Latest On Jon Lester
TUESDAY, 3:37am: The Cubs, Giants, Dodgers and Red Sox have all made offers to Lester of around six years and $150MM, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. One unknown team is willing to go to seven years and around $175MM, but Rosenthal suggests (as Jon Heyman also did earlier this morning) that might not matter, because Lester might simply choose the team he prefers, regardless of the financial specifics.
1:44am: Lester’s limbo could continue until Wednesday, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford tweets. Team owners are now involved in the process and are slowing it down.
1:21am: Lester has six- and seven-year offers in hand, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. It’s possible, however, that Lester won’t take the biggest-money offer. Heyman tweets that Lester’s deal is expected to wind up being somewhere from $150MM to $175MM.
MONDAY 11:54pm: Lester will not make his decision tonight, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.
8:44pm: Giants GM Brian Sabean hasn’t been told when a decision is coming, but he believes that Lester will make his call soon, tweets Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News.
Sabean says that Lester is the only player that he’s currently engaged in, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). He also says there are five teams that are in on Lester, not four (link).
7:32pm: There is no real evidence that the Yankees are in on Lester, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Among the top free agents, they prefer Max Scherzer.
6:09pm: A front office person cautioned Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter) not to count the Yankees out of the Lester sweepstakes. Crasnick also spoke with a scout who is hearing the same thing.
4:38pm: The hope within the Giants’ organization that they have a legitimate shot to sign Lester has grown over the last 24 hours, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Just a week ago, they felt like they were a longshot in the chase.
4:16pm: Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) hears that Lester has not eliminated the Red Sox. “Absolutely not,” a source said.
3:51pm: The Giants and Cubs seem to be the favorites, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
3:45pm: Lester’s agent Seth Levinson denies that his client has whittled his list down to two finalists, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The team has also said it has not been informed of any decision on its bid, per Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
3:39pm: Free agent starter Jon Lester is choosing between the Cubs and Giants, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Rosenthal does caution that a late change in the bidding could shake things up.
The other teams said to be amongst the last suitors for Lester are the Red Sox and Dodgers. Boston, of course, was the only team that the 30-year-old had played before until he was dealt to the Athletics at the 2014 trade deadline.
Lester’s choice could have wide-reaching ramifications for the broader market, to say nothing of the teams involved.
Yankees Notes: Robertson, Headley, Heathcott
David Robertson did such a good job replacing Mariano Rivera that the Yankees might now have a more difficult time replacing Robertson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller have big-time talent, but have also both had frustrating seasons in the recent past. The Yankees could pursue a closer like Jason Grilli, or perhaps mix and match Betances and Miller at closer. The team has plenty of strong bullpen pieces, but no one who represents the obvious fix for the closer role that Robertson did last year. Here’s more out of the Bronx.
- Now that the White Sox have swooped in to nab Robertson, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that the Yankees will turn their attention to the middle of their starting rotation, where the departure of Shane Greene in the Didi Gregorius trade leaves them thin. The Yankees would also like to re-sign Chase Headley, although Madden notes that the Astros are rumored to have offered him five years and $65MM.
- The Yankees will try to keep outfielder Slade Heathcott and pitcher Jose Campos by re-signing them to minor-league deals, Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York tweets. The Yankees non-tendered the pair last week even though neither were eligible for arbitration. Both have struggled with injuries, but they still have upside if they can stay healthy. As Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues explains, non-tendering Heathcott and Campos allows the Yankees to avoid losing them through waivers. They’re now free agents, but the Yankees may have an edge in their attempts to re-sign them, due to their histories with the organization.
Latest On David Robertson
10:33pm: Even if they acquire Jeff Samardzija, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal hears (via Twitter) that the White Sox will continue to pursue Robertson.
9:47pm: Despite having Dellin Betances and newly-signed free agent Andrew Miller in tow, the Yankees are still hopeful that they can retain David Robertson, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. In fact, they seem flexible about giving him a fourth year on his contract, even if it’s not their preference.
The Yankees are looking to form a super bullpen, much like the Royals enjoyed this past season. Kansas City had an unheard of 77-1 record in 2014 when leading after six innings. Still, there’s competition that the Bombers will have to beat out. The Astros, who saw Miller take less money to go to New York, are in the middle of talking with Robertson. The White Sox are also said to be in on the star closer.
Heyman also adds that even though the Yankees could be willing to go to four years, they are unwilling to go to $50MM over that span. Robertson has been said to have interest from at least a half-dozen clubs and he’s eyeing a deal in the four-year, $50MM range.
Pitching Notes: Miller, Giants, Cards, Masterson, Axford
Before he joined the Yankees, the Astros actually offered Andrew Miller a deal that included not only four guaranteed years but also a fifth-year option, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. It remains to be seen how Houston will reallocate the funds it had earmarked for the lefty.
- If the Giants miss on Jon Lester, they are more likely to go to the next tier of free agent pitchers than to go all out for Max Scherzer, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). San Francisco could aim for options of the ilk of Ervin Santana and Francisco Liriano, says Shea, though it is not clear if those illustrative names or particular targets.
- The Cardinals met with Scherzer at some point over the offseason and are at least weighing a run at him, Jon Heyman of CBSSportscom reports. It remains something of a longshot that Scherzer will land in St. Louis, Heyman notes, though the fact that he is from the area can’t hurt.
- The Red Sox met with Justin Masterson over the weekend, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports on Twitter. The Twins, meanwhile, have not managed to gain traction with Masterson’s camp, Wolfson adds.
- The Marlins, White Sox, and possibly Cubs will also sit down with Masterson in San Diego, Heyman reports.
- Reliever John Axford has drawn interest from the Reds, though nothing is close and there are other teams involved, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
AL Notes: Moss, Samardzija, Yankees, Tigers
Here’s a morning links roundup from the American League:
- The Athletics are still “inching” toward a deal with the Indians on Brandon Moss, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. A swap is likely to go down over the next few days, Sherman adds.
- Clubs that have spoken with the Athletics about Jeff Samardzija have been left with the impression that Oakland would not be willing to grant an extension negotiation window as part of the deal, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports on Twitter. That is perhaps not terribly surprising, as Samardzija does not appear particularly likely to forego a chance at testing the open market.
- For the Yankees, one side benefit of adding Martin Prado (last summer) and Andrew Miller (just a few days ago) is that it conveys leverage in talks with now-free agent third baseman Chase Headley and closer David Robertson, Sherman writes. While New York is now willing to put a fourth year on the table for both players, says Sherman, it will not match the reported four-year, $65MM offer out to Headley or the $50MM+ asking price of Robertson.
- While there are several intriguing possibilities for the Tigers at the Winter Meetings, the odds are that the team will make only smaller moves, if any, per Chris Iott of MLive.com. Iott takes a look at Detroit’s various options for improvement, concluding that most are rather unlikely to take place.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Stubbs, O’s, Marrero
The Yankees aren’t looking into the Padres‘ trio of starters (Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and former Yankee Ian Kennedy) right now, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets. San Diego is known to be listening to offers on the three right-handers but the Yankees aren’t sure any of them are actually available. Here’s some more from around the AL East…
- The Rockies contacted the Orioles about a trade that would’ve sent Drew Stubbs to Baltimore in exchange for pitching, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports (Twitter link). The departures of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis has left the O’s thin in the corner outfield spots, with Alejandro De Aza, David Lough and Steve Pearce (who will also see a lot of DH time) as the current candidates. The right-handed hitting Stubbs seems like a good complement for De Aza and Lough, who both hit left-handed.
- In an interview with MLB Network Radio yesterday (hat tip to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun), Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette said he is looking to add catching depth. Matt Wieters may not be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery in time for Opening Day, so the O’s may pursue a veteran backup to at least share the job with Caleb Joseph.
- Prospect Deven Marrero makes sense as a trade chip for the Red Sox to offer to teams in need of a young shortstop, though WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports that the Mets and Athletics have doubts that Marrero can hit enough for an everyday role.
White Sox Interested In David Robertson
The White Sox are the latest team to express interest in closer David Robertson, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. “They like him a lot and he is definitely on their radar,’’ a source tells King. “They have several things they want to do and he is one of them.”
Robertson is looking for a contract in the four-year, $50MM range and the Sox are reportedly “aren’t blanching” over the idea of giving the closer that big a guarantee, King writes. Chicago’s first round pick (eighth overall) is protected, so they’d only have to give up their second-rounder as compensation to sign Robertson, who rejected the Yankees’ qualifying offer. Robertson would provide a major boost to a White Sox bullpen that posted a cumulative 4.38 ERA in 2014, the third-highest mark in baseball.
The Astros, Blue Jays and Yankees are three of at least a half-dozen clubs who have shown interest in Robertson, though King cites reasons why all three could bow out of the race. The Jays may not be willing to meet Robertson’s asking price, the Astros “don’t believe Robertson wants to pitch for them” and the Yankees would prefer to give their former stopper a deal closer to the $40MM threshold. New York had also been hesitant to give Robertson more than three guaranteed years, though the team “may be softening” in that respect.
Chase Headley Rumors: Sunday
The Yankees would like to re-sign Chase Headley, but they refuse to go overboard in order to do so. Meanwhile, the Marlins are interested in the third baseman and the Giants are reportedly getting “aggressive” in their pursuit. The latest on Headley..
- The offer Headley reportedly has received isn’t from the Yankees, Marlins, or Giants and the industry is skeptical of its existence, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Earlier Updates
- Headley is said to have gone so far as to suggest to some that the Yankees are his top choice, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Bombers were hoping to work out a three-year deal with Headley but a four-year deal – below $65MM – is something to consider. The Yankees met with Headley recently.
- Headley reportedly has an offer for $65MM over four years but sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that the Giants are not in on him at that level. The Marlins had not yet reached out to Headley’s camp when talk of the the four-year, $65MM first started up, so it would seem that they are not the source of that offer either.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Scherzer, Red Sox
David Ortiz plans to give some guidance to Hanley Ramirez as he begins his next chapter with the Red Sox, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “He looks at me as one of his older brothers,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to try to encourage him to do the right thing as long we keep on playing [together] and probably beyond that because I don’t have the time that he has left. I’m going to, like we normally say, take him under my wing and show him whatever I can help him with and make sure he’s really successful in Boston.” More from the AL East..
- Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News wonders if the Yankees are really out on a big money pitcher. They’d like to retain Brandon McCarthy and could go after someone like Justin Masterson, but some in the industry feel that they’ll ultimately wind up in the mix for a starter like Max Scherzer.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald also hears that the Red Sox will begin to explore Scherzer more aggressively if they lose out on Jon Lester. Besides the Red Sox, the teams who are expected to take a long, serious look at the right-hander are the Yankees, Dodgers, Nationals, Tigers, Phillies, Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox, Giants, and Blue Jays, industry insiders tell Silverman.
- Signing Lester is important, but the Red Sox need to put an even greater focus on developing the next Lester, opines Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
- George A. King III of the New York Post runs down the Yankees‘ three biggest needs heading into the meetings.
- The Red Sox have lots on their agenda this week, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal.
Heyman On Wilson, Tulowitzki, Drew
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- Rival GMs tell tell Heyman that the Angels have made left-hander C.J. Wilson available, causing some to wonder if they might be trying to set up a run at a bigger pitcher via free agency or trade. The Angels have suggested they aren’t inclined to eat any of his $18MM annual salary and it’s pretty hard to see a deal coming together if they stick to that position. If they’re able to move Wilson, however, that could open the door for the likes of James Shields or Max Scherzer.
- People familiar with Troy Tulowitzki‘s thinking believe that he’d only have interest in leaving the Rockies for about a half-dozen clubs, writes Heyman. That list is believed to include the Yankees (who filled their shortstop need last week), Dodgers, Angels, Giants, possibly the Cardinals, and one or two others. Still, owner Dick Monfort has suggested to inquiring teams that 30-year-old is not available.
- The Braves have interest in Stephen Drew as a possibility at second base, according to Heyman. The Yankees, Mets and A’s are among other teams that have been tied to the 31-year-old, though the Bombers now seem less likely after acquiring Didi Gregorius.