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AL Links: Sanchez, Hunter, Yankees, Price, Red Sox

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With Torii Hunter joining the club on a two-year deal, the Tigers will now focus on re-signing Anibal Sanchez according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. They're unlikely to pursue another big name pitcher if they can't bring the right-hander back, however. Here's the latest from the American League, starting with some more on Hunter…

  • Hunter told teams he wasn't interested in talking to them unless things didn't work out with the Tigers, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees saw Hunter as a good fit but never made him an offer, reports Erik Boland of Newsday (on Twitter). They don't have any offers out to position players at the moment and are focused on re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and Mariano Rivera.
  • Hunter would have taken less than $26MM he received from Detroit to re-sign with the Angels, but a one-year contract was a non-starter at any price according to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
  • Knobler listed the pros and cons of trading David Price just a few hours after the left-hander took home the Cy Young Award. Some people with the Rays even identified the Rangers as the ideal trade partner.
  • The Red Sox won't alter their rebuilding plan in the wake of the Blue Jays-Marlins blockbuster, said GM Ben Cherington to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "We know we have a plan this offseason and we're going to see how much we can execute it … We've started that and we'll continue to do that," said Cherington, who mentioned he found out about the blockbuster through MLBTR.

David Price & R.A. Dickey Win Cy Young Awards

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Congratulations go out to David Price and R.A. Dickey, who were named the Cy Young Award winners in their respective leagues by the BBWAA tonight. Price very narrowly beat out reigning winner Justin Verlander while Dickey won by a wide margin over Clayton Kershaw. Here is the full voting for the AL and NL.

Price, 27, went 20-5 with a 2.56 ERA in 211 innings this year. He struck out 205 (8.7 K/9) and walked only 59 (2.5 BB/9). Price finished second in the 2010 Cy Young voting and is projected to earn $9.5MM through arbitration this winter, which would be a record for a second time eligible pitcher.

Dickey, 38, went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA in a league-high 233 2/3 innings this season. He also led the league with 230 strikeouts (8.9 K/9). The BBWAA says he's the first knuckleballer to win a Cy Young Award. The Mets and Dickey are currently in negotiations about a contract extension, and the price figures to have just gone up a bit.

Coincidentally, both Price and Dickey are represented by agent Bo McKinnis, as our Agency Tracker shows. Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Chris Sale, Jim Johnson, and Matt Harrison all received votes as well, which could impact their arbitration salaries in the future.

Sherman’s Latest: Soriano, Yankees, Moore, Rays, Bay

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Of the nine players who received qualifying offers this offseason, Rafael Soriano is viewed within the game as having taken the biggest financial risk by declining according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post. Teams don't want to invest big in closers because of their volatility now more than ever, especially after year one of the Heath Bell contract. Here are the rest of Sherman's rumors…

  • The Yankees are privately pleased that Soriano opted out of his $14MM salary for next season. They'll allocate those dollars elsewhere and could use a portion of it on a reliever to replace Soriano.
  • The feeling at the GM Meetings was that the Rays are much more open to trading a starting pitcher for offense than they have been in the past. They would talk about James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann, and even Matt Moore in the right deal.
  • In the wake of Jason Bay's departure from the Mets, Sherman points out that Tyler Colvin (.150 AVG in 2011) and Andruw Jones (.158 AVG in 2008) are two recent examples of outfielders who turned things around following dreadful seasons. Bay hit .158 this year.

Quick Hits: Rays, LaRoche, Orioles, Kinsler, Ryu

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The strategic question for the Rays is whether they can get more by being pre-emptive and making a trade with a team that doesn't want to get shut out of a high-priced open market or instead waiting on  those teams that do miss out in free agency, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Here's more Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo told Jim Bowden of ESPN Radio (via Twitter) that Adam LaRoche is the club's number one priority right now as signing him would help make the rest of the winter easy for them.  The first baseman declined the Nats' qualifying offer on Friday.
  • While some have wondered if the Orioles could be interested in Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun doesn't see it happening.  For starters, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette likes the Orioles' options at second base which include Ryan Flaherty, Brian Roberts, Robert Andino, and the recently-acquired Alexi Casilla.
  • A scout in Korea told David Lennon of Newsday (via Twitter) that the teams most aggressive in scouting Hyun-Jin Ryu were the Rangers, Cubs, Tigers, Indians, Blue Jays, Twins, and obviously the Dodgers.  The Yankees and Mets were not in on the left-hander.
  • New Rockies manager Walt Weiss is expected to be demanding right off the bat in his first foray into the job on a professional level, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

Olney On D’Backs, Rays, Rangers, Drew, Red Sox

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The Mariners have been linked to Josh Hamilton in the past week and Buster Olney of ESPN.com won't rule them out of the hunt.  Olney notes that it only takes one aggressive, desperate team to alter a player's market and the M's could be the team that comes out with the winning bid.  Here's more from Olney..

  • The Diamondbacks believe that the Rays are the second-best possible fit for a trade, behind the Rangers.  The Rangers don't want to give up Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar and Justin Upton would give Rays some badly needed offense in the middle of their lineup.  However, Tampa Bay might have pause over the pay bump coming to Upton.  He is set to earn $9.75MM in next season, $14.25MM in 2014, and $14.5 in '15.  The Rays could make that work, but it would mean dedicating roughly 20% of their payroll to one player.
  • The A's can comfortably wait to see if Stephen Drew winds up coming back to them for a deal.  No matter who Oakland gets at the position, it won't be someone so pricey that they couldn't adjust if Drew decides to return.
  • While many expect the Red Sox to deal Jarrod Saltalamacchia and give an increased role to Ryan Lavarnway, some rival evaluators have serious questions about whether he can be a catcher at the major league level.  One remarked that he has never seen a catcher with actions as slow as Lavarnway with another noting that "everything has to be perfect" for him to throw a runner out.

Quick Hits: Hunter, Dodgers, Dickey, Mets

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The Dodgers have been said to have interest in free agent outfielder Torii Hunter, but their level of interest may have been overstated, according to Dylan Hernandez and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The team met with Hunter’s agent at the GM meetings this week, but a source says that it was Hunter’s agent who initially reached out to the Dodgers, not the other way around.  Since the Dodgers won't move Andre Ethier, Hunter's only possible role would be as a fourth outfielder and the veteran isn't terribly interested in doing that.  Hunter's agent has also talked with the Tigers, Rays, Yankees, and Phillies and tells clubs that his client wants a multi-year contract.  Here's more from around baseball..

Rosenthal’s Latest: Upton, Rays, Youkilis, Dodgers

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Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The Rangers continue to insist that they will not trade either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar for Justin Upton, which could allow the Rays to emerge as the front-runner. They could offer the Diamondbacks James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson in addition to shortstop prospect Hak-Ju Lee.
  • The White Sox and Phillies are interested in Kevin Youkilis, and the Dodgers are considering him as well. Rosenthal says other clubs are concerned whenever Los Angeles is reportedly in on a player given their financial might.
  • The Orioles and Nationals are still engaged in a dispute over money received from MASN — both clubs own the network, but Baltimore's stake is nearly 90% — though Nats GM Mike Rizzo said that will not limit the club's ability to spend.
  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is not concerned about finding a pure closer. He intends to add the best bullpen arms he can and let things figure themselves out.
  • A rival executive told Rosenthal that he expects Dan Haren to sign with the Padres. Haren is a West Coast guy and Padres GM Josh Byrnes originally acquired him from the Athletics while running the Diamondbacks a few years ago.
  • “Like him. Don’t love him," said a Red Sox official when asked about Adam LaRoche. Boston is reportedly pursuing the first baseman.
  • Joakim Soria and Ryan Madson will not be ready to pitch at the start of the season. Both right-handers are coming off Tommy John surgery.

Quick Hits: Giants, Affeldt, Hart, Tigers, Soriano

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The 4pm CST deadline for players to accept qualifying offers has come and gone and none of the eight players in play opted to return to their respective clubs for a $13.3MM salary in 2013.  That means that Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, and Kyle Lohse will net their teams a compensatory pick if they sign elsewhere.  Here's the latest from around baseball..

  • The Giants are confident that they will be re-signing Jeremy Affeldt and the club believes that they will work out a three-year deal, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  GM Brian Sabean indicated yesterday that he is optimistic about being about to keep Affeldt, Angel Pagan, and Marco Scutaro.
  • Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he has not approached Corey Hart's agent about an extension and doesn't have immediate plans to do so.  A report earlier today suggested that the Brewers and Hart were discussing a deal to keep him beyond 2013.  The first baseman/right fielder is set to earn $10MM next season.
  • The Tigers aren't interested in Soriano and plan to stay in-house to find their closer, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Right-hander Bruce Rondon, 21, will get a chance at the job.  

B.J. Upton Declines Rays’ Qualifying Offer

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B.J. Upton has officially declined the Rays’ qualifying offer, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The centerfielder was widely expected to turn down the one-year, $13.3MM offer, putting the Rays in position to pick up a compensatory draft pick.

Now that Upton is officially off the books, the Rays may now use the new found freedom to pursue B.J.’s younger brother, Justin Upton.  Tampa Bay is obviously working with a pitching surplus and could use James Shields, David Price, or Jeremy Hellickson to get such a deal done.

Rosenthal On Rays, Dempster, Dickey, Nakajima

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has another batch of news items out of the general managers' meetings in Indian Wells, California…

  • While the Rays have the pitching depth to move two of their starters, they're likely to move just one of their pitchers.  David Price and James Shields are the biggest trade chips, though most in the industry feel Tampa Bay will keep both aces to make a play for the AL East title in 2013.  There is "no chance" Price is dealt this winter, one rival executive tells Rosenthal, though Price could be moved next offseason.
  • The Brewers are interested in free agent right-hander Ryan Dempster.
  • The Mets' willingness to trade R.A. Dickey is seen by "many in the industry" as a tactic to get Dickey to accept a club-friendly extension, which Rosenthal thinks is a flawed strategy.
  • Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima is now a free agent who can sign with Major League teams without going through the posting process.  Rosenthal says the shortstop-needy Diamondbacks and Athletics are "at least mildly intrigued" by Nakajima and the Giants could also pursue Nakajima as a second baseman if they can't re-sign Marco Scutaro.  The Yankees won the right to negotiate with Nakajima last winter after submitting a winning posting bid of $2MM, but Nakajima couldn't come to terms with New York and he re-signed with the Seibu Lions.  The 30-year-old Nakajima has a .310/.381/.474 batting line and 104 homers over the last six years with Seibu. 
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