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Rays Discussing Espinosa, Morse With Nationals

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7:33am: There is currently no traction in trade discussions between the two sides, tweets Olney.

7:24am: Olney's colleague, Jayson Stark, reports that a source familiar with the talks says a trade sending Espinosa and Morse to Tampa Bay is unlikely despite the logical fit (Twitter link).

6:41am: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Rizzo is aiming high in his talks with the Rays about their pitchers.

12:44am: The Rays are nearing a one-year deal with James Loney, but the team is also discussing the possiblity of a trade with the Nationals that would involve starting pitching for Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).

Morse would represent a major offensive upgrade from Carlos Pena at first base, or he could slot into left field with Desmond Jennings taking over B.J. Upton's old position of center field. Espinosa could help the Rays at either middle infield position, where they've had a bit of a carousel in recent years.

Both Jeremy Hellickson and James Shields have been mentioned frequently as potential trade chips for Rays GM Andrew Friedman. It's also been reported that David Price could be had for the right offer, though the asking price (no pun intended) there would undoubtedly be sky-high.

The Nationals have some infield flexibility given the presence of Steve Lombardozzi, and they could handle the loss of Morse's bat if general manager Mike Rizzo is able secure a new contract with Adam LaRoche.

Overnight Links: LaRoche, Marlins, Giants, Delmon

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MLBTR is providing 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings for the fourth straight year. I'll once again be handling overnight duties for the following four nights to keep track of late-breaking and crack-of-dawn news and rumors. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • There is a "growing sense" that the Nationals and Adam LaRoche will get a new contract worked out, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. That transaction would make Michael Morse expendable, which would explain reports that the Nats and Rays are discussing Morse in a trade.
  • The Marlins figure to be observers at this year's Winter Meetings, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. The team is likely to pursue bullpen options and bench depth.
  • The Giants are still interested in Shane Victorino as a fallback option in the event that they are unable to re-sign Angel Pagan, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • Giants general manager Brian Sabean told Shea that the team isn't in on any "high-ticket items" (Twitter link). As Shea notes, that should rule out Michael Bourn. I wonder if Sabean is also including Nick Swisher, who has been linked to the Giants, in that description.
  • Delmon Young might wait until January to sign, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Young is recovering from ankle surgery and wants to be healthy in his auditions for new teams.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin isn't inclined to go beyond two years in deals for free agent pitchers (Twitter link).
  • John Lannan will be a popular name among teams in need of starting pitching depth, and the Twins are expected to kick the tires, according to Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). The Nationals non-tendered the 28-year-old southpaw on Friday.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Red Sox, Cabrera, Greinke

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The Mariners are looking for offense and are "in on everybody", a rival GM tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  That includes big fish like Josh Hamilton and Justin Upton and they're also considering Mike Napoli and Nick Swisher.  Cody Ross, Ryan Ludwick, and Mark Reynolds may also be fits in Seattle.  More from around baseball..

  • Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino confirmed to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club hopes to sign Mike Napoli, though it has to be on a three-year deal, not a four-year deal.  Lucchino added that the club is in on Hamilton (Twitter link) but they won't go to six, seven, or eight years to make it happen.  It has been well documented that the Red Sox are leery of long-term deals as they look to spend responsibly going forward.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera has a six-team no-trade clause allowing him to block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Nationals, Giants, Mets, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The Indians have reportedly set the bar high in their demands for Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo.
  • Zack Greinke's agent Casey Close told Heyman (via Twitter) that he'll know in the next 24-48 hours if a deal can get done in Nashville.  Close added that nothing is close for his client just yet.  Meanwhile, Braves GM Frank Wren says that it's "probably unlikely" that he will sign Greinke (Twitter link).
  • The market for Ryan Dempster may develop more this week with the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Twins in the mix, Morosi tweets.  Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter) classifies Dempster as the Brewers' top free agent target.
  • One source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he wouldn't rule out the Nationals trading for a pitcher like James Shields of the Rays.  The Nats could potentially use Mike Morse in a deal for Shields as the Rays are in need of offense.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Mets, Morse, Span

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Items on the Nationals and Mets..

  • One industry source tells Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com that it's more likely the Nationals land another starting pitcher via a trade involving Michael Morse than by picking someone off the free agent market.  The first baseman/left fielder is a valuable trade chip and will make $6.75MM in 2013, the final year of his deal.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed that he met with R.A. Dickey for about ten minutes today, but said that the talk was purely social, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  Alderson said that he wouldn't negotiate without the knuckleballer's agent present.  Alderson also stressed that a resolution on Dickey doesn't have to come during the meetings, tweets Marc Carig of Newsday.
  • No big surprise, but Alderson expects to focus on the trade market as he doubts there are sufficient free agents at Mets' spending capacity to meet all of their needs, Rubin tweets.
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter) overheard at the meetings that the Nationals had Denard Span rated above Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton, without even considering their contracts.

Nationals Notes: LaRoche, Espinosa, Lannan

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Earlier this week, the Nationals acquired Denard Span from the Twins in exchange for pitching prospect Alex Meyer.  More out of the nation's capital..

  • Adam LaRoche met with General Manager Mike Rizzo and had an open discussion about where each side stands, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  “To be honest, it’s a years thing now,” LaRoche said. “I think they’re really wanting to stick to two years. I’m trying to talk them into lengthening that. To be honest, probably just one year. I’m not looking for four or five. I understand I’m 33 years old.  The first baseman requested the meeting to make sure that nothing got lost in translation between the front office and his representation at SFX.
  • Don’t be surprised if second baseman Danny Espinosa is the subject of trade discussions at the winter meetings, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The 25-year-old is likely to draw interest from teams who need a middle infielder and the Nats could use Steve Lombardozzi to replace Espinosa at second in the short-term.  Top prospect Anthony Rendon eventually could take the reins at the position if he does not replace Ryan Zimmerman at third.
  • Rizzo gave his rationale about the thought process in this week's non-tender decisions, Kilgore writes.  The club non-tendered left-hander John Lannan, catcher Jesus Flores, and reliever Tom Gorzelanny.

Cardinals Rumors: Burnett, Mozeliak, Non-Tenders

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The latest on the Cardinals..

National League Non-Tenders

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Here are today’s National League non-tenders. All decisions must be in by 11pm CT tonight. Be sure to track all tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker. Related resources include our list of non-tender candidates, our projected arbitration salaries and our arbitration eligibles series.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Nationals Non-Tender John Lannan

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The Nationals have non-tendered John Lannan, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com (on Twitter). The left-hander was projected to earn $5MM during his third trip through arbitration this winter according to Matt Swartz.

Lannan, 28, made only six starts for Washington this year. He pitched to a 4.13 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 32 2/3 innings while spending most of the season in Triple-A despite a hefty $5MM salary. Lannan posted a 4.30 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 while in the minors.

Mets Notes: Pagan, Flores, Wright

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The latest on the Mets, who have agreed to terms with David Wright on a long-term deal and are considering an extension for R.A. Dickey…

  • A Mets insider told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the team will likely spend on one outfielder. It’s even too early to rule out a return for Angel Pagan, not that a reunion seems likely. Ryan Ludwick and Cody Ross are among the right-handed hitting free agent outfielders who could draw interest from the Mets, Rubin writes.
  • The Mets have also made a list of backup catchers they might target, according to Rubin. Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1.2MM, is among the catchers on the team’s list.
  • The Mets will likely address their needs via free agency, team insiders told Rubin.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post heard that it was “vital” that Wright’s contract with the Mets surpass Johan Santana’s $137.5MM contract in terms of total value (Twitter link). Wright's eight-year deal will pay him $138MM in total.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs  applauds the Mets for not giving up on the team in the short term.

Nationals Could Trade Michael Morse

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The Nationals’ trade for Denard Span will impact the entire Washington roster, not only in the outfield, but on the infield. The Nationals are “definitely shopping” first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse a little bit, an American League executive told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the Nationals trade Morse, they could re-sign free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche and rely more on Tyler Moore.

The Nationals have considerable leverage, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains (on Twitter). Speaking of the Span trade, some executives believe the Twins didn’t get enough in the deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Though pitching prospect Alex Meyer is highly regarded, Span had three years of team control remaining.

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