Seven Teams In On Nick Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Giants and Mariners are still in on Johnson, but are neither is offering a second year.
MONDAY, 3:17pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert notes that it would be tough for the D'Backs to fit Johnson and a starter into the budget.
2:44pm: Seven teams are in on injury-prone on-base machine Nick Johnson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Mariners, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Yankees. Stark says Johnson is high on Seattle's first base shopping list. It's been said that Johnson, 31, is seeking a two-year deal. Check out our discussion post on him here.
Twins Rumors: Third Base, Harden
2:34pm: Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to DeRosa's agent Keith Grunewald, who said talks with the Twins have been nothing more than preliminary.
10:49am: Neal has more, questioning the Feliz and Uribe links. Also, Neal spoke to someone from Rich Harden's agency and came away thinking the Mariners are the favorite (the Twins have not been in contact recently).
9:28am: Let's take a look at the Twins' third base situation. Yesterday afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports said they're considering free agents Adrian Beltre, Pedro Feliz, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Uribe, though Beltre and DeRosa might be too pricey. He did not see Boston's Mike Lowell as a target. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. has the Astros and Orioles in on Feliz, in addition to the Twins.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote early this morning that the Twins are "very interested in DeRosa." A trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff is another possibility, while re-signing Joe Crede hasn't been ruled out.
Red Sox Claim Ramon Ramirez Off Waivers From Rays
The Red Sox claimed pitcher Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Rays, according to a team press release. This is a different Ramon Ramirez than the one the Sox acquired from the Royals last year. The Ramirez the Sox got today spent '09 in the Reds' organization, posting a 4.03 ERA, 5.5 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 127.3 Triple A innings.
Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Matsui, Darvish
Kicking off a fresh Odds & Ends post for Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Ryota Igarashi received a one-year big league offer from an unknown team.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says Justin Duchscherer would like to pitch for the D'Backs, but a deal is not likely. He also notes that the D'Backs denied offering Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe learned that Gary Sheffield has four suitors currently, the Red Sox not among them.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle names the A's as a "possible suitor" for Hideki Matsui, which ESPN's Keith Law thinks would be pointless.
- Wezen-Ball gives us the history of the highest-paid player in baseball, from Nolan Ryan onward.
- Yu Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history (he's 23) to reach 300 million yen when he re-signed for 330 million, reports Kyodo News. That comes to about $3.75MM currently.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff notes that Rudy Seanez wants to pitch next year.
- ESPN's Mike Salk says the Mariners "specifically chose" Jack Wilson over J.J. Hardy.
Market For Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd
WEDNESDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi says the markets for Cameron and Marlon Byrd are running parallel, with the Braves, Angels, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants checking in on both.
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thoughts on the market for free agent center fielder Mike Cameron. He names the Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees as potential suitors Cameron, who turns 37 in January. Rosenthal notes that Cameron would move from center to left field for the right team.
Regarding the Cubs, Rosenthal explains that they can pursue him if they free up "a good amount" in their Milton Bradley trade. Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik could be other options if they save less.
Overnight Links: Wolf, Crisp, Yankees, Halladay
MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the winter meetings continues as we gear up for whatever Day Three may bring. In the meantime, let's check out some overnight links from around the majors….
- In a pair of tweets, Buster Olney of ESPN.com passes on these notes: The Brewers expect a decision from Randy Wolf today, and the Red Sox have interest in Coco Crisp.
- Of the expensive arms linked to the Orioles, Kevin Millwood makes the most sense, according to the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman speculates about what Curtis Granderson's arrival could mean for the futures of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in New York.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News opines that the Yankees still need to make Damon a priority, even with Granderson on the roster.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Granderson trade will prompt the Red Sox to pursue Roy Halladay more actively.
- The Angels are the front-runners to acquire Halladay, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck ranks the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers respectively as the other contenders.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers would like to sign or trade for a pair of starters this winter, they might be content to just add one.
- Crisp could end up back in Kansas City next season, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Both parties are currently exploring their options.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle details what would have to happen for Hideki Matsui to end up in Oakland.
- In a separate piece, Shea explains why the Giants are re-thinking their approach to filling their opening behind the plate.
- The Yankees' acquisition of Granderson has the Boston media even busier than usual. Rob Bradford of WEEI hears that the Tigers asked Boston for either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury in exchange for Granderson. The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman doesn't think the Red Sox will feel forced to strike back immediately, while Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Sox have no plans to replace their departed bullpen arms with pricey free agents. Speaking of pricey free agents though, John Tomase of the Boston Herald fully expects Boston to sign either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde
More links for the evening…
- The Red Sox will find out tomorrow if their claim on Rays righty Ramon A. Ramirez went through, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. This isn't the same Ramon Ramirez that appeared in 70 games for Boston last year.
- Randy Johnson is still undecided about 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- The Rangers discussed Arthur Rhodes with the Reds today, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers are on the lookout for lefty relievers.
- The Rangers are considering Jason Kendall and Rod Barajas behind the plate, according to Sullivan. ESPN.com's Keith Law says this is a problem for the Rangers. He doesn't think much of any of the free agent catchers they're considering.
- Coco Crisp would be up for signing with the White Sox, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Talks between the Twins and Joe Crede are progressing slowly, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.
- The Mariners are keeping in touch with Rich Harden's agents, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Nats were interested in Jose Valverde, but they felt his asking price was too high, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that Scott Boras will meet with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik tonight. Adrian Beltre is one of Boras' clients, so they'll presumably discuss him.
- White Sox reliever Matt Thornton tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's recruiting J.J. Putz. Thornton says he and Putz have a long-standing "bromance" that dates back to their Seattle days.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz are too much to give up for Josh Johnson. Apparently, the Rangers offered the pair of top prospects up.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus likes the Ivan Rodriguez signing for the Nats, partly because Pudge could help develop Stephen Strasburg.
- By the way, the deal is pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Braves are interested in Xavier Nady, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets may be more inclined to pay top dollar for John Lackey now that they've seen the asking prices of some lesser starters.
- The Cardinals won't be involved with Lackey, but they have interest in signing a lefty bench bat, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui
More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
- It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
- John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
- The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
- Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Jason Bay Rumors: Tuesday
7:20pm: Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Jason Bay appears to be a "longshot," speaking on 830 KLAA in Los Angeles tonight.
6:53pm: Some feel the Angels are pushing hard for Bay, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.
10:25am: ESPN's Buster Olney told us yesterday that the Mariners are "unlikely to get involved" on free agent outfielder Jason Bay. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a similar note, saying the team's interest has been overstated. Things have mostly been quiet on Bay, though the Angels may have opened talks and the Red Sox will meet this morning with his representatives (tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown).
Twitter Rumors: Mulder, Pie, Torrealba, Sheets
Random rumors collected from Twitter…
- The Brewers will meet with Mark Mulder's people today, says SI's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal tweets that a meeting with the Royals already occurred today.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says the Royals like Felix Pie, but are "finding it tough to meet Baltimore's needs."
- The Brewers are working to re-sign pitcher Claudio Vargas, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy learned. They view him as a reliever. UPDATE: McCalvy says the Brewers think they're close.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Ben Sheets' agent Casey Close will meet with both New York teams, among others. A throwing audition appears unlikely. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers would like a medical update on Sheets, who they almost signed before the season.
- Newsday's David Lennon says the Mets met with Yorvit Torrealba's agent this morning. He could be an alternative to Bengie Molina, if the Mets and Torrealba can settle their grievance. Torrealba had a signed term sheet with the Mets two years ago for a three-year, $14.4MM deal, but the Mets pulled out over concerns with the player's shoulder. Lennon's colleague Ken Davidoff says the Giants are still involved on Torrealba.
- The Brewers have a meeting with minor league free agent/knuckleballer Charlie Zink this afternoon, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says LaTroy Hawkins will meet with the Astros today in hopes of getting a deal done soon.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick finds the Brewers likely to tender a contract to righty Dave Bush on Saturday. Despite a rough year Bush could get a small raise on this year's $4MM salary.
- WEEI's Alex Speier says five to six teams have checked in on free agent outfielder Brian Giles, the Red Sox not among them.
- Joe Crede doesn't expect to sign until late in the offseason, reports Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.