Giants Rumors

West Notes: Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Padres

By Zachary Links | December 2, 2012 at 4:35pm CDT

Here's a look at some news out of the AL and NL West..

The Dodgers are letting teams know that shortstop Dee Gordon is available, tweets Bob Nightengale of the USA Today. Gordon could represent a fallback option for teams who lose out on Stephen Drew. Earlier today, we learned five teams are in on Drew.
The Giants are looking for a center fielder and are talking to Michael Bourn, Angel Pagan, and Shane Victorino, tweets CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.
The Angels are aren't acting like they're confident of landing Zack Greinke, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. The Angels seem to be trolling for much cheaper starting pitching options like Ryan Dempster and Shaun Marcum, as opposed to Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse.
The Dodgers' shopping list includes Greinke, a fourth outfielder that can play center, and a backup corner infielder, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Gurnick also says negotiations continue with lefty reliever Randy Choate.
Padres GM Josh Byrnes doesn't expect to be very busy during the Winter Meetings, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I expect to do one thing, maybe two," said Byrnes. "I’m not expecting to do a lot. We’re filling the holes, not roster reshaping." The Padres are looking for starting pitching and have depth at the corner outfield slots, in the bullpen, and at middle infield. The names most often mentioned as possible trade chips, according to Center, are Luke Gregerson, Joe Thatcher, and Jesus Guzman.
The Rangers are interested in talking with the Mets about R.A. Dickey at the Winter Meetings this week, a source tells T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers aren't alone in having interest in the knuckleballer as the Mets have taken calls from six or seven teams looking to swing a trade. The Mets are expected to look for outfield help and catching in a deal.
The Rockies are considering a run at left-hander Daniel Schlereth as they look to improve their bullpen, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The 26-year-old became a free agent this week when he was non-tendered by the Tigers.
The Rockies are looking to restore their rotation, but not rebuild it entirely, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. The club will look to bolster their starting five with a veteran presence and they are known to have interest in free agent right-hander Kevin Correia.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Olney: Winter Meetings Preview

By edcreech | December 2, 2012 at 2:00pm CDT

The Winter Meetings begin shortly at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ESPN's Buster Olney, in an Insider-only post, writes past Winter Meetings have been dominated by free agent signings, but some GMs say there is more groundwork laid for possible trades this year than they can remember in the recent past. Here are some of the storylines that could play out this week, according to Olney:

If Olney was Rangers' GM Jon Daniels, he would go all out to sign Zack Greinke and then trade some surplus pitching for offense.
Some rival officials remain convinced the Diamondbacks will eventually trade Justin Upton, whose contract ($38.5MM due over the next three years) has become more attractive in the wake of his brother's deal with the Braves.
The Indians have set the bar high in their demands for Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. "Time will tell on whether they've lowered (the asking prices)," said a rival GM.
The most likely of the Rays' established starting pitchers to be dealt is Jeremy Hellickson. On paper, the best matchup appears to be the Padres.
The Reds are looking to acquire a leadoff hitter and could target Dexter Fowler.
The Phillies continue to push on Angel Pagan. If Pagan signs with Philadelphia, the Giants could look to Shane Victorino, who is looking for $9-10MM annually.
The Pirates have let other teams know that closer Joel Hanrahan is available and they are looking for starting pitching.
In a separate tweet, Olney says the perception among rival executives is the signing of David Wright makes it much easier for the Mets to trade R.A. Dickey without fear of a PR backlash.
Nate Schierholtz received calls from nine teams within the first 12 hours of being non-tendered with the Yankees in the mix and the Rays also a good fit (Twitter links).

Quick Hits: Pagan, Giants, Indians, Brewers,

By Zachary Links | December 1, 2012 at 11:10pm CDT

A roundup of tonight's links as we have our eyes fixed on the Winter Meetings countdown clock..

The Phillies continue to go hard on Angel Pagan while Giants look to be short right now on average annual value in a four-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Olney previous reported that the Phillies and Pagan have been talking for weeks.
Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti says he has interest in re-signing Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez, and Chris Seddon, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. All three players were non-tendered on Friday.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin says that he sees a Kameron Loe-type pitcher in the newly-acquired Burke Badenhop, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel. "He's a similar pitcher to Loe," said Melvin. "He might have been a non-tender, so we put the deal together late (Friday) night. Instead of letting him go out on the market where you don't know what might happen, we thought it best to make a trade for him."

East Notes: Ichiro, Dickey, Mets, Red Sox

By Zachary Links | December 1, 2012 at 9:53pm CDT

News and notes out of the AL and NL East..

Ichiro Suzuki’s agent says he’s ready to open the floor to other suitors as talks with the Yankees have stalled, but GM Brian Cashman says that Suzuki already knew that he would be put on the backburner for a bit, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. “Now that our pitching has been settled, which was our priority on the front end, we’ll move from the defense to the offense and engage all the players we have interest in and have interest in us,” said Cashman.
The Mets have fielded calls from six or seven teams are looking to meet and discuss a deal for R.A. Dickey, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Mets and Dickey have been trying to work out a contract extension for two months, but it appears general manager Sandy Alderson has the green light to now to more seriously consider trade alternatives instead. The Mets are expected to seek a catcher and outfield help in any trade.
The Mets will are willing to get creative with backloaded contracts in order to entice free agents with more money and multiyear deals, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells Marc Carig of Newsday. That thinking could come into play at this week’s winter meetings in Nashville. The Mets still won’t splurge on a big ticket free agent but could try and get creative in order to improve their outfield situation.
Brian Wilson has interest in the Red Sox as well as the Giants, Dodgers, and Angels a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Wilson is reportedly unlikely to re-sign with the Giants after being non-tendered.

Olney’s Latest: Price, Dickey, Mariners, Kazmir

By Mike Axisa | December 1, 2012 at 10:19am CDT

In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says David Price is available right now for the right offer. Rival executives are convinced the reigning Cy Young Award winner will be traded in the next 13 months as his salary through arbitration becomes prohibitive for the Rays. Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

The Rays and Price are not close to working out a long-term contract extension.
The Mets increased their offer to R.A. Dickey, but it's unclear how close the two sides are to a deal.
Olney speculates that the non-tendered Nate Schierholtz could be a fit for the Yankees, who are looking for a right fielder to replace Nick Swisher.
The Mariners have money to spend, but it appears they will have to overpay to land any premium free agents.
Last night we learned the Phillies are pursuing Angel Pagan, and Olney clarifies (on Twitter) that the two sides have been talking for weeks.
If the Giants don't re-sign Pagan, Olney says (on Twitter) they would seriously consider signing Shane Victorino.
Scott Kazmir is pitching in winter ball and teams have already started to show interest in the 28-year-old left-hander, tweets Olney.
The Tigers continue to say they are not in the market for a closer, tweets Olney.

Giants Non-Tender Brian Wilson

By Mike Axisa | November 30, 2012 at 11:00pm CDT

The Giants have non-tendered Brian Wilson according to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Earlier this week we heard the team was likely to cut ties with their former closer.

Wilson, 30, has saved 171 games for San Francisco throughout the years. He only appeared in two games this season before blowing out his elbow and requiring Tommy John surgery. Wilson earned $8.5MM this year and was arbitration-eligible for the fourth time as a Super Two. Matt Swartz projected him to earn the same salary again next year.

Although re-signing with the Giants remain possible, recent speculation indicated Wilson could also have interest in pitching for the Dodgers or Red Sox. He makes his offseason home in Los Angeles and grew up in New Hampshire rooting for the Sox. If Ryan Madson's contract is any indication, Wilson is looking at a one-year, low-base salary, incentive-laden contract for next year.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Giants Rumors: Posey, Pence, Casilla, Wilson

By Mike Axisa | November 30, 2012 at 10:21pm CDT

Here's the latest on the World Champion San Francisco Giants…

"We are open to the idea," said GM Brian Sabean when asked about a long-term contract extension for Buster Posey, though he said they were "not necessarily" open to the idea with Hunter Pence. John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle and Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com passed along the quotes (Twitter links).
The Giants have had conceptual talks about a multiyear deal with reliever Santiago Casilla, reports Baggarly (on Twitter). The team is not active in any trade discussions, Sabean confirmed.
Brian Wilson is unlikely to re-sign with the Giants if and when he gets non-tendered, hears Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).

Phillies Pursuing Angel Pagan

By Mike Axisa | November 30, 2012 at 9:46pm CDT

After losing out on B.J. Upton, the Phillies are now pursuing Angel Pagan according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Two teams, believed to be the Phillies and Giants, have offered the outfielder a four-year deal.

Pagan, 31, hit .288/.338/.440 with 29 steals and a league-leading 15 triples in 659 plate appearances for San Francisco this year. Rosenthal says the Phillies offered Upton five years and $55MM, but they're concerned about Michael Bourn's price tag. Signing Pagan to a four-year pact would leave them extra cash for third base and the pitching staff.

SoCal Links: Walden, Angels, Fujikawa, Field, Kuroda

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2012 at 7:18pm CDT

The Angels finalized their contract with Ryan Madson today, but here's some more out of Southern California…

In the wake of the Madson signing, the Angels are letting teams know Jordan Walden is "very available" according to ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The 25-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.46 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 39 innings this year.
Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would not say whether he was still pursuing Japanese free agent reliever Kyuji Fujikawa, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
The Angels will tender contracts to all four arbitration-eligible players according to DiGiovanna (on Twitter). Kendrys Morales, Alberto Callaspo, Jerome Williams, and Kevin Jepsen represent the team's class of arb-eligibles.
The Angels have claimed shortstop Thomas Field off waivers from the Twins, the team announced. The 25-year-old has hit .260/.315/.260 in 54 plate appearances with the Rockies over the last two years.
The Padres offered Hiroki Kuroda a one-year deal worth $17-18MM, reports George A. King III of The New York Post. The right-hander instead took a one-year, $15MM deal to return to the Yankees.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports hears Brian Wilson's first choice (aside from the Giants) would be to pitch for the Dodgers next year (Twitter links). Wilson lives in Los Angeles during the offseason and will likely be non-tendered later this week.

Minor Moves: Orioles, Clement, Erbe, Quiroz, Red Sox

By Steve Adams | November 26, 2012 at 9:11pm CDT

Here are the latest minor signings from around the league…

The Orioles added independent league pitchers Logan Mahon and Chase Johnson on minor league deals, according to CSNBaltimore's Rich Dubroff and the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina, respectively (Twitter links).
The Giants also added an independent league arm today, signing Omar Javier to a minor league deal, tweets Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Omar hasn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2009 with the Cardinals.
The Twins have signed former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Clement to a minor league deal, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Clement, 29, appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list from 2006-08 and has a career .280/.359/.493 line at Triple-A. However, he's failed to produce in four separate Major League stints between the Mariners and Pirates.
ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Phillies have signed righty Brandon Erbe to a minor league deal. The 24-year-old was a third-round selection by the Orioles back in 2005 and was once a highly regarded prospect. He's battled a series of shoulder injuries and pitched to a 6.82 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Baltimore's Class-A Advanced affiliate in 2012.
Stark also reports that the Giants have signed minor league catcher Guillermo Quiroz to a minor league contract (Twitter link). The former top prospect is now 30 years old and carries with him a .260/.323/.424 batting line over parts of nine Triple-A seasons. He's managed just a .538 OPS in 282 Major League plate appearances.
The Red Sox have signed right-handers David Carpenter, Sandy Rosario and Jose De La Torre to minor league deals, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich. Carpenter appeared in 32 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Astros in 2012 but posted an 8.07 ERA. The 27-year-old Rosario has a career 3.48 ERA and 4.4 K/BB ratio in the minors but has barely pitched above the Double-A level. De La Torre was acquired from the Indians for Brent Lillibridge.
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed righties Edgar Gonzalez and Jose Valdez to minor league contracts. Gonzalez, 29, has a 5.84 ERA over 350 career innings between the Diamondbacks, Rockies and Astros. Valdez hurled 12 innings for Houston last year after spending the past three seasons in their farm system. He has an impressive 103 strikeouts in 83 2/3 career Triple-A innings. McTaggart has the breakdown of each contract in his piece, including out clauses that allow Valdez to pursue opportunities in Japan.

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