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Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Reynolds, Reyes

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Rival executives have been expecting Adrian Gonzalez to land with the Red Sox at some point, and right now it's on the verge of happening. ESPN's Buster Olney writes (Insider req'd) that once the Gonzalez deal is complete, Boston will still have enough financial flexibility and the leverage to pursue a high-priced player like Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

The Padres, meanwhile, will be left to explain to the fan base that trading the team's best player is a good thing. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • The Orioles are the "clear front-runner" for Mark Reynolds. Last night we heard that Chris Tillman's name has come up in trade talks.
  • The Mets will listen to offers for Jose Reyes, and unless the two sides agree to a contract extension, they will move the shortstop before the trade deadline next July.

Cubs, Other Teams Also Pursuing Adrian Gonzalez

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The Red Sox aren't the only team in the hunt for Adrian Gonzalez.  "Multiple teams besides [the] Red Sox," including the Cubs, are interested in the Padres slugger, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  This isn't the first time we've heard about Chicago's interest in Gonzalez, and the Cubs' search for a big-hitting first baseman may have intensified now that Adam Dunn has signed with the crosstown rival White Sox. 

Two big obstacles stand in the way of a Cubs/Padres deal: the Cubs' ability to provide the blue-chip prospects that San Diego desires in any Gonzalez trade, and whether the Cubs can afford the long-term extension that Gonzalez wants after 2011.  One obviously impacts the other, since it would be foolish for the Cubs to move several prospects for just one season of Gonzalez.  With the Carlos Silva and Kosuke Fukudome contracts coming off the books after this year, Chicago has about $63MM committed to their 2012 payroll.

Besides the Cubs, Rosenthal lists the Angels, Blue Jays, Orioles, Nationals, Rangers and Rays as having a "possible interest" in a Gonzalez trade.  All of the teams could potentially afford a Gonzalez extension except Tampa Bay, and all of the clubs have intriguing minor league prospects to interest the Padres (though it might be hard for L.A. to acquire Gonzalez without giving up star prospect Mike Trout).  Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets that it's the Cubs and Red Sox, however, who are the "main focus" of San Diego's trade talks.

Red Sox Notes: Bell, Beltre, Martin, Wakefield

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The increase in Adrian Gonzalez trade chatter is the biggest news out of Fenway Park today.  Here's a bit of extra news about those rumors plus some other Boston notes…

Minor Deals: Red Sox, Bale, Perdomo

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Today's minor league signings feature the pitcher who has the second most strikeouts in Washington Nationals history. Here are the details:

  • The Red Sox announced they have signed Nate Spears, Santo Luis and Jason Bergmann and confirmed they have signed Brandon Duckworth and Drew Sutton.
  • Bergmann, 29, has a 5.04 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in parts of six seasons with the Nationals. He posted a 2.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 in 43 relief appearances for Washington's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
  • The Tigers signed lefty John Bale to a minor league deal according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas are the only two lefties on Detroit's roster, so the Tigers are looking to add depth. Bale, 36, has a 4.66 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons, but didn't play pro ball in 2010.
  • The Padres agreed to terms with right-hander Luis Perdomo on a minor league deal, the team announced. They non-tendered Perdomo yesterday, but he wasn't a free agent for long.

American League Non-Tenders

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This post will list all the American League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.

Red Sox Notes: Papelbon, Beltre, Scutaro

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The Red Sox locked up a longtime catcher today and seem to be serious suitors for Jayson Werth. Here are the rest of the day's Red Sox rumors:

  • The team will almost certainly tender Jonathan Papelbon a contract, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The closer is likely to earn close to $11MM in 2011, but the Red Sox decided against putting him on the open market a year early.
  • Adrian Beltre told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his preference is to re-sign with the Red Sox. He's going to explore his options carefully, but could decide to accept an offer soon. The third baseman says "the number of years" on his next contract matters a great deal to him.
  • The Giants, who officially announced their deal with Miguel Tejada tonight, are no longer targeting Marco Scutaro, accoding to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

Minor Deals: Gotay, Rays, Duckworth, Carlyle

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A number of former big leaguers agreed to minor league deals today. Here are the details:

  • The Marlins signed Ruben Gotay, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2008, but he led the Pacific Coast League in walks and posted an .845 OPS last year.
  • The Rays announced that they signed five players, including righty Cory Wade and lefty R.J. Swindle, to minor league deals. Wade, 27, spent last year in the minors, but he pitched for the Dodgers in 2008-09. He has a 3.18 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 99 big league innings. Swindle is another 27-year-old who spent the 2010 season in the minors. He posted a 2.45 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 55 innings for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate. Like Wade, Swindle could prove useful for the 2011 Rays, who are building a bullpen on a budget.
  • The Reds signed outfielder David Cook, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 29-year-old has a .258/.369/.468 line in eight minor league seasons.
  • The Red Sox signed right-hander Brandon Duckworth, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 34-year-old spent the 2010 season pitching for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.32 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He has a 5.28 ERA in parts of eight big league seasons.
  • The Yankees signed right-hander Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Carlyle, 32, spent the 2010 season in Japan after posting a 5.61 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in parts of six big league seasons.
  • The D'Backs signed David Winfree, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The 25-year-old has a .273/.319/.448 line in his eight-year minor league career.

Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies Seem Serious About Werth

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The Red Sox, Tigers and Phillies are seen as the most serious suitors for Jayson Werth, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Red Sox met with Werth and agent Scott Boras yesterday, according to ESPNBoston.com. However, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the sides did not discuss contract terms yesterday. Instead, Werth, GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona got to know each other.

The Rangers haven't ruled out pursuing Werth, but the White Sox are not pursuing him, Morosi reports. 

Red Sox Met With Crawford, Werth

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THURSDAY, 12:10am: Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona met with Scott Boras and Jayson Werth in Chicago on Wednesday, reports ESPN's Gordon Edes.

WEDNESDAY, 1:58pm: The Red Sox are serious about Crawford and have met with him and his representatives in Houston, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).  The Angels have also met face-to-face with Crawford, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

8:28am: The Red Sox have been relatively quiet this offseason, making a waiver claim and a couple minor trades, but generally staying out of the spotlight. They’ve been busy behind the scenes, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald who reports the team is working hard to sign Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

Silverman suggests Crawford is asking for an eight-year deal and Werth is asking for a six-year deal.  Since teams such as the Angels, Rangers and Tigers could use outfielders and have money, the asking price in terms of dollars and years figures to remain high for both players.

As Silverman points out, a new deal could surpass the J.D. Drew and John Lackey contracts to become the largest free agent deal under Boston's current ownership group.

American League Free Agent Arbitration Decisions

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23 American League free agents were offered arbitration on November 23rd.  Four of those - Joaquin Benoit, John Buck, Victor Martinez, and Javier Vazquez - already have new contract agreements.  Current free agent Kevin Gregg has chosen to decline.  The remaining 18 AL free agents offered arbitration will have their decisions noted here and in our tracker.

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