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Olney: Winter Meetings Preview

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The Winter Meetings begin shortly at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ESPN's Buster Olney, in an Insider-only post, writes past Winter Meetings have been dominated by free agent signings, but some GMs say there is more groundwork laid for possible trades this year than they can remember in the recent past. Here are some of the storylines that could play out this week, according to Olney:

  • If Olney was Rangers' GM Jon Daniels, he would go all out to sign Zack Greinke and then trade some surplus pitching for offense.
  • Some rival officials remain convinced the Diamondbacks will eventually trade Justin Upton, whose contract ($38.5MM due over the next three years) has become more attractive in the wake of his brother's deal with the Braves.
  • The Indians have set the bar high in their demands for Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. "Time will tell on whether they've lowered (the asking prices)," said a rival GM.
  • The most likely of the Rays' established starting pitchers to be dealt is Jeremy Hellickson. On paper, the best matchup appears to be the Padres.
  • The Reds are looking to acquire a leadoff hitter and could target Dexter Fowler.
  • The Phillies continue to push on Angel Pagan. If Pagan signs with Philadelphia, the Giants could look to Shane Victorino, who is looking for $9-10MM annually.
  • The Pirates have let other teams know that closer Joel Hanrahan is available and they are looking for starting pitching.
  • In a separate tweet, Olney says the perception among rival executives is the signing of David Wright makes it much easier for the Mets to trade R.A. Dickey without fear of a PR backlash.
  • Nate Schierholtz received calls from nine teams within the first 12 hours of being non-tendered with the Yankees in the mix and the Rays also a good fit (Twitter links).

Eric Chavez Plans To Play In 2013

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Eric Chavez is planning on playing in 2013 according to his agent, reports Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.

"Chavy has no intention of retiring,” Scott Leventhal said. “We have spoken to and met with multiple clubs regarding his future in baseball."

Leventhal, however, declined to comment about those conversations with the multiple clubs or about Chavez returning to the Yankees. Yankees GM Brian Cashman acknowledged Friday he will be seeking depth for the left side of the infield.

Chavez, ranked 49th on MLBTR's Top 50 Free Agents list, excelled in his bench role last season spelling both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira while seeing some time as the Yankees' designated hitter. Chavez, who turns 35 on Friday, posted a slash line of .281/.348/.496 with 16 home runs in 113 games.

East Notes: Ichiro, Dickey, Mets, Red Sox

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News and notes out of the AL and NL East..

  • Ichiro Suzuki’s agent says he’s ready to open the floor to other suitors as talks with the Yankees have stalled, but GM Brian Cashman says that Suzuki already knew that he would be put on the backburner for a bit, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.  “Now that our pitching has been settled, which was our priority on the front end, we’ll move from the defense to the offense and engage all the players we have interest in and have interest in us,” said Cashman.
  • The Mets have fielded calls from six or seven teams are looking to meet and discuss a deal for R.A. Dickey, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Mets and Dickey have been trying to work out a contract extension for two months, but it appears general manager Sandy Alderson has the green light to now to more seriously consider trade alternatives instead. The Mets are expected to seek a catcher and outfield help in any trade.
  • The Mets will are willing to get creative with backloaded contracts in order to entice free agents with more money and multiyear deals, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells Marc Carig of Newsday.  That thinking could come into play at this week’s winter meetings in Nashville.  The Mets still won’t splurge on a big ticket free agent but could try and get creative in order to improve their outfield situation.
  • Brian Wilson has interest in the Red Sox as well as the Giants, Dodgers, and Angels a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Wilson is reportedly unlikely to re-sign with the Giants after being non-tendered.

Ichiro’s Agent: We Don’t Care What Yankees Do

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Last week, Ichiro Suzuki's agent Tony Attanasio told George A. King III of the New York Post that his client was receiving interest from other clubs but still had a strong preference to play for the Yankees.  A lot has changed in the last week, however, and Attanasio says that his client is no longer waiting on the Bombers, King writes.

“At the beginning we talked a lot but since that time, zero," said the agent.  "As far as we are concerned we don’t care what the Yankees do. We have had conversations with multiple clubs. If we see something we like he will go through with it."

Of course, the dragging of contract talks doesn't mean that the 39-year-old is definitely out of the picture in the Bronx.  The Yankees, who are working to get the 2014 payroll down to $189MM, don't see many desirable trade possibilities at right field that can fit their budget.  At the same time, they are less-than-thrilled by the prospect of having Ichiro and Brett Gardner in the corner outfield spots full-time due to their lack power.

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 11pm CT deadline and we'll keep track of them here. Be sure to check out MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker for complete details:

  • The Mariners have avoided arbitration with Josh Kinney, the team announced. It's a one-year deal.
  • The Pirates have agreed to terms with Charlie Morton, the team announced. The right-hander missed most of the season following Tommy John surgery. Morton will earn $2MM, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.
  • The Athletics avoided arbitration with Adam Rosales, the team announced. They also agreed to sign Daric Barton to a one-year, $1.1MM contract, avoiding arbitration, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). The non-guaranteed deal includes $250K in incentives. Barton had been a non-tender candidate.
  • The Orioles announced that they have avoided arbitration with Taylor Teagarden, Steve Pearce, and Alexi Casilla. Casilla's deal is worth $1.7MM with a $3MM option for 2014 ($200K buyout) according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Astros announced that they have avoided arbitration with Phil Humber. It's a one-year deal worth $800K with a $3MM club option for 2014 ($500K buyout), reports the AP via MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). Houston claimed the right-hander off waivers earlier today.
  • The Yankees announced that they avoided arbitration with Jayson Nix, signing the infielder to a Major League deal for 2013.
  • The Royals announced that they avoided arbitration with second baseman Chris Getz, agreeing to a one-year, Major League contract. Getz will earn $1.05MM in 2013 on a deal that includes up to $150K in performance bonuses, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). Luke Hochevar is Kansas City's lone unsigned arbitration eligible player as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Yankees Designate Jayson Nix For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated Jayson Nix for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the 40-man roster for the recently re-signed Mariano Rivera.

Nix, 30, hit .243/.306/.384 in 202 plate appearances with New York this year. He signed a new one-year contract to avoid arbitration today, but Chad Jennings of The Journal News says (on Twitter) Nix has agreed to accept the assignment to Triple-A and come to big league Spring Training if he clears waivers.

Jennings notes that Nix's new deal is worth $900K, which is exactly what Matt Swartz projected.

Yankees Designate Storey For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they designated Mickey Storey for assignment. They had claimed the right-hander off of waivers from Houston last week.

Storey made 26 relief appearances for the Astros this past season. The 26-year-old posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings at the MLB level. He also spent considerable time at Triple-A in 2012, posting a 3.05 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 65 innings.

Catching Rumors: Napoli, Pierzynski, Rockies

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The Pirates recently agreed to sign Russell Martin to a two-year, $17MM contract. Here's the latest on some other MLB catchers…

  • The Yankees don't sound very interested in Mike Napoli or Pierzynski, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
  • The Mariners aren’t seriously interested in A.J. Pierzynski and the Yankees weren’t looking too closely at the free agent catcher before Martin agreed to sign in Pittsburgh, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (all Twitter links). Heyman hears Pierzynski to the Dodgers is “not happening.” Heyman suggested yesterday that the Dodgers could have interest in Pierzynski.
  • The Rockies seem confident that Ramon Hernandez will rebound in 2013, so they might not have interest in pursuing veteran catching depth, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes (on Twitter).

Quick Hits: Greinke, Twins, Martin, Napoli, Royals

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Several player agents tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that the Mariners' chances of attracting free agent hitters have improved now that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in.  That said, while the shorter fences will help, "players look at all of those factors, but in the end, it still comes down to where they can get the best contract. And it always will," one agent says.

Here are some items from a very busy day in baseball….

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