Mets, Nationals Pursuing Jason Marquis
THURSDAY, 10:09am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says there's no chance of Marquis returning to the Rockies.
WEDNESDAY, 5:46pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that the Phillies do indeed have interest in Marquis.
4:58pm: The Mets and Nationals are pursuing free agent starter Jason Marquis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He adds that we should not rule out the Phillies (though Marquis seems pointless for them to me). Earlier today we learned from Yahoo's Steve Henson that the Rockies are open to re-signing Marquis at less than his $9.875MM 2009 salary.
Marquis, 31, posted a 4.04 ERA, 4.8 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 216 innings for the Rockies this year. He's been portrayed as having a lousy second half, but he really only struggled in September.
Overnight Links: Rodney, Lyon, Nationals, Weaver
The Hot Stove never sleeps…
- With Brandon Lyon headed to Houston, Steve Kornacki of MLive.com expects the Tigers to intensify their efforts to re-sign Fernando Rodney.
- Speaking of Lyon, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs calls his signing by the Astros "the latest act in a joke that’s gone on far too long." Ouch.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals' agenda hasn't changed; they're looking for quality pitching and a backup infielder.
- The Angels will be among the teams at Aroldis Chapman's workout next week, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times.
- The Dodgers have interest in re-signing righty Jeff Weaver, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The 33-year-old Weaver had a 3.65 ERA in 79 innings for LA last season.
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes that the Tigers have only $33MM committed to their 2011 payroll, and would have a big chunk of money to play around with next offseason even if they scale their payroll back a bit.
- Bill Beane left the Winter Meetings late Wednesday afternoon according to MLB.com's Tom Singer, and is ready to get some serious work done. "You really do more productive work when you get back home, and can get on the phone away from the distractions," Beane said.
- Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro acknowledged that it's possible the team may move past Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre, says MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
- MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants could benefit from the Yankees' glut of outfielders.
Twitter Rumors: Lyon, Holliday, Counsell
Looking for more rumblings and analysis? These tidbits are all 140 characters or less…
- The Rangers are talking to Jason Kendall, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Royals have made the veteran backstop a two-year offer.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Brandon Lyon is asking for $9MM over two years. Speaking of Lyon, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says the Phillies are pursuing him and Fernando Rodney with equal interest.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Blue Jays expressed interest in Craig Stammen. However, the Nats aren't likely to trade him.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson hears that the Yankees will be strong players for Matt Holliday.
- The Brewers still have interest in Craig Counsell, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the two sides met and continue to talk. He expects them to reach a deal.
- The Indians have no money to spend, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- Ruddy Lugo signed a minor league deal with the Tigers, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.
- Arangure's colleague, Jayson Stark, has a similar update. The Dodgers could soon sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't consider Aroldis Chapman an option for the team's rotation next year, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. They'll still watch him throw in Houston, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
- The Red Sox will be there too, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that the Padres are considering some options in the Rule 5 draft.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Royals inquired on Brett Gardner after the Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson.
- The Phillies asked Cliff Lee's agent to fly to Indianapolis this week to discuss an extension, according to Scott Lauber of the Journal News.
- You can expect the D'Backs to pursue Bob Howry, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
Twitter Rumors: Capps, Felix, Harden, Pierre
A fresh batch of Twitter rumors, for those of you with extra-short attention spans…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch learned that the Pirates plan to tender a contract to Matt Capps.
- Stubborn Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he has no regrets about not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hernandez also notes that the Dodgers are considering Ronnie Belliard, Craig Counsell, Juan Uribe, and Jamey Carroll as second base options. The Reds also like Carroll, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Rockies are open to re-signing Jason Marquis at a reduced number (less than the $9.875MM he made in '09).
- SI's Jon Heyman believes Felix Hernandez is seeking six years and $100MM, while the Mariners are thinking four years plus an option at less than $50MM. That phrasing makes a possible divide seem larger than it is, since those last two years of the deal would be the most expensive (more than $15MM per year). At any rate, Shannon Drayer and Mike Salk learned that no numbers have been exchanged on Felix yet.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants Mike Redmond to back up A.J. Pierzynski.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says the Rangers may have interest in arbitration-eligible D'Backs infielder Augie Ojeda. The Rangers added Joe Inglett off waivers, but were said to still be looking at utility infield candidates.
- Morosi tweets that Rich Harden is "willing to sign a one-year deal with a lot of incentives." Will he exceed Brad Penny's $7.5MM base salary? Morosi names the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mariners as the most serious suitors.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Tigers have interest in Juan Pierre, and are "looking for a third team to supply the pitcher L.A. needs." Odd, since the Tigers have more bad pitching contracts than anyone. The Tigers apparently prefer to unload Carlos Guillen.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates are not interested in bringing back Brian Giles.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Red Sox "have two or three teams they could trade Mike Lowell to right now" if they'd take a similar contract back. Looking at our Bad Contract Swap Meet I don't see any obvious matches for one year and $12MM.
- There's been some tire-kicking with the Phillies and Ron Mahay, writes Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Red Sox were linked to Mahay by Michael Silverman on Monday. Martino also says the Phillies met with John Smoltz's agent this morning, "but discussions remain informal."
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star characterizes the White Sox and Red Sox interest in Coco Crisp as "low-level," but says that's still more than the Royals have shown. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the White Sox would consider Crisp, Mike Cameron, and Marlon Byrd. ESPN's Mike Salk notes that the Mariners spoke to Byrd's agent.
- Dutton also has the Red Sox eyeing Ryan Shealy on a minor league deal.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports names the most asked-about Padres: Heath Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Adrian Gonzalez (in that order). He says the Padres are "not hearing anything compelling on Bell." MLB.com's Corey Brock says about eight teams inquired on Kouzmanoff. Surprised not to see Kevin Correia mentioned by Rosenthal. He'd be a great affordable option for a team like the Brewers. ESPN's Buster Olney heard from rival execs who expect the Padres to get second-line prospects for Kouzmanoff and Correia.
- The Mets appear to find a Luis Castillo deal unlikely, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees are shopping their #1 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, which they acquired for Brian Bruney. If they don't trade the pick, Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Yankees could use it on pitcher Arquimedes Caminero.
Phillies Rumors: Lyon, Drabek, Blanton
Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who said that he doesn't expect to make any big splashes during the winter meetings. Martino shares a handful of other Phillies tidbits with us….
- Faced with a tight budget, Amaro says he wouldn't mind heading into 2010 without adding any major bullpen arms, and using in-house candidates instead.
- Despite that statement, the Phillies are still interested in Brandon Lyon and have been in touch with the right-hander's agent.
- Contract offers have been extended to Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park. Amaro indicates that if the pair of relievers decline those offers, the club "might have to go ahead and move on."
- Kyle Drabek will definitely not be a part of the Phillies' bullpen plans. Amaro says there's "no chance" the team will break in Drabek as a reliever. The top prospect will likely start the year in Triple-A.
- There has been speculation that the Phillies could try to trade Joe Blanton to free up some payroll space, but those rumors haven't been confirmed.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Tuesday
11:52pm: Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that he moved some trade talks forward today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
"We've had very productive talks with a number of teams on a number of different fronts," Anthopoulos said, without getting into specifics.
9:59pm: One Blue Jays source tells Scott Miller of CBS Sports that the Blue Jays hope to trade Halladay before Spring Training. Miller also hears some diverse thoughts from a variety of sources around the league.
9:44pm: Some unnamed executives tell MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies could acquire Roy Halladay. The two teams came close to making a deal last July, but there's no indication they're talking now, though Zolecki hears they still have interest.
8:35pm: Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports that Angels GM Tony Reagins would consider moving Erick Aybar for a substantial return.
7:41pm: The Dodgers have yet to make progress on the Halladay front, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Doc was one of the team's main targets coming into the Winter Meetings.
6:17pm: So far, the Roy Halladay chatter has been relatively quiet. Here's what we learned yesterday: the Angels could be a fit; the Dodgers don't appear to match up well with the Jays and the Rays checked in on the big righty. Here's a new rumor, from Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
The Yankees' big trade will make it harder for them to acquire Halladay, s ince they'll have fewer trade chips. Ringolsby sees indications that the Yankees will turn to free agency to acquire pitching instead of dealing a top prospect like highly-coveted catcher Jesus Montero to the Jays. The Bombers may consider John Lackey. And if they can afford him, why not?
However, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that no team has approached him to inform the Jays that they're pulling back from trade talks. The implication here is that the Yanks are still involved.
Phillies To Sign Ross Gload
The Phillies have agreed to sign Ross Gload to a two-year deal, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. He leaves the Marlins behind and joins Ben Francisco, Brian Schneider, Greg Dobbs and Juan Castro on Philly's bench.
We heard earlier tonight that the Marlins and Braves were also willing to offer Gload two-year deals. The 33-year-old led the league in pinch hits last year and can sub in at first and in left or right. He hit .261/.329/.400, appearing in over 100 games for the third straight season.
Gload Choosing Between Phils, Braves, Marlins
Ross Gload should soon sign a two-year deal with an NL East team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The only question is: which team will he choose? The Phillies, Braves and Marlins are all interested in the 33-year-old utilityman. The Marlins turned down a $2.6MM option for Gload's 2010 services earlier in the offseason.
He hit .261/.329/.400 in 259 plate appearances with the Marlins this year, playing a combination of first base, left field and right field. He even pitched a scoreless frame against the Rays this May, inducing a double play ball off of Dioner Navarro.
Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui
More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
- It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
- John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
- The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
- Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Overnight Links: Myers, Castillo, Verlander, Padres
As we gear up for another long night, here's some links to take a look at if you're still awake:
- Paul Hagen questions the Phillies' logic when refusing to look at bringing Brett Myers back. The Phils are looking for an inexpensive fifth starter candidate; Myers fits the bill and brings plenty of upside. Do they feel he's just not worth the trouble anymore?
- Ben Shpigel explains why, in spite of a resurgent season from Luis Castillo, and in spite of the Mets' feeling that his contract is better than that of Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Matthews Jr., they're still looking to move him.
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press feels the Tigers must do whatever it takes to keep Justin Verlander in Detroit for as long as possible. Rosenberg makes the interesting point that with one more dominant season, Verlander could put the Tigers in a similar position that Johan Santana put the Twins, though he concedes that Verlander's not as good. At least not yet.
- Corey Brock tells us that new Padres GM celebrated his 36th birthday by kicking off the Winter Meetings and fielding calls on about "half a dozen" of his players, including Heath Bell, who could be due as much as $5MM through arbitration. Still, Brock suggests the Padres would prefer to keep Bell.
- The Phillies payroll for 2010 will likely be around $140MM, says David Murphy. He also quotes Ruben Amaro Jr., implying that Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians could look to trade Kerry Wood during the Winter Meetings, but then discusses why it might be smarter to wait until midseason.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart feels that Jose Valverde's probable departure is probably for the best, given the economics of the situation.
- Danny Knobler at CBS Sports explains why the Pirates would even bother showing interest in Juan Pierre, whom they were linked to last night.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times says White Sox GM Kenny Williams declined to comment on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and implies that Hideki Matsui may not be a fit for the South Siders, even if Carlos Quentin moves to right field. Scott Podsednik, however, may still fit.
- Aaron Gleeman looks at what it means to the Twins to have Carl Pavano back for 2010. Gleeman says Pavano's a better fit than past veteran starters the Twins have tried, as well as a safer bet than signing Jarrod Washburn to multiple years.