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2011 Rule 5 Draft Results

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Rule 5 players must stay with their new big league club all year or be offered back to the old team. MLB.com has a full recap of both the Major League and minor league portions of the draft. The results of the Major League phase are listed below:

  1. Astros take Rhiner Cruz from Mets.
  2. Twins take Terry Doyle from White Sox.
  3. Mariners take Lucas Luetge from Brewers.
  4. Orioles take Ryan Flaherty from Cubs.
  5. Royals take Cesar Cabral from Red Sox; traded to Yankees for cash.
  6. Cubs take Lendy Castillo from Phillies.
  7. Padres
  8. Pirates take Gustavo Nunez from Tigers.
  9. Marlins
  10. Rockies
  11. Athletics
  12. Mets
  13. White Sox
  14. Reds
  15. Indians
  16. Nationals
  17. Blue Jays
  18. Dodgers
  19. Angels
  20. Giants
  21. Braves take Robert Fish from Angels.
  22. Cardinals take Erik Komatsu from Nationals.
  23. Red Sox take Marwin Gonzalez from Cubs, traded to Astros for Marco Duarte
  24. Rays
  25. Diamondbacks take Brett Lorin from Pirates.
  26. Tigers
  27. Brewers
  28. Rangers
  29. Yankees take Brad Meyers from Nationals.
  30. Phillies

Rangers Not Confident They Can Land Garza

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3:27am: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (who apparently doesn't sleep) tweets that the Rangers are "not at all" confident that they will be able to pry Garza away from the Cubs. Texas considers Chicago's asking price to be too steep.

10:06pm: The Cubs and Rangers are discussing a possible swap of Matt Garza for prospects, but aren't close to matching up yet, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the Rangers are trying to acquire the right-hander.

The Cubs are rumored to be seeking an "overwhelming offer" for Garza.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Free Agent Arbitration Offer Decisions

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37 free agents were offered arbitration in November, but Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, Rod Barajas, Clint Barmes, Matt Capps, Bruce Chen, David DeJesus, Ryan Doumit, Mark Ellis, Frank Francisco, Freddy Garcia, Aaron Harang, Ramon Hernandez, Jose Molina, Jon Rauch, and Mark Buehrle have already reached agreements.  The deadline is tonight at 11pm central time.  For MLBTR's handy chart that can be filtered by team, type, and whether the player was offered and/or accepted, click here.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Wednesday

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The latest on slugger Prince Fielder…

  • Agent Scott Boras says he has a number of contract offers to take back to Fielder, including many from teams that surprised him, tweets Haudricourt.
  • According to two Marlins beat writers, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Marlins are definitely not in on Fielder (Twitter links).
  • A friend of Fielder's told Newsday's Ken Davidoff that the first baseman is very interested in the Cubs (Twitter link).
  • GM Doug Melvin says the Brewers "have to consider moving on" from Fielder, tweets Haudricourt.
  • Despite signing Mark Buehrle, the Marlins are still talking to Fielder, tweets Heyman. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter) confirms the Fish will take a run at Fielder, and hears from a source with knowledge of the Mariners' plans that Seattle will make a "strong effort" to sign the slugger.
  • The Cubs' pursuit of Fielder has probably been overblown, GM Jed Hoyer told MLB.com TV.
  • The Marlins' interest in Fielder has been exaggerated, a good source tells Tom Haudricourt.
  • The Marlins are already in pursuit of Fielder, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network, as signs indicate the Cardinals will re-sign Albert Pujols.
  • The Rangers are not in on Fielder, president Nolan Ryan told reporters.

Tim Dierkes and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Marlins Out Of Running For Albert Pujols

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The latest on free agent superstar Albert Pujols…

  • Marlins people are saying they withdrew their offer to Pujols, not the other way around, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Either way, the end result is the same: the Marlins are out.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirms (via Twitter) the Marlins are no longer involved, but says Pujols still has three offers in excess of $200MM. It's hard to imagine which teams besides the Cardinals would be offering that much.
  • Well, it looks like the Marlins won't sign every top free agent on the market. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that Dan Lozano has told the Marlins they're out of the running for Pujols, though there are still clubs involved besides the Cardinals (Twitter links).
  • The Cardinals' offer currently on the table is for nine years, not ten, according to Buster Olney (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the Marlins aren't completely out on Pujols, but won't increase their offer, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • Pujols appears headed back to the Cardinals and the two sides are believed to be only a few million dollars apart on a ten-year deal, reports Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
  • The Marlins are moving on emotionally from the Pujols talks, tweets Buster Olney, though they haven't necessarily pulled their offer.
  • Pujols' camp is attempted to extract every possible nickel in an offer from Miami so they can take that to the Cardinals, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Marlins are still in on Pujols, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters his focus has not been on Pujols.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick hears lots of buzz in Dallas that the Pujols decision is shifting in the Cardinals' direction.
  • Pujols is likely heading back to the Cardinals, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  He says the Marlins are shifting their attention to Prince Fielder, while several others say they'll turn to pitching targets.
  • A Cardinals source sees a good chance of a resolution one way or another today on Pujols, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.  Buster Olney says there's a growing sense among some officials involved in the Pujols talks that he's staying with the Cardinals.
  • The Cubs are still involved in the Pujols talks, tweets Ken Rosenthal, though the extent is unclear.
  • The Marlins say they've made their final offer to Pujols, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, though an additional meeting with agent Dan Lozano remains possible.
  • The Cardinals are meeting with Pujols' camp this morning, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman.  Heyman believes the Marlins' ten-year offer is in the $200-220MM range.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals' newest offer to Pujols is believed to approach $220MM over 10 years. The Cards didn't place a deadline on their offer, and general manager John Mozeliak said this wouldn't necessarily be the club's final offer. Strauss is unsure if all 10 years are guaranteed, or if the tenth year involves some kind of option.

Tim Dierkes and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NL Central Notes: Brewers, Betemit, Wood, Young

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Some tidbits from the NL Central….

  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, GM Doug Melvin and agent Scott Boras (who represents Prince Fielder) had a meeting late last night that Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was unplanned and more of a check-in session.  "Scott just said he wanted to give us an update," Melvin said.  "You never really close the door on anything because you don't know what's going to happen. You can't really read anything into it."
  • Haudricourt doesn't think the meeting is a sign that the Brewers could re-sign Fielder, believing that "Boras basically was giving them a chance to jump in and make an offer that he could shop around to other clubs….More likely, [the team] gave an indication of what they might be willing to do if Fielder decided he wanted to seriously entertain the possibility of staying in Milwaukee."
  • Boras also represents Francisco Rodriguez, and Haudricourt reports the Brewers "got the feeling" in speaking to the agent that Rodriguez will reject the club's arbitration offer today.
  • The Pirates are no longer pursuing Wilson Betemit, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).  Biertempfel reported yesterday that the Bucs were close to deals with both Betemit and Nate McLouth, and the club agreed to terms on McLouth's contract today.
  • Kerry Wood wants to return to the Cubs but wants a raise, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Wood has said he will either pitch for Chicago next season or retire, and last winter signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Cubs that was well below what other teams offered him. 
  • The Reds have spoken to the un-retired Dmitri Young, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).  Young, 38, has lost 70 pounds and is looking to make a comeback in either the Major Leagues or Japan.  Young played in Cincinnati from 1998-2001.
  • The Astros are looking at Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings as a candidate for their open general manager's job, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).  Jennings' name has been connected to several GM openings in recent years but the Marlins have turned down at least four clubs' requests for interviews.  Jennings is under contract to Miami for four more years.

Cubs, Rockies Still Discussing Ian Stewart

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1:37pm: The Rockies and Cubs are discussing Stewart for Colvin, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

12:44pm: The Cubs and Rockies have continued to discuss third baseman Ian Stewart over the last week, reports ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine.  Cubs players Blake DeWitt, DJ LeMahieu, and Tyler Colvin have been discussed.

The Cubs are also looking at the Padres' Chase Headley, notes Levine.

Five Teams In On Hiroki Kuroda

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The Cubs, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and others are trying for Hiroki Kuroda, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman, though he could still return to Japan.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adds the Yankees and Red Sox to the list of suitors.

The Rockies also remain interested in the Reds' Edinson Volquez, tweets Troy Renck.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Tuesday

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The market for Prince Fielder is developing slowly. Yesterday we heard of varying degrees of interest from the Orioles and Mariners, while the Brewers and Dodgers admitted they likely can't afford the big man. Today's Fielder rumors are below:

  • Zduriencik told Brock and Salk of 710ESPN there has been ongoing dialogue about Fielder, but there will be a point where they can't be involved. Zduriencik says a time will come, be it this year or sometime in the next 2-3 years, where ownership "will step up and give us the resources that we absolutely need to get us over the top and I think we are all excited about that." (Hat tip: Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com)
  • The Mariners are planning to meet with Fielder tonight, says Heyman (on Twitter). He's unsure of their chances to sign him, but says they "love" the slugger.
  • The Cubs' interest in Fielder appears to be "sincere," tweets Heyman.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik believes calling the Mariners the frontrunner for Fielder is "misleading," writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. "On any free agent," said the GM. "I have no clue how many clubs are in on any free agent that we’re talking to. To say anybody is a front runner, I don’t know how that would have come out." Zduriencik's comments at least indicate that the M's are talking to Prince.
  • For what it's worth, agent Scott Boras talked to Bowden (Twitter link) about Fielder, saying he has "many suitors and the coffee isn't even hot yet."
  • The Cubs aren't in any kind of a process with Fielder, Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters.
  • The Mariners are the frontrunner for Fielder, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio he's unlikely to sign Fielder because he's not going past a five-year commitment.
  • The Cubs are eyeing Fielder more than Albert Pujols, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.  The Cubs won't do nine or ten years for Pujols, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that they prefer high dollars and a shorter term for Fielder as well.

Albert Pujols Deciding Between Cardinals, Marlins

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The competition for the biggest prize on the free agent market doesn't appear to be the two-horse race we expected. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Angels are also pursuing Albert Pujols. Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that an AL official insisted to him today that the Angels were in on Pujols, though an official with the Halos denied it (Twitter links).

In today's mammoth recap of Pujols rumors, we heard that three teams have extended offers of ten years and at least $200MM to Pujols — the Marlins, the Cardinals, and a mystery team. While the Cubs were also reported to still be interested, the Angels may represent that mystery club. Here are the latest updates on Pujols, with the newest on top:

  • Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Angels are "definitely not in on Pujols," but that the Cubs have made contact.
  • The Marlins offer to Pujols includes provisions that would link Pujols to the Marlins beyond his playing career as a way to show their long-term commitment without including no-trade protection, writes Stark.
  • Pujols' future "won't be decided tonight," tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel tweets that a Marlins source told him they're not expecting an answer tonight.
  • The Marlins haven't given Pujols a deadline or ultimatum, says Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). A decision may come before sunrise, and Capozzi hears the Marlins are "very confident" (Twitter link).
  • Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com hears from a source that Pujols is down to the Marlins and Cardinals, "period" (Twitter link).
  • Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi have a complete story up at FOX Sports on the status of the Pujols negotiations, including the Angels' interest. Within the piece, the FOX scribes say the dollar figure the Marlins are offering is acceptable to Pujols, but the two sides are "trying to work through no-trade issues."
  • Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times spoke to an AL GM who said "no way" to the Angels' rumored interest, while Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Cubs are "definitely not" in on Pujols (Twitter links). Whether or not those two clubs are involved, the Cardinals and Marlins still appear to be the favorites.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter link) spoke to two Angels people who were "shocked" to hear they were considered the mystery team for Pujols. However, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports and Jon Heyman of MLB Network are both hearing that it is, in fact, the Angels (Twitter links).
  • Joe Frisaro of MLB.com tweets that the Marlins were hoping for resolution on Pujols soon, but it's looking less likely it will happen tonight.
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