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C.J. Wilson Rumors: Tuesday

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On Day 1 of the Winter Meetings, the Angels emerged as the favorites for C.J. Wilson. The southpaw also has an offer from the Marlins, and Wilson's former team, the Rangers, plan to make their first official bid on Wilson today.  He reportedly has a six-year offer from an unknown team (not the Rangers or Nationals). We'll compile all of your Wilson rumors here…

  • The Angels won't go six years on Wilson, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
  • Garber said his meeting with the Rangers tonight was "great" and that he was pleasantly surprised, as Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas writes.
  • The Angels are already drawing trade interest on Ervin Santana in anticipation of a possible Wilson signing, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
  • The Rangers appear to have shifted their focus from Mark Buehrle to Wilson, Sullivan reports. However, Wilson's agent told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he hasn't received a formal offer from Texas yet (Twitter link).
  • Heyman hears that the Rangers' offer to Wilson is for about $60MM over four years (Twitter link).
  • Contrary to Rosenthal's tweet, MLB Network's Jon Heyman (Twitter link) and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan say that if the Marlins sign Pujols, they'll be out of the running for Wilson. Heyman adds that in that scenario, the Marlins would be out on Buehrle as well.
  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is pushing the team's interest in Wilson and won't rule out signing him and Albert Pujols, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
  • The Angels are doubtful to go six years on Wilson, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network, though Anthony Andro says manager Mike Scioscia doesn't seem concerned about contract length.
  • The Marlins are fading on Wilson, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
  • Some of what's been reported this week are "complete lies," Wilson said on the Ben & Skin show today.  Wilson said that his agent Bob Garber is scheduled to have dinner with Rangers GM Jon Daniels tonight.

Brewers A Favorite For Aramis Ramirez

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Here are today's Aramis Ramirez rumors, with the newest updates on top:

  • The Angels' early offers to Ramirez have been "on the low side," tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, who wonders if that signals a lack of money or interest focused elsewhere.
  • Jon Heyman of MLB Network says the Brewers have been the most aggressive suitor for Ramirez. Meanwhile, the Phillies' interest appears to be fading, but the Angels are still involved, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, who said he considers the Brewers a "favorite" to sign his client. There are three teams with serious interest, according to Kinzer, so presumably the Brewers and Phillies are two of the three.
  • The Brewers haven't made Ramirez an official offer yet, but the third baseman is definitely interested in Milwaukee, says Kinzer: "He likes that team. He wants to go to a team that has pitching and gives him a chance to win a ring. He thinks the Brewers can do that."

Nationals Center Field Rumors

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The latest Nationals news…

Seth Smith Among Rockies Drawing Trade Interest

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Seth Smith has drawn trade interest from multiple teams recently, according to Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd. As Thomas Harding of MLB.com writes, Colorado's search for pitching might result in the club dealing the outfielder.

"Seth is very, very well-liked within the game," O'Dowd said. "I'm not sure we're going to do anything, but we've had a lot of calls on Seth."

The Braves and Mariners had previously been linked to Smith, and Harding adds the Twins to the list of clubs who have expressed interest in the 29-year-old. Since the Rockies have "long had interest" in Kevin Slowey, who the Twins may be shopping, Harding suggests the two teams are a potential match.

The Rockies are also fielding offers for Ian Stewart, with the Cubs and Angels the most active suitors, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Huston Street is a trade candidate as well, and Morosi tweets that the Orioles are still talking to the Rockies about acquiring him, while Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that talks have cooled (Twitter link).

"We've got a lot of things in play," said O'Dowd. "We've stuck a lot of nets in the water. You really don't have any idea if anything's going to come through for you.

Blue Jays Rumors: Johnson, Callaspo, Anthopoulos

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Let's round up the newest Blue Jays notes from the Winter Meetings….

  • The Blue Jays are unlikely to make a move for a second baseman until they learn whether Kelly Johnson will accept their arbitration offer on Wednesday, tweets MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.  Chisholm says the Jays remain open to the idea of a multiyear deal should Johnson accept.  Since Johnson won't cost another team a draft pick to sign, he'll probably turn down arbitration.
  • The Jays really like Angels infielder Alberto Callaspo, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.
  • GM Alex Anthopoulos reiterated that his club isn't interested in seven- or eight-year contracts and that if any free agents require that sort of committment, the Jays "probably won't be a factor" for them (Chisholm Twitter links).
  • Anthopoulos said he'd love to make some moves at this week's meetings, but expects it may not be until afterward that things get done, tweets Chisholm. The GM added that this year's meetings are moving much slower than last year's, tweets Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590.

AL West Rumors: Rangers, Gonzalez, Wilson

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The latest updates out of the AL West:

  • The Rangers are searching for a utility infielder that can play shortstop, but competition is fierce at the Winter Meetings, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan says at least ten teams are looking for a player that fits that description.
  • An AL West source told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (Twitter link) that he expects the Athletics to move Gio Gonzalez.
  • Both the Angels and Rangers have plans to meet with C.J. Wilson's agent Bob Garber at the Winter Meetings. The southpaw is said to have received a six-year offer from a team that is not the Rangers.

Angels In The Market For A Closer

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8:21am: The Angels have inquired on A's closer Andrew Bailey, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He clarifies that the interest was early and has not intensified.

7:41am: The Angels are "definitely" in the market for a closer, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Los Angeles would apparently like a veteran presence to help Jordan Walden along. Heyman feels that Ryan Madson makes the most sense for Los Angeles to pursue.

Walden, 23, doesn't seem to need too much help. The flamethrowing rookie posted a 2.98 ERA in 60 1/3 innings this season while striking out 10.0 per nine innings and recording 32 saves for the second place Halos. His fastball averaged 97.5mph, while strong FIP (2.79) and SIERA (3.01) marks back up his success.

The Angels are also in on Aramis Ramirez and have an offer out to C.J. Wilson. Late last night, we heard GM Jerry Dipoto has budget limitations that will limit his spending to $15-$20MM, barring any moves to free up some more payroll.

Morosi’s Winter Meetings Preview

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Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports covers some of the major headlines that we'll be seeing over the next four days during baseball's Winter Meetings. Here's a late night look at the highlights:

  • Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are still the headliners, and Morosi thinks that Pujols will sign first (although not necessarily this week). Once Pujols signs — Morosi predicts he'll remain in St. Louis — it's possible that his the increased number of suitors for Fielder will land him more money than Pujols. Fielder, of course, is also four years younger than Pujols.
  • Fielder prefers teams east of the Mississippi River and teams that can win the World Series in the near future. The list of known interested parties includes the Brewers, Mariners, Cubs, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Nationals. Seattle's rebuilding status and geographic location may remove them from the mix, while the uncertainty around how much Chicago's new front office is willing to spend may remove them as well.
  • Morosi doesn't think Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would've moved Tyler Chatwood without knowing the acquisition of another starting pitcher was close at hand.
  • The Twins remain interested in Edwin Jackson, according to Morosi's sources, but the Scott Boras client isn't likely to sign before fellow free agents C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle.
  • The availability of Andrew Bailey, Huston Street, and Brandon League slows down the market for free agent closers, and Morosi speculates that a few wise teams in search of closers will be able to wait out veteran bargains as potential closing gigs dwindle.
  • The Yankees, Tigers, Marlins, and Nationals have been the most active in scouting Yoenis Cespedes. While he's not a free agent yet, his market will be dictated by whether or not teams like Miami and Washington land their other targets at the Winter Meetings and in the coming weeks. Detroit would be most interested if they decide that Cespedes can bat leadoff for them right away.
  • Robert Whiting, an expert on Japanese baseball, told Morosi over the weekend that there's still no word on whether or not Yu Darvish will be posted.
  • Whiting told Morosi that Darvish became disillusioned with the posting process, partly because of the failure of Hisashi Iwakuma and the A's to work out a deal last year. He is also wary of the struggles and ridicule that other NPB stars have incurred in their transition to MLB, Whiting told Morosi.

Angels Have $15-$20MM To Spend

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As new Angels GM Jerry Dipoto prepares for his first Winter Meetings as a general manager, Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times writes that he'll be under budgetary limitations. The Angels would like to keep their payroll around $140MM, meaning that Dipoto will have $15-$20MM to spend on shoring up three areas of need: a starting pitcher, a big bat, and a short reliever.

The Halos currently have an offer out to C.J. Wilson, and have also been linked to both Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Madson at various points in the past few weeks. DiGiovanna says that the rest of the Angels' offseason will likely hinge on the next move that is made.

Whichever hole (if any) Dipoto decides to fill via free agency, he also made it very clear that he's comfortable trading in this quote, relayed from DiGiovanna:

"Free agency is not foreign to me, but you're constantly exploring opportunities for trades…
the only other 2 1/2 -month period of time I did this job was right in the middle of trade deadline, so I'm very comfortable in it."

DiGiovanna speculates that Ervin Santana, Maicer Izturis, and Alberto Callaspo could become trade chips that would allow the Angels to pursue Ramirez even if they land Wilson. Santana will earn $11.2MM in 2012, while Izturis is under contract for $3.8MM and MLBTR's projections (courtesy of Matt Swartz) have Callaspo at $3.1MM.

East Links: Damon, Reyes, Nats, Orioles, Manny

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Some links pertaining to baseball's Eastern division teams as the Winter Meetings draw near…

  • Don't rule out Johnny Damon for the Orioles, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • Marlins people are saying it's still possible Hanley Ramirez could move to center field but a source close to Ramirez says he's already agreed to play third base, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
  • Ramirez's agent will not comment on the Marlins' signing of Jose Reyes, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo.  The Fish are expected to ask Ramirez to shift from shortstop to third base to accommodate Reyes.
  • The Orioles are looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder who can back up in center field and possibly platoon in left field, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
  • The Nationals center field targets include Peter Bourjos, B.J. Upton, and maybe Angel Pagan if he is non-tendered, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't think he'll have any interest in Manny Ramirez if he makes a comeback, tweets Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.
  • The Nationals are one team that is maintaining interest in Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes despite his increasing price tag, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Their pursuit of the center fielder may hinge on their negotiations with Mark Buehrle, C.J. Wilson, and Prince Fielder though.
  • Former Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson will manage the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, according to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo (on Twitter).
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out (via Twitter) that it was new Orioles GM Dan Duquette who signed Manny Ramirez to his eight-year, $160MM contract with the Red Sox and wonders if he might sign Ramirez once more.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Duquette called Ramirez's attempted comeback an "interesting development." The Orioles are in the market for a designated hitter.
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