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Quick Hits: Giants, Affeldt, Hart, Tigers, Soriano

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The 4pm CST deadline for players to accept qualifying offers has come and gone and none of the eight players in play opted to return to their respective clubs for a $13.3MM salary in 2013.  That means that Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, and Kyle Lohse will net their teams a compensatory pick if they sign elsewhere.  Here's the latest from around baseball..

  • The Giants are confident that they will be re-signing Jeremy Affeldt and the club believes that they will work out a three-year deal, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  GM Brian Sabean indicated yesterday that he is optimistic about being about to keep Affeldt, Angel Pagan, and Marco Scutaro.
  • Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he has not approached Corey Hart's agent about an extension and doesn't have immediate plans to do so.  A report earlier today suggested that the Brewers and Hart were discussing a deal to keep him beyond 2013.  The first baseman/right fielder is set to earn $10MM next season.
  • The Tigers aren't interested in Soriano and plan to stay in-house to find their closer, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Right-hander Bruce Rondon, 21, will get a chance at the job.  

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Villanueva, Red Sox

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The latest out of the AL East..

  • Free agent Anibal Sanchez is reportedly seeking $90MM over six years and that may still fit the Blue Jays' budget.  GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club could accommodate that kind of average annual value, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter).  The club hasn't talked about going beyond their current five-year limit on contracts, but Anthopoulos said that things can always change (Twitter link).
  • Meanwhile, Anthopoulos says that he can promise free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva the 30 starts that he is seeking, Davidi tweets.  The GM said that the club has never doubted Villanueva's abilities, but has raised concerns about his durability in the past.
  • Anthopoulos went on to say that the club is taking a wait-and-see approach with their left field approach while being a little more aggressive in terms of the rotation, tweets Davidi.
  • After wrapping up his six-year, $52MM deal with the Red Sox, agent Scott Boras tells Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that Daisuke Matsuzaka figures to have a number of suitors now that he comes with a lower price tag.
  • The Yankees would like to find an upgrade for Jayson Nix which means finding someone who can play 100 games between shortstop and third base, tweets Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

Heyman On Yankees, Giants, Belt, Red Sox, Hamilton

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

Quick Hits: Giambi, Cano, Arencibia, Phillies, Angels

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Jason Giambi was a surprise candidate to become the Rockies' next manager, but now that the job has gone to Walt Weiss, the team has offered Giambi the job of hitting coach, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Giambi had said he would continue playing if he wasn't hired as manager, though he's taking a few days to consider Colorado's offer.  If he turns it down and wants to keep playing, agent Joel Wolfe tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that "several teams" have shown interest in his client, who will be 42 years old on Opening Day.

Here are some more items from a very busy day around baseball…

Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Thursday

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Here's the latest on Hiroki Kuroda, who can now add the Red Sox to his growing list of suitors.  The newest items are at the top of the page…

  • Kuroda isn't limiting his choices to the Yankees or a return to Japan, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  "I never said anything like that," Kuroda explains, adding that he is open to several options and hasn't yet made any decisions.  (Both links go to Hernandez's Twitter account.)
  • Several teams are interested in Kuroda and some have discussed two-year contracts, reports Dylan Hernandez.  The Dodgers are among the teams who have contacted Kuroda's representatives at the Octagon agency.  (Both links to Twitter.)
  • Kuroda is the Dodgers' "top choice" for the pitching staff, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  The Dodgers are checking in on most of the top free agent arms this offseason though Kuroda is a known quantity, having pitched for L.A. in his first four years in the majors.
  • While Kuroda is open to signing a one-year contract, such a deal would have to "significantly" top the Yankees' one-year, $13.3MM qualifying offer, a source tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Rafael Soriano To Decline Yankees’ Qualifying Offer

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Rafael Soriano will decline the Yankees' qualifying offer, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).  The move ensures that New York will receive a compensatory draft pick for Soriano should he sign elsewhere.  Soriano was one of nine players who received qualifying offers from their teams, and the nine have until tomorrow to accept or decline the one-year, $13.3MM offers.

It was no surprise that Soriano declined the offer, as the Scott Boras client already opted out of the final year of his Yankees contract last week, leaving $14MM on the table in search of a multiyear contract with a team that could guarantee him the full-time closer's job.

It's hard to see how the Yankees could necessarily bring back Soriano given his desire to close and the fact that Mariano Rivera has said he will return in 2013.  Rivera's health status is questionable after he missed most of last season with a torn ACL, though since Rivera will obviously have priority in closing games in New York, Soriano would find himself as a set-up man again unless Rivera were to suffer another injury.  There's also the possibility that the Yankees could re-sign Soriano to close and let Rivera go as a free agent, though that move would be hard to fathom given Rivera's legendary status with the team.

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…

Sherman’s Latest: Dickey, Wright, Hunter, Upton

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Here's the latest from Joel Sherman of The New York Post…

  • The Mets are making progress, albeit slowly, in contract talks with David Wright and R.A. Dickey. The impression is that there is still a substantial gap in talks with Dickey, and they've been gauging his trade value during the GM Meetings. They are not doing the same with Wright, however.
  • The Yankees would not do a two-year deal worth $20MM or so for Torii Hunter since they want to get under the luxury tax threshold next year. They are fixated on one-year contracts this offseason and could fill their right field hole with a low-cost platoon.
  • "The Yankees are not on him," said a source about Justin Upton, in part because they're unsure if he's a good fit for New York (Twitter link). The Rangers and Rays are strongest early players for Upton, and Sherman gets the sense that the D'Backs want to act quickly (Twitter links).
  • The Diamondbacks want high-end, MLB ready players in return for Upton and would love to get Jurickson Profar or (more likely) Elvis Andrus from the Rangers. They don't love Mike Olt, however (Twitter links). GM Kevin Towers likes Yankees prospect Mason Williams, but he is several years away from the show and unlikely to be enough to headline a trade package (all Twitter links).
  • Next year's crop of free agent starting pitchers is weak, which could benefit Zack Greinke since teams won't be able to find a stopgap and reassess next year. Josh Johnson and Tim Lincecum highlight next winter's pitching crop, and both come with question marks.
  • The Mariners, who have young pitching, are said to be talking to the Royals and Twins, who have young hitting. Seattle would love to pry Wil Myers, Aaron Hicks, and/or Ben Revere loose.
  • Jason Bay didn't produce with the Mets, but he lived up to his billing as a hard worker and good teammate. Sherman expects the outfielder to take a low-salary, change of scenery deal (Twitter link).
  • Mets officials think Scott Hairston will get a two-year deal worth between $8-10MM this winter.

D’Backs In “Active Discussions” About Justin Upton

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It's that time of the year again. The Diamondbacks are engaged in "active discussions" about a trade involving Justin Upton, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Multiple teams are looking into his background, makeup, etc. (Twitter link), and one executive put the outfielder's chances of playing elsewhere next season at 80-20.

Upton, 25, hit .280/.355/.430 with 17 homers this season while battling hand issues. He hit .289/.369/.529 with 31 homers just a year ago, earning him a fourth place finish in the MVP voting. Upton is signed through 2015 for a total of $38.5MM. Rosenthal says his limited no-trade clause included the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Cubs this year, though the list has since changed.

The Diamondbacks seems to be involved in trade discussions involving Upon every offseason and every trade deadline, though the most serious talks occurred back in 2010. Arizona has already traded Chris Young and still has plenty of outfield depth with Gerardo Parra, Adam Eaton, and Jason Kubel.

Yankees Rumors: A-Rod, Rivera, Pettitte, Excel

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Earlier today we had some news on the Mets, now let's travel to the other side of town and check in on the Yankees…

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