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Adrian Beltre

Angels Make Beltre “Significant” Offer

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SATURDAY, 8:40am: The offer to Beltre is believed to be in the five-year, $70MM range according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times. It has not been accepted and is unlikely to be increased.

FRIDAY, 2:42pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he has made Adrian Beltre "what [the Angels] believe is a significant offer." Beltre and agent Scott Boras, who also reportedly fielded an offer from the A’s, have not accepted Moreno’s proposal.

Moreno denies that the Angels made Carl Crawford a formal pitch before he signed with the Red Sox.

"There were rumors out there, but we never made an official offer, and no parameters were discussed," Moreno said.

Moreno says that GM Tony Reagins "never had the chance" to make the left fielder a proposal, since by the time the Angels met with him at the Winter Meetings, he already had a deal.

Rosenthal On Cubs, Greinke, Beltre, Pavano

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The Mariners could presumably ask for a king’s ransom in exchange for Felix Hernandez, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks Seattle should build around the reigning Cy Young Award winner, not trade him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Cubs are still willing to trade Kosuke Fukudome, but they’d likely have to cover some of the $13.5MM the outfielder is set to earn in 2011.
  • Were it not for his salary, the Reds might be a more serious suitor for Zack Greinke. However, a rival executive says Cincinnati is “tapped out,” payroll-wise.
  • The Nationals’ pursuit of Greinke has slowed and one source says it’s because of the team’s reluctance to include Jordan Zimmermann in a potential deal.
  • Adrian Beltre remains a “focus” for the Angels.
  • The Rangers, however, are more inclined to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero and add a first baseman than pursue Beltre, according to Rosenthal’s sources.
  • Don’t expect Texas to spend on a top free agent reliever, even if Neftali Feliz moves to the rotation.
  • Kerry Wood wants a two-year, $12MM deal, Rosenthal reports.
  • Another former Yankee, Carl Pavano, is searching for considerably more. He wants a three-year deal worth $10-11MM per season, one GM says. The Rangers are not pursuing Pavano right now.

Cliff Lee Signing: The Fallout

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Cliff Lee's unexpected five-year, $120MM deal with the Phillies has repercussions for several teams. 

Rangers

Yankees

  •  From Joel Sherman of the New York Post: "One Yankees executive likened what they now face as losing out on Microsoft stock and instead having to diversify the portfolio to keep it strong."  The Yanks have added Russell Martin and will probably look into innings-eaters or reclamation project starters.  They're also expected to add two relievers and a righty-hitting fourth outfielder.  So, they'll spread the wealth.
  • GM Brian Cashman preached that "Plan B is patience."  He feels that prices will go up with teams, and I assume agents, sensing blood in the water.  He's also willing to wait until the season to make an acquisition.
  • Cashman says Lee's decision "doesn't affect" Andy Pettitte, who remains undecided but is feeling the pull of retirement a little stronger than normal.
  • Cashman talked about the failed Lee trade from July and said he's grateful it didn't happen.  At this point, he says "It would be a rare situation for me to include Montero in a deal."

Phillies

They'll look to move Joe Blanton before Opening Day; CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury tweets that there is no rush.  Nonetheless, we've already looked at potential trade partners.  Blanton's agent Casey Close expects a trade.

Other Teams

Rangers Moving Aggressively On Adrian Beltre?

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The Rangers "have made [an] aggressive play" for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, reports ESPN's Karl Ravech (Twitter link).  Ravech wonders if they're setting up for the possibility of Cliff Lee signing with the Yankees.

An aggressive Beltre pursuit would represent a change of course for Texas.  On Friday night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that the Rangers were "not at all optimistic about getting Beltre, backing off for now."  Today Rosenthal tweets that nothing has changed, but there's no denying the Rangers' interest. 

The Rangers still have Michael Young under contract for three more seasons, so if they acquire Beltre they'd either need to trade Young or use him as a designated hitter.

Rangers Look To Be Out Of Beltre Bidding

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The Rangers are "backing off for now" on any pursuit of Adrian Beltre, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  Texas is "not at all optimistic" about its chances of signing the free agent third baseman, and without a chance of getting Beltre, the Rangers have similarly halted the Michael Young trade market.  This market may not have been all that sturdy, as Rosenthal notes that a Young trade was a "longshot from [the] start."

If Texas is out of the picture, that eliminates one more big-market player from the Beltre sweepstakes.  It may be down to just the Angels as the only serious bidders for Beltre's services, unless the Athletics get back in the hunt.  The pressure seemed to be on Los Angeles to get a deal done with Beltre once the club's top free agent target (Carl Crawford) signed with Boston, but the Halos may be able to sign Beltre at a relative bargain price if they're the only team in the race.  Scott Boras may have to look hard for another mystery team to join the fray unless Beltre is willing to sign with a non-contender with money to spend, like Baltimore.

Crawford Fallout: Lee, Downs, Ordonez, Beltre

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While Boston's agreement with Carl Crawford is, of course, a huge move in its own right, the impact it could have on other free agents can't be overlooked. Here are a few players and teams who may be affected by the Crawford signing:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates (via Twitter) that the Angels and Rangers, who were in on Crawford, could make a stronger push for Cliff Lee now. Brian Cashman, however, says the move won't affect the Yankees' tactics with Lee (Twitter link). Regardless, Crawford's contract is widely viewed as great news for the southpaw. Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes that "it just gets better and better to be Cliff Lee this winter."
  • As Lou Merloni writes at WEEI.com, the Red Sox could become more interested in Scott Downs now that the Type A free agent wouldn't cost a first round pick. Boston will send its first round pick to Tampa Bay as compensation for Crawford, so they'd only have to surrender a second rounder if they signed Downs.
  • The Red Sox have almost certainly been eliminated as a suitor for Magglio Ordonez now, which is good news for the Tigers. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Detroit "badly wants to re-sign" Ordonez, and while the veteran has a handful of suitors, it appeared Boston's interest was serious.
  • Having missed out on Crawford, the Angels are expected to turn their "full attention" to Adrian Beltre and perhaps Rafael Soriano, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Adrian Beltre Rumors: Wednesday

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The latest on the best available third baseman, Adrian Beltre…'

  • It doesn't appear that the Blue Jays are pursuing Beltre, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Boras will meet with many clubs about Beltre today, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports. The Angels are in the mix for Beltre along with the Rangers and others.
  • Agent Scott Boras told Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times that negotiations are moving quickly and a decision could be made soon, possibly this week.  Talks are "gaining traction," tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse.  DiGiovanna says the Angels have serious interest in Beltre.  Though Carl Crawford remains their top target, they may have to make a decision on Beltre first.  The Halos also have "considerable interest" in Boras client Rafael Soriano.

Scott Boras Holds Court

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Agent Scott Boras is holding court at the Winter Meetings; here's the latest.

Red Sox Notes: Buchholz, Gonzalez, Ellsbury, Okajima

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Here's the latest on the Red Sox, including some continued fallout from the blockbuster Adrian Gonzalez deal…

  • The Red Sox are interested in adding a complementary right-handed bat, GM Theo Epstein tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox have offered Taylor Buchholz a minor league deal and are one of 12 teams to express interest in the right-hander, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
  • Felix Doubront, Jed Lowrie, and Jacoby Ellsbury's names were all discussed in the Boston/San Diego trade talks, says John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Ellsbury was the only one that drew much interest from the Padres, but they decided against him since Ellsbury's forthcoming arbitration raise would make him too expensive and a trade candidate himself in the near future.
  • Also from Tomase, both Chicago teams were "finalists" for Gonzalez and were offering at least one major league player in their trade packages.  Ultimately, San Diego decided that it preferred the prospects in Boston's offer.
  • John Boggs, Gonzalez's agent, talks to WEEI.com's D.J. Bean about the contract extension negotiations that nearly held up the trade on the weekend.  "We’re not working in a spirit to get [the Red Sox] by the jugular or squeeze every nickel, or set a precedent-setting deal," Boggs said.
  • The agent for Hideki Okajima tells ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes (Twitter link) that he will talk with the Red Sox "soon," though there has been "pretty strong" interest in Okajima from some other clubs.
  • It's not often the Red Sox are priced out of a signing, but FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says Jayson Werth's contract with Washington may have made Carl Crawford too expensive for Boston's liking, especially since the Sox now have to fit a Gonzalez extension ("the parameters" for which are $154MM over seven years) into their budget.  The Red Sox may instead focus on acquiring relievers or finding a cheaper outfield option, like trading for Josh Willingham.
  • Adrian Beltre's asking price is $85MM over five years, Rosenthal reports.  Boston would be interested in re-signing the third baseman if "the market for Beltre collasped," but the plan is to play Kevin Youkilis at third with Gonzalez taking over at first.  Rosenthal says the Red Sox aren't considering moving Youkilis to left field to make room for Beltre.

Adrian Beltre Seeking Five Years, $70MM+

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Adrian Beltre's agent Scott Boras is seeking five years and north of $70MM, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports chimes in with five years, $85MM.  In mid-November, SI's Jon Heyman had suggested a five-year, $90MM target. 

Beltre recently lost a major suitor when the Red Sox acquired a different Adrian.  Boras reportedly ignored offers from the Athletics, including a five-year, $64MM proposal.  Yahoo's Steve Henson tweets that with those two clubs out of the bidding, Beltre will wait it out in hopes of landing with a winning team.

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