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Angels, Blue Jays Interested In Darren Oliver

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Add the Angels and Blue Jays to the list of American League teams interested in Darren Oliver. Those two clubs, plus the Red Sox and Rangers have shown interest in the veteran left-hander, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Oliver, 41, posted a 2.29 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 51 innings for the Rangers in 2011. The Jeff Frye client is one of the top left-handed relievers available in free agency. It's worth noting that the Angels signed former Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson earlier this offseason.

The Blue Jays' interest is no surprise. They dealt Marc Rzepczynski last summer and Evan Crawford and Luis Perez are the only left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster at the moment. I'd be surprised if the team hasn't shown interest in most of the competent, available left-handers this offseason and I expect them to acquire one by Opening Day.

Red Sox Notes: Melancon, Lowrie, Closer Search

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Earlier today, the Red Sox shipped shortstop Jed Lowrie and starter Kyle Weiland to Houston for reliever Mark Melancon.  Here's a look at some items out of Boston with plenty of talk about the trade..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) likes the trade for the Red Sox but stresses that Melancon can't be the team's closer.  In his view, Boston still needs to acquire someone for the ninth inning.
  • ESPN's Keith Law thinks the Astros won the deal.
  • Melancon's power arm and mental toughness are definite positives, but Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe tweets that the 26-year-old projects as a set-up man in the AL rather than a closer.
  • Meanwhile, one talent evaluator told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he loves what Melancon has to offer and believes that he has what it takes to be a closer.  The right-hander finished 47 games for the Astros last season.
  • The Red Sox are still in on multiple starters and closers, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  It's a good bet that they'll land either the starter or closer that they're after and may get both.
  • More from Speier (via Twitter) who notes that the deal should be a good opportunity for both Weiland and Lowrie.  Lowrie has largely been blocked by Marco Scutaro and now would have had Jose Iglesias in front of him.  Meanwhile, Weiland was set to start the year in Triple-A but will now get to pitch for the Astros' varsity squad.

Red Sox Acquire Melancon For Lowrie, Weiland

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The Red Sox acquired reliever Mark Melancon from the Astros for shortstop Jed Lowrie and starter Kyle Weiland, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first tweeted that Weiland was traded to Houston in a deal that involved a reliever going to Boston.  The deal marks the first trade involving Major Leaguers by both Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington since taking over their respective roles. 

Melancon, 26, turned in a 2.78 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9, and 56.7% groundball rate in 74 1/3 innings this year, saving 20 games in 25 tries.  The right-hander won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season and won't hit free agency until after the 2016 campaign.  Acquiring Melancon will bolster Boston's bullpen, but they're unlikely to stop here, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Boston has reportedly been after A's closer Andrew Bailey and Rosenthal says that they can't be ruled out on Ryan Madson.

Lowrie has been drawing a good deal interest from clubs this offseason.  The infielder's name also came up during the Winter Meetings when the Red Sox met with the Rangers and discussed possible trades.  In 341 plate appearances for Boston last season, the oft-injured Lowrie hit .252/.303/.382 with six homers.  Lowrie has been used all around the infield, but he's likely to take over as the Astros' starting shortstop.  He's arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and MLBTR projects a $1.2MM salary.

Weiland, 25, struggled in 24 2/3 innings in his Red Sox debut this year.  At Triple-A, he posted a 3.58 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.70 HR/9 in 128 1/3 innings.  A third-round pick in 2008, Baseball America ranked Weiland 20th among Red Sox prospects prior to the season.  BA says the former Notre Dame closer "relishes pitching inside" and his "best pitch is a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 but is most notable for its hard sink."  The Astros plan to use Weiland as a starter in 2012, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

The Astros will have to clear a spot on their 40-man roster, as it was full prior to the trade.

Quick Hits: Varitek, A’s, Braves, Cordero, Lee, Pujols

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Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

  • The Red Sox have not yet made catcher and captain Jason Varitek a contract offer, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston added Kelly Shoppach to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday, a move that likely spelled the end of Varitek's time with the Sox.
  • There are clubs with interest in trading for both Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey and others with interest in both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Athletics and Braves are likely to deal their players separately to maximize the return.  Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado.
  • Interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero has slowed down, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). His market could hinge on how clubs fill their other roster holes.
  • The Pirates still have interest in first baseman Derrek Lee even after trading for Casey McGehee, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Bringing Lee back at first base would allow them to use McGehee at the hot corner with Pedro Alvarez.
  • Heyman hears that the Angels put a deadline on their ten-year, $254MM offer to Albert Pujols (Twitter link). The deal did seem to come together very quickly Wednesday night into Thursday morning last week.
  • The Rockies do have some money to spend according to Heyman (on Twitter). In addition to Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer, they also have interest in Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, and various trade targets.
  • Morosi says (on Twitter) that Andruw Jones could also be an option for the Rockies if Beltran and Cuddyer sign elsewhere.
  • The Cardinals' interest in pitching upgrades is "understated," reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain on the trade block.
  • The Yokohama Bay Stars have released right-hander Hiroki Sanada so that he may pursue a deal in MLB according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. No teams bid on Sanada when he was posted last week.
  • The Astros and Rays are possibilities for Ivan Rodriguez, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Though the Mets have discussed Rodriguez, they’re leaning toward relying on Mike Nickeas as their backup to starter Josh Thole.
  • MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner says the Joint Drug Agreement should provide Ryan Braun with privacy and fair proceedings. “I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out," Weiner said in a statement.

Red Sox Sign Kelly Shoppach

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9:23pm: The Red Sox have announced the signing in a press release. Crasnick tweets that Shoppach can also earn another $400K in performance bonuses, raising the potential value of the deal to $1.75MM.

9:35am: The Red Sox have agreed to sign Kelly Shoppach to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The deal will be announced today, Crasnick reports.

Shoppach, 31, hit just .176/.268/.339 in 253 plate appearances for the Rays in 2011, but he led the American League by preventing 41% of stolen base attempts. The Red Sox selected Shoppach in the second round of the 2001 draft. He made his MLB debut with the 2005 Red Sox before Boston shipped him to Cleveland in the Coco Crisp deal. The Rays declined Shoppach's option after the 2011 season and signed Jose Molina soon afterward.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia figures to be Boston's primary catcher in 2012 and with Ryan Lavarnway and Luis Exposito also on the 40-man roster, it doesn't appear that the Red Sox have room for longtime backstop Jason Varitek. The 39-year-old switch hitter posted a .221/.300/.324 line in 250 plate appearances this past season.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Nakajima, Martin, Ortiz

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Alex Rodriguez signed the largest contract in baseball history on this date four years ago, going back to the Yankees for $275MM over ten years. He did help the Yankees to a World Championship two seasons ago, but it's tough to see that deal having a happy ending. Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox are expected to exceed the $178MM luxury tax threshold next season according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. The team will try to stay close to the threshold to minimize the penalty, however.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told David Waldstein of The New York Times that he has continued to negotiate with the agent for Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, but the two sides aren't close to a deal. The Yankees won Nakajima's negotiating rights last week.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com says (on Twitter) that people with the Orioles have given him the impression they were unwilling to offer David Ortiz a two-year contract before he accepted the Red Sox's offer of arbitration.
  • “We will see, I couldn’t say because it hasn’t been discussed," said Cashman to George A. King III of The New York Post when asked if a multi-year deal for Russell Martin was possible. The Yankees tendered all of their eligible players contracts yesterday, including Martin, who is arbitration-eligible for the fourth time as a Super Two.

Michael Cuddyer Rumors: Tuesday

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Michael Cuddyer is drawing lots of interest and with Josh Willingham agreeing to sign with the Twins, it won't be long before the market for Cuddyer becomes easier to read. Here are the latest details on Cuddyer:

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com say (on Twitter) that the Mariners are talking to Cuddyer as well.
  • The Rockies offer to Cuddyer was larger than the three years and $25MM the Twins offered him, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Cuddyer is seeking $30MM+ and has been mulling Colorado's offer for days.
  • The Twins maintain that their deal with Willingham is not yet finished, and that they are still talking with Cuddyer according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune (on Twitter).
  • There has been no immediate movement between the Rockies and Cuddyer following the news of Willingham's agreement with the Twins, reports MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter). 
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that there is at least one team besides the Rockies pursuing Cuddyer, and it's hardly a given that he heads to Colorado (Twitter links). The Giants and Red Sox are not the teams interested in Cuddyer, according to Morosi (Twitter links).
  • Cuddyer's original asking price was $36MM over three years and he continues to seek $30MM for three years, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • A person close to Cuddyer told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he'll likely decide on his next team within three or four days. It appears that the Twins' most recent offer to Cuddyer — $24MM over three years, according to Christensen — is essentially a final offer. Jason Kubel remains high on the Twins' list as well, but the team will sign just one of Willingham, Cuddyer and Kubel.
  • The Twins are feeling some confidence that they'll end up with either Cuddyer or Willingham, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Rockies are pushing for Cuddyer or Carlos Beltran.

The Latest On Gio Gonzalez

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The Tigers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rangers are among the teams pursuing Athletics left-hander Gio Gonzalez, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The bidding figures to heat up a bit once the posting period for Yu Darvish ends at 4pm CT tomorrow. Here's the latest on Gonzalez, courtesy of Knobler…

  • The Athletics did indeed ask the Marlins for Mike Stanton in a trade, though the talks understandably went nowhere.
  • A's GM Billy Beane in enamored with Tigers' top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, and Detroit is willing to move him for Gonzalez. They balked at Beane's request for prospects Nick Castellanos and Drew Smyly in addition to Turner, though.
  • If the Tigers don't swing a trade for Gonzalez, Knobler says that they'll likely find a Brad Penny-type to be their fifth starter (Twitter links). They also want to find an upgrade at second or third base.
  • The Red Sox have shown just as much interest in Gio as they have closer Andrew Bailey.
  • The Phillies also inquired about Gonzalez, but the Athletics didn't like what they had to offer.

Players To Avoid Arbitration

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Tonight is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players. Many teams will agree to terms with players before the deadline and we'll keep track of them here:

  • The Orioles have agreed to terms with Dana Eveland on a one-year, $750K deal for 2012, MLBTR has learned.
  • The Giants have agreed to terms with Mike Fontenot on a one-year deal for 2012, avoiding arbitration, MLBTR has learned. It's a $1.05MM deal, according to the Associated Press.
  • The Red Sox announced that they re-signed Matt Albers. He'll earn $1.075MM, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
  • The Padres agreed to terms with Chris Denorfia on a one-year deal, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link). The deal is worth $1.165MM, according to Ronald Blum of the AP
    The Pirates agreed to terms with Jason Grilli on a one-year, $1.1MM deal for 2012, MLBTR has learned.
  • The Rockies agreed to terms with Kevin Slowey on a one-year deal, the team announced (on Twitter). Slowey obtains $2.75MM from the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). MLBTR had projected a $2.7MM salary.
  • The Blue Jays agreed to sign Jeff Mathis to one-year deal that guarantees the backstop $1.5MM in 2012, MLBTR has learned. The Blue Jays have since confirmed the move.
  • The Blue Jays have avoided arbitration with Jesse Litsch (one-year, $975K) and Dustin McGowan (one-year, $600K) according to a team press release.
  • The Dodgers have signed outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. to a two-year deal.
  • The A's announced that they agreed to terms with Landon Powell, Daric Barton and Adam Rosales on one-year deals for 2012. The A's aren't non-tendering any arbitration eligible players this offseason. Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears Barton will earn $1.1MM in 2012 (Twitter link). Rosales will earn $600K and Powell will earn $620K, according to Ronald Blum of the AP.
  • The Marlins signed Donnie Murphy to a contract for 2012, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). He'll earn $560K, according to Ronald Blum of the AP.
  • The Brewers announced that they signed George Kottaras to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration. He'll earn $700K, according to Ronald Blum of the AP.
  • The Astros avoided arbitration with Humberto Quintero, signing him to a one-year deal worth $1MM, according to the team. MLBTR had projected a $1.2MM salary for Quintero.
  • The Angels agreed to terms with right-hander Jerome Williams on a one-year deal, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (on Twitter). Williams agreed to sign for $820K with $120K in incentives, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter).
  • Skip Schumaker is nearing a two-year deal with the Cardinals.

American League Non-Tenders

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Today's American League non-tenders are below, but you can keep track of all teams in our non-tender tracker.

  • The Mariners announced that they non-tendered Dan Cortes and Chris Gimenez.
  • The Orioles announced that they non-tendered Willie Eyre, the right-handed reliever who was designated for assignment last week. They non-tendered Jo-Jo Reyes, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The Orioles also non-tendered Luke Scott, tweets Connolly. Scott, who battled a shoulder injury in 2011 and underwent surgery this summer, projected to earn $6MM through arbitration. 
  • The Rays non-tendered Andy Sonnanstine, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers non-tendered right-hander Fabio Castillo, according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox announced that they non-tendered Rich Hill.
  • The Royals announced that they will non-tender left-hander Aaron Laffey.
  • The Twins announced that they've non-tendered left-hander Jose Mijares (Twitter link).
  • The Tigers non-tendered second baseman Will Rhymes, announced the team.  Rhymes is not yet close to being arbitration eligible, as he has less than one year of big league service time.  Rhymes, 28, hit .306/.377/.390 at Triple-A this year.
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