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NL East Rumors: Mets, Parnell, Phillies, Braves

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We checked in on the AL East already this morning, so let's head to the National League to round up the latest out of the NL East….

  • As they continue to consider their options regarding R.A. Dickey, the Mets are also considering trading pitching prospects like Logan Verrett or Darin Gorski for outfield help, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
  • Martino adds in a second tweet that Bobby Parnell has drawn trade interest, but is unlikely to be moved.
  • Rival officials consider the Phillies the team most desperate for outfield help this week, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
  • Despite the Phillies' need for an outfielder, the "consensus in baseball circles" is that a reunion between Shane Victorino and the Phils is unlikely, writes ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
  • When it comes to finding a left fielder, the Braves will continue to explore trade options, but the team doesn't have much interest in the remaining free agent outfielders, and don't mind moving forward with their internal options, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

Mariners Met With Josh Hamilton Yesterday

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The latest on slugger Josh Hamilton, with the most recent updates on top…

  • Hamilton is at the Winter Meetings, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and Mariners officials met with him Sunday.  They go on to write that other teams have met with Hamilton, but the Rangers are "currently working the hardest to sign him."  Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters today that so far he has no plans to speak with Hamilton or his agent this week at the Meetings.  The Brewers are on the periphery for Hamilton, note Rosenthal and Morosi.

Earlier updates:

  • The Red Sox are among four or five teams interested in Hamilton only on a short-term contract, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.  
  • The chances of the Red Sox signing Hamilton are not high, a source tells ESPN's Jayson Stark(Twitter link).
  • The Rangers currently have no plans to speak with Hamilton or his agent, GM Jon Daniels told reporters today.
  • While the Phillies have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Hamilton, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the best word to describe their interest is "wary" (Twitter link)
  • A source tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com not to rule out the Red Sox on Hamilton, pointing out that they have the money to make it happen (Twitter link). Along the same lines, Jim Bowden of ESPN and SiriusXM tweets that the Yankees should be considered a realistic landing spot for Hamilton as well, though I'm not sure they have quite as much financial flexibilty
  • The Rangers have been the most aggressive team so far on the Hamilton front, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links)
  • The Brewers are "on the periphery" for Hamilton, Rosenthal adds in the same tweet.

Phillies Rumors: Hamilton, Fowler, Ichiro, Michael Young

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The latest buzz on the Phillies, courtesy of Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com…

  • GM Ruben Amaro told reporters he's more likely to land his center fielder through free agency than trade.  Salisbury says Michael Bourn doesn't appear to fit the team's profile, while they're lukewarm on a Shane Victorino reunion.  A corner player like Cody Ross could work.  
  • Amaro made a thinly-veiled reference to the one difference-maker on the market, understood to be Josh Hamilton.  The GM skirted the question as to whether he is pursuing Hamilton.  Salisbury considers it a long shot.

Earlier updates:

  • Though the team has some interest in the major free agent center fielders, they're also eyeing Dexter Fowler and Peter Bourjos as potential trade targets.  Bourjos is projected to start for the Halos, however.  The Phillies and Rockies have discussed Fowler, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He notes that the Rockies would want pitching in return.
  • There has been some communication between the Phillies and Ichiro Suzuki's camp, though it's unclear who reached out.
  • The Phillies have interest in the Rangers' Michael Young for third base, but they'd need Young to approve the trade and the Rangers to pick up part of the tab.  Young, 36, is owed $16MM in 2013, though part of his salary is deferred.

East Notes: Wright, Dickey, Hamilton, Ichiro

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Here's a look at the some of the news out of the AL and NL East:

Olney: Winter Meetings Preview

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The Winter Meetings begin shortly at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ESPN's Buster Olney, in an Insider-only post, writes past Winter Meetings have been dominated by free agent signings, but some GMs say there is more groundwork laid for possible trades this year than they can remember in the recent past. Here are some of the storylines that could play out this week, according to Olney:

  • If Olney was Rangers' GM Jon Daniels, he would go all out to sign Zack Greinke and then trade some surplus pitching for offense.
  • Some rival officials remain convinced the Diamondbacks will eventually trade Justin Upton, whose contract ($38.5MM due over the next three years) has become more attractive in the wake of his brother's deal with the Braves.
  • The Indians have set the bar high in their demands for Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. "Time will tell on whether they've lowered (the asking prices)," said a rival GM.
  • The most likely of the Rays' established starting pitchers to be dealt is Jeremy Hellickson. On paper, the best matchup appears to be the Padres.
  • The Reds are looking to acquire a leadoff hitter and could target Dexter Fowler.
  • The Phillies continue to push on Angel Pagan. If Pagan signs with Philadelphia, the Giants could look to Shane Victorino, who is looking for $9-10MM annually.
  • The Pirates have let other teams know that closer Joel Hanrahan is available and they are looking for starting pitching.
  • In a separate tweet, Olney says the perception among rival executives is the signing of David Wright makes it much easier for the Mets to trade R.A. Dickey without fear of a PR backlash.
  • Nate Schierholtz received calls from nine teams within the first 12 hours of being non-tendered with the Yankees in the mix and the Rays also a good fit (Twitter links).

Stark On Hamilton, Greinke, Swisher, Shields

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Jayson Stark of ESPN.com surveyed 17 prominent executives, agents and scouts about the biggest storylines that figure to dominate in Nashville, Tennessee.  On average, those surveyed see Zack Greinke and Nick Swisher signing mid-month, Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn signing in the last week of December, and Rafael Soriano taking until mid-January to find a landing spot.  Here's more from Stark..

  • Most of the people surveyed see Hamilton winding back up with the Rangers when all is said and done.  Outside of Texas, there were predictions for the Orioles, Red Sox, Brewers, and Phillies.
  • Fifteen of the 17 surveyed weighed in on where they think Greinke will land and 14 predict that he will sign with the Dodgers.  The one dissenter, an agent, sees the Angels avoiding a bidding war with the Dodgers only to top their offer in the end.
  • Almost everyone sees Swisher signing in the next couple of weeks but there is no consensus when it comes to destination.  The Red Sox, Orioles, and Mariners all got multiple votes.
  • While there have been rumors about a James Shields trade for two years, one AL exec says that this will finally be the time for the Rays to pull the trigger.  "Just look at the contract. He's got this year and next year left. So he's got more value now than he'll have a year from now. They're very analytical about everything they do. It just makes sense that now's the time," said the exec.
  • No surprise here but the Dodgers were picked as the most likely team to outspend everyone and dominate the headlines.

Quick Hits: Figgins, Pelfrey, Twins, Willingham

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The Phillies, who have openings at third base and in the outfield, checked in with the recently released Chone Figgins, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, the extent of the club's interest is unclear at this time.  More from around baseball..

  • No less than seven teams have interest in right-hander Mike Pelfrey, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Mets non-tendered Pelfrey last week but they still have interest in re-signing him for less than the $5.875MM he earned last season.
  • The Twins don't want to trade Josh Willingham but there are multiple teams interested in the leftfielder, according to Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter).  An AL executive recently told Mackey that the club might not get much more than a No. 4 starter for Willingham, despite his team-friendly contract.  Willingham is owed $14MM through 2014.
  • Rays GM Andrew Friedman figures to be a popular man during the meetings as he may dangle James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson to acquire offense, Morosi writes.
  • The Mariners need to increase their risk tolerance if they hope to take a major step forward at this week's meetings, opines Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  For the M's, that could mean spending a lot more money on payroll or trading away young prospects for proven players.
  • One exec tells Morosi (via Twitter) that this year's Rule 5 draft class is one of the best that he has seen.  The draft will take place on Thursday.

Quick Hits: Pagan, Giants, Indians, Brewers,

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A roundup of tonight's links as we have our eyes fixed on the Winter Meetings countdown clock..

  • The Phillies continue to go hard on Angel Pagan while Giants look to be short right now on average annual value in a four-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Olney previous reported that the Phillies and Pagan have been talking for weeks.
  • Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti says he has interest in re-signing Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez, and Chris Seddon, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  All three players were non-tendered on Friday.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin says that he sees a Kameron Loe-type pitcher in the newly-acquired Burke Badenhop, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.  "He's a similar pitcher to Loe," said Melvin. "He might have been a non-tender, so we put the deal together late (Friday) night. Instead of letting him go out on the market where you don't know what might happen, we thought it best to make a trade for him."

Cubs To Shop Alfonso Soriano

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The Cubs expect to meet with teams regarding Alfonso Soriano during the upcoming winter meetings in Nashville, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Soriano holds a full no-trade clause and is owed a total of $36MM over the next two seasons.

The 36-year-old is still likely to garner strong interest from teams who need right-handed power and the Cubs are willing to include cash in the deal to make it work.  Soriano may be more valuable than expected, when considering the two-year, $10MM contract free agent Jonny Gomes just received from the Red Sox.  The Phillies would appear to be a strong fit for Soriano as they are still looking for a right-handed outfield bat to replace Hunter Pence, who was shipped to the Giants at the trade deadline.

Olney’s Latest: Price, Dickey, Mariners, Kazmir

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says David Price is available right now for the right offer. Rival executives are convinced the reigning Cy Young Award winner will be traded in the next 13 months as his salary through arbitration becomes prohibitive for the Rays. Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

  • The Rays and Price are not close to working out a long-term contract extension.
  • The Mets increased their offer to R.A. Dickey, but it's unclear how close the two sides are to a deal.
  • Olney speculates that the non-tendered Nate Schierholtz could be a fit for the Yankees, who are looking for a right fielder to replace Nick Swisher.
  • The Mariners have money to spend, but it appears they will have to overpay to land any premium free agents.
  • Last night we learned the Phillies are pursuing Angel Pagan, and Olney clarifies (on Twitter) that the two sides have been talking for weeks.
  • If the Giants don't re-sign Pagan, Olney says (on Twitter) they would seriously consider signing Shane Victorino.
  • Scott Kazmir is pitching in winter ball and teams have already started to show interest in the 28-year-old left-hander, tweets Olney.
  • The Tigers continue to say they are not in the market for a closer, tweets Olney.
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