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Derrek Lee

Orioles Target Derrek Lee

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The Orioles are targeting Derrek Lee, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team renewed discussions with the free agent first baseman a week ago and are open to a deal in the one-year, $8MM range, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Rosenthal reports that the team is more comfortable signing Lee for one year than committing to Adam LaRoche for three.

The Orioles will have some competition for LaRoche, who appeals to the Nationals, and Lee. The Padres offered Lee a one-year deal worth more than $8MM before agreeing to terms with Brad Hawpe, according to Rosenthal. San Diego would have been a good fit for Lee, who is interested in playing for a contender and returning to the West Coast.

The Angels are “cool” on Lee, according to Rosenthal. They tried to acquire him after Kendry Morales went down last summer and could pair him with Morales at first/DH.

Lee is a potential bargain for 2011. He's coming off thumb surgery and had a down year by his standards, but finished the 2010 season strong with the Braves and hit 35 homers as recently as 2009.

Olney On Beltre, Adam LaRoche, Derrek Lee

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The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Olney ranks the rotations, with the Phillies, Giants, and Athletics taking the top three spots.  It seems odd to see the Cardinals in an eighth-place tie, but there are a lot of good ones.  How does your top ten look?
  • The Athletics would talk to free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre again if the player is willing.  Beltre reportedly ignored Oakland's five-year, $64MM offer, which isn't much lower than the offer the Angels pulled yesterday.  Beltre appears to crave $85-90MM over five years, or a sixth year. 
  • The Orioles have been talking to Adam LaRoche's agents about a three-year deal in the $21MM range, though it was said yesterday they're at an impasse.  LaRoche had a near-miss on a multiyear deal with the Giants last offseason, though that offer came with undesirable options attached.  Olney says the Orioles are in the one-year, $8MM range with Derrek Lee, which should be close to enough.  Failing those options, Olney suggests a platoon involving Troy Glaus and Russell Branyan or Jason Giambi.    

O’s Renew Discussions With Derrek Lee

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Talks between Adam LaRoche and the Orioles have not progressed and the team has renewed discussions with Derrek Lee, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

As recently as yesterday, the Orioles appeared to be focused on LaRoche, who seeks a three-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Lee won't be cheap, either. Like LaRoche, he has drawn interest from the Nationals and Padres and, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, he seeks a deal worth $8-10MM.

Zrebiec points out that the O’s could pursue a designated hitter and move Luke Scott or Nolan Reimold to first base. However, the club may prefer to add a more experienced defender, such as LaRoche or Lee.

Regardless of who ends up playing first for the O's, their infield will look considerably different in 2011. Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy are pencilled in as regulars and Brendan Harris is a new competitor for a backup infield job.

Odds & Ends: Pavano, Greinke, Soria, Pettitte

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Two years ago today, the Yankees officially signed C.C. Sabathia to the largest-ever contract for a pitcher.  Sabathia's $161MM record figures to hold for a while, though a couple of monster seasons by Francisco Liriano, Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, and Matt Cain could put it in jeopardy in the 2012-13 offseason if those pitchers do not sign extensions.  Today's links:

Orioles Notes: LaRoche, Lee, Blanton, Thames

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Let's check out some Orioles news courtesy of The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec..

  • The O's are clearly focused on getting a deal done with Adam LaRoche, so much so that they've now put Derrek Lee on the backburner.  On Thursday it was reported that the two sides aren't yet close to a deal and LaRoche is seeking a three-year committment.
  • While one might think that Joe Blanton would be a fit for the Orioles, the club is not in on the pitcher at this point.  Baltimore isn't all that high on the right-hander and they don't think he's a great fit for the American League East.  However, the club is still after a veteran pitcher.
  • Baltimore would also like to bolster their bench and one name to keep an eye on is free agent Marcus Thames.  The O's have spoken to Thames' agent but nothing is serious at this point as the club is working to figure out their plans for first base and the DH spot.  Last month Japan's Softbank Hawks were working to sign the 33-year-old.

Nationals Actively Pursuing Derrek Lee

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The Nationals are "actively" pursuing free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, a baseball source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Another source told the Nationals beat writer Lee is the team's top first base target.  Ladson adds that talks "don't appear to be serious" between the Nats and Adam LaRoche.

Washington "may consider" Casey Kotchman if they fail to sign Lee, writes Ladson.  Lee was linked to six teams on Saturday, but the Padres and Diamondbacks are probably out.  The Orioles may be the Nationals' main competition.

Heyman On Padres, Fuentes, Blanton, Greinke

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The offseason has been full of surprises and, as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, we know a relatively small amount about the top remaining free agents. It appears that the A’s, Angels and Rangers have some interest in Adrian Beltre, but that's about all we know about him and it's more than we know about Rafael Soriano. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Nats, O’s, Padres Pursuing Lee & LaRoche

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The Nationals, Orioles and Padres are pursuing both Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Padres have less money to spend than the Nationals and Orioles, so they seem less likely to sign one of the first basemen.

LaRoche may command a multiyear deal, but Lee is telling teams he’s open to a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman also reports (on Twitter) that the Nationals are very much in on Lee. Six teams reportedly have interest in the longtime Cub.

The Diamondbacks, however, are likely “out” on Lee after agreeing to terms with Xavier Nady, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.

Odds & Ends: Lee, Zambrano, Werth, Mets, Uehara

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Baseball lost one of its all-time greats tonight; Bob Feller passed away at 92. Rapid Robert won 266 games in his career, every single one of them with the Cleveland Indians. He probably would have cleared the 300 win plateau if he hadn't served in World War II from ages 23-25. Our condolences go out to the Hall of Famer's family…

National News: Lee, LaRoche, Pavano, Webb

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Let's round up the latest from the nation's capital, courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson…

  • The Nats have expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, echoing a report from yesterday.
  • All of their eggs are not in one basket however, Ladson says the team also maintains interest in Adam LaRoche. It appeared that a deal between the two sides was a go last week, but obviously nothing came from it.
  • "We will explore both options, so it expands our pool a little bit more," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to short and long-term first base options, not Lee and LaRoche. "I don't ever want to feel rushed to do a deal. I think when you feel rushed to do a deal, you make a deal that you may not have wanted to do. So we are going to look at our options. We feel there are still good options out there, and we will see where they take us."
  • The Nats are still in on Carl Pavano and expect talks to get serious this week. Two days ago we learned that Washington wasn't thrilled with the idea of offering the right-hander a multiyear deal.
  • Brandon Webb "remains excited" about the Nationals, and the two sides talked during the winter meetings.
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