Dodgers, Phillies Discussed Chase Utley
While negotiating the Jimmy Rollins trade, the Dodgers and Phillies also discussed Chase Utley, Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports (Twitter link). As Brown notes, L.A. could now have a more pressing need for a second baseman with Dee Gordon on his way to the Marlins.
Utley has full trade protection as a 10-and-5 veteran (like Rollins) and he has been steadfast in saying that he wants to finish his career in Philadelphia. That said, it’s fair to speculate if Utley would be interested in playing alongside his longtime double-play partner Rollins for a contending team.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) today that he had received “a lot” of interest in both Utley and Rollins and that he hasn’t talked to Utley today.
Mets Confident They Will Trade Dillon Gee
6:04pm: Rex Brothers‘ name isn’t currently part of the trade talks between the Mets and Rockies, Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets.
4:02pm: At present, there is no traction between the Royals and Mets regarding Gee, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets.
3:31pm: Another set of reports links the Rockies to Gee, with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reporting that there is present interest from Colorado. Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported last night that the Rockies had expressed interest in Gee.
2:38pm: The Mets do not expect to land a shortstop in a deal involving Gee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Instead, the team is looking to add a left-handed reliever, right-handed bench bat, prospects, or some combination of the above.
2:05pm: GM Sandy Alderson says the Mets are not confident they will make a deal involving a starter in San Diego, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. But the club does expect to strike a deal of some kind soon.
1:20pm: The Mets are confident they will find a deal to move starter Dillon Gee this week, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports on Twitter. There has been a lot of chatter on Gee with multiple teams, he notes, reflecting other recent reports.
We have already heard several teams mentioned in relation to Gee, among them the Twins. But Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) says a deal between those teams looks unlikely, with New York not terribly interested in shortstop Eduardo Escobar. The Royals, Padres, Rockies, Rangers, and Giants have also been noted as having interest.
Dodgers, Marlins Talking Dee Gordon Deal
The Dodgers and Marlins are having serious talks about a trade involving Dee Gordon and Andrew Heaney, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Other teams could be involved in the deal and Dan Haren‘s name has been mentioned. Olney describes the trade as being “close to done” (Twitter link).
Pirates Acquire Antonio Bastardo
The Pirates have acquired southpaw reliever Antonio Bastardo from the Phillies in exchange for minor league left-hander Joely Rodriguez. After adding Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett to the rotation, Pittsburgh was thought to now be turning its attention to acquiring relief pitching, and now the Bucs have added a solid bullpen arm from their in-state rivals.
Bastardo has a 3.36 ERA, 2.61 K/BB and an impressive 11.6 K/9 over 216 2/3 IP with Philadelphia since 2011. The lefty is solid against both right-handed and left-handed batters, though control is something of an issue, as Bastardo has posted a 4.6 BB/9 over the last three seasons. Tony Watson was the only other established lefty in the Pittsburgh bullpen, so Bastardo’s addition gives the Bucs another solid late-game option against left-handed hitters.
Rodriguez posted a 4.84 ERA, 4.9 K/9 and 1.70 K/BB rate over 134 Double-A innings last season. The 23-year-old has mostly been used as a starter over his six pro seasons and has a career 4.02 ERA over 441 1/3 minor league innings.
Robert Murray was the first to report the deal, with FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal confirming that the two sides were close to an agreement. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the trade had been finalized, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting Rodriguez’s involvement. (all links to Twitter) CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury initially reported Pittsburgh’s interest in Bastardo earlier today.
White Sox Sign David Robertson
WEDNESDAY: The deal is official. Robertson receives $10MM next year and a $1MM raise in each successive season, per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribne (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 11:44am: Robertson has a limited no-trade clause with the White Sox that will allow him to block trades to five teams, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 11:59pm: Robertson’s deal is worth $46MM over four years, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He will receive limited no-trade protection, according to Mark Feinsand of New York Daily News (on Twitter).
11:39pm: The White Sox have agreed to sign David Robertson to a four-year deal worth more than $40MM, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Robertson has been zeroed in on landing a four-year deal this winter and he found a team happy to give him one with a solid average annual value. Robertson is represented by All Bases Covered, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.
Robertson just missed the ~$50MM Jonathan Papelbon-type deal that he was said to be looking for, but he did out-earn fellow free agent Andrew Miller, who will be pitching late in games for Robertson’s former club. The incumbent Yankees were reportedly open to going to a fourth year, but it’s not clear if they ever presented him with an offer of that length.
The White Sox are making a massive splash at this year’s Winter Meetings. In addition to adding Robertson, the White Sox appear to be on the verge of acquiring Jeff Samardzija from the Athletics. Some observers felt that the White Sox were in need of a rebuild this winter, but they apparently believe very strongly that they can win in 2015.
Last month it was reported that Robertson had serious interest from at least six clubs and the Astros and Yankees were among the teams known to be in the mix. Robertson entered this offseason as the 13th ranked player on Tim Dierkes’ Top 50 Free Agents list, making him the highest ranked reliever of the winter.
Robertson rejected the Yankees’ qualifying offer, so New York will get an extra pick at the end of the first round of next year’s draft as compensation. The White Sox’ top pick, No. 8 overall, is protected, but they’ll sacrifice their second-round pick, No. 45 overall, once the Robertson signing becomes official.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL East Rumors: Mets, Coke, Breslow, Detwiler
The latest batch of rumors out of the National League East..
- The Mets have had preliminary contact with free agent reliever Phil Coke, but there have been no substantive discussions yet, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Mets have cast a wide net on lefty relievers but at this time nothing is close and no one in that group stands out, according to Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). He also hears that the Mets are not engaged with Coke.
- The Mets met with the reps for Neal Cotts and Craig Breslow, but neither appear to be likely options, according to Carig (via Twitter).
- The Nationals are also open to moving Ross Detwiler to teams that value him as a starter and, therefore, would give them more in return, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
AL East Rumors: O’s, Snider, Matusz, Lester
A look at the AL East..
- The Orioles had preliminary discussions on a deal with the Pirates that would send Travis Snider to Baltimore for Brian Matusz, but there doesn’t seem to be much progress at the moment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wishes he was given more opportunities to negotiate with Jon Lester in the spring, writes Jason Mastrodonato of The Springfield Republican. Still, he says that he does not have any regrets about his bidding this winter.
- The Blue Jays will look at short-term free agent options – meaning deals of 1-3 years in length – at second base, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Alternatively, GM Alex Anthopoulos could stay put and spend on relief instead.
Latest On Dodgers, Phillies Trade Rumors
3:01pm: The Phillies are active in discussions with the Dodgers on Rollins, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
2:56pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (via Twitter) is getting increasing indications that there’s a real chance of a deal that could send Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers. However, something involving Cole Hamels going to L.A. seems less likely.
1:42pm: Philadelphia could strike a deal with the Dodgers involving both Cole Hamels and Rollins, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki suggests in the course of a broader discussion of Hamels’ market. Zolecki says that the Phillies might be able to get one of the Dodgers’ top prospects in a deal, noting that an expanded package — possibly including Rollins — may provide a means of sweetening the pot.
The best chance of the Phils pulling off a deal this week could involve Rollins going to Los Angeles, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
12:44pm: Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins would approve a trade to the Dodgers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Of course, a deal would have to be worked out first, and Heyman says there is at least some chance of that happening.
Rollins is said to have a fairly short list of teams to whom he would approve a trade. He has ten-and-five rights, giving him full no-trade protection. Heyman says that the Mets and Athletics are among the teams to which Rollins would not approve a deal, while he “apparently” would have okay’ed a deal to the Yankees had it come to fruition earlier in the offseason.
Los Angeles is still in the market for a shortstop after letting Hanley Ramirez walk, though it does have internal options to fill the void. The team was said at one point to have interest in veteran Alexei Ramirez, which at least lends facial plausibility to the idea of the club considering Rollins, who is in the final year of his contract.
Royals Shopping Infante, Listening On Relievers
TODAY: Kansas City is leaving other clubs with the impression that they are willing, albeit hesitant, to deal from amongst its trio of late-inning arms, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). To do so, however, the Royals would need a controllable player at a position of need: either an impact bat in right or a starting pitcher.
YESTERDAY, 12:30pm: The Royals are making Omar Infante available, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Roughly one year ago today, the Royals signed Infante to a four-year deal for more than $30MM plus incentives with a $10MM team option for 2018. The soon-to-be 33-year-old batted .318/.345/.450 with 10 homers and solid second base defense for the Tigers in 2013. However, his production slid in 2014 as he hit just .252/.295/.337 with subpar work in the field (-3.0 UZR/150). His .632 OPS was his worst in nearly a decade, but with a lack of quality second base options out there, Infante could have value.
12:08pm: The Royals have been telling teams that relievers Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera are not available, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). McCullough cautions (link) that that things could conceivably change with David Robertson now off the market, however.
That news comes as something of a surprise given the amount of trade buzz we’ve heard about the trio this week. Just yesterday we heard that the Royals were listening to offers on all three relievers with an eye on turning their bullpen strength into an outfield bat. Trading a reliever could bring KC a much more affordable outfield solution than, say, free agent Melky Cabrera, but it would also chip away at what helped make the Royals such a strong team in 2014.
The Blue Jays were said to be in pursuit of Holland and the Royals reportedly considered him to be available, albeit with a high price tag. McCullough speculated that Holland’s delivery and build could have KC worried about his durability, but their concerns might not be enough for them to ship him out. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects him to earn $9.3MM in 2015, but that doesn’t appear to be a prohibitive cost for KC.
Orioles Interested In Yoenis Cespedes?
2:37pm: The O’s have not had internal talks about acquiring Cespedes, a source tells Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). There have been no true discussions between Boston and Baltimore regarding the outfielder.
1:47pm: The Orioles have interest in Red Sox outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, a source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Nothing is “remotely imminent” on that front but the O’s view the slugger as a good potential fit.
Baltimore is in search of a power bat and Cespedes would undoubtedly fit the bill for them. Whether they could hammer out a deal with their AL East rivals without paying a premium, however, remains to be seen.
Cespedes has found himself on the pages of MLBTR quite a bit over the past few weeks. At one point, the Tigers were discussing a deal that would have involved Cespedes and Rick Porcello, but those discussions have apparently cooled off. The Padres have also discussed Cespedes with Boston and the Reds have been connected to him, though GM Walt Jocketty denies talking with the Red Sox about him.
Cespedes has one year remaining before he hits free agency.