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Nationals, Wang Nearing Deal

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The Nationals are nearing a new contract with Chien-Ming Wang, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Agent Alan Nero doesn't expect a deal by the time free agency begins tonight, but the sides have agreed to terms "conceptually." 

Wang's agent, Alan Nero, told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the right-hander drew interest from six teams. The 31-year-old made 11 starts in 2011 after missing the 2010 campaign. He posted a 4.04 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings for Washington this past season. Wang's 53.4% ground ball rate was in line with his career mark of 57.5% and was likely a factor in teams' interest. MLB.com's Bill Ladson also reported on the deal.

Cubs, Nationals May Have Interest In Buehrle

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The Cubs and Nationals might be among the suitors for free agent lefty Mark Buehrle this winter.  Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune hears from a source that the Cubs "would be interested Buehrle if the price tag and years aren't astronomical."  And Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post wrote yesterday that "some individuals with ties to the Nationals believe they will pursue Buehrle."

Buehrle, 32, has spent his entire career with the White Sox after they drafted him in the 38th round in 1998.  In each of the last 11 campaigns, he's reached a minimum of 201 regular season innings.  Last year Buehrle posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 frames.    

Buehrle is a Type B free agent, and SI's Jon Heyman wrote last month that the White Sox are expected to try to re-sign him to a two-year deal.  Buehrle said in September he'd like to play two or three more years.  He considers the NL a potentially interesting challenge, and has talked many times about pitching for his home-state Cardinals.  However, the Cards don't appear to have a rotation opening for him.  Buehrle doesn't seem inclined to play too far from home, yet he may have reservations about going to the crosstown Cubs.  In theory, the Royals could be in play, but we haven't heard anything yet.

I ranked Buehrle 12th on my top 50 free agents list, predicting a return to the White Sox.  Make your pick for Buehrle and 49 other free agents for a chance to win great prizes in MLBTR's new contest.

NL East Notes: Vazquez, Dobbs, Lopez, Nix

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On this date in 1973, Tom Seaver of the Mets won the NL Cy Young award, becoming the first pitcher to take home the prize with fewer than 20 wins. We checked in on the Mets earlier tonight; here are some updates on their division rivals…

  • Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post gets the sense that the Marlins could convince Javier Vazquez to return for another season if they offer him $10MM for 2012.
  • The Marlins have some interest in re-signing Greg Dobbs, but not in bringing Jose Lopez back, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
  • There's "nothing substantial" developing between the Nationals and free agent outfielder Laynce Nix, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The sides have discussed a deal for 2012 and Nix has interest in returning to D.C. for another season.
  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution doubts that the Braves would dangle Jair Jurrjens in trade talks because his knee injury reduces his trade value (Twitter link). Jurrjens spent much of August on the disabled list with a right knee strain and didn't pitch in September.

Nationals Exercise Option On Davey Johnson

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The Nationals announced today they've exercised Davey Johnson's managerial option for 2012.  GM Mike Rizzo said in a statement:

After a series of discussions, it became obvious that the Nationals would be best served if Davey Johnson would continue as manager.  Davey’s remarkable connection to the clubhouse and D.C. community during the season’s final three months was well received. His baseball acumen coupled with a proper off-season of planning, including a full regiment of Spring Training, should put our players in a position to succeed in 2012.

Johnson assumed the Nationals' manager job on June 27th, shortly after Jim Riggleman resigned.  Johnson, a former infielder, has managed 15 years in the Majors for the Mets, Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, and Nationals.  He won the World Series in 1986 and Manager of the Year in '97.

Quick Hits: White Sox, Indians, Sabathia, Sizemore

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A grab-bag of links on the first Sunday of what should be a fun offseason….

  • Don't expect the White Sox to pick up any big-ticket players on the free agent market, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The club is unlikely to bring Juan Pierre back in 2012 and if they look to replace him with a traditional leadoff type, Merkin expects the team to do so via trade.
  • It would be a surprise if the Indians re-signed Chad Durbin as the club has several promising young relievers who could take his spot, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
  • The Yankees will make a contract offer to C.C. Sabathia this weekend, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. However, most people expect the lefty to opt out of his current deal and "look around."
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff predicts destinations and contract details for his top 30 free agents, in slideshow form.
  • The Rangers, Nationals, and Brewers top Buster Olney's list of potential landing spots for Grady Sizemore (ESPN insider link).
  • Hisashi Iwakuma confirmed that he will attempt to sign with an MLB team again this winter, according to NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (via Sponichi). Iwakuma was unable to work out a deal with the Athletics last offseason.
  • New Angels GM Jerry Dipoto will have complete decision-making power, says Angels owner Arte Moreno. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times has details and quotes.
  • The Padres will hire Phil Plantier as their new hitting coach, tweets FOX's Ken Rosenthal.

NL East Notes: Rollins, Nats, Nathan, Marlins

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On this day three years ago, the Phillies sewed up a World Series title by finishing off the Rays in the resumption of a rain-suspended Game 5. Here's an item regarding that Philly team's shortstop, and a few others from around the NL East …

  • Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins tells CSNPhilly.com that he expects the Phils to make him an offer before he officially hits free agency (video link), though he's not sure what the terms of that offer might be.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo thinks his club can contend for the NL East title in 2012 with the addition of an outfield bat and a starting pitcher, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Washington might also pursue Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, opines Ladson, as the Nats have made "no promises" to Adam LaRoche.
  • Closer Joe Nathan, whose $12MM 2012 option was declined this week by the Twins, said the Mets will be on his radar during his foray into free agency, according to Greg Logan of Newsday. Nathan is a New York native and attended Stony Brook University on Long Island.
  • Marlins president David Samson said Florida plans to have a busy but prudent offseason and raise its payroll in 2012, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. "We're going to be very aggressive, but we're not going to be foolish. That's the key. When you raise your payroll, you've got to do it smartly, because if you don't, you are losing 90 games at a higher payroll." Frisaro speculates the Marlins' payroll will be roughly $85MM in 2012, which would be a $27MM increase from 2011's $58MM.

NL East Notes: Wilson, Brown, Mets, Hanley

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Some news from the NL East…

  • "Folks seem to think the Nationals are going to make [a] big play for C.J. Wilson," tweets Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated.  Heyman thinks the Nats will offer Wilson a contract worth around $75-80MM.  In August, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thought Wilson could fetch a $100MM deal this winter given the lack of quality starters in the free agent market, but Wilson's postseason struggles will probably prevent him from that nine-figure contract.
  • Dealing Domonic Brown or keeping him in the minors in 2012 would be a short-sighted move for the Phillies, argues CSNPhilly.com's Casey Feeney.
  • "With supply seemingly exceeding demand" on the free agent closer market this winter, the Mets can look beyond the biggest names (Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Ryan Madson and Jonathan Papelbon) and still find a solid closer at a reasonable price, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.  Rubin also says the Mets are looking for another left-handed reliever to pair with Tim Byrdak, as the club worries that Danny Herrera will become less effective as opponents become more familiar with him.
  • The Marlins haven't discussed moving Hanley Ramirez away from shortstop or asking Ramirez about a position change, club president David Samson tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • From that same piece, Samson says the Marlins will be "very active" this winter with their expected rise in payroll.  "We're going to be very aggressive, but we're not going to be foolish," Samson said.  "That's the key. When you raise your payroll, you've got to do it smartly, because if you don't, you are losing 90 games at a higher payroll."
  • The Braves haven't yet decided if they will exercise Eric Hinske and Nate McLouth's 2012 options, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  McLouth's $10.65MM option will certainly be bought out for $1.25MM, that's a no-brainer.  As for Hinske, he's a useful reserve — he can play first base and both corner outfield spots, and he had a .754 OPS against right-handed pitching last season.  Hinske's option is worth just $1.5MM so my guess is Atlanta brings back the former AL Rookie of the Year.

Quick Hits: Valverde, Wang, Cubs

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Links for Thursday afternoon, before what may be the final baseball game of the 2011 season…

  • The Tigers are expected to pick up Jose Valverde’s $9MM option for 2012 soon, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears from Alan Nero, the agent for Chien-Ming Wang, that a new deal between the right-hander and the Nationals is likely. The Nationals are Wang's first choice and negotiations are "routine," according to Nero. Washington GM Mike Rizzo confirmed yesterday that the sides are working toward a new contract.
  • Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush will stay on under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
  • Melissa Segura of SI.com hears that baseball’s upcoming collective bargaining agreement could include a cap in the $2-2.5MM range for international signings (Twitter link). It’s not clear whether the cap would apply to all countries or just the Dominican Republic.

Nationals Notes: Johnson, Wang, Rodriguez, Darvish

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters on a conference call that the team will make an announcement about its 2012 manager within a few days. The team has conducted a series of interviews and will presumably announce that Davey Johnson will return to the bench next year. Here are more notes from Rizzo's conference call with:

  • The Nationals are indeed expected to make Johnson their manager, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • The team is corresponding with the representatives for right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, but the sides aren't close to a deal, according to Ladson (on Twitter). They discussed a contract extension earlier in October.
  • The Nationals haven't spoken to free agents Ivan Rodriguez or Livan Hernandez since early in the offseason, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com. 
  • Washington would lose its 16th overall pick for signing a Type A free agent and that's something that Rizzo will factor into the team's decision-making process this offseason. 
  • Rizzo has not seen Yu Darvish in person in the last two years, according to Goessling. However, the Nationals have scouted the right-hander and it sounds as though they’re open to bidding on him if he’s posted.
  • Darvish is on Washington's radar and Nationals scouts have seen him pitch in person at least nine times, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported earlier this month.

Heyman On Pujols, Wilson, Angels, Crane

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SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with an examination of Albert Pujols' impending free agency.  An additional $20MM in total dollars wouldn't compel Pujols to leave St. Louis, says one person who knows the slugger well.  The preseason gap was large, though, as Heyman says the Cardinals were at nine years and "a bit more than $200MM" while Pujols wanted to beat Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.  Wherever he lands, Pujols is certainly putting an exclamation point on his season.  Heyman's other rumors…

  • The Rangers almost surely would be out of the C.J. Wilson bidding if it reaches five years and $75MM, hears Heyman.  A Rangers person tells Heyman Wilson hasn't actually named an exact asking price.  The lefty is looking forward to free agency and noted to Heyman that he doesn't have a wife, a child, or a dog, implying the decision will be entirely his.  The Nationals, Marlins, and Royals are likely to pursue Wilson, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • The Angels' desire for a scouting type in their GM job may favor the Yankees' Damon Oppenheimer, hears Heyman.
  • Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane seeks a $50MM discount for moving to the American League.
  • "I wish I stay here," remarked Rafael Furcal on his upcoming free agency.  The 34-year-old shortstop joined the Cardinals at the trade deadline and is playing in his first World Series.
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