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Prince Fielder Rumors: Monday

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The latest on free agent slugger Prince Fielder…

  • Fielder is too pricey to fit into the Dodgers' plans, writes Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. That point is illustrated by GM Ned Colletti's rhetorical response when asked about the free agent slugger on Monday: "Can we sign Prince for $3 million this year and $30 million the next year?"
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik seemed to suggest today that the Mariners have discussed Fielder with Scott Boras, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times views the GM's comments as a sign that the M's are in a holding pattern, waiting to see if Fielder's price tag will come down.
  • The Nationals are focused on pitching, and won't be a player for Fielder or Albert Pujols, a Nats source tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers are indicating that they're out of the running for Fielder and are moving on, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The market for Fielder appears to be shrinking, hears Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel from team executives.
  • A person who knows Fielder tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick comfort is important to the slugger and he's not necessarily going to chase the most money.
  • The Orioles are interested in Fielder, confirmed GM Dan Duquette.  However, Duquette also told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that he doesn't want fans to get their hopes up.  The Orioles' interest in Fielder is the secret mandate of owner Peter Angelos, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  I think a team's owner will be involved no matter where Fielder signs.

Jimmy Rollins Rumors: Monday

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The latest on free agent shortstop Jimmy Rollins…

  • Philadelphia's reported interest in Ramirez may be a way of showing Rollins that they have a backup plan, with the goal of pushing him to accept a shorter deal according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Some of Knobler's sources believe Amaro could be pushed to compromise at four years. Knobler says Philly's "overwhelming desire" is to have Rollins back.
  • The Phillies and Lozano hope to meet again tonight, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. CBS Sports' Danny Knobler tweets that most people still believe Rollins will return to Philadelphia, even though their earlier meeting wasn't a huge success.
  • Brewers manager Ron Roenicke didn't deny his team's interest in Rollins today, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News. The skipper was "highly complimentary" when discussing Rollins with reporters.
  • Amaro's recent meeting with Rollins' agent Dan Lozano "did not go all that well," hears Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  Rollins is not backing off his desire for a five-year deal, which led the Phillies to inquire about Aramis Ramirez.  Yahoo's Steve Henson also hears Lozano and the Phillies are not on the same page about Rollins.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has already met with Lozano at the Winter Meetings, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Olney says it appears now that the Phillies' greatest competition for the shortstop could be the Brewers and Cardinals, but his colleague Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Cardinals are saying they have no plans to pursue Rollins —  even if they fail to re-sign Albert Pujols.

Quick Hits: Coffey, Nats, Upton, Phillips, Andino

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It's been a busy first day of the Winter Meetings at MLBTR, so let's use this opportunity to catch up on a few Monday items that may have slipped through the cracks…

  • Todd Coffey is drawing interest from the Mets and Brewers, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Brew Crew haven't expressed any interest in bringing back another righty, LaTroy Hawkins, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • The Nationals may revisit their search for a center fielder after the non-tender deadline, so they can see if any bargain options hit the market, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • B.J. Upton is one center fielder who may be on the trade market, but Morosi hears interest in the Rays' speedster has been "mild" so far (Twitter link).
  • GM Walt Jocketty suggested to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that extension talks between the Reds and Brandon Phillips may hinge on the number of years the club feels comfortable offering.
  • Orioles infielder Robert Andino is drawing trade interest from teams who could use him as a starting shortstop, tweets MASN's Roch Kubatko.
  • GM Dan Duquette said the Orioles have several "irons in the fire" and is optimistic about making at least one move during the Winter Meetings, says Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
  • There are indications that the Mariners have talked to the Rockies about Seth Smith's availability, says MLB.com's Greg Johns.

Brewers, Reds Interested In Octavio Dotel

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5:43pm: MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez adds the Reds to the list of teams who are interested in Dotel, noting that the righty's representatives have met with the Tigers and Brewers already.

10:44am: The Cardinals and Brewers are very interested in Octavio Dotel, the 38-year-old reliever told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles (link in Spanish).  Dotel confirmed the Tigers and Mets are also interested.  Dotel hopes to return to the Cardinals, and has a one-year offer in hand from them.  Dotel told Rojas he'd like to get two years, or at least one year at an adequate salary (thanks to Nick Collias for translating).  

NL Central Rumors: Lee, Soriano, Cardinals, Brewers

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The latest on several NL Central teams…

  • The Reds are talking about a lot of trade possibilities and talking about a whole range of players, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  It is a possibility the Reds use Yonder Alonso as a trade piece to fix other needs, manager Dusty Baker told Jim Bowden on MLB Netowrk Radio.  Baker indicated the Reds will keep prospects Yasmani Grandal and Devin Mesoraco, as well as star first baseman Joey Votto.
  • The Reds outrighted lefty Jeremy Horst, dropping their 40-man roster count to 39, according toMLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Astros are letting teams know Carlos Lee is out there.  Lee, 35, is owed $18.5MM for 2012 and has ten-and-five rights.  A source close to the Astros' ownership tells Stark interim GM David Gottfried has autonomy to make trades this week.
  • Speaking of mistakes from the 2006-07 offseason, the Cubs are getting a bit of interest in left fielder Alfonso Soriano, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Soriano, 35, is owed $54MM through 2014 and has a full no-trade clause.  I think the Cubs would have to eat over $40MM to move Soriano.
  • World Series revenue is not a game-changer for the Cardinals, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the team's payroll is expected to remain around $110MM.  The Cardinals have about $80MM committed to eight players under contract for 2012.
  • The Brewers are in on everyone at several positions, including shortstop and third base, but are not down the road at all on any of them, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  The Brewers are also known to be actively seeking relief help.

Heyman On Royals, Cuddyer, Andruw, Astros

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Congratulations to national baseball writer Jon Heyman, who has a new job with CBSSports.com starting Monday.  As usual, Heyman is tweeting up a storm; here's his latest from the Winter Meetings (all links go to Twitter):

  • The Royals are talking trades for starters and are in on Oakland's Gio Gonzalez.
  • Everyone wants bullpen help but few want it more than the Padres, Brewers, and Red Sox.
  • The Phillies haven't completely ruled out Michael Cuddyer, but the Twins are still trying to bring him back as well. The Giants and Red Sox are other logical destinations, in Heyman's estimation.
  • The Yankees would love to bring back Andruw Jones for his right-handed pop and strong clubhouse presence.
  • Former Reds executive Scott Nethery is in the mix for the Astros GM opening. Andrew Friedman is still their top choice, Bill Geivett and Jeff Luhnow are also in the mix.
  • The Astros will also eat most of Carlos Lee's contract to facilitate a trade. They still expect a good return for Wandy Rodriguez and something decent for Brett Myers in any trade.
  • Heyman also said this morning that the Angels are looking for a closer and the Pirates are talking to Derrek Lee.

Morosi’s Winter Meetings Preview

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Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports covers some of the major headlines that we'll be seeing over the next four days during baseball's Winter Meetings. Here's a late night look at the highlights:

  • Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are still the headliners, and Morosi thinks that Pujols will sign first (although not necessarily this week). Once Pujols signs — Morosi predicts he'll remain in St. Louis — it's possible that his the increased number of suitors for Fielder will land him more money than Pujols. Fielder, of course, is also four years younger than Pujols.
  • Fielder prefers teams east of the Mississippi River and teams that can win the World Series in the near future. The list of known interested parties includes the Brewers, Mariners, Cubs, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Nationals. Seattle's rebuilding status and geographic location may remove them from the mix, while the uncertainty around how much Chicago's new front office is willing to spend may remove them as well.
  • Morosi doesn't think Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would've moved Tyler Chatwood without knowing the acquisition of another starting pitcher was close at hand.
  • The Twins remain interested in Edwin Jackson, according to Morosi's sources, but the Scott Boras client isn't likely to sign before fellow free agents C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle.
  • The availability of Andrew Bailey, Huston Street, and Brandon League slows down the market for free agent closers, and Morosi speculates that a few wise teams in search of closers will be able to wait out veteran bargains as potential closing gigs dwindle.
  • The Yankees, Tigers, Marlins, and Nationals have been the most active in scouting Yoenis Cespedes. While he's not a free agent yet, his market will be dictated by whether or not teams like Miami and Washington land their other targets at the Winter Meetings and in the coming weeks. Detroit would be most interested if they decide that Cespedes can bat leadoff for them right away.
  • Robert Whiting, an expert on Japanese baseball, told Morosi over the weekend that there's still no word on whether or not Yu Darvish will be posted.
  • Whiting told Morosi that Darvish became disillusioned with the posting process, partly because of the failure of Hisashi Iwakuma and the A's to work out a deal last year. He is also wary of the struggles and ridicule that other NPB stars have incurred in their transition to MLB, Whiting told Morosi.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Sunday

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At just 27 years of age, Prince Fielder owns 230 career home runs and three consecutive seasons of an OBP north of .400. He hasn't played in fewer than 157 games in a full season, despite his hulking frame. All of that will contribute to what's likely to be plenty of Prince Fielder rumors at this week's Winter Meetings. Let's run down today's:

  • There is some growing optimism that Fielder could remain with the Brewers, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler cites the slowly developing market for Fielder and the aggressiveness of owner Mark Attanasio as the reasons, noting that Attanasio seems to be indicating he wants to make a real effort to re-sign Prince.
  • Fielder is not a target for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter).  The Nats already have Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse at first base.
  • The Blue Jays have plenty of spending money and appear to be in the mix for Fielder, writes SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).
  • Heyman also tweets that he's received some conflicting reports on the Mariners' involvement in Fielder. Two executives say they "badly want" Fielder, while two Mariners sources say they have little money to spend. 

Central Notes: Royals, Tigers, White Sox, Garza

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Here's a look at some items concerning the AL and NL Central..

  • Several Royals officials have told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter) that any major roster upgrades will come through trades rather than the free agent market.
  • There's nothing serious between the Tigers and Aramis Ramirez at the moment, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter).
  • In a deal for John Danks, the White Sox told the Yankees that they want Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero from the Yankees, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.  Heyman writes that the Sox are obviously not serious about dealing Danks just yet.
  • The Tigers looking harder at the market for No. 5 starters than had been anticipated when the offseason began, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The club is after a reliever as well.
  • The Cubs told at least one team that it would take an overwhelming offer to even consider trading Matt Garza, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
  • The Brewers are interested in hearing what it'll take to sign Jimmy Rollins, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • There's lots of skepticism over Albert Pujols' claim that he is 31 years old, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.  Heyman writes that the slugger may not be able to top the Cardinals' nine-year, $200MM offer if he cannot produce a birth certificate.  
  • Jim Riggleman will accept the Reds' offer to manage their Double-A affiliate, writes Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.  Earlier today, Heyman reported that Riggleman was offered the position and was likely to accept.

Brewers’ GM To Meet With Reyes’ Agents

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Brewers general manager Doug Melvin will meet with the agents for Jose Reyes this coming week at the Winter Meetings, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

Reyes' main suitor this offseason has been the suddenly free-spending Marlins, who have a reported offer of six years and perhaps as much as $90MM on the table to lure Reyes to Miami. Recently, it's been said that Reyes may be down to only the Marlins and the Mets, but he figures to be a popular topic of discussion throughout the Winter Meetings.

Reyes captured his first batting title in his age-28 season by hitting .337/.384/.493. He stole 39 bases and led the league with 16 triples despite hitting the disabled list two different times with hamstring injuries.

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