McCarthy Considering Serious Offer From Athletics
Free agent righty Brandon McCarthy is considering a serious proposal from the Athletics, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The Astros, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, and Tigers have also been linked to McCarthy, who was scouted heavily in the Dominican Winter League.
Josh Willingham Rumors: Tuesday
Josh Willingham may have become expendable for the Nationals with the Jayson Werth signing, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the asking price is said to be absurd. Rosenthal says the Athletics and Red Sox have checked in, while his colleague Jon Paul Morosi adds the Tigers and Mariners.
Athletics Considering Vlad, Willingham, Derrek Lee
The Athletics are looking for offense with Vladimir Guerrero and Hideki Matsui on their list, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The A's prefer free agents to trades, Morosi notes. Lance Berkman turned down a two-year offer from the A's; Vlad may require at least that long of a deal to sign.
The A's are also in on Josh Willingham and Derrek Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the Nationals' asking price for Willingham is said to be absurd. Rosenthal feels that the A's could offer Lee more than the Padres or Diamondbacks.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that A's GM Billy Beane met with Matsui's agent Arn Tellem. Tellem tells her the A's are not the only team in on him. The Orioles are in, but Matsui prefers a contender. She considers Nick Johnson and Lee "among the other potential options." The A's don't find Carlos Beltran a realistic option, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They don't believe he'd waive his no-trade clause to come to Oakland.
Athletics Rumors: Iwakuma, Matsui, Duchscherer
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser has some updates regarding Oakland's offseason plans:
- Oakland increased its offer to Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, but the two sides were still unable to agree on a deal. Iwakuma was looking for around $12MM per season, and the A's were unwilling to spend more than $36MM, including the posting fee. The A's will have interest in Iwakuma again next offseason, when he is a free agent and doesn't require a posting fee. However, relations may be strained after Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura told the AP the A's "never showed any respect" toward his client.
- The A's may take the $19.1MM posting fee that will be returned and focus on other areas, including Hideki Matsui. Oakland GM Billy Beane met with Matui's agent, Arn Tellem, Monday at the Winter Meetings. According to Slusser, Matsui has "strong interest" in playing for the A's. Derrek Lee and Nick Johnson are potential alternatives.
- According to this tweet from Slusser, if the A's look to add a veteran starter, it may be a familiar face, coming in the form of Justin Duchscherer.
A’s Do Not Reach Deal With Iwakuma
9:32pm: The A's announced they were unable to reach an agreement with Iwakuma and his representatives.
5:20pm: It would be a surprise if the A's reach a deal with Iwakuma, Billy Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
3:53pm: There has been no movement between the A's and Iwakuma today, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The deadline for a deal is just over seven hours away.
9:19am: The Athletics and Iwakuma are still talking today, tweets Slusser. There is a report out of Japan suggesting Iwakuma will return to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, with a press conference due Wednesday.
MONDAY, 12:00am: Slusser hears (Twitter link) that Iwakuma would be able to take his physical after the negotiating deadline, with any agreement being nullified should he fail the physical. As such, talks could continue into Monday.
SUNDAY, 8:46pm: The deal with Iwakuma appears to be dead, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 29-year-old would need to be in the Bay Area tomorrow for a physical and he is still in Japan. If a deal is not reached, Oakland will be refunded the $19MM posting fee.
9:05am: With less than 24 hours left to reach an agreement, negotiations between Hisashi Iwakuma and the Athletics are "not looking good," tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. While Oakland's window doesn't officially close at midnight tonight, Slusser explains that an agreement must be reached by then to allow time for a physical (Twitter link).
After the Athletics posted the winning bid for Iwakuma, earning the rights to negotiate with right-hander, it appeared the two sides were far apart, with discussions reaching an impasse. While talks have continued since that point, it seems likely that no agreement will be reached and the A's will have their posting fee returned. As for Iwakuma, one source in Japan who spoke to Slusser thinks that remaining in Japan could be the best outcome for the 29-year-old anyway (Twitter link).
Athletics Notes: Beltre, Berkman, Matsui
Let's take a look at a few Athletics-related items..
- It makes sense for the A's to have withdrawn their offer to Adrian Beltre as he has repeatedly ignored the club's offers, says Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Before signing with the Cardinals, Lance Berkman was offered a two-year deal from Oakland, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Berkman chose St. Louis in part because of familiarity with the division, having an everyday spot in the outfield, and relative proximity to his home in Houston.
- While Beltre and Berkman are the latest big-time free agents to shrug off offers from the A's, Hideki Matsui doesn't seem to have any concerns about being in Oakland, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The veteran enjoys hitting in the Coliseum and likes the Bay Area. Also, his agent Arn Tellem gets along very well with the A's front office, Slusser says (via Twitter).
Oakland Appears To Be Out Of Beltre Bidding
The A's appear to be out of the Adrian Beltre sweepstakes altogether, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter). The third baseman has previously indicated a desire to play elsewhere and Oakland seems to be focused on other targets.
A few weeks ago, Oakland reportedly offered Beltre a five-year, $64MM deal which is equivalent to what he signed with the Mariners prior to the 2005 season. However, the third baseman's camp was reportedly seeking something similar to the five-year, $90MM deal that Torii Hunter signed with the Angels prior to the 2008 season.
With Adrian Gonzalez no longer Boston bound, it would seem that the door is once again open to Beltre's return. Had the BoSox landed Gonzalez, they would have shifted Kevin Youkilis to third, filling his position. Of course, the Red Sox and Padres could still rekindle the trade talks, leaving the third baseman without a spot to fill in Beantown.
Odds & Ends: Rivera, Pirates, Beltre, A’s
Links for Sunday, with winter meetings right around the corner….
- Mariano Rivera hinted that he may retire when his two-year pact with the Yankees is up, though he left some wiggle room. Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has the details.
- The Pirates will focus on pitching at this week's winter meetings, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel names Aaron Heilman, Jeff Francis, Brandon Webb, Justin Duchscherer, and Chris Young as potential targets for Pittsburgh.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider required) wonders if the Orioles could be a match for Adrian Beltre.
- The Athletics will be focused on free agents, rather than trades, at the winter meetings, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
A’s Rumors: Iwakuma, Berkman, Beltre
The latest on the Oakland Athletics, all of which comes in the form of Twitter links…
- The A's have until 12am ET Monday to finalize a contract with Hisashi Iwakuma, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That includes the contract and physical. Oakland broke off negotiations a few weeks ago, which prompted Iwakuma's agent to tweet his side. If a deal is not reached, Iwakuma's former team does not receive the posting fee.
- Rosenthal adds that the A's were not confident with Lance Berkman, who just landed in St. Louis. Their spacious ballpark is proving to be a tough sell.
- Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says that the A's are "very likely" to feel they need to get the Adrian Beltre situation resolved given all the recent signings and trades. Oakland made the free agent third baseman a five year offer a few weeks ago.
Red Sox Notes: Bell, Beltre, Martin, Wakefield
The increase in Adrian Gonzalez trade chatter is the biggest news out of Fenway Park today. Here's a bit of extra news about those rumors plus some other Boston notes…
- Josh Byrnes tells WEEI.com's Alex Speier that the familiarity between the Red Sox and Padres front offices may actually be a hindrance in making a deal happen.
- Heath Bell's name has been mentioned in some of the Padres/Red Sox trade talks, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Top Boston prospects Casey Kelly and Anthony Rizzo are two of the names discussed in a potential package to San Diego, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Olney also tweets that if Adrian Beltre's first preference is really to return to Boston, then admitting so probably cost him some leverage with the Athletics.
- Boston is Gonzalez's preferred trade destination, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, possibly due to the fact that the Sox are contenders and they can afford "to give him [a Mark] Teixeira deal."
- Are the Red Sox one of the teams interested in Russell Martin? Heyman tweets that Boston has "always liked" the former Dodger catcher. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek behind the plate, Heyman speculates that Martin could fill a utility role for Boston.
- Tim Wakefield talked to the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham about how 2011 will "probably" be his last season and how he's now more comfortable about losing his rotation spot.
- If the Red Sox had been successful in signing Mariano Rivera away from the Yankees, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports that the Sox would've non-tendered Jonathan Papelbon before last night's deadline. Given the Bell-from-San Diego rumor noted earlier, you wonder if a Papelbon move is yet to come for the Red Sox this winter.