Quick Hits: Greinke, Nats, Indians, Liriano, Dodgers
Recently it was reported that Zack Greinke received an extension offer from the Brewers in the neighborhood of $100MM and today the pitcher told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that the figure is “pretty accurate”. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that there’s no indication that Greinke will sign quickly. More from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..
- The Nationals planned on designating Xavier Nady for assignment if they came through tonight’s game healthy, but so far there hasn’t been an announcement, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson doesn’t think that the club needs to make a blockbuster move before the deadline, writes Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. “I have gone into that area with general managers, saying, ‘I need so-and-so,’ or this, that and the other,” Johnson said. “But I like what we have here. I don’t see any emergency move needed.“
- As the Indians look to bolster their pitching rotation, Francisco Liriano of the Twins is a name to keep an eye on, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link).
- Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly gave a solid endorsement of Cubs hurler Ryan Dempster, who is said to be a target for Los Angeles, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. In addition to the Dodgers, there are six to eight other teams reportedly in on Dempster.
NL East Notes: Nady, Hamels, Hu
The Braves traded out of options right-hander Jairo Asencio to the Indians for cash this morning. Here are some more updates from the NL East…
- The Braves have expressed interest in Nationals outfielder Xavier Nady, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). The Braves have been seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder, but were said to prefer players who can handle center field.
- Cole Hamels' reaction to the sale of the Dodgers, via ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter): "I didn't know Magic Johnson knew anything about baseball," Hamels said. "That's my reaction." The Phillies left-hander hits free agency following the 2012 season but may sign a long-term deal in the relatively near future.
- Chin-lung Hu had joined the Phillies in anticipation of a deal, but failed his physical, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
- A National League scout doesn't think the Phillies are that scary once you get past Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. "Other than those three pitchers, they're not very good," the scout told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- In case you missed it, I reviewed the Nationals' offseason earlier this morning.
Quick Hits: Hamilton, Reds, Francis, Rays, Nady
Wednesday night linkage..
- Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton said that it will be “miraculous” if he and the club come to terms on a new deal before Opening Day, writes Drew Davidson of the Star-Telegram.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com that while the club is making progress in multi-year contract talks with Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, nothing is imminent.
- Pitcher Jeff Francis has decided not to exercise his opt-out clause with the Reds, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Francis told the club that he’d be willing to go to Triple-A and start.
- The Rays are a thorn in the side for people those who contend that teams with limited budgets can’t win, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Tampa Bay is bumping up their payroll this year in an effort to spark attendance and revenue at Tropicana Field.
- After spending just one day in major league camp, it looks like Xavier Nady may have a chance to crack the Nationals’ roster, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. One spot is up for grabs between Nady and Jason Michaels, who has an out clause. The out clause may actually work against him as the player that the Nats choose will likely be sent to the minors once Michael Morse returns.
Nationals Sign Xavier Nady
9:22am: Nady's contract doesn't have any outs and the veteran will start the season with Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
8:49am: The Nationals have signed Xavier Nady to a minor league deal, a source tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Nady will only attend minor league camp this spring and won't be involved with the Nats' major league camp.
Adding Nady to the minor league mix gives the Nationals additional insurance in the wake of injuries to Mike Morse and Adam LaRoche. The 33-year-old appeared in 82 games for the Diamondbacks last season and hit .248/.287/.359 with four homers.
The veteran was linked to the Giants over the winter as both clubs were said to have interest in a minor league deal. For his career, Nady owns a .275/.328/.438 slashline across ten seasons.
Bay Area Notes: Nady, Lincecum, Manny, Jackson
Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, joining Pride Of The Yankees and Field Of Dreams as the only baseball-centric movies to ever be nominated for the prestigious Best Picture Oscar. While I'm not sure if I'd call Moneyball one of the very best films of the year, it's definitely a well-made, entertaining movie, as outlined in my review from last September.
Here are some non-cinematic notes from both the Athletics and the Giants in this roundup of Bay Area news…
- Xavier Nady and the Giants share a mutual interest on a minor league contract, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 33-year-old Nady hit .248/.287/.359 in 223 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks last season.
- Also from Schulman, he outlines the Giants' several shortstop/utility infield options for next season, which include Brandon Crawford, Emmanuel Burriss, Mike Fontenot and the newly-signed Ryan Theriot. Schulman also notes that Fontenot's $1.05MM contract with the team is non-guaranteed and that Burriss is out of options.
- Tim Lincecum's two-year, $40.5MM extension with the Giants was finalized today after the right-hander passed his physical.
- Manny Ramirez is "essentially a no-risk option" for the Athletics, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. A's managing partner Lew Wolff said yesterday that he would open to the possibility of his team signing the controversial Ramirez.
- From that same piece, Slusser notes the A's still have interest in bringing back Conor Jackson, despite the fact that the club just signed Jonny Gomes. Jackson played in Oakland from June 2010 to August 2011 before being dealt to the Red Sox for right-hander Jason Rice.
D’Backs DFA Roque Mercedes, Release Rusty Ryal
The Diamondbacks have designated right-hander Roque Mercedes for assignment and released Rusty Ryal to create roster space for Henry Blanco and Xavier Nady, whose deals the team officially announced.
Mercedes, who turned 24 in September, spent the 2010 season at Double-A Mobile. He pitched 53 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and posted 7.5 K/9 with 4.0 BB/9.
Ryal, 27, appeared in 104 games for the D'Backs this year, playing first, third and left. He batted .261/.308/.348 in 222 plate appearances, but his career minor league line (.287/.346/.475) is more impressive.
Odds & Ends: Nady, Rangers, Felix, Gregg
Eight years ago today, the Twins released David Ortiz. He has since hit 291 regular season homers and 12 more in the playoffs, all for the Red Sox. Here are today's links…
- The D'Backs chose Xavier Nady over Austin Kearns, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Arizona agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Nady last night.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he would welcome Vladimir Guerrero back under the right circumstances, but isn't sure when he'll have the team's DH situation resolved.
- The Rangers signed Japanese outfielder Hirotoshi Onaka, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). He was not selected in the NPB draft.
- The Yankees called the Mariners about Felix Hernandez and heard that he is absolutely not available, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Russell Martin needs knee surgery, but the Yankees don't consider the injury serious, so they signed him anyway, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
- The Orioles continue to negotiate with Kevin Gregg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
Diamondbacks Agree To Deal With Xavier Nady
The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75MM with Xavier Nady. He can earn another $1MM in incentives. The first baseman/outfielder is a Scott Boras client and was in Phoenix for a physical on Wednesday.
Nady, 32, hit .256/.306/.353 with six homers in 347 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2010. He missed almost all of 2009 after having his second Tommy John surgery. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers had Nady with the Padres, continuing a theme that has seen him target (or acquire) many of his former players this winter, including Henry Blanco, Sean Burroughs, and Geoff Blum.
Nady signed a one-year contract worth $3.3MM guaranteed (he did earn another $1.05MM in incentives) coming off his injury, and I predicted that he would have to settle for a similar deal when I previewed his free agent stock back in September.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic originally reported that the two sides were close to an agreement. SI.com's Jon Heyman confirmed the agreement and added details, as did Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (all four Twitter links).
Diamondbacks Close To Deal With Xavier Nady
The Diamondbacks are closing in on a deal with Xavier Nady, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The first baseman/outfielder was in Phoenix for a physical on Wednesday.
Nady, 32, hit .256/.306/.353 with six homers in 347 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2010. He missed almost all of 2009 after having his second Tommy John surgery. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers had Nady with the Padres, continuing a theme that has seen him target (or acquire) many of his former players this winter, including Henry Blanco, Sean Burroughs, and Geoff Blum.
Nady signed a one-year contract worth $3.3MM guaranteed (he did earn another $1.05MM in incentives) coming off his injury, and I predicted that he would have to settle for a similar deal when I previewed his free agent stock back in September.
The post was originally published on December 15th.
Diamondbacks Interested In Kearns, Hawpe
The Diamondbacks have varying levels of interest in Austin Kearns, Brad Hawpe, Xavier Nady, and Jorge Cantu, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The team's interest in Nady and Cantu has been reported previously.
The D'Backs have added Melvin Mora and Geoff Blum to replace Mark Reynolds at third base, but they've still got openings at first base and left field. The team took a shot on Paul Konerko and is said to have interest in Derrek Lee as another first base possibility.