Marlins Make Offers to Pujols, Reyes, Buehrle
9:51pm: Loria confirmed the club made the offers, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Marlins president David Samson, however, said the team had no official comment. When asked if the club could afford all three players, Samson said “It’s a problem we never suspected could happen. That’s the true answer.”
5:03pm: The Marlins have made "substantial offers" to both Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and have also offered a contract to Mark Buehrle, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (both Twitter links). The team met with Pujols today, Reyes on Wednesday and Buehrle on Tuesday but apparently already felt comfortable enough to make contract offers, though Heyman reports there is "nothing close" to a deal with any of the three.
Miami's aggressiveness is no surprise, given how the Marlins have been in hot pursuit of several top free agents already this offseason. It's unlikely that Pujols, Reyes or Buehrle would sign so early without fully exploring the market for their services, though a blow-away offer from the Marlins could change their minds.
The Marlins' payroll was expected to increase by as much as $35MM this winter, but signing Pujols, Reyes and Buehrle would add at least $60MM to the 2012 payroll. That's a big outlay for three players — to put it in perspective, Cot's Baseball Contracts lists the entire Marlins payroll for 2011 as just under $57.7MM. Given how committed Jeffrey Loria is to put a competitive team into his new ballpark, we may have been conservative with our estimates about how much the Marlins are willing to spend this winter.
Marlins Notes: Pujols, Cespedes, Reyes
The Marlins will unveil their new uniforms and logos tonight, when they officially become the Miami Marlins. Here's the latest on the team, which has begun the offseason in style, courting several big-name free agents…
- The Marlins are serious about signing Albert Pujols and intend to make a competitive offer, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria covets Pujols and envisions him at first base in 2012, according to Spencer.
- The Marlins are meeting with Pujols and agent Dan Lozano today. You can read the details here.
- The Marlins like what they saw from Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes yesterday, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. "We think we're a great fit because we're Miami, and we're a natural destination for any Cuban player, any Latin player," Marlins president David Samson said. "We are the Gateway to the Americas. We're the Miami Marlins. I think that he agrees, but we have to make a deal that makes sense for both parties."
- The Marlins are more likely to sign Jose Reyes and Cespedes than Pujols, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.
Phillies Have Serious Interest In Papelbon
The Phillies are showing "serious" interest in Jonathan Papelbon, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Phillies appeared to have a deal with Ryan Madson earlier this week, but talks aren't going anywhere at the moment. Yesterday GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Stark that rumors of an agreement on a four-year, $44MM deal were "unequivocally false."
It has become "increasingly clear" that Papelbon's price might not be much higher than what Scott Boras is seeking for Madson, Stark writes. The team has been debating the merits of keeping Madson versus signing Papelbon for quite some time. Stark adds that the Blue Jays and Marlins have also shown strong interest in signing the long-time Red Sox closer. The Phillies have had "extensive negotiations" with Papelbon's agents and though the talks have slowed down at times, Philadelphia's interest hasn't waned.
Papelbon, 30, posted a 2.94 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011, saving 31 games. Like Madson, he's a Type A free agent who would cost a top pick in 2012. If the Phillies sign Papelbon and lose Madson to another team after offering him arbitration, they'd lose one pick and gain two.
Marlins To Meet With Pujols
11:29am: The Marlins are meeting with Pujols and agent Dan Lozano this afternoon, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
FRIDAY, 10:32am: Pujols is in Miami today and will likely meet with the Marlins and tour their new ballpark tomorrow, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that the Marlins are trying to set the meeting up today, but may give Pujols the tour tomorrow (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: The Marlins are scheduled to meet with free agent first baseman Albert Pujols in Miami within the next few days, possibly as soon as Saturday, a source tells Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
It's tough to gauge how serious the Marlins might be about signing Pujols, who figures to command a contract comfortably north of $200MM, but they have already been linked, to varying degrees, to a handful of free agents, such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle and Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, throughout the early goings of the offseason. It has been widely reported that the Marlins will increase their payroll substantially in 2012 as they head into a new ballpark at the site of now-demolished Orange Bowl.
It's not yet known whether the Cardinals and Pujols have had any discussions regarding a new contract, according to Leach.
Marlins Interested In Carlos Beltran
The Marlins have "jumped early on" a number of players, including Carlos Beltran, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. This is the first time this offseason we’ve seen the Marlins linked to Beltran, but it's not the first time we've seen them linked to the offseason's top free agents. Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, and Yoenis Cespedes are among the many players who have been linked to the Marlins so far this offseason.
Beltran, 34, hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 homers for the Mets and Giants in 2011. The Marlins have Logan Morrison in left and Mike Stanton in right so they appear to view Beltran as a possible solution in center field. The Giants cannot offer Beltran arbitration, so he won't cost a draft pick.
Marlins Rumors: Fielder, Reyes, Buehrle, Cespedes
Just like last year, the Marlins are being aggressive early in the offseason. But this time instead of quickly signing John Buck and Javier Vazquez and shipping out Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller, the new Miami Marlins are wooing top free agents. The latest:
- Marlins president David Samson said on the Dan Le Batard show on 790 the Ticket that the team hasn't reached out to Prince Fielder (Twitter links via MLB.com's Joe Frisaro).
- Samson wouldn't comment on Albert Pujols, but he confirmed that Reyes is one of the Marlins' "priorities."
- Mark Buehrle toured the Marlins' new ballpark and caught up with his former manager Ozzie Guillen in a daylong visit yesterday, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ace Josh Johnson commented, "It would be great for the team as a whole. He's a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation."
- Buehrle is a better bet to perform over the course of a free agent deal than C.J. Wilson, according to team executives who responded to a poll question posed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Responders voted 14 to 8 in favor of Buehrle. A GM told Crasnick, "I know C.J. Wilson is a great story, and he's obviously pitched well. But I don't see knockout stuff, and his arm action concerns me a little bit. Buehrle quietly has been pretty rock-solid for a long time. He works fast and throws with no effort. His recipe seems built to last."
- Marlins president David Samson appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy, and Capozzi has a transcript. In regard to free-agent-to-be Yoenis Cespedes, Samson said, "Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit." The Marlins are sending a contingent to the Dominican Republic for a private workout with the Cuban center fielder tomorrow, in fact.
- Guillen has been very helpful in recruiting free agents, according to Samson. The Marlins are meeting with Jose Reyes today, and one Mets person told John Harper of the New York Daily News the Marlins plan to offer Reyes a high-salary, three-year deal. Personally, I don't think the Marlins will limit their offers to three years.
- I heard today that while Japan's Yomiuri Giants inquired on free agent and former Marlins top prospect Jeremy Hermida, he's looking to stay in MLB.
Latest On Yoenis Cespedes
The market is strong for Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who currently resides in the Dominican Republic. The paperwork required for the center fielder to play baseball in the United States should be done this month, advisor Edgar Mercedes told Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Said Mercedes, "I'm confident that he'll be in spring training with a major league club."
Private workouts are beginning this week, with a large Marlins contingent scheduled to visit Thursday. The Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, and Pirates are among the teams that will visit in the coming weeks, Mercedes told Goldstein. Mercedes also answered questions about the legendary showcase video he produced for Cespedes.
On Monday, the Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, and Athletics were named as other clubs interested in Cespedes, who is represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group.
Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle
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.
Minor Moves: McPherson, Jones, Orioles
Here’s where we’ll keep track of today’s minor moves…
- The White Sox re-signed Dallas McPherson, according to Sosnick Cobbe Sports (on Twitter). The former top prospect appeared in 11 games with the White Sox in 2011, spending most of the season at Triple-A. The 31-year-old posted a .283/.334/.505 line with 20 homers in Charlotte.
- The Marlins signed Beau Jones, according to Sosnick Cobbe Sports, the left-hander’s agency, on Twitter. The former first round draft pick spent most of the 2011 season with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.62 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 62 innings of relief.
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter says the team signed a minor league free agent yesterday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter).
Heyman On Posada, Dodgers, Beltran, Morrison
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."