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AL East Notes: Orioles, Kuroda, Nakajima, Guthrie

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On this date in 1996, the Red Sox signed veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer, who at that time had a 4.51 ERA in 1116 2/3 MLB innings over the course of nine MLB seasons. Though he appeared in just 23 games for Boston, he enjoyed a career renaissance in Seattle and hasn't stopped yet. Moyer, now 49, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has drawn some interest from MLB teams. Here's the latest on the AL East…

  • The Orioles are expected to hire former Mets, Brewers and Athletics pitching coach Rick Peterson as an organizational pitching guru this week, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Red Sox have maintained interest in Hiroki Kuroda, but his asking price figures to exceed Boston’s budget unless they make another move to free up payroll, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Kuroda is open to pitching on the East Coast, Bradford notes.
  • The Yankees have until Friday to negotiate a deal with Japanese infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima and the sides continue discussing possible contracts, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Earlier reports had suggested the deadline was Tuesday, rather than Friday. Depending on whether the Yankees sign Nakajima, they could have interest in bringing back Eric Chavez or trading Eduardo Nunez. 
  • Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie told Jeff Joyce and Todd Hollandsworth on MLB Network Radio that he hopes trade rumors surround him next year, since other teams won't be interested if he's pitching poorly. Guthrie is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and will hit free agency after the 2012 campaign.  
  • Jason Frasor says he was confused when he saw Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos had texted him over the weekend, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. "I thought he might have wanted to talk,” Frasor said. “He likes to talk. He's a talker." In fact, the GM was calling about the trade that sent Frasor back to the Blue Jays for Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb. Frasor's optimistic that Sergio Santos, his teammate in the minors and majors, will fit well in Toronto.

Mariners, Orioles In On Hisashi Iwakuma

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2:28pm: The Orioles are in on Iwakuma, MLBTR has learned.  New GM Dan Duquette has been active internationally, signing Tsuyoshi Wada and showing interest in Wei-Yin Chen, Yoenis Cespedes, and Chong Tae-Hyon.

2:03pm: The Mariners and two other American League teams are in the hunt for free agent starter Hisashi Iwakuma, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The Mariners rumor has been kicking around in Japanese reports since Friday.  A week ago, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that four teams inquired on Iwakuma, with the Athletics in that mix but with "lukewarm" interest.  Iwakuma may have been on the Twins' radar, though they added Jason Marquis in late December.  Both teams bid on him in 2010 via the posting process.  The A's won with a $19.1MM bid, but could not work out a contract with Iwakuma.

Iwakuma, a member of the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2011, posted a 2.42 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, and 0.45 HR/9 in 119 innings, battling a shoulder injury.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Rodriguez, Rays

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Here's a look at some items out of the American League East as the Yankees and Red Sox continue to scour the market for pitching..

  • The Red Sox are budget-conscious as they look to add to their rotation and one agent told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that he believes it will continue.  “[GM Ben Cherington] is listening with free agents, but that’s it so far,’’ said the agent.  "I don’t think it’s an act, either. They’re hoping somebody falls to them and that may be it."
  • In a piece for the New York Times, Rob Neyer takes a look back at the ten-year, $275MM deal Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees in December of 2007.  The Yankees have little reason to regret the signing so far but A-Rod remains under contract through 2017 when he'll turn 42.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at six different approaches that the Yankees can take to solve their rotation issues.  Davidoff doesn't like the odds of the club pulling an "old school" move and throwing money at the problem, which would likely mean giving Edwin Jackson a sizeable contract.  Instead, it seems likely that the Bombers will look for another lottery ticket and hope they hit it big, much as they did with Bartolo Colon in 2011.
  • John Tomase of the Boston Herald suggests that the Rays pair up with the Angels to land either Mark Trumbo or Kendrys Morales.  The Halos seem content to keep both sluggers in the mix for now but it seems likely that they'll move at least one of them before the start of the season.  Tomase also credits recently-appointed Orioles GM Dan Duquette with prioritizing the rebuild of the front office over the on-field product in 2012.

Quick Hits: Theriot, Aoki, Nakajima, Orioles

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Links for Saturday night..

Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday

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A player on the Nationals said the team was still in on Prince Fielder yesterday, even though GM Mike Rizzo recently said that Adam LaRoche will be their first baseman next year. Rival executives believe Prince will eventually end up in Washington, however. Here's are today's rumors about the best remaining unsigned free agent, with the latest news on top…

  • Prince Fielder and agent Scott Boras were in the Baltimore-Washington area when they took their ownership tour this month but did not meet with Orioles owner Peter Angelos, tweets Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com hears that there is no way the Orioles will do eight-plus years at $20MM+ annually for Fielder. The team is also wary of being used as "leverage" against another club, such as the Nationals.

Quick Hits: Madson, Phillies, Orioles, Hanrahan

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It was on this day in 2009 that the Mets signed Jason Bay to a four-year, $66MM contract.  The deal was almost immediately panned as one of the worst moves of the 2009-10 offseason and time has proven the critics right; Bay has hit just .251/.337/.386 in two injury-plagued years in New York.

Some news items as we head closer to 2012…

  • Ryan Madson is "the loser of the offseason," writes Fangraphs' Eric Seidman.  With no obvious teams still in need of a long-term closer, Seidman thinks Madson may have to settle for a one-year contract and try again for a multiyear deal next winter.  32.36% of MLBTR readers polled believe Madson will sign with the Angels, with just under 21% picking 'other' and 17.55% picking the Reds.  Though LAA and Cincinnati have cheaper closing options in the fold already, they're also looking to win now.  They'd both surely jump at Madson on a one-year deal and are probably Madson's only realistic suitors for a multiyear contract, though who knows what Scott Boras may yet pull out of his hat.  (The 'other' voters clearly know all about Boras' relationship with the Mystery Team.)
  • The Phillies aren't likely to bid on Yoenis Cespedes and Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer argues that Jorge Soler (the other intriguing Cuban outfield prospect on the market the winter) is also too unproven and expensive for the potential $20MM+ contract he could receive from a team.
  • Also from Brookover, he lists Jonny Gomes and Scott Hairston as potential targets for the Phillies as the team looks for a fifth outfielder.  If the Phils want to spend more to fill the spot, Brookover suggests Cody Ross and Ryan Ludwick.
  • The Rangers' January 18 deadline for signing Yu Darvish is also the day the "logjam will break" for Prince Fielder, opines Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.  If the Rangers can't sign Darvish, they "will be all over Fielder" to counter the Angels' signing of Albert Pujols.
  • There are "roughly six teams that have shown consistent interest" in Wei-Yin Chen, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The Orioles are one, the Pirates presumably still another, and the other four are yet unknown.  
  • Also from Connolly's piece, he predicts Edwin Jackson will find at least a four-year contract on the free agent market and notes that while "Jackson's upside intrigues the Orioles," team management has shied away from that long a commitment to free agent pitchers in the past.
  • Pirates closer (and MLBTR fan) Joel Hanrahan tells Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he doesn't expect to receive a long-term contract offer from the Bucs this winter.  Hanrahan is projected to earn around $4MM this winter in his second trip through the arbitration process.  He said the team hasn't made contact with him or his representatives yet about his 2012 contract, but this was also the case during his first taste of arbitration last year.

AL East Notes: Jurrjens, Chen, Longoria, Yankees

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Here's the latest from the AL East….

  • The Red Sox are not in on Jair Jurrjens, but the Orioles, Blue Jays, Rockies and Tigers remain in on the Braves right-hander, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles are still interested in Chunichi Dragons left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, and the team has scouted Chen several times in Japan.  The O's were linked to Chen earlier this offseason and we've also heard that the PIrates had an interest in the free agent southpaw.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted Chen could be signed for a contract in the neighborhood of four years and under $20MM.
  • Rays third baseman Evan Longoria texted the St. Petersburg Times (reported by The Times' Marc Topkin) to deny recent internet rumors that he wanted to leave Tampa Bay.  "I don't have any idea where that rumor came from! It's completely false,'' Longoria said.  "I've said from the start I love Tampa, I love the direction we are heading as a franchise and there is no better place for me to continue to grow as a player and person.''
  • The Yankees have been quiet this winter seemingly in an attempt to avoid a hefty luxury tax penalty next season, but one AL executive doesn't think this strategy will last.  "I think they can sit back right now," the anonymous exec told The Star-Ledger's Jeff Bradley, "because on paper they have a very strong team. But do I think the Yankees won't spend aggressively if they start to dip in the win column? Not a chance. I think they'll do what they have to do to win."
  • The Athletics wanted right-hander Noah Syndergaard from the Blue Jays as part of any trade for Gio Gonzalez, reported Jeff Blair on the Fan590's Prime Time Sports radio show (passed on by Andrew Stoeten of the Drunk Jays Fans blog.)  Syndergaard was drafted 38th overall by Toronto in the 2010 draft and has posted impressive numbers in his first two years of pro ball.
  • Earlier today, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith posted a collection of Red Sox notes.

Orioles Interested In Joe Saunders

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The Orioles have had several conversations with Joe Saunders' representatives, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Legacy Sports represents the left-hander, who is a Falls Church, VA native.

Saunders, 30, posted a 3.69 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 44.5% ground ball rate in 212 innings this past season. He has averaged 200 innings per season since 2008 without striking out more than five batters per nine innings in any of the past four seasons. The former 12th overall pick had an average fastball velocity of 89.6 mph in 2011.

The Rockies, Marlins, Red Sox and Tigers also appear to have some interest in Saunders, who was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks earlier in the month. Saunders and Jeremy Guthrie would provide the Orioles with a pair of solid but unspectacular innings eaters atop their rotation. Tsuyoshi Wada, Tommy Hunter, Zach Britton, Brian Matusz and Dana Eveland are other possibilities for Baltimore's rotation.

Quick Hits: Indians, Red Sox, Ortiz, Beltran, Orioles

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Some links as Sunday turns into Monday…

  • In a mailbag, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says he still expects the Indians to pursue a veteran hitter before the season. The Tribe recently made a run at Carlos Beltran.
  • Each year is a different story for the Red Sox, but the club typically meets its biggest needs in November and December, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  However, since the current ownership group took over a decade ago, they have made some key additions in January and February, including their pickup of David Ortiz off of waivers in early 2003.
  • The Red Sox were among several suitors for Carlos Beltran who dangled the designated hitter spot as a way to prolong his career, but the veteran wanted to continue to play in the outfield, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The Blue Jays, and Indians were also among the American League teams in the mix for Beltran.
  • The Orioles aren't counting on Brian Roberts being ready for Spring Training, so Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com takes a look at the club's second base situation heading into 2012.  Based on executive vice president Dan Duquette's comments yesterday, it doesn't sound as though the club is looking to trade for a solution at second.
  • Agent Scott Boras, who negotiated Daisuke Matsuzaka's six-year, $52MM deal in 2006, is no fan of the Japanese posting system, Silverman writes.  Boras says that the actual talks with Boston weren't unpleasant, but he would have preferred to see his client choose between other cities that might have fit him better.

Morosi On Blue Jays, First Base, Starters, Cespedes

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The baseball world figures to remain relatively quietly until after the New Year, but as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes, there is still a lot of work to be done before the season begins. Let's round up Morosi's rumors…

  • The Blue Jays are saying they will not give a hitter a contract of more than five guaranteed years, though they'll likely have to violate that policy if they want to sign Prince Fielder.
  • The Brewers, Cubs, Nationals, Indians, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Rays, and Pirates are all considering non-Fielder upgrades at first base. Carlos Pena, Casey Kotchman, and Derrek Lee remain unsigned, among others.
  • Some within the game believe that Joakim Soria and Carlos Marmol could be had at the right price. The Cubbies are said to be planning a "complete and total rebuild."
  • Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain available, and the Rangers may be willing to trade Matt Harrison for a more established starter.
  • Most believe Yoenis Cespedes will sign for more than the $30.25MM Aroldis Chapman received because as a position player, he carried less risk. A larger number of interested teams and the new collective bargaining agreement will also help his cause.
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