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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.

Cafardo’s Latest: Madson, Kuroda, Cespedes, Zumaya

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Even on Christmas, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe delivers his usual Sunday Baseball Notes column. This week, he runs down the best available players remaining on the free agent and trade markets at each position. Here are a few highlights from those lists and the rest of Cafardo's piece:

  • The Red Sox and Angels are "keeping the dialogue open" with Ryan Madson.
  • While many reports have indicated Hiroki Kuroda's willingness to play on the East Coast, the right-hander still has some desire to stay out west.
  • The Marlins are being aggressive on Yoenis Cespedes, with the Nationals right behind them. Earlier this weekend, we heard there's some divide within the Marlins' front office on Cespedes.
  • An AL GM on Joel Zumaya: "Our doctors don't think he would pass the physical based on what they see."
  • The Rays are among the clubs that have talked to Francisco Cordero.
  • Cafardo gets the feeling Matt Garza will be dealt, and warns not to rule out the Tigers.

Quick Hits: Garza, Mets, Pirates, Red Sox, Astros

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Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL East..

Quick Hits: Dobbs, Pitching, Floyd, Marshall, NPB

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On this date in 1994, the owners implemented a salary cap and revenue sharing as the players were on strike. Those provisions were never put in place though, as the judge who ended the labor dispute ruled that the next two seasons must be played under the previously existing labor conditions. We do have revenue sharing nowadays, but a salary cap isn't going to happen anytime soon. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • The Nationals are now focused on improving their bench, but MLB.com's Bill Ladson says (on Twitter) that it seems as though they are unlikely to sign Greg Dobbs. Washington expressed interest in Dobbs last week.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com listed (on Twitter) the Rockies, Marlins, Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, and Blue Jays as clubs looking to add a starting pitcher. Earlier today we heard that both the Yankees and Red Sox are pursuing Hiroki Kuroda.
  • Even after signing John Danks to an extension, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the White Sox could look to trade Gavin Floyd this offseason. The Red Sox expressed interest in the righty during the winter meetings. Floyd will make $7MM in 2012, then a $9.5MM club option for 2013 comes into play.
  • In an Insider-only column, ESPN's Keith Law calls the Sean Marshall trade a win for the Cubs. "The Reds, meanwhile, continue what I can only assume is a rapid emptying of their farm system to try to win again in the two years before Joey Votto reaches free agency," he added.
  • With several Japanese players slated to join MLB next season, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker takes a look at the players who will replace them on their former club in Japan.

AL East Links: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Jones, Beltran

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Two years ago today, the Blue Jays traded Brandon League and Johermyn Chavez to the Mariners for Brandon Morrow. Morrow has pitched to a 4.62 ERA as a starter in his two seasons with Toronto while League became an All-Star closer last season. Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • In an ESPN Insider-only piece, Jim Bowden reports that the Red Sox offered a position player heavy package to the Athletics for Gio Gonzalez before he was traded to the Nationals. Bowden adds that the Blue Jays were only willing to part with risky low-level minor leaguers for the southpaw.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox's pursuit of both Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey was "very much part of conversation for majority of the time," but they shifted their attention to solely Gio after they learned they were competing with the Nats (Twitter links). The Blue Jays jumped into the bidding late, adds the FOX scribe.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that the Orioles are not shopping Adam Jones, but GM Dan Duquette will listen to offers and make counter proposals. We recently learned that the Orioles wanted Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, and at least two of the Braves' young pitchers in return for their center fielder.
  • The Yankees considered pursuing Carlos Beltran earlier this offseason according to Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record (on Twitter), but ultimately decided against it because of his balky knees. Beltran agreed to a two-year deal with the Cardinals yesterday.
  • MLB.com's Mike Bauman writes that the Red Sox's makeover – from the front office to the manager to the roster – will be heavily scrutinized this season.

Red Sox, Yankees Both Pursuing Hiroki Kuroda

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Only two teams had to pay luxury tax this year, and now they're both after the same pitcher. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that both the Yankees and Red Sox are pursuing Hiroki Kuroda now that he's willing to leave California.

Kuroda, 37 in February, is one of the few remaining free agent innings eaters. The Yankees are said to like the veteran righty more than other available pitchers, and the Sox were reportedly trying to decide between signing Kuroda and trading for Gio Gonzalez as of a few days ago. With Gonzalez now in Washington, the decision has been made for them. Kuroda is looking for a $12-13MM annual salary.

Yankees, Marlins Divided On Yoenis Cespedes

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There is divide in both the Yankees' and Marlins' front offices on whether to pursue Yoenis Cespedes, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler says the two clubs, along with the Red Sox, may not be as heavily involved in the bidding for the Cuban outfielder as expected.

While there have been conflicting reports on the Yankees' interest in Cespedes, the Marlins are regarded by some teams as the favorite for the 26-year-old, as Knobler wrote earlier this week. According to Knobler, however, Cespedes has told people he plans to make his permanent home in the Dominican Republic rather than Miami, and may prefer to play for a team besides the Fish. Some people within the Yankees' organization, meanwhile, view Cespedes as too raw to justify the price tag, and favor a modest bid that will likely not be enough to land him.

Even with Cespedes moving closer to establishing residency in the Dominican, it doesn't appear he'll officially become a free agent until sometime in January.

AL East Links: Red Sox, Cespedes, Danks, Beltran

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The Red Sox were one of the finalists for Gio Gonzalez, but GM Ben Cherington was "not motivated" to deal four prospects for Gonzalez, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  With Gonzalez now on his way to Washington, the Sox will look at other pitching targets like Gavin Floyd, Roy Oswalt, Hiroki Kuroda and Andrew Bailey, all of whom have drawn some interest from Boston this winter.

Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox will hire Bob McClure as the club's new pitching coach, reports Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  McClure has spent the last six seasons as the Royals' pitching coach and was hired by Boston last month as a minor league instructor and special assignment scout.
  • The Yankees' chances of signing Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes are "slim to none," according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (Twitter link).
  • The Yankees weren't close to a deal for John Danks, a source tells Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York.  Brian Cashman and Kenny Williams "haven't spoken in weeks" after some initial contact, but the Yankees weren't interested in meeting Chicago's demands for their left-hander.  Danks and the White Sox agreed to a five-year contract extension yesterday, ending the Danks trade rumors for the foreseeable future.   
  • The Yankees and Red Sox were the only teams that paid a luxury tax penalty for 2011, reports The Associated Press.  New York paid a $13.9MM penalty (the team's lowest since 2003) while Boston paid $3.4MM.
  • The Rays fell out of the race for Carlos Beltran due to Beltran's concerns about playing on turf and spending too much time as a designated hitter, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  The Cardinals, Indians and Blue Jays appear to be the finalists for Beltran, though the Jays could be similarly hampered by the turf and DH issues.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for bullpen help in the form of a lefty specialist and a right-handed setup option, reports MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.  Also as part of this mailbag piece, Chisholm answers a reader question about Prince Fielder by noting that the Jays are "extremely unlikely" to pursue the free agent slugger unless his "market completely collapses."  The major stumbling block is the Jays' club policy against not giving a player more than five guaranteed years on a contract, while Fielder is looking for a 10-year deal.

Quick Hits: Astros, Fielder, Red Sox, Bonser

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The latest links from around MLB on a big day for the Nationals…

  • The Astros may not keep Humberto Quintero and Ivan Rodriguez is a possibility in Houston, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Astros avoided arbitration with Quintero last week, signing him to a one-year deal worth $1MM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests agent Scott Boras is “gunning for” an average salary of $25.5MM for Prince Fielder (Twitter link). A contract that generous would surpass Albert Pujols’ average salary of $25.4MM.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes a detailed look ahead to the candidates to make Boston's 2012 rotation. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are the only ones who are guaranteed starting jobs for the Red Sox at this point.
  • The Giants are talking to Boof Bonser about a possible minor league deal, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Bonser is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

A’s Talking Gio Gonzalez, Andrew Bailey

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3:02pm: Rival executives say the Nationals have the best chance at obtaining Gonzalez and some believe Danny Espinosa or Ian Desmond could be in play, according to Heyman.

2:44pm: The Red Sox are trying to get Gonzalez and Bailey in a "monster deal," tweets Rosenthal. The Rays are also in on Bailey and the Nationals are the team to beat on Gonzalez, Rosenthal reports.

2:20pm: The Red Sox are still discussing both Andrew Bailey and Gonzalez with the Athletics, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox "obviously won't get both," Cafardo writes.

2:14pm: It looks like the Nationals and Red Sox are the finalists for Gonzalez, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets that the Red Sox or Nationals will likely acquire Gonzalez today. Both Heyman and Gammons suggest the Nationals are the favorites to obtain the left-hander.

1:10pm: The A's are moving closer to a Gio Gonzalez trade, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (all links go to Twitter). The bidding is down to two teams, one of which is the Nationals. The Marlins and Red Sox may also be involved, but the Rangers are not. The Yankees and A's never built momentum toward a deal involving Gonzalez, Olney reports. The Mariners had discussed Gonzalez and it's not clear if they're involved in the current trade talks.

The Nationals are believed to be willing to include multiple top prospects for Gonzalez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Prospects such as Brad Peacock, Destin Hood, Eury Perez and A.J. Cole could be available to the Athletics. Derek Norris is in the discussion, Olney writes.

Gonzalez is under team control through 2015 and has reached the 200-inning plateau in each of the past two seasons without posting an ERA above 3.23. However, no MLB pitcher has walked more opponents in the past two seasons than Gonzalez and he's about to get expensive through arbitration (projected 2012 salary of $4.2MM).

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