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Mike Napoli Rumors: Monday

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Free agent catcher Mike Napoli met with Boston executives over the weekend, though the Red Sox don't appear to have extended him a formal offer. Here are today’s Napoli-related rumors, with the most recent updates at the top:

  • Napoli and agent Brian Grieper are scheduled to meet with the Rangers this week, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports. The meeting will likely take place on Wednesday.
  • The Mariners seek offense, experience and leadership and may be the best bet to offer Napoli the four-year deal he wants, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Mariners, who finished last in the American League in runs scored again, will almost certainly add other hitters, according to Rosenthal. 
  • Napoli appears to be the top target of the Red Sox, ahead of Nick Swisher, Adam LaRoche and others, Rosenthal writes.
  • While the Rangers want Napoli back, “they want him to return on their terms” in the words of one person. Rosenthal suggests this means the Rangers wouldn’t go beyond three years for the right-handed hitter.
  • The Yankees still figure to re-sign Russell Martin, another free agent backstop.

Heyman On Martin, Ichiro, Swisher

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com…

  • The Yankees and Russell Martin are discussing a new contract, though Martin appears to be talking to at least one other team. Talks involving the free agent catcher are “heating up,” according to Heyman. The Yankees made progress with Martin over the weekend, though the sides were apart on dollars several days ago. The Rangers have Martin on their list and other teams, such as the Pirates, Mariners and White Sox, are considering catchers.
  • The Yankees are confident they can re-sign Ichiro Suzuki, Heyman reports. The Yankees expect to reach a deal with the free agent outfielder, who has said he hopes to return to New York.
  • The Red Sox, Braves and Giants appear to be looking at Nick Swisher, Heyman reports. The market for Swisher seems strong enough for him to obtain a deal of at least four years and executives see the outfielder signing for $12-14MM per season. The Red Sox like Swisher’s versatility since they have openings at first base and in the outfield. Meanwhile, the Braves and Giants are also looking for corner outfield help.

East Notes: Yankees, Wright, Mets, Orioles, Hamilton

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While the Yankees get a lot of flack for stockpiling veterans, Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't believe that having an older team is inherently problematic.  Older players can often clog things up for promising young players but in the Yankees' case, veterans are actually helping the club stall for time as they wait for Michael Pineda or Manuel Banuelos to bounce back from arm surgeries.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that the Mets can't overspend on David Wright or R.A. Dickey just to satisfy fans.  The Mets are understandably more open to a contract extension for Wright than they are for Dickey and the third baseman's value is much easier to peg.  Wright and the Mets can start from the Nationals' deal with Ryan Zimmerman (six-years, $100MM) while there's no easy comparison for a 38-year-old knuckleballer at Dickey's level.
  • Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club should not be expected to go after "high ticket" acquisitions this winter and doesn't see them doing anything as major as the Blue Jays' mega-deal.  The O's have been mentioned as a player for Josh Hamilton but ESPN.com's Buster Olney recently cautioned that they're not expected to be overly aggressive in their pursuit of him.
  • However, the Baltimore exec wouldn't completely rule out a play for Hamilton or Zack Greinke, Bowden tweets.  However, it doesn't seem like they plan on being serious contenders for either free agent given their financial constraints and Duquette's other comments in the interview.
  • Also from the SiriusXM interview (transcript provided by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com), Duquette discussed Friday's deadline to offer arbitration to Mark Reynolds. "If we bring back Mark Reynolds, that will help our ballclub," Duquette said. "If we don't bring back Mark Reynolds, I know we have some people in-house that are very capable of doing that job." On Thanksgiving, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes named Reynolds a non-tender candidate.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Stanton, Swisher, Red Sox, Sizemore

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines that the Red Sox should go after a Josh Hamilton or Joe Mauer.  Boston has made it clear that they are focused on being fiscally responsible and only targeting good value deals, but a strong bat would help elevate the club's lineup and energize the fan base.  Here's more from today's column..

  • The Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Cubs, and many more are inquiring on rightfielder Giancarlo Stanton, a major league source tells Cafardo.  However, commissioner Bud Selig is watching the situation closely after the club's colossal salary dump in the Blue Jays deal.  He didn't move to block that trade, but he may not be fond of a deal for the Marlins’ biggest draw. 
  • The Red Sox have had ongoing negotiations with Nick Swisher and his agents.  The outfielder, who has at least seven teams interested in him this winter, would serve as a more than adequate replacement for Cody Ross.
  • Agent Joe Urbon tells Cafardo that all is quiet on Grady Sizemore.  The 30-year-old has bad knees  but there is hope that he can turn the corner.  The agent says his client will play again, but it seems he would have to come in on a minor league/major league deal with incentives, similar to Jason Bay.
  • Carlos Pena may have to accept being a platoon player for a team like the Red Sox after a weak offensive campaign.  The Sox still haven't closed the door on fellow first baseman James Loney, who offers strong defense but lacks the big bat potential of a player like Pena.

Yankees Have Interest In Jeff Keppinger

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The Yankees have "renewed (their) longstanding interest" in free agent utility man Jeff Keppinger, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. People within the industry think the team may be laying groundwork to use Alex Rodriguez as the primary DH as soon as 2013, which GM Brian Cashman refuted.

"There is no discussion whatsoever about Alex transitioning from third base to DH, part-time DH, first base or any other position on the field," said Cashman. "As we approach anyone in the free-agent market or anyone in trades, we’re making sure we have insurance policies, (asking) our what-ifs?"

Keppinger, 32, hit .325/.367/.439 in 418 plate appearances for the Rays this season while playing primary second and third bases. The Yankees tried to acquire him from the Astros two winters ago. Rosenthal says New York has not spoken to the Tigers about Jhonny Peralta as they look for utility infield help, though they reportedly have interest in free agent Stephen Drew.

Rodriguez, 37, hit .272/.353/.430 with 18 homers in 529 plate appearances last season. He missed more than a month with a broken bone in his hand after getting hit by a pitch. Derek Jeter is currently rehabbing from a fractured left ankle and the team expects to be ready in time for Opening Day. The Yankees are still seeking infield depth just in case either veteran continues to fight the injury bug.

Ichiro Drawing Interest, Prefers To Stay With Yankees

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Although he is drawing interest from other teams around the league, Ichiro Suzuki prefers to re-sign with the Yankees according to his agent Tony Attanasio. Attanasio told George A. King III of The New York Post that his client is willing to wait to see if New York wants him back after working out new contracts with Mariano Rivera and potentially Andy Pettitte.

"They are going after pitching first which is what the Yankees normally do," said Attanasio. "There has been a lot of interest [from teams], but he enjoyed playing for the Yankees so much it’s hard for him to say no to the Yankees. His preference is to stay there instead of going someplace else, but we will wait and see."

Ichiro, 39, hit .283/.307/.390 in 663 plate appearances last season, but put up a .322/.340/.454 batting line in 240 plate appearances with the Yankees following the trade. He also agreed to move from right field to left and bat near the bottom of the order. King says if the Yankees want Ichiro back, he would have to agree to a one-year contract with a pay cut from the $17MM he made in 2012.

The Giants and White Sox were among the teams with interest in Ichiro prior to the trade deadline, and earlier this month we heard the Yankees have some interest in bringing him back as a replacement for Nick Swisher. Tim Dierkes ranked the long-time Mariner as the 40th best free agent on his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Rays.

AL East Notes: Hale, Swisher, Kuroda, Orioles

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It was on this day in 1977 that Rich "Goose" Gossage signed a six-year, $2.75MM free agent contract with the Yankees.  The Goose lived up to that then-exorbitant deal, posting a 2.10 ERA and saving 150 games over those six seasons, notching three top-five finishes in Cy Young Award voting and helping New York win the 1978 World Series.  Gossage went into the Hall Of Fame as a Yankee in 2008.

Here's the latest from New York and elsewhere in the AL East…

  • DeMarlo Hale is "likely" going to be the Blue Jays' next bench coach, a source tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).  Hale served as the Orioles' third base coach in 2012 and was interviewed as a managerial candidate by the Jays two years ago before Toronto hired John Farrell.  Hale's contract may be for three years, reports MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko.
  • The Red Sox have Nick Swisher "on their radar," a source tells George A. King III of the New York Post.  At least seven teams are known to be interested in Swisher, whose ability to switch-hit and play both first base and right field is a boon to many clubs.  King hears from an industry source who believes Swisher could find a four-year, $60MM contract, though with that many teams and big markets in the running, it wouldn't surprise me to see that number jump to between $65-$70MM in guaranteed money.
  • Other teams were offering Hiroki Kuroda more expensive and longer-term deals with player options than the one-year, $15MM contract he signed with the Yankees, reports Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York.  Kuroda took the relatively smaller deal with New York due to his familiarity with the city and his desire to keep his options open next winter for a possible return to Japan.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link) notes that Kuroda has left money on the table for each of the four contracts he's signed in his Major League career.    
  • The Orioles were interested in Jonny Gomes but are "not too heartbroken" that Gomes has signed with Boston, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's prefer to use the money earmarked for Gomes to re-sign Nate McLouth instead.
  • In AL East news from earlier today, Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick discussed the possibility of his client signing an extension with the Blue Jays.

Latest On Andy Pettitte

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A friend of Andy Pettitte's told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he expects the left-hander to decide on his plans for 2013 by the end of next week (Twitter link). The Yankees have yet to offer Pettitte a contract, but they remain interested in bringing him back as a member of their 2013 rotation.

Earlier this week Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote that the Yankees expect Pettitte to return for another season. However, the 40-year-old will likely seek a raise from his 2012 salary of $2.5MM. Pettitte, who is now represented by Excel Sports Management, pitched well in 12 regular season starts this past season before making two quality starts in the postseason. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 75 1/3 regular season innings in 2012.

AL East Notes: Robinson, Martin, Yankees

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On this date in 1957, Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle won the AL MVP, narrowly edging out Ted Williams of the Red Sox for the award. Williams had superior numbers on a per at bat basis, but Mantle played in more games, had more wins above replacement and the Yankees won the pennant. Here are today's AL East links…

Stark’s Latest: Halladay, Hamilton, Rays, Dickey

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In his latest blog post, ESPN's Jayson Stark points out that just five teams have $100MM+ committed to their 2013 payroll right now: the Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, Tigers, and Blue Jays. None of those teams appear to be done this offseason either. Here's the rest of Stark's rumors…

  • The Phillies have kicked around the idea of a contract extension for Roy Halladay, though GM Ruben Amaro said that "a lot has to do with how he feels and how he performs. So that's a decision and a conversation that would probably have to go into the spring, and maybe into the season."
  • The two sides actually had preliminary talks about a new contract that would raise Halladay's annual salary north of $24MM and keep him with the Phillies beyond next season. Talks were shelved when the right-hander's shoulder began to act up, however.
  • Stark hears that Josh Hamilton is no longer on the Phillies' list, and Amaro said they "haven't been given a real budget. I know it's not unlimited, but that's not usually how we work."
  • Teams continue to check in with the Rays about their starting pitchers, and the asking price for James Shields is in the neighborhood of the five-player package Tampa received for Matt Garza two winters ago.
  • Those same clubs don't believe the Mets have really put R.A. Dickey on the trade market yet.
  • Rumors swirl that Zack Greinke is seeking a six-year contract, but his agent Casey Close has yet to ask for specific offers.
  • Scott Rolen has told the Reds he may play next season, but he isn't ready to make a final decision tweets Stark. The team wants him back in some role.
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