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Justin Upton Rumors: Thursday

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With the Diamondbacks in "active discussions" about Justin Upton, there has been no shortage of trade buzz about the former No. 1 overall draft pick.  While the Braves and Yankees are reportedly not interested in Upton, teams as the Red Sox, Rangers and Rays are, though the Rays ironically can't make a serious push until Justin's brother B.J. rejects Tampa Bay's qualifying offer, though he is expected to do so by tomorrow.

Here's the latest about Upton from around the league, with the newest items at the top of the page…

  • With input from rival executives, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic lists the Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Tigers and Braves as the top five possible suitors for Upton, with the Pirates and Royals as darkhorse candidates.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told reporters (including Nick Piecoro) that despite some rumors to the contrary, he has had "zero issues" with Upton from a character standpoint.  Towers is in "no rush" to make a deal for Upton and said that a potential trade won't prevent him from making other offseason moves.  With starting pitching at such a premium in the game, Towers doubted the Snakes would be able to obtain a top pitcher "even in an Upton deal." (All links are to Piecoro's Twitter account.)
  • The Rangers aren't willing to include either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar in a deal for Upton, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link), which will likely end trade talks between Texas and Arizona.
  • The Red Sox are currently on Upton's four-team no-trade list, though he is willing to waive that protection in Boston's case, reports Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (Twitter links).
  • The D'Backs would take a "good young starter" as the "centerpiece" of an Upton trade, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • The Tigers are doing background work on Upton, tweets Nick Piecoro, though the Tigers may not have yet "talked specifics" with the D'Backs.
  • "Don't expect" the Blue Jays to acquire Upton, tweets Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.

NL East Notes: Johnson, Tino, Phillies, Greinke, Nats

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Here's the latest from around the NL East…

  • The Marlins are less likely to deal Josh Johnson this offseason than they are to deal him in the weeks leading up to the July trade deadline, a source tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). 
  • Also on Johnson, there is "not much traction" between the Marlins and Red Sox about a possible trade for the Miami ace, tweets WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
  • The Marlins have hired Tino Martinez as their hitting coach, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (via Twitter).  The Red Sox were reportedly also considering Martinez as a candidate to become their new hitting coach. 
  • Martinez will be the Marlins' only hitting coach, as Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Beach Sun-Sentinel reports, though some other teams carry two hitting coaches on staff. 
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he'd "rather pay for the player than trade for the player" in order to hold onto the Phils' minor leaguers.  "I'd rather spend money but it's not an unlimited pool to work with," Amaro said.  "We have some flexibility. I guess I would anticipate our payroll being similar to last year."
  • The Phillies aren't planning to trade high-priced talent like Cliff Lee in an attempt to save payroll dollars, Amaro tells Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  "There's a reason why they're high-priced — it's because they're good. I feel like we have a much better chance of winning with them than without them," Amaro said.
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post wonders if the Nationals and Zack Greinke could be a match this winter, given that the Nats almost acquired Greinke from the Royals two years ago.
  • "What's not to like?" Nats GM Mike Rizzo rhetorically asked about Greinke today, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  Rizzo also said there are "five or six really intriguing starters" on the free agent market, tying into Comak's report from earlier today about the Nationals' "open-minded" search for pitching.
  • Also from Comak (Twitter link), Rizzo said the Nationals want to add at least one left-handed reliever.  The team has talked to both Sean Burnett and Mike Gonzalez and they'd like to bring both southpaws back in 2013.  Burnett declined his mutual option last week but said he's like to stay in Washington, while Gonzalez is also open to returning, though up to 10 teams are reportedly interested in him.

AL East Links: Orioles, Red Sox, Sizemore, Yankees

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The Blue Jays have pulled off a trade, a signing, and a DFA today, all before lunch time where the GM Meetings are being held in California. Here's the latest from the AL East…

Red Sox Interested In Anibal Sanchez, Hiroki Kuroda

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2:57pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox have reached out to Hiroki Kuroda as well. The veteran right-hander is open to signing a one-year deal.

2:17pm: The Red Sox have interest in Anibal Sanchez, reports Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald. The team is also exploring trades for starting pitchers.

GM Ben Cherington was overseeing Boston's international scouting department when the team originally signed Sanchez out of Venezuela in 2001. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB in 195 2/3 innings split between the Marlins and Tigers this year. Several other clubs have expressed interest in Sanchez as well, according to Silverman.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Sanchez as the second best free agent pitcher (behind Zack Greinke) and fourth best free agent overall in his Top 50 Free Agents list.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Uptons, Ellsbury, Myers, Garland

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Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mets were discussing R.A. Dickey in trades with other teams. He hears that the club has not made a "substantial (extension) offer" yet, and if they get the right trade offer they may just move on. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors from the GM Meetings…

  • The Rays need B.J. Upton to reject his qualifying offer before making a serious run at his brother Justin. The elder Upton is drawing interest and figures to reject the offer by tomorrow's deadline.
  • The Tigers are a darkhorse for Justin since they could offer top third base prospect Nick Castellanos and others, including guys like Avisail Garcia, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly.
  • The Braves do not appear to be in serious pursuit of Upton.
  • The Red Sox continue to be disinclined to trade Jacoby Ellsbury and the chances of moving him are slim. GM Ben Cherington is the type to listen on all of his players, however.
  • Brett Myers is telling teams he wants to be a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third.
  • Jon Garland, who has not pitched since July 2011 due to shoulder surgery, intends to make a comeback. He threw for 10-15 teams in September.

Red Sox Have Interest In Choo & Masterson

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The Red Sox have interest in acquiring both Shin-Soo Choo and Justin Masterson from the Indians, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. It's unclear how far along talks are, but Cleveland is getting calls about those two as well as Asdrubal Cabrera and Chris Perez.

Boston is seeking both outfield and rotation help this winter, so the fit is obvious. They originally drafted and developed Masterson before sending him to the Tribe in the Victor Martinez trade, though Morosi notes that new Indians manager Terry Francona could push to keep the right-hander, who had in Boston. Masterson is under team control through 2014 while Choo will be eligible for free agency after next season.

The Red Sox have enough prospects to offer in trades and plenty of payroll space to absorb contracts. Matt Swartz projects Choo to earn $7.9MM and Masterson to earn $5.7MM through arbitration next year. Boston also has both Mike Napoli and Adam LaRoche on their radar this offseason as well.

Red Sox Have Mike Napoli On Their Radar

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The Red Sox have Mike Napoli on their radar for first base, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). He also reiterates the team's interest in Adam LaRoche, and hears that Boston's rebuilding won't keep free agents away.

"We view Boston as a contender because they'll build team quickly. I doubt they'll have trouble attracting free agents," said a prominent agent to Cafardo (Twitter link).

Napoli, 31, hit .227/.343/.469 with 24 homers this season and is a year removed from a 30-homer, .320/.414/.631 performance. For what it's worth, he's a .306/.397/.710 hitter with seven homers in 18 career games at Fenway Park. Napoli has been primarily a catcher in recent years, but he also has plenty of first base and DH experience.

The Rangers did not make Napoli a qualifying offer, therefore teams will not have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him.

Cherington Talks Outfield, Iglesias

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Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said completing this year’s managerial search relatively early should provide the team with some amount of additional flexibility this coming offseason. The GM can focus on the roster now that John Farrell’s in place as Boston’s new manager. Here are more details from Cherington’s conversation with MLBTR at the 2012 GM Meetings…

  • The Red Sox are talking to free agent outfielders while discussing possible trades to address their needs in the outfield, Cherington said.
  • Cherington expressed confidence that Jose Iglesias can be an MLB shortstop on a good team. “He has a chance to be an elite defender and his development path has probably made his offensive performance look worse than the hitter he actually is,” the GM said. However, nothing will be given to Iglesias and the Red Sox could go with another option if an appealing alternative emerges.
  • “We’ve got some work to do this winter,” Cherington acknowledged.

Red Sox Notes: Bay, Hunter, Ellsbury, Upton, Farrell

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A source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter) that Jason Bay would be very interested in returning to the Red Sox.  Earlier today, the Mets reached an agreement with the outfielder to make him a free agent this winter in exchange for deferring some of the $21MM owed to him.  Here’s more on the Red Sox..

  • While Bay would like to return to the Red Sox, signs point towards him preferring a west coast team, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
  • The Red Sox have expressed interest in free agent outfielders Torii Hunter and Grady Sizemore, tweets Silverman.
  • General Manager Ben Cherington says the club has not yet discussed Bay, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • The Red Sox will listen on Jacoby Ellsbury but they will listen on him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  One rival official noted that the club won’t be overly anxious to move Ellsbury as they’re already in need of two outfielders.
  • Boston is expected to be in the mix for Justin Upton this offseason, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  It’s not yet known if the Red Sox have had talks with the Diamondbacks about the outfielder previously or at the GM meetings, however.
  • Manager John Farrell says the club is thinking about hiring two hitting coaches and would even prefer it, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  “I think it’s evolved into more than a one-man system. We’re going in that direction,” Farrell said (Twitter link).
  • Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com looks at the decisions facing the Red Sox in advance of the Rule 5 draft.

Minor Moves: Mock, Burke, Maier, Slowey, Ford

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Here are Wednesday’s minor moves…

  • The Diamondbacks have signed Garrett Mock to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.79 ERA in 61 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this season.
  • The Mets have signed right-hander Greg Burke to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, the team announced (on Twitter). Burke, 30, pitched to a 1.53 ERA in 64 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this year.
  • Indians right-hander Kevin Slowey has elected free agency, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.  The 28-year-old spent 2012 with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate.
  • The Red Sox have signed Mitch Maier to a minor league deal, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (on Twitter). The 30-year-old outfielder hit .172/.260/.313 in 74 plate appearances for the Royals this year.
  • The Pirates have signed Darren Ford to a minor league pact, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 27-year-old outfielder hit .273/.326/.385 with 26 steals in 329 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
  • The Pirates have signed infielder Jared Goedert to a minor league deal, reports Rosenthal (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hit .311/.373/.502 with 19 homers in 504 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
  • The Royals have agreed to re-sign catcher Manny Pina to a minor league contract, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Pina, 25, hit .278/.415/.417 in 183 minor league plate appearances this summer. Dutton notes that he will be exposed in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
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