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Passan’s Latest: Myers, Fowler, Asdrubal, McCarthy

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The Royals have been shopping top prospect Wil Myers but only in exchange for starting pitching, reports Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.  Earlier this week, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that Kansas City was known to be at least listening to offers for Myers and top position players like Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.  The only untouchable Royals appear to be Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez due to their team-friendly contracts — "executives consider [Perez's deal] the best in the game," Passan writes.

The Royals have discussed trades with the Rays, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Athletics, Passan reports.  While Myers would be of interest to any team, he is of particular value to low-payroll teams like the Rays and A's given that Gordon and Butler have large contracts and Moustakas/Hosmer are Scott Boras clients.

Here are some more items from Passan…

  • The Rockies' asking price for Dexter Fowler is "absurd," one rival executive tells Passan.  It appears to be a buyers' market for center fielders right now, though another executive warns that "it will shake out" as the offseason progresses.
  • The Indians are shopping Asdrubal Cabrera, though "not at Black Friday prices," an executive says.  Cabrera is one of a few shortstops on the trade market, along with the Astros' Jed Lowrie and the Marlins' Yunel Escobar.
  • Teams are more worried about Brandon McCarthy's history of arm injuries than with his season-ending brain surgery.  If McCarthy's medicals are clear, however, a team executive thinks the right-hander will get a multiyear contract.
  • Anibal Sanchez's demands for a six-year, $90MM contract are "crazy, and he's probably going to get it," an executive tells Passan.

Red Sox, Mariners, Rangers In On Napoli

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FRIDAY: The Mariners are definitely in on Napoli and the Rangers and Red Sox are also involved, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Red Sox and Mariners continue pursuing free agent catcher Mike Napoli, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). Napoli is holding out for a fourth guaranteed year from Boston, and he's meeting with the Mariners, who might be willing to commit for the extra year.

The Mariners, Red Sox and Yankees are among the teams that have already been linked to Napoli this offseason. The 31-year-old ranked 14th on MLBTR’s top 50 free agent list earlier in the month. He did not obtain a qualifying offer from the Rangers, which means he won’t be linked to draft pick compensation. In 417 plate appearances as a catcher, first baseman and designated hitter, Napoli posted a .227/.343/.469 line with 24 home runs this past season. He is a client of Paragon Sports International.

GMs Talk Starting Pitching Depth

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Every team needs starting pitching depth, but few teams have enough of it. Given the expected cost of free agent pitching, the few clubs with starters to spare will be popular in offseason trade talks. Yet the general managers of these pitching-rich teams must be careful, since depth can diminish quickly if injuries strike and players disappoint on the field.

So, earlier this month at the GM Meetings, I asked three general managers of teams with considerable young pitching to explain how they weigh the possibility of trades against the reality that you can never have enough pitching. Here are their thoughts:

Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman

Internal starting rotation options: David Price, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, Chris Archer, Alex Cobb

“The one thing that we’re very wary of is waking up one day and not being able to fill out a rotation in the American League East that can have a chance to pitch 170-220 innings [per starter].”

Braves GM Frank Wren

Internal starting rotation options: Tommy Hanson, Mike Minor, Tim Hudson, Randall Delgado, Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen, Paul Maholm, Jair Jurrjens, Julio Teheran

“We feel like our rotation is one of our strengths. In our rotation and our bullpen we’re basically returning everyone and we have some dynamic young pitchers that are one verge of being a part of our rotation or on our club, so we do have depth.

“I always cringe when people say you have too much pitching because you never have enough pitching. But you also have to look at your club honestly and say ‘where do we have pieces that we can deal from.’ I think our pitching will enable us to fill some of our needs if we want to move one or so of those guys. It’s something we’re open to; it’s not something we’re absolutely going to do.”

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik

Internal starting rotation options: Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Hisashi Iwakuma, Erasmo Ramirez, Blake Beavan, Hector Noesi, Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton

“You have to keep your options open. At this stage [on November 7th] people are feeling each other out, people are lining their ducks up in a row. All 30 clubs are doing this and everybody has their Christmas list if you will.”

The White Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Reds and Mets are among the other teams that could consider trading starting pitchers to address other needs in the months ahead.

Mariners Designate Chone Figgins, Scott Cousins

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The Mariners have designated Chone Figgins and Scott Cousins for assignment, according to a team press release.  In corresponding moves, Julio Morban, Brandon Maurer, Vinnie Catricala, Anthony Fernandez and Bobby LaFromboise have all been selected to Seattle's 40-man roster.

The move all but officially ends Figgins' disastrous tenure in Seattle.  Figgins signed a four-year, $36MM deal with the M's after the 2009 season but hit just .227/.302/.283 in three seasons with the team.  He is still owed $8MM for 2013, a sum that the Mariners will have to almost entirely cover since no club is likely to take on anything more than the minimum if they agree to acquire Figgins in a trade over the allotted 10-day DFA period.  Despite Figgins' poor recent form and his age (35 in January), he is likely to catch on with another team due to his versatility and a possible belief that Figgins just needs a change of scenery to again be productive.

Cousins was claimed by the Mariners two weeks ago.  It has already been a busy offseason for Cousins, who was waived by the Marlins and then claimed by the Blue Jays, who designated him for assignment at the end of October.  The outfielder has a .523 OPS in 188 career plate appearances with the Marlins since 2010.

Mariners Acquire Robert Andino

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The Mariners announced that they acquired utility player Robert Andino from the Orioles for outfielder Trayvon Robinson. Seattle's 40-man roster now has three open spots, while Baltimore's roster is full.

“The addition of Robert Andino gives us some experienced infield depth with a player who has played multiple positions” GM Jack Zduriencik said. “With Robert having Major League and playoff experience and still relatively young, we thought that it made sense to make this trade and let him come in and compete.” 

Andino, 28, appeared in 127 games for the Orioles in 2012, playing second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field. He posted a .211/.283/.305 batting line in 431 plate appearances. However, with a projected salary of $1.8MM, his roster spot seemed less than secure after the Orioles acquired Alexi Casilla.

The Mariners acquired Robinson in the three-team trade that sent Erik Bedard to Boston in 2011. He appeared in 46 games for the Mariners in 2012, posting a .221/.294/.324 batting line in 164 plate appearances as a left fielder. Both Robinson and Andino are out of options, according to Roch Kubatko ‏of MASNsports.com (on Twitter).

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Cubs, Nishioka, Mariners

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Four years ago today, the Cubs officially announced that they had signed Ryan Dempster to a four-year, $52MM contract. Dempster was worth 12.9 wins above replacement over the life of that contract, according to FanGraphs, who valued his production in those four years at $56.3MM. Now a free agent, Dempster will seek what could be the last major contract of his big league career, and interested suitors are hoping he can once again exceed his contract's value.

Here are tonight's links from around the league…

  • Jose Bautista tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that prior to signing his five-year, $65MM extension, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos promised him that when the time was right, he'd add the pieces to make a big run. Bautista tells Davidi that he always believed in Anthopoulos, and now his faith has been rewarded: "We had a great club before this, but now we have an elite club."
  • Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago tweets that the Cubs are not currently in talks to trade away any of their young players.
  • Former Twins infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka has signed a two-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers, according to a Sponichi report. Nishioka's deal is worth 600 million yen. That translates to about $7.4MM, meaning he'll earn more money than he forfeited in asking for his release from Minnesota.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times looks at several Mariners issues in his latest blog post. Baker opines that Josh Hamilton has never been a realistic target for GM Jack Zduriencik and also explains why he feels Billy Butler is a realistic trade target despite the presence of Jesus Montero and John Jaso on the roster. Both Montero and Jaso saw significant time at DH in 2012.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio examines five potential trading partners the Diamondbacks could talk to about Justin Upton (ESPN Insider required). Bowden looks at players that would interest Arizona GM Kevin Towers on the Rangers, Rays, Tigers, Indians and Braves.

Josh Hamilton Rumors: Monday

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The Rangers, Brewers, Phillies, Orioles, Braves and Red Sox are among the teams that appear to have at least some interest in Josh Hamilton, the top position player available in free agency this year. The Mariners are also eyeing Hamilton, though GM Jack Zduriencik downplayed the chances of such a large scale deal. Here’s the latest on Hamilton…

  • The Phillies appear to have Hamilton as a fallback option in case they don’t sign B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. One Orioles person has suggested to Heyman that Hamilton would be a good fit in Baltimore, but another person downplayed Baltimore’s interest. While the Brewers and Mariners have some interest, it would be challenging for those clubs to afford Hamilton. Heyman suggests the market for Hamilton could remain murky for a while and become a “bona fide mystery market.”

Zduriencik: Mariners Unlikely To Pursue Hamilton

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Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik wasn't optimistic about his team's chances of signing Josh Hamilton, telling MLB.com's Greg Johns that Hamilton "might surpass where we're going to be" in terms of payroll.  Zduriencik has met with Michael Moye, Hamilton's agent, and while Zduriencik didn't directly say the M's were out of the derby, the general manager hinted that the club wouldn't be able to afford Hamilton's demands.

"There are a lot of great things to like about several of these guys on the market, and we're doing our homework," Zduriencik said. "But when you hear what players expect and the years involved, that's a lot to consider. At the end of the day, when you gauge the market, you have to be realistic about where it will end up. And there's a strong possibility that one will exceed where we're at."

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong noted that his team was "looking at" Hamilton earlier this week.  The Phillies, Red Sox, Orioles and Braves have been connected to Hamilton this winter, plus there's also a chance that the Rangers will increase their efforts to re-sign the free agent outfielder.  With all these big markets in the mix and Hamilton looking for a $175MM deal, the Mariners could simply be outmatched financially, as they were last year when Zduriencik talked to agent Scott Boras about possibly signing Prince Fielder.

"You never say never to anything," Zduriencik said. "Don't get me wrong. Even in the Prince thing, you never knew where it would end up and this one you don't, either. But you kind of get an idea and feel. Last year in my discussions with Scott, he was pretty sure he'd get at least seven years with a '2' in front of the dollars. And he was right…So you always leave the door open, but in the end, you have to be realistic."

Seattle is known to be looking to add offense, particularly in the corner outfield spots, and Zduriencik thinks "we'll be able to add" either via trades or free agency, despite his belief that "it's not the greatest free-agent market."

Rosenthal’s Latest: Royals, Butler, Myers, Rays, Astros

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Royals GM Dayton Moore is "feeling the heat," in the sense that many want the team to use their prospect base to acquire veterans who can help them win now like the Blue Jays did with their recent blockbuster. Here's more from Rosenthal on Kansas City…

  • Even after acquiring Ervin Santana, the Royals can still fit a free agent like Jeremy Guthrie into their payroll on a back-loaded, multiyear contract.
  • The Mariners covet Billy Butler and would conceivably part with young, high-end pitching to acquire him. Butler is under contract through 2014 with a club option for 2015, though the Royals are unsure if they have enough offense to move him right now.
  • The Rays like top prospect Wil Myers, though the Royals are conflicted about moving him even for a pitcher like Jeremy Hellickson or Matt Moore.
  • The Astros could be another trade partner for Kansas City since the price to acquire Bud Norris or Lucas Harrell would be lower than it would be for Hellickson or Moore. The impact would be less too, however.
  • Moore is under contract through 2014 and does not appear to be in danger of losing his job, says Rosenthal.

Red Sox Links: Ross, Reyes, Nolasco, Morrison

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Here's the latest out of Boston…

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