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Hideki Matsui

Latest On Athletics Designated Hitter Search

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5:36pm: The A's are confident they can sign Matsui, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).

2:32pm: This morning, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle posted the latest on the Athletics' search for a designated hitter:

  • Vladimir Guerrero is now open to a one-year deal with any AL West team.  The Mariners are probably not a match given the Jack Cust signing, and the Angels probably aren't planning a reunion, so this news really only affects the Athletics.  Meanwhile, the Rangers still consider Vlad their best DH option and are optimistic about a deal according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • The A's still have Hideki Matsui atop their list, though he's drawn interest from the Orioles and possibly Rangers.
  • Nick Johnson, said to be fully recovered from wrist surgery, is also in the mix for Oakland. 

Athletics Considering Vlad, Willingham, Derrek Lee

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The Athletics are looking for offense with Vladimir Guerrero and Hideki Matsui on their list, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The A's prefer free agents to trades, Morosi notes.  Lance Berkman turned down a two-year offer from the A's; Vlad may require at least that long of a deal to sign.

The A's are also in on Josh Willingham and Derrek Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the Nationals' asking price for Willingham is said to be absurd.  Rosenthal feels that the A's could offer Lee more than the Padres or Diamondbacks.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that A's GM Billy Beane met with Matsui's agent Arn Tellem.  Tellem tells her the A's are not the only team in on him.  The Orioles are in, but Matsui prefers a contender.  She considers Nick Johnson and Lee "among the other potential options."  The A's don't find Carlos Beltran a realistic option, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  They don't believe he'd waive his no-trade clause to come to Oakland.    

Mariners Rumors: Olivo, Second Base, Diaz

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The Mariners have been linked to Rich Harden, Gregg Zaun, Eric Chavez, Hideki Matsui, Jack Cust, Matt Diaz, Koji Uehara, and even Zack Greinke in recent days.  The latest:

  • ESPN's Mike Salk says Miguel Olivo's name is popping up more than Zaun's in association with Seattle.  Olivo spent parts of the '04 and '05 seasons with the Mariners.
  • Salk says the Mariners are looking harder for a second baseman than a third baseman.  They prefer Chone Figgins at third.
  • Salk describes the Mariners' interest in Matsui as tire-kicking and is skeptical a deal will happen.
  • The Ms are more focused on their everyday lineup than rotation right now, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • The Mariners are in on Matt Diaz, but they're one of as many as ten teams.  ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that things are moving fast with Diaz.  He's expected to pick a team by midday Wednesday, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.  Diaz's agent Larry Reynolds told WEEI's Rob Bradford his client could even sign today.

Athletics Rumors: Iwakuma, Matsui, Duchscherer

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The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser has some updates regarding Oakland's offseason plans:

  • Oakland increased its offer to Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, but the two sides were still unable to agree on a deal. Iwakuma was looking for around $12MM per season, and the A's were unwilling to spend more than $36MM, including the posting fee. The A's will have interest in Iwakuma again next offseason, when he is a free agent and doesn't require a posting fee.  However, relations may be strained after Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura told the AP the A's "never showed any respect" toward his client.
  • The A's may take the $19.1MM posting fee that will be returned and focus on other areas, including Hideki Matsui. Oakland GM Billy Beane met with Matui's agent, Arn Tellem, Monday at the Winter Meetings. According to Slusser, Matsui has "strong interest" in playing for the A's. Derrek Lee and Nick Johnson are potential alternatives.
  • According to this tweet from Slusser, if the A's look to add a veteran starter, it may be a familiar face, coming in the form of Justin Duchscherer.

M’s Interested In Harden, Zaun, Chavez, Matsui, Cust

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11:16pm: The Mariners are also interested in Rich Harden, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

5:28pm: The Mariners are interested in a number of free agents, including two players whose 2010 seasons ended prematurely because of injury. Gregg Zaun, who is on the Cardinals' radar, has caught the Mariners' attention. The team will meet with his agents tonight or tomorrow, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).

Like Zaun, Eric Chavez spent much of the 2010 season on the disabled list. The Mariners have checked in on the longtime Athletic, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

In addition to Zaun and Chavez, the Mariners are interested in Hideki Matsui and Jack Cust as DH options, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

Athletics Notes: Beltre, Berkman, Matsui

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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).

American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

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10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll group them in this post.  For a fantastic customizable chart with all 65 Type A/B free agents and their decisions in real-time, click here.

Oakland Breaks Off Talks With Iwakuma

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4:58pm: Slusser writes that the figure Iwakuma was said to be seeking was including the posting fee. She also notes that Iwakuma wasn't looking for the same number of years as Zito, just the same annual salary. Oakland, on the other hand, was thinking somewhere along the lines of a $3MM-$5MM salary.

The A's are also looking for a power hitter, and one thought was that signing Iwakuma could have made Oakland a more appealing destination for Hideki Matsui.

Slusser says she recently spoke with a scout who saw Iwakuma pitch in Japan, and described the 29-year-old as "Nothing special. Just a guy." With Iwakuma presumably out of the picture, Slusser says a healthy Outman would be the frontrunner for the fifth starter job. The 26-year-old lefty was having a strong season in 2009 before he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2010.

3:38pm: The Athletics have broken off talks with Hisashi Iwakuma, according to this series of tweets from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

While the A's will have until December 7 to make a decision on Iwakuma, Slusser's sources have told her that Iwakuma was seeking something similar to Barry Zito's seven-year, $126MM contract with the Giants to sign in Oakland, which the A's are obviously unwilling to do. Iwakuma is preparing to announce his return to the Rakuten Golden Eagles at an upcoming fan fest.

If Iwakuma's demands don't come down, the A's will be down one fifth starter option, having traded Vin Mazzaro to Kansas City in exchange for David DeJesus. Slusser says the A's will then approach the season with Josh Outman, Tyson Ross, and Bobby Cramer as fifth starter candidates, barring a free agent signing of course.

It's not unthinkable that the A's would venture to free agency to find a suitable replacement; they clearly have the money to spend on pitching should they see fit. Oakland bid around $17MM to win the rights to negotiate with Iwakuma, but that amount will be returned if no deal is reached.

Heyman On Weeks, Matsui, Pujols

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SI's Jon Heyman is gathering all kinds of information at the GM Meetings; here's the latest…

  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin will talk to second baseman Rickie Weeks today about a possible extension, tweets Heyman.  The arbitration eligible Weeks is one year away from free agency.
  • Heyman tweets that the White Sox are talking to free agent designated hitter Hideki Matsui, who would fit as one of two lefty bats they hope to acquire.  The Sox have already had preliminary discussions with Adam Dunn's agent.  Heyman says the Cubs have not appeared to be big suitors for Dunn so far.
  • Regarding Albert Pujols, Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt does not want to repeat Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM contract.  In fact, he believes the Yankees would retract A-Rod's deal if they could.  Heyman floated an eight-year, $240MM deal to DeWitt, who questioned the $30MM salary.
  • Expensive closers Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Cordero are on the trade market, with the Red Sox and Reds willing to kick in money.  Still, Heyman sees the Red Sox retaining Papelbon, whose trade market is weak.
  • Heyman could see something around three years and $57MM for Derek Jeter.
  • Heyman believes the Orioles are looking at Paul Konerko and/or Adrian Beltre for their corner infield openings.

Odds & Ends: K-Rod, Angels, Tamura, Matsui

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Links for Wednesday, before the Giants ask Tim Lincecum to help extend their NL West lead…

  • Lawyers from the MLB Players Association and MLB will meet in New York tomorrow to discuss the union's grievance with the Mets. As the AP reports, the sides will discuss the team's decision to place Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list.
  • Top prospect Mike Moustakas told reporters that he and other Royals minor leaguers welcome the attention they're attracting this year. 
  • The Angels let scouting director Eddie Bane go, according to John Manuel of Baseball America. Bane was a candidate for the D'Backs GM job earlier in the month.
  • Japanese outfielder Hitoshi Tamura has interest in playing major league baseball, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The 33-year-old has 27 homers this year and represented the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks at the All-Star game.
  • Jason Varitek told reporters, including MLB.com's Ian Browne, that he's well aware of the fact that he may only have a handful of games remaining in a Red Sox uniform.
  • Through an interpreter, Hideki Matsui told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he'd consider signing with the A's if they expressed interest in him this offseason.
  • Todd Helton made it clear to Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he isn't retiring after the season.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic heard that Brandon Webb was throwing just 81 mph in his instructional league outing (Twitter link). Webb told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he had fun and felt good.
  • The D'Backs, who will see Webb and Rodrigo Lopez hit free agency this winter, will look to add starting pitching, but GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he believes starters may be easier to obtain through trades than major league free agency.
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