Jose Reyes Market May Be Down To Just Marlins, Mets
The Marlins and Mets may be the last two contenders remaining in the Jose Reyes sweepstakes, and the Marlins "hopes are high" that they will land the free agent shortstop, reports CBSSports.com's Scott Miller (passed on by his CBS colleague Matt Snyder). Another baseball source tells Miller, "everyone seems to think Reyes is the right fit for the Marlins."
The Braves, Giants and Phillies are out of the bidding, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman, with the Brewers and Tigers seen as "iffy" or very unlikely candidates by Heyman and CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. So, unless a fringe suitor like the Red Sox get involved, it may be down to just the two NL East rivals.
Miami has offered Reyes a six-year deal worth somewhere between $70MM and $90MM, and Heyman tweets the Marlins could "bump it a bit" and then set a deadline since the offer has been on the table for a while. Even with the apparently thin market for Reyes, this kind of hardball tactic could backfire on the Fish since it could allow the Mets or another team to jump into the bidding at a lower price. The Marlins have openly targeted many top free agents this winter but this high profile only increases the pressure on the club to actually sign at least one or two of these big names.
The Mets are apparently willing to offer a five-year, $80MM contract. GM Sandy Alderson told reporters today (including MLB.com's Anthony DiComo) that he wasn't aware of any teams besides Miami in the hunt for Reyes and that he was planning to meet with Reyes' agents before or during the Winter Meetings. That lack of a sixth year in the offer could ultimately hurt the Mets, even though their offer would give Reyes a larger average annual value than the Marlins' deal, presuming Miami's offer is six years/$90MM. Maybe a sixth year on a vesting option could bring Reyes back to New York.
AL Central Notes: Cespedes, Royals, Cuddyer
The Tigers, who agreed to sign Ramon Santiago to a two-year deal today, have interest in Coco Crisp. Here are the latest updates from their division, starting with a note on another possible outfield target for Detroit:
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski will watch Yoenis Cespedes play in the Dominican Republic, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, who suggests this is “very unusual” for Dombrowski (Twitter link). Cespedes isn’t yet a free agent, but he’s in the process of establishing temporary residency in the Dominican and may hit the open market soon.
- Before the Royals signed Jonathan Broxton, outfielder Jeff Francoeur and manager Ned Yost went hunting with the right-hander in Georgia, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. The outing helped convince Broxton to join the Royals.
- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says the team is "making a mad effort" to sign Michael Cuddyer, according to Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 (on Twitter).
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears Josh Willingham may be a fit in Minnesota if the Twins don’t re-sign Cuddyer. Similarly, the Red Sox may have interest if they don’t re-sign David Ortiz, Slusser writes.
Tigers Interested In Coco Crisp, Pitching
The Tigers are interested in free agent outfielder Coco Crisp, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). The team has a projected outfield of Delmon Young, Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch, but seems to be considering additions.
The switch-hitting Crisp led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The Tigers could trade an outfielder, most likely Young, if they sign a free agent such as Crisp. The California native seems to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he’s also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself. The A’s remain interested in re-signing him.
The Tigers still want to round out their rotation with a starting pitcher and a trade is more likely than a signing, according to Knobler. The team, which announced its deal with Ramon Santiago earlier today, could still add another second baseman, Knobler writes. Alternatively, they could pair Santiago with utility player Ryan Raburn at second.
Tigers To Sign Ramon Santiago
The Tigers announced that they've agreed to sign Ramon Santiago to a two-year contract. The deal guarantees Santiago slightly more than $4MM, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The 32-year-old infielder will provide manager Jim Leyland with a familiar option for three infield positions.
Santiago hit .260/.311/.384 in Detroit this past season, appearing at shortstop, second and third. He became the Tigers’ regular second baseman toward the end of the season and continued starting in the postseason. He was not a ranked free agent, so the team would not have obtained a draft pick had he signed elsewhere.
Though the Tigers like Santiago, they didn't appear to view him as an everyday solution at second base heading into the offseason. It's not clear if they now view him as a viable everyday starter or if he'll return as a utility player.
Tigers Interested In Maicer Izturis
The Tigers have interest in trading for Maicer Izturis of the Angels, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Izturis is believed to be next on their wishlist after Martin Prado of the Braves.
The Tigers are looking for upgrades at second base, third base, and in the leadoff spot, three roles Izturis has filled at different times in his career. The 31-year-old hit .276/.334/.388 with five homers and nine steals in 494 plate appearances this past season, playing second, third, and shortstop. He is owed $3.8MM in 2012 and can become a free agent after the season.
Mets, Cardinals, Reds, Tigers Inquire On Dotel
TUESDAY: The Mets are "strong players" for Dotel, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. The Mets, who signed Dotel as an amateur in 1993, like that he won't cost a draft pick.
MONDAY: The Cardinals, Reds and Tigers are among the teams that have inquired on free agent right-hander Octavio Dotel, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Teams won’t have to surrender a draft pick to sign Dotel, but the Cardinals will obtain a supplementary first round draft choice in 2012 if he signs elsewhere thanks to a recently-announced status change for certain free agents.
Dotel, 38, posted a 3.50 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 30.1% ground ball rate in 54 innings for the Blue Jays and Cardinals in 2011. He's especially effective against right-handed hitters, as this past season's split stats show (.410 OPS vs. RHB, .845 OPS vs. LHB). The Angels also have some interest in Dotel.
Tigers Inquire On Mark Buehrle
The Tigers' rotation hasn't been considered a major concern, with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, and Rick Porcello under team control through at least 2014 and top prospect Jacob Turner waiting in the wings. However, they're one of the many clubs inquiring on free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, reports Lynn Henning of the Detroit News.
The Tigers are familiar with Buehrle, since he made 34 career starts against them as a member of the White Sox. In Henning's opinion, signing him would allow the Tigers to use young pitching as trade bait. The number of reported Buehrle suitors reaches 14 if you include the Tigers, though the White Sox and Cardinals were part of that Jim Bowden tweet and those clubs are not considered likely.
Elsewhere on the free agent front, Henning says the Tigers have been following Yoenis Cespedes for years. Tigers vice president and director of amateur scouting David Chadd admits Cespdes is a "five-tool player." In a more speculative sense, Henning thinks Kelly Johnson and Octavio Dotel may be Tigers targets. The Tigers are known to have spoken with Aramis Ramirez's agent this month.
Tigers Inquired On Aramis Ramirez
7:29pm: The Tigers spoke with Ramirez's agent earlier this month and haven't been in touch since, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The lack of communication in recent weeks shouldn't be read into too much though considering the Thanksgiving holiday.
6:41pm: The Tigers have inquired on free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). The Cubs offered arbitration to Ramirez, a Type B free agent, on Wednesday.
While it's hard to pin down where Ramirez will land, we do know that he won't be back with the Cubs. Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, confirmed to reporters this month that his client plans to move on this offseason.
Earlier this week, Tim Dierkes wrote that the Tigers, Twins, and Brewers could be fits for Ramirez, if they have the money. Tim could see the veteran getting as much as three years and as much as $42MM when all is said and done.
Quick Hits: Red Sox, Cespedes, Pujols
Six years ago today, the Red Sox traded Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for two players who would help them secure a second World Series title in four seasons: Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I looked back at the trade in detail two years ago, declaring it a win-win. Here are today’s links, starting with an update on the Red Sox…
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com provides a year-by-year comparison of the free agents that left the Red Sox and the resulting compensatory draft picks obtained by the Theo Epstein regime.
- Free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is scheduled to work out with the Tigers, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- Free agent first baseman Albert Pujols says he’s sticking with agent Dan Lozano, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The agent has fired back against an article on Deadspin that portrays him in an unforgiving manner.
American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers
10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll update them in this post throughout the day in advance of the 11pm central time deadline. For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here.
Updated team decisions:
- The Blue Jays offered arbitration to Frank Francisco (B), Kelly Johnson (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick), Jose Molina (B) and Jon Rauch (B), according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). They declined to offer Shawn Camp (B) arbitration.
- The Red Sox announced that they offered David Ortiz (A) and Dan Wheeler (B) arbitration. They declined to offer Jason Varitek (B) arbitration. Jonathan Papelbon (A) already signed with the Phillies.
- The Yankees offered Freddy Garcia (B) arbitration according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter).
- The Royals offered Bruce Chen (B) arbitration, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- The White Sox announced they've offered arbitration to Mark Buehrle (B) and not Juan Pierre (B).
- The Athletics announced David DeJesus (B) and Josh Willingham (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) were offered arbitration.
- The Rangers announced C.J. Wilson (A) will be offered arbitration. Modified Type B free agent Darren Oliver does not require an offer.
- The Orioles announced they will not offer arbitration to Vladimir Guerrero (B).
- Twins GM Terry Ryan said today on a conference call that he will offer arbitration to Michael Cuddyer (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) and Jason Kubel (B), and noted that no arbitration offer is necessary for modified Type B free agent Matt Capps.
Teams with decisions still due:
- Tigers: Wilson Betemit (B), Magglio Ordonez (B)