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Orioles Rumors: Millwood, Uggla, Atkins, Beltre

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WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: Millwood update: Zrebiec says the Rangers originally wanted David Hernandez and a low-level prospect for Millwood, and were willing to pay $3MM of the $12MM owed to the veteran.  Meanwhile Zrebiec's colleague Peter Schmuck says Chris Ray could be involved and the Rangers would pick up most of Millwood's salary, in one scenario.

TUESDAY, 9:36pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the O's are still exchanging trade proposals with the Rangers for Kevin Millwood. T.R. Sullivan reported that the Rangers wanted Chris Tillman initially, but talks have since developed. The Orioles are among the frontrunners for Millwood.

The O's met with the Marlins about Dan Uggla, but the Marlins want two pitching prospects in return and the Orioles are reluctant to hand that kind of package over. The Marlins have one less suitor for Uggla, according to Andrew Baggarly, who says the Giants aren't serious bidders, so that could lower the asking price for the arbitration-eligible infielder.

Here are even more O's rumors:

  • Kevin Kouzmanoff and Garrett Atkins interest the O's to an extent.
  • Joe Crede and Pedro Feliz remain options for Baltimore, but Adrian Beltre has priced himself out of reach.
  • We heard about their interest in Hank Blalock, Carlos Delgado and Nick Johnson earlier today.
  • They also have "tepid" interest in Russell Branyan.
  • The Orioles aren't particularly intrigued by Joe Blanton and Derek Lowe, who are both available via trade.
  • Vladimir Guerrero, Adam LaRoche, Jose Valverde and Kevin Gregg all interest the O's slightly.
  • They do have interest in Rafael Soriano, and spoke with the Braves about him.
  • They're not interested in J.J. Putz.
  • MLB.com's Spencer Fordin reports that the Royals engaged the O's in Felix Pie trade talks without ever coming close to a deal.

Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde

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More links for the evening…

Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers

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Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…

  • Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target.  MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
  • The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer.  Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance.  Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre. 
  • The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season.  Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
  • Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings.  My opinion: hurting.  The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive.  Of course, we're not helping.
  • Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
  • The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon.  We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer.  Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
  • The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though.  The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui.  Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
  • Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
  • The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Adrian Beltre To Decline Arbitration?

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MONDAY, 1:26pm: SI's Jon Heyman agrees; he says Beltre plans to decline the arbitration offer today.

SUNDAY, 11:03pm: Word in the Winter Meetings' lobby is that there's "no way" Scott Boras will allow Adrian Beltre to accept the Mariners' offer of arbitration, says Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. Tomorrow is the deadline for the 20 or so free agents that were offered arbitration to either decline or accept.

There was some thought on Friday that the Mariners couldn't finalize their deal with Chone Figgins until Monday because the team first had to make sure Beltre would decline arbitration. The 31-year-old former NL MVP runner-up is said to be looking for at least $10MM per year, and has drawn interest from the Giants.

Odds & Ends: Melky, Green, Branyan, Lowe

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It's officially Winter Meetings time! New thread for links as the folks in Indianapolis begin to wake up and get going:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets an interesting situation: the Cubs and Yankees both like Mike Cameron, while the Cubs like the Yanks' Melky Cabrera.  The Cubs will need to clear payroll space before they can try for Cameron though.  Also muddying the picture: both clubs may have interest in Curtis Granderson.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney is hearing that the starting pitching market is "intensifying."
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has all kinds of amusing Winter Meetings memories from years past, and he explains why the Meetings were cancelled for five years in the nineties.
  • David Lennon of Newsday says Mets COO Jeff Wilpon is not scheduled to come to Indianapolis this week, suggesting the team won't be signing major free agents at the Meetings.
  • The Dodgers met with Nick Green's agent, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.  Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances for the Red Sox this year while playing all around the infield (mainly shortstop). 
  • The Mariners have begun preliminary negotiations with Russell Branyan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Branyan already rejected an offer from the Mariners in November.  The Mets appear to be among Branyan's other suitors.
  • Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that Adrian Beltre is "not likely" to accept Seattle arbitration offer. They'll still likely try to retain him, however.  It might be difficult to keep Branyan, Beltre, and Jose Lopez, with Ken Griffey Jr. already signed.
  • In case you were wondering, Morosi tweets that nothing is cooking with the Braves and Diamondbacks for Derek Lowe.  Nor are the D'Backs in on Bronson Arroyo.
  • Dan Uggla doesn't like the uncertainty surrounding what uniform he'll be wearing in five months. The Marlins slugger says he still sees himself as a second baseman, though many teams would like to move the 30-home run machine to third base. Matt Lindstrom is in a similar spot.
  • Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski that free agents are beginning to look at Baltimore in a different light, thanks to the great reviews their farm system is getting in the national media. That said, Melewski still feels that if the O's add a big name this offseason, it'll be through a trade.
  • Alex Speier takes a look at what pieces the Red Sox could potentially use as trade bait.
  • Joel Sherman explains why Andy Pettitte is so important to the Yankees, why personal relationships matter among GMs, and the Mets struggles in finding a taker for Luis Castillo.
  • Mark Feinsand gives Yankee fans five situations to watch this week, including Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Johnny Damon, the Tigers, and Hideki Matsui.

Overnight Links: Red Sox, Jays, Posey, Past Deals

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Some overnight links for your viewing pleasure as we start to get into the real late hours of the night:

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale says good morning with a series of tweets; Nightengale says he continues to hear Edwin Jackson's name floated about, and that "most executives" feel he'll be traded soon. He also wouldn't be surprised to see Adrian Beltre fall into Boston's lap if he declines arbitration. Not sure where he envisions Mike Lowell in that scenario.
  • Jeff Zrebiec lists ten trade targets for the Orioles, though he admits that some are highly unlikely. In a separate piece, Peter Schmuck opines that it's not a waste of money if the O's spend money on free agents this offseason to add a few wins and show future free agents that Baltimore is trending in the right direction.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains why it would be unlike the Red Sox sacrifice a high draft pick for a free agent reliever such as Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano.  As you know, Boston currently owes their first-round #29 pick to the Blue Jays for signing Marco Scutaro.
  • Anything can happen at the Winter Meetings, writes Peter Schmuck, who reminds us of the 1990 deal between the Blue Jays and Padres that sent Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. That trade started off as a minor discussion.
  • The Boston Herald has ten things to keep in mind at this year's Winter Meetings.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at how the economy will affect this year's Winter Meetings, and poses five key questions to keep in mind this time around.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer looks at why the Cubs are optimistic that they can move Milton Bradley this offseason.
  • Count Tim Wakefield and Daniel Bard among those in the Jason Bay camp for the Red Sox, says Michael Silverman. While Matt Holliday may be a more complete player, Wakefield and Bard would prefer their friend and proven AL East commodity. Good read, if for no other reason than Wakefield's quote at the end on how closely he follows the offseason: "…We’ll be sitting in the dugout in spring training in Fort Myers and I’ll look across and be, ‘How the hell did he get over there?’ ”
  • John Tomase touches on the Red Sox needs this offseason. Tomase hits most of the names we've already heard, and throws Mark DeRosa and Jamey Carroll into the mix as well.
  • Quick! Who do you see spending the most money on the draft in 2010? Bet you didn't guess the Blue Jays (unless of course you took into consideration the large hint I provided in the title of this post). Reports are that the Jays will have a ridiculous $16MM to spend on the draft in 2010. The Jays have eight picks in the first three rounds (nine if Rod Barajas signs elsewhere), and plan to take full advantage of it.
  • El Lefty Malo takes a look at the possibility that the Giants sign Jason Kendall as their starting catcher because of the belief that Buster Posey isn't ready. Apparently, it's not a thought that sits well.
  • MLB.com looks back at some of the best trades and free agent signings by each club in the National League and American League since the era of Divisional play began. They've also got a more generic list of the best moves of the past 40 seasons.
  • Per Kyodo News, several teams have expressed interest in So Taguchi, according to his agent Alan Nero. Several teams? Can't say I expected that one.

Mariners On Verge Of Signing Chone Figgins

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SUNDAY, 6:33pm: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says Figgins will take his physical tomorrow, and assuming he passes, the team will announce the signing either later in the day or on Tuesday. Baker says probably the latter.

FRIDAY, 10:03pm: Not sure if this moves the story forward, but the AP says the Mariners and Figgins have a preliminary agreement on a four-year, $36MM deal.

9:21pm: Brown tweets that "Angels officials concede (that) Figgins (is as) good as gone to M's."

9:04pm: Stark says that the two sides are "very close" to finalizing a deal. He adds that Figgins would be guaranteed $36MM over four years, and there are indications that the deal will include a vesting option that could push the value of the contract to $45MM.

Meanwhile, according to Bill Shaikin of The LA Times, Angels' GM Tony Reagins said that Figgins is close to a decision, one way or the other. "We've made an offer," said Reagins. They've had a chance to evaluate it."

6:52pm: Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says the Mariners need to wait until at least Monday to finalize the deal. Why Monday, you ask? Because that's the deadline for free agents to accept arbitration, and they have to make sure Adrian Beltre declines before proceeding with Figgins.

3:48pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark agrees that the Mariners are close to a deal with Figgins, but says financial terms are still being negotiated and the Angels "aren't completely out of the running."  Meanwhile Shannon Drayer of ESPN Seattle says the deal is "all but done" but most likely will not be announced today.

2:50pm: Heyman now tweets that the Ms are "very close to getting Figgins."  In a subsequent tweet he suggests the deal will be for about $35MM.

2:26pm: SI's Jon Heyman has a more open-ended take on Figgins, via Twitter – he has the player asking for $36MM over four years with the Mariners at $32MM over four or $27MM over three.  He says the Angels are at $24MM over three.  Similarly, Yahoo's Tim Brown has an Angels source who says, "We're still hanging around."

1:35pm: The Mariners are on the verge of signing Chone Figgins to a four-year deal in the $36MM range, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  His source says the sides are "very close" to a deal.  In his original article Rosenthal left the door open for the Angels to make a late push to re-sign Figgins, but that portion has been removed. 

If they complete the deal, the Mariners would surrender their #18 pick to the Angels unless they also sign one of the other remaining Type As who was offered arbitration (the Angels could still end up with that pick if the Ms sign John Lackey too).

Rosenthal's price range doesn't sound too crazy given the five-year, $50MM predictions that had been floating about.  With Figgins and Jack Wilson on the left side of the infield, the Mariners' defense would be spectacular.  Figgins also helps offensively, given his league-leading 101 walks this year.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Beltre, Wolf, Callaspo, Rule 5 Draft

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On this date two years ago, the Tigers acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for six players including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. Only one of the other four players, Burke Badenhop has yet to see significant playing time at the big league level. With this year's winter meetings set to begin next week more big players could be on the move. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Jorge Says No! wonders if the smart move for Adrian Belte is to accept arbitration from the Mariners now that the Phillies no longer need a third baseman.
  • Around the Majors explains why the Dodgers made a mistake in not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf.
  • The Baseball Opinion looks back at how each team did with their '04 free agency compensation draft picks.
  • Royals Authority makes a case for trading Alberto Callaspo.
  • River Ave Blues wonders who could play left field for the Yankees if they don't land Johnny Damon, Matt Holliday or Mike Cameron.
  • UmpBump looks at what the Astros need this off-season.
  • MLB Notebook believes Justin Duchscherer would be a good fit for the Pirates.
  • Bucco Fans previews the right-handed pitchers in the upcoming Rule 5 draft with Aneury Rodriguez of the Rays listed as one of the top options overall.
  • DRaysBay looks at some relief pitchers that are available in the Rule 5 draft.
  • We Should Be GMs examines the free agent market for relief pitchers and who might be a good fit for the Phillies.
  • The Pinstriper looks back at what might have happened had the Yankees not re-signed Alex Rodriguez in '07.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Asking Prices For Beltre, DeRosa

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Free agent infielders Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa had off-years offensively, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, both have steep asking prices.  Said Olney:

As teams have been checking in on the availability of infielders, they have found that the asking price for Beltre is no less than $10 million a year, and for DeRosa, it's a three-year deal for something in the range of $9 million a year.

Beltre is a relatively young 31 in April, his third base defense is top-notch, and he's represented by Scott Boras.  He did have shoulder surgery in June.  Still, his initial demands aren't entirely unexpected, and Olney didn't tell us how many years he's seeking.

DeRosa turns 35 in February, earned $5.5MM this year, and had wrist surgery in November.  But since he reportedly has at least a dozen suitors, why not start the bidding around $27MM?

Both players are Type B free agents, and the Mariners and Cardinals offered arbitration on Tuesday.  Beltre and DeRosa don't seem likely to accept.

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