Blue Jays Rumors

Odds & Ends: Guerrier, McCutchen, Blue Jays, Punto

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2010 at 9:46pm CDT

As the baseball world says goodbye to Cubs great Ron Santo, here are some news tidbits heading into the weekend…

The Red Sox have made an offer to reliever Matt Guerrier, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier (as passed along in a tweet from WEEI.com's Rob Bradford).
Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review looks at how Jay Bruce's extension might influence a future extension offer from the Pirates to Andrew McCutchen.
Lyle Overbay would be a familiar solution to Toronto's search for a first base/DH partner for Adam Lind, but MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm thinks Overbay "does not appear to be a good fit" since Overbay wants an everyday job. Chisholm's piece also contains several quotes from Alex Anthopoulos from the winter meetings and what the Jays might look to do during the rest of the offseason.
The Indians and Nick Punto had "meaningful negotiations" at the winter meetings, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Manny Ramirez will receive $15MM in deferred payments from the Dodgers over the next three years and $1.94MM for each of the next 16 years from the Red Sox, reports Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (with a tip of the cap to Cot's Baseball Contracts).
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times looks back at the 11-year contract Dave Stieb signed with the Blue Jays before the 1985 season.
Also from Stone, Jack Zduriencik says the Mariners could be in the market for an extra infielder.

Russell Martin Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 10, 2010 at 3:56pm CDT

Yesterday, we learned that free agent catcher Russell Martin has offers from the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays. He also has a multiyear offer from a mystery team, but Boston may be the favorite to sign the former Dodger. Here are today's rumors:

The Yankees are taking an aggressive approach with Martin, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
Agent Matt Colleran tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that his client is deciding between the three AL East teams: the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays (Twitter link).

Russell Martin Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2010 at 6:17pm CDT

We learned yesterday that free agent catcher Russell Martin has multiple offers in hand. The latest:

Martin is weighing offers from the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and a mystery team, according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). The mystery team has proposed a multiyear deal.
Matt Colleran, Martin's agent, told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he has multiple offers and that the Red Sox view Martin strictly as a catcher (Twitter link).
The Red Sox are considered the frontrunner for Martin, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
Boston has an offer out to Martin, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). The Yankees and Blue Jays are still involved.
The Yankees and Red Sox are going very hard after Martin, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.

DH Rumors: Vlad, Matsui, Thames, Glaus, Manny

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 8, 2010 at 11:38pm CDT

The Mariners may have locked up a DH today, but that leaves the Orioles, A's and many others as potential destinations for positionless sluggers. Here's the latest:

The Rangers have had internal discussions about Magglio Ordonez, Jim Thome, Troy Glaus, Marcus Thames and Manny Ramirez, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. They're also interested in bringing back Vladimir Guerrero, of course.
Angels GM Tony Reagins wouldn't rule out a possible reunion with Vlad, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. The Angels also have interest in re-signing Hideki Matsui.
Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he expects to start fielding formal offers for his client this weekend.
Agent Scott Boras hinted that Ramirez may not be cheap, even if he signs a one-year deal, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. “I think there are short-term contracts for players and there are short-term contracts for players with a history like Manny Ramirez,” Boras said.
The Blue Jays are intrigued by what Adam Lind can do as a first baseman, so GM Alex Anthopoulos says the team would ideally add someone who can be a hybrid first baseman/DH, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2010 at 9:06pm CDT

Yesterday we learned that teams may be upping their offers for Royals ace Zack Greinke, though the Royals' asking price remains high. The latest:

An executive of an interested team hears that the Royals won't deal Greinke before Cliff Lee signs, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The Royals may not have to wait long, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports Lee will sign by the end of the weekend.
The Phillies have discussed Greinke with the Royals, reports CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury, but it's a long shot.
The Dodgers haven't heard back from the Royals about Greinke, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hears that the Marlins did not discuss Greinke with the Royals (Twitter link).
One of the Marlins' attempted three-team trades would have sent Greinke to Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Talks are lukewarm, but still alive, Rosenthal reports.
The asking price on Greinke has gone up since last summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The deal will be "very hard to get done," according to one interested executive.
The Nationals are being aggressive, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. MLB.com's Bill Ladson heard earlier that Washington was not pursuing the right-hander, however.
Five teams are seriously pursuing Greinke and another three are on the periphery, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports – in an article, not a tweet! The Royals are specific with their request – pitching to replace Greinke and up-the-middle help. The Royals are moving slowly and there is no frontrunner. The Rangers, Dodgers, Nationals, and Blue Jays have shown some measure of interest.
The Cubs called on Greinke but a mid-rotation addition is more likely for them, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

Seven Teams Interested In Octavio Dotel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 8, 2010 at 6:55pm CDT

Seven clubs are interested in Octavio Dotel, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter, in Spanish). The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, Pirates and Yankees have inquired on the right-hander, Rojas writes.

The 37-year-old bounced from the Pirates to the Dodgers to the Rockies in 2010 and posted a 4.08 ERA along the way. He picked up 21 saves as the Pirates' closer and struck out over a batter per inning (10.5 K/9) overall. Dotel walked lots of hitters as usual (4.5 BB/9), but limited hits.

Adrian Beltre Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2010 at 3:41pm CDT

The latest on the best available third baseman, Adrian Beltre…'

It doesn't appear that the Blue Jays are pursuing Beltre, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Boras will meet with many clubs about Beltre today, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports. The Angels are in the mix for Beltre along with the Rangers and others.
Agent Scott Boras told Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times that negotiations are moving quickly and a decision could be made soon, possibly this week. Talks are "gaining traction," tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse. DiGiovanna says the Angels have serious interest in Beltre. Though Carl Crawford remains their top target, they may have to make a decision on Beltre first. The Halos also have "considerable interest" in Boras client Rafael Soriano.

Overnight Links: Lee, Brewers, Tigers, Varitek, Parra

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2010 at 6:08am CDT

Here's some late night odds and ends for the night owls who are still up and running, or early birds who are just rising:

Yahoo's Jeff Passan opines that offering seven years for Cliff Lee is the right thing for his suitors to do.
Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News opines that it's better for the Rangers to overpay for Lee than it is to let him go to New York.
Craig Counsell's agent asked the Brewers for more time to consider his options, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Milwaukee is anxious to hear whether or not the veteran infielder will return.
McCalvy also tweets that the Brewers will continue to pursue catching options, even with the near-signing of Wil Nieves.
McCalvy's colleague Jason Beck tweets confirmation from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski that the club has considered sending Alfredo Figaro to Japan.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford writes that the Blue Jays talked with Jason Varitek prior to his re-signing with Boston. A.J. Pierzynski, whom the Red Sox also contacted, is happy for Varitek regarding his return to Boston, saying "He deserves it."
A market for D'Backs outfielder Gerardo Parra is developing, tweets FOX Sports Arizona's Jack Magruder. Parra could be moved to help balance out a lineup that's heavy in left-handed hitters.

Market For Russell Martin Intensifying

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2010 at 11:55pm CDT

The market for Russell Martin is intensifying, with three AL East teams showing varying levels of interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all interested in the catcher, who may have other suitors.

The Mets appeared to have interest, but the chances of Sandy Alderson signing Martin seem slim now that the GM has agreed to sign Ronny Paulino. The Dodgers could re-enter the sweepstakes at some point.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported this week that Martin, a Montreal native, would like to sign with an East Coast team (Twitter link).

Transaction Reactions: Harang, Werth, Marcum

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2010 at 4:44am CDT

As we continue on throughout the night here at MLBTR, here are some reactions from executives and the players themselves to the flurry of moves we've seen over the past few days:

Aaron Harang calls coming home to pitch at Petco Park in San Diego "a blessing," according to Bill Center from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The San Diego native says he had other offers, but this was the best fit and he's looking forward to a fresh start.
Former Philadelphia GM Pat Gillick is happy for Jayson Werth, according to Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Phillies president David Montgomery says he's disappointed, but can't thank Werth enough for the four seasons he gave them.
Shaun Marcum was surprised to learn that he'd been traded to the Brewers, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. Marcum says Toronto had approached him about an extension just two days prior.

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