NL West Rumors: Saunders, Overbay, Headley
One round of NL West notes wasn't enough for today, so let's do it again:
- The Diamondbacks have extended a contract offer to Joe Saunders, and it appears to be for two years, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. GM Kevin Towers says other teams have inquired about Saunders, and that the D'Backs intend to either trade him or sign him to a new deal, rather than go to arbitration (Twitter link).
- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com says (on Twitter) the Diamondbacks expect to hear tonight whether Lyle Overbay will accept their one-year offer.
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with Joe Martinez, who will be added to the 40-man roster, tweet Piecoro.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link) says the Padres are asking for "the moon" for Chase Headley. They could move him, but it will cost a lot if they do.
- The Padres are looking at Andrew Bailey and several free agent arms to replace Heath Bell, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter). Hayes adds that the team isn't willing to commit more than two years to any free agent arm (Twitter link).
- The Rockies' waiver claim of Jamie Hoffmann increases the probability of Ryan Spilborghs being non-tendered, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
NL West Rumors: Ludwick, Gillick, Padres, Rockies
The latest on various NL West clubs…
- Heath Bell told MLB.com's Corey Brock he never heard from new Padres GM Josh Byrnes. Bell noted that he passed on offers of a little more money to take a three-year, $27MM deal from the Marlins.
- The Padres' goal is to fix the eighth and ninth innings this offseason, manager Bud Black told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio.
- The Dodgers are closing in on a minor league deal with reliever Alberto Castillo, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The 36-year-old spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 1.91 ERA and 8.1 K/9 in 42 1/3 innings there.
- The Giants are believed to have scheduled a meeting today with Ryan Ludwick's agent Dan Horwits, reports MLB.com's Chris Haft. Ludwick, 33, hit .237/.310/.363 with 13 home runs in 553 plate appearances for the Padres and Pirates this year.
- Phillies senior advisor and former GM Pat Gillick would consider a position as the Dodgers' new president of baseball operations, he told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
- The Padres are getting hits on Chase Headley, Jason Bartlett, and Orlando Hudson, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who expects one of them to be dealt by spring training. Hudson, who is owed $7.5MM through 2012, would be a pure salary dump, tweets Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
- The Rockies are lukewarm at best on Hudson, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who wonders if the Giants' Jeff Keppinger could be a fit. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants are looking to get creative on the trade front for outfield and infield help.
- Non-tender candidate Joe Saunders told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert he'd like to return to the Diamondbacks, but the decision is up to the team. About a week ago, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that Saunders has a very good chance of returning to the D'Backs on a two-year deal.
Rockies Claim Jamie Hoffmann
The Rockies claimed outfielder Jamie Hoffmann off waivers from the Dodgers, announced the team on Twitter. Hoffmann, 27, hit .297/.356/.497 with 22 home runs in 533 plate appearances for the Dodgers' Triple-A team this year, playing all three outfield positions.
Overnight Links: Wright, Astros, Cardinals, Rockies
The Winter Meetings are here, and that means 24/7 coverage is here at MLBTR as well. I'll be doing overnight shifts throughout the duration of the Winter Meetings, so feel free to stay up late for your fix of Hot Stove news. Here's some overnight quick hits:
- ESPN's Buster Olney is of the opinion that the Mets should be entertaining offers for David Wright, since he won't be part of the organization by the time they turn things around (Twitter link).
- Astros manager Brad Mills is excited to see what some of the non-roster invitees they've signed will bring to Spring Training, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
- The Cardinals are somewhat comfortable with Tyler Greene as their starting shortstop in 2012, but are also aware of the long list of free agent options writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. New manager Mike Matheny had plenty of praise for Greene who, despite poor offensive output in the Majors, owns an .857 career OPS in 1,204 Triple-A plate appearances.
- The Denver Post's Troy Renck expects the Rockies to trade both Ian Stewart and Huston Street this offseason (Twitter link).
- Juan C. Rodrgiuez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel tweets that he thinks Javier Vazquez is "done." Vazquez has been rumored to be leaning toward retirement for months now.
- The Marlins are "being silly" if they prioritize Albert Pujols over starting pitching at this point, in the opinion of Scott Miller from CBS Sports. Miller feels they already have a dynamic lineup, but with Josh Johnson's frailty and some underwhelming results from the rest of their rotation in 2011, the rotation needs to be the priority.
Cubs, Diamondbacks Interested In Stewart
SUNDAY: The Orioles, Mariners, Pirates, and Angels have also inquired on Ian Stewart, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
6:13pm: In addition to the Cubs, the Diamondbacks are also interested in Stewart, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The 26-year-old is very likely to go somewhere, according to Heyman.
FRIDAY: The Rockies think highly enough of Stewart that they would not consider trading him for DeWitt, according to Renck.
11:39am: The Rockies have already moved Ty Wigginton and Chris Iannetta this offseason, and they're reportedly open to dealing Ian Stewart and Huston Street as well. Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that Colorado has asked the Cubs for Blake DeWitt in exchange for Stewart, but talks between the two clubs have since cooled.
DeWitt, 26, is a left-handed bat with experience at second, third, and in left field. He's hit .258/.309/.396 with nine homers in 447 plate appearances for the Cubbies after coming over in the deal that sent Ted Lilly to the Dodgers at the 2010 trade deadline. Renck says the Rockies would prefer to get a pitcher in any deal involving Stewart as well.
Hiroki Kuroda Landscape “Wide Open”
4:51pm: A source tells WEEI's Rob Bradford that the Red Sox are interested in Kuroda, but that their ability to sign him would be contingent on gaining financial flexibility through other moves.
2:47pm: Now that the Dodgers have effectively signed Capuano to replace Kuroda in their rotation, the landscape for the righty is "wide open," a source tells FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. According to Rosenthal, Kuroda is now willing to consider all offers, regardless of location.
9:12am: Yesterday we heard that the Rockies are out of the running for Roy Oswalt, but today Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that they've been quietly pursuing Hiroki Kuroda. The right-hander is unlikely to return to the Dodgers following the Chris Capuano signing.
Kuroda, 37 in February, has pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 398 1/3 innings across 63 starts over the last two seasons. The Angels and Diamondbacks are said to have interest in him, and the Hiroshima Carp also have an offer out to their former hurler. Kuroda prefers the west coast, but it stands to reason that the Yankees, Red Sox, Nationals, and others would have interest if he was willing to move east. The Rockies reportedly have interest in Jeff Francis and Kevin Millwood as well.
Rockies Rumors: Oswalt, Millwood, Francis, Tanaka
The Rockies revamped their catching situation by signing Ramon Hernandez and trading Chris Iannetta, but now let's see what else is cooking in Colorado…
- The Rockies are out of the running for Roy Oswalt, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. They remain aggressive in their pursuit of a starting pitcher though, and have interest in Kevin Millwood and former Rockie Jeff Francis. The Twins are in on Francis as well.
- Japanese second baseman Kensuke Tanaka will remain in Japan, reports Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports (on Twitter). The Rockies had expressed initial interest in the free agent according to Morosi.
- The Braves want good prospects along with Seth Smith in return for Martin Prado, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter), so the two clubs have some work to do if they're going to make a trade.
Latest On Astros’ GM Search: Friedman, Geivett
Former Astros GM Tim Purpura will be named the Rangers' farm director, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. For details on who might be the Astros' next GM, keep reading…
- Cardinals vice president of player procurement Jeff Luhnow has interviewed for the job, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter).
- White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn and Kim Ng of MLB turned down the opportunity to interview for the Astros GM job, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros will do "whatever it takes" to obtain Andrew Friedman of the Rays, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, Friedman's friends don't expect him to leave Tampa Bay.
- Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett is interviewing for the Astros' GM job today, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports. “I’m very excited to be here and it’s a great organization and a great city and everybody knows a great state,” Geivett said. “I’m very excited and we’ll see how it goes today.”
NL West Links: Sandoval, Cuban, Kuroda, Hernandez
With Heath Bell now on his way to Miami, the Padres are more likely to look to the trade market than free agency for late-game help, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Some more from the NL West here….
- Ryan Morgan, Pablo Sandoval's agent, told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that he has had "very broad discussions" with Giants VP Bobby Evans about Sandoval's 2012 contract and that Sandoval is open to a multiyear contract. Sandoval is going through the arbitration process for the first time this winter and Baggarly thinks the two sides could revisit the idea of an extension if Sandoval shows up in great shape to Spring Training.
- Mark Cuban is interested in bidding to become the new Dodgers' owner, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Cuban will receive a "bid book" that contains the team's financial information, though having a bid book doesn't necessarily mean Cuban will indeed make a bid to buy the team.
- The Dodgers have already much of their free money this winter and are still short two starting pitchers, reports Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times. Both Dilbeck and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) don't think the Dodgers will have enough to re-sign Hiroki Kuroda.
- Also from Knobler (via Twitter), the Rockies turned down the Braves' offer of Martin Prado in exchange for outfielder Seth Smith and prospect Nolan Arenado. Given that Arenado is one of Colorado's top prospects, this was a total pie-in-the-sky offer from the Braves.
- Newly-signed Rockies catcher Ramon Hernandez appeared on the Venezuelan sports radio show Los Cronistas today (Twitter link, in Spanish) and said he isn't sure if he'll be physically able to keep playing beyond his current contract. Hernandez will be 37 by the time his two-year deal with Colorado expires. Thanks to Nick Collias of our sister site Rumores de Beisbol for the translation.
- Justin Upton holds the top spot on Keith Law's list of the top 50 players who are 25 years old and under (ESPN Insider subscription required).
AL West Notes: Iannetta, Kawasaki, Chavez, Rangers
Here's the latest from the AL West…
- The Angels are considering a contract extension for the newly-acquired Chris Iannetta, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Iannetta is signed through 2012 and the Halos have a $5MM club option for 2013 that Iannetta can now void due to being traded before the start of the 2013 season.
- Also from Renck, the Rockies tried to acquire Angels right-hander John Hellweg in the Iannetta trade. Hellweg, 23, has a 3.83 ERA, an 11.4 K/9 rate and 7.6 BB/9 in four minor league seasons. He spent last season pitching for the Halos' Class A+ affiliate.
- Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki wants to play in the Major Leagues, but only for the Mariners, reports MLB.com's Matt Weber. Kawasaki, 30, is a free agent so he can sign without a posting fee and he said he's willing to sign a minor league deal and play a different position if necessary.
- MLB.com's Greg Johns has more details on Kawasaki, who has a career .294 average but just hit .267/.310/.327 last season with Fukuoka. Johns says the Mariners have scouted Kawasaki in Japan so he is "at least on the Mariners' radar."
- The Athletics aren't one of the teams interested in Eric Chavez, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). "He wouldn't be a fit for them and vice versa," Slusser writes.
- In a mailbag piece, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan looks at the obstacles preventing the Rangers from making a move for Prince Fielder and Matt Garza. Sullivan also notes that it's only a matter of time before Ron Washington gets another contract extension from the club.
- The Mariners' deep minor league system seems to give them an advantage under the new collective bargaining agreement, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.