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Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday

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Zack Greinke appears willing to waive his no-trade clause in any deal, but his list of potential suitors appeared to shrink when the Brewers acquired Shaun Marcum. Milwaukee tried to pry Greinke away from the Royals, but found that GM Dayton Moore was asking a lot for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. We'll keep track of all the day's Greinke rumors right here:

  • The Royals appear to be tiring of the Rangers' offers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Discussions with Toronto appear to hinge on the Blue Jays' willingness to include Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider in a potential deal. Royals officials say a deal could come together in a hurry if the Blue Jays decide they're willing to part with those two players.
  • The Reds have not talked to the Royals about a potential Greinke deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
  • The Braves are not pursuing Greinke and have not been pursuing him, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

Russell Martin Suitors

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5:50pm: The Yankees and Red Sox are in on Martin and the Mets and Blue Jays are less interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

4:34pm: The Dodgers have not been in contact with Martin's agent since Thursday, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).

3:29pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Martin will be a catcher next year. The Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mets all examined his medical information in the last day (Twitter links).

3:09pm: The Mets consider Martin too expensive and too much of an injury risk, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). 

MONDAY, 1:31pm: The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets are also thought to be interested in Martin, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

FRIDAY, 9:16am: The Yankees, who tried to trade for Russell Martin this week, are one of six teams interested in the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that the Yankees nearly sent Francisco Cervelli to the Dodgers for Martin (Twitter links). In fact, the Yankees and Dodgers even exchanged medical records on Wednesday. 

The Dodgers are nearing a deal with Rod Barajas, but they still have interest in re-signing Martin. Agent Matt Colleran says the Dodgers view his client differently than most teams do.

“They want to continue discussions with the idea that Russ could come back and catch, play second base and third and a little bit out of outfield to see if he likes something like that in the event he ever wants to transition from behind the plate,” Colleran said.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Mets or Brewers look to upgrade behind the plate. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that Martin, who is from Montreal, wants to play on the East Coast (Twitter link).

Blue Jays, O’s Interested In Pena, Wigginton

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5:30pm: The Blue Jays have checked in on Ty Wigginton, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Orioles maintain interest in the infielder, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

4:24pm: The Orioles still have interest in Pena, though his asking price is currently too high, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter).

2:02pm: The Blue Jays are "in hard" for free agent first baseman Carlos Pena, ESPN's Gordon Edes heard from another club with interest (Twitter link).  The Cubs and Nationals are also known to be eyeing the Scott Boras client.  Like recently-traded slugger Mark Reynolds, Pena slipped below the Mendoza line this year but isn't far removed from 40 home run power.

Brewers Acquire Shaun Marcum

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The Brewers and Blue Jays officially announced a trade that will send two players a little closer to home. The Blue Jays will send Kansas City native Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee in exchange for Canadian prospect Brett Lawrie. It's the second deal the teams have made within the past week, after Toronto acquired Carlos Villanueva for a player to be named later on Friday.

Marcum, who turns 29 next Tuesday, turned in a 3.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 across 25 starts in 2008 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. After missing the 2009 major league season, he came back strong in 2010, posting a 3.64 ERA with 7.6 K/0 and 2.0 BB/9. The hurler is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, so he's under the Brewers' control through 2012. Last year, the hurler avoided arbitration with the Blue Jays when he agreed to a one-year, $850K deal.

Lawrie, 21, turned in a strong 2010 in Double-A Huntsville, hitting .285/.346/.451 with eight homers in 135 games. Baseball America ranked Brett Lawrie as Milwaukee's second-best prospect in their 2010 handbook. The 16th pick in the 2008 draft, Lawrie is said to be an aggressive hitter with good pop.  While he was praised for his strong hands and quick bat, Baseball America writes that he needs to dedicate himself to defense if he wants to become a second baseman in the mold of Jeff Kent. Some scouts believe the soon-to-be 21-year-old is destined for an outfield corner.

The Brewers were long known to be prioritizing starting pitching this winter, after their rotation posted a 4.65 ERA (15th in NL) in 2010. With their acquisition of Marcum, they were able to improve the rotation without moving Prince Fielder, who will likely still be available in the right deal. In a pair of tweets, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains that part of the reason the Brewers were willing to part with a top prospect for Marcum is their belief that a long-term deal with the right-hander is a possibility.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel was the first to report that the two sides had agreed to a deal. The Brewers have announced the trade (on Twitter).

Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners Interested In Diaz

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4:17pm: The Blue Jays also have some interest in Diaz, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

3:15pm: The Yankees and Mariners are interested in Matt Diaz as a possible platoon player. New York would mix Diaz in with Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, according to  Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Mariners are interested in platooning Diaz with Michael Saunders in left field, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Like Marcus Thames, who excelled for the Yankees in a part-time role last year, Diaz handles lefties well. He has a .335/.373/.533 line against them in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered the 32-year-old last week, making him a free agent.

Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left. The Dodgers and Phillies are other potential suitors for Diaz.

Pat Gillick Elected To Hall Of Fame

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The 16-member Expansion Era committee announced they've elected Pat Gillick to baseball's Hall of Fame.  From their website:

Pat Gillick spent 27 years as the general manager for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, winning at every stop along the way, with his teams earning 11 post-season berths and three World Series championships. In his 27 years as GM, his teams finished with a winning record 20 times.

Eleven other men were on the ballot, including George Steinbrenner, Marvin Miller, and Billy Martin.

Greinke Willing To Go Anywhere

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Royals right-hander Zack Greinke holds a partial no-trade clause and has given the club a list of fifteen teams that he will refuse to go to.  Despite being one of the leading suitors for the hurler, the Blue Jays are on the no-trade list, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, sources say that Greinke has told Kansas City that he is willing to go anywhere.

Players frequently waive no-trade clauses, often times in exchange for a contractual benefit.  Even though Greinke seems open-minded, one rival GM remains skeptical of that stance, saying that a club being on the no-trade list makes a deal less likely.

While the Blue Jays may face an obstacle in landing the ace, other potential suitors are not on the no-trade list.  The Braves, Reds, and Rangers were all left off of the fifteen-team list.

Blue Jays Still Showing Interest In Zack Greinke

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The Blue Jays are still showing interest in Royals ace Zack Greinke, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun. They inquired about the right-hander last month, and Elliott hears that the Jays believe the need "one more big piece" to make a run at the AL East title next season.

The Twins, Rangers, Braves, Reds, Mariners, and Nationals have all inquired about Greinke according to Elliott. The Royals have said they won't trade the former Cy Young Award winner within their division, limiting their options somewhat. The market for Greinke could heat up once Cliff Lee signs, since both the Rangers and Yankees could turn their attention towards him since he's the only other ace-caliber starter that we know is available.

Orioles Notes: Tillman, Hernandez, Reynolds, Uehara

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The Orioles missed out on Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn, but they're still in the hunt for Paul Konerko.  Here's a look at some of their other offseason targets…

  • Chris Tillman's name has been mentioned in connection with the Mark Reynolds trade rumors, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic thinks the D'Backs "seem to like" David Hernandez more, but Hernandez would be just one piece of what's likely to be a pitcher-centric package (Twitter links).   
  • The O's are one of three teams known to be exploring a Reynolds deal, but they're the ones with "the heaviest interest" in the third baseman according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  The Blue Jays and Padres, in fact, "strongly deny" that they're even pursuing Reynolds.
  • "Some progress has been made" between the Orioles and Koji Uehara, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.  The club has been keeping in touch with Uehara's agent and Zrebiec says team officials "feel pretty good" about their ability to re-sign the reliever.
  • Zrebiec also notes that Baltimore has been in discussions about a number of free agent relievers and have contacted the representatives of Grant Balfour, Jesse Crain, Scott Downs, Brian Fuentes, Matt Guerrier and Kerry Wood.  The O's "have at least one offer out" to one of these pitchers, Zrebiec says.
  • Baltimore has contacted Bobby Jenks' agent, reports Zrebiec in another piece.
  • From that same article, Zrebiec writes "the next person I speak to in the organization who feels the O’s have a shot at Konerko would be the first."  The Orioles' interest in Konerko is "largely overblown" and most insiders feel Konerko will re-sign with the White Sox.

Cubs, Other Teams Also Pursuing Adrian Gonzalez

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The Red Sox aren't the only team in the hunt for Adrian Gonzalez.  "Multiple teams besides [the] Red Sox," including the Cubs, are interested in the Padres slugger, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  This isn't the first time we've heard about Chicago's interest in Gonzalez, and the Cubs' search for a big-hitting first baseman may have intensified now that Adam Dunn has signed with the crosstown rival White Sox. 

Two big obstacles stand in the way of a Cubs/Padres deal: the Cubs' ability to provide the blue-chip prospects that San Diego desires in any Gonzalez trade, and whether the Cubs can afford the long-term extension that Gonzalez wants after 2011.  One obviously impacts the other, since it would be foolish for the Cubs to move several prospects for just one season of Gonzalez.  With the Carlos Silva and Kosuke Fukudome contracts coming off the books after this year, Chicago has about $63MM committed to their 2012 payroll.

Besides the Cubs, Rosenthal lists the Angels, Blue Jays, Orioles, Nationals, Rangers and Rays as having a "possible interest" in a Gonzalez trade.  All of the teams could potentially afford a Gonzalez extension except Tampa Bay, and all of the clubs have intriguing minor league prospects to interest the Padres (though it might be hard for L.A. to acquire Gonzalez without giving up star prospect Mike Trout).  Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets that it's the Cubs and Red Sox, however, who are the "main focus" of San Diego's trade talks.

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