Stark On Crawford, Beltre, Lee, Greinke, Bartlett

In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark discusses the ripple effect that Jayson Werth's $126MM deal will have on the remaining free agents. One AL official opines that it raises Carl Crawford's price in a "big, big way": "He's looking at maybe eight years, $180 million now, maybe 10 years, $190 million." Here are the rest of Stark's hot stove notes:

  • Crawford is the clear top target for the Angels, but in the past they've tried to avoid going as high as eight years for any player, let alone ten.
  • Despite getting Werth's contract done already, Scott Boras often drags out negotiations for his top clients. Stark polled a dozen people across baseball on when Adrian Beltre would sign, and many predicted it wouldn't happen until Christmas or later.
  • Neither the Yankees or Rangers have made a formal offer to Cliff Lee yet, but many of those baseball people polled by Stark expect a deal to get done within the next week.
  • There's good news and bad news for the Royals and Zack Greinke's trade value: with many free agent arms coming off the board already, Greinke has become more valuable in a pitching-thin market. However, according to one AL source, "Greinke has been trying to convince the Royals that it's not a great idea if he's there next year," which reduces Kansas City's leverage.
  • The Diamondbacks haven't totally ruled out trading Justin Upton, though it appears unlikely. Kevin Towers tells Stark "it's going to take somebody a little on the crazy side" to get anything done.
  • There's a sense that Jason Bartlett is the player most likely to be traded this week. However, Stark has trouble finding a team in need of a shortstop that matches up well with the Rays, who would like a late-inning reliever in return.
  • With Werth off the market, the Phillies will look to replace him with a complementary player rather than a big name. Stark lists Scott Hairston, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz as a few possible targets. Philadelphia has also been trying to find a taker for Raul Ibanez, but would likely have to eat a good chunk of salary to do so.

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  • It makes sense for the A's to have withdrawn their offer to Adrian Beltre as he has repeatedly ignored the club's offers, says Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter).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….

A’s Rumors: Iwakuma, Berkman, Beltre

The latest on the Oakland Athletics, all of which comes in the form of Twitter links…

Adrian Gonzalez Trade Falls Through

SUNDAY, 5:17pm: The Red Sox still have not given up on pulling off a deal for Gonzalez and there remains a chance that they could do a trade without agreeing to an extension, tweets Heyman.

2:45pm: Odds are that Gonzalez won't wind up with the Red Sox, a source tells Morosi (via Twitter), though the reporter cautions that this could change quickly.  Meanwhile, a rival executive told Rosenthal (via Twitter) that the possibility of a deal happening won't die unless the Red Sox turn around and sign Adrian Beltre.  The third baseman may have lost a suitor this afternoon as it seems that the A's will turn their attention elsewhere.

2:19pm: The possibility of Gonzalez going to Boston isn't dead yet, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

2:00pm: Late Thursday, a Padres source indicated that the club wouldn't field more offers for Gonzalez if the deal with Boston didn't work out, Heyman tweets. 

1:56pm: Even though the window is closed for an extension, the two teams can still work out a deal, tweets Rosenthal.

1:43pm: The deal fell through, a source tells Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).

1:32pm: Boston might be okay with just laying out parameters with Gonzalez and finalizing a deal during Spring Training if the slugger is healthy, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).

1:13pm: The BoSox could still make the deal without an extension, provided that the parameters are close, Heyman tweets.  Going into overtime may not be an issue as the league understands the significance of the player and the situation, Heyman adds (via Twitter).

1:07pm: As of a couple of minutes before the 1pm CST (2pm EST) deadline, both sides were at a standstill, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.

12:41pm: Gonzalez's camp doesn't want to discuss an extension unless it happens now, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  He adds that this could be a sticking point in the talks.

12:29pm: Unsurprisingly, there is a strong sense in the Gonzalez talks that the BoSox won't make the trade unless there is an understanding that a deal can be reached, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets.  The negotiating deadline is at 1pm CST.

10:11am: CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam and Dan Hayes of the North County Times provide conflicting updates: McAdam tweets that there's a "good feeling" following talks that continued through the night. On the other hand, Hayes tweets that the two sides are at something of an impasse, and there's a chance the trade won't happen. The negotiating deadline is now less than three hours away.

8:26am: Heyman (Twitter link) hears that teams discussing Gonzalez with the Padres told San Diego they only wanted to talk parameters for an extension because of the slugger's shoulder issue. As Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains, however, the surgically repaired shoulder isn't the only reason it might make sense to postpone an official extension – the Red Sox could save millions in luxury taxes by waiting until the season begins to ink a deal.

Meanwhile, an AL executive tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he thinks Gonzalez is seeking an eight-year contract worth about $160MM. Cafardo suggests that, while the Sox may not go that high, a compromise seems likely. The negotiating window closes in just a few hours, so we should get some resolution soon.

SATURDAY, 10:34pm: The Red Sox suggested a six-year contract at some point during the negotiations according to Heyman (Twitter links), but they don't want to do a contract on par with Mark Teixeira's eight year, $180MM pact.

9:26pm: Heyman tweets that the Red Sox might be willing to make the trade without signing Gonzalez to an extension. They might actually prefer to just talk about contract parameters now, then see how his surgically repaired shoulder holds up in Spring Training. In the off chance that the trade does not happen, the Padres would keep Gonzalez and not field offers.

8:41pm: In a pair of tweets, SI.com's Jon Heyman says that the two sides are optimistic about reaching a deal before tomorrow's deadline. He adds that even though Gonzalez, David Ortiz, and J.D. Drew are all left-handed hitters, the Red Sox would not be discouraged from pursuing Carl Crawford, another lefty bat.

7:22pm: Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports that the two sides have not yet reached an agreement, but they're still trying. He notes that if they can't work out a contract, the Red Sox could still choose to go forward with the trade if they feel they've made enough progress and are confident they could extend Gonzalez in the future.

5:21pm: With all of the players agreed to and the physical passed, the only thing left before the Adrian Gonzalez trade can be made official is a new contract. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the first baseman and his new team won't have very long to negotiate; the deadline is 2pm ET on Sunday.

Earlier today we heard that Gonzalez was seeking a Ryan Howard-like contract, and in the past a deal on par with Mark Teixeira's has been rumored

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…

Red Sox Notes: Papelbon, Beltre, Scutaro

The Red Sox locked up a longtime catcher today and seem to be serious suitors for Jayson Werth. Here are the rest of the day's Red Sox rumors:

  • The team will almost certainly tender Jonathan Papelbon a contract, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The closer is likely to earn close to $11MM in 2011, but the Red Sox decided against putting him on the open market a year early.
  • Adrian Beltre told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his preference is to re-sign with the Red Sox. He's going to explore his options carefully, but could decide to accept an offer soon. The third baseman says "the number of years" on his next contract matters a great deal to him.
  • The Giants, who officially announced their deal with Miguel Tejada tonight, are no longer targeting Marco Scutaro, accoding to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

American League Free Agent Arbitration Decisions

23 American League free agents were offered arbitration on November 23rd.  Four of those - Joaquin Benoit, John Buck, Victor Martinez, and Javier Vazquez - already have new contract agreements.  Current free agent Kevin Gregg has chosen to decline.  The remaining 18 AL free agents offered arbitration will have their decisions noted here and in our tracker.

Boras & Angels Have Met Multiple Times

Scott Boras says he has met with Angels officials to discuss his free agent clients more than once this offseason, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The agent represents Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano, the Boras client the Angels appear to be targeting most pointedly. Though Carl Crawford remains the Angels’ top free agent target, it appears that they can afford both Crawford and Soriano.

Though Boras has presumably been in contact with most or all of baseball's 30 teams since the World Series, the Angels figure to be of particular interest. They have multiple offseason needs and the resources to address them with free agent additions. Boras, meanwhile, has a suite at Angel Stadium, which is relatively near his agency's Newport Beach headquarters.

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