AL Central Links: Willingham, Butler, Tigers, Cabrera
Here's the latest from the home of the American League champion Tigers….
- The Twins might not receive much more than a No. 4 starter in exchange for Josh Willingham, an AL executive tells Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities Radio. "There's no doubt Josh has a very good contract, but I really doubt a team would trade a viable starting pitcher for a guy with a strong bat but who is limited defensively," the executive said. "It's a lot easier to find a left-field or DH-type than to trade a good starting pitcher for one and then have to backfill the rotation spot." The 33-year-old Willingham is owed $14MM through 2014 and posted an .890 OPS last season, but another AL executive says Denard Span is a better trade chip for Minnesota.
- The Orioles have asked the Twins and Royals about Willingham and designated hitter Billy Butler, reports MLB.com's Paul Hagen. Both the Twins and Royals are desperate for pitching and while the O's have some good young arms, I don't think Baltimore has the pitching depth to spare in either the majors or minors.
- The Tigers want to keep backup catcher Gerald Laird but he will probably leave for a team that will give him more playing time, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The Tigers are generally active early in the offseason, though FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link) thinks this won't be the case this winter as the club's plans were pushed back by their World Series appearance.
- Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sees Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera as a good trade target for the Cardinals, and he suggests a few young Cards prospects who could go to Cleveland in exchange for the All-Star.
Justin Upton Rumors: Thursday
With the Diamondbacks in "active discussions" about Justin Upton, there has been no shortage of trade buzz about the former No. 1 overall draft pick. While the Braves and Yankees are reportedly not interested in Upton, teams as the Red Sox, Rangers and Rays are, though the Rays ironically can't make a serious push until Justin's brother B.J. rejects Tampa Bay's qualifying offer, though he is expected to do so by tomorrow.
Here's the latest about Upton from around the league, with the newest items at the top of the page…
- With input from rival executives, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic lists the Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Tigers and Braves as the top five possible suitors for Upton, with the Pirates and Royals as darkhorse candidates.
- D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told reporters (including Nick Piecoro) that despite some rumors to the contrary, he has had "zero issues" with Upton from a character standpoint. Towers is in "no rush" to make a deal for Upton and said that a potential trade won't prevent him from making other offseason moves. With starting pitching at such a premium in the game, Towers doubted the Snakes would be able to obtain a top pitcher "even in an Upton deal." (All links are to Piecoro's Twitter account.)
- The Rangers aren't willing to include either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar in a deal for Upton, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link), which will likely end trade talks between Texas and Arizona.
- The Red Sox are currently on Upton's four-team no-trade list, though he is willing to waive that protection in Boston's case, reports Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (Twitter links).
- The D'Backs would take a "good young starter" as the "centerpiece" of an Upton trade, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The Tigers are doing background work on Upton, tweets Nick Piecoro, though the Tigers may not have yet "talked specifics" with the D'Backs.
- "Don't expect" the Blue Jays to acquire Upton, tweets Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
Rangers Acquire Tommy Hottovy
The Rangers have acquired Tommy Hottovy from the Royals for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the team announced (on Twitter). Kansas City designated the left-hander for assignment late last week.
Hottovy, 31, spent most of the season in the Triple-A Omaha bullpen. He posted a 2.52 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 50 innings. Earlier today the Royals dealt Jeremy Jeffress, another Triple-A reliever who was removed from the 40-man roster last week, to the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays Acquire Jeremy Jeffress
The Blue Jays have acquired Jeremy Jeffress from the Royals for cash considerations according to his agent, report Danny Knobler and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Jeffress is represented by Double Diamond Sports Management.
Kansas City designated Jeffress for assignment late last week. They originally acquired him from the Brewers in the Zack Greinke deal, but he's spent most of the last two years in Triple-A. The 25-year-old Jeffress owns a 4.89 ERA in 38 2/3 big league innings spread out over the last three years. He owns a 5.60 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 82 career Triple-A innings.
Sherman’s Latest: Dickey, Wright, Hunter, Upton
Here's the latest from Joel Sherman of The New York Post…
- The Mets are making progress, albeit slowly, in contract talks with David Wright and R.A. Dickey. The impression is that there is still a substantial gap in talks with Dickey, and they've been gauging his trade value during the GM Meetings. They are not doing the same with Wright, however.
- The Yankees would not do a two-year deal worth $20MM or so for Torii Hunter since they want to get under the luxury tax threshold next year. They are fixated on one-year contracts this offseason and could fill their right field hole with a low-cost platoon.
- "The Yankees are not on him," said a source about Justin Upton, in part because they're unsure if he's a good fit for New York (Twitter link). The Rangers and Rays are strongest early players for Upton, and Sherman gets the sense that the D'Backs want to act quickly (Twitter links).
- The Diamondbacks want high-end, MLB ready players in return for Upton and would love to get Jurickson Profar or (more likely) Elvis Andrus from the Rangers. They don't love Mike Olt, however (Twitter links). GM Kevin Towers likes Yankees prospect Mason Williams, but he is several years away from the show and unlikely to be enough to headline a trade package (all Twitter links).
- Next year's crop of free agent starting pitchers is weak, which could benefit Zack Greinke since teams won't be able to find a stopgap and reassess next year. Josh Johnson and Tim Lincecum highlight next winter's pitching crop, and both come with question marks.
- The Mariners, who have young pitching, are said to be talking to the Royals and Twins, who have young hitting. Seattle would love to pry Wil Myers, Aaron Hicks, and/or Ben Revere loose.
- Jason Bay didn't produce with the Mets, but he lived up to his billing as a hard worker and good teammate. Sherman expects the outfielder to take a low-salary, change of scenery deal (Twitter link).
- Mets officials think Scott Hairston will get a two-year deal worth between $8-10MM this winter.
Minor Moves: Mock, Burke, Maier, Slowey, Ford
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves…
- The Diamondbacks have signed Garrett Mock to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.79 ERA in 61 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this season.
- The Mets have signed right-hander Greg Burke to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, the team announced (on Twitter). Burke, 30, pitched to a 1.53 ERA in 64 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this year.
- Indians right-hander Kevin Slowey has elected free agency, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 28-year-old spent 2012 with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate.
- The Red Sox have signed Mitch Maier to a minor league deal, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (on Twitter). The 30-year-old outfielder hit .172/.260/.313 in 74 plate appearances for the Royals this year.
- The Pirates have signed Darren Ford to a minor league pact, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 27-year-old outfielder hit .273/.326/.385 with 26 steals in 329 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
- The Pirates have signed infielder Jared Goedert to a minor league deal, reports Rosenthal (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hit .311/.373/.502 with 19 homers in 504 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
- The Royals have agreed to re-sign catcher Manny Pina to a minor league contract, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Pina, 25, hit .278/.415/.417 in 183 minor league plate appearances this summer. Dutton notes that he will be exposed in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Ishikawa, Torres, Ford, Nickeas
Tonight’s outright assignments..
- The Brewers announced via press release that they have outrighted first baseman Travis Ishikawa to Triple-A Nashville. Ishikawa, 29, hit .257/.329/.428 with four homers in 94 games last season.
- The Rockies announced (via Twitter) that they have outrighted right-hander Carlos Torres. In related moves, the club selected the contracts of right-hander Josh Sullivan, reinstated Todd Helton, Juan Nicasio, and Christian Friedrich from the 60-day DL. The right-hander appeared in 31 games for the Rockies this season posting a 5.26 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.
- The Orioles announced (via Twitter) that they have outrighted Lew Ford, Zach Phillips and Steven Tolleson to Triple-A Norfolk. Ford turned in another strong Triple-A batting line in 2012, hitting .331/.390/.550 with 11 homers in 62 games.
- Mets catcher Mike Nickeas cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Las Vegas, tweets Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger. Nickeas saw time in 47 big league games for the Mets this season as one of several backstops to pitch in at the position.
- The Twins announced that right-hander Sam Deduno has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. The move will help make room for the acquisitions of Thomas Field, Josh Roenicke, and Alexi Casilla off of waivers.
- The Royals sent catcher Manny Pina to Triple-A Omaha on outright assignment, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. In related moves, left-hander Danny Duffy and right-hander Felipe Paulino have been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Pina, 25, hit .260/.389/.397 in 162 Double-A plate appearances last year.
Royals Designate Jeffress, Bourgeois For Assignment
The Royals announced that they designated right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, left-hander Tommy Hottovy and outfielder Jason Bourgeois for assignment. The Royals needed 40-man roster space to claim Guillermo Moscoso and Brett Hayes and reinstate Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino from the 60-day disabled list.
Jeffress spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.97 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 58 innings of relief. Hottovy spent most of the season in the Omaha bullpen with Jeffress. The 31-year-old left-hander posted a 2.52 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 50 innings. Bourgeois appeared in 30 games with Kansas City this past season, posting a .258/.303/.323 batting line in 66 plate appearances.
Indians Claim Blake Wood
The Indians claimed right-hander Blake Wood off of waivers from the Royals, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). Wood hasn't pitched since undergoing Tommy John surgery this past May.
Wood contribued out of the Royals' bullpen in 2010-11, posting a 4.30 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 119 1/3 total innings. The 27-year-old posted improved numbers in 2011, his second full MLB season. He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time this coming offseason, when he projects to obtain a raise to $600K or so.
Royals Claim Guillermo Moscoso, Brett Hayes
The Royals claimed right-hander Guillermo Moscoso off of waivers from the Rockies and claimed catcher Brett Hayes off of waivers from the Marlins, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). The Royals have confirmed the moves.
Moscoso, 28, appeared in 23 games for the Rockies in 2012, posting a 6.12 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 innings. Hayes, also 28, appeared in 39 games for the Marlins in 2012. He hit .202/.229/.254 in 118 plate appearances with Miami.