Dodgers Rumors

Zack Greinke Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 30, 2012 at 12:40pm CDT

Dodgers executives met with Zack Greinke in Los Angeles yesterday, Yahoo's Tim Brown reported last night. Here’s the latest on Greinke, who is also drawing interest from the Angels, Nationals and Rangers, according to the most recent rumors…

The Nationals could pose a major threat to the Dodgers in the sweepstakes for Greinke, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. One GM wonders if both the Dodgers and the Nationals could bid “at all costs.” One friend of Greinke’s said the right-hander will consider winning, comfort and money.
The Angels remain in on Greinke after acquiringTommy Hanson, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
The Rangers can only sign one of Greinke and Josh Hamilton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
Greinke will also meet with the Angels, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
The Dodgers view Greinke as critical to their pitching staff, Brown reports. Greinke is believed to have enjoyed pitching for the Angels during the second half of the 2012 season, which could increase his interest in staying in the Los Angeles area. It’s not known if Greinke has met with the Angels, Nationals or Rangers, Brown writes.

Quick Hits: Greinke, Twins, Martin, Napoli, Royals

By Mark Polishuk | November 29, 2012 at 11:48pm CDT

Several player agents tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that the Mariners' chances of attracting free agent hitters have improved now that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in. That said, while the shorter fences will help, "players look at all of those factors, but in the end, it still comes down to where they can get the best contract. And it always will," one agent says.

Here are some items from a very busy day in baseball….

The Dodgers met with Zack Greinke on Thursday, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
In an interview with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities radio (via Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN), Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said his team will likely pursue free agents over trades at the Winter Meetings. "We probably don't have a lot of pieces that we do have to trade for starting pitching [with Denard Span now gone]," Antony said. "We'll probably be a little more aggressive and spend our time at the winter meetings talking to agents rather than clubs."
Russell Martin said the Yankees told him they didn't have the money available to match Pittsburgh's two-year/$17MM offer, reports David Waldstein of the New York Times. The Yankees didn't make Martin an offer and have yet to make any offers to position players this offseason, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (both links are to Twitter).
The Yankees aren't likely to pursue either A.J. Pierzynski or Mike Napoli, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York.
The Pirates considered pursuing Napoli but didn't think he could stay healthy and effective as a full-time catcher in the NL, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Royals offered Ryan Dempster a two-year, $26MM contract but are no longer bidding on the Canadian right-hander now that his price tag has risen, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. At least six teams besides Kansas City have been connected to Dempster this offseason.
Also from Dutton, the Royals offered Scott Feldman a one-year, $4.5MM deal before the righty agreed to a one-year, $6MM contract with the Cubs earlier this week.
MLB.com's John Schlegel lists 10 potential bargain signings on the free agent market.
The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Mel Antonen (Twitter link) that negotiations with Nate McLouth and Joe Saunders have been a "little slow" to develop.

Dodgers Could Have Interest In A.J. Pierzynski

By Mark Polishuk | November 29, 2012 at 8:13pm CDT

The Dodgers could potentially make a play for free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. L.A. general manager Ned Colletti almost signed Pierzynski as a free agent two years ago before the catcher re-signed with the White Sox, though the chances of Pierzynski signing with the Dodgers now is seen as "a remote possibility, at best" by some Dodgers people.

Pierzynski had new career highs in homers (27) and OPS (.827) in 2012, putting the veteran in good shape for a multiyear contract even though he turns 36 in December. While Pierzynski and the White Sox share some mutual interest in a new contract, it seems as if the two sides are ready to move on as Chicago has young catcher Tyler Flowers ready to take over behind the plate. That said, Pierzynski's departure also seemed imminent after the 2010 season before he re-upped with the White Sox.

If the Dodgers were to sign Pierzynski, it could make a trade candidate of current Los Angeles catcher A.J. Ellis, who had an impressive .270/.373/.414 slash line in 505 plate appearances last season. Ellis could become Pierzynski's backup, relegating incumbent backup Tim Federowicz back to the minors, but Ellis could also bring back a nice return in a trade given the thin catching market.

Angels Continue To Pursue Pitching

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 29, 2012 at 2:47pm CDT

The Angels could shift their focus away from top free agent starting pitching and pursue relief depth if Zack Greinke’s asking price increases beyond their limit, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. Adding Japanese right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa to the bullpen might provide the Angels with enough depth to avoid spending on Greinke and other free agents whose asking prices could increase when Greinke signs.

Instead, DiGiovanna writes, the Angels might pursue less costly starters such as Ryan Dempster and Joe Saunders. They appear to have interest in Dempster, who seeks a three-year contract.

The Angels are one of the top suitors for Greinke, along with the Dodgers, Nationals and Rangers, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (all Twitter links). However, the Angels haven’t made a play on Anibal Sanchez or Kyle Lohse, according to Bowden. The Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and White Sox are among the teams in play for free agent reliever Mike Adams, Bowden reports.

SoCal Links: Walden, Angels, Fujikawa, Field, Kuroda

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2012 at 7:18pm CDT

The Angels finalized their contract with Ryan Madson today, but here's some more out of Southern California…

In the wake of the Madson signing, the Angels are letting teams know Jordan Walden is "very available" according to ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The 25-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.46 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 39 innings this year.
Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would not say whether he was still pursuing Japanese free agent reliever Kyuji Fujikawa, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
The Angels will tender contracts to all four arbitration-eligible players according to DiGiovanna (on Twitter). Kendrys Morales, Alberto Callaspo, Jerome Williams, and Kevin Jepsen represent the team's class of arb-eligibles.
The Angels have claimed shortstop Thomas Field off waivers from the Twins, the team announced. The 25-year-old has hit .260/.315/.260 in 54 plate appearances with the Rockies over the last two years.
The Padres offered Hiroki Kuroda a one-year deal worth $17-18MM, reports George A. King III of The New York Post. The right-hander instead took a one-year, $15MM deal to return to the Yankees.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports hears Brian Wilson's first choice (aside from the Giants) would be to pitch for the Dodgers next year (Twitter links). Wilson lives in Los Angeles during the offseason and will likely be non-tendered later this week.

Dodgers Have Interest In Kyle Lohse

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2012 at 2:21pm CDT

The Dodgers have interest in free agent right-hander Kyle Lohse, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles (on Twitter). The team has made no secret of their desire to add pitching or willingness to spend this offseason.

Lohse, 34, pitched to a 2.86 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 33 starts and a career-high 211 innings with the Cardinals this season. He's thrown at least 180 innings in each of the last two years and in three of the last five years. St. Louis did make Lohse a qualifying offer after the season, so signing him will require draft pick compensation.

Quick Hits: Keppinger, Soriano, Dodgers, Orioles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 27, 2012 at 5:08pm CDT

The latest links from around MLB…

The Cubs, Diamondbacks and Rays are bidding for free agent infielder Jeff Keppinger even though he broke his leg, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). The 32-year-old recently broke his right fibula, but hopes to be ready for action by mid-January. Clubs don’t consider the injury serious enough to stop pursuing Keppinger.
MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons said on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch spoke with agent Scott Boras about free agent closer Rafael Soriano yesterday (hat tip: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter).
The Dodgers confirmed the promotions of several front office members, including Logan White and De Jon Watson, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. White and Watson had been assistant GMs and are now vice presidents. They are both considered GM candidates within the industry.
The Orioles aren’t expected to offer Mark Reynolds arbitration, but they’re trying to work out a new deal by Friday’s deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently examined Reynolds as a non-tender candidate.
Jair Jurrjens is expected to be non-tendered and Peter Moylan’s status as a non-tender candidate remains unclear, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter).

Zack Greinke Rumors: Tuesday

By Zachary Links | November 27, 2012 at 5:05pm CDT

Yesterday, we learned that the Dodgers have started asking about Zack Greinke and the rival Angels already view them as their biggest threat to sign the hurler away. Here's the today's news on the right-hander with the latest up top..

One person involved in the talks believe that Greinke's deal will eclipse C.C. Sabathia's seven-year, $161MM deal, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Angels are now unlikely to retain Greinke, sources tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The Halos still don't have a No. 3 starter in support of Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson but according to one person familiar with their plans, "It won't be Greinke." The Angels were once the frontrunners to sign Greinke, but they appear unwilling to shell out the kind money that it will require.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are considered the frontrunners for the right-hander according to a source familiar with the negotiations, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. However, nothing is completed between the two sides.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 26, 2012 at 1:19pm CDT

MLB executives see Zack Greinke obtaining a deal of at least six years for as much as $25MM per season, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. It’s possible the free agent right-hander will obtain a deal worth $150MM and establish a new record for right-handed pitchers. Matt Cain’s deal, worth a total of $127.5MM for six years, now represents the largest contract obtained by a right-hander, and C.C. Sabathia’s seven-year, $161MM contract represents the largest deal ever obtained by a pitcher. Here’s the latest on Greinke…

Dodgers people have started asking about Greinke, and their Los Angeles area rivals remain interested, too. Angels executives want to re-sign Greinke and have seen the Dodgers as their biggest threat, Heyman writes. The Angels would consider paying pitchers more per season than Jered Weaver on a “case-by-case” basis. Weaver earns $17MM per season on the deal he signed last summer.
While the Rangers and Nationals could also bid on Greinke, the Red Sox appear to be shying away from him. The Royals and Brewers, Greinke’s former teams, would love to have him back, according to Heyman.

Minor Moves: Ozzie Martinez, Josh Fields

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 23, 2012 at 5:06pm CDT

We’ll track the day’s minor moves right here…

The Dodgers signed Osvaldo Martinez to a minor league contract, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The infielder was first acquired by the Dodgers from the White Sox last July and Martinez posted a combined .489 OPS in 340 plate appearances for both clubs' Triple-A affiliates in 2012. Martinez appeared in 34 Major League games with the Marlins during the 2010-11 seasons.
The Phillies signed third baseman Josh Fields to a minor league contract, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (hat tip: Matt Gelb). The 29-year-old last played at the MLB level in 2010, but was once regarded as an up and coming player. He hit 23 home runs and posted a .244/.308/.480 batting line for the White Sox in 2007, though he has not come close to replicating those numbers since. Fields, a right-handed hitter who twice ranked among Baseball America's top 100 prospects, spent this past season with the Dodgers' Triple-A team. He hit 13 homers and posted a .322/.392/.488 batting line in 561 plate appearances as a corner infielder and designated hitter.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Dodgers Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect