Quick Hits: Sizemore, Ponson, Braves
Wednesday afternoon linkage as the news continues to fly in from the Milwaukee meetings..
- A number of teams remain in play for Grady Sizemore including the Giants, Rockies, Cubs, Red Sox, Rangers, Mariners, and Nationals, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Athletics met with Sidney Ponson's agent today, a source tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
- Braves GM Frank Wren and agent Adam Katz are now meeting in Milwaukee, tweets MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith. Katz is a part of Wasserman Media Group and represents a number of players, including Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. To view WMG's client list, check out MLBTR's Agency Database.
Who’s Met With Bob Garber?
1:05pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is talking with Garber today, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
11:53am: As the agent for top free agent starters C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, Bob Garber of Select Sports Group has been popular so far at the GM Meetings. He's met or plans to meet with the Marlins, Yankees, Royals, Angels, Nationals, Rockies, and Rangers, according to reports, and tells me he has at least three more new meetings today.
Rosenthal/Morosi On Dodgers, Astros, Blue Jays
The latest from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports…
- The Dodgers' payroll will be well under $100MM in 2012, sources tell the FOX writers. If James Loney and Hiroki Kuroda return, there will be little left to spend. On the plus side, the Dodgers were able to reduce Matt Kemp's '12 salary to slightly more than $10MM as part of his new multiyear deal, in a year where as much as $16MM seemed possible through arbitration. Rosenthal and Morosi say the Dodgers would want to buy out at least two free agent years in a long-term deal for Clayton Kershaw, who may take home the NL Cy Young award tomorrow. With Kershaw under team control for three more years, the Dodgers don't have the same urgency to lock him up as they did Kemp. In MLBTR's exclusive arbitration salary projections, Kershaw was pegged at $8.4MM, easily a first-time record for a pitcher.
- The Astros "probably will acquire a shortstop and add low-cost relief pitching" this offseason, write Rosenthal and Morosi. GM Ed Wade told the FOX writers he plans to stick with Mark Melancon at closer. The GM explained his team's corner outfield situation: "From the standpoint of corner outfield, there are going to be guys out there, looking for opportunities. We’re pretty much the land of opportunity right now."
- Chipper Jones still enjoys playing, says Braves GM Frank Wren. The 39-year-old third baseman is signed through 2012 with a '13 vesting option. Rosenthal and Morosi say Martin Prado is available in the right deal, but the Braves value his versatility, including his ability to back up Jones.
- Yoenis Cespesdes could petition baseball to declare him a free agent fairly quickly, after he establishes temporary residence in the Dominican Republic. The residency part is expected to happen within 10 to 14 days.
- The Blue Jays have expressed interest in trading for Rockies reliever Huston Street. Street has one year and $8MM remaining on his contract. Rosenthal and Morosi say the Rockies remain interested in a deal for Prado, which would require Seth Smith and another piece.
Rockies Rumors: Trade Targets, Stewart, Sizemore
The latest on the Rockies from the Denver Post's Troy Renck:
- The Rockies continue to search for starting pitching via trade, having met with a few teams already. They probably won't match the asking prices for John Danks or Wandy Rodriguez, but they could target arms such as Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez, Jeff Niemann, and Wade Davis, if the Marlins and Rays are willing to deal.
- The club plans to tender Ian Stewart a contract, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be a Rockie in 2012. Multiple clubs have inquired on Stewart, and Colorado is listening.
- Grady Sizemore won't work out for the Rockies, but the team hopes to get a better read on his health when he visits the Steadman-Hawkins clinic in Vail, Colorado.
- The Rockies would have interest in LaTroy Hawkins if they opened up a spot for him by trading Huston Street.
NL West Rumors: Lincecum, Rockies, Dodgers
The latest out of the NL West…
- Signing Tim Lincecum to a multiyear deal is at the top of the Giants' agenda, reports SI's Jon Heyman. The Giants are aiming for at least a four-year deal, which would buy out two years of free agency. Though Matt Cain is a year closer to free agency, Heyman says the focus is more on Lincecum. Heyman believes Lincecum's agents at Beverly Hills Sports Council could file as high as $25MM in arbitration this winter, in my opinion a risky move if the Giants come in around $20MM. For more on Lincecum's historic arbitration case, click here.
- The Rockies will not dabble financially in marginal players, explained GM Dan O'Dowd to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. They do have interest in Paul Maholm, Jeff Francis, and J.C. Romero, though, according to Renck, after bigger free agent targets such as Grady Sizemore and Roy Oswalt.
- The Dodgers will lower their payroll in 2012, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. The team's opening day payroll was about $120MM in 2011. So far this offseason they've added $6.5MM in 2012 salaries for Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera. Here's my offseason outlook for the club.
- Unlike Ellis' deal, Aaron Hill's new contract with the Diamondbacks is not backloaded. He'll earn $5.5MM in each of the '12 and '13 seasons, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro has an updated look at Arizona's payroll, and concludes that they'd need to non-tender Joe Saunders to be able to afford one of the better free agent pitchers on the market. MLBTR readers are split remarkably evenly as to whether Saunders will be tendered a contract on December 12th.
Eight Teams Interested In Grady Sizemore
TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.
The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.
The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.
Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.
Marlins Offered Jose Reyes Six Years, $90MM
The Marlins offered $90MM over six years to Jose Reyes, a source told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They say Reyes is intrigued by playing in warm weather and for Ozzie Guillen. Reyes wants a contract worth a minimum of $100MM, however, tweeted Joel Sherman of the New York Post yesterday. More from Rosenthal and Morosi…
- The Marlins have not discussed moving Hanley Ramirez to center field.
- Many in the industry are skeptical of the sincerity of the Marlins' early offers to Reyes, Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Ryan Madson, feeling the proposals are competitive but not good enough to accept.
- The Rangers and Angels are among the teams that are interested in both C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt. The Nationals prefer Oswalt. Both pitchers are clients of Bob Garber.
- Heath Bell could benefit from the new collective bargaining agreement if teams no longer have to surrender a draft pick to sign Type A free agents who turned down arbitration. Ramon Hernandez too, in my opinion. I'm surprised to hear that such a change could be instituted for the 2012-13 offseason, after some teams made July trade decisions based on the old free agent compensation system.
- The Padres want to trade Jason Bartlett or Orlando Hudson. They are currently the only two players the Padres have under contract. Bartlett's $5.5MM option for 2013 will vest with 432 plate appearances in 2012.
- Rafael Furcal has drawn interest from the Rockies, Tigers, and Blue Jays as a second baseman, but he prefers to remain at shortstop.
- Rosenthal and Morosi say not to rule out the Giants on Carlos Beltran yet.
- The Angels will know more about Kendrys Morales' condition after January 1st. Morales is still recovering from a fracture in his leg suffered in May of 2010.
Rockies Notes: Prado, Smith, Figgins, Oswalt
Here's the latest on the Rockies courtesy of The Denver Post's Troy Renck..
- On Sunday we heard that Martin Prado trade talks between the Rockies and Braves could pick up if the Rockies are willing to include Tim Wheeler or Charlie Blackmon in a deal. Now it appears that the Rockies aren't willing to do that, but would sign off on a deal to send outfielder Seth Smith and a lower-level prospect.
- If the Mariners are willing to eat nearly all of Chone Figgins' remaining salary in exchange for a prospect, then the Rockies would be interested.
- Colorado has expressed interest in Roy Oswalt and even though the Rockies will talk with him, the veteran has enough suitors that the Rockies have to be considered a longshot.
Minor Moves: Torres, Molleken
A few minor moves for Monday…
- The Yomiuri Giants will not exercise their 2012 option on former White Sox prospect Carlos Torres, MLBTR has learned. The 29-year-old righty is drawing interest from MLB clubs for a split contract, and is also receiving calls from teams in Japan and Korea. He won't be making a decision until later this year. Torres spent most of the season in the minor leagues for Yomiuri.
- 27-year-old righty reliever Dustin Molleken re-signed with the Rockies as a minor league free agent with a Major League invite to spring training, MLBTR has learned. Molleken posted a 4.76 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and 1.4 HR/9 in 45 1/3 relief innings this year at Double-A.
Rockies Notes: Carroll, Prado, Sizemore, Street
The Rockies' aggressiveness in their pursuit of Jamey Carroll could indicate that they're ready to make some bold moves this winter, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The team even offered the veteran a multi-year deal, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks, even though they clearly preferred the 37-year-old on a one-year contract. After losing out on Carroll to the Twins, what might come next for the Rockies?..
- Going after Braves' Martin Prado in a trade makes sense for the club and Atlanta likes outfielder Seth Smith. However, the Braves will require another piece, preferably a center fielder. Trade talks could pick up steam at this week's general managers meetings if the Rockies are willing to include Tim Wheeler or Charlie Blackmon.
- Center fielder Grady Sizemore obviously represents a considerable risk but the 29-year-old is looking to restore his value and would likely take a one-year deal. Coors Field would enticing in that scenario for both parties, Renck writes.
- The club has urgency to add a starter this winter but they're not desperate. One big reason for that is the miraculous recovery of Juan Nicasio. Those watching his bullpen sessions in the Dominican Republic say they can't tell he was even injured. This means that the Rockies will focus on an landing an impact starter rather than someone to keep the seat warm for Nicasio and Jorge De La Rosa.
- The Phillies' signing of Jonathan Papelbon unclogs the closers market and Ryan Madson will likely be the next to sign. As more closers find their homes, Huston Street's future should become clearer. Street is a potential one-year fit for a team that doesn't want to shell out a multi-year deal for a closer.
- A name that pops up regarding the Rockies' third base situation is Chase Headley of the Padres. The Rockies tried to acquire him last summer but the Padres weren't interested in moving him. San Diego remains uninterested in dealing the 27-year-old.