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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.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Friday

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Dodgers executives met with Zack Greinke in Los Angeles yesterday, Yahoo's Tim Brown reported last night. Here’s  the latest on Greinke, who is also drawing interest from the Angels, Nationals and Rangers, according to the most recent rumors…

  • The Nationals could pose a major threat to the Dodgers in the sweepstakes for Greinke, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. One GM wonders if both the Dodgers and the Nationals could bid “at all costs.” One friend of Greinke’s said the right-hander will consider winning, comfort and money.
  • The Angels remain in on Greinke after acquiringTommy Hanson, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Rangers can only sign one of Greinke and Josh Hamilton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Greinke will also meet with the Angels, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers view Greinke as critical to their pitching staff, Brown reports. Greinke is believed to have enjoyed pitching for the Angels during the second half of the 2012 season, which could increase his interest in staying in the Los Angeles area. It’s not known if Greinke has met with the Angels, Nationals or Rangers, Brown writes.

NL East Notes: Wright, Upton, Raburn, Lannan

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Zack Greinke turned down a potential trade to the Nationals two years ago when he was a member of the Royals, but now that the Nats are the defending NL East champs and have added Denard Span as their latest upgrade, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal thinks that Greinke (or any free agent) would see Washington as a prime destination.  The Nationals have been mentioned as one of Greinke's top suitors this winter, along with the Dodgers, Angels and Rangers, so there's a possibility the right-hander could yet end up in D.C. two years later.

Here are some items from around the division…

  • David Wright may wait under after the Winter Meetings to decide on the Mets' seven-year, $124MM extension offer, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.  A Mets source speculates that Wright and his representatives may wait due to their unhappiness that negotiations were made public.  Wright and agent Seth Levinson told MLBTR earlier this week that rumors about the contract talks were inaccurate.
  • The Phillies' best offer to B.J. Upton was a five-year, $55MM contract, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Upton agreed to a five-year, $75.25MM pact with the Braves yesterday.
  • The Braves and Marlins are two of a half-dozen teams interested in free agent utilityman Ryan Raburn, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).  The Rays and Rangers are two of the other known teams.
  • The Nationals still have a minor league option remaining on left-hander John Lannan, reports Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.  Washington could keep Lannan at Triple-A as rotation insurance again, though MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thinks Lannan will be non-tendered rather than earn a projected $5MM in his third year of arbitration eligibility.
  • Shane Victorino "might actually represent the best value on the market," writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, though Murphy doesn't think the Phillies will look for a reunion with their former outfielder.  The Phils haven't been linked to Victorino this offseason, though at least seven teams are known to be interested in the Hawaiian.

The Denard Span Trade: Reaction & Fallout

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The Nationals avoided the busy free agent center field market by acquiring Denard Span from the Twins today in exchange for highly-touted pitching prospect Alex Meyer.  Here is some of the early buzz about the trade and how it affects the Nationals, Twins and several other teams around the league…

  • The trade seems to leave Adam LaRoche without a spot in the Nationals' lineup, meaning the first baseman could go elsewhere as a free agent.  In a conference call with reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider), Washington GM Mike Rizzo said the trade "gives us some options" with player moves and noted that the team is still talking to LaRoche.  Rizzo said teams have called about Michael Morse, so the Nats could potentially re-sign LaRoche and deal Morse instead.
  • While a Morse trade is a possibility, some executives feel the Span deal will lead to LaRoche signing with the Red Sox, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports looks at how the trade impacts LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton and the Phillies.
  • The trade was "a huge win" for the Nationals, opines Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, who thinks Minnesota could've gotten more than Meyer in exchange for an affordable center fielder.  "The Twins got a real talent back in return for Span, but it’s a talent with too many question marks to be the piece they’re getting back in return for a three win player under team control at a fraction of his market price," Cameron writes.
  • Conversely, ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) likes the trade for the Twins.  The club sorely needs young pitching and Meyer's potential is worth "an average regular in center whose value will fluctuate with his BABIP," as Law describes Span.  Law also notes that this deal should help the Rockies get more in a trade for Dexter Fowler, as Fowler is younger and has more power than Span.

Red Sox Notes: LaRoche, Gonzalez, Ross, Aceves

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Here's the latest news from Fenway…

  • The Red Sox are talking to Adam LaRoche, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  With the Sox reluctant to go beyond a three-year contract for Mike Napoli, LaRoche could be the team's fallback plan.  A three-year deal would top the Nationals' best offer to the free agent first baseman, as the Nats "have been fairly steadfast" in not offering LaRoche more than two years.  The Rangers have also been linked to both LaRoche and Napoli this offseason.
  • Also from Heyman's piece, he notes that the Red Sox have "checked in" on Alex Gonzalez and Stephen Drew, though Jose Iglesias will get first priority at shortstop.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury's name hasn't been mentioned in trade talks, team president Larry Lucchino said during an appearance on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan radio show today (partial transcript from WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane).  Lucchino also said that while the Sox haven't closed the door on any free agents, "what we have ruled out is the kind of long-term, gigantic commitment to players if at all possible….We are more concerned about years than we are dollars."
  • From that same radio appearance (courtesy of The Boston Herald's Scott Lauber), Lucchino said the team is still interested in re-signing Cody Ross.  Though Boston recently signed Jonny Gomes, Lucchino said the team wants to build "deep depth" after last year's injury-plagued season.
  • The Red Sox will tender Alfredo Aceves a new contract before tomorrow's non-tender deadline, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  The pitching-needy Sox value Aceves' versatility as a starter and reliever too much to let him go for nothing, despite Aceves' disciplinary issues in 2012.  Lauber thinks Aceves could still possibly be a trade candidate.
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