck from the Cubs for 2012.
- Wandy Rodriguez represents an appealing option for several teams looking to improve their starting pitching, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner. Earlier today, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wrote that the Astros are getting more and more inquiries about the availability of the 32-year-old and the Red Sox are among the interested clubs.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon (video link) doesn't see the Reds moving Yonder Alonso for anything less than a top-end starter. Sheldon goes on to say that he thinks the Reds should hang on to the 24-year-old slugger.
Quick Hits: Jaso, Orioles, Byrnes, Rivera
Sunday evening linkage..
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner takes a look at the newest member of the Mariners, John Jaso. The M's traded pitcher Josh Lueke to the Rays for Jaso earlier this evening, and Cameron likes the move for Seattle.
- The Orioles have hired Gary Rajsich of the Blue Jays to be the club's new amateur scouting director, an industry source told Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Rajsich, 57, has been with the Blue Jays since 2009 but spent most of his scouting career with Boston, where he worked with O's GM Dan Duquette.
- Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune spent some time with Josh Byrnes and found that the recently-appointed Padres GM is extremely optimistic about the club's future. When speaking to Norcross in his Petco Park office, Byrnes had one of his computer screens locked to MLBTradeRumors.
- Yankees skipper Joe Girardi says that he isn't so sure that this will be Mariano Rivera's final season, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. The closer will celebrate his 42nd birthday on Tuesday.
- Bud Selig, the same commissioner who canceled the World Series in 1994 in order to crush the union, deserves props for seeing the error of his ways and dramatically changing them, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. However, Davidoff isn't a fan of the limits on amateur spending and doesn't see the point of HGH testing.
- On the other hand, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald argues that the newly-implemented HGH testing is a striking example of how far the sport has come in recognizing its issues with performance-enhancing drugs.
- Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer likes that MLB will be adding an additional wild card team in each league. The new system, he writes, puts an emphasis on winning the division, which only brings integrity to the 162-game season.