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Twins Rumors: Pavano, Nishioka, Thome, Greinke

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Another fresh batch of Twins rumors from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

  • Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell told Neal that the two sides had a "productive talk" today and said to "stay tuned." According to Neal, the Twins feel they have a legitimate chance to retain the right-hander. O'Connell also met with other teams today, including the Nationals. SI.com's Jon Heyman adds, via Twitter, that the Twins are trying hard to keep Pavano in the fold and that he was their 2010 clubhouse leader.
  • The Twins did not meet with Tsuyoshi Nishioka's representatives today, and no talks are scheduled for Wednesday either, says Neal. The club still hopes to sign him, and "no one is worried." Neal reminds us that negotiations with Japanese players can be more complicated, as clauses for perks such as a certain number of round-trip tickets to fly friends and family over from Japan are often worked into the deals as well.
  • The Twins touched base with Jim Thome today and still hope to sign their 2010 hero, who slugged over .600 for Minnesota in a revitalized season.
  • While the Twins remain in touch with the Royals about Zack Greinke, Neal doesn't see any way Minnesota could acquire the Kansas City ace without bringing a third team into the equation.

Matt Diaz Rumors: Tuesday

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7:30pm: The D'Backs made Diaz an offer, but it appears that he'll sign elsewhere, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

12:42pm: Matt Diaz seems to be one of baseball's more popular non-tenders.  His agent Larry Reynolds believes he'll sign in the "next couple of days, even today."  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds the Diamondbacks to a list of suitors that also includes the Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Yankees.  The Phillies and Pirates have come up in a more speculative sense.

Rosenthal notes that the Diamondbacks prefer a first base/left field utility type like Diaz or Xavier Nady to a full-time option like Derrek Lee.  It seems they could end up with platoons at third base, first base, and left field in 2011.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Tuesday

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On Monday, we heard that Zack Greinke would be willing to waive his no-trade clause in any deal, and that the Royals covet Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider in a potential deal with Toronto. Here are today's Greinke rumors:

  • You can count the Nationals out of the Greinke sweepstakes, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Royals felt the Nationals weren't a good match.
  • The Dodgers have discussed Greinke with the Royals, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link).
  • The Nationals inquired on Greinke, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports. It doesn't seem like the sides will reach a deal, however. The Blue Jays and Rangers remain involved in talks with Kansas City.
  • It sounds like teams are upping their offers for Greinke, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
  • The Royals' rival officials expect them to gradually reduce their sky-high asking price until they get a yes, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • Jon Heyman of SI tweets that the Royals are now saying they wouldn't trade Greinke within the division "in a perfect world." As Heyman points out, that sounds like a softened version of the stance the Royals seemed to have taken last week.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday

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Zack Greinke appears willing to waive his no-trade clause in any deal, but his list of potential suitors appeared to shrink when the Brewers acquired Shaun Marcum. Milwaukee tried to pry Greinke away from the Royals, but found that GM Dayton Moore was asking a lot for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. We'll keep track of all the day's Greinke rumors right here:

  • The Royals appear to be tiring of the Rangers' offers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Discussions with Toronto appear to hinge on the Blue Jays' willingness to include Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider in a potential deal. Royals officials say a deal could come together in a hurry if the Blue Jays decide they're willing to part with those two players.
  • The Reds have not talked to the Royals about a potential Greinke deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
  • The Braves are not pursuing Greinke and have not been pursuing him, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

Brewers Notes: Marcum, Prince, Greinke

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The Brewers have one of the biggest trade chips in baseball and they actively pursued another one. Here are the details:

  • Alex Anthopoulos and Doug Melvin both said Shaun Marcum's desire for an extension figured into the trade that sent the right-hander to Milwaukee, according to Yahoo's Steve Henson (on Twitter). The Blue Jays weren't going to offer him an extension, but that's something the Brewers are open to.
  • The Brewers' top trade chip, Prince Fielder, is even more likely to stay put now that the team has acquired Marcum, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
  • The Royals' top trade chip, Zack Greinke, intrigues the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The team made two passes at Greinke before pursuing Marcum.

Stark On Crawford, Beltre, Lee, Greinke, Bartlett

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In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark discusses the ripple effect that Jayson Werth's $126MM deal will have on the remaining free agents. One AL official opines that it raises Carl Crawford's price in a "big, big way": "He's looking at maybe eight years, $180 million now, maybe 10 years, $190 million." Here are the rest of Stark's hot stove notes:

  • Crawford is the clear top target for the Angels, but in the past they've tried to avoid going as high as eight years for any player, let alone ten.
  • Despite getting Werth's contract done already, Scott Boras often drags out negotiations for his top clients. Stark polled a dozen people across baseball on when Adrian Beltre would sign, and many predicted it wouldn't happen until Christmas or later.
  • Neither the Yankees or Rangers have made a formal offer to Cliff Lee yet, but many of those baseball people polled by Stark expect a deal to get done within the next week.
  • There's good news and bad news for the Royals and Zack Greinke's trade value: with many free agent arms coming off the board already, Greinke has become more valuable in a pitching-thin market. However, according to one AL source, "Greinke has been trying to convince the Royals that it's not a great idea if he's there next year," which reduces Kansas City's leverage.
  • The Diamondbacks haven't totally ruled out trading Justin Upton, though it appears unlikely. Kevin Towers tells Stark "it's going to take somebody a little on the crazy side" to get anything done.
  • There's a sense that Jason Bartlett is the player most likely to be traded this week. However, Stark has trouble finding a team in need of a shortstop that matches up well with the Rays, who would like a late-inning reliever in return.
  • With Werth off the market, the Phillies will look to replace him with a complementary player rather than a big name. Stark lists Scott Hairston, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz as a few possible targets. Philadelphia has also been trying to find a taker for Raul Ibanez, but would likely have to eat a good chunk of salary to do so.

Greinke Willing To Go Anywhere

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Royals right-hander Zack Greinke holds a partial no-trade clause and has given the club a list of fifteen teams that he will refuse to go to.  Despite being one of the leading suitors for the hurler, the Blue Jays are on the no-trade list, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, sources say that Greinke has told Kansas City that he is willing to go anywhere.

Players frequently waive no-trade clauses, often times in exchange for a contractual benefit.  Even though Greinke seems open-minded, one rival GM remains skeptical of that stance, saying that a club being on the no-trade list makes a deal less likely.

While the Blue Jays may face an obstacle in landing the ace, other potential suitors are not on the no-trade list.  The Braves, Reds, and Rangers were all left off of the fifteen-team list.

Blue Jays Still Showing Interest In Zack Greinke

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The Blue Jays are still showing interest in Royals ace Zack Greinke, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun. They inquired about the right-hander last month, and Elliott hears that the Jays believe the need "one more big piece" to make a run at the AL East title next season.

The Twins, Rangers, Braves, Reds, Mariners, and Nationals have all inquired about Greinke according to Elliott. The Royals have said they won't trade the former Cy Young Award winner within their division, limiting their options somewhat. The market for Greinke could heat up once Cliff Lee signs, since both the Rangers and Yankees could turn their attention towards him since he's the only other ace-caliber starter that we know is available.

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