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Rays Discussing Espinosa, Morse With Nationals

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7:33am: There is currently no traction in trade discussions between the two sides, tweets Olney.

7:24am: Olney's colleague, Jayson Stark, reports that a source familiar with the talks says a trade sending Espinosa and Morse to Tampa Bay is unlikely despite the logical fit (Twitter link).

6:41am: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Rizzo is aiming high in his talks with the Rays about their pitchers.

12:44am: The Rays are nearing a one-year deal with James Loney, but the team is also discussing the possiblity of a trade with the Nationals that would involve starting pitching for Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).

Morse would represent a major offensive upgrade from Carlos Pena at first base, or he could slot into left field with Desmond Jennings taking over B.J. Upton's old position of center field. Espinosa could help the Rays at either middle infield position, where they've had a bit of a carousel in recent years.

Both Jeremy Hellickson and James Shields have been mentioned frequently as potential trade chips for Rays GM Andrew Friedman. It's also been reported that David Price could be had for the right offer, though the asking price (no pun intended) there would undoubtedly be sky-high.

The Nationals have some infield flexibility given the presence of Steve Lombardozzi, and they could handle the loss of Morse's bat if general manager Mike Rizzo is able secure a new contract with Adam LaRoche.

Rays Close To Signing James Loney

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The Rays appear close to signing free agent first baseman James Loney, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  It would be a one-year deal for Loney, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Loney, a client of CAA Sports, came to the Red Sox as a part of August's blockbuster trade with the Dodgers.  On the year, 28-year-old hit .249/.293/.336 with six homers in 465 plate appearances for the two clubs.  Boston was said to be considering a return for Loney, but the odds were pegged at 50-50 in late October.

The left-handed hitter would presumably come to Tampa Bay as a replacement for Carlos Pena at first base.  Pena struggled last season, hitting .197/.330/.354 with 19 homers in 600 plate appearances.

East Notes: Wright, Dickey, Hamilton, Ichiro

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Here's a look at the some of the news out of the AL and NL East:

Olney: Winter Meetings Preview

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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).

Stark On Hamilton, Greinke, Swisher, Shields

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Jayson Stark of ESPN.com surveyed 17 prominent executives, agents and scouts about the biggest storylines that figure to dominate in Nashville, Tennessee.  On average, those surveyed see Zack Greinke and Nick Swisher signing mid-month, Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn signing in the last week of December, and Rafael Soriano taking until mid-January to find a landing spot.  Here's more from Stark..

  • Most of the people surveyed see Hamilton winding back up with the Rangers when all is said and done.  Outside of Texas, there were predictions for the Orioles, Red Sox, Brewers, and Phillies.
  • Fifteen of the 17 surveyed weighed in on where they think Greinke will land and 14 predict that he will sign with the Dodgers.  The one dissenter, an agent, sees the Angels avoiding a bidding war with the Dodgers only to top their offer in the end.
  • Almost everyone sees Swisher signing in the next couple of weeks but there is no consensus when it comes to destination.  The Red Sox, Orioles, and Mariners all got multiple votes.
  • While there have been rumors about a James Shields trade for two years, one AL exec says that this will finally be the time for the Rays to pull the trigger.  "Just look at the contract. He's got this year and next year left. So he's got more value now than he'll have a year from now. They're very analytical about everything they do. It just makes sense that now's the time," said the exec.
  • No surprise here but the Dodgers were picked as the most likely team to outspend everyone and dominate the headlines.

Quick Hits: Figgins, Pelfrey, Twins, Willingham

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The Phillies, who have openings at third base and in the outfield, checked in with the recently released Chone Figgins, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, the extent of the club's interest is unclear at this time.  More from around baseball..

  • No less than seven teams have interest in right-hander Mike Pelfrey, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Mets non-tendered Pelfrey last week but they still have interest in re-signing him for less than the $5.875MM he earned last season.
  • The Twins don't want to trade Josh Willingham but there are multiple teams interested in the leftfielder, according to Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter).  An AL executive recently told Mackey that the club might not get much more than a No. 4 starter for Willingham, despite his team-friendly contract.  Willingham is owed $14MM through 2014.
  • Rays GM Andrew Friedman figures to be a popular man during the meetings as he may dangle James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson to acquire offense, Morosi writes.
  • The Mariners need to increase their risk tolerance if they hope to take a major step forward at this week's meetings, opines Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  For the M's, that could mean spending a lot more money on payroll or trading away young prospects for proven players.
  • One exec tells Morosi (via Twitter) that this year's Rule 5 draft class is one of the best that he has seen.  The draft will take place on Thursday.

Blue Jays Notes: Arencibia, Davis, Niese, Happ

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Yesterday, the Blue Jays non-tendered Bobby Wilson, leaving J.P. Arencibia, John Buck, and Travis D’Arnaud as the remaining catchers on the 40-man roster.  Here's the latest out of Toronto courtesy of Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Arencibia is the most likely to be moved and the Jays previously have talked about him in trades for pitchers such as Rays right-hander Wade Davis and Mets left-hander Jon Niese, according to major league sources.  The Jays might need to give more than the 26-year-old to acquire such a pitcher, but aren’t necessarily eager to make that type of move.
  • Toronto seems more inclined to add depth than find an upgrade over fifth starter J.A. Happ, sources say.  Happ, 30, posted a 4.79 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 last season for the Astros and Blue Jays.
  • With that in mind, the Jays could look to sign a low-end free agent pitcher as well as minor league free agents to ensure that they are better protected against injuries than they were throughout last season. 

Brewers Acquire Burke Badenhop

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The Brewers have acquired right-hander Burke Badenhop from the Rays for Raul Mondesi Jr., the team announced. Milwaukee has made finding bullpen help a priority this offseason.

Badenhop, 29, pitched to a 3.03 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings for the Rays this season. He excels at generating ground balls (52.9%) and keeping right-handed batters in check (.239/.260/.350 this year), though lefties give him a tough time (.300/.356/.488). Badenhop is arbitration-eligible for the third time this offseason, and Matt Swartz projects a $1.6MM salary for next year.

Mondesi, 20, is the son of the former big leaguer by the same name. The outfielder hit .231/.282/.374 with five homers and eight steals in 298 plate appearances down in Rookie ball this summer. Baseball America did not rank him as one of the Brewers' top 30 prospects before the season in their 2012 Prospect Handbook.

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

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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.

American League Non-Tenders

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Here are today’s American League non-tenders. All decisions must be in by 11pm CT tonight. Be sure to track all tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker. Related resources include our list of non-tender candidates, our projected arbitration salaries and our arbitration eligibles series.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

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