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.
Russell Martin Rumors: Wednesday
Recently non-tendered catcher Russell Martin is drawing plenty of interest on the open market; here's the latest. He's recovering from a hip fracture, but teams have already examined his medical records.
- Martin has multiple offers, according to Hernandez (on Twitter).
- A return to LA seems unlikely, since the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Dioner Navarro, but Martin has at least one offer from another team, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Boston's interest depends on Martin's willingness to play other positions than catcher, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox remain in play on Martin but haven't made a decision, tweets Edes.
- The Dodgers' final offer to Martin was $4.2MM plus $1.5-1.7MM in incentives based on games played, reports Yahoo's Steve Henson. Henson says letting Martin go was a gut-wrenching decision for GM Ned Colletti. Will he match the amount he turned down from the Dodgers?
- Teams are now making offers to Martin's agent Matt Colleran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Yankees and Red Sox are in the center of the mix. Gordon Edes' source says the Red Sox are making a strong push.
Dodgers Close To Signing Dioner Navarro
The Dodgers are close to signing Dioner Navarro, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). The Rays non-tendered the former Dodger last week after his tenure in Tampa Bay ended on a sour note.
Ryan Ludwick Drawing Trade Interest
WEDNESDAY, 3:15pm: The Padres would only trade Ludwick for a package that includes two or three pieces, which means he'll likely be in their opening day lineup, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 10:46pm: Ryan Ludwick is generating trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Red Sox, Tigers, Orioles and Dodgers are among the teams that have checked in, according to the reporters. At this point – just 48 hours after trading Adrian Gonzalez – the Padres seem reluctant to part with Ludwick.
The Orioles, Tigers and Red Sox have also been linked to another outfielder who bats from the right side and is a year away from free agency: Josh Willingham.
Ludwick, 32, earned 5.45MM in 2010 and has hit 76 home runs over the course of the past three seasons, so he'll surpass the $6MM mark through arbitration in 2011 and could earn close to $7MM. He batted .251/.325/.418 with 17 homers and 27 doubles in 551 plate appearances last year.
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.
Dodgers Sign Tony Gwynn Jr.
The Dodgers signed Tony Gwynn Jr. to a one-year major league deal, according to Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse (on Twitter). The contract will pay Gwynn $675K, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). The Padres non-tendered the 28-year-old last week, making him a free agent. Gwynn batted just .204/.304/.287 in 339 plate appearances last year, but he can play strong defense.
He'll likely back up Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in center and right, respectively. The Dodgers could still explore a deal for a right-handed hitting complement to left fielder Jay Gibbons.
The Dodgers can retain Gwynn for a few years if they want, since he won't have enough service time to hit free agency until after the 2013 season. Legacy Sports represents the outfielder.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Tuesday
Nothing's cooking with the Brewers on a potential Prince Fielder trade, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. We'll keep you updated here anyway.
- The Brewers fielded calls from the White Sox, Dodgers and Orioles on Prince, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). They know they can't sign the slugger long-term.
- The Orioles have had talks with the Brewers for Fielder, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He says they're only talks right now, and the O's would want an extension before giving up young pitching for Fielder. Haudricourt says these talks did not go beyond preliminary discussions.
Dodgers Looked At Diaz, Francoeur, Hall
The Dodgers could sign a right-handed hitting outfielder this week, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and they've looked at Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, and Bill Hall. Pure speculation: perhaps Austin Kearns and Scott Hairston will come up as well. The Dodgers could make Xavier Paul available after signing an outfielder, tweets Morosi.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the Dodgers' interest in Diaz yesterday; he has many suitors and may sign this week. I assume the Rockies are now out on Hall after signing Ty Wigginton; his other known suitor is the Yankees. The Rockies, Royals, and Phillies have been linked to Francoeur.
Dodgers Close To Agreement With Vicente Padilla
The Dodgers moved close to a one-year, $2MM agreement with righty Vicente Padilla, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The deal is contingent on Padilla passing a Thursday physical. Padilla would serve as a swingman, Gurnick writes. The Dodgers already filled out their rotation by signing Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jon Garland, but you can never have too much depth.
Padilla, 33, pitched well when healthy in 2010. He posted a 4.07 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, and 39.8% groundball rate in 95 innings this year. He missed time with forearm and neck injuries.
Dodgers Rumors: Padilla, Broxton, Diaz, Accardo
10:50pm: The Dodgers are in talks to re-sign Padilla, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
4:00pm: The Dodgers are willing to listen to offers for Broxton, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
11:42am: The Dodgers hope to add two relievers, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, with Vicente Padilla one of them. He says some teams wonder if they'd be willing to move Jonathan Broxton if they add the right arms. The Dodgers have previously been linked to Jesse Crain, Jason Frasor, and Matt Guerrier.
10:14am: The Dodgers are interested in recently non-tendered players Matt Diaz and Jeremy Accardo, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Diaz, 33 in March, could serve as a platoon partner for Jay Gibbons in left field. The Phillies, Astros, and Yankees are other potential suitors for him. Accardo, meanwhile, hasn't pitched extensively in the Majors since '07.