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Johnny Damon Rumors: Thursday

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White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald that he won't discuss his club's interest in Johnny Damon until Sunday. It's unclear what that means, but Gregor suspects it means Damon has chosen the Tigers.

Early in the day yesterday it seemed that Damon was moving slowly towards a deal with the Tigers. But the White Sox appeared to gain momentum as the day went on, though their $4.5MM offer is nothing spectacular. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times tweeted that the White Sox were going from long shots to frontrunners. 

And we've heard lots about Damon's wife, but the outfielder says the decision is up to him.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Wednesday

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11:06pm: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune hears from a team source who says he can imagine Damon signing with the White Sox. "I think we have a good shot to get him now," the source said.

Another person discounted the importance of Damon's recent golf outing with Pierzynski and Harrelson.

6:26pm: Joe Cowley talks to Pierzynski about the Damon negotiations, and Cowley quotes an unnamed member of the White Sox who says "I would be surprised if [Damon] didn't sign with us.''

4:13pm: Rosenthal tweets that the present-day value of Chicago's offer to Damon is in the $4.5MM range, considering deferrals.  He's hearing that Damon doesn't want to go to the Tigers.  As for Damon's wife's preferences, the player texted to SI's Jon Heyman that "It's up to me.  She's going wherever I go."  Cowley tweets that the Sox "are going from long shots to frontrunners in the Damon sweepstakes the last few hours."

12:02pm: Rosenthal wrote yesterday that "some with the White Sox are confident that a deal with Damon could happen, and believe it might even be close."  Similarly, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes today that "the White Sox front office is feeling like they may have 'significantly' closed the gap between themselves and Detroit for the free agent's services."  However, Cowley has one source that still considers the Tigers the frontrunner.  Also, Scot Gregor of The Daily Herald believes the Braves are still in the mix.

8:50am: Yesterday we heard from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that free agent Johnny Damon played golf Monday with White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and broadcaster Hawk Harrelson.  The Sox remain firm on their initial offer, one that could be slightly above $4MM according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  SI's Jon Heyman tweeted this morning that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf recently got involved in the Damon talks.  Gonzales notes that the White Sox-Scott Boras relationship appears to be thawing, given the Damon talks, the Andruw Jones signing, and the Sox drafting a Boras client in the 16th round of last year's draft.

Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says the Tigers and Damon "appear to be moving, at less than full speed, toward a deal."  It seems that one of these two clubs will sign Damon, but it's difficult to peg a frontrunner.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian

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Links for Wednesday…

Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees

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Monday night linkage..

  • Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance.  A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
  • The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.  There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day.  Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
  • Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead.  Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects.  He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
  • Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
  • If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate.  Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
  • In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Monday

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There is now only a "very small" difference of opinion between the Tigers and Johnny Damon on salary, a major league source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Though the sides have exchanged proposals, a deal is not yet imminent.

A one-year, $7MM remains possible; as does a two-year, $14MM pact.  However, the source downplayed the chances of a one-year deal with a player option for 2011.

A different source tells Morosi that the Braves have not ratcheted up their chase of the 36-year-old in the last week, leaving the White Sox as the strongest known challenger to the Tigers.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Saturday

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Pitchers and catchers report next week, but Johnny Damon still doesn't have a home for the 2010 season. ESPN's Buster Olney hears that "at least one team which might have extended an offer has no expectation that [Damon] would actually take a two-year offer; rather, part of the negotiation with that team is that he would take only that one year." 

Olney says that executives involved in the negotiations expect Damon to eventually accept a one-year deal worth $7MM with some deferred money, so his people can say he turned down a two-year deal. Meanwhile, Drew Sharp of The Detroit Free Press wonders if Scott Boras is just using the Tigers to create a market for Damon when one doesn't exist. 

If Damon has in fact received a two-year offer worth $14MM from the Tigers, I can't see how he could turn that down at this point.

Odds & Ends: Upton, Jackson, Tigers, Lopez

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Friday night linkage..

  • B.J. Upton and the Rays had their arbitration hearing today and the decision from that hearing is expected tomorrow, writes Bill Chastain of MLB.com.  Tampa Bay is offering $3MM while Upton wants $3.3MM.
  • Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets that there is still no movement in talks between the D-Backs and Edwin Jackson.  Jackson is seeking $6.25MM while Arizona is offering $4.6MM.
  • If the Tigers ink Johnny Damon, the club may look make a trade to free up their glut in the outfield, writes James Schmehl of MLive.com.  Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas could be shipped elsewhere in order to make room for Damon in the lineup.  Schmehl also writes that GM Dave Dombrowski may try to move Nate Robertson and Carlos Guillen, though their hefty contracts will be an impediment.
  • Phil Wood of MASNSports.com fails to understand the Nats' interest in pitcher Kris Benson.  The 35-year-old has not pitched a full season since 2006, when he posted a 4.82 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 for the Orioles.
  • Australian catcher Guy Edmonds has signed with the Texas Rangers, according to Christian Nicolussi of The Daily Telegraph.  Nicolussi writes that the 16-year-old has the potential to outperform the country's greatest baseball export, Dave Nilsson.
  • ESPN's Rob Neyer defends Tim Lincecum's signing of a two-year deal with the Giants.  Tiny Tim was seeking $13MM in arbitration with the club.
  • Rangers pitchers Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando – banned for the past five years due to their involvement in a visa fraud scandal – have received their visas and are expected in Spring Training, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  In total, the Rangers are expecting 56 players in camp.
  • On his website, MetsBlog.com founder Matthew Cerrone was asked by a reader if reporters in the mainstream media "make up" hot stove rumors.  While he says that this is not the case, the seriousness of talks between clubs are, at times, not communicated effectively.  Because of the strange nature of the baseball rumor mill, Cerrone says that he and Tim Dierkes provide an important service to fans by adding context to hot stove rumblings.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Friday

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5:35pm: While the activity on Damon has heated up in the past week, it doesn't appear as though he will sign with a team until next week, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.

2:12pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com says via Twitter that it looks like the Damon sweepstakes will come down to the White Sox and Tigers. He says the Braves don't appear to have the money to bid.

2:00pm: Don't hold your breath for a Damon signing. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that nothing is imminent with the Tigers.

9:44am: The White Sox "threw [a] bone" at Johnny Damon, but weren't seriously involved, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That matches up with yesterday's reports from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times and MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

Rosenthal and others reported yesterday that the Tigers are prepared to offer Damon $14MM over two years. That makes them the favorite to acquire the outfielder, though we haven't completely ruled out the Braves.

Heyman On Damon, Braves, Wang, Dye

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Jon Heyman of SI.com explains that expectations for Johnny Damon were unrealistically high at the beginning of the offseason. Here's Heyman's latest on Damon and others:

  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland is said to want Damon badly.
  • Heyman hears that the Braves might have $6MM to spend. 
  • Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client is still a week or so away from deciding where he'll sign. Competitors still expect the righty to sign an incentive-laden deal with the Nationals. 
  • We've heard that the Indians are considering Jermaine Dye; Heyman says he could play some first base in Cleveland. 

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Scutaro, Carroll

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On this date eight years ago, Major League Baseball acquired the Montreal Expos from owner Jeffrey Loria for $120MM, who then purchased the Marlins for $158MM. Loria took everything not nailed down in Montreal with him to Florida, including manager Jeff Torborg. MLB ran the Expos for the next four-plus years until ownership was transferred to Ted Lerner in July 2006.

Here's a look at what's being written around the web…

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