Dodgers Rumors

Carroll Nearing Multiyear Deal With Twins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 10, 2011 at 9:00pm CDT

2:24pm: Carroll's nearing a multiyear deal with the Twins, according to Crasnick (on Twitter). He would be Minnesota's everyday shortstop.

2:08pm: The Twins continue to pursue Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Twins and Carroll are talking regularly (Twitter link).

12:50pm: The Twins have had recent discussions for Carroll, according to Morosi (Twitter link).

12:19pm: The Braves and Indians aren't finalists for Carroll, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

11:40am: The Padres are not the team nearing a deal with Carroll, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter).

10:57am: The Dodgers aren't the team that's nearing a deal with Carroll, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies aren't the mystery team (Twitter link) and Morosi reports that the Tigers aren't involved.

10:36am: The Blue Jays are showing serious interest in Carroll and were one of three finalists for him as of yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all links go to Twitter). Morosi hears that the infielder is "very close" to agreeing to a deal.

7:38am: Jamey Carroll is nearing a multiyear deal with an unknown team, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The Tigers, Rockies, Dodgers and Indians have been mentioned as potential suitors for Carroll, a Millenium Sports Management client who is expected to sign within a few days. The Phillies and Braves have also expressed interest.

The 37-year-old infielder played shortstop and second base for the Dodgers in 2011, posting a .290/.359/.347 line in 510 plate appearances. He hasn't posted an on-base percentage below .355 in any of the past four seasons and he has a career mark of .356 after a decade in the Major Leagues. Carroll, who also has experience at third base and in the outfield, stole ten bases without getting caught this past season. He is not a ranked free agent and won't cost his new team a draft pick.

Carroll spoke with MLBTR's Tim Dierkes in June and you can check out the interview here. Tim predicted the Tigers would sign Carroll, placing him 41st on MLBTR's list of top free agents.

This post was originally published on November 11, 2011.

Dodgers Links: Sale, Offseason, Infielders, Rivera

By Dan Mennella | November 10, 2011 at 5:30pm CDT

On this day in 1988, Los Angeles right-hander Orel Hershiser won the NL Cy Young Award by a unanimous vote after going 23-8 with a 2.31 ERA. Here are a few items of note regarding the Dodgers …

Tom Golisano, the former owner of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, is preparing a bid to purchase the Dodgers, according to Craig Karmin and Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal. Golisano is "one of the first to declare an interest in buying the franchise who actually has the money to pull off the transaction," according to the report.
Outgoing owner Frank McCourt hasn't told GM Ned Colletti not to spend on free agents — even ones of Prince Fielder's caliber — this offseason, a source tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
The Dodgers are "aggressively pursuing" infielders and are also interested in acquiring a catcher and starting pitchers, Major League sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Los Angeles is targeting Clint Barmes, Aaron Hill and Mark Ellis to play second base and/or a utility position.
Juan Rivera's new contract with the Dodgers could be worth as much as $9MM over the next two seasons, according to Hernandez. The outfielder is guaranteed $4MM in 2012, with a $4MM option or $500K buyout for 2013, and he can earn as much as $500K in each of the next two seasons depending on his number of at-bats.

Dodgers, Kemp Talking Extension

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 10, 2011 at 7:41am CDT

Matt Kemp and the Dodgers are discussing a long-term deal and talks have had “more substance lately,” according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Kemp, who is on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season, will not negotiate after Opening Day, according to his agent.

The 27-year-old center fielder is a leading candidate for the National League MVP after hitting an NL-best 39 home runs with a .324/.399/.586 line. MLBTR projects a $16.3MM salary for Kemp in 2012 and each one of his free agent seasons could cost the Dodgers $20MM or more. It doesn’t appear that Kemp will be giving the Dodgers any discounts this offseason, as much as he enjoys playing in Los Angeles.

"It's also important for him to be seen by his peers as one of the best," agent Dave Stewart told the LA Times in October. "This isn't Matt saying this, this is me saying this … but, unfortunately, the way these things are seen is often based on how you're paid."

Though the Dodgers’ sale will likely prevent the team from pursuing top free agents such as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, GM Ned Colletti appears to have the flexibility to consider extensions for Kemp and left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

NL West Notes: D’Backs, Barmes, Darvish, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2011 at 9:01pm CDT

The Diamondbacks finalized a new deal with Willie Bloomquist today and the move has had an impact for at least two NL West teams. Here are the details.

The Giants offered Bloomquist a two-year deal worth more than $3.8MM before he re-signed in Arizona, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). San Francisco’s offer was worth $4.6MM over two years, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. The D’Backs remain interested in Aaron Hill.
The Giants are looking for a shortstop as a fallback for Brandon Crawford, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). Baggarly notes that some Giants coaches are big fans of free agent Clint Barmes.
Brad Lefton of the New York Times explains the origins of the posting system MLB teams use to bid on Japanese players. Within the piece, Lefton reports that the Diamondbacks scouted Yu Darvish this past season.
Not surprisingly, the Dodgers won't be able to bid on free agents such as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols until the team is sold, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Rockies will consider pursuing Roy Oswalt, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.

Olney On Dodgers, Beltran

By Tim Dierkes | November 9, 2011 at 8:39am CDT

The latest blog post from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…

Many agents feel that most teams are working slowly in the early days of free agency due to a desire to see the new labor agreement and how draft pick compensation is affected.
One insider guessed that MLB currently has a pretty good idea of who the next owner of the Dodgers will be. That person recalls how Peter Magowan was able to take part in the Barry Bonds signing before being approved as the Giants' new owner, which in theory could happen with the Dodgers and top free agents this winter.
Olney isn't terribly impressed with the 2012-13 free agent class. He ranks Cole Hamels, Josh Hamilton, Matt Cain, Mike Napoli, Andre Ethier, John Danks, Zack Greinke, Michael Bourn, Howie Kendrick, and B.J. Upton as his early top ten if Matt Kemp is signed to an extension. But let's not forget Shane Victorino, Brandon Phillips, Yadier Molina, Miguel Montero, Erick Aybar, Stephen Drew, Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, Anibal Sanchez, and Shaun Marcum. Check out MLBTR's full list here.
To date there have been no talks between the Red Sox and Carlos Beltran. SI's Jon Heyman reported their interest yesterday.

NL West Notes: Bloomquist, Giants, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 8, 2011 at 9:33pm CDT

The Rockies are interested in Kevin Millwood, Rich Harden and Bruce Chen and the Diamondbacks have signed Chris Jakubauskas. Here are some more news items from the NL West as the offseason continues…

The Diamondbacks and Willie Bloomquist had a miscommunication over the weekend, but the club hasn’t given up on re-signing the utility player, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The sides had dialogue Sunday and Monday, according to Piecoro.
The Giants are a possibility for Bloomquist, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown (on Twitter).
Former MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth said he’s not currently interested in buying the Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Ueberroth has led bids for the Dodgers and Angels in the past.

Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle

By Tim Dierkes | November 8, 2011 at 6:05pm CDT

6:05pm: It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will make a serious run for Buehrle, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

1:54pm: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are interested in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and the Marlins are meeting with him today. Buehrle, 32, posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings this year. The long time White Sox starter has pitched 200+ innings in every season since 2001.

The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, add Rosenthal and Morosi. One GM said of the Jays' Alex Anthopoulos, "You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players."

James Shields, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Chad Billingsley, and Wandy Rodriguez are the pitchers "known or thought to be available in trades," according to the FOX writers. Cahill and Billingsley are the new names here, but it's unclear whether they fall under "known" or "thought." The availability of Rodriguez will depend on whether Jim Crane is approved as new Astros owner next week, as Crane does not share Drayton McLane's reluctance to move the 32-year-old.

Heyman On Posada, Dodgers, Beltran, Morrison

By Tim Dierkes | November 8, 2011 at 4:02pm CDT

The latest rumors tweeted from SI's Jon Heyman…

The Yankees haven't been in touch with free agent Jorge Posada so far this offseason, according to Heyman.
A person with knowledge of the Dodgers sale says bidding will definitely go over $1 billion, and Frank McCourt may well reach his $1.2 billion target.
The Phillies and Ryan Madson are now engaged in serious discussions, and Heyman expects the two sides to reach an agreement soon. This fits with what was written about Madson and the Phillies yesterday.
The Red Sox are interested in free agent right fielder Carlos Beltran. I ranked Beltran ninth on my top 50 free agents list, predicting Boston as his destination.
One executive who spoke to the Marlins tells Heyman 24-year-old left fielder Logan Morrison is off-limits. The executive could see the Fish making an exception for James Shields, however.
The Brewers believe they have almost no hope to re-sign Prince Fielder and are now targeting free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. The Marlins will meet with Reyes in South Florida tomorrow, tweeted Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Brewers would have to give the Mets the 28th overall pick in next year's draft to sign Reyes, while the Marlins would only have to surrender a second-round pick.
The Yankees were disappointed Jonathan Sanchez went to the Royals, as they believed they had more to offer to the Giants. The Royals acquired Sanchez and a minor leaguer from the Giants for Melky Cabrera yesterday.
The Yankees are impressed by what they've seen so far of Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, though it's mainly limited to video. Cespedes' bizarre showcase video mostly shows off the player's athleticism and style. For a rundown of Cespedes' suitors, click here, and for a scout's view of him, check out the latest from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Yankees executive Billy Eppler grew up with free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, for what it's worth. The Yankees will talk to Wilson, who GM Brian Cashman acknowledged is the "best pitcher on the marketplace right now."

NPB Rumors: Aoki, Nakajima, Chen, Kuroda, Igawa

By Tim Dierkes | November 8, 2011 at 9:22am CDT

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has scoured Japanese newspapers for the latest rumors.

Yakult center fielder Norichika Aoki has asked to be posted. Aoki hit .292/.358/.360 in 643 plate appearances in 2011. Newman wrote last year that Aoki was "the best pure hitter Japan has produced since Ichiro," but that was before his numbers dropped off significantly in 2011. Despite great range, Newman thought last year that Aoki's weak arm could limit him to left field in MLB.
Seibu shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima will again ask to be posted this offseason. Nakajima was denied that request last winter, though the Orioles and Mariners were reportedly among the interested teams. The 29-year-old hit .297/.354/.433 with 16 home runs in 633 plate appearances this year. Newman considered Aoki Japan's second-best hitter in his August 2010 article.
Chunichi southpaw Wei-Yin Chen was 50/50 on moving to MLB as of October 26th. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports dubbed Chen a "likely free agent" in a report this morning. The 26-year-old posted a 2.68 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 164 2/3 innings this year. He's represented by Alan Nero of Octagon.
The Hiroshima Carp have an offer out to Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda said he's happy to have received the offer from his former team. His plans for 2012 remain unknown though.
Multiple Japanese teams have interest in Kei Igawa, who reached free agency after his five-year deal with the Yankees expired.

West Notes: Hill, Bell, Bourjos, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 7, 2011 at 9:44pm CDT

We've checked in on the Giants, who made a major trade today. Here are some notes from the other teams in baseball's western divisions…

The Diamondbacks have an offer out to Aaron Hill, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The club’s proposal comes with a deadline and team officials expect Hill to wait as long as possible before deciding whether to accept the deal.
Free agent reliever Heath Bell told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he’d prefer to sign with the Padres, Angels or Dodgers (Twitter link). Bell says he’d also like to play for the Red Sox or Phillies.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues that the Angels should keep Peter Bourjos instead of trading him. Viewing Bourjos and Mike Trout as players who are getting in each other’s way would be a mistake, Cameron explains.
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt may ask the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to sell the team's TV rights, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. This would violate his sale agreement with MLB, however.
The Rangers aren't likely to bring free agent Brandon Webb back and may explore potential trades involving Yorvit Torrealba, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
A's GM Billy Beane and Moneyball author Michael Lewis discussed the inception of the best-selling book with Todd Watson of InternetEvolution.com.

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