Olney’s Latest: Cabrera, Cardinals, Hamilton
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says he hasn't spoken to a single talent evaluator who believes Miguel Cabrera will be able to play third base regularly. The Tigers have already announced that Cabrera will move back to his old position to accommodate Prince Fielder. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- The Cardinals did speak to teams about Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook at the winter meetings. Both players have full no-trade clauses, and Olney says that Lohse has no intention of moving. St. Louis is reportedly close to a deal with Roy Oswalt, which would give them six starters for five spots.
- Josh Hamilton and his representatives have "visions" of the huge free agent contracts landed by Fielder and Albert Pujols while the Rangers will aim for a much more conservative deal. Hamilton has said that he'll talk about an extension up until Spring Training. He's scheduled to become a free agent after 2012.
AL West Notes: A’s, Oswalt, Hamilton, Mariners
The Athletics signed future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage on this date 20 years ago. The right-hander spent two seasons in Oakland, though he's better known for stints with the Yankees, White Sox and Padres. Here are the latest notes and rumors from the AL West…
- Athletics owner and managing partner Lew Wolff said the team made a $370K profit in 2011, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. That figure takes into account $32MM from other clubs via revenue sharing. The A’s may move to San Jose in the relatively near future, but at least they’re staying afloat in the meantime.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels said on The Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas that he’d love to add pitching depth such as Roy Oswalt if it makes sense in the context of the team's entire roster. "The flip side we’ve got to consider is what if that doesn’t happen? How does it all fit together? We've spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group,” Daniels said, according to Richard Durrett.
- Daniels also explained on The Ben and Skin Show that he plans to have extension talks with Josh Hamilton’s representatives before Spring Training (quotes via Durrett).
- GM Jack Zduriencik and some rival executives from around the league check in with ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick about Ichiro Suzuki and the rest of the 2012 Mariners.
AL West Notes: Uehara, Ichiro, Manny, Cardenas
A few items of note to share from the AL West …
- There's a "good chance" the Rangers will trade reliever Koji Uehara, sources tell T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. On Tuesday we heard that Uehara vetoed an agreed-upon trade between the Rangers and Blue Jays, so it's not too surprising to hear that Texas is still shopping the right-hander. There are a number of teams interested in Uehara, according to Sullivan, and the Rangers "like what they are hearing" in terms of potential return.
- The Mariners and Ichiro Suzuki have agreed to table extensions talks, perhaps till after the 2012 season, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, meaning the 11-year veteran, who's spent his entire career to date with the M's, could enter free agency for the first time.
- Athletics managing partner Lew Wolff said he would be OK with signing Manny Ramirez, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, although the decision is ultimately up to GM Billy Beane (Twitter links). Said Wolff: "I wouldn't want to not have a player because he made a mistake and paid the price for it …"
- The A's hope Adrian Cardenas clears waivers so they can retain him, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Cardenas was designated for assignment earlier today.
Roy Oswalt Rumors: Thursday
The latest rumors on Roy Oswalt suggest the Cardinals, Rangers, Red Sox, Nationals, Indians and Brewers are in the mix for the right-hander. Oswalt wasn't interested in joining the Tigers, but the Cardinals and Red Sox have also made him offers and the other clubs appear to be monitoring the situation. Here are today's Oswalt rumors:
- The Red Sox offered Oswalt about $5MM, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports. The Red Sox don't seem interested in signing pitchers to long-term contracts, as Olney points out.
- There's some debate in the Rangers' front office over whether Oswalt is necessary given Texas' existing starting pitching depth, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets.
Latest On Roy Oswalt
10:35pm: The Cardinals made a bid approaching $5MM on Oswalt weeks ago but that deal is not likely to happen, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss predicts that the Rangers will win the bidding on Oswalt with $2-3MM more and other perks.
9:36pm: Some executives believe that the Rangers are the favorites to land Oswalt, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Other interested clubs include the Cardinals, Red Sox, Nationals, Indians, and Brewers.
Even after acquiring Gio Gonzalez, Rosenthal writes that the Nats value Oswalt's veteran presence and makeup. The Indians are in the mix as they face the possible loss of the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona. Milwaukee would only sign Oswalt at the right price.
The big question with the 34-year-old is whether he'll continue playing if neither the Cardinals nor Rangers want him. One friend of the pitcher says that he again mentioned retirement as an option, though two sources close to Oswalt insist that he will pitch in 2012 and perhaps even sign a two-year deal. Sources also say that the right-hander turned down a strong offer from the Tigers.
4:35pm: There's mutual interest between the Rangers and Oswalt, but for him to be a fit, it'd have to be on Texas' terms, Heyman tweets.
1:33pm: The Red Sox made Oswalt an offer, but are unsure of his interest level, since he has yet to accept, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
8:13am: Now that Prince Fielder has agreed to terms with the Tigers, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt are the top unsigned free agents. It wouldn’t surprise many if Oswalt, who now seeks a one-year deal, signs in Boston, but two general managers think he wants to join the Rangers and another says he’d like to sign in St. Louis, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.
Oswalt would like to join Mike Maddux and Nolan Ryan with the Rangers, Gammons reports. However, both of last year’s World Series teams enter the 2012 season will rotations that appear to be full.
Though Oswalt had two back-related stints on the disabled list in 2011, he finished the season with six strong September starts and a season ERA of 3.69 with 6.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. The 34-year-old Bob Garber client made 23 starts and completed 139 innings this past season, posting a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 45.1% ground ball rate overall. His average fastball velocity dropped to 91.4 mph, however. Oswalt was a Type A free agent, but the Phillies declined to offer him arbitration and he won't cost a draft pick.
Uehara, Feldman Drawing Interest
Rangers right-hander Koji Uehara is drawing “considerable interest,” MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports. A possible deal with the Blue Jays fell through, but the Orioles are intrigued and other teams have shown more interest than Baltimore.
Scott Feldman has also drawn interest, Sullivan reports. However, the 28-year-old right-hander will make $6.5MM in 2012 with a $9.25MM club option for 2013 ($600K buyout), and he spent much of the 2011 season recovering from a winter knee operation. I expect the Rangers would pick up the majority of Feldman’s contract in any trade. He posted a 3.94 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 32 innings in the second half of last season.
Uehara posted a 2.35 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 in 65 innings for the Orioles and Rangers in 2011. However, he allowed 11 regular season home runs and three more in the postseason. He'll earn $4MM in 2012.
Koji Uehara Rejects Trade To Blue Jays
Rangers reliever Koji Uehara has invoked his no-trade clause to reject a trade to the Blue Jays, reports Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas. The right-hander's limited no-trade clause allows him to block trades to six teams, and Toronto is one of those six.
Uehara, who turns 37 in April, posted a 2.35 ERA, an 11.8 K/9 rate, and a phenomenal 9.44 K/BB ratio in 65 games last season with the Orioles and Rangers. His $4MM option for 2012 vested in the process, but the Texas bullpen is starting to get crowded, particularly with righties like Uehara, Joe Nathan, Mike Adams, and Alexi Ogando. The Jays were one of several teams interested in acquiring him, but they have since signed Francisco Cordero.
Rangers Notes: Hamilton, Arb Dates, Fielder
Here's the latest on the two-time defending American League champs…
- Josh Hamilton said he hasn't heard any new information from his agent about a possible long-term extension with Texas. Hamilton spoke to media (including ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett) at a Rangers winter caravan event and said he was holding to his deadline of cutting off contract talks at the start of Spring Training. Hamilton is eligible for free agency after this season but said he wanted to remain with the team. "We‘ve already told the Rangers that if it doesn’t happen before the season that they are the first ones we’ll come to after the season is over," Hamilton said.
- The Rangers' arbitration hearings with Elvis Andrus, Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz have seen respectively set for February 9, 15 and 17, reports Durrett. The Rangers were known to be discussing a multiyear deal with Napoli, though the two sides had apparently focused on settling Napoli's 2012 contract first.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com describes the Rangers as "in, but not [a] favorite" for Prince Fielder (Twitter link). Fielder and the Rangers "love" each other but Heyman believes Texas doesn't have the payroll left to sign Fielder after the club signed Yu Darvish. For the full roundup of today's Fielder news, click here.
- In case you missed the news from earlier tonight, the Rangers have been discussing Koji Uehara's availability with several other teams, including the Blue Jays.
Rangers Talking Uehara Deal; Jays, Others Interested
The Rangers are discussing reliever Koji Uehara with several teams, one of whom are the Blue Jays, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Red Sox and Orioles were both involved in talks regarding Uehara earlier this winter, with Uehara himself saying he wished to return to Baltimore.
Uehara posted a 2.35 ERA, an 11.8 K/9 rate and a phenomenal 9.44 K/BB ratio in 65 games last season with the Orioles and Rangers. Despite his great regular season numbers, he struggled for Texas in the playoffs and was left off the Rangers' World Series roster, leading to speculation that he would be made available by the team in the offseason.
Uehara, who turns 37 in April, pitched well enough to cause his $4MM option for 2012 to vest. He also has a limited no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to block deals to six teams, so Uehara has some control over where he would be dealt, if anywhere.
The Jays have already added Sergio Santos, Darren Oliver, Jason Frasor and Aaron Laffey to their bullpen this winter. In Uehara, Toronto would add to this depth with a right-hander who has enjoyed success in the AL East and some experience (13-of-15 in save opportunities with the O's in 2010) as a closer should Santos struggle.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Monday
It's hard to imagine that anything's holding back the market for Prince Fielder at this point. Albert Pujols signed more than a month ago, Yu Darvish and the Rangers worked out a deal, and agent Scott Boras has taken the time to introduce Fielder to some MLB owners. It doesn't seem likely that a new suitor for the powerful free agent first baseman will emerge if Boras continues waiting, since the sale of the Dodgers won't be completed on time to convince the new ownership group of Fielder's value. We're left with rumors linking Fielder to the Nationals, Rangers, Mariners, Dodgers, Cubs and Orioles, but not much certainty. Here are the latest updates on Fielder, with the most recent notes up top:
- A Nationals source says he would be "stunned" to see the Nats give Fielder a contract for longer than seven years, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Kilgore also looks at some other recent contracts for slugging first basemen and predicts Fielder will receive a seven-year, $170MM deal with whatever team signs him.
- The Orioles haven't met with Boras and don't have a meeting scheduled, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. There's some interest, depending on Boras' asking price, but Kubatko doesn't expect the Orioles to chase Fielder. "They're nowhere near being in position to sign him," he writes.
- One GM told Rosenthal that the Rangers are in on Fielder "hard," though others say the Rangers won't go heavy on years (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are "definitely in on" Fielder and there's plenty of motivation to sign him, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio and MLB.com tweets. Duquette is a former Orioles GM who's the cousin of current GM Dan Duquette. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that interest from the Orioles and Nationals gives Boras leverage (Twitter link).
- The Nationals are a finalist for Fielder, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The Rangers and at least one other club are still in the running for him.
- There's now "something close to a final four" for Fielder, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Rangers' management team is in the Dominican Republic for the next week, so it's doubtful the team will sign Fielder in the near future, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
- The Nationals continue to work on a deal for Fielder, but there was no agreement as of last night, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel repeats (on Twitter) that there's no deal at the moment.