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No Leader In Garza Trade Talks

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Matt Garza trade discussions have heated up over the past few days, but there's not yet any favorite to obtain the Cubs right-hander, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who adds that the Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox and Marlins are all in the mix.

With the Cubs thought to be seeking young pitchers to replenish their farm system, the Yankees, Blue Jays and Tigers may ultimately hold an edge in pursuing Garza, Heyman speculates, as those clubs have pitching prospects and may be willing to spare them.

The Red Sox previously cited Garza as a compensation target for losing former GM Theo Epstein to the Cubs, according to Heyman, although it's not known whether they would pursue Garza as part of that compensation deal or separately.

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Pena, Padres, White Sox, Braun

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Presenting the first edition of Quick Hits for 2012..

  • An interesting fact courtesy of Yahoo's Jeff Passan (via Twitter): Of the 23 teams to have spent money on free agents this offseason, the Red Sox rank 18th and the Yankees are tied for 19th.  Each team has spent $4.35MM and $4MM, respectively.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jason Frasor shortly after the trade that he's now satisfied with the look of his bullpen, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.  Frasor will join the recently-signed Darren Oliver and Sergio Santos, who Anthopoulos traded for in December.
  • The Blue Jays now have 40 men on the 40-man roster after acquiring Frasor, which means that the club will need to make another move in the coming days to create space for Oliver, Chisholm tweets.  The veteran agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 on Friday.
  • It's possible that Carlos Pena could be an option for the Indians, but the market for first baseman won't truly shake loose until Prince Fielder finds his new home, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  Yesterday, just over 7% of MLBTR readers polled picked the Tribe as Pena's most likely destination while the Brewers won out with almost 20% of the vote.
  • The Padres shook things up yesterday when they traded for Carlos Quentin, but you can expect them to open the season with Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett in the middle infield, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
  • Speaking of the Quentin deal, Dayan Viciedo is now expected to take over in right field for the White Sox, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The 22-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM deal he signed in December of 2008.
  • An official familiar with the appeals process for banned substances told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel that he doesn't anticipate Ryan Braun winning his case against a 50-game suspension.  The source said that Braun's only options are to prove an error in the testing or say that the Brewers signed off on a treatment.  However, there are provisions in place to ensure accurate testing and the club never gave Braun the go-ahead to use any substance.
  • Fielder liked the idea of playing in Chicago because it's a reasonable distance from his Florida home and he has had success at Wrigley Field, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday.  However, that no longer appears to be a possibility for the slugger as the Cubs are looking to rebuild.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/insider-albert-pujols-showed-he-s-human-1.3421208

Blue Jays Acquire Jason Frasor From White Sox

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The Blue Jays have acquired Jason Frasor from the White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitchers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb, according to a press release.  Frasor, 34, returns to Toronto where he played his entire big league career before being traded to the White Sox mid-season.

The veteran right-hander had his $3.75MM club option exercised on October 31st.  It's possible that the White Sox picked up the option with the intention of dealing him this winter.  Frasor posted a 3.60 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 60 innings for the Blue Jays and White Sox in 2011.  He will join former teammate Sergio Santos, whom Toronto acquired in early December. 12966458

Jaye and Webb were not among the top 25 prospects in the Blue Jays' system, according to John Sickels of Minor League Ball.  Jaye, 20, was Toronto's 17th round pick in 2010 and made nine starts and four relief outings for the club's Appalachian League affiliate in 2011.   Webb, 22, spent the bulk of 2011 with Single-A Lansing where he posted a 5.59 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 12 starts and six relief appearances.

It appears that GM Ken Williams hasn't taken any time off to celebrate the New Year after trading Carlos Quentin to the Padres just over 24 hours ago.  By trading Frasor and the arbitration-eligible Quentin, the club has saved roughly $11.25MM in 2012. 

Frasor and starter Zach Stewart were shipped to Chicago prior to the trade deadline for starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen.  Of course, the Blue Jays dealt Jackson to the Cardinals that very same day in order to land center fielder Colby Rasmus.

Blue Jays Sign Three To Minor League Deals

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here..

  • In a press release, the Blue Jays announced the signings of right-handers Jerry Gil, Robert Coello, and shortstop Brian Bocock to minor league deals.  All three players will receive invitations to Major League spring training.  Bocock was involved in a minor mid-season swap this year when he was sent from the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate to the Pirates Triple-A squad.

Blue Jays Sign Aaron Laffey

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The Blue Jays have signed left-hander Aaron Laffey to a split contract, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.  The Royals non-tendered Laffey earlier this month.    

Laffey, 26, turned down a pre-tender deal with the Royals in order to find an opportunity to pitch as a starter.  Three teams told Laffey that he could compete for a spot in the rotation and ultimately the pitcher decided that the Blue Jays presented him with the best opportunity to do that. 

Laffey made 47 appearances for the Yankees and Mariners in 2011, posting a 3.88 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.  In 49 major league starts, Laffey owns a 4.35 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.

Olney’s Latest: Yankees, Ethier, Angels, Blue Jays

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney ranks the ten best outfields in the game. The Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Rangers top the list, though I thought it was surprising the Rays didn't even garner an honorable mention. Here are Buster's rumors…

  • The Yankees have "quietly checked around" on possible right field alternatives to Nick Swisher as they prepare for his possible free agent departure after next season.
  • Andre Ethier can also become a free agent after 2012, and Olney points out that a pre-deadline trade involving the Dodgers outfielder is possible.
  • "[Angels owner Arte Moreno] made it known he wants to leave the baseball decisions to the baseball department," said one talent evaluator. Manager Mike Scioscia essentially dictated moves in the past, but that has changed since Moreno hired GM Jerry Dipoto earlier this offseason.
  • Sources tell Olney that the Blue Jays are much more like to hold or even cut their payroll rather than increase it.

AL East Notes: Jurrjens, Chen, Longoria, Yankees

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Here's the latest from the AL East….

  • The Red Sox are not in on Jair Jurrjens, but the Orioles, Blue Jays, Rockies and Tigers remain in on the Braves right-hander, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles are still interested in Chunichi Dragons left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, and the team has scouted Chen several times in Japan.  The O's were linked to Chen earlier this offseason and we've also heard that the PIrates had an interest in the free agent southpaw.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted Chen could be signed for a contract in the neighborhood of four years and under $20MM.
  • Rays third baseman Evan Longoria texted the St. Petersburg Times (reported by The Times' Marc Topkin) to deny recent internet rumors that he wanted to leave Tampa Bay.  "I don't have any idea where that rumor came from! It's completely false,'' Longoria said.  "I've said from the start I love Tampa, I love the direction we are heading as a franchise and there is no better place for me to continue to grow as a player and person.''
  • The Yankees have been quiet this winter seemingly in an attempt to avoid a hefty luxury tax penalty next season, but one AL executive doesn't think this strategy will last.  "I think they can sit back right now," the anonymous exec told The Star-Ledger's Jeff Bradley, "because on paper they have a very strong team. But do I think the Yankees won't spend aggressively if they start to dip in the win column? Not a chance. I think they'll do what they have to do to win."
  • The Athletics wanted right-hander Noah Syndergaard from the Blue Jays as part of any trade for Gio Gonzalez, reported Jeff Blair on the Fan590's Prime Time Sports radio show (passed on by Andrew Stoeten of the Drunk Jays Fans blog.)  Syndergaard was drafted 38th overall by Toronto in the 2010 draft and has posted impressive numbers in his first two years of pro ball.
  • Earlier today, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith posted a collection of Red Sox notes.

Blue Jays Close To Signing Darren Oliver

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3:11pm: The two sides are still finalizing terms according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). He says it's unlikely anything will get done before next week given the holiday and the need for a physical.

1:07pm: The Blue Jays are close to signing Darren Oliver, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Both Oliver and the Rangers were interested in a reunion, but the team wouldn't make any commitments due to the potential outlay for other players, namely Yu Darvish.

Oliver, 41, is a modified Type-B free agent per the new collective bargaining agreement, meaning the Rangers will receive a supplemental first round draft pick as compensation (tentatively #51 overall). The Jays would not forfeit a pick. The left-hander has pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 112 1/3 innings for Texas the last two years, holding lefty batters to a .212/.250/.306 batting line during that time. The Angels also expressed some interest in his services.

This post was originally published on December 30th.

Matt Garza Talks Heating Up

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5:12pm: The Cubs and Blue Jays continue to discuss a Garza deal, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com tweets.  The Cubs seem to be prioritizing young starting pitching in talks about Garza, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. One executive told Heyman that the Yankees and Blue Jays have what it takes to acquire Garza.

12:53pm: Trade talks for Cubs starter Matt Garza are heating up, writes David Kaplan of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.  Kaplan says the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox are involved, but the Cubs' asking price is "incredibly high."

Yesterday, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith took an in-depth look at Garza's contract situation; he's under team control through 2013.  Cubs president Theo Epstein said on Friday that Garza is "exactly type of pitcher we want to build around," but he'll listen on everybody.  So far this winter trade values have been established for Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos, and Trevor Cahill, but all of them came with at least four years of team control.

Morosi On Blue Jays, First Base, Starters, Cespedes

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The baseball world figures to remain relatively quietly until after the New Year, but as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes, there is still a lot of work to be done before the season begins. Let's round up Morosi's rumors…

  • The Blue Jays are saying they will not give a hitter a contract of more than five guaranteed years, though they'll likely have to violate that policy if they want to sign Prince Fielder.
  • The Brewers, Cubs, Nationals, Indians, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Rays, and Pirates are all considering non-Fielder upgrades at first base. Carlos Pena, Casey Kotchman, and Derrek Lee remain unsigned, among others.
  • Some within the game believe that Joakim Soria and Carlos Marmol could be had at the right price. The Cubbies are said to be planning a "complete and total rebuild."
  • Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain available, and the Rangers may be willing to trade Matt Harrison for a more established starter.
  • Most believe Yoenis Cespedes will sign for more than the $30.25MM Aroldis Chapman received because as a position player, he carried less risk. A larger number of interested teams and the new collective bargaining agreement will also help his cause.
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