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Braves Intrigued By Josh Hamilton

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The Braves are intrigued by free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. He’s the top position player available in free agency at a time that the Braves are looking to replace the offense of Chipper Jones and, it appears, Michael Bourn.

However, Hamilton isn’t an ideal fit for a Braves’ lineup that already features a number of left-handed hitters in Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann. Plus, the Braves aren’t generally bidders on the top free agents, as Knobler notes. The Rangers made Hamilton a qualifying offer today, which means any team other than Texas will have to surrender a top draft pick to sign the outfielder. Hamilton ranks second on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents.

Rangers Make Josh Hamilton Qualifying Offer

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The Rangers extended a qualifying offer to Josh Hamilton, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. The free agent outfielder now has one week to accept or decline the offer. Mike Napoli did not get a qualifying offer from Texas.

If Hamilton accepts, he’ll earn $13.3MM on a one-year deal in 2013. Assuming he declines, he’ll be linked to draft pick compensation in free agency — his new team will have to surrender a top selection to sign him. Napoli won't be linked to draft pick compensation, which should help his free agent stock. Hamilton ranks second on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents while Napoli ranks 14th.

Rosenthal On Greinke, Free Agency, Trades

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With a national television deal in place and labor peace established, MLB teams are ready to spend. Some people in the commissioner’s office are nervous about the possibility of more lavish free agent contracts, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Here are more notes from Rosenthal on the day before free agents can sign with any team…

  • The Angels want to sign Zack Greinke, but so do their biggest rivals, the Dodgers and the Rangers.
  • Rosenthal points out that the offseason could unfold more quickly this year, partly because of the new MLB calendar. Teams won’t have to wait as long to determine which free agents are linked to draft pick compensation, which should accelerate the free agent market. I discussed the possibility in this week’s MLBTR chat.
  • Rosenthal expects almost every free agent who receives a qualifying offer to reject it.
  • MLB officials expect the trade market to remain “hot” throughout the winter, according to Rosenthal.

Blue Jays Targeting Several Free Agent Pitchers

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The Blue Jays are casting a wide net in their search for pitching, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They have already shown interest in Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, and Ryan Dempster, among others.

Toronto is also one of several clubs to inquire about Scott Baker, joining the Red Sox, Cubs, and Rangers. The Twins recently declined the right-hander's option but hope to sign him to a new deal. The Blue Jays have made no secret of their goal to add pitching this offseason, either through trades or free agency. Free agents can begin signing with new teams tomorrow morning.

Rangers Interested In David Ortiz

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The Rangers have expressed serious interest in free agent designated hitter David Ortiz, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Texas executives envision Ortiz as someone who could replace the offense of Josh Hamilton should the outfielder sign elsewhere.

The Red Sox are still considered the favorites to sign Ortiz, Rosenthal reports. The sides continued discussing a two-year deal worth as much as $25MM this week. Only the Red Sox can sign Ortiz for now, but their exclusive negotiating period ends first thing Saturday morning.

Ortiz will likely obtain a qualifying offer from Boston later today. If he declines the offer to pursue other options he'll be linked to draft pick compensation, meaning a team such as the Rangers would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him.

Ortiz, who turns 37 later in November, posted a .318/.415/.611 batting line in 383 plate appearances this past season. He hit 23 home runs and 26 doubles, but appeared in just one game after suffering a right Achilles strain on July 16th. An SFX client, Ortiz ranks 13th on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.

Diamondbacks Notes: Hill, Hall, Schmidt

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It was on this day 11 years ago that baseball's first November game ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Diamondbacks, as they lost the fifth game of the 2001 World Series due to closer Byung-Hyun Kim blowing a ninth-inning lead for the second straight game.  The loss to the Yankees put the D'Backs down 3-2 in the Series, but the Snakes recovered to win the last two games (with Luis Gonzalez providing some ninth-inning magic of his own in Game Seven) to capture the franchise's first World Series championship.

Here's the latest from the desert…

  • Aaron Hill would love to discuss signing a long-term extension with the D'Backs, the second baseman tells MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  Hill has hit .304/.364/.517 in 810 PAs for Arizona since being dealt from the Blue Jays in August 2011 and signed a two-year, $11MM deal with the Snakes that runs through the end of the 2013 season.
  • D'Backs president and CEO Derrick Hall addressed a number of topics in a chat with fans on MLB.com, including how the team is looking to add to the left side of its infield and will be "managing the abundance of players we have" in the outfield.  The D'Backs have already made one major trade involving an outfielder, sending Chris Young to the A's and acquiring Cliff Pennington and Heath Bell.  Hall also discussed the team's international scouting in Japan and the possibility of third base coach Matt Williams leaving to take a managerial job.
  • The Rangers acquired catcher Konrad Schmidt on a waiver claim from the D'Backs, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest.  Schmidt, 28, appeared in four games for Arizona in 2010 and four more last season, amassing 17 total Major League plate appearances.  The catcher has a .291/.345/.434 line in 2234 career minor league PAs.

Rangers Considering Zack Greinke

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The Rangers are seriously considering the idea of pursuing free agent right-hander Zack Greinke, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers are studying the possibility of signing Greinke, though their interest will depend on his asking price.

Not only would signing Greinke provide the Rangers’ rotation with a boost, it would prevent the free agent from returning to Anaheim. Re-signing Greinke is a "huge priority" for the Angels, Danny Knobler reported yesterday. The pursuit of Greinke will get “serious” with the Angels and Rangers involved, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com wrote today (Twitter link). The Dodgers could also be interested, since they need pitching and have the resources to spend big on free agents.

Greinke is MLBTR’s top-ranked free agent for the upcoming offseason. The Excel Sports Management client won’t be able to sign with a team other than the Angels until Saturday morning. Check out MLBTR’s complete list of the year’s top 50 free agents and predict their ultimate destinations while you’re at it.

Rangers Decline Options For Feldman, Tateyama

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5:42pm: Tateyama's 2013 option was worth $1.2MM, according to our own Ben Nicholson-Smith (via Twitter).

4:03pm: The Rangers have declined their 2013 options for Scott Feldman and Yoshinori Tateyama, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The Rangers reinstated Neftali Feliz from the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of Justin Miller in related moves.

Feldman obtains a $600K buyout instead of a $9.25MM salary. The 29-year-old started and relieved for the Rangers this past season, posting a 5.09 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 123 2/3 innings.

The value of Tateyama's option remains unknown, but his 2012 option was valued at $1MM. The 36-year-old allowed 17 earned runs in as many innings this year after a promising debut season. He spent most of the 2012 campaign at Triple-A where he pitched much more effectively.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Brewers, Maddux, Iwakuma

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News from around the majors as we head into the very last weekend of the 2012 season…

  • Former Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez is believed to be on the Marlins' short list of managerial candidates, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  Gonzalez is currently a special assistant with the D'Backs and he spent his final season with Miami in 2008.
  • Candidates for the Marlins job are being interviewed separately by front office personnel and by owner Jeffrey Loria, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Loria and his staff will convene after the World Series and then make a decision.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his team will be focused on upgrading the bullpen and adding an experienced starter this winter, though the latter won't be at a large price.  “We’re just not adding any veteran. It has to be the right move for us. I know Doug [Melvin] and his staff would like to add another veteran starter. I don’t know how or where that’s going to come from," said Attanasio.  “We’ve got a lot of good young pitchers coming up from the minor leagues, so we may find our answers there.”
  • Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux hasn't yet been contacted about any managerial openings, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Maddux was interviewed for the Cubs job last winter turned down an interview with the Red Sox.  
  • The Mariners "will make a strong push" to re-sign Hisashi Iwakuma, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns, who also notes that Iwakuma expressed in returning to Seattle earlier this year.  Iwakuma signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the M's last winter and performed well in his first season in North America, posting a 3.16 ERA and a 7.3 K/9 rate in 30 games (16 of them starts).  Those numbers included significant home-road splits, so it's no surprise that Iwakuma would want to continue pitching at Safeco Field. 
  • Tim Bogar turned down an offer to be the Astros' bench coach due to a contract clause that would've prohibited Bogar from interviewing for managerial jobs, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Bogar has been connected to manager jobs over the last few years, including the Astros job itself that eventually went to Bo Porter.  Bogar served as the Red Sox bench coach last season, though he won't be returning to Boston, as Torey Lovullo will serve as bench coach under new manager John Farrell.

Quick Hits: Verlander, Hamilton, Rangers, Lincecum

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It’s not a huge surprise, but Tigers president and General Manager Dave Dombrowski said that he would like to make Justin Verlander a Tiger for life, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The right-hander still has two years remaining on his five-year, $80MM deal and extending him won’t be cheap.  However, the Tigers made a similar move when they inked Miguel Cabrera to his eight-year, $152.3MM deal two years before he was set to hit the open market.  Here’s more from around baseball as the Giants celebrate their Game 2 victory..

  • People familiar with the Brewers’ thinking told Heyman that the club is seriously considering a run at Josh Hamilton this winter.  Owner Mark Attanasio declined comment on the possibility, but the team is said to believe that Milwaukee is a viable market for the slugger.  The Brewers would obviously have a hard time competing with major market teams for Hamilton, but it helps that the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers likely won’t be in the mix.
  • Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said that he sees some similarities between what his club did in 2007 and the Red Sox’s blockbuster deal this year, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Texas traded star first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Braves in the summer of 2007, netting the club Elvis Andrus and freedom to build the roster.  Daniels, who was a guest on WEEI’s Red Sox Hot Stove show, also said that he doesn’t expect to trade Andrus or Kinsler despite having Jurickson Profar close to being major league-ready.
  • Despite his struggles in 2012, General Manager Brian Sabean ruled out the possibility of Tim Lincecum moving to the bullpen next season, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Lincecum is entering his walk year in the 2013 season and will earn $22MM.
  • One person connected to the Giants told Heyman that there’s no way that Lincecum will be traded, in part because of how the fans in San Francisco respond to him.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters before tonight’s game that he has spoken with Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and has yet to hear a complaint from the organization regarding possible tampering with manager John Farrell, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
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