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Nationals Interested In Mark DeRosa

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The Nationals are interested in free agent utility player Mark DeRosa, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Chris Marrero's recent hamstring injury leaves the Nationals with less bench help than anticipated.

DeRosa played in just 47 games in 2011 because of a strained left wrist. The versatile 36-year-old was productive in 2009, posting a .250/.319/.433 line and appearing at five different positions for the Indians and Cardinals. However, he has struggled to stay on the field since signing a two-year deal with the Giants two Decembers ago. When he did play for the Giants, DeRosa posted a forgettable .235/.313/.279 line.

DeRosa, who would like to be closer to his Atlanta home, may have to sign a minor league deal and play his way onto a roster next spring. This is the first time this offseason we've seen him linked to a team.

Nationals Have “Serious Interest” In Prince Fielder

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The Nationals are showing “serious interest” in Prince Fielder, though talks with the free agent first baseman hit a roadblock today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals view Yoenis Cespedes as an alternative to Fielder and revisited talks with the Cuban outfielder after talks with Fielder slowed. 

Fielder is the Nationals’ top offensive target, according to Rosenthal. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote earlier today that the Cubs, Rangers and Mariners are believed to be suitors for the 27-year-old Scott Boras client.

Meanwhile, Cespedes hasn’t established himself as a temporary resident of the Dominican Republic, which he must do to become a free agent. However, he may successfully establish residency soon and then petition MLB to hit the open market. Cespedes has drawn interest from at least ten teams and may seek a contract in the $35-60MM range.

Morosi On Fielder, Randy Wells, Guthrie

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A "tense three-week period that will shape [baseball's] landscape for the following year" begins today, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  His latest:

  • Agent Scott Boras has pared down Prince Fielder's sales pitch binder but still has 70 pages worth, he tells Morosi.  Morosi says Fielder's suitors are believed to be the Cubs, Nationals, Rangers, and Mariners.
  • The Cubs are open to moving Randy Wells, indicates Morosi as he lists available starting pitchers.  Wells, 29, is under team control through 2014.  MLBTR projects him to earn $2.2MM in 2012.  
  • The Angels and Orioles discussed the possibility of a Jeremy Guthrie trade in recent days.  Guthrie, 33 in April, projects to earn $8.3MM in 2012 before hitting free agency.
  • Japanese players including righty Hisashi Iwakuma, lefties Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chen, and second baseman Kensuke Tanaka can begotiate with MLB teams after free agency in Japan begins Thursday.  The Yakult Swallows intend to post outfielder Norichika Aoki after the Winter Meetings, adds Morosi.

Minor Moves: Marrugo, Rohlinger, Sutil, Maldonado

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here.  News of these moves are courtesy of Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless indicated otherwise..

  • The Orioles signed 17-year-old Colombian right-hander Yeizer Marrugo to a deal with a $120K bonus, according to Ernesto Armenteros D. of El Universal (Spanish link) and passed along by Eddy.  In the El Universal story, O's scout Jorge Franco says that Marrugo's fastball topped out at 91 mph when they recently scouted him and the youngster has the talent to make it to the majors in five years.
  • The Phillies acquired right-hander Adam Worthington from the Diamondbacks as player to be named for left-hander Mike Zagurski.  The Phillies sent Zagurski to Arizona in a September trade.
  • Cubs outfielder Lou Montanez elected free agency after recently being outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster.
  • The Reds re-signed right-hander Chad Reineke after the pitcher elected free agency in October.  Reineke had a 3.84 ERA in 25 games (22 starts) with Triple-A Louisville in 2011.
  • The Rockies released shortstop Ryan Rohlinger.  Rohlinger hit .247/.353/.409 in 103 Triple-A games for Colorado and the Giants.
  • The Royals signed a pair of left-handers in Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy.  Arias spent seven years in the Dodgers system, but hasn't pitched domestically since becoming a free agent following the 2009 season.
  • The Marlins signed right-hander Robert Ray, who appeared in a handful of Major League games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 2010.  They also re-signed catcher Luke Montz.
  • The Dodgers signed shorstop Luis Cruz.
  • The Diamondbacks signed shortstop Wladimir Sutil to a minor league deal, according to El Universal (Spanish link).  Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic confirmed the signing to MLBTR.
  • The Nationals have re-signed catcher Carlos Maldonado, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The move was first reported by El Universal (Spanish link).  Maldonado, 32, hit .234/.361/.342 in 38 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season and spent four games on the Nats' varsity squad in 2011.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/11/minor-league-transactions-nov-15-21/

East Notes: Valentine, Red Sox, Nationals, Phillies

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Here's a look at a few items out of the AL and NL East..

  • It would be interesting to see if Bobby Valentine's style would be any different after not managing in the Major Leagues since 2002, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com.   The 61-year-old Valentine is a finalist for the Red Sox's managerial opening along with Gene Lamont.
  • The new collective bargaining agreement will undoubtedly change the way the Nationals conduct business.  Seven of the Nats' top ten prospects have been picked in the last two drafts and all seven of those players signed hours before the deadline for teams to lock up their picks, notes Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com.  All seven of those players, including Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon, got bonuses or deals well over their slot recommendations.
  • In an article for ESPN.com, Doug Glanville gives a unique take on Jimmy Rollins' free agency.  The longtime Phillies outfielder signed with the Rangers after the 2002 season only to be traded back to Philadelphia in July of 2003.

Quick Hits: Harper, Storen, Mets, Moore

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It was on this day in 1953 that the Dodgers promoted their Triple-A manager to take over the Major League job on a one-year contract.  Walter Alston remained in the Dodgers' dugout for the next 23 years, winning 2,040 games and leading the club to four World Series titles.

Some news from around the Majors as everyone lets the turkey settle…

  • The new Super Two regulations in the new collective bargaining agreement shouldn't have much impact on Nationals uber-prospect Bryce Harper, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • Drew Storen will only become more valuable to the Nationals as the price of closers continues to rise, opines Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com, though "there's a logical argument to be made for moving Storen at the height of his value."
  • The Mets are "still in [the] exploratory stage" of their offseason moves and "aren't close on anything," reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • Royals general manager Dayton Moore tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he doesn't think his team will be negatively affected by the new CBA.  Dutton notes that the Royals spent much more than usual on draft signings and international prospects in the last year since the club was anticipating both avenues to be limited under baseball's new labor rules.

Nationals Visiting Buehrle At His Home Today

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Nationals officials including GM Mike Rizzo are visiting free agent lefty Mark Buehrle and his agents at his home in St. Louis today, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  Kilgore says Buehrle is the team's top free agent choice.  Roy Oswalt seems to be Plan B.  The Nationals met with the agents for both pitchers at last week's GM Meetings.

Rizzo is looking for a horse, and the 32-year-old Buehrle fits the bill with 11 consecutive seasons of 201+ innings.  As I noted in October, the Nationals have front-end rotation talent in Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann, but neither is likely to be an innings-eater in 2012.

Aside from the Nationals, the Marlins, Cubs, Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Royals, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and Angels reportedly have interest in Buehrle.

Added To 40-Man Roster: Giants, Dodgers, Pirates

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Today is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Here's more on which players need to be protected and here are the details on which players have had their contracts selected to the 40-man roster:

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Minor Moves: Bulger, Carpenter, Kimball

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Here's the list of players who have been added to 40-man rosters and here's the list of players who have been removed from them. Now for some moves that don't affect 40-man rosters at all…

  • The Twins announced that they signed right-hander Jason Bulger to a minor league deal.
  • The Blue Jays announced that they claimed right-hander Andrew Carpenter off of waivers from the Padres and lost right-hander Cole Kimball on waivers to the Nationals. The Blue Jays had claimed Kimball from the Nationals earlier this week and he's now back where he started. Carpenter, 26, appeared in 12 games for the Phillies and Padres in 2011. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 1.79 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings.
  • The Astros announced that they signed right-hander Lance Pendleton to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training 2012. The Astros selected the Houston native in the 2010 Rule 5 draft and he spent this past Spring Training with Houston before being returned to the Yankees. The Astros claimed the 28-year-old off of waivers from the Yankees in September and he finished the season in the Major Leagues. Pendleton posted a 6.75 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 18 2/3 innings for the Yankees and Astros in 2011.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Francisco, Nats, Braves

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Manager Ozzie Guillen says the Marlins are "dead serious" about making a splash in free agency this offseason, and he's not alone. According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link), Marlins president David Samson said that, this winter, "the poachee is becoming the poacher." I think we've found our tagline for the hypothetical Miami Marlins movie. Here are a few more notes on the Marlins' division rivals:

  • The Mets and Frank Francisco's representatives met today, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. GM Sandy Alderson also said that bringing back Jason Isringhausen is possible, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Nationals don't expect to be in on Ryan Madson or any of the other big-name closers on the market, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. "We have a big closer already," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to Drew Storen. "Anything can happen. But we like where our bullpen is at. Can we improve the bullpen? Certainly, we could improve the bullpen. But we're really satisfied that we have three guys who are very young, very controllable, very talented."
  • Rizzo also told Kilgore (Twitter link) that there's more trade interest in his players this year than at most previous GM meetings.
  • The Braves have added three minor league pitchers to their 40-man roster, protecting them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
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