Latest On Melky Cabrera
Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Mariners appear to be the favorites for Melky Cabrera, but we later got word that the M’s are still looking at a wide range of outfield options. Meanwhile, the White Sox, Giants, and Royals have also been linked to him as of late. Here’s the latest on Cabrera..
NL East Notes: Clippard, Kang, Breslow
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters that there’s no progress to report in potential contract extensions with Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Tyler Clippard, and Denard Span, tweets William Ladson of MLB.com. Here’s a look at more out of the NL East..
- Rizzo told Ladson that teams are showing interest in Clippard. The right-handed reliever has spent most of his career as a setup man but has some experience as a closer too. He’s projected by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz to earn $9.3MM in his final spin through arbitration.
- The Mets are interested in Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, tweets Matt Ehalt of The Record. Kang is expected to be posted later this week. As we learned earlier this evening, GM Sandy Alderson alluded that Kang could be out of the club’s price range. As for left-handed reliever Craig Breslow, the Mets’ interest is “overblown.”
- Mets farm director Jon Miller will leave the organization at the end of the year, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) hears that Miller is already done with the club.
- Rizzo sounds like a man who is ready to make some moves. “We’re open for business,” the Nationals GM said, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
Mets Shopping Dillon Gee
The Mets are aggressively shopping Dillon Gee to teams in need of a starter, a high-ranking source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets have publicly acknowledged that they’re looking to deal a starter but a source tells Rubin that they’re pushing Gee more than the others in the rotation.
Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter) hears that there are three to five teams in on Gee. Earlier today, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News noted that the Giants and Royals are two clubs to keep an eye on when it comes to Gee.
Gee had a solid but unspectacular 2014 season, with a 4.00 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 137 1/3 innings in the Mets’ rotation. He is under the Mets’ control for two more seasons and is projected to earn ~$5.1MM in 2015, according to Matt Swartz’s projections.
Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese have also been mentioned as trade possibilities, but at this time, Gee appears to be the most likely to go.
Angels Notes: Wilson, Beckham, Backup Infielder
Here’s the latest on the Halos:
- It was reported over the weekend that the Angels have C.J. Wilson on the trade block, but GM Jerry Dipoto denies that’s the case, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Dipoto said that he has not made a call nor has he received a call on the pitcher.
- Dipoto added that he has not engaged any free agents, aside from Gordon Beckham, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter).
- Dipoto indicated that a trade for a backup infielder is also a possibility, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- It sounds like the Angels will be signing a left-handed reliever to a minor league deal this week, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter).
AL Central Rumors: Williams, Rodriguez, Indians
The latest from the AL Central..
- We learned earlier that the Blue Jays had interest in White Sox executive Kenny Williams, but the club did not grant Williams permission to interview. Chicago’s chairman Jerry Reindorf spoke about the decision, saying “this is not the right time,” reports Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. He went on to say the club is focused on building a contender for 2015.
- Francisco Rodriguez is among the many relievers that the White Sox are looking at, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- Now that the Indians have added Brandon Moss, they will shift their focus to pitching, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Specifically, they’ll aim to add more starting pitcher depth. This is already a strength for the club, but as they say, you can never have enough pitching. Presently, veterans Zach McAllister and Josh Tomlin are listed as the sixth and seventh starters.
Rangers Interested In Evan Gattis
6:43pm: The Braves are not looking to trade Gattis, O’Brien reiterates (via Twitter). For a deal to happen, “a team would have to blow their doors off.” It’s unclear what would constitute that level of offer, but a package with more than one of the below prospects would seem to fit the bill.
5:54pm: The Braves aren’t eager to trade Gattis, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, the Rangers could offer multiple names from among Jake Thompson, Alex Gonzalez, outfielder Nomar Mazara, or others.
5:32pm: The Rangers are showing interest in Braves catcher Evan Gattis, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers have been repeatedly linked to Braves outfielder Justin Upton, but Gattis makes more sense for Texas. Unlike Upton, who is a free agent after the season, Gattis is under club control for another four seasons. While most teams prefer to think of him as an outfielder or designated hitter, he’s a good enough catcher to fill a part time role in 2015.
Grant mentions a few of the Rangers’ top prospects as targets for Atlanta. Texas is unwilling to offer right-handed pitchers Jake Thompson or Alex Gonzalez in a trade for Upton since he’s a short term patch. Ostensibly, they may be on the table for Gattis since he’s a long term solution.
Ultimately, a deal is still a “long-shot from being even a long-shot.” If the Rangers do acquire Gattis, his cheap salary could allow them to more aggressive pursue mid-tier free agents like Justin Masterson.
Kendrys Morales Seeking Big Multi-Year Deal
6:41pm: Crasnick clarified (via Twitter) that Morales is looking for two or three years “at Billy Butler” money. Butler signed a three-year, $30MM contract earlier this offseason.
4:06pm: Scott Boras is seeking “multiple years and substantial dollars” for Kendrys Morales, an official with one AL club told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That means that the veteran might be on the market for a while once again this offseason unless his expectations change, Crasnick adds (link).
In late November, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the market was relatively quiet on Morales. Only the Indians, Rangers, and Royals were known as clubs to be taking a look while the Mariners and Blue Jays were also cited as possibilities.
West Rumors: Trumbo, Montero, Cabrera
Even though Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart said last week that he will not trade Mark Trumbo, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) hears that he is still in play for Arizona. There was once talk of a three-way deal involving Trumbo that fell through but he remains available. A look at the AL and NL West..
- Tony La Russa said the the Diamondbacks had talks with the Dodgers about Miguel Montero but they never had a deal in place, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- The Mariners are pondering a wide range of possibilities for an outfield bat, including trades, and they’re not locked in on Melky Cabrera at this point, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today that the M’s are the favorites for the outfielder.
- Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson has switched agents and joined Excel Sports Management, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Despite being connected to him, the Astros did not seriously pursue Jason Hammel, according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). They did make an inquiry, however. Hammel ultimately returned to the Cubs on a two-year pact.
AL East Notes: Cespedes, Ichiro, Rays
The latest from the AL East..
- The Red Sox spoke with the Tigers about a deal involving Yoenis Cespedes and Rick Porcello, but there wasn’t a match there, accoridng to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). Yesterday, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that those talks were “not hot” between the two teams.
- Ichiro Suzuki‘s agent John Boggs says his client isn’t in a rush to find a new home, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. However, if the right offer came along, he would sign “in two seconds.” Ichiro is entering his age 41 season after hitting .284/.324/.340 in 385 plate appearances with the Yankees.
- The Rays have reached an agreement with St. Petersburg that will allow the club to search for stadium sites in nearby Hillsborough County, reports Stephen Nohlgren of the Tampa Bay Times. Under the deal, the Rays will pay a set annual amount based on the amount of time remaining in their current lease of Tropicana Field, which expires in 2027. The Rays will pay $4MM per season until 2018, $3MM through 2022, and $2MM for the remainder of the term.
- MLB is still investigating the Cubs on charges of tampering with former manager Joe Maddon, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Maddon, now with the Cubs, opted out of his contract with the Rays earlier this offseason. Per Tampa GM Matt Silverman, “they’re handling it.”
Brad Johnson contributed to this post.
D’Backs Designate Zeke Spruill For Assignment
The Diamondbacks have designated right-hander Zeke Spruill for assignment, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move will make room on the 40-man roster for Yasmany Tomas.
Spruill, 25, has made three starts and nine relief appearances for Arizona across the last two seasons. However, the former second round pick of the Braves (2008) spent the bulk of 2013 and 2014 in Triple-A.