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Free Agent Notes: Aramis, Chavez, Counsell, Wakefield

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Let's round up the latest rumors on a few members of this winter's free agent class:

  • Agent Paul Kinzer told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link) that, while Aramis Ramirez has a limited market, there are at least two teams very interested in the third baseman.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (via Twitter) that Eric Chavez's agent told Yankees GM Brian Cashman his client wants to play in 2012. Presumably, since the call went to Cashman, Chavez has some interest in rejoining the Yanks.
  • Plenty of teams are interested in Craig Counsell for a coaching or front office position, but Counsell hopes to play one more year, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. We heard yesterday that Counsell was listening to both playing and "non-playing" offers.
  • Barry Meister, Tim Wakefield's agent, told reporters today that he and Wakefield have talked about the possibility of the knuckleballer signing with a National League team. Meister added that a lot of clubs have called, but he thinks "it would be a shame" if Wakefield didn't pitch for the Red Sox. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has a transcript of the conversation.
  • Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes isn't officially a free agent yet, but that didn't stop agent Adam Katz from talking to reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, about his client. While there have been some questions about whether Cespedes would need to spend time in the minors, Katz said he believes the 26-year-old is ready for the bigs.

Minor Moves: Kimball, Corporan, Rottino, Pascucci

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Today's minor moves…

  • The Twins re-signed left-hander Phil Dumatrait, according to the Sosnick Cobbe Twitter page. Dumatrait appeared in 45 games for the Twins last season, posting a 3.92 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9.
  • The Blue Jays claimed right-hander Cole Kimball off of waivers from Washington, according to the Nationals' official Twitter feed.  Meanwhile, the Nats outrighted outfielder Corey Brown to Triple-A Syracuse.
  • Astros catcher Carlos Corporan cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.  Corporan has the right to elect free agency due to previously being outrighted.
  • The Mets signed catcher/left fielder/first baseman Vinny Rottino and first baseman/DH Val Pascucci to minor league deals, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin.  Both players saw their first big league action in several years in 2011.
  • Eric Duncan, drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2003, has signed with the Royals, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The 26-year-old played mostly first base, second base, and left field this year for the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, hitting .274/.322/.527 in 385 plate appearances.
  • The White Sox re-signed Leyson Septimo, tweets Goldstein.  The Sox claimed the hard-throwing 26-year-old southpaw off waivers from Arizona in June but removed him from their 40-man roster in October.
  • The Giants signed center fielder Gregor Blanco, according to his agency (via Matt Eddy of Baseball America on Twitter).  The 27-year-old spent the year with the Triple-A affiliates of the Nationals and Royals, hitting .201/.350/.327 in 252 plate appearances.
  • The Phillies acquired righty Adam Worthington from the Diamondbacks to complete the September Mike Zagurski trade, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  Worthington, 24, posted a 4.48 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 1/3 High-A relief innings this year.
  • The Yankees signed lefty reliever Mike O'Connor, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  The 31-year-old appeared briefly in the Majors for the Mets this year, also posting a 5.22 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 1.0 HR/9 in 60 1/3 Triple-A innings.

Heyman On Rollins, Yankees, Nolasco, Jurrjens

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As usual, Jon Heyman is tweeting up a storm.  His latest from Day 2 of the GM Meetings…

 

C.J. Wilson Asks To Meet With Yankees In New York

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9:45pm: Wilson and Garber have asked to meet with the Yankees in New York prior to December's Winter Meetings, and the Yankees are considering it, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees, saying that Garber actually suggested the New York visit rather than the team.

8:20pm: Brian Cashman met with Bob Garber, the agent for C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, in Milwaukee today, the Yankees GM confirmed. Garber didn't divulge whether the two sides exchanged figures for either pitcher, but told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that the Yanks invited Wilson to New York to meet with the team's decision-makers, including Hal Steinbrenner and director of pro personnel Billy Eppler.

"I told him where we were at, they understood, and want us to come out," Garber said. "I think it's a good fit. We have a lot of teams we have to narrow down. I think the Yankees are a team that we've narrowed down as a team we want to spend a little time with."

For his part, Cashman said that it's still early and he's in no rush to make any formal offers yet, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. However, Garber praised Cashman's aggressiveness, and indicated that, while he's in talks with six or seven teams regarding Wilson, he feels good about his conversation with the Yankees GM:

"I think it was very productive and who wouldn't really want a pitcher who has been to the last two World Series? I think Brian is in a situation where he doesn't want what happened to Cliff Lee to happen again."

Blue Jays Offer Scouting Position To Minaya

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The latest out of the AL East…

  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya was offered a scouting position with the Blue Jays, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Minaya is weighing other options.  Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun first reported Toronto's interest in Minaya, citing the Padres as another suitor.  Elliott notes that the Jays already employ three former GMs in Jim Beattie, Ed Lynch, and Chuck LaMar.  In October, Minaya interviewed for the Angels' GM job.
  • The Jays are "pushing hard for a closer," one GM tells Elliott.  Elliott reported a few days ago that the Blue Jays were shocked by the asking prices, however.
  • No matter what they say publicly, Yankees people are telling friends to expect an eventual big splash with a pitcher, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  I don't think that'd shock anyone, but there's not much out there currently.
  • The Red Sox weren't surprised Jonathan Papelbon priced himself out of their range, writes WEEI's Alex Speier.  The Sox are not looking to make a quick strike in the closer market to replace him.

Eight Teams Interested In Grady Sizemore

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TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.

The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.

The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.

Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.

Boras Talks Drew, Fielder, Andruw, Madson, Pelfrey

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Agent Scott Boras says J.D. Drew has not retired and will play in 2012 if the right opportunity emerges, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Here are more details from Boras’ conversation with reporters (most links go to Twitter)…

  • Boras said Prince Fielder will appeal to teams looking to win now and to those that are more than a year away from contending, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. “I do think there are a lot of teams that … look long-term with a younger player that may not be in the market for a player that is four or five years older," Boras said, comparing Fielder to Albert Pujols.
  • Boras told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Fielder is an "amazing athlete" who's just stepping into his prime. "This guy can fly," he said. "He's like Warren Sapp. That man was an athlete. People said he had this square body or he wasn't big enough or whatever, but he was still an All-Pro."
  • Boras and the Yankees have discussed the possibility of a new deal for Andruw Jones, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. The Yankees are in the market for a fourth outfielder and Jones, who hit .247/.356/.495 for New York in 2011, would be a fit, especially because he bats from the right side.
  • Boras has not spoken with the Red Sox about free agent closer Ryan Madson, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • Boras explained that there will be strong interest in Carlos Beltran, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "It's hard to get those players to free-agency and the ones who get there there's a real demand for them," he said.
  • Boras will meet with Indians to discuss possible free agent fits, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hoynes points out that Carlos Pena is a possible fit for the Indians at first base. Matt LaPorta is an option for the 2012 Indians, but he doesn’t appear to have any guarantees.
  • Boras will also speak to the Cubs, possibly about Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Boras “fully expects” the Mets to tender Mike Pelfrey a contract, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Heavy Interest In C.J. Wilson

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Interest has been heavy in free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, despite his disappointing postseason.  The Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers have already expressed interest, reports Morosi.  All six clubs had been expected to be in the mix.

An official with an involved club expects at least five years with a sixth-year option for Wilson, while another official believes six years guaranteed is possible.  Could a sixth year push Wilson to $100MM?  In an August 30th poll, 78% of nearly 7,000 MLBTR readers polled felt Wilson would fall short of nine figures.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels recently commented on Wilson to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, saying, "We would like to have him back.  We know he's in a great position. He'll explore his options. We'll prepare for both possibilities."  At the least, the Rangers are expected to offer arbitration to the Type A free agent nine days from now.  If Wilson does leave the Rangers, they could end up with a top 20 draft pick as compensation if the Nationals, Jays, or Angels sign him and the current system remains in place for 2012.  Out of Morosi's five competing suitors, only the Marlins have a protected first-round pick.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Ortiz, Red Sox, Reynolds

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Here's a look at some items out of the American League East..

  • The Yankees remain unlikely to pursue David Ortiz, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  General Manager Brian Cashman reiterated that the team's focus is on shoring up the starting rotation and also noted that the team has a number of internal candidates for the DH spot.
  • More from Speier as Cashman says that he's intrigued by the possibility of finally being able to have trade talks with Theo Epstein now that he is in charge of the Cubs.
  • The Red Sox will have to address the back of their rotation this winter and Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe outlines the different avenues that GM Ben Cherington can explore.  Abraham writes that even though the Sox will look into lefthanders C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, a major deal is unlikely.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders if Mark Reynolds' name will come up at this week's GM meetings in Milwaukee.  The Orioles hold an $11MM option on Reynolds' contract for 2013 and he isn't eligible for free agency until the following year.

Quick Hits: Aoki, Cespedes, Pirates, Doumit

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The Royals acquired Vin Mazzaro from the Athletics for David DeJesus on this date last year. A few days ago, Kansas City acquired Jonathan Sanchez from the Bay Area's other team. Here are today's links…

  • The A's, Nationals, Mets and Indians could be interested in Norichika Aoki, the three-time Central League batting champion who will be posted this offseason, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. SI.com's Jon Heyman suggests those same four teams could be interested in Grady Sizemore (Twitter links).
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law previews the market for starting pitching and explains that if there's an available ace it's Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes previewed the market for starting pitching earlier this week.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America explains that international scouts have known about Yoenis Cespedes for a while. The recent showcase video and the subsequent reaction gave fans the impression that the center fielder appeared out of nowhere, but that’s not the case.
  • Danny Knobler of CBS Sports hears from someone who expects Cespedes to sign for upwards of $30MM (Twitter link).
  • The Yankees and Pirates had preliminary discussions about trades involving catchers, but the Pirates' deal with Rod Barajas makes a trade between the Pirates and Yankees seem unlikely, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains (on Twitter).
  • Speaking of Pirates catchers, free agent Ryan Doumit has obtained multiple offers and expects to sign this month, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). The versatile 30-year-old is looking for a one-year deal.
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