Nationals Showing Interest In James Shields
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The latest on the Cardinals..
- The Cardinals aren’t interested in giving Sean Burnett a four-year deal, according to Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Cardinals have interest in left-hander Sean Burnett, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Burnett is looking to get a four-year deal but Ladson (Twitter link) doesn’t see the Nationals going beyond two. The reliever posted a 2.38 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 through 56.2 innings of work last season.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter) expects General Manager John Mozeliak to swing a trade at the Winter Meetings.
- Strauss adds also believes that the Cardinals will have interest in one of the recently non-tendered players (Twitter link). You can peruse the full list using MLBTR’s Non-Tender Tracker and look at the notable non-tendered players here.
National League Non-Tenders
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.
- The Diamondbacks have non-tendered Wil Nieves according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter).
- In addition to John Lannan, the Nationals have also non-tendered Tom Gorzelanny and Jesus Flores according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Cubs have non-tendered Ian Stewart, Jaye Chapman, and Zach Putnam according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).
- The Padres have non-tendered left-hander Juan Oramas, the team announced. He had Tommy John surgery this summer and is expected to miss the start of next season.
- The Mets also non-tendered Andres Torres and Manny Acosta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Mike Pelfrey has been informed he'll be non-tendered by the Mets, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The Mets were expected to non-tender Pelfrey.
- The Braves will non-tender Jair Jurrjens and Peter Moylan.
- The Phillies plan to non-tender Nate Schierholtz, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter).
- The Pirates will non-tender Jeff Karstens, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (on Twitter). Technically the Pirates are designating Karstens for assignment, Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (on Twitter). The team confirmed the move.
- The Brewers have non-tendered left-hander Manny Parra, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (on Twitter).
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Nationals Non-Tender John Lannan
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.