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Quick Hits: Wilson, Jays, Rule 5, Pudge, Ekstrom

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Let's round up a few Winter Meetings leftovers…

AL East Notes: Eyre, Jeroloman, Golson, Miller, Rays

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The Yankees, Red Sox, and the rest of the AL East have been overshadowed this morning by a big spender out west, but here's what's going on in the division:

  • The Orioles designated reliever Willie Eyre for assignment to make room on the roster for Dana Eveland, announced the team.  The 33-year-old would have been arbitration eligible.  The O's also announced second baseman Greg Miclat will go the Texas as the player to be named later in the Taylor Teagarden deal.
  • The Blue Jays have designated Brian Jeroloman for assignment, tweets MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. The move clears a roster spot for the returning Kelly Johnson.
  • Greg Golson has been released by the Yankees, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Having added two players in this morning's Rule 5 draft, the Yanks needed space on their roster, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • The Yankees are close to signing former Indians prospect Adam Miller to a minor league deal, tweets Sherman. Miller ranked among Baseball America's top 100 prospects for five straight years from 2005 to 2009.
  • The Rays are open-minded about listening to trade offers, even for players like James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. However, they'd need a very large return for their high-end pitchers.
  • Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal looks at a few Red Sox trade chips, as the team searches for pitching help.

Boras On Fielder, Rays, Dodgers, Damon

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Agent Scott Boras held court in Dallas tonight, providing updates on his many free agent clients and entertaining reporters with quips along the way. Here are the details:

  • Boras made it clear that Prince Fielder has drawn lots of interest this offseason. The agent explained that Fielder compares favorably to all-time greats such as Jimmie Foxx and suggested teams will look to lock Fielder up for as long as possible if they recognize his potential as someone who can produce at the plate for the better part of a decade while boosting TV ratings and attendance (Boras' arguments, not mine). He played down concerns about Fielder's body, suggested he's just entering his prime and argued that comparable free agent power hitters won't be available any time soon.
  • Fielder doesn't have any geographical preference as to where he signs, tweets Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. Boras quipped that the distance from home plate to the outfield fence is the only geography concerning Fielder. For more on Fielder, click here.
  • Generally speaking, Boras explained that Seattle and Milwaukee are desirable places to play because they have the potential to draw substantial crowds. He also said "the city [of Los Angeles] is waiting for the return of the Dodgers" and praised the Dodgers as a storied franchise in American sports.
  • Johnny Damon played "very well" in 2011, according to Boras. He joked that 38-year-old is in line for a five-year deal, though a one-year contract is probable in reality. Boras half-jokingly suggested the Rays "have lots of money" despite their perennially low payrolls. 
  • Carlos Pena will likely have multiyear offers, Boras said.
  • Asked if Kyle Lohse could waive his no-trade clause, Boras replied that he thinks Lohse is happy in St. Louis, tweets B.J. Rains of Fox Sports Midwest.
  • The market for Ivan Rodriguez is narrowing, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. The Nationals aren't in on Pudge, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Nats have some interest in bringing back Rick Ankiel, tweets Comak.
  • Boras expects Daisuke Matsuzaka to be healthy and return "sometime this summer," tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
  • J.D. Drew is undecided on whether he'll play in 2012. It would have to be the right situation.
  • Andruw Jones would've liked more playing time in 2011, but understands he won't be a full-time player, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. A deal with the Yankees is likely in the coming weeks, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • The Braves haven't progressed toward an extension for Michael Bourn, tweets Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.

MLBTR's Luke Adams co-wrote this post.

Quick Hits: Bailey, Reds, Rays, Rhodes, Posada

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While we wait for the big free agents to make their decisions, here's a grab bag of links from Day Three at the Winter Meetings:

  • The Athletics feel like they're much closer to moving Andrew Bailey than Gio Gonzalez, but even that may not happen until after the Meetings, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • GM Walt Jocketty finds the lack of action in Dallas for the Reds so far "very frustrating," says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Jocketty said he was approached with one proposal today that' he's considering, but "nothing is close."
  • Candidates for the Royals' utility infielder opening include Edgar Renteria, Mark DeRosa, Orlando Cabrera, and Carlos Guillen, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. No deals are imminent.
  • The Rays are still attempting to figure out the best way to bolster their offense, writes Bill Chastain at MLB.com.
  • The Mariners are displaying interest in Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • Jorge Posada would still like to play if he can find the right situation, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
  • Former Angels GM Bill Stoneman will return to the team for another year as special advisor to the GM, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Crawford, Jays, Rays

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AL East updates:

  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette expects to make a deal or two tomorrow, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. The moves would likely be trades to obtain pitching, Ghiroli adds (Twitter links).
  • The Red Sox have no plans to try to trade Carl Crawford, writes WEEI's Alex Speier.
  • GM Ben Cherington and the Red Sox seem content to wait out the pitching market for bargains, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
  • The Red Sox didn't have "substantive conversations" with Erik Bedard before the lefty signed with the Pirates, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says there's a "very select group" of players the team will consider in the Rule 5 draft tomorrow, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. The Jays will only clear a spot on their 40-man roster if they think they have a shot to acquire one of those players (all Twitter links).
  • Anthopoulos also said yesterday that he thinks the Blue Jays' ability to boost payroll has been "grossly exaggerated," writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Team president Paul Beeston said the Jays could increase payroll to around $120MM eventually, but that they'd need to start drawing more fans first.
  • The Rays are still talking to free agents, but nothing is imminent, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. There may be mutual interest between Johnny Damon and the Rays for a reunion, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff.

Cody Ross Rumors: Giants, Rockies, Reds

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We heard earlier this week that Cody Ross was seeking a three-year contract.  Here's the latest on the free agent outfielder….

  • The Giants seem to have moved on from Ross, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link) reports the club didn't make any offer to try and re-sign the 2010 NLCS MVP.  Baggarly says five other teams are in the mix for Ross' services and at least one suitor figures to offer a two-year deal.
  • Baggarly also tweets "the Ross camp has had eyes on Colorado for a long time."  ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link) reports the Rockies could pursue Ross or Michael Cuddyer with the money the team saved from the Huston Street trade.
  • The Rockies have an interest in Ross, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post, but as a "complementary player" and not on a three-year contract.  Renck notes the Rockies are still discussing an Edinson Volquez trade with the Reds, with Cincinnati showing some interest in Seth Smith.  If Smith is dealt, it could conceivably open room for the Rockies to acquire both Cuddyer and Ross, with Ross playing the outfield on the days Cuddyer starts at second or third.
  • Reds general manager Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Ross' agent said his client would be interested in returning to Cincinnati.  Ross was briefly a Red in 2006, appearing in two games with the club.  Jocketty said the two sides "kicked it around,” though the team has "some other things to do first," presumably finding a top-tier pitcher.  Perhaps related to the Reds' pitching search, Jocketty said he has spoken "several times" with the Rays but he doesn't think the two sides are close on a trade.

Alonso’s Name Has Come Up In Rays’ Talks

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Earlier today, Rays manager Joe Maddon told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM that Yonder Alonso's name has come up in meetings (Twitter link). The Rays recognize they may have to trade a starter, Maddon told Bowden.

Alonso is one of the more prized products of the Reds' farm system. The 24-year-old first baseman owns a .296/.364/.478 slash line at Triple-A, and wowed the Reds and those who covet his bat with a late season callup that saw him hit .330/.398/.545 with five homers in 98 plate appearances.

We heard late last night that the Rays are open to trading both Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann, but neither seems like the type of impact pitcher Cincinnati would be looking to add if they moved Alonso. It's been said that the Rays will at least listen on James Shields, but coming off a monster effort in 2011 and controlled for three more years at a total of $28MM, he would require an enormous haul.

Nationals Center Field Rumors

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The latest Nationals news…

Rays Sign Four To Minor League Deals

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The Rays have signed Juan Miranda, Matt Mangini, Jhonny Nunez, and Ricky Orta to minor league contracts, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

Of the four signings, the 28-year-old Miranda is the most intriguing. He spent a good chunk of 2011 in the bigs with the Diamondbacks, posting a .717 OPS in 202 plate appearances.

Knobler’s Latest: Braves, Beckham, Tigers, Rays

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Some Winter Meetings rumors courtesy of CBS Sports' Danny Knobler:

  • Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado continue to be "as sought after as any players" on the trade market. Atlanta has received calls from 8-10 teams on Jurrjens and "half the teams in baseball" on Prado. Most see Prado as a second base upgrade. The Braves continue to say they don't need to move either player.
  • It's been well-documented that the White Sox could trade any combination of John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Carlos Quentin this offseason, but Knobler says they'll listen on Gordon Beckham as well. Many Sox officials are hesitant to concede to rebuilding, despite the fact that GM Ken Williams used that exact word last month.
  • If the Tigers are going to make a big free agent signing, it's more likely to be Yoenis Cespedes than anyone else.
  • The Rays are open to trading Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis to improve the offense. They're also looking to deal Reid Brignac and upgrade their catching.
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