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Johnny Damon Wants To Play, Open To Retirement

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Johnny Damon is hoping to play in 2013 but said he will retire if he doesn't have a new contract by Spring Training, the veteran outfielder told reporters (including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe) at David Ortiz's charity golf event.

"I liked being home last season with my kids. But I'm in shape and if I could play, I would," Damon said. "We'll see what happens. I still think I have something left if I am used the right way."

Damon hit .222/.281/.329 in 224 plate appearances with the Indians in 2012 and was released by the club in August.  It's worth noting that Damon didn't sign his minor league deal with the Tribe until April, so it may be that Damon only wants to return this year if he can get the benefit of a full Spring Training camp (the lack of which could explain his struggles in Cleveland).

The 39-year-old also said he explored a short-term contract with the Red Sox in late September when the team asked him back for a celebration of the 2004 World Series team.  Damon said he would return if the Sox signed him to a contract for the final week of the season, but Boston didn't have space on the 40-man roster.

If this is it for Damon, he will hang up the glove after an impressive 18-year career for seven different AL teams that included 2769 career hits, a .284/.352/.433 slash line, two All-Star appearances and World Series rings with both the Red Sox and Yankees.

Free Agent Rumors: Dempster, Ichiro, Jackson, Tejada

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Approximately half of the free agents on MLBTR’s top 50 list remain unsigned, which means there will be lots of action in the next few weeks. Here are the latest free agent updates from around MLB…

  • The Brewers, Red Sox and Royals are the "three main teams" looking at Ryan Dempster, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).  This would seem to eliminate the Cubs, who we recently heard weren't negotiating with Dempster.
  • The Yankees are still talking to Ichiro Suzuki as they continue waiting to hear from Kevin Youkilis, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Youkilis is weighing multiple offers and the Indians are also bidding for his services.
  • The Royals and other teams seem “very cool” to Edwin Jackson, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). In other words they aren't overly eager to spend aggressively on him.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren said he has interest in certain outfielders as one-year stopgaps, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Braves need another outfielder, even after signing B.J. Upton.
  • The Diamondbacks are very interested in Miguel Tejada, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (on Twitter, in Spanish). The team offered Tejada a minor league deal, but he’d like a guaranteed contract.
  • The Marlins are only interested in Carl Pavano if he’ll accept a low base salary of $3MM or so plus incentives, Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 reports (on Twitter). Pavano’s agent met with the Twins yesterday,  Mackey adds.

Phillies Notes: Willingham, Ross, Suzuki, Ellsbury

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Here's the latest on Philadelphia's offseason dealings, courtesy of CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury…

  • Before the Phillies acquired Ben Revere from the Twins, they attempted to also get Josh Willingham in either the same trade package or in a separate deal.
  • The club is still in the market for a corner outfielder.  The Phillies "have seriously considered" signing Ichiro Suzuki and "have long liked" Cody Ross.
  • Any further upgrades may have to come via the free agency market since the Phillies don't have much prospect depth aside from possibly at catcher.  Salisbury notes that Tommy Joseph, the most well-regarded of the team's young catchers, "probably isn't going anywhere."
  • The Red Sox approached the Phillies about a trade of Jacoby Ellsbury for Cliff Lee, but the Phillies said that Lee wasn't available.  I can't blame the Phils for turning that offer down; even if they did want to move Lee, he would fetch far more on the trade market than just one year of Ellsbury, who hits free agency next winter.

Red Sox Acquire Graham Godfrey

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The A's announced that they traded minor league right-hander Graham Godfrey to the Red Sox. Godfrey serves as the player to be named later from the November deal that sent Sandy Rosario to Oakland.

Godfrey, 28, started four games for the A's early on in the 2012 season. He spent most of this past season at Triple-A, where he posted a 3.29 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 104 innings. In parts of two seasons at the MLB level, Godfrey has a 5.09 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 46 innings.

The A's designated Rosario for assignment two days after acquiring him.

R.A. Dickey Rumors: Friday

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Multiple teams remain involved in talks for R.A. Dickey, but it's still possible the Mets will extend the knuckleballer instead of trading him. The reigning National League Cy Young winner appears to seek two years and $26MM in addition to his $5MM salary for 2013. Here are the latest rumors about contract talks for Dickey and potential trades…

  • GM Sandy Alderson repeated that the Mets might end up holding onto Dickey instead of trading or extending him, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Though that's not “necessarily the optimal result,” the Mets are prepared for that possibility. One competing NL official said it'd be a mistake not to trade or extend Dickey, however.

Earlier updates:

  • The Royals seem "very interested" in Dickey, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (allTwitterlinks). However, they wouldn't be interested in sending top prospect Wil Myers to New York for the knuckleballer. Dickey, James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson remain in play for the Royals, Dutton reports. However, it now seems unlikely that the Red Sox will move Jon Lester.
  • The Mets view the Blue Jays, Royals and Rangers as the most likely trade suitors for Dickey, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). In Olney's view Dickey's contract demands may seem more reasonable based on some recent free agent contracts.

Quick Hits: Greinke, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers

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Post-meetings links from around baseball..

Mariners Making Serious Run At Josh Hamilton

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On Tuesday we learned that Josh Hamilton will give the Rangers the opportunity to match any offer another club makes before he signs. Talks were said to progress between Hamilton and the Rangers, but Texas is also in on Zack Greinke. As Hamilton works to determine where he'll play next year, we'll keep track of the latest rumors here…

  • The Red Sox are very unlikely on Hamilton, Heyman tweets.  Assistant GM Mike Hazen says the team remains engaged with Hamilton and other free agents but the club's focus is still on its young core, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
  • The Mariners have discussed three-year deals with Hamilton in range of $20MM to $25MM per season, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Armstrong's point about not having exchanged figures with Hamilton yet is largely semantics, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, because they've talked enough to hammer out a deal quickly.  As it stands now, Hamilton's agent is waiting for Zack Greinke to sign, because the Rangers are unlikely to sign both.
  • The Mariners are not close to signing Hamilton, team president Chuck Armstrong tells Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Armstrong says the Mariners are interested, but haven't exchanged numbers and figures with Hamilton.

Earlier updates:

  • Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports that Hamilton's first choice is the Rangers, but if they sign Greinke and cannot afford him, the Mariners are his primary fallback option (Twitter link).
  • The Mariners are making a big push for Hamilton, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, and talks are more serious between the two sides than has been let on. The holdup, not surprisingly, is the Rangers' ongoing pursuit of Greinke. If Greinke does land in Texas, Baker writes that the Mariners could make a deal for Hamilton happen "very soon" afterward.
  • Rangers president Nolan Ryan did not rule out signing both Hamilton and Greinke, saying in a media session that principal owners Bob Simpson and Ray Davis would have to approve such a scenario (Jeff Wilson reporting).
  • GM Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell represented the Red Sox in their Monday night meeting with Hamilton, reports Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • The Rangers won't go to five years for Hamilton, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • The Rangers met with Hamilton's agent Tuesday night but nothing has changed, GM Jon Daniels told reporters including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  • We learned earlier that the Red Sox met with Hamilton before he left Nashville.  It was an off-site meeting on Monday, tweets Dan Roche of WBZ.
  • The Mariners continue to have interest in Hamilton, but like the other teams involved, they prefer a shorter-term deal, tweets Jon Heyman.
  • The Rangers are being patient on Hamilton, waiting to hear if it will take more than something like three years and $75MM to sign him, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • The Rangers' discussions with Hamilton are "on hold" at the moment, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who suggests the team's involvement on Greinke may be the reason for the delay.
  • Most baseball people believe Hamilton will end up signing for five years or less, with some clubs exploring vesting options to protect themselves, says Heyman. He names the Mariners, Red Sox, Phillies and Brewers as teams besides the Rangers that have shown interest in the outfielder.

Minor Trades: Red Sox, Padres

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A few minor trades completed today…

  • The Red Sox acquired righty Kyle Kaminska from the Pirates to complete the Zach Stewart trade, the team announced.  Kaminska, 24, posted a 4.19 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, and 1.21 HR/9 in 81 2/3 innings across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A for the Pirates and Marlins.
  • The Padres acquired righty Wilfredo Boscan from the Rangers to complete the Cory Burns trade, according to the team.  Boscan, 23, posted a 3.75 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.92 HR/9 in 98 1/3 innings for the Rangers' Double-A affiliate this year.

2012 Rule 5 Draft Results

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Each year, Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, MLBTR offers an in-depth description, but here's a quick overview.

Players are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they aren't on the 40-man roster four or five years after signing, depending on the age at which they signed. Teams draft in the reverse order of the previous season's standings but aren't required to make a selection. If they do choose a player, they pay his former team $50K and must keep that player on the Major League roster all season or offer him back to his original team for $25K.

The results from the Major League phase:

  1. Astros take righty Josh Fields from Red Sox
  2. Cubs take righty Hector Rondon from Indians
  3. Rockies take lefty Danny Rosenbaum from Nationals
  4. Twins take righty Ryan Pressly from Red Sox
  5. Indians take first baseman Chris McGuiness from Rangers
  6. Marlins take outfielder Alfredo Silverio from Dodgers
  7. Red Sox take second baseman Jeff Kobernus from Nationals; traded to Tigers for infielder/outfielder Justin Henry
  8. Royals
  9. Blue Jays
  10. Mets take lefty Kyle Lobstein from Rays; traded to Tigers for cash considerations
  11. Mariners
  12. Padres
  13. Pirates
  14. Diamondbacks take righty Starling Peralta from Cubs
  15. Phillies take outfielder Ender Inciarte from Diamondbacks
  16. Brewers
  17. White Sox take infielder Angel Sanchez from Angels
  18. Dodgers
  19. Cardinals
  20. Tigers
  21. Angels
  22. Rays
  23. Orioles take lefty T.J. McFarland from Indians
  24. Rangers take righty Coty Woods from Rockies
  25. Athletics
  26. Giants
  27. Braves
  28. Yankees
  29. Reds
  30. Nationals

Second round of Major League phase:

Cubs, Brewers, Royals, Red Sox In On Dempster

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8:48pm: Levine's report "grossly misrepresents" the nature of the Cubs-Dempster talks, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  He says negotiations are not happening and a reunion is implausible.

7:56pm: Dempster's agent has talked to the Cubs about a possible return to Chicago, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  Though the Cubs have not made an offer, money and length of contract was discussed.  Dempster has two and three-year offers on the table, writes Levine, with the Royals and Brewers showing the most interest.  Levine sees a no-trade as a potential obstacle to Dempster returning to the Cubs.

2:13pm: The Royals made Dempster a two-year, $26MM offer, which he declined, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Kansas City balked at Dempster's request for three years and it seems neither side has changed its stance, says Dutton (Twitter links).

1:59pm: The Royals and Red Sox are still interested in Dempster, according to Rosenthal, who says the Brewers remain in the mix as well. The Angels' current level of interest is unclear, says Rosenthal (Twitter link).

12:21pm: Dempster believes he will earn a three-year deal if other free agent pitchers like Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, and Edwin Jackson land four- or five-year deals, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

10:37am: With the Brewers still unwilling to commit a third year to an offer for Ryan Dempster, the two sides have reached an impasse in their negotiations, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. If another team steps up and offers Dempster a three-year deal, the Brewers will likely be out of the running, says Haudricourt.

We heard on Monday that Dempster is seeking a three-year contract, something Milwaukee preferred to avoid, having been burned on long-term deals for veteran starters before. Perhaps the two sides can reach a compromise on some sort of two-year deal with a third-year option, but for now it seems nothing is close.

GM Doug Melvin visited with Dempster's agent, Craig Landis, yesterday.

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