Francisco Cordero Drawing Heavy Interest
At least seven teams have expressed interest in free agent right-hander Francisco Cordero, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as much yesterday, but Morosi also names many of the clubs who have interest in Cordero: the Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets.
Although Jonathan Papelbon is off the market, Cordero is one of many closers still available, along with Ryan Madson, Heath Bell, and Francisco Rodriguez, among others. The Reds declined their option on the 36-year-old Cordero at season's end, despite a successful 2011 campaign in which he posted a 2.45 ERA and reduced his BB/9 to 2.8.
Brewers Rumors: Furcal, Aramis, Barmes, Reyes
Here's the latest on the Brewers, including what's happening at the GM meetings in Milwaukee:
- The Brewers are much more interested in Rafael Furcal than Aramis Ramirez, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports adds that the Brewers have strong reservations about Furcal and may stick with Yuniesky Betancourt. Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke admitted that he likes both Furcal and Ramirez today on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM with Jim Bowden and Casey Stern.
- Clint Barmes is another possibility for the Brewers at shortstop. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that GM Doug Melvin will meet with Barmes' agent tomorrow.
- Milwaukee is considering whether funds are available for the top shortstop on the market, Jose Reyes, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com.
- The Brewers inquired on Gaby Sanchez at season's end, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. If the first baseman becomes available, Milwaukee could make a play for him.
- Melvin says he hasn't given up on signing Prince Fielder, and will meet with Scott Boras today. However, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks the GM has moved on, meaning Mat Gamel could get a chance to start the season at first base (all Twitter links).
- The Brewers will not attempt to re-sign Milwaukee native Craig Counsell, tweets Haudricourt.
- In another tweet, Haudricourt adds that outrighted players Mitch Stetter and Josh Wilson have elected free agency.
Marlins Offered Jose Reyes Six Years, $90MM
The Marlins offered $90MM over six years to Jose Reyes, a source told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They say Reyes is intrigued by playing in warm weather and for Ozzie Guillen. Reyes wants a contract worth a minimum of $100MM, however, tweeted Joel Sherman of the New York Post yesterday. More from Rosenthal and Morosi…
- The Marlins have not discussed moving Hanley Ramirez to center field.
- Many in the industry are skeptical of the sincerity of the Marlins' early offers to Reyes, Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Ryan Madson, feeling the proposals are competitive but not good enough to accept.
- The Rangers and Angels are among the teams that are interested in both C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt. The Nationals prefer Oswalt. Both pitchers are clients of Bob Garber.
- Heath Bell could benefit from the new collective bargaining agreement if teams no longer have to surrender a draft pick to sign Type A free agents who turned down arbitration. Ramon Hernandez too, in my opinion. I'm surprised to hear that such a change could be instituted for the 2012-13 offseason, after some teams made July trade decisions based on the old free agent compensation system.
- The Padres want to trade Jason Bartlett or Orlando Hudson. They are currently the only two players the Padres have under contract. Bartlett's $5.5MM option for 2013 will vest with 432 plate appearances in 2012.
- Rafael Furcal has drawn interest from the Rockies, Tigers, and Blue Jays as a second baseman, but he prefers to remain at shortstop.
- Rosenthal and Morosi say not to rule out the Giants on Carlos Beltran yet.
- The Angels will know more about Kendrys Morales' condition after January 1st. Morales is still recovering from a fracture in his leg suffered in May of 2010.
Ramirez Not Open To Position Change
Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez is not at all pleased about the prospect of changing positions if the team signs Jose Reyes, a source tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Spencer adds that the two players aren't the friends that many portray.
Late last month, club president David Samson said that the Marlins haven't discussed moving Ramirez away from shortstop or asking Ramirez about a position change. A representative for Ramirez also said that the Marlins hadn't asked the soon-to-be 28-year-old to move from shortstop.
Jose Reyes Rumors: Monday
The latest on free agent shortstop Jose Reyes…
- The Tigers like Reyes, but don't expect to sign him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Heyman hears that Reyes is the Brewers' top target (Twitter link).
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he has spoken with agent Peter Greenberg since Reyes visited the Marlins last week, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Greenberg is currently out of the country, so he won't be meeting with teams at this week's GM Meetings. "I still think it’s early, notwithstanding all the background noise from the last week," Alderson said.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters, including Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, that he has spoken with Reyes' representatives and hasn't decided whether to initiate more talks (Twitter link).
- "There is an expectation [the Marlins] will work something out with Reyes for something in the range of five years, $18-20MM a year," said ESPN's Buster Olney on Sportscenter. Olney sees the Marlins as Reyes' most aggressive suitor.
- The Marlins are very confident on signing Reyes, a baseball source tells Kevin Burkhardt of SNY (Twitter link). Burkhardt says not to be shocked if Hanley Ramirez winds up in center field if the Marlins sign Reyes.
- One executive interested in Reyes told Joel Sherman of the New York Post Reyes is targeting a minimum of $100MM (Twitter link).
Heyman On Fielder, Madson, Jurrjens, Capuano
In addition to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle, the Marlins made an offer to free agent closer Ryan Madson, reports SI's Jon Heyman. Unlike the other three, the Madson offer has yet to inspire a visit to Miami. Heyman notes that the proposals are preliminary, and the team is not concerned about all four accepting. Marlins president David Samson explained Saturday on 790 The Ticket with Glenn Geffner that the team has a free agent flow chart in which they expect a playoff team with every outcome (transcript courtesy of Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post). More from Heyman…
- The Mariners will make a run at Prince Fielder, tweets Heyman, but they're unsure if there's room in the budget. Heyman suggests the Ms will not be in on Pujols.
- Heyman explains the mess that was the Phillies' negotiations with Madson. He says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. proposed $44MM over four years, which Madson accepted an hour or two later. Oddly, Amaro added at that point that he needed the approval of CEO David Montgomery, according to Heyman. The next day Amaro told agent Scott Boras he'd been unable to get that approval. However, Amaro told Heyman there was no agreement "either verbal or in writing," and also said, "I will stand by my history of integrity forever." Amaro also said Montgomery was aware of the negotiations as they occurred and wasn't responsible for killing the deal. It appears Amaro and Boras are not on the same page as to what constitutes an agreement.
- The Braves seek a Zack Greinke-like deal for Jair Jurrjens, writes Heyman. He later tweeted, "Jurrjens understandably popular on trade market. A star and only 25. You know Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, others are in."
- The Mets have crossed Chris Capuano off their list given his desire for a two-year deal.
Heavy Interest In C.J. Wilson
Interest has been heavy in free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, despite his disappointing postseason. The Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers have already expressed interest, reports Morosi. All six clubs had been expected to be in the mix.
An official with an involved club expects at least five years with a sixth-year option for Wilson, while another official believes six years guaranteed is possible. Could a sixth year push Wilson to $100MM? In an August 30th poll, 78% of nearly 7,000 MLBTR readers polled felt Wilson would fall short of nine figures.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels recently commented on Wilson to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, saying, "We would like to have him back. We know he's in a great position. He'll explore his options. We'll prepare for both possibilities." At the least, the Rangers are expected to offer arbitration to the Type A free agent nine days from now. If Wilson does leave the Rangers, they could end up with a top 20 draft pick as compensation if the Nationals, Jays, or Angels sign him and the current system remains in place for 2012. Out of Morosi's five competing suitors, only the Marlins have a protected first-round pick.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Cuddyer, Sizemore, Marlins
One of Red Sox GM Ben Cherington's toughest tasks this season will be finding fourth and fifth starters, writes Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Cherington could do it by pursuing the top free agent hurlers on the open market or try to bolster the rotation via trade. It's widely expected that the White Sox will make either Gavin Floyd or John Danks available and Cafardo wonders if the Red Sox could get Anibal Sanchez back from the Marlins. Free agent Hiroki Kuroda is a likely target but appears to be out of reach. The veteran declined a chance to be traded to the Sox last season as he didn’t want to play anywhere but Los Angeles. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Free agent Michael Cuddyer isn't as high of a priority for the Phillies as portrayed by the media. A major league source characterized him as "a middle priority" and while Philadelphia would love to have him, the club isn't going to "go crazy" to make it happen.
- It's widely believed that Grady Sizemore could be had for a bargain price but the center fielder has a few teams pursuing him, including the Red Sox. However, his talks with Boston are in very preliminary stages, and his injury history and left-handed bat mean that he's an unlikely fit.
- An agent told Cafardo that the Marlins' offers to Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Reyes should be taken seriously and are not for show.
- If the Marlins land Pujols or Prince Fielder, first baseman Gaby Sanchez will be major trade bait for the club.
- If the Red Sox don't make a lot of pitching moves, we could see Alfredo Aceves moved into the rotation. The right-hander pushed to start in the past but Terry Francona thought Aceves was too valuable to remove from his bullpen role.
- A National League scout says that center fielder Yoenis Cespedes is likely to be moved to one of the corner outfield spots in the majors. Yesterday, we learned that the Cuban defector may not become a free agent for two months.
Marlins Rumors: Reyes, Pujols, Buehrle, Madson
The Miami Marlins were officially born yesterday, and they grabbed some headlines by extending contract offers to free agents Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Mark Buehrle. They also expressed some interest in Ryan Madson. Let's round up the latest from South Beach…
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that Reyes "loved his visit" to the team's new ballpark this past Wednesday, and he would like to play in Miami. SI.com's Heyman hears that Reyes is the team's top free agent target (Twitter link).
- Within the same piece, Frisaro says that people connected to the team have told him that their offer to Pujols "probably isn’t close to being enough" to land the free agent slugger.
- Talks with Reyes, Pujols, Madson, and Buehrle are "preliminary" according to Heyman (on Twitter), so there's no threat of all four players accepting offers.
- ESPN's Buster Olney called the Marlins' strategy fascinating (on Twitter), but cautions that it is risky. The 1997 team also went for quick fixes, then had to tear it all down immediately after winning the World Series.
Blue Jays, Marlins Interested In Ryan Madson
The Blue Jays have been "making inquiries" about Ryan Madson, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, while the Marlins are "also in on" the free agent closer, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (both Twitter links). The Jays and Marlins join the Rangers, Red Sox and Nationals as clubs reportedly interested in Madson in the wake of his four-year, $44MM deal with the Phillies failing to materialize.
Toronto is known to be looking at several established free agent stoppers. Signing a Type A free agent like Madson would cost the Jays their first round pick (17th overall) in next year's draft, and giving up high draft picks and spending millions on a closer both seem to run counter to Alex Anthopoulos' modus operandi. The Jays do have the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft as compensation for not signing Tyler Beede last year.
Madson is only the latest target for the Marlins, who have been connected to most of this offseason's major free agents and have already made offers to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. Juan Carlos Oviedo is the incumbent closer in Miami, but he is currently embroiled in legal issues surrounding his adoption of the "Leo Nunez" name for the last several years. Heyman tweets that the Marlins could stick with Oviedo since the free agent closing market may be too pricey.