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Angels Notes: Wilson, Pujols, Fielder, Dipoto

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In yesterday's collection of Angels notes, we heard that the team has touched base with C.J. Wilson. GM Jerry Dipoto said his club is "intrigued" by the possibility of signing the left-hander away from the rival Rangers, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Let's round up a few more Angels-related links….

  • Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio tweets that Wilson, who is from Southern California and is living there this winter, has "serious interest" in the Angels.
  • Within his ESPN.com blog (Insider only), Buster Olney says baseball people that have talked to the Angels don't think the club will be among the bidders for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Dipoto said earlier this week that, while an impact first baseman isn't the team's most pressing need, the Angels "don't want to lock the door" on the possibility of signing Pujols or Fielder.
  • The baseball people who spoke to Olney also feel like Dipoto is "in full control of the decisions" for the Angels, with Mike Scioscia entirely focused on managing.

Angels Notes: Wilson, Bullpen, Coaches

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Here's the latest on the Halos….

  • General manager Jerry Dipoto has "reached out" to C.J. Wilson's representation, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), though DiPoto added it's "very early in the courting period."  In his Offseason Outlook piece about the Angels, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith estimated the club would have roughly $10-$20MM in payroll space to work with this winter, so the Angels could afford to pay Wilson the $12-15MM average annual salary he's likely to receive on the free agent market and still have a bit of cash left over to address other roster holes.
  • From that same DiGiovanna link, Dipoto also said the Angels are looking at right-handed relievers.
  • The Angels' coaching staff have all had their contracts renewed and will be back in 2012, Dipoto tells DiGiovanna (Twitter link).
  • Keep up on all the latest Halos news by following MLBTR's Angels-specific Facebook page, Twitter feed and RSS feed.

Dipoto Talks Angels Offseason

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10:43pm: Dipoto said the Angels aren't interested in Aramis Ramirez but are interested in C.J. Wilson, according to Bowden (all links go to Twitter). Dipoto said he's looking for an upgrade at catcher, improved on-base percentage in the lineup and a rotation stabilizer. The Angels intend to tender a contract to Kendrys Morales, who hasn't played since an ill-fated walk-off celebration in 2010.

9:47pm: Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden that the Angels may be interested in Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Morales and Rookie of the Year candidate Mark Trumbo provide the Angels with two internal options at first base, but Dipoto hasn’t ruled out others.

"Don't assume that we have no interest in Fielder or Pujols," Dipoto said. "We don't want to lock the door. We are a high-revenue team and I'm a big believer in acquiring impact players. However, they are not our greatest need and are not priority number one on our list."

Dipoto explained that the Angels intend to pursue right-handed relievers this offseason in order to strengthen the back of their bullpen. Meanwhile, top prospect Mike Trout hasn’t assured himself of a starting job in the Major Leagues yet. Torii Hunter, Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells have everyday outfield jobs heading into Spring Training and the Angels intend to find regular at bats for the 20-year-old Trout.

"I know one thing, he's going to play every day and if it's not in the Major Leagues then it will be in our farm system," Dipoto said.

For a detailed look at the team's offseason outlook, click here.

Quick Hits: Servais, D’Backs, Cubs, Dodgers, Astros

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Some links as Saturday night turns into Sunday morning…

  • The Angels have hired Rangers director of player development Scott Servais to be their assistant GM, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan first reported that Servais appeared to be leaving Texas. GM Jon Daniels declined to speculate about Servais' replacement, according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (on Twitter).
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers will have more money to work with in 2012, managing partner Ken Kendrick told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (Twitter link). The D'Backs won the NL West with payroll of about $55MM this past season.
  • The Cubs have hired Joe Bohringer to be their pro scouting director, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Bohringer had been working as a scout for the Diamondbacks since 2006.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports makes a case for the cash-strapped Dodgers to sign Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder.
  • Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle wonders if Jim Crane would take his time making front office changes once his purchase of the Astros is official.
  • The Brewers have hired Rangers pitching instructor Andy Pratt as a pro scout, reports Jeff Wilson of The Star Telegram (on Twitter).

Minor Moves: Tobin, Downs, Rangers, Timmons

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Rangers have outrighted Mason Tobin to Triple-A Round Rock, reports Drew Davison of The Star Telegram (all Twitter links). FOXSportsSouthwest.com's Anthony Andro says Texas offered the Rule 5 Draft Pick back to the Angels, but they declined. Tobin threw just 5 1/3 games for the Rangers before needing elbow surgery.
  • The Tigers have signed Darin Downs to a minor league contract according to a tweet from Sosnicke Cobbe Sports. The 26-year-old lefty posted a 4.66 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 112 innings in the Marlins farm system in 2011.
  • Pitchers Eric Hurley, Omar Beltre and Merkin Valdez and infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German elected free agency, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers outrighted all five off of their roster earlier this week. Blanco posted a .605 OPS in 82 plate appearances as a utility player in 2011, but none of the others spent significant time in the Majors this past season.
  • The A's announced that they signed infielder Wes Timmons to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The 33-year-old posted a .341/.420/.468 line in 401 plate appearances in the upper minors this past season.
  • MLB granted free agency to 537 minor leaguers this week and Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the complete list.

AL West Notes: Oliver, Angels, Mariners

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Let's round up some links from baseball's only four-team division…

  • Darren Oliver is leaning strongly towards returning in 2012, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "After what happened this year, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth," said Oliver. "I don't think I want it to end like that." The Rangers lefty is a Type-A free agent.
  • The Angels have signed Dominican outfielders Ayendi Perez and Ranyemi Alberto Mendoza according to a press release from the Dominican Prospect League. Perez signed for $25K while Mendoza signed for $70K.
  • The Mariners officially announced the hiring of Chris Gwynn as director of player development in a press release. Gwynn is Tony's brother, and he had previously been working in the Padres front office.

Quick Hits: Price, Aardsma, Willingham, Angels

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Happy Halloween to MLBTR's readers! We've already seen C.C. Sabathia sign an extension and Tony La Russa retire today. Here are some more updates from around MLB…

  • Rays left-hander David Price opted out of the contract he signed when Tampa Bay drafted him, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. He's still under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player, however. Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections, so declining his $2.433MM option was merely a formality.
  • David Aardsma, who became a free agent today, wouldn't rule out returning to the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
  • Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group that he expects Josh Willingham to sign a three-year deal and doesn’t expect his client to re-sign with the Athletics (Twitter link).
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees executive Billy Eppler was the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto in the Angels' search for a GM (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox announced that they hired Jeff Manto to be their hitting coach, Joe McEwing  to be their third base coach and Mark Parent to be their bench coach (Twitter link).
  • Dave Cameron introduces FanGraphs' top 50 free agents of the offseason. MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents is on its way as well.

Quick Hits: White Sox, Indians, Sabathia, Sizemore

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A grab-bag of links on the first Sunday of what should be a fun offseason….

  • Don't expect the White Sox to pick up any big-ticket players on the free agent market, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The club is unlikely to bring Juan Pierre back in 2012 and if they look to replace him with a traditional leadoff type, Merkin expects the team to do so via trade.
  • It would be a surprise if the Indians re-signed Chad Durbin as the club has several promising young relievers who could take his spot, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
  • The Yankees will make a contract offer to C.C. Sabathia this weekend, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. However, most people expect the lefty to opt out of his current deal and "look around."
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff predicts destinations and contract details for his top 30 free agents, in slideshow form.
  • The Rangers, Nationals, and Brewers top Buster Olney's list of potential landing spots for Grady Sizemore (ESPN insider link).
  • Hisashi Iwakuma confirmed that he will attempt to sign with an MLB team again this winter, according to NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (via Sponichi). Iwakuma was unable to work out a deal with the Athletics last offseason.
  • New Angels GM Jerry Dipoto will have complete decision-making power, says Angels owner Arte Moreno. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times has details and quotes.
  • The Padres will hire Phil Plantier as their new hitting coach, tweets FOX's Ken Rosenthal.

West Notes: Matsui, Angels, Gibson, D’Backs

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Here are a handful of interesting notes from around baseball's West divisions:

  • The Athletics' interest in re-signing impending free agent DH Hideki Matsui is waning, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland wants to get younger, according to Slusser, and Matsui, now 37, doesn't fit that bill. A return isn't entirely impossible, though, and A's GM Billy Beane will meet with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, next week.
  • Angels owner Arte Moreno said that the Halos' 2012 payroll will be in the $130-140MM range, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), which would prevent them from pursuing any expensive free agents. In the Angels' installment of MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series, Ben Nicholson-Smith calculated that the Angels will have about $120MM on the books before accounting for players making the league minimum, so new GM Jerry Dipoto will have about $10-20MM to play with.
  • Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson's 2013 club option vested when the Snakes reached the playoffs this year, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D'Backs almost certainly would have picked up the option anyway considering Gibson's success in his first full season as skipper, but Arizona's postseason berth assured it. Gibson's coaches have all been extended through 2013, as well.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers will focus on position players this offseason rather than pitchers, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, with second base being a key spot of interest. It's been expected that Aaron Hill's $8MM 2012 club option will be declined, though Arizona would like to re-sign him, according to Gilbert.
  • Towers doesn't expect to find a new vice president of scouting and player development, the position vacated by Dipoto, according to Piecoro. As well, Towers and Dipoto will hash out which executives the latter will be allowed to bring to Anaheim, with director of international scouting Carlos Gomez expected to be a person of interest in those talks. "That'd be a tough one," Towers said. "He's good. International guys are hard to find, especially young guys. He is under contract. I plan on offering him even a second year."
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