Quick Hits: Liriano, Twins, Dickey, Phillies, Dempster
Earlier today, the Phillies finalized their trade for Michael Young while the Dodgers agreed to sign Zack Greinke. Here's the latest from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…
- Talks between the Twins and Francisco Liriano have gone "backwards" according to LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune (on Twitter). The two sides had been discussing a reunion earlier this offseason.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looked at two trade scenarios for the Mets involving R.A. Dickey. One featured the Rangers while the other featured the Blue Jays.
- Agent Craig Landis told Peter Gammons of MLB.com (via Twitter) that he figures client Ryan Dempster will get a three-year deal once Greinke signs. Landis added that the pitcher would prefer to pitch in the National League with a team that has spring training in Arizona.
- Michael Young's relationship with the Rangers' front office wasn't in great shape, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Young got $1.2MM in benefits from Texas in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause.
- The first few weeks of the offseason have been really important for the Twins as they are 100% committed to rebuilding their pitching, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reviewed Skip Schumaker's tenure in St. Louis. Strauss writes that the second baseman/outfielder's tenure with the Cardinals is likely through as GM John Mozeliak recently admitted that he is a trade candidate. The Dodgers and Twins are among the teams that are interested in Schumaker.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Dodgers, Twins Interested In Skip Schumaker
The Dodgers and Twins are among the teams that have some level of interest in Cardinals bench player Skip Schumaker, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that Schumaker’s name has been out there as a potential trade candidate.
“We’ve tried to optimize the type of return we might get for him,” Mozeliak said. “We’ve left it fairly open. If we can get Major League help, we would definitely consider that. If we can’t find it we will look for someone who can fit into our minor league system.”
Schumaker, 32, will earn $1.5MM in 2013, the last year on his contract. As Goold notes, this seems reasonable given the escalating cost of infield help in free agency. Other than the Dodgers and Twins, the Reds could also be interested in Schumaker, a versatile player capable of playing second base and the outfield. The left-handed hitter has a .345 career on-base percentage, but he struggles to hit lefties.
NL Central Notes: Brewers, Cubs, Cardinals
Today in NL Central news, the Cardinals reached a three-year agreement with lefty reliever Randy Choate, the Pirates traded for wild power lefty Andy Oliver, and the Cubs signed right fielder Nate Schierholtz to a one-year deal. The latest from the division:
- Speaking of lefties, the Brewers are in the market for one, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Haudricourt can see Tom Gorzelanny as a fit, since the recently non-tendered 30-year-old can retire righties as well as lefties. Gorzelanny, though, has been some combination of wild and homer-prone against righties the last few years.
- J.P. Howell is a name to watch for the Brewers, as MLB.com's Adam McCalvy notes that GM Doug Melvin met with agent Greg Genske today at the Winter Meetings. Genske's agency also represents free agents Edwin Jackson, Francisco Liriano, Brad Penny, and Joe Saunders.
- "I don’t see this being one of our more active years at this point," Melvin told Haudricourt today.
- The Cubs were in on Jeff Keppinger and Eric Chavez before they signed with the White Sox and Diamondbacks, respectively, GM Jed Hoyer told reporters. The Cubs are seeking someone who can help at the hot corner.
- The Cardinals want to upgrade with a utility infielder, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They've discussed free agent Alex Gonzalez and trade options Chris Getz of the Royals and Steve Lombardozzi of the Nationals.
Cardinals Agree To Sign Randy Choate
The Cardinals have reached a contract agreement with lefty reliever Randy Choate, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (via Twitter). The contract is for three years, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. It's worth $7.5MM, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti.
St. Louis had been seeking a left-handed specialist to pair with Marc Rzepczynski in its bullpen, and was said to be considering a number of options. The team fell out of the running on Sean Burnett earlier in the day.
Choate, 37, is one of MLB's quintessential LOOGYs, pitching just 38 2/3 innings in 80 appearances for the Marlins and Dodgers in 2012. Over the last three seasons, he has a 3.25 ERA to go along with a 9.1 K/9 rate in 108 innings.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire.
Cardinals Out On Sean Burnett
The Cardinals are no longer in the running to sign Sean Burnett, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis had been one of eight teams in the mix for arguably the top left-handed reliever remaining on the market.
With St. Louis no longer involved, Burnett figures to be drawing interest from a group of suitors that includes the Angels, Brewers, and perhaps the Nationals, among others.
Free Agent Rumors: Rolen, Bourn, McCarthy, Drew
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.
Cardinals Rumors: Scutaro, Spending
The Cardinals were rumored to be in on Marco Scutaro prior to his three-year, $20MM agreement with the Giants yesterday, but there are conflicting reports on the level of interest…
- Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area tweets that the Cards never went to three years on Scutaro but had an annual value in the $8MM range.
- Meanwhile, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Cardinals were never in on Scutaro in the first place (Twitter link).
- Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told reporters, including B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest, that the team isn't looking to spend much on middle infielders in this market, and that the reports out there haven't all been 100 percent accurate (Twitter links). Mozeliak says the team is focused on areas other than middle infield.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted yesterday that there's a better than even-money chance that the Cardinals will make some sort of move on Wednesday.
Dodgers Rumors: Schumaker, Ryu
The Dodgers are the favorite for Zack Greinke, which may be why they're shopping starters Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano. They're also fishing around for a player to pair with Hanley Ramirez on the left side of the infield. Other rumors around the team:
- The Dodgers are interested in Cardinals infielder Skip Schumaker, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The Dodgers' offer to Ryu Hyun-jin "fell a tad short," GM Ned Colletti told reporters including Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Agent Scott Boras suggested Ryu could make the jump from South Korea to Japan if the Dodgers can't get a deal done, which Hernandez finds far-fetched since it is unprecedented. At any rate, Boras said he's presented the Dodgers with a counter-offer and negotiations continue.
Latest On Marco Scutaro
The latest on free agent infielder Marco Scutaro…
- The Giants await word tonight from Scutaro's camp on their two-year offer, which includes a vesting option for a third year, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. If Scutaro declines, they might move on.
- A source involved in the Scutaro talks thinks it's 50-50 he goes back to the Giants, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The Cardinals are considered the mostly likely alternative, and Olney says a decision is close. However, perhaps as a veiled reference to the team's inclusion in the Scutaro rumors, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters including B.J. Rains, "We’re not spending as much time as people think in this market. Our focus has been on other areas."
Earlier updates:
- The Giants' last offer was two years plus a vesting option, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
- Bidding for Scutaro is said to have reached something in the neighborhood of three years and $24MM, with the Giants still in the lead, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Scutaro isn't expected to sign with another team without the Giants getting a final shot at him, says Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).
- The market for free agent infielder Marco Scutaro is heating up, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The FOX duo reports that the Cardinals are eyeing Scutaro as a potential starting second baseman, while the Yankees, in the wake of news of Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery, also likely have interest.
Yunel Escobar Rumors: Tuesday
We received a flurry of Yunel Escobar rumors yesterday once it was revealed that the Marlins were shopping their recently acquired infielder. Specifically, the Athletics had ongoing discussions with the Fish surrounding the controversial shortstop. We'll keep track of today's Escobar rumors with the newest info up top…
- The Rays are still in on Escobar, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Marlins are getting closer to trading the shortstop, but the A's, Yankees, and Cardinals remain involved.
Earlier updates:
- Despite the fact that they could use a defensive upgrade at shortstop, the Tigers aren't interested in Escobar, or at least don't view him as a fit, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- The A's, Yankees, and Rays are the most likely teams for Escobar, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Talks with the A's have centered around Brad Peacock or Grant Green, while talks with the other clubs involve younger minor leaguers.
- There's some conflicting info out there on the Yankees' interest in Escobar. Reports yesterday suggested that the Yankees had inquired, and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com tweets that New York is "definitely in" on the shortstop. However, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees aren't in the mix.
- The other clubs that are "definitely in" on Escobar, according to Stark, are the A's, Cubs, and Rays.