NL West Rumors: K-Rod, Street, Volquez, Renteria
Latest out of the NL West:
- The Padres seemed to be making progress on a multiyear contract with Francisco Rodriguez, but it fell apart, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Presumably, having added Huston Street, the Padres don't have any more interest in K-Rod.
- Speaking of Street, the Padres will receive $500K from the Rockies this year as a part of that deal, and another $500K if they don't pick up his 2013 option, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Street described the trade to the Padres as "bittersweet," writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- The delay in finalizing the Street deal occurred because the Rockies were close to sending him to the Reds for Edinson Volquez, tweets Renck.
- The Giants appear set in the outfield, but are still seeking a right-handed bat in the infield, says Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Edgar Renteria seems to be a "pretty major longshot."
NL Central Notes: Brewers, Betemit, Wood, Young
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.
Cody Ross Rumors: Giants, Rockies, Reds
We heard earlier this week that Cody Ross was seeking a three-year contract. Here's the latest on the free agent outfielder….
- The Giants seem to have moved on from Ross, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link) reports the club didn't make any offer to try and re-sign the 2010 NLCS MVP. Baggarly says five other teams are in the mix for Ross' services and at least one suitor figures to offer a two-year deal.
- Baggarly also tweets "the Ross camp has had eyes on Colorado for a long time." ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link) reports the Rockies could pursue Ross or Michael Cuddyer with the money the team saved from the Huston Street trade.
- The Rockies have an interest in Ross, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post, but as a "complementary player" and not on a three-year contract. Renck notes the Rockies are still discussing an Edinson Volquez trade with the Reds, with Cincinnati showing some interest in Seth Smith. If Smith is dealt, it could conceivably open room for the Rockies to acquire both Cuddyer and Ross, with Ross playing the outfield on the days Cuddyer starts at second or third.
- Reds general manager Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Ross' agent said his client would be interested in returning to Cincinnati. Ross was briefly a Red in 2006, appearing in two games with the club. Jocketty said the two sides "kicked it around,” though the team has "some other things to do first," presumably finding a top-tier pitcher. Perhaps related to the Reds' pitching search, Jocketty said he has spoken "several times" with the Rays but he doesn't think the two sides are close on a trade.
Five Teams In On Hiroki Kuroda
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.
Alonso’s Name Has Come Up In Rays’ Talks
Earlier today, Rays manager Joe Maddon told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM that Yonder Alonso's name has come up in meetings (Twitter link). The Rays recognize they may have to trade a starter, Maddon told Bowden.
Alonso is one of the more prized products of the Reds' farm system. The 24-year-old first baseman owns a .296/.364/.478 slash line at Triple-A, and wowed the Reds and those who covet his bat with a late season callup that saw him hit .330/.398/.545 with five homers in 98 plate appearances.
We heard late last night that the Rays are open to trading both Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann, but neither seems like the type of impact pitcher Cincinnati would be looking to add if they moved Alonso. It's been said that the Rays will at least listen on James Shields, but coming off a monster effort in 2011 and controlled for three more years at a total of $28MM, he would require an enormous haul.
NL Central Rumors: Astros, Reds, Saito, Bedard
Tuesday night updates out of the NL Central, as MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings continues….
- Rival executives view Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett as the favorite for the Astros' GM job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner hears (Twitter link) that the Astros may select a reliever with the first pick of Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty talked about the team's search for pitching, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the quotes. Jocketty also said Edgar Renteria's reps had contacted him, but the Reds probably aren't interested in signing him.
- All signs are pointing to the Brewers bringing back Takashi Saito on a one-year deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Erik Bedard is drawing interest from the Pirates, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Quick Hits: Coffey, Nats, Upton, Phillips, Andino
It's been a busy first day of the Winter Meetings at MLBTR, so let's use this opportunity to catch up on a few Monday items that may have slipped through the cracks…
- Todd Coffey is drawing interest from the Mets and Brewers, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Brew Crew haven't expressed any interest in bringing back another righty, LaTroy Hawkins, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- The Nationals may revisit their search for a center fielder after the non-tender deadline, so they can see if any bargain options hit the market, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- B.J. Upton is one center fielder who may be on the trade market, but Morosi hears interest in the Rays' speedster has been "mild" so far (Twitter link).
- GM Walt Jocketty suggested to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that extension talks between the Reds and Brandon Phillips may hinge on the number of years the club feels comfortable offering.
- Orioles infielder Robert Andino is drawing trade interest from teams who could use him as a starting shortstop, tweets MASN's Roch Kubatko.
- GM Dan Duquette said the Orioles have several "irons in the fire" and is optimistic about making at least one move during the Winter Meetings, says Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- There are indications that the Mariners have talked to the Rockies about Seth Smith's availability, says MLB.com's Greg Johns.
Reds Very Interested In Jair Jurrjens?
7:58pm: MLB.com's Mark Sheldon hears from a source that the Reds' interest in Jurrjens has been overblown, and that Cincinnati doesn't appear to be going hard after the right-hander.
6:29pm: The Reds are "very interested" in trading for Braves starter Jair Jurrjens, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman. They could face stiff competition though, as Heyman adds that ten teams are involved.
It was reported during the GM meetings that the Reds had inquired on Jurrjens as part of their search for a front-end starting pitcher. GM Walt Jocketty said over the weekend that Cincinnati has a list of six potential trade targets, so presumably Jurrjens is at or near the top of that list.
Earlier today, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Braves may wait until major free agent arms like C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle sign to make a decision on Jurrjens, since interest could increase with fewer options on the market.
Brewers, Reds Interested In Octavio Dotel
5:43pm: MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez adds the Reds to the list of teams who are interested in Dotel, noting that the righty's representatives have met with the Tigers and Brewers already.
10:44am: The Cardinals and Brewers are very interested in Octavio Dotel, the 38-year-old reliever told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles (link in Spanish). Dotel confirmed the Tigers and Mets are also interested. Dotel hopes to return to the Cardinals, and has a one-year offer in hand from them. Dotel told Rojas he'd like to get two years, or at least one year at an adequate salary (thanks to Nick Collias for translating).
NL Central Rumors: Lee, Soriano, Cardinals, Brewers
The latest on several NL Central teams…
- The Reds are talking about a lot of trade possibilities and talking about a whole range of players, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. It is a possibility the Reds use Yonder Alonso as a trade piece to fix other needs, manager Dusty Baker told Jim Bowden on MLB Netowrk Radio. Baker indicated the Reds will keep prospects Yasmani Grandal and Devin Mesoraco, as well as star first baseman Joey Votto.
- The Reds outrighted lefty Jeremy Horst, dropping their 40-man roster count to 39, according toMLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Astros are letting teams know Carlos Lee is out there. Lee, 35, is owed $18.5MM for 2012 and has ten-and-five rights. A source close to the Astros' ownership tells Stark interim GM David Gottfried has autonomy to make trades this week.
- Speaking of mistakes from the 2006-07 offseason, the Cubs are getting a bit of interest in left fielder Alfonso Soriano, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Soriano, 35, is owed $54MM through 2014 and has a full no-trade clause. I think the Cubs would have to eat over $40MM to move Soriano.
- World Series revenue is not a game-changer for the Cardinals, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the team's payroll is expected to remain around $110MM. The Cardinals have about $80MM committed to eight players under contract for 2012.
- The Brewers are in on everyone at several positions, including shortstop and third base, but are not down the road at all on any of them, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Brewers are also known to be actively seeking relief help.