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B.J. Upton

B.J. Upton Declines Rays’ Qualifying Offer

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B.J. Upton has officially declined the Rays’ qualifying offer, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The centerfielder was widely expected to turn down the one-year, $13.3MM offer, putting the Rays in position to pick up a compensatory draft pick.

Now that Upton is officially off the books, the Rays may now use the new found freedom to pursue B.J.’s younger brother, Justin Upton.  Tampa Bay is obviously working with a pitching surplus and could use James Shields, David Price, or Jeremy Hellickson to get such a deal done.

NL East Notes: Span, Hamilton, Wright, Upton

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We've already had one batch of NL East notes today but there's no shortage of news coming out of the division.  Here's the latest…

  • The Braves are looking at center field options to replace Michael Bourn and the Twins' Denard Span "is likely high on the list of potential trade target," writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  The Braves and Twins match up well as trade partners, as Minnesota is desperate for pitching and Atlanta is one of the few teams with available young arms.  The Braves "haven’t entirely given up" on re-signing Bourn, but the club is unlikely to match the demands from Bourn and agent Scott Boras.
  • Despite a report last week that claimed the Braves were "intrigued" by Josh Hamilton, O'Brien doesn't think Atlanta has much interest, as Hamilton is too expensive and the club would prefer to add a right-handed hitting bat.
  • While the Mets have begun to explore trade possibilities for R.A. Dickey, the Mets aren't yet looking to deal David Wright, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  While the two sides aren't close to a contract extension, "there's always been a feeling something will get done with Wright, and while talks are taking much longer than expected or predicted, that hasn't changed," Heyman writes.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro spoke to Larry Reynolds (B.J. Upton's agent) at the general managers' meetings and the two sides plan to stay in contact, a source tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  One executive told Salisbury that Upton "was the Phils' priority" this offseason.
  • The Phillies are close to a new contract with Kevin Frandsen, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).  The 30-year-old Frandsen hit an impressive .338/.383/.451 in 210 plate appearances for the Phillies last season, taking over as their regular third baseman in the second half of the year.  Frandsen is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, and MLBTR's Matt Swartz projected Frandsen would earn $800K.

B.J. Upton To Decline Rays’ Qualifying Offer

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B.J. Upton will decline the Rays' qualifying offer, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  With Upton turning down the one-year, $13.3MM offer, the Rays will now receive a compensatory draft pick if Upton signs with another team as a free agent.  It was no surprise that Upton declined the offer and it seems as if it's as equally a foregone conclusion that he will leave Tampa Bay, as the Rays can't afford the expensive, multiyear contract that Upton will surely command on the open market. 

Once Upton officially rejects the qualifying offer, however, it may free the Rays up to pursue a trade with the Diamondbacks for B.J.'s younger brother Justin.  Topkin speculates that James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson or David Price would have to be dealt in order to obtain the younger Upton from Arizona.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Uptons, Ellsbury, Myers, Garland

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Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mets were discussing R.A. Dickey in trades with other teams. He hears that the club has not made a "substantial (extension) offer" yet, and if they get the right trade offer they may just move on. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors from the GM Meetings…

  • The Rays need B.J. Upton to reject his qualifying offer before making a serious run at his brother Justin. The elder Upton is drawing interest and figures to reject the offer by tomorrow's deadline.
  • The Tigers are a darkhorse for Justin since they could offer top third base prospect Nick Castellanos and others, including guys like Avisail Garcia, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly.
  • The Braves do not appear to be in serious pursuit of Upton.
  • The Red Sox continue to be disinclined to trade Jacoby Ellsbury and the chances of moving him are slim. GM Ben Cherington is the type to listen on all of his players, however.
  • Brett Myers is telling teams he wants to be a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third.
  • Jon Garland, who has not pitched since July 2011 due to shoulder surgery, intends to make a comeback. He threw for 10-15 teams in September.

Rosenthal On B.J. Upton, Bourn, Morse, Ethier

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Here's the latest from FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal as he dissects the buzz and rumors currently circulating around the league…

  • The addition of two former members from the Rays organization has nothing to do with a potential pursuit of center fielder B.J. Upton, says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
  • While some teams may prefer Upton over Michael Bourn thanks to his age (nearly two years younger) and the ability to hit for power, Rosenthal points out that Bourn's value comes from being a well-rounded player. 
  • Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche's decision regarding his free agency may greatly impact Washington's course of action this offseason, especially with left fielder Michael Morse. 
  • The notion that the Dodgers may consider moving Andre Ethier just months after signing him to a five-year, $85MM contract simply wouldn't be the best move for Los Angeles heading into 2013, opines Rosenthal.
  • Look for the Yankees to re-sign Russell Martin, but the Bombers have had their eye on free agent David Ross, who has served as Brian McCann's backup with the Braves since 2009.
  • The Cardinals and second baseman Skip Schumaker may be parting ways this offseason as the veteran no longer has a defined role with the club thanks to the emergence of young talent. 

Rays Make B.J. Upton Qualifying Offer

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The Rays extended a qualifying offer to B.J. Upton, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). The free agent center fielder now has one week to accept or decline the offer.

If Upton accepts, he’ll earn $13.3MM on a one-year deal in 2013. Assuming he declines, he’ll be linked to draft pick compensation in free agency — his new team will have to surrender a top selection to sign him. Upton ranks fifth on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents.

Quick Hits: Bourn, Upton, Colon, Payrolls, Phillies

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Friday is the last day that teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their impending free agents, and then the offseason signing frenzy will begin.  You can get in on the action (and possibly win some cool prizes) by entering the MLBTR Free Agent Prediction Contest and making your best guess as to where this winter's top available players will land.  Get your picks in now as the deadline for entries and edits is coming up on November 7. 

Not to brag, but I've held at least a share of first place amongst the MLBTR staff in our own internal competition each of the last two years…wait, that "not to brag" wasn't accurate at all.  That was totally bragging.  Though, as a wise man once said, "if you can back it up, it ain't braggin'."  Here are a few notes from around the majors as I pat myself on the back…

  • The Nationals are considered the favorites to sign Michael Bourn while the Phillies "are an early favorite" to sign B.J. Upton, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Heyman sees Bourn getting a five-year, $80MM contract while Upton is in line for at least a five-year, $60MM deal.
  • Roman Colon is suing J.D. Smart, his former agent, and Smart's former bosses at Hendricks Sports Management for allegedly failing to inform him about a new contract offer with the Korean Baseball League's KIA Tigers, reports Darren Heitner of the Sports Agent Blog.  Colon pitched for the KIA Tigers in 2010 and then signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in January 2011, a contract Colon said he never would have signed had he known about the new offer from KIA.
  • Smaller-market teams that have to "overpay" for free agents only dig themselves in deeper holes, writes Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, as these clubs often find themselves committing too much payroll space to players that can't live up to those larger contracts.
  • Former Phillies Shane Victorino, Brett Myers and Ryan Madson could all be intriguing choices to return to Philadelphia and fill some holes in the current roster, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Quick Hits: Andrus, Upton, Greinke, Rockies, Pettitte

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Believe it or not, but the last place Red Sox may actually be in better position for future years than the AL East champion Yankees, argues Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  The Yankees have tens of millions tied up in an aging and increasingly unproductive roster, while the Red Sox shed much of their major payroll commitments when they dealt Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers.

Here are some news and notes from around the baseball world…

  • Elvis Andrus is a major trade chip for the Rangers if they choose to move him, notes Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas, who outlines Andrus' trade value and circumstances behind a possible deal. Durrett also says Texas could instead try to trade an older, more expensive player like Nelson Cruz or Ian Kinsler.
  • The Rangers have interest in B.J. Upton but they see him as a corner outfielder rather than in center, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com as part of a fan mailbag.
  • The longer Zack Greinke takes to pick his next team, the longer it will delay the rest of the Angels' offseason moves, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  Greinke is the Angels' top target and his status with the team could determine what the Halos do with Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Torii Hunter.
  • The Rockies have Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and A's third base coach Mike Gallego on their list of possible external candidates for manager, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Mark Wiley is the favorite to become the Rockies' new director of pitching operations, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Wiley, currently a Marlins scout, would oversee pitchers at all levels of the Colorado organization as the team tries to develop arms capable of performing at Coors Field.
  • Andy Pettitte hopes to have a decision made about his playing future "in a month or so," reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.  The Yankees southpaw hinted last week that he was looking to return in 2013.
  • The Yankees are in for a busy offseason though "by any objective measure, the Yankees aren't a team in need of a major overhaul," writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.  Costa details the five most pressing questions facing the Bombers this winter.
  • Wilson Betemit doesn't appear to have much of a role on next year's Orioles roster, writes CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff.  Betemit is owed $1.75MM from the O's in 2013 and his $3.2MM option for 2014 will vest with 324 more plate appearances.
  • The Twins have no plans to alter the dimensions at Target Field next season, team president Dave St. Peter said in an e-mail to reporters (including MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger).

AL East Notes: MacPhail, Cano, Rays, Blue Jays

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Bobby Valentine has officially been dismissed, which means the Red Sox will embark on their second managerial search in as many years. GM Ben Cherington has said he hopes to conclude the search earlier this time. Here are some notes on Boston’s division rivals…

  • Former Orioles president Andy MacPhail told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he's happy for the team’s fans, players and executives. He acknowledged that it "would have been a lot of fun" to be present for Baltimore's playoff run, but said he doesn't regret stepping down to spend time with his family. MacPhail said he's starting to think about working in baseball again and noted that, at 59 years old, he's "way too young" to do nothing. "I think there are a variety of things that would interest me," he told Connolly.
  • MacPhail noted that Dan Duquette has done an excellent job of finding starting pitching depth this year.
  • Executives suggest an extension for Robinson Cano could cost the Yankees $200MM, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes. The second baseman says he hasn’t “thought about anything," but the Yankees can’t allow him to hit free agency in Passan’s view. New York will exercise its $15MM option for Cano after the season, delaying his free agency until the end of the 2013 season.
  • Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said he's "not going to be flippant" about Tampa Bay's impressive pitching depth this coming offseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Friedman also said he expects to talk with Larry Reynolds, the agent for B.J. Upton, even though the sides aren't expected to agree to a new contract.
  • Mike Axisa rounded up the latest Red Sox-related rumors earlier today. Here's one more note from Boston: the Blue Jays would want “a decent player” in a deal for manager John Farrell, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports.

Quick Hits: League, Tracy, Upton, Blue Jays

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Brandon League told reporters that he has informed the Dodgers that he would like to re-sign this winter, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  After a rough handful of games to kick off his Dodger career, League settled down to finish with a 2.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in Los Angeles.  Here’s more from around baseball as Miguel Cabrera celebrates his Triple Crown season..

  • With his status uncertain for 2013, Rockies skipper Jim Tracy is set to meet with front office management on Friday, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Tracy was said to have a handshake agreement for next season but there has been heavy speculation that the club could let him go this offseason.
  • From talking to people around the Rays, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) can’t find anyone who thinks that Tampa Bay will come up with the money to retain B.J. Upton.  Recently, more than 61% of MLBTR readers polled said that the Rays should extend Upton a qualifying offer this winter.
  • Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos says that he is comfortable with John Farrell returning to manage the club with just one year left on his contract, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  The GM went on to say that the club’s payroll will go up for next season, though there will not be a “bottomless pit” to work from (Twitter link).
  • Dodgers outfielder Shane Victorino will be parting ways with his representation at ACES and is interviewing other agents, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  The veteran is set to hit the open market this winter.  Earlier tonight, we learned that Nyjer Morgan has also dropped ACES.
  • If the Rangers are bounced early from the postseason, Josh Hamilton’s dropped pop-up against the A’s earlier today will have an impact on Texas’ willingness to bid on him, opines Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).
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