AL West Rumors: Rangers, Kemp, A’s, Kang
The Rangers are expected to talk to the Mets and Marlins about starting pitchers, tweets T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Sullivan mentions Jon Niese and Dillon Gee of the Mets and Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi of the Marlins as likely targets. Presumably, Texas would consider other targets as well. New York needs a shortstop while Miami could use first base help. The latest from the AL West..
- There has been no recent progress in the Matt Kemp trade talks between the Mariners and Dodgers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- A’s manager Bob Melvin likes internal shortstop options, notably Andy Parrino, but he also said he wouldn’t be surprised if they added one before spring, according to Jane Lee of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- Meanwhile, GM Billy Beane says that contrary to reports, the A’s are not among the teams with interest in Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang (link).
- Beane confirmed that the A’s are targeting young shortstops in deals, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says he’s still very much focused on adding bullpen depth through free agency or trade, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Solano, McCoy, Lombardozzi
Today’s minor moves..
8:27pm:
- The Marlins have signed catcher Jhonatan Solano to a minor league deal, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. He’ll join his brother Donovan Solano in Miami.
4:57pm:
- The Orioles announced that they have outrighted left-hander Pat McCoy and infielder Steve Lombardozzi to Triple-A Norfolk. The O’s 40-man roster is now down to 37.
- The Nippon Ham Fighters have signed third baseman Brandon Laird, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The 27-year-old former Yankee farmhand spent 2014 with the Nationals Triple-A affiliate. He posted a healthy .300/.350/.490 line in 506 plate appearances. The Ham Fighters are also reportedly close to signing outfielder Jeremy Hermida.
Central Rumors: Tigers, Cespedes, Twins
The Tigers declined to open up a spot on their 40-man roster prior to today’s deadline, which means that they will not be adding anyone in the Rule 5 draft, as Chris Iott of MLive.com writes. The Tigers protected infielder Dixon Machado and pitcher Angel Nesbitt from the Rule 5 draft last month, but left Joel Hanrahan unprotected due to his contract situation. More out of the Central divisions.
- Hanrahan’s deal has a $1MM base salary if he reaches the majors with up to $2MM in incentives, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com (via Twitter). It was originally believed that Hanrahan’s deal with the Tigers had a bit more in incentives.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said that the club is open to a possible Andy Dirks return, according to Chris Iott of MLive.com (via Twitter).
- “A lot of clubs have asked about” Tigers pitchers, but Dombrowski says that he still feels good about the five starters they currently have in place, Iott tweets.
- The Reds have a need for a power bat and have some interest in Red Sox outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, according to CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam. The Reds and Cespedes have been connected for some time. The Reds have starting pitching that they can deal, which would make the two teams seem like solid trade partners on the surface.
- Twins manager Paul Molitor has not made any recruiting calls since contacting outfielder Torii Hunter, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Brewers manager Ron Roenicke says the club is focused on filling the bullpen, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter). Milwaukee is open to both free agents and trades. Today, they focused on watching video of left-handed relievers.
Latest On Melky Cabrera
Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Mariners appear to be the favorites for Melky Cabrera, but we later got word that the M’s are still looking at a wide range of outfield options. Meanwhile, the White Sox, Giants, and Royals have also been linked to him as of late. Here’s the latest on Cabrera..
Mets Shopping Dillon Gee
The Mets are aggressively shopping Dillon Gee to teams in need of a starter, a high-ranking source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets have publicly acknowledged that they’re looking to deal a starter but a source tells Rubin that they’re pushing Gee more than the others in the rotation.
Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter) hears that there are three to five teams in on Gee. Earlier today, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News noted that the Giants and Royals are two clubs to keep an eye on when it comes to Gee.
Gee had a solid but unspectacular 2014 season, with a 4.00 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 137 1/3 innings in the Mets’ rotation. He is under the Mets’ control for two more seasons and is projected to earn ~$5.1MM in 2015, according to Matt Swartz’s projections.
Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese have also been mentioned as trade possibilities, but at this time, Gee appears to be the most likely to go.
Angels Notes: Wilson, Beckham, Backup Infielder
Here’s the latest on the Halos:
- It was reported over the weekend that the Angels have C.J. Wilson on the trade block, but GM Jerry Dipoto denies that’s the case, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Dipoto said that he has not made a call nor has he received a call on the pitcher.
- Dipoto added that he has not engaged any free agents, aside from Gordon Beckham, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter).
- Dipoto indicated that a trade for a backup infielder is also a possibility, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- It sounds like the Angels will be signing a left-handed reliever to a minor league deal this week, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter).
AL Central Rumors: Williams, Rodriguez, Indians
The latest from the AL Central..
- We learned earlier that the Blue Jays had interest in White Sox executive Kenny Williams, but the club did not grant Williams permission to interview. Chicago’s chairman Jerry Reindorf spoke about the decision, saying “this is not the right time,” reports Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. He went on to say the club is focused on building a contender for 2015.
- Francisco Rodriguez is among the many relievers that the White Sox are looking at, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- Now that the Indians have added Brandon Moss, they will shift their focus to pitching, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Specifically, they’ll aim to add more starting pitcher depth. This is already a strength for the club, but as they say, you can never have enough pitching. Presently, veterans Zach McAllister and Josh Tomlin are listed as the sixth and seventh starters.
Kendrys Morales Seeking Big Multi-Year Deal
6:41pm: Crasnick clarified (via Twitter) that Morales is looking for two or three years “at Billy Butler” money. Butler signed a three-year, $30MM contract earlier this offseason.
4:06pm: Scott Boras is seeking “multiple years and substantial dollars” for Kendrys Morales, an official with one AL club told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That means that the veteran might be on the market for a while once again this offseason unless his expectations change, Crasnick adds (link).
In late November, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the market was relatively quiet on Morales. Only the Indians, Rangers, and Royals were known as clubs to be taking a look while the Mariners and Blue Jays were also cited as possibilities.
West Rumors: Trumbo, Montero, Cabrera
Even though Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart said last week that he will not trade Mark Trumbo, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) hears that he is still in play for Arizona. There was once talk of a three-way deal involving Trumbo that fell through but he remains available. A look at the AL and NL West..
- Tony La Russa said the the Diamondbacks had talks with the Dodgers about Miguel Montero but they never had a deal in place, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- The Mariners are pondering a wide range of possibilities for an outfield bat, including trades, and they’re not locked in on Melky Cabrera at this point, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today that the M’s are the favorites for the outfielder.
- Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson has switched agents and joined Excel Sports Management, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Despite being connected to him, the Astros did not seriously pursue Jason Hammel, according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). They did make an inquiry, however. Hammel ultimately returned to the Cubs on a two-year pact.
AL East Notes: Cespedes, Ichiro, Rays
The latest from the AL East..
- The Red Sox spoke with the Tigers about a deal involving Yoenis Cespedes and Rick Porcello, but there wasn’t a match there, accoridng to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). Yesterday, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that those talks were “not hot” between the two teams.
- Ichiro Suzuki‘s agent John Boggs says his client isn’t in a rush to find a new home, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. However, if the right offer came along, he would sign “in two seconds.” Ichiro is entering his age 41 season after hitting .284/.324/.340 in 385 plate appearances with the Yankees.
- The Rays have reached an agreement with St. Petersburg that will allow the club to search for stadium sites in nearby Hillsborough County, reports Stephen Nohlgren of the Tampa Bay Times. Under the deal, the Rays will pay a set annual amount based on the amount of time remaining in their current lease of Tropicana Field, which expires in 2027. The Rays will pay $4MM per season until 2018, $3MM through 2022, and $2MM for the remainder of the term.
- MLB is still investigating the Cubs on charges of tampering with former manager Joe Maddon, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Maddon, now with the Cubs, opted out of his contract with the Rays earlier this offseason. Per Tampa GM Matt Silverman, “they’re handling it.”
Brad Johnson contributed to this post.