Nationals Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Oswalt, Delmon, Sizemore, Ross, Ludwick

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2012 at 4:02pm CDT

Here's the latest from the Winter Meetings on a handful of free agents:

Roy Oswalt is unsure about whether he'll pitch in 2013, one of his agents tells Morosi.
The Mariners checked in on Delmon Young, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi reported previously that Young might wait until January to sign given his November ankle surgery.
Grady Sizemore had been drawing interest from a few clubs, including the Red Sox, but he won't be a real option until midseason, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Agent Joe Urbon confirmed to Castrovince that his client underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September.
Besides being interested in Scott Hairston, the Yankees are also eyeing Cody Ross, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
The Mariners have checked in on Ryan Ludwick, among other hitters, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Cesar Izturis' reps are expected to meet with the Mets this week and there could be a match there, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Earlier updates:

The Orioles' interest in righty Brett Myers appears minimal, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, and they have no meetings set up with his reps.
The Twins are one team with early interest in southpaw John Lannan, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Pirates also have an eye on Lannan, reported Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier today.
The Cubs are talking to many agents about bullpen help and they like Jason Grilli, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.
Solid interest in Jason Bay (from teams other than Boston) may lead to a Major League deal, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.
The Marlins are interested in utility man Mark DeRosa, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 37-year-old had indicated at season's end that he was unsure what his future held.
The Royals are "sending out signals" that they have the money and the motivation to pursue a pitcher who could be considered a No. 1, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. A run at Anibal Sanchez isn't out of the question for Kansas City, according to Knobler.
Tigers people continue to say the team isn't even considering Rafael Soriano, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, Sherman notes that owner Mike Ilitch's great relationship with Scott Boras still makes Detroit a wild card in the Soriano sweepstakes.
Rival executives view the Nationals as a good fit for Mike Pelfrey, especially considering GM Mike Rizzo and Scott Boras have a history of working out deals, says Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Teams are showing "no hesitation whatsoever" in pursuing Jeff Keppinger, who underwent surgery to repair a right fibula fracture, agent Keith Grunewald tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).
Jason Giambi would like to continue his playing career, and is drawing interest from three or four teams, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Nationals Sign Bill Bray

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2012 at 3:02pm CDT

In addition to re-signing Zach Duke, the Nationals have continued to add arms today by signing Bill Bray to a minor league deal, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).

Bray, 29, was a first-round pick by the Nationals back when they were the Montreal Expos, but was sent to the Reds in an eight-player trade in July 2006. Bray has been in the Reds organization since that deal, up until he elected free agency last month.

Injuries limited Bray to just 14 appearances for the Reds in 2012, but in his last full season (2011), he was effective as a lefty specialist, posting a 2.98 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 79 appearances.

Nationals Re-Sign Zach Duke

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2012 at 2:09pm CDT

The Nationals have re-signed left-hander Zach Duke to a Major League contract, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter).

Duke spent most of the 2012 season with the Nats' Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, posting a 3.51 ERA in 26 starts for the Chiefs. When the 29-year-old got a chance to pitch out of the Nationals bullpen in the last month of the season, he was very effective, recording a 1.32 ERA in eight appearances.

The signing doesn't rule out additional pitching acquisitions for the Nationals, according to Comak, who says (via Twitter) that the club is still in the market for a fifth starter.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2012 at 1:26pm CDT

Zack Greinke figures to sign one of the two largest contracts of the offseason, and could do so before the 2012 Winter Meetings end. His agent, Casey Close, told reporters yesterday that it won't take him more then 24-48 hours to see if he can get a deal signed before he leaves Nashville. Here are Monday's Greinke rumors, with the most recent updates topping the list…

When it comes to a willingness to spend on Greinke, the Rangers are "right there" with the Dodgers, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Sherman also says the Nationals remain in contact with Greinke, though the Angels seem to be falling out of the running.
The Dodgers seem determined to sign Greinke no matter the cost, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman asked a Dodgers person about the team's budget, to which the reply was, "What budget?" Good news for Casey Close! The Rangers, Nationals, Angels, and Braves are some of the other teams showing interest in Greinke, but Heyman indicates the Dodgers are the heavy favorite.

Nationals Showing Interest In James Shields

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2012 at 11:47am CDT

After we heard overnight that the Nationals and Rays were discussing a potential trade involving Danny Espinosa and/or Mike Morse, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports fills in the gaps on which player Washington may have been targeting. According to Heyman, the Nats are displaying interest in James Shields, though the current status of discussions between the two teams is unknown.

Heyman reports that the Nationals view Shields as a more affordable alternative to top free agents like Zack Greinke. Although Washington had been considered one potential landing spot for Greinke, a National League executive tells Heyman that the Dodgers are "scaring teams away" when it comes to bidding on the winter's top free agent pitcher.

The Red Sox, Dodgers, and Royals are among the other clubs showing interest in trading for Shields, says Heyman.

Danny Espinosa Rumors: Monday

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2012 at 8:35am CDT

We heard overnight that the Rays and Nationals were exploring the possibility of a trade that would send Danny Espinosa to Tampa. While multiple reporters have suggested those talks haven't gained much momentum, Espinosa remains a trade candidate. Here are the latest rumblings related to the Nats infielder:

At least one team besides the Rays called the Nats about Espinosa, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, who adds that any talks are being initiated by other teams.
The Nationals are more willing to trade Mike Morse than Espinosa, with GM Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Johnson still steadfast supporters of Espinosa, writes Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com.
Many members of the Nats organization are reluctant to trade Espinosa, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "He will figure it out," one source told Rosenthal. "[Steve] Lombardozzi is a good player, but he’s not Espinosa."
The Nationals haven't ruled out the possibility of moving Anthony Rendon to second base if they decide to trade Espinosa, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Rays Discussing Espinosa, Morse With Nationals

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2012 at 7:33am CDT

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

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2012 at 4:22am CDT

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

By Zachary Links | December 2, 2012 at 11:22pm CDT

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

By Zachary Links | December 2, 2012 at 7:42pm CDT

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.

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