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Mariners Still Trying To Ink Josh Fields

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According to John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Mariners have reopened talks with Scott Boras, the agent for 2008 first-round draft pick Josh Fields.

Boras demanded a $2MM signing bonus last June when the M’s took the Georgia right-hander 20th overall.  The organization balked at the figure and the two sides dropped communication for several months. 

"We’ve had a few discussions now,” Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik said Tuesday. ”We’re keeping the status quo… I like Scott Boras. I realize he’s a professional, and my discussions with him have always been pleasant going back 15 years now.”

The Mariners are obviously hoping to sign Fields before spring training gets underway on February 13.

Mariners Hot Stove Update: Griffey, Abreu, Anderson

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Mariners president Chuck Armstrong spoke to a few hundred Portland-area business leaders on Thursday and addressed a few questions on some potential moves that his team might make.  Andy Giegerich covered the event for the Portland Business Journal.

  • Armstrong met with a representative for free agent Ken Griffey Jr. on Wednesday, but nothing came out of the discussion.
  • The M’s are also looking at free agent outfielders Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson.  They could become serious suitors as contract numbers continue to fall, especially if the demand for those guys remains low.

Orioles Close To Deal With Cubs For Hill

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9:41pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has more on the Orioles trading for Cubs pitcher Rich Hill.

The deal would be for a player to be named later, Zrebiec writes, and it could be announced as early as Monday.

Hill will be reunited with pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Alan Dunn, who worked with him in the Cubs’ organization, Zrebiec notes.

Hill is out of options, so he’ll have to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster or they could lose him. … Hill will be given an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation, which currently has three vacancies behind Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara.

6:12pm: Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun believes the Baltimore Orioles will complete a trade for Cubs left-handed pitcher Rich Hill by Tuesday — if the Orioles will do the deal at all.

Schmuck writes that now other organizations are aware that Hill could be made available, additional teams — including the Royals and Mariners — could make an offer.

Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail might be waiting to see if he can sign free agent right-handed pitcher Braden Looper, Schmuck adds.

They might be willing to acquire both pitchers, but there is the small matter of moving players off the 40-man roster to make room, so maybe Andy is just going to take one or the other.

Hill, 29 in March, is 18-17 in 57 starts with a 4.37 ERA during a short four-season career. He spend much of 2008 in Triple-A.

Looper, 34, went 12-14 in 33 starts with a 4.16 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals last season.

Perrotto’s Latest: Position Battles, Roberts, Pudge

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John Perrotto’s Every Given Sunday column is up over at Baseball Prospectus. This week, he takes a look at some of the position battles teams will face entering Spring Training. And, as always, there’s some interesting items in his Rumors & Rumblings section. Let’s take a look:

  • Some of the more interesting position battles mentioned: 1B/DH/RF in Oakland (Daric Barton, Jack Cust, Jason Giambi, Aaron Cunningham, and Travis Buck all in the mix), Tampa’s closer if Troy Percival gets hurt or falters (Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour), and the White Sox rotation behind John Danks, Mark Buerhle, and Gavin Floyd (Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Bartolo Colon, Jeff Marquez).
  • Brian Roberts still wants a four-year deal before Spring Training starts up, or he’ll cut off negotiations. Does Roberts make more sense as a cornerstone in Baltimore or as a trade chip?
  • Perrotto feels Tom Glavine will inevitably re-sign with the Braves.
  • The White Sox have minor interest in signing Ivan Rodriguez as a backup for A.J. Pierzynski. I’m sure Pudge would prefer a starting gig, but at this point, it’s tough to be picky.
  • We’ve heard a lot about the Orioles having interest in Rich Hill lately, but Perrotto reminds us that the Mariners are interested in the 28-year-old lefty as well.

Abreu Still Waiting

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Tyler Kepner of The New York Times reports that Bobby Abreu’s former general manager Ed Wade believes that Abreu could still be an impact player this coming season:

"He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” said Wade, now the general manager of the Houston Astros. “He’s probably not the guy that stirs the drink, but if you have the ability to add Bobby Abreu to your lineup and your clubhouse, it’s going to make all the players around him better.”

Abreu, 34, who made about $16MM with the Yankees in 2008, hit .296/.371/.471 in 684 plate appearances last season.

The Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Reds and Braves could still get in on Abreu. Though Abreu had originally sought three-year contract, agent Peter Greenberg has confirmed that the slugger would be open to a one-year deal.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mariners, Young, Shouse

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Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports compiles a number of rumors from around the majors:

  • The Mariners need to free up money, but to do so, they’d likely have to trade one of Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn or Miguel Batista. All three will be free agents after the season, but moving one of them would be "extremely difficult."
  • The Mariners and Yankees considered a Hideki Matsui-Washburn swap, but Matsui’s contract ($13MM) pays him more than Washburn’s ($10.35MM) so they didn’t find a match.
  • The Twins are looking to move Delmon Young.
  • They showed interest in Washburn last year, but only some of Rosenthal’s sources believe he and Delmon Young could be the foundation for a larger deal.
  • Rosenthal has a source who says the Yankees are not currently pursuing Juan Cruz. Yesterday, we had a discussion about the rules regarding free agent quotas.
  • The Yanks like their bullpen, but they could try to add an arm if they trade Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
  • The Rays are making a strong run at Brian Shouse.
  • The Orioles would not likely have to give up much more than a low-level prospect to deal for Rich Hill.

O’s, Cubs Talking Deal For Rich Hill

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FRIDAY: A small update from Roch Kubatko: nothing is imminent with the Orioles and Hill.  He says not to expect an announcement before next week, if the two teams are to hammer out a deal.

THURSDAY: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are looking to acquire Cubs lefty Rich Hill.  Hill is out of options, limiting his value.  Zrebiec notes that Hill could benefit from a reunion with Rick Kranitz, his former Triple A pitching coach. 

An industry source told Zrebiec that it’s a "strong possibility" that Hill will end up with the Orioles.  Apparently the Cubs would receive a player to be named later in return, the value of whom would hinge on Hill’s success in Baltimore.  The Mariners have also shown interest, but the O’s are believed to be in the lead at this point.  Hill, 28, walked 18 in 19.2 innings last year before his demotion to the minors.  He had a nice run for the Cubs in 2006-07.

Mariners Eyeing Bobby Abreu

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Yesterday Ken Rosenthal wrote that "the Mariners view Bobby Abreu as an ideal fit, major-league sources say, but it is unclear whether they can afford him."  Today, Larry Stone elaborates on Seattle’s interest in Abreu.

Stone says Abreu’s agent Peter Greenberg confirmed ongoing contact with the Mariners regarding Abreu.  Abreu is open to playing in Seattle or anywhere else.  However, they cannot afford him unless they make room in the payroll by moving salary.  Greenberg confirmed that Abreu is now open to a one-year deal.  Abreu told Greenberg he’d win the MVP and then go out on the market again.

Stone suggests the Ms would have to trade Jarrod Washburn ($10.35MM), Miguel Batista ($9MM), or Carlos Silva ($11MM) to clear ’09 payroll space for Abreu.

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