|
Rockies turning to Sunshine State?
11:06
Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd has made no secret of his desire to add a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, and he may be turning to the Sunshine State in order to make it happen.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies are expected to make strong pushes for Miami's Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez and Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis.
If the reloading Marlins were to sign Jose Reyes and/or Mark Buehrle to a lucrative deal, they may be looking to cut corners somewhere else, perhaps making Nolasco or Sanchez available. As for the Rays, they have an abundance of pitching and might be willing to deal, especially with Matt Moore expected to join the rotation on a regular basis.
Renck adds that Rockies executives also have talked with the agent for free agent Roy Oswalt.
- Doug Mittler
Sizemore not close to a decision
10:35
AM ETGrady Sizemore | Indians TopEmailCommentsUPDATE: ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney writes in Wednesday's blog that Sizemore is not close to picking a new team. "For him, it'll come down to the right team, the right lineup, the right ballpark, on a one-year deal," Olney opines.
Patience could end up paying off for Sizemore. A team that loses out on a free agent bat might be willing to pay more to the outfielder as the offseason unfolds.
- Doug Mittler
--
The market for free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore is getting hotter. At least eight clubs have asked to look at Sizemore's medical reports or called to express their interest, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported Monday night.
Along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians, the list of potential suitors has expanded to include the Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees, according to sources at the baseball general manager's meetings in Milwaukee. The Giants' interest persists even though they just acquired Melky Cabrera in a trade, and the Cubs see Sizemore as a potential fit in right field. Sizemore, a center fielder for most of his career, has expressed a willingness to move to a corner outfield spot.
Sizemore has appeared in only 106, 33 and 71 games over the past three seasons because of injuries. But he's looking for a one-year deal to re-establish himself, and a lot of teams see him as an intriguing bounce-back candidate in 2012.
- Doug Mittler
The pursuit of Pujols
10:23
AM ETAlbert Pujols | Cardinals TopEmailCommentsThe process of trying to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis will kick into gear at the GM meetings in Milwaukee, reports ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
Crasnick reports that Cards GM John Mozeliak plans to meet with Paul Kinzer, the agent for the free agent slugger, before the end of the GM meetings. The two sides will determine if they have more common ground than last winter, when talks broke down and Pujols put off the process until the end of the 2011 season.
Crasnick, citing a source, said that the Cardinals' offer last spring never reached above $200 million. It was rumored that St. Louis offered the star first baseman a nine-year deal worth $210 million.
The Cardinals have a new manager since the teams last talked dollars, but Crasnick the hiring of Mike Matheny will not be a factor in Pujols' decision.
If Pujols were to sign elsewhere, Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch that the club would address the defection internally rather than by joining the pursuit for fellow free agent superstar Prince Fielder.
The Cardinals tipped their hand in early September by re-signing right fielder Lance Berkman to a one-year, $12 million extension. The Cards could Berkman could move Berkman to first base and install Allen Craig in right field.
Pujols met with the Marlins last week, but our Buster Olney says it remains to be seen how serious the Fish are in their pursuit:
- Doug Mittler
Buster Olney
The Marlins' Offer
"A lot of folks in the industry are waiting to see the substance of the offers the Marlins have made. It's one thing to say you've made an offer to Albert Pujols, and it's something else entirely to tender a proposal in the range of what the St. Louis Cardinals offered in the past -- something in the $200 million ballpark."
Ortiz leaning toward Boston?
10:11
AM ETDavid Ortiz | Red Sox TopEmailComments12UPDATE: Ortiz tells the Boston Herald that if he receives an offer from another team that he's considering accepting, he will give the Red Sox a chance to counter it. "Of course," he said. "You know that. The Red Sox will always be the first option."
- Doug Mittler
--
UPDATE: The Red Sox have made Ortiz an offer, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the man with the greatest Twitter logo of all time. (it's a photo of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in his usual stone-stoic glare, and the caption reads: "Let's Party!")
Peter Abraham of the Boston Glove tweets that the club planned to meet with Ortiz's representative Tuesday night in Milwaukee. To date, there have been no reports that Ortiz has met with any other teams.
- Jason A. Churchill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said Saturday that talks are ongoing between the Red Sox and David Ortiz, suggesting that something may get done between the two sides.
Ortiz could also fit in with the Tampa Bay Rays and any of the four teams in the American League West if he isn't headed back to Boston.
Cherington added that of the club retains Ortiz, they are unlikely to add an outfielder, which would eliminate the Sox from contention for free agent Carlos Beltran. Boston's right fielder would then likely be Ryan Kalish, Josh Reddick or a combination of both.
- Jason A. Churchill
Kemp's impact on Zimmerman
10:00
AM ETRyan Zimmerman | Nationals TopEmailCommentsWith Matt Kemp apparently on the verge of a $160 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the buzz in the nation's capital is on whether the Washington Nationals would try to do the same with their own home-grown star - third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
But Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports, Zimmerman's agent, tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that "there currently are no active discussions regarding a contract extension for Ryan."
Zimmerman, who has two more seasons until free agency, has been open about his wish to sign a contract that would keep him in Washington. But Kilgore says the Nationals' time frame for an extension is tighter than it seems because, if Zimmerman reaches spring training in 2013 without an extension, he will opt for free agency.
- Doug Mittler
Is $90 million too much for Reyes?
8:30
AM ETJose Reyes | Mets TopEmailComments35The Miami Marlins' reported offer of six years and $90 million to Jose Reyes just might end up being a very effective first strike.
Ken Rosenthal reported the offer Tuesday morning, and if that is the starting point, then the Mets can forget about Reyes returning to Queens, tweeted Adam Rubin of ESPNNew York.com.
Bill Madden of the NY Daily News reports Wednesday that some clubs initially projected as suitors for Reyes may now have other priorities. It may be just posturing, but Madden talked to GMs for the Angels, Brewers and Nationals, all of whom sounded like they are out on Reyes.
Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of ESPN's The GM's Office tweeted Tuesday night that Reyes has two legit offers, presumably from the Marlins and Mets.As Bowden notes, it's very, very early in the process and offers from a number of other clubs could come in before Reyes makes a decision.
According to various reports, the Mets appear very reluctant to offer Reyes a deal as long as six years. The Mets believe they will get a chance to make a final offer to Reyes before he makes up his mind, but they may not bother to do so if the price is too high, says Andy Martino of the Daily News.
- Doug Mittler
Buster Olney
Reyes seems headed for Miami
"There is an expectation they will work something out with Reyes for something in the range of five years, $18-20M a year. They are seen as the team that's going to be most aggressive and he certainly fits the style that Ozzie Guillen loves to play. He loves to have a team that runs the bases aggressively, puts pressure on opposing defenses. Reyes would be a centerpiece for that with Hanley Ramirez moving to another position."
Dodgers will pass on Prince
8:00
AM ETPrince Fielder | Brewers TopEmailCommentsAs we wait for the market for Prince Fielder to develop, at least one team has already dropped out of the sweepstakes for the star first baseman.
Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Tuesday that it is unlikely his club will be able to pursue a big-name free-agent power hitter this winter, effectively ending all speculation the Dodgers will be in the hunt for Fielder, says Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Colletti hinted that the pending sale the sale of the club is a key reason the Dodgers will be forced to pass on Fielder.
Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin was scheduled to talk to Scott Boras Tuesday afternoon, presumably to discuss Fielder, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel. Haudricourt adds that the club "appears to have mentally moved on at 1B," and that Mat Gamel will get a chance to win the job.
Fielder also will not end up in St. Louis if Albert Pujols were to land elsewhere. Cards GM John Mozeliak told the Post-Dispatch that the club would address a possible defection internally rather than by joining the pursuit for Fielder.
- Doug Mittler
No extension for Montero?7:05
AM ETMiguel Montero | Diamondbacks TopEmailCommentsThe Arizona Diamondbacks and catcher Miguel Montero have been discussing a contract extension, but those talks have stalled, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
Montero, who had his best season as a big leaguer in 2011, earned $3.2 million for his efforts and is arbitration eligible one final time this winter.
If the two sides do not come to a multi-year agreement, Montero could approach $6 million in salary for 2012 and hit the free agent market next offseason, where he'd certainly be one of the most sought after players in the game.
There's still plenty of time, and signs that both sides are very willing, to get something done, but if it continues into the season a trade scenario could present itself.
It's difficult to believe GM Kevin Towers not coming to terms with the Octagon Sports client, likely buying out at least one year of free agency in the process.
- Jason A. Churchill
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
