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Quick Hits: Hunter, Dodgers, Dickey, Mets

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The Dodgers have been said to have interest in free agent outfielder Torii Hunter, but their level of interest may have been overstated, according to Dylan Hernandez and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The team met with Hunter’s agent at the GM meetings this week, but a source says that it was Hunter’s agent who initially reached out to the Dodgers, not the other way around.  Since the Dodgers won't move Andre Ethier, Hunter's only possible role would be as a fourth outfielder and the veteran isn't terribly interested in doing that.  Hunter's agent has also talked with the Tigers, Rays, Yankees, and Phillies and tells clubs that his client wants a multi-year contract.  Here's more from around baseball..

Red Sox Notes: Saltalamacchia, Ross, Mets, Napoli

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Earlier today, the Red Sox agreed to sign free agent catcher David Ross to a two-year, $6.2MM contract.  With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway already behind the plate, could Boston be gearing up for a trade?  Here's more on that and other items out of Boston..

  • An official with another club told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Red Sox are willing to consider offers for Saltalamacchia.  Saltalamacchia hit a career-high 25 homers in 2012 but saw his average dip as his strikeout total soared.
  • If the Red Sox do look to move Salty, the Mets and White Sox are among the clubs that are in need of catching, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  Lauber suggests that the Mets could use Jon Niese while the White Sox might be willing to trade Gavin Floyd.  Yesterday, Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed the idea of trading Niese without being prompted.
  • Officials from the Mets and Red Sox told Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) earlier this week that they hadn't discussed a deal involving Saltalamacchia, but the Ross signing could ignite talks.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com also notes that the Red Sox have interest in Mike Napoli and his acquisition would further squeeze Saltalamacchia out of the picture.  Napoli would spend the bulk of his time at first base if he winds up in Boston, but he would still factor into the catching situation.
  • Boston's acquisition of Ross gives them a great deal of flexibility going forward this winter and even potentially into next season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Upton, Rays, Youkilis, Dodgers

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Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The Rangers continue to insist that they will not trade either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar for Justin Upton, which could allow the Rays to emerge as the front-runner. They could offer the Diamondbacks James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson in addition to shortstop prospect Hak-Ju Lee.
  • The White Sox and Phillies are interested in Kevin Youkilis, and the Dodgers are considering him as well. Rosenthal says other clubs are concerned whenever Los Angeles is reportedly in on a player given their financial might.
  • The Orioles and Nationals are still engaged in a dispute over money received from MASN — both clubs own the network, but Baltimore's stake is nearly 90% — though Nats GM Mike Rizzo said that will not limit the club's ability to spend.
  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is not concerned about finding a pure closer. He intends to add the best bullpen arms he can and let things figure themselves out.
  • A rival executive told Rosenthal that he expects Dan Haren to sign with the Padres. Haren is a West Coast guy and Padres GM Josh Byrnes originally acquired him from the Athletics while running the Diamondbacks a few years ago.
  • “Like him. Don’t love him," said a Red Sox official when asked about Adam LaRoche. Boston is reportedly pursuing the first baseman.
  • Joakim Soria and Ryan Madson will not be ready to pitch at the start of the season. Both right-handers are coming off Tommy John surgery.

Red Sox To Sign David Ross

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8:28pm: It's a two-year, $6.2MM contract, tweets Rosenthal.

7:49am: The Red Sox have agreed to sign catcher David Ross to a two-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The deal is still pending a physical. Ross is a Sports One Athlete Management client.

Uspw_6106010Over the last four seasons, the 35-year-old Ross has established himself as the best hitting backup catcher in baseball. He hit .269/.353/.463 with the Braves during that time, including .256/.321/.449 with nine homers in 196 plate appearances this year. Thanks in part to the presence of Brian McCann, Ross has not come to the plate even 200 times in a single season since 2007. He played with the Red Sox very briefly in 2008.

Rosenthal hears that Ross will be "more than a backup but not a starter" with Boston (Twitter link). The Red Sox already have Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate, but the former hit just .170/.211/.283 against left-handers this year while the latter hit .157/.211/.248 overall in 166 late season plate appearances. Ross gives them a platoon partner for Salty while Lavarnway could continue to refine his game in Triple-A. As a right-handed hitter, Ross should benefit from playing in Fenway Park.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes did not rank Ross on his Top 50 Free Agents list. The backstop earned $1.625MM in each of the last two seasons, and he did not receive a qualifying offer from Atlanta. The Red Sox won't have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him. McCann may miss the start of next year following his offseason shoulder surgery, so the Braves will have to find a capable replacement for Ross.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Six Teams Interested In Nick Swisher

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FRIDAY: In addition to the Rangers and Mariners, the Orioles, Phillies, Giants, Braves, and Nationals all have some level of interest in Swisher, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Several clubs are willing to offer three years, and Heyman estimates an annual salary in the $11-13MM range.

THURSDAY: The Rangers, Mariners and three other teams have "serious interest" in free agent Nick Swisher, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Unsurprisingly, Swisher plans to reject the Yankees' qualifying offer and look for a long-term contract on the open market.

Swisher would have earned $13.3MM for 2013 had he accepted the Yankees' one-year qualifying offer, and in rejecting the deal, New York can now earn a compensatory draft pick if Swisher signs elsewhere. The Yankees extended qualifying offers to three of their free agents: Swisher, Rafael Soriano (who will decline) and Hiroki Kuroda.

Swisher has averaged 27 homers and an .836 OPS over the last seven seasons, thus making him in high demand amongst teams looking for power and help at first base or right field. Swisher was reportedly looking for a Jayson Werth-esque seven-year/$126MM contract, a number that might be hard to find unless it were to come from a team that may need to overpay to attract a top free agent hitter. The Mariners could be such a team, though they hope moving in the fences at Safeco Field will help.

The Rangers would likely use Swisher primarily at first base, though they could also have a hole in left field should Josh Hamilton leave in free agency. (ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox also value Swisher for his versatility.) Swisher's three unknown suitors probably don't include the Yankees, as there is reportedly little chance of Swisher returning to New York.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Multiple Teams Interested In Michael Bourn

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The free agent crop's best leadoff hitter is also one of this winter's most popular players. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that multiple teams are interested in Michael Bourn, including the Nationals, Phillies, Reds, and Red Sox. The Dodgers are considered a very long shot to sign the speedy outfielder.

Bourn, 29, hit .274/.348/.391 with 42 steals for the Braves this year and offers both elite speed and elite center field defense. The Reds and Nationals are known to be seeking leadoff hitting outfielders while the Red Sox are looking for outfielders in general, presumably corner bats given the presence of Jacoby Ellsbury. The Phillies originally drafted and developed Bourn before sending him to the Astros in the Brad Lidge trade.

Earlier today, Bourn officially rejected the Braves' qualifying offer and will require draft pick compensation to sign. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked him third in his Top 50 Free Agents list, predicting he would sign with Washington.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Villanueva, Red Sox

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The latest out of the AL East..

  • Free agent Anibal Sanchez is reportedly seeking $90MM over six years and that may still fit the Blue Jays' budget.  GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club could accommodate that kind of average annual value, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter).  The club hasn't talked about going beyond their current five-year limit on contracts, but Anthopoulos said that things can always change (Twitter link).
  • Meanwhile, Anthopoulos says that he can promise free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva the 30 starts that he is seeking, Davidi tweets.  The GM said that the club has never doubted Villanueva's abilities, but has raised concerns about his durability in the past.
  • Anthopoulos went on to say that the club is taking a wait-and-see approach with their left field approach while being a little more aggressive in terms of the rotation, tweets Davidi.
  • After wrapping up his six-year, $52MM deal with the Red Sox, agent Scott Boras tells Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that Daisuke Matsuzaka figures to have a number of suitors now that he comes with a lower price tag.
  • The Yankees would like to find an upgrade for Jayson Nix which means finding someone who can play 100 games between shortstop and third base, tweets Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

Minor Moves: Red Sox, Orioles

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We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..

  • The Red Sox agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Terry Doyle on a minor league deal, according to Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.  The 26-year-old last pitched for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League after four seasons and change in the White Sox system.
  • The Orioles have re-signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).  The Orioles outrighted Ford to Triple-A Norfolk last Friday.  The 36-year-old .331/.390/.550 with 11 homers in 62 games for Norfolk last season.

Heyman On Yankees, Giants, Belt, Red Sox, Hamilton

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

AL Central Notes: Tigers, Sanchez, Soria, Bonderman

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The latest out of the AL Central..

  • The price for Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez could be going up, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Sanchez asked one team for $90MM across six years and another for $100MM over seven years, according to Heyman.
  • Joakim Soria has received interest from the Red Sox, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The Royals declined their $8MM option for Soria on Halloween, but the right-hander has said that re-signing with Kansas City would be good for him and his family.
  • More from Morosi (via Twitter), who hears from sources that the Tigers have offered Jeremy Bonderman a contract.  Bonderman hasn't pitched in the majors since 2010 but he says that his arm feels good following reconstructive surgery.
  • The Royals announced that they have signed first baseman Ian Gac and outfielder Luis Durango to minor league contracts.  Durango spent last season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, hitting .289/.352/.335 in 565 plate appearances.
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