Royals To Sign Melky Cabrera
Not content with signing just one ex-Brave, the Royals have agreed to sign another. Kansas City will sign Melky Cabrera on a one-year contract worth $1.25, plus $250K in incentives, pending a physical. The deal represents the latest move in a busy offseason for ACES, Inc.
Cabrera, who earned $3.1MM in 2010, was released by the Braves following a disappointing campaign in which he hit just .255/.317/.354 in 509 plate appearances. The 26-year-old is arbitration eligible for the third time this year, but as a Super Two, he will be under team control for one more season, through 2012.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were closing in on a deal, while ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas (via Twitter) confirmed the pact and added the financial terms. The team has announced the agreement.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday we learned that teams may be upping their offers for Royals ace Zack Greinke, though the Royals' asking price remains high. The latest:
- An executive of an interested team hears that the Royals won't deal Greinke before Cliff Lee signs, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The Royals may not have to wait long, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports Lee will sign by the end of the weekend.
- The Phillies have discussed Greinke with the Royals, reports CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury, but it's a long shot.
- The Dodgers haven't heard back from the Royals about Greinke, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hears that the Marlins did not discuss Greinke with the Royals (Twitter link).
- One of the Marlins' attempted three-team trades would have sent Greinke to Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Talks are lukewarm, but still alive, Rosenthal reports.
- The asking price on Greinke has gone up since last summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The deal will be "very hard to get done," according to one interested executive.
- The Nationals are being aggressive, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. MLB.com's Bill Ladson heard earlier that Washington was not pursuing the right-hander, however.
- Five teams are seriously pursuing Greinke and another three are on the periphery, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports – in an article, not a tweet! The Royals are specific with their request – pitching to replace Greinke and up-the-middle help. The Royals are moving slowly and there is no frontrunner. The Rangers, Dodgers, Nationals, and Blue Jays have shown some measure of interest.
- The Cubs called on Greinke but a mid-rotation addition is more likely for them, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
Marlins Discussed Three-Team Deal
6:50pm: The Marlins and Rangers are discussing deals involving relievers, according to Rosenthal.
5:44pm: The Marlins tried to acquire Greinke and were talking to the Rangers, but Texas denies that they discussed a three-team deal, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter).
5:31pm: The Marlins are not trading Nolasco, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (Twitter link).
5:14pm: The Rangers and Royals were involved in the potential three-team deal involving Greinke, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). And the Rockies? They inquired about Nunez, but not Nolasco, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
5:01pm: The deal would have sent Nolasco to the Rockies, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). One of the Marlins' attempted three-team trades would have sent Zack Greinke to Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Talks are lukewarm, but still alive, Rosenthal reports.
4:44pm: Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that the team was involved in discussions with two other clubs about a multiplayer deal before talks stalled (Twitter link). The Rangers and Rockies were the other teams involved in the potential swap, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). Leo Nunez and Ricky Nolasco, two players the Marlins will consider trading, were involved in the discussions.
The Rangers and Rockies were discussing a potential Michael Young deal last night, but it's not clear if these trade talks were related.
Royals Reach Agreement With Jeff Francoeur
The Royals announced they've reached an agreement with outfielder Jeff Francoeur on a one-year deal with a 2012 mutual option. Francoeur will receive a $2.5MM guarantee with another $500K in incentives, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The option is worth $3MM. The match comes as no surprise, with Royals GM Dayton Moore showing longstanding interest and also a tendency to acquire players who played for his former employer.
Francoeur, 27 in January, hit .249/.300/.383 overall in 503 plate appearances this year for the Mets and Rangers but did have a nice 56 PA Texas stint. Francoeur was once an up-and-comer with the Braves, hitting 29 home runs as a 22-year-old. The Dodgers, Indians, Rockies, and Phillies were also linked to Francoeur, who is represented by Molly Fletcher at Career Sports.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted a deal was close.
Royals Getting Close On Francoeur Deal
11:31am: The Royals will announce a deal with Francoeur later today, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
10:26am: The Royals are getting close on a deal with outfielder Jeff Francoeur, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says it's a one-year deal and a club option is possible. The match comes as no surprise, with Royals GM Dayton Moore showing longstanding interest and also a tendency to acquire players who played for his former employer.
Francoeur, 27 in January, hit .249/.300/.383 overall in 503 plate appearances this year for the Mets and Rangers but did have a nice 56 PA Texas stint. Francoeur was once an up-and-comer with the Braves, hitting 29 home runs as a 22-year-old.
Twins Rumors: Pavano, Nishioka, Thome, Greinke
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
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
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.
Royals Seeking Right-Handed Hitting Outfielder
Like many clubs, the Royals are seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder. They're considering multiple ex-Braves, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution: Jeff Francoeur, Matt Diaz, Melky Cabrera, and Andruw Jones. Diaz, of course, was with the Royals first.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday
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).