Logan Morrison Rumors: Wednesday
The Marlins told teams on Monday that they were close to trading Logan Morrison, but no deal has come to fruition. Miami could be waiting on Corey Hart to make a decision, as the Brewers' level of interest is reportedly contingent on whether or not they can retain him. As many as seven teams were in on Morrison as of yesterday. Here are your LoMo rumors for Wednesday…
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel heard yesterday that the Brewers were out on Morrison, but now has been told that they will indeed try for him if Hart signs elsewhere (Twitter link).
Earlier Updates
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Pirates, Rays and Cubs are all in on Morrison (Twitter link). The Cubs would use Morrison in the outfield due to the presence of Anthony Rizzo at first base. The Marlins are still prioritizing a third baseman in return for Morrison, Sherman adds.
Rays, Rangers, Indians Eyeing Jamey Carroll
Veteran infielder Jamey Carroll is drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Rays, Rangers, and Indians, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Carroll, 39, endured the worst season of his 12-year career this past year, recording a .211/.267/.251 slash line in 249 total plate appearances for the Twins and Royals. However, he posted an OBP of .357 in the five seasons prior to 2013. While he's very unlikely to earn a starting job anywhere, Carroll could still have some value as a utility infielder.
Carroll's previous contract was worth $6.75MM over two years, but he figures to come cheaper this time around.
Rays Have Interest In Mark Reynolds
The Rays are "casting a wide net" when it comes to their search for a first baseman, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Heyman, Mark Reynolds is one available power hitter who is receiving some interest from Tampa Bay.
Although free agents like Reynolds and James Loney remain possibilities for the Rays, Loney's current asking price may be too high for the club, and Reynolds is certainly no sure thing, having posted a career-worst .699 OPS in 2013.
Tampa Bay has also been linked to a handful of potential trade candidates within the last few days, including Logan Morrison, Ike Davis, and Mitch Moreland. And when GM Andrew Friedman spoke to reporters in Orlando on Monday, he suggested that the Rays were meeting more with other teams than with agents.
David Price Rumors: Tuesday
Here are David Price rumors for Tuesday:
- With the Dodgers and Rangers appearing increasingly unlikely to trade for Price, the Mariners have a "real opportunity" to acquire him, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets.
- The Mariners likely won't trade Taijuan Walker in a deal for Price, Heyman tweets. They could, however, trade a package including top position player prospects, including catcher Mike Zunino. Zunino, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his debut for Seattle in 2013.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says the team is not pursuing any starting pitchers, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick tweets. Colletti did not specifically mention Price's name, Gurnick notes.
At Least Seven Teams Interested In Eric Chavez
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that at least seven teams are interested in free agent third baseman Eric Chavez. According to Heyman, the Rangers, Rays, Pirates, Braves, Nationals, Diamondbacks and Yankees have all checked in on Chavez, though New York's recent signing of Kelly Johnson may close that door.
Chavez's agent, Scott Leventhal, told Heyman that Chavez isn't set on any one league or team but has an open mind. Chavez, who recently turned 36, followed up 2012's .281/.348/.496 batting line with the Yankees with a remarkably similar .281/.332/.476 batting line in Arizona this past season.
Chavez has a reputation as a fragile commodity (with good reason) and missed time with a pair of DL stints in 2013: one for an oblique strain and one for a knee strain. He played just 80 games for Arizona in 2013 and 113 games for New York in 2012. Once regarded as an elite defender at third base, Chavez has seen his defensive ratings slip late in his career due to a combination of age and injury.
AL East Notes: Moreland, Joyce, Ibanez, Floyd, Yanks
The latest out of the AL East as today's Winter Meetings news heats up…
- ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Rays are interested in Mitch Moreland of the Rangers and notes that a swap of Moreland and Matt Joyce is a possibility. That scenario hasn't gained much traction to this point, however, according to Stark (Twitter links).
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli was among the reporters to speak with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, and she reports that the O's aren't interested in Raul Ibanez but do have some interest in Gavin Floyd (Twitter link).
- Top Yankees prospects such as Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams have seen their stock fall precipitously in the past year, diminishing New York's ability to make trades, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. One Cubs official told Sherman, "The Yankees have no upper-level talent," when asked about potential trades between the two clubs.
- Also from Sherman's piece, right-hander Tommy Kahnle and lefty Fred Lewis are candidates to be selected in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Kahnle was among the Yankees' most sought-after players in July trade talks but was left off the 40-man roster.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke with A.J. Pierzynski, who told him that the Twins offered him a two-year deal to return to Minnesota, but he couldn't pass up on the opportunity to play for the Red Sox (Twitter link).
- Joh Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke with a high-ranking Yankees official who told him there haven't been any discussions between the Yanks and Giants about New York's outfielders at the Winter Meetings (Twitter link).
AL East Notes: Rays, Price, Orioles, Red Sox
The latest out of the AL East..
- One GM theorized to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter links) that the Dodgers are in a favorable position to land Rays ace David Price. He believes that the Mariners won't give up Taijuan Walker and the D'Backs will say no to including Archie Bradley in a deal. L.A. can't offer a prospect as good as those two, but they can offer some combination of Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and pitching. Based on yesterday's comments, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't sound as though he's going to make a big play for Price.
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette remarked yesterday that he expected Rajai Davis to sign a deal "within the next day or two," leaving some to wonder if the O's are among the teams in the mix for his services. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looked into it, however, and found that Baltimore isn't in on him. The Twins and Tigers are interested, however, with one report calling Detroit the "frontrunners" for him.
- Red Sox skipper John Farrell doesn't sound too upset about seeing Robinson Cano go to Seattle, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. "He’s a guy that keeps you up at night trying to find ways to attack him." Farrell said. "But I’m glad he’s out of the East."
David Price Rumors: Monday
Though he may not be traded at this week's Winter Meetings (and may not be traded this offseason at all), Rays ace David Price figures to be one of the most popular topics of discussion over the coming days. Last week, it was reported that the Mariners could push for Price in the wake of their surprising Robinson Cano signing. We'll keep track of today's rumors surrounding Price's availability right here…
- The Mariners believe that they could land Price if they were willing to include Taijuan Walker in their offer, says Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). However, the M's have no interest in including either Walker or James Paxton, and believe they made a mistake by including Walker in their bid for Justin Upton nearly a year ago. Seattle would prefer to build an offer for Price around position players, according to Heyman.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post is hearing the same sort of rumblings as Stark (linked below). D-Backs GM Kevin Towers and another exec told Sherman that the Rays have yet to push Price onto the market, and that their plan may involve waiting for teams to miss out on their first or second options, then capitalizing.
Earlier Updates
- Teams that have inquired on Price get the impression that the Rays aren't in any rush to make a deal, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. One rival executive believes GM Andrew Friedman will move deliberately in an attempt to get the price as high as possible, then perhaps pull back and waiting for interested teams to get even more desperate.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon believes it's "probably less likely" that the team would wait until next season to move Price, as Stark writes in a separate ESPN.com piece.
- The Mariners, Rangers and Dodgers are the three most serious suitors for Price at this time, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- The Dodgers and Rays may be matching up on a Price trade, tweets Bruce Levine of WSCR.
- The Dodgers have made their interest in Price known to the Rays, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. However, Hernandez feels that Price is a "long shot" to end up in Dodger Blue. For one, the Dodgers lack the type of impact, MLB-ready prospects the Rays will covet, as their top chips are teenagers Corey Seager and Julio Urias. Beyond that, dealing names like Seager and Urias would go against their desire to rebuild what has become a depleted farm system.
Mets Exploring Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy Trades
9:06pm: Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets that the Orioles aren't "hot" for either Davis or Murphy at the moment, while Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio says Baltimore's talks for Murphy are "way overblown" (Twitter link).
8:00pm: The Mets aren't pushing to move Murphy, but remain open to a trade, according to Marc Carig of Newsday. Carig adds that Davis appears more likely to be dealt than Murphy (Twitter links).
7:25pm: While they may not be seriously in the mix for Davis, the Orioles appear to be a legit suitor for Murphy, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Sherman also adds the Rays to the list of potential destinations for Davis.
6:44pm: The Mets are pushing "very hard" to move Murphy, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). As for Davis, the Orioles don't appear to be a serious suitor. Mike Puma of the New York Post hears that Baltimore's interest is "distant" at the moment (Twitter link).
5:36pm: The Mets and Brewers met today to revisit the possibility of an Ike Davis trade, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). Newsday's Marc Carig is hearing the same thing, tweeting that Milwaukee is one of four teams engaged with the Mets about the first baseman.
We initially heard nearly a month ago that the Brewers and Mets had discussed the idea of a trade that would send Davis to Milwaukee. Corey Hart remains a possibility for Milwaukee at first base, but it doesn't sound like the club is closing in on a deal for either player, as McCalvy indicates that the team has laid the groundwork on both fronts.
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News adds (via Twitter) that there doesn't seem to be much traction yet on a deal for either Davis or fellow trade candidate Daniel Murphy. According to Martino, there's some skepticism among executives that New York will find many takers for Murphy.
Jamey Wright Choosing Between Rays, Dodgers
Jamey Wright's free agent choice will come down to his most recent two teams, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who tweets that the right-hander is choosing between the Rays and the Dodgers.
Wright, 38, has been effective as a relief pitcher over the last two seasons, posting a 3.40 ERA and 7.8 K/9 in 132 total outings. He spent the 2012 season with the Dodgers before pitching for the Rays in 2013. He'll represent a low-cost, low-risk bullpen arm for whichever team lands him, considering he has signed for a base salary worth less than $1MM for each of the last several years.
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported earlier today that Wright was on the Dodgers' radar.