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Quick Hits: Figgins, Pelfrey, Twins, Willingham

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The Phillies, who have openings at third base and in the outfield, checked in with the recently released Chone Figgins, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, the extent of the club's interest is unclear at this time.  More from around baseball..

  • No less than seven teams have interest in right-hander Mike Pelfrey, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Mets non-tendered Pelfrey last week but they still have interest in re-signing him for less than the $5.875MM he earned last season.
  • The Twins don't want to trade Josh Willingham but there are multiple teams interested in the leftfielder, according to Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter).  An AL executive recently told Mackey that the club might not get much more than a No. 4 starter for Willingham, despite his team-friendly contract.  Willingham is owed $14MM through 2014.
  • Rays GM Andrew Friedman figures to be a popular man during the meetings as he may dangle James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson to acquire offense, Morosi writes.
  • The Mariners need to increase their risk tolerance if they hope to take a major step forward at this week's meetings, opines Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  For the M's, that could mean spending a lot more money on payroll or trading away young prospects for proven players.
  • One exec tells Morosi (via Twitter) that this year's Rule 5 draft class is one of the best that he has seen.  The draft will take place on Thursday.

Quick Hits: Pagan, Giants, Indians, Brewers,

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A roundup of tonight's links as we have our eyes fixed on the Winter Meetings countdown clock..

  • The Phillies continue to go hard on Angel Pagan while Giants look to be short right now on average annual value in a four-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Olney previous reported that the Phillies and Pagan have been talking for weeks.
  • Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti says he has interest in re-signing Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez, and Chris Seddon, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  All three players were non-tendered on Friday.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin says that he sees a Kameron Loe-type pitcher in the newly-acquired Burke Badenhop, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.  "He's a similar pitcher to Loe," said Melvin. "He might have been a non-tender, so we put the deal together late (Friday) night. Instead of letting him go out on the market where you don't know what might happen, we thought it best to make a trade for him."

Cubs To Shop Alfonso Soriano

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The Cubs expect to meet with teams regarding Alfonso Soriano during the upcoming winter meetings in Nashville, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Soriano holds a full no-trade clause and is owed a total of $36MM over the next two seasons.

The 36-year-old is still likely to garner strong interest from teams who need right-handed power and the Cubs are willing to include cash in the deal to make it work.  Soriano may be more valuable than expected, when considering the two-year, $10MM contract free agent Jonny Gomes just received from the Red Sox.  The Phillies would appear to be a strong fit for Soriano as they are still looking for a right-handed outfield bat to replace Hunter Pence, who was shipped to the Giants at the trade deadline.

Olney’s Latest: Price, Dickey, Mariners, Kazmir

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says David Price is available right now for the right offer. Rival executives are convinced the reigning Cy Young Award winner will be traded in the next 13 months as his salary through arbitration becomes prohibitive for the Rays. Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

  • The Rays and Price are not close to working out a long-term contract extension.
  • The Mets increased their offer to R.A. Dickey, but it's unclear how close the two sides are to a deal.
  • Olney speculates that the non-tendered Nate Schierholtz could be a fit for the Yankees, who are looking for a right fielder to replace Nick Swisher.
  • The Mariners have money to spend, but it appears they will have to overpay to land any premium free agents.
  • Last night we learned the Phillies are pursuing Angel Pagan, and Olney clarifies (on Twitter) that the two sides have been talking for weeks.
  • If the Giants don't re-sign Pagan, Olney says (on Twitter) they would seriously consider signing Shane Victorino.
  • Scott Kazmir is pitching in winter ball and teams have already started to show interest in the 28-year-old left-hander, tweets Olney.
  • The Tigers continue to say they are not in the market for a closer, tweets Olney.

National League Non-Tenders

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Here are today’s National League non-tenders. All decisions must be in by 11pm CT tonight. Be sure to track all tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker. Related resources include our list of non-tender candidates, our projected arbitration salaries and our arbitration eligibles series.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Phillies Pursuing Angel Pagan

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After losing out on B.J. Upton, the Phillies are now pursuing Angel Pagan according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Two teams, believed to be the Phillies and Giants, have offered the outfielder a four-year deal.

Pagan, 31, hit .288/.338/.440 with 29 steals and a league-leading 15 triples in 659 plate appearances for San Francisco this year. Rosenthal says the Phillies offered Upton five years and $55MM, but they're concerned about Michael Bourn's price tag. Signing Pagan to a four-year pact would leave them extra cash for third base and the pitching staff.

NL East Notes: Wright, Upton, Raburn, Lannan

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Zack Greinke turned down a potential trade to the Nationals two years ago when he was a member of the Royals, but now that the Nats are the defending NL East champs and have added Denard Span as their latest upgrade, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal thinks that Greinke (or any free agent) would see Washington as a prime destination.  The Nationals have been mentioned as one of Greinke's top suitors this winter, along with the Dodgers, Angels and Rangers, so there's a possibility the right-hander could yet end up in D.C. two years later.

Here are some items from around the division…

  • David Wright may wait under after the Winter Meetings to decide on the Mets' seven-year, $124MM extension offer, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.  A Mets source speculates that Wright and his representatives may wait due to their unhappiness that negotiations were made public.  Wright and agent Seth Levinson told MLBTR earlier this week that rumors about the contract talks were inaccurate.
  • The Phillies' best offer to B.J. Upton was a five-year, $55MM contract, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Upton agreed to a five-year, $75.25MM pact with the Braves yesterday.
  • The Braves and Marlins are two of a half-dozen teams interested in free agent utilityman Ryan Raburn, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).  The Rays and Rangers are two of the other known teams.
  • The Nationals still have a minor league option remaining on left-hander John Lannan, reports Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.  Washington could keep Lannan at Triple-A as rotation insurance again, though MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thinks Lannan will be non-tendered rather than earn a projected $5MM in his third year of arbitration eligibility.
  • Shane Victorino "might actually represent the best value on the market," writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, though Murphy doesn't think the Phillies will look for a reunion with their former outfielder.  The Phils haven't been linked to Victorino this offseason, though at least seven teams are known to be interested in the Hawaiian.

Quick Hits: Mauer, Boras, Upton, Park

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MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes will interview Peter Gammons of MLB Network tomorrow, and if you have any particular questions you’d like Tim to ask the Hall of Famer we’d like to hear them. To get in touch you can leave a comment below, reach us on Twitter (@mlbtraderumors) or use MLBTR’s contact form. Here are today’s links…

  • An executive who asked the Twins about Joe Mauer heard the catcher isn't available, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (on Twitter). Not only does Mauer have a no-trade clause, he's the face of the Twins and Minnesota isn't looking to dump salary.
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown tells the story of a recent meeting between Scott Boras and Marvin Miller. Check out Brown’s entire piece, which includes some thoughtful quotes from Boras and is definitely worth your time. Miller, the first executive director of the MLBPA, died this week at the age of 95.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com previews the outfield market in the aftermath of B.J. Upton’s five-year, $75.25MM contract with the Braves. The Phillies’ best offer to Upton was worth $55MM over five years, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox weren't in on Upton, but have been in on Shane Victorino, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • Chan Ho Park is set to announce his retirement tomorrow, reports Korea's Yonhap News Agency (passed on by C. Trent Rosecrans of CBS Sports).  The 39-year-old right-hander was the first Korean-born player to reach the Major Leagues, posting a 4.36 ERA in 476 games over his 17 seasons in MLB from 1994-2010.  Park earned $85.46MM (hat tip to Baseball Reference) during his Major League career and pitched for seven teams.  Park spent the last two seasons pitching in Japan and South Korea, respectively. 

Latest On Phillies, Wilton Lopez

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3:22pm: The Phillies have "put the brakes" on their attempt to acquire Lopez, Salisbury reports. Lopez had traveled to Philadelphia for a physical yesterday. It's not clear if there's a physical issue that's limiting the Phillies' interest.

1:20pm: The trade is now unlikely to happen, sources told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

THURSDAY, 9:40am: The status of the trade remains unclear, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). One of Rosenthal's sources says the deal isn't done and multiple teams are in the mix for Lopez. Another person said it would be a two for one trade, potentially with right-hander Tyler Cloyd going to Houston. The clubs have discussed the Phillies' young catchers, according to Rosenthal.

WEDNESDAY: The Phillies and Astros have agreed to a trade that will send Wilton Lopez to Philadelphia for minor leaguers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The teams are finalizing the details of the deal.

Lopez, arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, projects to earn $1.4MM in 2013. The 29-year-old posted a 2.17 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 1.1 BB/9 and a 55% ground ball rate in 66 1/3 innings with the Astros in 2012. In three-plus MLB seasons, he has a 3.14 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 and a 55.9% ground ball rate. He's under team control through 2015. 

The Phillies had been looking to acquire a reliever who can provide steady late-inning production. Lopez has pitched at least 65 innings in each of the past three seasons without posting an ERA above 3.00, so he'll be a welcome addition to the Philadelphia 'pen.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com first reported the teams were seriously discussing a trade involving Lopez.

NL East Notes: Ruiz, Phillies, Wright, Dickey

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Earlier today, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz was suspended for 25 games in a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.  In a phone interview, General Manager Ruben Amaro said that he doesn't think that the suspension will prevent future negotiations on a contract extension, according to Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Amaro also said that the club may look at other catching options, but it won't be a frontline piece.  We learned earlier tonight that the Phillies signed Humberto Quintero to a minor league pact, but the deal was apparently reached before the news on Ruiz was known.  Here's more out of the NL East..

  • A lucrative contract extension between the Mets and David Wright could come with significant deferrals, similar to previous deals for Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Earlier tonight, Wright and agent Seth Levinson told MLBTR that they are dissatisfied with today's slew of reports on his negotiations.
  • A Mets source told Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter links) that a contract extension for R.A. Dickey would "almost definitely" eliminate the possibility that he is traded this offseason.  Dickey said in an interview this morning that talks are progressing between him and the club.
  • Left-hander John Lannan is expected to be non-tendered by the Nationals and William Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter) opines that he would be a solid fit for the Mets.
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