Athletics Rumors: Gonzalez, Trades, Matsui, Nix
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, MLB.com's Jane Lee, and Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group bring us some Athletics-related tidbits out of Dallas…
- The Royals have some interest in Gio Gonzalez, and one scout views them as a good match for the A's, given Kansas City's deep farm system.
- GM Billy Beane has no reservations about trading with other teams in the AL West.
- Beane says he's had trade talks in some form with about half the teams in the league so far at the meetings.
- Hideki Matsui likely won't be back in Oakland, since the team has other in-house options and would like to "stay young."
- The A's will also be looking to stay young in trades, as they'd be targeting players younger than those they'd be dealing.
- Beane says the A's may explore short-term free agent signings to fill the club's outfield if he can't work out any trades.
- There's still no word on an official date for a decision on the team's stadium situation, but Beane remains optimistic that he'll hear soon.
- The A's discussed a deal with Laynce Nix before he signed with the Phillies.
NL West Rumors: Saunders, Overbay, Headley
One round of NL West notes wasn't enough for today, so let's do it again:
- The Diamondbacks have extended a contract offer to Joe Saunders, and it appears to be for two years, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. GM Kevin Towers says other teams have inquired about Saunders, and that the D'Backs intend to either trade him or sign him to a new deal, rather than go to arbitration (Twitter link).
- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com says (on Twitter) the Diamondbacks expect to hear tonight whether Lyle Overbay will accept their one-year offer.
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with Joe Martinez, who will be added to the 40-man roster, tweet Piecoro.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link) says the Padres are asking for "the moon" for Chase Headley. They could move him, but it will cost a lot if they do.
- The Padres are looking at Andrew Bailey and several free agent arms to replace Heath Bell, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter). Hayes adds that the team isn't willing to commit more than two years to any free agent arm (Twitter link).
- The Rockies' waiver claim of Jamie Hoffmann increases the probability of Ryan Spilborghs being non-tendered, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
Heyman On Wright, Kuroda, Gonzalez, Marlins
Here's the latest from MLB Network's Jon Heyman's Twitter feed:
- The Mets received a couple unsolicited "bad" trade offers for David Wright, but have no plans to move him.
- The Diamondbacks are known to be targeting Hiroki Kuroda, and a report this morning indicated talks between the two sides were getting more serious. However, Heyman spoke to a source who believed it was a "stretch" that the right-handed would sign with Arizona.
- Athletics GM Billy Beane is telling teams he's not anxious to trade Gio Gonzalez.
- One GM called the reported six-year offer on the table to C.J. Wilson "nuts."
- The Marlins continue to say they're serious about their pursuit of Albert Pujols, even with Jose Reyes and Heath Bell on board.
AL West Rumors: Rangers, Gonzalez, Wilson
The latest updates out of the AL West:
- The Rangers are searching for a utility infielder that can play shortstop, but competition is fierce at the Winter Meetings, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan says at least ten teams are looking for a player that fits that description.
- An AL West source told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (Twitter link) that he expects the Athletics to move Gio Gonzalez.
- Both the Angels and Rangers have plans to meet with C.J. Wilson's agent Bob Garber at the Winter Meetings. The southpaw is said to have received a six-year offer from a team that is not the Rangers.
Five Teams Considering Carlos Guillen
The Royals, Marlins, Twins, Athletics, and Mariners are interested in Carlos Guillen, agent Wilfredo Polidor told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles (link in Spanish). Guillen, 36, has missed increasing amounts in each of the last three seasons due to injuries. However, Polidor says his client is working like an animal in Miami and can help at almost any position.
Guillen began his big league career with the Mariners and was traded to the Tigers in January of '04. The M's will meet with Polidor at the Winter Meetings to discuss the possiblity of bringing his client back to Seattle, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
Heyman On Royals, Cuddyer, Andruw, Astros
Congratulations to national baseball writer Jon Heyman, who has a new job with CBSSports.com starting Monday. As usual, Heyman is tweeting up a storm; here's his latest from the Winter Meetings (all links go to Twitter):
- The Royals are talking trades for starters and are in on Oakland's Gio Gonzalez.
- Everyone wants bullpen help but few want it more than the Padres, Brewers, and Red Sox.
- The Phillies haven't completely ruled out Michael Cuddyer, but the Twins are still trying to bring him back as well. The Giants and Red Sox are other logical destinations, in Heyman's estimation.
- The Yankees would love to bring back Andruw Jones for his right-handed pop and strong clubhouse presence.
- Former Reds executive Scott Nethery is in the mix for the Astros GM opening. Andrew Friedman is still their top choice, Bill Geivett and Jeff Luhnow are also in the mix.
- The Astros will also eat most of Carlos Lee's contract to facilitate a trade. They still expect a good return for Wandy Rodriguez and something decent for Brett Myers in any trade.
- Heyman also said this morning that the Angels are looking for a closer and the Pirates are talking to Derrek Lee.
Angels In The Market For A Closer
8:21am: The Angels have inquired on A's closer Andrew Bailey, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He clarifies that the interest was early and has not intensified.
7:41am: The Angels are "definitely" in the market for a closer, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Los Angeles would apparently like a veteran presence to help Jordan Walden along. Heyman feels that Ryan Madson makes the most sense for Los Angeles to pursue.
Walden, 23, doesn't seem to need too much help. The flamethrowing rookie posted a 2.98 ERA in 60 1/3 innings this season while striking out 10.0 per nine innings and recording 32 saves for the second place Halos. His fastball averaged 97.5mph, while strong FIP (2.79) and SIERA (3.01) marks back up his success.
The Angels are also in on Aramis Ramirez and have an offer out to C.J. Wilson. Late last night, we heard GM Jerry Dipoto has budget limitations that will limit his spending to $15-$20MM, barring any moves to free up some more payroll.
Quick Hits: Lincecum, Bailey, Marlins, Dodgers
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- The Giants are seeking middle ground with Tim Lincecum in their contract talks, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The club's first offer was for four years but the right-hander would like eight years in a long-term deal. Lincecum is also comfortable with a one or two-year deal.
- The Mets would love to trade for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey but are more likely to sign one or two relievers from a list that includes Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Brad Lidge, and Matt Capps, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post.
- The Marlins are in the mix for most of this winter's top free agents but haven't landed a big-name free agent since signing Carlos Delgado after the 2004 season. Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel caught up with Delgado's agent, David Sloane, to recap how that came to happen. The slugger was pursued by the Mets, Orioles, Rangers, and Mariners during the Winter Meetings but didn't hear from the Fish until ten days after they concluded.
- The Dodgers' payroll will be below $90MM, the lowest in years, thanks in part to the backloaded deal they gave to pitcher Chris Capuano, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
Quick Hits: Nakajima, Wilson, Pena, Mariners, A’s
Some late night links from around the league…
- According to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter), at least one MLB team has bid on Hiroyuki Nakajima since the posting process started on Monday. The Seibu Lions are expected to accept the highest bid, regardless of amount.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels has spoken to C.J. Wilson's agent as recently as today reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star Telegram (on Twitter), and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the two sides are expected to meet again at the winter meetings.
- Before signing with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks for $5MM over two years, Wily Mo Pena had drawn interest from the Indians, Giants, Brewers, and Mariners according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter).
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times wonders if the Darren Ford signing clears the way for the Mariners to trade some of the outfielders on their 40-man roster, like Trayvon Robinson, Michael Saunders, or Franklin Gutierrez.
- “We’re very open,” said Athletics assistant GM David Forst to John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle when asked if any of the club's pitchers were untradeable. “If we didn’t have the (pitching) depth, we wouldn’t have this option.” Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey have been popular names, but Forst's statement suggests Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy could be had as well.
Padres Interested In Andrew Bailey
The Padres are interested in acquiring Athletics closer Andrew Bailey to replace Heath Bell, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). It remains likely that the A's will trade Bailey, Olney writes.
The Rangers, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners and Reds are also interested in Bailey, one of Billy Beane's main offseason trade chips. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings in 2011 after recovering a forearm strain that sidelined him early in the season. MLBTR projects a $3.5MM salary for Bailey in 2012.
Luke Gregerson, Ernesto Frieri and Josh Spence are projected to return to a Padres bullpen that also included Bell, Mike Adams and Chad Qualls six months ago. San Diego obtains two compensatory draft picks for losing Bell, who agreed to a three-year, $27MM deal with the Marlins yesterday.