Phillies Rumors

Nick Swisher Rumors: Thursday

By Steve Adams | December 6, 2012 at 7:52am CDT

The latest on Swisher from Wednesday was that the Phillies, Indians and Mariners seemed to be the most logical fits following Baltimore's re-signing of Nate McLouth. Here's what the rumor mill has in store for Swisher today, with the newest updates at the top…

The Phillies aren't in on Swisher despite a need for outfielders, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
With the Giants out due to financial reasons, the Orioles out because of McLouth and the Red Sox out because of Shane Victorino (barring a trade), Jon Heyman of CBS Sports lists the Indians and Mariners as Swisher's primary suitors (Twitter link).
Most teams are looking at Swisher as a fallback option, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio. The Indians, Mariners, Rangers and Phillies are all being impacted by the decision-making process of Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn for the time being.

Overnight Links: Burnett, Phillies, Giants, Rays

By Steve Adams | December 6, 2012 at 3:55am CDT

It's the middle of the night, but news rarely stops coming in over the course of baseball's Winter Meetings. Here are some links from around the baseball world for those who are still awake…

One of the reasons that Sean Burnett's two-year, $8MM deal with the Angels was so affordable was because he had surgery to remove a bone spur this offseason, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. For comparison, Jeremy Affeldt signed for three years and $18MM.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes that the Phillies have a list of five center field targets that includes Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, Dexter Fowler, Curtis Granderson and Ben Revere. This is the first they've been linked to Revere, who Knobler says the Twins will move for young pitching despite already having traded Denard Span.
Scott Boras told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he's spoken to Giants team president Larry Baer about established closers like Rafael Soriano and Jose Valverde (Twitter link). There doesn't seem to be a match there in my opinion, given Sergio Romo's excellence and reports that the Giants are at their payroll threshold.
The Rays have hired former Astros scouting director Bobby Heck as as special assignment scout, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Michael Bourn Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2012 at 5:32pm CDT

Michael Bourn is "by far the best defensive center fielder in the game," agent Scott Boras told reporters today, and you know Boras never exaggerates about his clients. The latest:

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is past the tire-kicking stage on Bourn, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, and is trying to gauge price. Boras needs the Phillies more than they need Bourn, in my opinion, because the Phils still have plenty of ways to stock their outfield.
Boras told Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times he met with the Mariners already, and plans to continue talks in the days and weeks to come.

Mariners, Phillies, Rangers Interested In Ibanez

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2012 at 3:53pm CDT

The Yankees missed out on a couple of their free agent targets today when Jeff Keppinger and Eric Chavez agreed to deals with the White Sox and Diamondbacks respectively. Now, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Yanks could lose out on another free agent, as postseason hero Raul Ibanez is drawing interest from the Mariners, Phillies, and Rangers.

We heard back in November that there was mutual interest in a reunion between the Yankees and Ibanez. However, a report earlier today suggested that the Mariners were pushing hard for the veteran, with New York not moving as aggressively. Ibanez has history in Seattle and Philadelphia, as well as New York.

The Yanks have talked to Ibanez's agent in Nashville, GM Brian Cashman confirmed last night.

Nick Swisher Rumors: Wednesday

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2012 at 3:41pm CDT

3:41pm: Morosi tweets that the Orioles aren't likely to make a real push for Swisher with McLouth back in the fold. Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and SiriusXM identifies Swisher's strongest suitors as the Phillies, Indians, and Mariners (Twitter link).

2:44pm: Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports still list the Red Sox and Giants among the potential suitors for Swisher. However, the Sox would have to move Jacoby Ellsbury, while the Giants figure to employ a low-cost platoon in left field instead.

The Orioles, Mariners, and Indians are also still involved, according to the FOX duo.

1:02pm: Indians manager Terry Francona called Swisher to pitch the Tribe to him, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

11:38am: After missing out on Shane Victorino to the Red Sox, the Indians have shifted their focus to other outfielders. One of their targets, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter), is Nick Swisher.

The Red Sox and Giants both had interest in Swisher, but with Victorino in Boston and San Francisco likely not having the money for a big free agent outfielder, those teams both appear to be out of the running.

The Orioles and Mariners are among the other clubs that could be in on Swisher, though MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli writes that Baltimore may just be doing due diligence on the former Yankee. The O's still hope to sign Nate McLouth, and Swisher may be out of their price range, says Ghiroli.

AL East Rumors: Rays, Jays, Keppinger, Ellsbury, O’s

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2012 at 12:59pm CDT

As the third day of the 2012 Winter Meetings gets underway, let's round up a few items out of the AL East…

Keppinger was the Yankees' first choice as the right-handed part of a third base platoon, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. With Keppinger signing with Chicago, the Yankees are forced to move on to Plan B.

Earlier updates:

Teams that have spoken to the Rays have come away thinking Tampa Bay is more likely to move James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson than David Price, says Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
With Darren Oliver still uncommitted to returning for the 2013 season, the Blue Jays continue to seek bullpen help, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
The Yankees are one of six teams vying for Jeff Keppinger's services, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Although we heard overnight that Keppinger could receive a three-year deal worth around $4MM annually, Sherman suggests that something in the two-year, $10MM range could work too
Within the same column, Sherman writes that he's receiving "strong indications" the Yankees don't intend to pursue A.J. Pierzynski
The Red Sox and Phillies haven't engaged in talks for Jacoby Ellsbury, a source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link)
Despite agreeing to three-year deals for Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino already this week, the Red Sox still have plenty of room to spend, says Alex Speier of WEEI.com
WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane believes the Victorino signing was a mistake by the Red Sox
The Orioles met with Nick Swisher's agent in Nashville, and Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if there's a fit there.
The Red Sox announced that they've signed 26-year-old right-hander Anthony Carter to a minor league deal, writes Speier at WEEI.com.

Free Agent Rumors: Rolen, Bourn, McCarthy, Drew

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2012 at 11:46am CDT

A number of free agents have found deals in Nashville this week, but there are still a ton available, including 29 of our top 50. Here's the latest on a few of the remaining options:

Scott Rolen remains undecided on whether he'll retire or continue his playing career, his agent tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. If Rolen decides he wants to play, Fay believes the Reds could be interested in bringing him back in some role.
Former Rockie Ryan Spilborghs is drawing serious interest in Japan, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Mariners like Michael Bourn "very much," though the Phillies and Rangers remain in on the speedy outfielder, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
A couple reasons the Angels' interest in Brandon McCarthy has picked up in Nashville are his age (29) and the fact that he likely won't command more than a two-year deal, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Stephen Drew figures to land at least a two-year deal, which would probably take the Tigers out of the running, says MLB.com's Jason Beck. The Red Sox continue to be in on Drew, however, according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
In their hunt for left-handed relief help, the Cardinals have inquired on Manny Parra and explored what it would take to sign Sean Burnett, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards are expected to find their man fairly soon, says Goold.
Dan Johnson, who was non-tendered by the White Sox last week, is interested in returning to the Rays, but may end up in Japan, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

West Notes: Giants Payroll, Escobar, Fowler

By Steve Adams | December 5, 2012 at 2:58am CDT

Tuesday was a busy day for Western Division teams, with the Rockies landing Wilton Lopez, the Giants signing Marco Scutaro, and the Dodgers and Rangers both fervently pursuing Zack Greinke. Here's the latest from the two divisions…

Now that they've retained Scutaro, Jeremy Affeldt and Angel Pagan the Giants would like to add one more arm to their bullpen, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, however, notes that even after shedding the contracts of Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff, Brian Wilson and Aaron Rowand, the Giants' payroll is too high to look at any more costly free agents (Twitter links). Perhaps they can find a bargain reliever later in the offseason.
Knobler adds that the Athletics thought long and hard about Yunel Escobar but elected to pass on him for the second time this year. As a result they're still unsure of who their 2013 shortstop will be (Twitter links).
Troy Renck of the Denver post tweets that the Rockies are still trying to land a starting pitcher, but they'd need to be overwhelmed to move Dexter Fowler. They do like Phillies hurler Vance Worley, he notes in a separate tweet, though I imagine it'd take more than Worley to "overwhelm" them. Worley is reportedly available in trades.

NL East Links: Pagnozzi, Haren, Howell, Phils

By Steve Adams | December 5, 2012 at 12:47am CDT

The NL East has been involved in multiple headlines today, with the Nationals signing Dan Haren to a one-year deal and the Marlins trading Yunel Escobar to the Rays. Here's some more news from around the division…

The Braves have signed catcher Matt Pagnozzi to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). Pagnozzi, who hit .224/.329/.359 for the Indians' Triple-A affiliate last season, will likely serve as the team's big league backup while Brian McCann is out.
Haren is the Nationals' 2013 version of Edwin Jackson, writes ESPN's Keith Law (Insider req'd). Haren can provide bulk innings behind the Nats' trio of aces, and carries the same "all-or-nothing" upside that Ben Sheets did when he signed with the Athletics for $10MM in 2010.
J.P. Howell has interest in playing for the Nationals, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. I can't imagine there are many players who wouldn't want to play for the Nats, given their projected lineup and rotation. The team does have interest in adding another lefty reliever, so Howell could be in luck.
The Phillies have made plenty of offers so far, but have nothing to show for it at the Winter Meetings thus far, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly. The team is still pursuing outfield and third base help via free agency and trade. Vance Worley and Trevor May are both on the table in trade talks. Worley is "100 percent" following September elbow surgery, according to GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
We learned earlier that the Marlins are looking to add a third baseman after trading Escobar, who told them he wasn't comfortable playing the hot corner.

Latest On Scott Hairston

By Steve Adams | December 4, 2012 at 7:22pm CDT

7:22pm: The Phillies, Mets, and Yankees remain in the mix for Hairston, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

6:16am: The Mets and Scott Hairston are both optimistic that they can work out a new contract, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports. Hairston told ESPN New York yesterday that he considered a return to the Mets "probable."

Hairston seeks a bigger role than many potential suitors could offer, but uncertainties in the Mets' outfield should present the opportunity for greater playing time. In 377 plate appearances for the Mets in 2012, the 32-year-old hit .263/.299/.504 with 20 homers. He saw time at all three outfield positions.

Hairston has been a popular name thus far at the Winter Meetings, having been linked to the Giants, Yankees, Tigers, Indians, Cardinals and Mets. Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski refuted reports that he had made a two-year offer to Hairston yesterday.

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