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C.J. Wilson Holds Offers From Four Clubs

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11:25pm: Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) is getting the sense that the Angels' offer to Wilson won't top the five-year, $85MM deal that Jered Weaver got.  Mark Buehrle and Hiroki Kuroda could be attractive alternatives for the Halos.

9:26pm: Wilson has offers from the Angels, Marlins, and two other clubs, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter).

8:30pm: Marlins still have an offer out to Wilson, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.

7:42pm: Pitcher C.J. Wilson is not a top target for the Nationals, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  One person told Ladson that the left-hander isn't really on the club's radar screen.

5:41pm: Wilson's suitors include the Nationals, Marlins, Rangers, Angels, and Red Sox as the meetings commence, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

10:53am: Others teams are viewing the Nationals as the early favorite to land C.J. Wilson, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).  The Nationals, along with the Marlins and Blue Jays, are seen as probable big spenders at the meetings.

Furthermore, Heyman tweets that he sees Wilson leaving Texas unless the left-hander is willing to cut his $120MM asking price in half as the club seems comfortable with filling out its rotation from within.  Yesterday, Heyman reported that the Rangers haven't been making any progress with Wilson.

Six Teams Pursuing Luis Ayala

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There are six teams in on free agent reliever Luis Ayala, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN XM radio, including the Mets, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Angels and Red Sox.

Ayala was an excellent value signing for the Yankees in 2011 after inking a minor league contract in February. The right-hander, who did not appear in the Majors in 2010, posted a 2.09 ERA in 56 innings last season and could land a Major League contract this trip through free agency.

Of the clubs listed here, the Mets, Jays and Rays, in particular, have several openings in their respective bullpens, while Ayala could simply provide depth for a team like the Yankees or Red Sox.

Angels, Blue Jays Swap Jeff Mathis For Brad Mills

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The Angels have acquired left-hander Brad Mills from the Blue Jays for Jeff Mathis, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were on the verge of a deal (all Twitter links).

Mills, 26, was the Jays' fourth round pick in 2007. He's seen time in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, pitching to a 8.57 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 48 1/3 innings spread across nine starts and five relief appearances. In 354 innings at the Triple-A level, he's posted a much more respectable 4.32 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Mathis, 28, is a non-tender candidate, especially after the Halos acquired Chris Iannetta from the Rockies. He's hit a miserable .193/.245/.282 in 771 plate appearances over the last three seasons while throwing out 24.7% of attempted basestealers. Our projections have him earning $1.8MM next season if does survive the non-tender deadline.

East Links: Guthrie, Jays, Marlins, Braves, Prado

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Some links from baseball's two east divisions…

  • The Orioles are expected to be more active on the trade market than in free agency, writes MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli. Jeremy Guthrie has been their most actively shopped player, and several teams have expressed interest. Baltimore would almost certainly want pitching in return.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that he's likely to exhaust all trade options for pitching help before diving into free agency. A second baseman is also on the agenda, and the team would like to add a frontline starting pitcher if possible.
  • Earlier today we heard that the Marlins' reluctance to include a no-trade clause is an obstacle as they try to sign Mark Buehrle, but president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he isn't worried about the team's policy hurting their ability to sign premium free agents.
  • "I’ve actively shopped players this fall that I haven’t mentioned their names," said Braves GM Frank Wren to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). He was referring to players that are reportedly on the market, but have not actually been discussed with other teams.
  • "Martin Prado is a solid player and a part of our team for almost five years. We’re not out looking to trade good players," added Wren according to O'Brien (on Twitter). Prado has been a popular name on the trade rumor circuit this offseason.

Reliever Rumors: Madson, Saito, Qualls, Rays

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Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell are off the market now, but as our Free Agent Tracker shows, there are still a ton of relievers out there for clubs looking to improve their bullpen. Here's the latest on some free agent relief arms…

  • Earlier today we heard that the Red Sox continue to have dialogue with Scott Boras about Ryan Madson, and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio hears that their stiffest competition is "clearly" coming from the Blue Jays and Angels (Twitter link).
  • Six teams have shown interest in Takashi Saito, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Brewers are one of those six teams. Earlier today we heard that Milwaukee wants to bolster its bullpen.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that there is not one, but two mystery teams interested in Chad Qualls (Twitter link).
  • DRays Bay examined the possibility of the Rays using an 11-man pitching staff next season, suggesting Rich Harden as a potential free agent target to throw multiple relief innings.
  • For all the latest fantasy closer analysis, make sure you check out Closer News.

Minor Moves: Nunez, Palmer, Moss, Mock

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Rays signed righty Jhonny Nunez to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
  • The Padres signed right-hander Matt Palmer to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed outfielder Miguel Velazquez to a minor league deal, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (all links go to Twitter).
  • The A’s signed outfielder Brandon Moss to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
  • The Padres signed left-hander Alex Hinshaw to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
  • The Blue Jays signed former Nationals prospect Garrett Mock to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
  • The Royals announced that they signed right-hander Zach Miner, infielders Jamie Romak, Eric Duncan, Sharlon Schoop and Tony Abreu and left-handers Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy to minor league contracts. Miner, Abreu and Hottovy have big league experience, though only Hottovy appeared in the Major Leagues this past season. Duncan, once a highly-regarded prospect, posted a .849 OPS at Double-A as a utility player in 2011. Romak posted an .803 OPS for the Royals in 2011 and even pitched on two occasions.

Blue Jays, Marlins Pursuing Heath Bell

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12:55pm: The Blue Jays are pursuing Bell, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Marlins and one other club are also involved. One executive of a team interested in Bell told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Blue Jays seem to be the favorites for the closer, whose heart may remain in San Diego (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 11:00am: The Marlins are making a serious run at Bell, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. They have strong interest in the right-hander, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). Two other teams are in on Bell, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 11:55pm: Bell wrote on his personal Twitter account that there's nothing going on: "The most exciting thing that happened today..put up my Christmas lights. No news people."

11:34pm: Bell told MLB.com's Corey Brock that he hasn't heard from his agent about a deal (Twitter link).

11:07pm: Heath Bell is nearing a deal with an unknown team, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com (Twitter link). It will not cost a draft pick to sign Bell, a Type A free agent, even though the Padres offered him arbitration last week. San Diego would obtain two top 2012 draft picks if Bell signs elsewhere.

Bell posted a 2.44 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings this past season. The Angels and Red Sox are interested in the 34-year-old ACES client, who would prefer to remain on the West Coast. The Blue Jays, Mets, Reds and Marlins may also sign closers this offseason. The Padres offered Bell a two-year deal, but don't appear to be optimistic about their chances of retaining him. CloserNews.com has the latest fantasy baseball-related updates on relief pitchers.

Blue Jays, Others Interested In Greg Holland

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The Blue Jays are in the market for a closer, and they have interest in Greg Holland of the Royals according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (Twitter links). They don't have interest in Joakim Soria, and yesterday we heard that Kansas City has some interest in Colby Rasmus.

Dutton says that other clubs are interested in Holland as well, but the Royals are not inclined to move him unless they're overwhelmed with an offer. The 26-year-old right-hander broke out as Soria's setup man last season, pitching to a 1.80 ERA in 60 IP. He struck out 11.10 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.85 per nine, getting a ground ball 44.9% of the time. Holland is under team control through 2016.

Blue Jays Notes: Cooper, Drabek, Rasmus, D’Arnaud

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The Blue Jays are looking for a closer this offseason and Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says the team has checked in on free agents Francisco Cordero and Matt Capps. Heath Bell is another option for the Blue Jays, who had interest in Jonathan Papelbon before he signed with the Phillies. Here are more notes on the Blue Jays, who have yet to make a major move so far this offseason…

  • The Blue Jays would listen to offers on 24-year-old first baseman David Cooper, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Cooper, the Blue Jays' first round draft pick in 2008, debuted with the team in 2011 and posted a .678 OPS in 81 plate appearances. He won the Pacific Coast League batting title with a .364/.439/.535 line this past season, adding nine home runs and 51 doubles.
  • Blue Jays president Paul Beeston isn't a fan of the posting system and Elliott suggests Toronto's interest in Yu Darvish is "lukewarm." 
  • The Yankees are interested in Kyle Drabek, according to Elliott. Drabek started the season in the Blue Jays' rotation before being demoted to the minor leagues. He had a standout season in 2010, but struggled with command in the Majors (6.3 BB/9) and in the minors (4.9 BB/9) in 2011.
  • The Royals have some interest in Colby Rasmus because of concerns that Lorenzo Cain may not be ready for an everyday role, Elliott reports. 
  • The Phillies have discussed ways of re-obtaining Travis d'Arnaud, the Double-A catcher who arrived with Drabek in the 2009 Roy Halladay trade. As Elliott points out, the Blue Jays would need a ton to part with this year's Eastern League MVP.

Blue Jays Acquire Luis Valbuena From Indians

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The Indians have traded Luis Valbuena to the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to the team's officlal Twitter account.  The infielder was designated for assignment on November 18th.

Valbuena spent the majority of 2011 with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate where he hit .302/.372/.476 with 17 homers in 472 plate appearances.  The infielder, who turns 26 on November 30, played 194 games for the Indians' varsity squad in 2009 and 2010 and saw a good deal of time at second base.

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