Six Teams In On Anibal Sanchez
Yesterday, we heard that the Tigers remain in contact with Anibal Sanchez, while the Angels and Royals are among the other teams considering the right-hander. We'll track today's Sanchez updates here, with the latest news up top:
- The Mystery Team has finally showed up in Nashville! Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that, in addition to the Tigers, Angels, Royals, Dodgers, and Red Sox, a mystery team is in the mix for Sanchez.
- Although the Red Sox have interest in Sanchez, the price might be too high for their liking, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Boston may look at Kyle Lohse as an alternative, though the club is focused on adding offense for now.
AL East Notes: O’s, Morse, Red Sox, Yankees
With Day Two of the Winter Meetings underway, let's round up a few notable links related to AL East clubs….
- As they continue to search for a big bat, one name on the Orioles' shopping list is Mike Morse, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, who tweets that the O's have interest in the Nationals slugger. We heard yesterday that Baltimore's interest in Morse was "lukewarm" and that GM Mike Rizzo hadn't been in contact with the Orioles yet in Nashville, though that could change.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com examines the possibility of the Red Sox trading a catcher in the wake of the Mike Napoli signing, noting that the Mariners, Mets, Yankees, White Sox, and Dodgers are among the teams looking to add a backstop.
- While Joel Sherman of the New York Post acknowledges that the Yankees would listen to offers on Curtis Granderson and Phil Hughes, he notes that team executives say the goal is still to win in 2013, and that replacing Granderson's and Hughes' production in the short-term would be tricky (Twitter links).
A’s Discussing Escobar With Marlins
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's are indeed engaged in ongoing discussions with the Marlins regarding Yunel Escobar, as was previously speculated. Slusser's piece contains plenty of A's material, so here's the latest on the reigning AL West Champs…
- Not surprisingly the Escobar discusssions aren't believed to be centered around anyone on the Athletics' Major League roster.
- Slusser reports that the A's have heavy competition for Brandon McCarthy, as the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Royals, Red Sox, White Sox and Twins have already met with the right-hander, and the Angels and Rangers are expected to join the fray.
- McCarthy would consider a one-year deal to prove that he has successfully recovered from his frightening head injury and brain surgery late in the 2012 season.
- Hiroyuki Nakajima is more concerned with playing time than salary, according to Slusser, which could increase Oakland's appeal to the Japanese shortstop.
R.A. Dickey Rumors: Monday
A reigning Cy Young winner is on the trade block, and we've got all of today's updates on R.A. Dickey right here, with the newest items added to the top throughout the day:
- The Diamondbacks met with the Mets on Dickey, but talks didn't get far, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Martino hears the Mets' asking price is very high. He also notes that there's not much happening between the Mets and Blue Jays.
Earlier updates:
- The Dodgers have talked to the Mets about Dickey, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Gurnick notes that Dickey could be a fallback for Zack Greinke, or maybe the team will just sign both to have three Cy Young winners on the staff. The question is whether the Dodgers have the right players to pull off a deal.
- Talks for Dickey between the Mets and Red Sox were "very preliminary," a Major League source tells WEEI's Alex Speier, and a deal is extremely unlikely.
- There has been strong interest in Dickey today, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, but he's heard the Mets did not ask the Red Sox for specific players.
- The Mets met with eight teams today about Dickey, according to Adam Rubin and Joe McDonald of ESPN. The Red Sox were one of those teams, and the Mets wanted Xander Bogaerts andJackie Bradley Jr. in return. We heard earlier that the Sox didn't have interest in Dickey, so perhaps the Mets' exorbitant asking price is playing a part in that lack of interest.
- GM Sandy Alderson acknowledged that he's had "preliminary talks" with multiple teams about Dickey and other players, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. According to Alderson, there have been more conversations about Dickey than Niese, though that could change (Twitter link).
- Fair or not, Dickey's age and repertoire is making teams reluctant to give up significant talent for him, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Of course, as Martino adds in a second tweet, it just takes one club to step up and change that. Still, for now, Jonathon Niese is viewed as the more appealing Mets arm, according to Martino.
- Although the Mets are "more than willing" to discuss Dickey, the Red Sox haven't shown any interest, says Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, noting that the Mets could do better than Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Twitterlinks).
- The Mets have gotten "serious" about trading ace knuckleballer Dickey as soon as this week, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark after hearing from a source. Stark says the Rangers and Royals are seen as the most logical fits.
- Earlier today, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweeted that he believes the Mets "genuinely don't know right now if they'll sign or trade" the NL Cy Young winner. The 38-year-old can become a free agent after the 2013 season.
Mariners Met With Josh Hamilton Yesterday
The latest on slugger Josh Hamilton, with the most recent updates on top…
- Hamilton is at the Winter Meetings, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and Mariners officials met with him Sunday. They go on to write that other teams have met with Hamilton, but the Rangers are "currently working the hardest to sign him." Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters today that so far he has no plans to speak with Hamilton or his agent this week at the Meetings. The Brewers are on the periphery for Hamilton, note Rosenthal and Morosi.
Earlier updates:
- The Red Sox are among four or five teams interested in Hamilton only on a short-term contract, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.
- The chances of the Red Sox signing Hamilton are not high, a source tells ESPN's Jayson Stark(Twitter link).
- The Rangers currently have no plans to speak with Hamilton or his agent, GM Jon Daniels told reporters today.
- While the Phillies have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Hamilton, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the best word to describe their interest is "wary" (Twitter link)
- A source tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com not to rule out the Red Sox on Hamilton, pointing out that they have the money to make it happen (Twitter link). Along the same lines, Jim Bowden of ESPN and SiriusXM tweets that the Yankees should be considered a realistic landing spot for Hamilton as well, though I'm not sure they have quite as much financial flexibilty
- The Rangers have been the most aggressive team so far on the Hamilton front, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links)
- The Brewers are "on the periphery" for Hamilton, Rosenthal adds in the same tweet.
Shane Victorino Rumors: Monday
In a recent poll, 44% of MLBTR readers preferred Shane Victorino to Angel Pagan. Pagan is now off the board, and teams looking for a quality outfielder for less than half of what Michael Bourn will get should be interested. The latest:
- The Red Sox are comfortable going to three years on Victorino, writes WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Earlier updates:
- Victorino has multiple three-year offers on the table, and even a four-year offer, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
- Victorino is believed to be seeking a three-year deal worth about $10MM annually, says Lauber (via Twitter).
- The market for Victorino has yet to be fully defined, with the Indians one of many teams still in the running, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Victorino could decide to wait out deals for Michael Bourn and/or Angel Pagan if there are teams that view him as a fallback option, though that's just my speculation.
- While the Red Sox have discussed the possibility of signing Shane Victorino, there's another club that appears more interested in the former Phillie, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber tweets that the Indians are "said to have serious interest" in Victorino. The Indians were one of seven teams said to be interested in Victorino as of last Monday, though their interest wasn't classified as any more serious than the other clubs' at that point. The Rangers, Yankees, Giants, Rays, Red Sox and Reds were the other teams mentioned as potential suitors, with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports noting that multiple clubs were willing to offer three years.
Free Agent Notes: Hernandez, Feliciano, Youkilis
A fresh batch of free agent notes for Day 1 of the Winter Meetings in Nashville…
- Roberto Hernandez (the former Fausto Carmona) seeks a one-year deal and has drawn interest from at least five teams including the Indians, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The righty missed most of the 2012 season due to charges of using a false name and difficulty obtaining a visa.
- Free agent lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano is healthy and intends to pitch in the Puerto Rican Winter League, his agent tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 36-year-old finished up a two-year deal from the Yankees, during which he did not pitch in the Majors at all due to shoulder surgery.
- Kevin Youkilis doesn't care whether he plays first or third base, agent Joe Bick told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. On a side note, the Reds and Red Sox do not appear to be in on Youk.
Minor Moves: Maier, Sutton, Lewis, Ka’aihue, Reed
We'll track the day's minor league signings right here:
- The Red Sox announced five minor league signings, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal: Mitch Maier, Terry Doyle, Drew Sutton, Oscar Villarreal, and Jose De La Torre.
- The Diamondbacks have signed a handful of players to minor league contracts, adding left-handed pitchers Rommie Lewis and Eddie Bonine along with Kila Ka'aihue, Humberto Cota, and Brad Snyder, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. All five guys have Major League experience at some point in their careers.
- Jeremy Reed also received a minor league contract and an invite to spring training from the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter).
AL East Notes: Swisher, A-Rod, Yankees, Reynolds
After taking a quick look at the latest notes out of the AL Central, we'll do the same with the AL East:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees continue to be in on Scott Hairston, but it will likely take a two-year deal to lock him up, and New York would rather avoid adding 2014 salary.
- Sherman adds in a separate tweet that a Padres official insists the team isn't moving Chase Headley, so he's unlikely to be an option for the Yankees.
Earlier updates:
- Nick Swisher is drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Red Sox, but he may exercise some patience before agreeing to a deal, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford hears from a source that Swisher may wait to sign until after Josh Hamilton has secured a deal. The WEEI.com scribe also reiterates that Boston's signing of Mike Napoli hasn't taken them out of the running for Swisher, as we heard earlier today.
- Discussing Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery at an afternoon press conference, Yankees GM Brian Cashman indicated that the team will "become very aggressive" if they see an opportunity to upgrade at third base that makes sense (Twitter link via MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith).
- In his latest column for FOX Sports, Jon Morosi explains why he thinks the Yankees should pursue Chase Headley, and explores what sort of return the Padres could expect for their star third baseman.
- According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, Orioles GM Dan Duquette said on MLB Network Radio today that the club's decision to non-tender Mark Reynolds was made in part because the O's believed Reynolds could be in line for a salary of $12-14MM through arbitration. MLBTR was projecting a salary in the neighborhood of $8.9MM for Reynolds before he was non-tendered.
AL Central Notes: Boesch, Oliver, Asdrubal Cabrera
Here are a few quick notes out of Nashville relating to AL Central clubs:
- According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the Tigers are telling teams that Brennan Boesch and Andy Oliver could be had in a trade.
- While the Red Sox are one of six teams on Asdrubal Cabrera's no-trade list, a source tells WEEI.com's Alex Speier that the Indians shortstop would be open to a deal and Boston's presence on that list wouldn't preclude a trade. The Yankees, Tigers, Nationals, Giants, and Mets are the other clubs on Cabrera's no-trade list.
- Assuming A.J. Pierzynski doesn't re-sign with the White Sox, the club will be in the market for a left-handed bat, writes Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.