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Scott Hairston

Hairston Expected To Choose Team This Week

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4:09pm: The Cubs also talked to Hairston, Heyman reports (on Twitter). Hairston could complement left-handed hitters such as David DeJesus and Nate Schierholtz in Chicago.

3:18pm: The Mets balked when Hairston asked for $8MM over two years, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Yankees aren't involved, but the outfielder still seems upbeat, Heyman adds.

10:46am: Free agent outfielder Scott Hairston is expected to choose a team this week, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).

The Yankees, Mets, Braves and Phillies have been linked to Hairston this winter. At one point the two New York teams were viewed as finalists for the right-handed hitting outfielder, but the Mets now appear to be targeting bigger names.

Hairston hit 20 homers and posted a .263/.299/.504 batting line for the Mets this past season. The 32-year-old played all three outfield positions, spending most of his time in the two corner spots. He faced left-handed pitching in precisely half of his 398 plate appearances and, as usual, he excelled against lefties with a .286/.317/.550 batting line and 11 home runs.

Hairston, an Excel Sports Management client, earned $1.1MM in each of the past two seasons. He could be looking for a two-year contract in the $10MM range following Jonny Gomes’ deal with the Red Sox.

Diamondbacks Unlikely To Land Porcello

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6:16pm: The Diamondbacks are unlikely to acquire Porcello, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

10:53am: The Tigers would likely ask for a shortstop, a late-inning reliever or a right-handed hitting outfielder in a trade for Porcello, Morosi adds. Detroit doesn't appear to be a finalist for Scott Hairston, who could decide between the Yankees and Mets.

8:14am: The Diamondbacks have talked to the Tigers about trading for starter Rick Porcello, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Morosi confirms that the Mariners have also had talks with Detroit about Porcello. The Angels, Pirates, Padres, Orioles and Cubs have also been linked to Porcello this offseason.

The 24-year-old posted a 4.59 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 53.2% ground ball rate in 176 1/3 innings this past season. He earned $3.1MM in 2012 and has a projected salary of $4.7MM for 2013. He’s under team control through 2015.

Arizona has many internal starting pitching options, including Ian Kennedy, Brandon McCarthy, Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley, Tyler Skaggs, Josh Collmenter and Patrick Corbin. Plus, Daniel Hudson could return from Tommy John surgery midseason. However, GM Kevin Towers has shown this offseason that he’s willing to add to apparent areas of depth. Last month Towers signed Cody Ross even though the Diamondbacks' outfield seemed full to most outside observers.

Mets Targeting Prominent Outfielders

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The Mets like Scott Hairston, but view the free agent as a fallback option in case they can’t obtain a bigger name outfielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). The Mets would be happy to re-engage the Diamondbacks about Justin Upton, according to Heyman. However, they found Arizona’s asking price on Upton to be high earlier in the offseason.

We now have a precise sense of the Diamondbacks’ asking price for Upton. It appears that GM Kevin Towers agreed to a deal that would have sent Upton to Seattle for Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and Taijuan Walker. However, Upton invoked his no-trade protection and blocked the deal (latest details here).

The Mets' outfield currently includes Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Lucas Duda, Mike Baxter, Jordany Valdespin, Andrew Brown and Collin Cowgill. GM Sandy Alderson has been eyeing outfielders all winter, but has yet to acquire an established player.

Mets Notes: Hairston, Alderson, Collins

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MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith was on hand yesterday as the Blue Jays formally introduced R.A. Dickey to the press at the Rogers Centre yesterday.  The knuckleballer would still be in Queens if the Mets were willing to match his asking price, but Dickey isn't dwelling on that as he is looking forward to playing in Toronto.  “No, in fact I’ve moved on from that point to being thankful that they didn’t.  It’s important for me to say that I’m very thankful to the Mets for the opportunity to cultivate a pitch. But it’s also important to not live in the past," said the 38-year-old.  Here's today's look at the Mets..

  • While speculation is that teams are looking to sign Scott Hairston to a one-year deal, there is a belief the Mets could go to two years in order to re-sign the outfielder, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  However, a baseball official says that Hairston isn't close to signing anywhere.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested that limited room on the 40-man roster is partially to blame for the club not having signed a free agent to a major league deal yet, Rubin writes.  However, one has to assume that the Mets' financial limitations are the bigger factor.  Alderson said that the Mets could be gearing up for some "significant activity" on the open market next offseason after they get out from under some large contracts.
  • In trying to re-sign Hairston to a one-year deal, the Mets are mindful of prior multi-year deals for role players like Ramon Castro and Endy Chavez, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post tweets.  Yesterday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the Yankees no longer appear to be in on the outfielder.
  • The Mets are making the right call by not giving manager Terry Collins a contract extension at this time, opines Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.

New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Hairston

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Earlier today we learned that while the Mets are in need of outfield depth, they won't be considering high-priced free agent Michael Bourn.  That doesn't come as a huge surprise given their financial constraints, but they could be closing in on a much more affordable outfield piece.  Here's the latest out of the Queens and the Bronx..

  • While the Mets continue to talk to Scott Hairston, it would appear that the Yankees are not as involved at the moment, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  The Mets have a leg up over the Yankees in that they can offer him a starting job.
  • Despite rumblings to the contrary, Rafael Soriano did not offer to return to the Yankees on a one-year deal, Heyman tweets.  Soriano wants to close in 2013 and that's not an option with the Bombers.
  • The Mets picked up Terry Collins' 2013 option at the end of the 2011 season to avoid making him a lame duck, but they won't give the skipper a contract extension to circumvent that prior to the season, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  General Manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged that there is the possibility that it could become an issue, but he expressed confidence that Collins would handle it in stride.
  • Alderson also told Rubin that regardless of whether Travis d'Arnaud starts the season in Triple-A or in the majors, the team's Opening Day catchers are likely already on the 40-man roster.  If the former Blue Jay opens the season in the minors, John Buck will probably start with waiver claim Anthony Recker in support.

Rosenthal On Padres, Orioles, Rockies, Phillies

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The Orioles showed serious interest in Justin Upton before talks with the Diamondbacks sputtered, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night. Here are some more of Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…

  • Rosenthal hears from one executive who expects the Padres to make another significant move. However, the Padres like their group of young starting pitchers and aren’t inclined to make a strong play for one of the remaining free agent starters. San Diego could still trade for a pitcher such as Rick Porcello, Luke Hochevar or Aaron Harang.
  • Talks about a deal involving Upton and Chase Headley didn’t progress, Rosenthal reports.
  • The Orioles continue seeking starting pitching and Joe Saunders remains a target. The Orioles also checked in on Porcello, according to Rosenthal.
  • Though the Orioles spoke with Lance Berkman before he signed with the Rangers, they weren’t interested in spending big for the switch-hitting DH.
  • Jeff Karstens, Derek Lowe, Aaron Cook and Jair Jurrjens are among the possibilities the Rockies are considering. The Rockies wouldn’t offer all of those pitchers Major League deals, however.
  • Rosenthal suggests free agent reliever Rafael Soriano could be a longshot for the Rockies. Colorado would have to surrender its second round draft pick to sign the Scott Boras client.
  • The Phillies continue seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder, Rosenthal reports. They’re still considering free agent Scott Hairston and trade candidates Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells. It’s possible the Phillies will go with platoons in both corner outfield positions.

Hairston Choosing Between Yankees, Mets

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TUESDAY: The Yankees are pessimistic about signing Hairston, Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The outfielder could get more playing time elsewhere.

MONDAY: It appears unlikely that Scott Hairston will be leaving New York this offseason, but that doesn't mean he won't change teams. ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews spoke to Hairston's agent Casey Close and was told that Hairston is in ongoing talks with the Yankees and Mets. Close told Matthews that his client will likely make a decision in "a matter of days."

Hairston would likely have to settle for a fourth outfielder's role with the Yankees, in which he'd back up Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner while providing manager Joe Girardi with a lethal weapon against left-handed pitching off the bench. The 32-year-old batted .286/.317/.550 against southpaws in 2012 and boasts a career line of .276/.325/.500 against opposite-handed pitching.

The Mets, on the other hand, could use Hairston every day, but don't offer the same hope of reaching the postseason in 2013 having finished 74-88 in 2012 and traded away Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. General manager Sandy Alderson told Matthews' colleague Adam Rubin that the team might not make another outfield addition, but did concede that Hairston is one of the remaining "meaningful" free agents the team will consider signing. A trade for an outfielder is unlikely, according to the GM.

Hairston is known to be seeking a multiyear deal, which could pose a problem for the Yankees, as Matthews points out. The team has shied away from multiyear commitments all offseason as they look to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014.

New York Notes: Hairston, Pavano, Francisco

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Mark Hale of the New York Post has a number of updates related to New York’s two teams. Here’s the latest (all links go to Twitter)…

  • The Mets remain interested in Scott Hairston, Hale reports. GM Sandy Alderson has checked in on a number of outfielders, including Jason Kubel and Justin Upton of the Diamondbacks.
  • Agent Dave Pepe, who represents free agent right-hander Carl Pavano, said there’s some mutual interest between the Mets and his client. "We clearly have an interest and I think they do too,” Pepe told Hale. “We’ll see where it goes.” The agent added that Pavano’s workouts are going well and that he’s drawing interest from multiple teams.
  • The agent for Scott Podsednik said the Mets haven’t shown any interest in the free agent outfielder, Hale reports.
  • Agent John Boggs said the Yankees and Mets are among five teams to express interest in free agent outfielder Ben Francisco. Playing time will figure into Francisco’s decision, according to Boggs. The right-handed hitting Francisco has a career line of .252/.329/.414 against left-handed pitching.
  • The Yankees don’t have interest in Jim Thome, Hale reports.

Phillies Notes: Halladay, Kendrick, Hairston, Stanton

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The Phillies saw their streak of five consecutive NL East titles ended by the Nationals in 2012. But, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes there is optimism since the Phillies won 60% of their games after July 31 despite the health issues of Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz, trading away Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence, and not having a reliable setup man for Jonathan Papelbon. The Phillies, however, enter the new year with several question marks which Zolecki says centers around the health of Halladay and Chase Utley, the continued recovery of Ryan Howard, and how much offense new acquistions Michael Young and Ben Revere will contribute. For more news and notes on the Phillies, Zolecki opened his inbox: 

  • Zolecki, when asked about the health of Halladay, quoted GM Ruben Amaro Jr. who recently said, "He's going to start throwing off the mound here very shortly. I guess he's working down there with Kyle Kendrick pretty extensively. He's doing well, but we don't know what kind of Doc we're going to get until Doc's down firing in Spring Training."
  • Speaking of Kendrick, Zolecki believes he's a lock for the starting rotation as long as he remains healthy.
  • Scott Hairston would be the best fit to fill one of the corner outfield vacancies. Zolecki notes the Phillies have tried to acquire Hairston in the past. Zolecki also mentioned Alfonso Soriano, who he thinks would slot in nicely hitting behind Utley and Howard.
  • If the Phillies acquire a right-handed outfield bat, look for Darin Ruf to open the season at Triple-A.
  • The Phillies don't have have enough top-tier talent to tempt the Marlins into trading Giancarlo Stanton to the City of Brotherly Love.

Yankees Links: Hairston, Hughes, Wakamatsu

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Hideki Matsui announced his retirement from baseball after ten years in MLB today, seven of which were spent in New York with the Yankees. Here's the latest from the Bronx…

  • Even after signing Matt Diaz to a minor league contract, the Yankees remain interested in Scott Hairston according to Kevin Kernan of The New York Post. The club is seeking a right-handed bat to complement their all-lefty hitting outfield.
  • Phil Hughes could price himself out of New York with a strong season in 2013, opines Joel Sherman of The New York Post. The right-hander is due to become a free agent next winter and the Yankees are looking to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold in 2014.
  • Within the same piece, Sherman notes the Yankees will own three of the top 35 and four of the top 65 or so picks in next June's amateur draft. They're slated to receive compensation picks for Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano.
  • The Yankees have added former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu to their pro scouting staff, reports Ken Davidoff of The New York Post (on Twitter).
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