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East Notes: Mets, Burnett, Phillies, Benoit

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The Mets' offseason will be a disappointment if the Curtis Granderson acquisition is the only big move, the New York Post's Joel Sherman writes. "If this really is it — after all the buildup asking for patience to let the money of Johan Santana and Jason Bay go away — then this will be a breach with the fan base," Sherman says. "Heading toward another $85 million-ish payroll is — quite frankly — not honoring the commitment. It is being the San Diego Mets." Here are more notes from around the East divisions.

  • A.J. Burnett still hasn't decided whether or not to pitch in 2014, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets. Burnett has previously said he intends to pitch for the Pirates or retire, but Heyman introduces a new possibility — that Burnett could pitch for the Orioles instead. Burnett resides in Maryland.
  • GM Ruben Amaro says the Phillies would eat salary in a trade that improved the team, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury notes that the Phillies would like to trade Jonathan Papelbon, who will make $13MM in both 2014 and 2015 and has a $13MM vesting option in 2016.
  • Despite the signing of Nate McLouth, the Nationals have no plans to deal Denard Span, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Span will continue to be their center fielder and leadoff hitter.
  • The Yankees have had "lots of internal discussions" about free agent reliever Joaquin Benoit, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter). The Yankees would like to add two bullpen arms.

Yankees Likely To Keep Gardner, Try To Trade Ichiro

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With the additions of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees have a surplus in their outfield. They're not likely to address that surplus by trading Brett Gardner, however, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. The Yankees like the idea of having both Ellsbury and Gardner in their outfield, and they will likely focus on trading Ichiro Suzuki instead.

As Heyman points out, however, there isn't likely to be a particularly robust market for Ichiro. The 40-year-old hit .262/.297/.342 in 2013.

New York Notes: Reynolds, Logan, Gardner, Mets

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Earlier today the Mets introduced Curtis Granderson at a press conference. Here's the latest news out of the New York market with the Winter Meetings in full swing…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke to several reporters today, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, and noted that he's been in contact with the agents for Mark Reynolds and Boone Logan (Twitter link).
  • Hoch also tweets that the Yanks are receiving many calls on Brett Gardner but aren't shopping him. Cashman said he didn't sign Jacoby Ellsbury to trade Gardner.
  • The Star-Ledger's Andy McCullough tweets that in addition to Gardner, the Yanks have received calls on Ivan Nova, Gary Sanchez and J.R. Murphy (Twitter link).
  • Cashman also said that Michael Pineda is healthy and will compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training (Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweeting).
  • Hoch adds that Cashman thinks it will be easier to sign a free agent pitcher than to work out a trade for rotation help.
  • Newsday's David Lennon reports that the Mets will meet with the representatives for Freddy Garcia, Cesar Izturis and Johan Santana today (Twitter link). The team sees a good fit with that group of veterans.
  • Granderson confirmed to reporters, including Newsday's Marc Carig, that the Mets were the lone team to offer four years (Twitter link).

Youkilis Drawing Interest, Prefers West Coast

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Kevin Youkilis is beginning to draw some interest as a low-cost corner infield option, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The YES Network's Jack Curry adds that Yankees GM Brian Cashman recently reached out to Youk's agent and was informed that his client's preference was to play closer to his home in California (Twitter link).

Youk's lone season in Yankee pinstripes consisted of just 28 games and 118 plate appearances due to persistent back injuries. The 34-year-old batted just .219/.305/.343 in his brief stint with the Yankees, which, combined with injury concerns, will likely make it difficult to find regular at-bats with a club, especially if he's boxing himself into one geographic region.

At Least Seven Teams Interested In Eric Chavez

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Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that at least seven teams are interested in free agent third baseman Eric Chavez. According to Heyman, the Rangers, Rays, Pirates, Braves, Nationals, Diamondbacks and Yankees have all checked in on Chavez, though New York's recent signing of Kelly Johnson may close that door.

Chavez's agent, Scott Leventhal, told Heyman that Chavez isn't set on any one league or team but has an open mind. Chavez, who recently turned 36, followed up 2012's .281/.348/.496 batting line with the Yankees with a remarkably similar .281/.332/.476 batting line in Arizona this past season.

Chavez has a reputation as a fragile commodity (with good reason) and missed time with a pair of DL stints in 2013: one for an oblique strain and one for a knee strain. He played just 80 games for Arizona in 2013 and 113 games for New York in 2012. Once regarded as an elite defender at third base, Chavez has seen his defensive ratings slip late in his career due to a combination of age and injury.

AL East Notes: Moreland, Joyce, Ibanez, Floyd, Yanks

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The latest out of the AL East as today's Winter Meetings news heats up…

  • ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Rays are interested in Mitch Moreland of the Rangers and notes that a swap of Moreland and Matt Joyce is a possibility. That scenario hasn't gained much traction to this point, however, according to Stark (Twitter links).
  • MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli was among the reporters to speak with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, and she reports that the O's aren't interested in Raul Ibanez but do have some interest in Gavin Floyd (Twitter link).
  • Top Yankees prospects such as Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams have seen their stock fall precipitously in the past year, diminishing New York's ability to make trades, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. One Cubs official told Sherman, "The Yankees have no upper-level talent," when asked about potential trades between the two clubs.
  • Also from Sherman's piece, right-hander Tommy Kahnle and lefty Fred Lewis are candidates to be selected in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Kahnle was among the Yankees' most sought-after players in July trade talks but was left off the 40-man roster.
  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke with A.J. Pierzynski, who told him that the Twins offered him a two-year deal to return to Minnesota, but he couldn't pass up on the opportunity to play for the Red Sox (Twitter link).
  • Joh Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke with a high-ranking Yankees official who told him there haven't been any discussions between the Yanks and Giants about New York's outfielders at the Winter Meetings (Twitter link).

AL East Notes: Rays, Price, Orioles, Red Sox

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The latest out of the AL East..

  • One GM theorized to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter links) that the Dodgers are in a favorable position to land Rays ace David Price. He believes that the Mariners won't give up Taijuan Walker and the D'Backs will say no to including Archie Bradley in a deal. L.A. can't offer a prospect as good as those two, but they can offer some combination of Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and pitching. Based on yesterday's comments, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't sound as though he's going to make a big play for Price.
  • Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette remarked yesterday that he expected Rajai Davis to sign a deal "within the next day or two," leaving some to wonder if the O's are among the teams in the mix for his services. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looked into it, however, and found that Baltimore isn't in on him. The Twins and Tigers are interested, however, with one report calling Detroit the "frontrunners" for him.
  • Red Sox skipper John Farrell doesn't sound too upset about seeing Robinson Cano go to Seattle, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. "He’s a guy that keeps you up at night trying to find ways to attack him." Farrell said. "But I’m glad he’s out of the East."

Quick Hits: Diaz, Francoeur, Pie, Beltran, O’s

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Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz continues to draw heavy interest from Major League teams, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Some teams like Diaz, who can't sign until Feb. 19 due to falsifying his age last offseason, as a second baseman. Passan reports that Braves, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Blue Jays and Cardinals as teams who have been heavily represented at Diaz's most recent showcases in Mexico (Twitter links). Some more links from around the league…

  • Jeff Francoeur, who recently underwent LASIK surgery, is seeking a job as a backup outfielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Frenchy will also abandon his use of a 35-ounce bat in 2013 — a weight only utilized by Orioles slugger Chris Davis.
  • Felix Pie is nearing an agreement with Korea's Hanwah Eagles, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Pie hasn't seen much big-league action in the last two years, recording just 31 plate appearances in 27 games with the Pirates in 2013.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Royals' offer to Carlos Beltran was slightly less than the Yankees' three-year, $45MM offer but would technically have paid Beltran more due to the tax differences between Missouri and New York.
  • The Dodgers have not been involved in negotiations with Omar Infante, tweets Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • As they search for starting pitching help, the Orioles will be open to multiyear contracts rather than just one-year deals, GM Dan Duquette confirmed today (Twitter link via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com).
  • The Twins pursued a catcher before the market dried up, but had no interest in going to three years for any of the free agents they targeted, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota "made that clear from the start," according to Berardino.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along word, in a translated tweet, that Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda has expressed interest in playing in MLB, perhaps as soon as 2015.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Jeff Samardzija Rumors: Monday

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The Cubs are reportedly likely to trade Jeff Samardzija this winter, and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick heard last week that they plan on doing some "serious listening" on the right-hander at this week's Winter Meetings. "Shark" figures to be a hot topic in Orlando this week, and we'll keep track of today's rumors pertaining to him in this post…

  • Although the Yankees like Samardzija, they may not have the sort of prospects the Cubs are seeking, writes Joel Sherman. One member of the Cubs organization told Sherman that the Yankees "have no upper-level talent."

Earlier Updates

  • MLB.com's Mark Bowman tweeted that the odds of Samardzija ending up in Atlanta appear to be "slim" at this point.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke with one executive whose team is interested in Samardzija and heard that the Cubs are definitely discussing Samardzija trades but the asking price is very high (Twitter link). That executive said the Cubs will either find a team to meet that asking price or simply keep Samardzija and try again in July.
  • The Yankees and Braves are among the teams that have shown interest in Samardzija, according to Bruce Levine of WSCR (on Twitter).
  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta-Journal Constituion also tweets that the Braves like Samardzija, noting that he's a more realistic trade option for the Braves than White Sox ace Chris Sale.

Brett Gardner Rumors: Monday

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A Saturday report suggested the Yankees were receiving significant trade interest from rival teams on Brett Gardner after New York reached an agreement with Carlos Beltran. With Jacoby Ellsbury locked into a long-term deal with the Yankees, Gardner doesn't have a role in center field in the Bronx going forward, so it sounds like the team is willing to listen to offers. Here's the latest on Gardner:

  • Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (Twitter link) hears from rival executives that the most likely return for the Yankees in a Gardner deal would be a No. 4 starter. A No. 3 would be a "great get," according to those execs.
  • The Giants are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Brett Gardner, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears from a source involved in the process that a trade between the two sides is not likely, albeit not impossible.
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