Gio Gonzalez Rumors: Friday
No MLB pitcher has walked more opponents in the past two seasons than Gio Gonzalez and he's about to get expensive through arbitration, yet the Athletics are drawing strong interest in the left-hander. In fairness to Gonzalez, he has reached the 200-inning plateau in each of the past two seasons without posting an ERA above 3.23 and capable pitchers aren't easy to find (though Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has an alternative for teams who don't like the asking price on Gonzalez). Here are the latest rumors on Gonzalez:
- The Nationals are "all but out" of the Gonzalez sweepstakes, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The Athletics' asking price is "way out of line," Ladson hears.
- The Mets told the A's they won't include Jonathon Niese, Ike Davis, Matt Harvey, Jenrry Mejia or Jeurys Familia in a deal for Gio Gonzalez, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Tigers are on the "outskirts" of the Gonzalez sweepstakes, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. They aren't upbeat about their chances of trading for him.
- The A's would love to get a future third baseman in a deal for Gonzalez, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Rangers prospect Mike Olt is one possibility.
- The A's continue seeking a huge package for Gonzalez, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Though the Yankees "love" him, they aren't eager to surrender prospects such as Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances.
- The Rangers, who are pursuing Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey, can be expected to try to trade for Gonzalez or Matt Garza if they don't win the bidding on Yu Darvish, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney also reports that the Rangers are likely to pursue Gonzalez if they miss out on Darvish. He tweets that 20-year-old left-hander Martin Perez would "almost have to be" in a deal between the A's and Rangers.
- The market for Gonzalez and John Danks may pick up once the winner in the Darvish bidding is announced and the Rays decide which of their starting pitchers are available, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
No Significant Trade Talks Involving Jon Niese
With starting pitching at a premium, the Mets were reportedly listening to offers for left-hander Jonathon Niese last week at the winter meetings. GM Sandy Alderson told ESPN New York's Adam Rubin that there have been no "significant" trade talks involving Niese though, and he still envisions him as part of the club's future (Twitter link).
Niese, 25, told Andy Martino of The New York Daily News that the front office reached out to him last week after the trade rumors became public to assure him they still want him on their club (Twitter link). Three or four teams still have interest in trading for him according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter), and the Mets seek a young catcher and young pitchers in return. That price is too high for some clubs, says Martino (on Twitter). The Rockies and Yankees were said to have some interest in Niese last week.
Although his 4.40 ERA in 2011 is nothing special, Niese did post impressive peripheral stats in his 157 1/3 innings: 7.89 K/9, 2.52 BB/9, and 51.5% grounders. He's had trouble staying healthy in recent years thanks to hamstring and oblique problems, which is why he's never thrown more than 180 innings in a season, majors or minors. Niese is under team control for another four years, the final three as an arbitration-eligible player.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Stewart, Dodgers
Earlier today we saw a rare trade between division rivals when the Rockies sent Huston Street to the Padres for a player to be named later and cash. Let's take a look at some other news and rumors from the NL West…
- The Rockies "immediately contacted" Hiroki Kuroda's agent following the Street trade, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. With $7MM freed up, Colorado has a number of options. Renck once again mentions Colorado's interest in Michael Cuddyer as well.
- The Rockies like Jonathon Niese a lot, but have had no conversations to date with the Mets, according to Renck. New York is open to moving the 25-year-old lefty.
- The Pirates are keeping in touch with the Rox on Ian Stewart, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers are keeping in touch with the agent for Mike MacDougal. GM Ned Colletti is also talking with other relievers, but talks with MacDougal are the furthest along.
- The Dodgers have "no interest" in bringing back Manny Ramirez, writes Hernandez's colleague Steve Dilbeck.
Mets Listening On Niese, Others In Trade Talks
The Mets are being aggressive at the Winter Meetings, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, talking about everyone except David Wright. Among young players, the Mets are talking the most about Jonathon Niese rather than Davis, tweets Sherman. Niese, 25, is under team control through 2015 and could be an alternative for teams that find Oakland's asking price too high for Gio Gonzalez. Here are today's rumors on Niese and other Mets trade candidates, with the newest updates on top:
- Teams have been inquiring about Mike Pelfrey as well, but the Mets were underwhelmed by the offers, tweets Martino.
- The Mets would like a placeholder starter for their big league club in addition to a prospect for Niese, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post and Sherman (Twitter links). Sherman points to Jason Hammel as a possible match, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) hears the Rockies haven't had discussions with the Mets.
- The Red Sox aren't a match for Niese, says Alex Speier of WEEI.
- The Padres aren't interested in Niese, a source tells Martino (Twitter link).
- Andy Martino hears the Mets would have to get a lot if they were to trade Niese, and aren't close to anything. Two team officials that spoke to Martino don't expect a trade today (Twitter links). Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger adds, via Twitter, that the asking price for Daniel Murphy is also high.
- The Blue Jays are also talking to the Mets about Niese, tweets Sherman. The Yankees have also called, but Sherman isn't sure how serious they are (Twitter link).
- The Mets are hoping to get multiple pieces in return for Niese, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. They're interested in adding a catcher, an infielder, and prospects.
- The Red Sox have talked to the Mets and have interest in Niese, says Sherman.
- The Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in Niese, tweets Sherman. The Padres could get in on Niese but have not engaged yet, adds Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.