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West News & Rumors: Haniger, Santana, Bumgarner, Rangers, Morton, Rockies, Myers

By Connor Byrne | December 11, 2018 at 9:07pm CDT

Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger is not untouchable, but if they’re going to trade him, it’s going to take a substantial offer. General manager Jerry Dipoto is holding out for a three- to four-player package headlined by a pair of “high-level prospects,” including a pitcher, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. While Haniger may continue in Seattle, there’s a growing likelihood they’ll trade first baseman Carlos Santana for prospects, according to Divish. The expensive Santana, who’s only a little over a week into his Mariners career, has drawn interest from several teams since the M’s acquired him from the Phillies.

Here’s more from the game’s West divisions:

  • The likelihood of the Giants trading ace Madison Bumgarner this offseasn is dropping, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It’s more probable the Giants will move Bumgarner at next summer’s trade deadline – if they’re out of contention, that is – Feinsand hears. Bumgarner, 29, is entering his last year of team control (and perhaps the final season of his storied Giants tenure), in which he’ll earn a reasonable $12MM.
  • Even though the Rangers are in a rebuild, the club has “strong interest” in 35-year-old right-hander Charlie Morton, Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram reports. Morton spent the previous two seasons in Texas, where he did brilliant work for the Astros. He’s not the only veteran starter on Texas’ list, as tweets from TR Sullivan of MLB.com and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News indicate the team has at least discussed J.A. Happ, Lance Lynn, Yusei Kikuchi, Shelby Miller, Martin Perez, Derek Holland, Nate Karns and Sam Howard.
  • Contrary to a prior report, the Rockies are not interested in Padres slugger Wil Myers, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. Myers presumably would’ve taken over at first base in Colorado had it acquired him, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards. The 28-year-old is owed a guaranteed $64MM through 2023, which could make him a tough sell after back-to-back seasons of unspectacular offensive production.
  • Even after signing Chris Herrmann on Tuesday, the Athletics will continue to monitor the market for catchers, according to GM David Forst (via Jane Lee of MLB.com). However, Forst noted that “it’s nice to be in a spot right now where we have two Major League catchers who fit well,” referring to Herrmann and Josh Phegley.
  • The Rockies have hired Dave Magadan as their hitting coach and moved Ron Gideon to first base coach, GM Jeff Bridich told Nick Groke of The Athletic and other reporters Tuesday. Magadan will take over for Duane Espy, whom the Rockies parted with last month. A major league infielder from 1986-2001, Magadan has garnered significant coaching experience since his playing career ended. The 56-year-old was the Diamondbacks’ hitting coach from 2015-18, but they let him go after the season.
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Colorado Rockies Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Carlos Santana Charlie Morton Dave Magadan Derek Holland J.A. Happ Lance Lynn Madison Bumgarner Mitch Haniger Nate Karns Sam Howard Shelby Miller Wil Myers

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Trade Rumors: Santana, Rockies, Reds, Puig, Ender, Rangers, Mets, Nats

By Connor Byrne | December 11, 2018 at 6:14pm CDT

Mariners first baseman Carlos Santana is drawing a fair amount of interest just over a week into his tenure with Seattle. The Rays, Indians, Rockies and Marlins have all reached out to the Mariners regarding the 32-year-old switch-hitter, per reports from Corey Brock of The Athletic and colleague Ken Rosenthal. The Indians and Marlins jump out as particularly interesting clubs on the four-team list. Santana played in Cleveland from 2010-17, but the team wasn’t willing to match the Phillies’ three-year, $60MM winning bid for the then-free agent last offseason. He now has $40MM left on that deal, which looks high for an Indians team trying to reduce payroll and get younger this winter. The Marlins certainly aren’t big spenders, meanwhile, and unlike the Indians, they don’t figure to contend during the two remaining years of Santana’s contract. In any case, it seems like a solid bet that the rebuilding, payroll-slashing Mariners will flip Santana, whom they acquired largely to help balance out money in a swap with Philly that was headlined by pricey shortstop Jean Segura.

  • Along with Santana, the first base-needy Rockies have interest in the Indians’ Edwin Encarnacion, the White Sox’s Jose Abreu and the Padres’ Wil Myers, Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets.
  • The Dodgers and Reds have had “multiple” trade discussions involving outfielder Yasiel Puig and other players, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Puig’s “in play,” as are other Dodgers outfielders and some of their pitchers, per Rosenthal, who notes that they’d like to clear payroll in order to make room for other potential acquisitions. Interestingly, Rosenthal reports there’s a possibility of the Dodgers taking on Reds righty Homer Bailey’s $28MM to essentially buy prospects from Cincinnati. Bailey would count $17.5MM against the competitive balance tax, making his money easier to deal with for LA than his salary. But there’s no trade close as of now, Rosenthal adds.
  • More on the Reds, who have expressed interest in Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. However, no trade is imminent, and it’s not clear what the Braves asked for in return, Sheldon writes. Inciarte would be an upgrade over ex-Red Billy Hamilton, whom they non-tendered last month. For the Braves, trading Inciarte would free up center field for Ronald Acuna Jr. Although, as a 28-year-old with up to four affordable seasons left on his contract, it would likely take a significant return for Atlanta to move Inciarte.
  • The Rangers have engaged in trade discussions with both the Braves and Mets, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. Unsurprisingly, pitching-starved Texas is seeking young and controllable arms, according to Sullivan, who notes that the Braves and Mets are looking for outfield help. However, New York’s seeking a right-handed outfielder, as Sullivan points out, and the Rangers’ most notable outfielders (Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo) are lefty-swingers.
  • The Nationals are reportedly willing to trade righty Tanner Roark, whom general manager Mike Rizzo spoke about Tuesday. Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com and other reporters that the Nationals will only move Roark if they add another starter first. As of now, there’s nothing imminent, Zuckerman relays.
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Atlanta Braves Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins New York Mets San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Washington Nationals Carlos Santana Ender Inciarte Homer Bailey Jose Abreu Tanner Roark Wil Myers Yasiel Puig

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Trade Rumors: Rockies, Santana, Castellanos, Jays, Pirates, Realmuto

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2018 at 9:35pm CDT

Before the Phillies traded Carlos Santana to the Mariners as part of the Jean Segura deal, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich told reporters (including The Athletic’s Nick Groke and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) that his team had also been in talks about the veteran first baseman.  We heard this morning that Colorado was likely to be an interested party if and when the Mariners explore flipping Santana as part of their ongoing fire sale.  In other first base news, Bridich also said the Rockies checked in with the Diamondbacks about Paul Goldschmidt prior to Goldschmidt being dealt to the Cardinals.  It seems like it may have been a short conversation, as the D’Backs “made it clear” that Goldschmidt wouldn’t be dealt to the Rockies.

With this reminder that divisional rivalries can still play a big factor in trade talks, let’s take a look at some other deal-making buzz from the Winter Meetings…

  • As the Mariners continue their teardown, GM Jerry Dipoto said that he has received a lot of calls about outfielder Mitch Haniger, though the team is much less interested in dealing such a controllable and inexpensive asset.  “We just weren’t willing to go there. I tell them if you want to blow me away, give it a shot,” Dipoto told the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other reporters.  “We’ve had [a] handful of teams try, but they haven’t quite gotten to where we would even consider it.”
  • The Dodgers have interest in Tigers right fielder Nick Castellanos, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi tweets.  Castellanos “is not their highest priority,” however, as L.A. is exploring a wide range of other trade options.  MLB.com’s Jason Beck also reported things were quiet on the Castellanos front, suggesting that Detroit could get more interest after some of the free agent hitters start coming off the board.  As you might expect for a rebuilding team, the Tigers are open for business on the trade front, with GM Al Avila telling media (including Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press) that no player on the 25-man roster is untouchable.
  • Interest is “significant” in Blue Jays right-handers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, GM Ross Atkins told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters.  Despite the buzz, it would be “very difficult” for the Jays to find a good deal for either pitcher.  It was a busy day in general for the Jays, who met with representatives from five different teams and five different agencies while exploring various trade and free agent options.
  • Ivan Nova, Francisco Cervelli, and Corey Dickerson have all been mentioned as possible trade candidates for the Pirates, though “it’s going to have to be something that makes sense for us in the big picture to have us entertain” offers, GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other media.  The trio will all be free agents after 2019, so it makes sense that Pittsburgh would explore trades if none seem likely to sign extensions or re-sign after the season.  That said, since the Bucs are aiming to compete this year, quality players on short-term commitments aren’t necessarily a major issue, even though payroll concerns are always a factor for the team.
  • With so many teams linked to J.T. Realmuto in trade rumors, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman lists seven teams as having “the best chance to land Realmuto” at this moment.  The list includes the Astros, Braves, Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, and Yankees, even if some of those clubs have denied interest in the Marlins catcher.  New York is one such team that has poured cold water on its involvement in the Realmuto talks, though Heyman wonders if the Yankees could only be part of a Realmuto trade if it was a three-team effort.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins New York Yankees Pittsburgh Pirates Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez Carlos Santana Corey Dickerson Francisco Cervelli Ivan Nova J.T. Realmuto Jeff Bridich Jerry Dipoto Marcus Stroman Mitch Haniger Nick Castellanos Paul Goldschmidt

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Infield Notes: Machado, Realmuto, LeMahieu, Merrifield, Hernandez, Arenado

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2018 at 4:04pm CDT

Superstar free agent Manny Machado will not meet with teams in Las Vegas, it seems, preferring instead to visit suitors at their home parks, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). That would seem to suggest that his market won’t take off over the week to come, though surely there’ll be relevant developments. If Machado is indeed plotting a course of courtship that will take place over the coming weeks, then perhaps there’s more room for earlier developments in other segments of the infield market …

  • Behind the dish, the Marlins’ asking price on J.T. Realmuto may be creeping back down to more realistic levels, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The organization has long been said to be asking for an enormous return in exchange for two seasons of the game’s best backstop, which truthfully isn’t an unreasonable starting point. Still, as Sherman notes, the club will ultimately likely be forced to take what the offer will give. For the Mets, pursuit of Realmuto is still seen “as a long shot,” Sherman adds on Twitter. And the Phillies are presently focused on other pursuits, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), such that they haven’t engaged with their division rivals in Miami regarding Realmuto in a few weeks’ time.
  • The Athletics have reached out to second baseman DJ LeMahieu as they continue to explore the market for second basemen, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. That’s not an indication that the Oakland org is out on Jed Lowrie, so much as the latest sign that a reunion is anything but inevitable with both parties seeing other people. LeMahieu himself likely isn’t the only alternative being considered, Slusser notes; she goes on to explore some of the other opportunities that could be pondered by the A’s brass.
  • In a boon to free agents and teams with potential trade chips at second base, Royals GM Dayton Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (Twitter link) that he is not getting as many questions of late about Whit Merrifield. That’s not because of a lack of interest, though, so much as the fact that the Royals have “pretty much made it clear” they will hold onto the late-blooming star. Merrifield will not even be eligible for arbitration until 2020, though he’ll turn thirty before the start of the 2019 season. From an outside perspective, this seems an ideal time to market a player who’d draw wide interest given his excellent recent production, defensive flexibility, and cheap price tag. But the Kansas City org seems determined to try to build around some of its preexisting roster assets.
  • The Phillies are not finding initial success at generating interest in second baseman Cesar Hernandez, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic (Twitter link). With a robust slate of free agents at the position and a seemingly increasing list of available trade candidates, there’s some imbalance between the supply and demand. Hernandez, 28, has been a fairly steady performer, but he did fall off a bit with the bat last year and is increasingly expensive at a projected $8.9MM arb salary in his second to last run through the process.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich discussed his team’s long-term relationship possibilities with third baseman Nolan Arenado in an inteview on MLB Network (h/t Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Twitter links). Bridich says the club can afford to carry a $200MM+ promise to Arenado, citing a “responsible growth” plan for payroll. Of course, that number may only be scratching the surface of what Arenado could command in a hypothetical post-2019 free agency, so it’s far from clear just yet whether the club will be both willing and able to line up on a new deal to keep him from the open market. Otherwise, unsurprisingly, Bridich acknowledged that the Rox are interested in improving not only in the outfield but also at first base to boost a sagging offense.
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Colorado Rockies Kansas City Royals Miami Marlins New York Mets Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Cesar Hernandez DJ LeMahieu J.T. Realmuto Jed Lowrie Manny Machado Nolan Arenado Whit Merrifield

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NL West Notes: Dodgers, LeMahieu, Belt, Greinke

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2018 at 10:55am CDT

Entering the Winter Meetings with a wide variety of potential moves under consideration, the Dodgers will “in all likelihood” move an existing starter via trade, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Just what the might look like isn’t yet clear, but the club’s numerous options will surely hold appeal to rivals. To be sure, the Dodgers have found ways on numerous occasions in the recent past to juggle seeming roster overloads, but Gonzalez says that the ability to utilize a player such as Kenta Maeda as a trade piece (while improving in other areas) will likely prod a deal of some kind.

  • The Dodgers, meanwhile, are “showing continued interest” in second bagger DJ LeMahieu, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Certainly, the club has seen plenty of the 30-year-old over his career, virtually all of which has taken place with the division-rival Rockies. LeMahieu would presumably be seen as a near-everyday piece at second base in Los Angeles, though it’d hardly be surprising to see a lefty hitting platoon mate utilized to some degree if he’s added. Beyond the team’s general predilection for such arrangements, LeMahieu has been 80 OPS points better against left-handed pitching in his career.
  • Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is drawing calls from “several” other teams, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Belt is still owed a hefty $48MM over the next three seasons and also can block deals to ten teams. His worrisome concussion history also poses a clear concern. And, of course, the market has not been particularly kind to first basemen of late. Certainly, Belt’s OBP-heavy bat would promise to improve quite a few lineups around the game, but it’s unclear as yet exactly what kind of trade scenarios might be under consideration.
  • As the Diamondbacks weigh their next move, they are finding Zack Greinke’s partial no-trade rights a “major impediment,” according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link). Numerous potential landing spots for Greinke appear among the 15 clubs to which he can block a deal, which leaves the veteran no small amount of leverage and complicates things for the Arizona organization. It is not clear whether the D-Backs have engaged with Greinke and his reps about his willingness to green-light a deal to certain destinations, but obviously the clause adds a notable variable to an already-tricky situation. While he’s still a high-level performer, Greinke is already 35 years of age and is entitled to a hefty $104.5MM ($95.5MM of salary, the remainder signing bonus) over the next three seasons.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt DJ LeMahieu Kenta Maeda Zack Greinke

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West Rumors: D-backs, Ray, Rox, M’s, Santana, Rangers, Leclerc

By Connor Byrne | December 10, 2018 at 3:13am CDT

Although the Diamondbacks traded first baseman Paul Goldschmidt last week, his departure isn’t necessarily a sign that a full-scale teardown is coming, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic hears. While Piecoro doesn’t rule out other deals involving notable D-backs veterans (e.g., Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray), he writes that they “seem comfortable standing pat” and addressing holes on their roster. If Arizona does part with Ray, it would take a lot to acquire him, as a source tells Piecoro the team has set a “really high bar” on a return for the left-handed strikeout artist. Ray, 27, is controllable for the next two seasons, including for a projected $6.1MM in 2019.

  • The Rockies “figure to be in the mix” if the Mariners trade first baseman Carlos Santana, Thomas Harding of MLB.com writes. Santana just joined the Mariners this month in a blockbuster trade with the Philllies, but the rebuilding, payroll-cutting M’s may flip the 32-year-old in the coming weeks. While Santana wasn’t great in 2018, he brings a solid track record to the table and would likely serve as a first base upgrade in Colorado, which received National League-worst production at the position last season. Of course, Santana’s contract could hinder a trade to the Rox, as he’s due a guaranteed $35MM over the next couple years (including a $500K buyout in 2021).
  • It doesn’t seem the rebuilding Rangers have any untouchables on their roster, TR Sullivan of MLB.com relays, as president Jon Daniels indicated Sunday that the team’s main goal is to improve its long-term outlook. The Rangers are “not looking to move these guys, but we are open on a lot of things,” Daniels said of their top players. Dominant reliever Jose Leclerc, who’s controllable through 2022, clearly stands out as one of Texas’ most valuable trade chips. Many teams have inquired about Leclerc, 24, but the Rangers have discussed extending him in a deal that would buy out free-agent years, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram reports. Like Leclerc, infielder Jurickson Profar ranks as one of the Rangers’ most appealing players, though he only has another two years of control left. If the Rangers market Profar, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News observes that he could be of particular interest to teams that lose out on the Manny Machado derby in free agency.
  • More on the Rangers, who are trying to entice free agents with their forthcoming new ballpark, Daniels revealed (via Wilson). Regarding Globe Life Field, which will open in 2020, Daniels said: “It’s part of the story. We’ve talked more about the amenities we’re going to have. It’s going to be a place that players are going to want to play.” Daniels conceded, however, that there are other factors which outweigh the quality of a team’s ballpark – including finances, the happiness of the player’s family and whether the team chasing him is in position to win.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Carlos Santana Jose Leclerc Jurickson Profar Robbie Ray

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Minor MLB Transactions: 12/9/18

By Connor Byrne | December 9, 2018 at 4:08pm CDT

Keeping up with the latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • Former White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo has re-signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball on a three-year deal, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. The contract’s “believed” to be worth $10MM, per Heyman. Viciedo, who will turn 30 in March, last played in the majors in 2014. He immigrated to NPB prior to the 2016 season and has since slashed .298/.371/.505 with 66 home runs in 1,420 trips to the plate.

Earlier updates:

  • The Rockies have signed right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez to a minor league contract, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports. Gonzalez was a first-round pick of the Rangers in 2013 who combined for 77 1/3 innings with them from 2015-16, but he struggled to a 4.54 ERA/5.06 FIP with ugly strikeout and walk rates (4.31 K/9, 4.77 BB/9) during that span. Gonzalez then underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2017, leading the Rangers to non-tender him and then re-sign him to a minors pact in the ensuing offseason. The 26-year-old threw just 10 innings at the lower levels of the minor leagues in 2018 as he worked his way back. Gonzalez is now pitching in the Dominican league, Eddy notes.
  • The Reds have re-signed outfielder Aristides Aquino to a minor league deal, Eddy tweets (and as Greeneville Reds play-by-play announcer Justin Rocke first reported earlier this week). Cincinnati non-tendered Aquino last week, but it was reported at the time that the team was interested in bringing him back. The 24-year-old will now remain with the Reds, his only professional organization since he signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. Aquino played almost exclusively at the Double-A level from 2017-18 and combined to hit .227/.293/.421 with 37 home runs in 949 plate appearances, though he did appear in one Reds game last season.
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Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies Transactions Aristides Aquino Chi Chi Gonzalez Dayan Viciedo

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West Notes & Rumors: Dodgers, Puig, Kemp, Rox, Rangers

By Connor Byrne | December 8, 2018 at 6:48pm CDT

Yasiel Puig has been popular in trade rumors dating back to 2016, but the Dodgers have nonetheless retained the outfielder to this point. However, it’s possible that will change this offseason – perhaps as early as the upcoming week’s Winter Meetings. The Dodgers limited Puig’s playing time against left-handed pitchers in 2018, which has left him “disgruntled,” “distrustful of management” and “open” to playing for another team, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes. While the right-handed Puig has offered above-average production versus lefties over his career, he has struggled against them since 2017, leading to diminished at-bats last season. Still, it’s not certain the Dodgers will trade the 28-year-old Puig, Hernandez suggests, adding that he likely wouldn’t bring much back in a deal. And the Dodgers aren’t interested in dumping Puig’s projected $11.3MM salary for the sake of doing it, per Hernandez. Rather, it seems they’d want a legitimate return for Puig’s last year of team control. Consequently, despite Puig’s current dissatisfaction with the Dodgers, he could end up remaining in their uniform in 2019.

  • More on the Dodgers, who will attempt to trade outfielder Matt Kemp this winter, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. The Dodgers reunited with Kemp last December in an unorthodox, luxury tax-based trade with the Braves, and the 34-year-old went on to enjoy a productive season in Los Angeles. Kemp faded during the second half of 2018, however, and is due $21.5MM in 2019 – the last year of his deal. The former MVP candidate will be extremely difficult for LA to move, then, though perhaps it could swap him for another team’s unwanted contract.
  • With the Rockies looking to upgrade an offense that was woeful in 2018, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post focuses on first base and the outfield as areas they could attempt to strengthen. In an ideal world, the Rockies would add a power-hitting first basemen, enabling them to shift Ian Desmond to the outfield, Saunders notes. As for A.J. Pollock, the best free-agent center fielder available, his current asking price is likely out of the Rockies’ range, according to Saunders.
  • Given that the rebuilding Rangers don’t figure to contend in the next couple years, they should consider trading the likes of Jurickson Profar and Nomar Mazara this offseason, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News opines. Although the 25-year-old Profar finally began living up to his top prospect billing in 2018, and is only projected to earn $3.4MM in 2019, the infielder is not under control past 2020.  Mazara, 23, will be similarly affordable next season ($3.7MM), the outfielder’s first of three potential arbitration years, but hasn’t yet delivered on the hype he garnered as a prospect.
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Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers Texas Rangers Matt Kemp Yasiel Puig

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Mets, Others Involved In J.T. Realmuto Market

By Steve Adams | December 5, 2018 at 11:44am CDT

TODAY: The Mets are “resistant” on including Rosario in a deal, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). It seems the Marlins have at least some level of interest, unsurprisingly, in Nimmo, Conforto, and Rosario.

All things considered, it does not appear at present as if the sides have settled upon a clear potential deal structure. There could well be other moving parts to getting something done. After all, the Mets would need to fill in for any departing MLB assets while the Marlins could conceivably involve a third team to spin off any acquired MLB pieces.

YESTERDAY, 8:32pm: The Mets have spoken to the Marlins and are at least considering the possibility of including Nimmo as a centerpiece in a Realmuto deal, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That said, Sherman cautions that there’s no deal close and that the Marlins are still in talks with multiple other clubs.

However, whether that would be enough for the Mets remains to be seen. Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that the Marlins don’t view Nimmo as a potential Realmuto centerpiece and would prefer Rosario or Conforto to headline a package of young players instead. That’s at least somewhat curious, given the fact that Conforto has only one more season of club control remaining than Realmuto.

6:55pm: Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that it’s unlikely the Mets would include Conforto in a trade for Realmuto.

5:35pm: Trade chatter surrounding J.T. Realmuto will persist throughout the offseason following the definitive declaration that he won’t be signing an extension with the Marlins. While the Marlins reportedly have a preference to trade Realmuto outside of the division, Andy Martino of SNY writes that the Mets are looking into Realmuto now that they officially have Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz on board. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, in fact, reports that the Mets reached out on Realmuto earlier today and are being “aggressive” in their pursuit (Twitter links).

Newsday’s Tim Healey tweets that the belief is that the Mets would have to include at least one young Major Leaguer in order to pry Realmuto loose from Miami, and Rosenthal suggests the same. (The Mets subtracted a pair of high-end prospects from its system when trading outfielder Jarred Kelenic and right-hander Justin Dunn to Seattle in the Cano/Diaz swap.) Martino speculated that Amed Rosario’s name could come into play, and Rosenthal adds both Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto as the type of talents that could pique Miami’s interest. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Mets would have any actual interest in dealing from that promising young trio. More specifically Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that Rosario and Nimmo would be Miami’s top two targets in talks.

The Mets already tendered contracts to both Kevin Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud, though either could be traded elsewhere or designated for assignment anyway, should the organization land an upgrade in the form of Realmuto. (Speculatively, either could also be sent back to Miami as a short-term stopgap in the absence of Realmuto.)

Elsewhere in the NL East (which, to this point, has been the runaway most active division in terms of offseason activity), Craig Mish of SiriusXM tweets that the Phillies have inquired on Realmuto but are considered to be a long shot. The Phils presently have Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as in-house catching options now that Wilson Ramos is a free agent, and they’ve been aggressive early this winter, already acquiring Jean Segura and James Pazos from the Mariners.

Mish also suggests that the Braves have inquired on Realmuto, although both David O’Brien of The Athletic and Heyman have tweeted otherwise. O’Brien indicates that he was somewhat bluntly told there’s no validity to the report that Austin Riley and Mike Soroka have come up in discussions, while Heyman reports that the Braves haven’t even engaged on any serious Realmuto talks this winter.  O’Brien further adds that the Braves have shifted their focus to adding a corner outfielder and shoring up the pitching staff (Twitter links).

Looking outside the NL East, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that the Rockies have checked in on the catcher — although talks between the two sides, to this point, have failed to progress. Colorado would make a perfectly logical landing spot, though, given that none of Chris Iannetta, Tony Wolters or Tom Murphy stands out as an obvious front-line option. The Rockies also have plenty of young pitching — much of it MLB-ready, which would surely be of interest to the Marlins as they continue to build for the future.

It’s worth remembering, too, that the clubs here likely only represent a fraction of the market for Realmuto. Heyman notes that 14 teams have inquired with the Marlins about Realmuto this winter, and while clearly not all of those clubs will be particularly aggressive in their pursuit, the sheer volume underscores how many teams view the All-Star backstop as a potential difference maker. A trade isn’t necessarily guaranteed, but it’s likely that Realmuto’s value is at its apex this winter. The Marlins surely know that their time with Realmuto is limited following comments from agent Jeff Berry and, per Mish, a pair of rejected extension offers of four and five years in length (both at prices that are nowhere near Realmuto’s actual market value).

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Atlanta Braves Colorado Rockies Miami Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Amed Rosario Austin Riley Brandon Nimmo J.T. Realmuto Michael Conforto Mike Soroka

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Rockies Non-Tender Sam Howard

By TC Zencka | December 1, 2018 at 10:51am CDT

The Colorado Rockies non-tendered Sam Howard yesterday, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com (via Twitter). Howard is now a free agent.

Howard, 25, made his major league debut last season, appearing in four games for the Rockies and giving up just a single earned run in four innings. The Georgia native was a third round pick of the Rockies in 2014, spending most of his time in the minors as a starter. Last year with Triple A Albuquerque, Howard started 21 games, earning a 3-8 record with a 4.95 ERA.

The Rockies will presumably look into bringing Howard back, but with their 40-man roster maxed out, the non-tender gives Colorado a valuable roster spot to work with.

Meanwhile, Colorado agreed to a new one-year, $1.6875MM deal with lefty Chris Rusin yesterday, while tendering contracts to their other arbitration eligible players. The Rockies 40-man roster now sits at 39.

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Colorado Rockies Transactions Sam Howard

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