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Cliff Lee Rumors: Monday

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Cliff Lee's agent Darek Braunecker held court today at the Winter Meetings, but didn't say much.  The latest on the lefty:

  • The Rangers are waiting on Lee before moving on to other top free agent targets, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who suggests (on Twitter) that the market for Lee is heating up tonight.
  • Seven years is a "dealbreaker" for the Yankees, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who suggests the team would offer six years (Twitter link). Newsday's Ken Davidoff says the Yankees will likely offer a six-year deal.
  • The Yankees don't plan to offer Lee a seven-year deal, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). 
  • Lee will receive a seven-year offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. At least one club has suggested they’re willing to offer a seven-year deal. 
  • MLB "bigwigs" tell Newsday's Ken Davidoff that they expect Lee to sign a six-year deal (Twitter link)
  • Braunecker met with the Yankees today, but the sides did not discuss money, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • The Rangers were planning to offer Lee a four-year deal, but may have to change their plans, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Nats GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he spoke to agent Darek Braunecker recently (Twitter link).
  • The Phillies are considering bringing back Lee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Asked about the Red Sox, Braunecker told WEEI's Rob Bradford, "We've talked."
  • The Yankees are expected to meet with Braunecker again today, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • Braunecker says they have visited with "significantly more clubs" than just the Yankees and Rangers, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.  Braunecker is in the process of setting up meetings.

Carl Crawford Rumors: Monday

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When Jayson Werth signed a seven-year deal worth $126MM, it appeared to be a positive sign for Carl Crawford. Here’s the latest on Crawford and whether the Werth deal really does impact his bargaining power:

  • ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark suggests Werth's contract may give Crawford fewer options, since few teams will be able to meet his demands. Stark suggests the Yankees are the lone team that can afford to offer the left fielder $180MM.
  • Crawford is the Angels' top priority and the Tigers have definite interest, according to Stark.
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he doesn't have a reaction to the Werth deal since what other clubs do "doesn't affect" the way the Angels operate. I'm guessing the Angels did not like what the Nationals did one bit.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained earlier today that the Red Sox could be priced out of the market for Crawford.

Yankees Notes: Feliciano, Wood, Pettitte

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The Yankees met with Cliff Lee's agent today. Here are the rest of the updates on the team's quest for pitching:

  • The Yankees will meet with Pedro Feliciano's representatives this week, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. The Rockies have also expressed interest in the lefty, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • The Yankees are interested in re-signing Kerry Wood, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). GM Brian Cashman says he isn't interested in paying Wood "closer money."
  • When Cashman checked in with Andy Pettitte recently, he heard that the lefty was still leaning toward retirement, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

Russell Martin Suitors

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5:50pm: The Yankees and Red Sox are in on Martin and the Mets and Blue Jays are less interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

4:34pm: The Dodgers have not been in contact with Martin's agent since Thursday, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).

3:29pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Martin will be a catcher next year. The Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mets all examined his medical information in the last day (Twitter links).

3:09pm: The Mets consider Martin too expensive and too much of an injury risk, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). 

MONDAY, 1:31pm: The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets are also thought to be interested in Martin, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

FRIDAY, 9:16am: The Yankees, who tried to trade for Russell Martin this week, are one of six teams interested in the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that the Yankees nearly sent Francisco Cervelli to the Dodgers for Martin (Twitter links). In fact, the Yankees and Dodgers even exchanged medical records on Wednesday. 

The Dodgers are nearing a deal with Rod Barajas, but they still have interest in re-signing Martin. Agent Matt Colleran says the Dodgers view his client differently than most teams do.

“They want to continue discussions with the idea that Russ could come back and catch, play second base and third and a little bit out of outfield to see if he likes something like that in the event he ever wants to transition from behind the plate,” Colleran said.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Mets or Brewers look to upgrade behind the plate. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that Martin, who is from Montreal, wants to play on the East Coast (Twitter link).

Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners Interested In Diaz

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4:17pm: The Blue Jays also have some interest in Diaz, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

3:15pm: The Yankees and Mariners are interested in Matt Diaz as a possible platoon player. New York would mix Diaz in with Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, according to  Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Mariners are interested in platooning Diaz with Michael Saunders in left field, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Like Marcus Thames, who excelled for the Yankees in a part-time role last year, Diaz handles lefties well. He has a .335/.373/.533 line against them in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered the 32-year-old last week, making him a free agent.

Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left. The Dodgers and Phillies are other potential suitors for Diaz.

Rockies Not Interested In Alfredo Aceves

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4:55pm: The Rockies are not interested in Aceves, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).

8:34am: The Rockies are among the teams interested in recently non-tendered righty Alfredo Aceves, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  He says the Yankees would like Aceves back, but on a minor league deal.

Aceves, 28 on Wednesday, missed most of the season with back pain and then fractured his left clavicle in November in a bicycle accident.  In 2009, he was quite useful with a 3.54 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 35.2% groundball rate in 84 innings.  His flyball tendencies don't seem a great match for Coors Field.

Stark On Crawford, Beltre, Lee, Greinke, Bartlett

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In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark discusses the ripple effect that Jayson Werth's $126MM deal will have on the remaining free agents. One AL official opines that it raises Carl Crawford's price in a "big, big way": "He's looking at maybe eight years, $180 million now, maybe 10 years, $190 million." Here are the rest of Stark's hot stove notes:

  • Crawford is the clear top target for the Angels, but in the past they've tried to avoid going as high as eight years for any player, let alone ten.
  • Despite getting Werth's contract done already, Scott Boras often drags out negotiations for his top clients. Stark polled a dozen people across baseball on when Adrian Beltre would sign, and many predicted it wouldn't happen until Christmas or later.
  • Neither the Yankees or Rangers have made a formal offer to Cliff Lee yet, but many of those baseball people polled by Stark expect a deal to get done within the next week.
  • There's good news and bad news for the Royals and Zack Greinke's trade value: with many free agent arms coming off the board already, Greinke has become more valuable in a pitching-thin market. However, according to one AL source, "Greinke has been trying to convince the Royals that it's not a great idea if he's there next year," which reduces Kansas City's leverage.
  • The Diamondbacks haven't totally ruled out trading Justin Upton, though it appears unlikely. Kevin Towers tells Stark "it's going to take somebody a little on the crazy side" to get anything done.
  • There's a sense that Jason Bartlett is the player most likely to be traded this week. However, Stark has trouble finding a team in need of a shortstop that matches up well with the Rays, who would like a late-inning reliever in return.
  • With Werth off the market, the Phillies will look to replace him with a complementary player rather than a big name. Stark lists Scott Hairston, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz as a few possible targets. Philadelphia has also been trying to find a taker for Raul Ibanez, but would likely have to eat a good chunk of salary to do so.

Odds & Ends: Paulino, Beltre, Werth, Thome

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Some links on what has been a very busy day in baseball..

Cliff Lee Rumors: Sunday

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We checked in earlier today on the top free agent hitter, Carl Crawford. Now, let's round up the latest updates on the market's top pitcher….

  • Lee told teammates that he would return to the Rangers if they offer him a sixth year, sources tell Tim Brown of Yahoo (via Twitter).
  • Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) hears that Texas will not offer six years to Lee but expects the Yankees to do so.
  • The Nats are a longshot to land Lee, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees have yet to make a formal proposal to Lee and his agent Darek Braunecker is hoping to get a deal done in Orlando, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links).
  • It still looks like a two-horse race for Cliff Lee, who has been visited in person twice by the Rangers and once by the Yankees, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "It appears the Rangers will draw the line at five years for the 32-year-old lefthander," Cafardo says. "But the Yankees could put it over the top with a sixth year."
  • An AL exec explains to Joel Sherman of the New York Post why the Yanks are the favorites: "There is no Plan B that is acceptable [when it comes to upgrading a rotation that needs to be upgraded]. They have looked around and know it is worthwhile to spend what they must to fix what is broken."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports isn't necessarily buying that there are only two clubs seriously in on Lee.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News breaks down the kind of offer the Rangers could make to keep Lee in Texas.

Odds & Ends: Rivera, Pirates, Beltre, A’s

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Links for Sunday, with winter meetings right around the corner….

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