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Rangers, White Sox, Blue Jays Interested In Olivo

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Miguel Olivo is drawing "varying levels of interest" from several clubs, including the Rangers, White Sox, and Blue Jays, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi adds that the Red Sox could also be interested if Victor Martinez signs elsewhere.

Olivo is seeking a two-year contract, so it appears likely that he would turn down an arbitration offer from the Jays, who acquired him from the Rockies earlier this month. In that case, perhaps Toronto's interest would dwindle, since they'd earn a supplemental pick if Olivo signed with another team.

With John Buck and Ramon Hernandez already locked up to deals, the catching market behind V-Mart is thinning rapidly. Check out our list of remaining free agent backstops here.

Marlins Sign John Buck

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The Marlins made an early strike to fill their need for a starting catcher, officially signing John Buck to a three-year, $18MM deal today.  The three-year term comes as no surprise, given the extra years given to free agent catchers last offseason.  It's the Marlins' biggest free agent splash since Carlos Delgado's four-year, $52MM deal in January of 2005.  Nice work by Buck's agents at ACES; players signing early are doing well so far this offseason.  The Marlins' pricey free agent expenditure was made possible in part by their removal of Dan Uggla's salary.

Buck provides the Fish certainty behind the plate with John Baker going down in September for Tommy John surgery and Ronny Paulino a non-tender candidate.  The Red Sox were also known to be interested in Buck.

Buck, 30, hit .281/.314/.489 in 437 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year, logging 933 innings behind the dish.  He signed with Toronto for just $2MM after being non-tendered by the Royals.  Buck is a Type B free agent, so the Blue Jays will receive a supplemental round draft pick for their loss.

Ed Price of AOL FanHouse first tweeted the Marlins were working hard to sign Buck, while Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweeted that the signing was official. In between, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provided all other developments and details.

Jorge De La Rosa Rumors: Wednesday

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5:30pm: The Nationals, Pirates, and Orioles have been the most aggressive De La Rosa suitors, tweets Renck, while the Brewers are no longer in the mix.

4:22pm: The Nationals met today with Jorge de la Rosa's agent Bobby Barad, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Barad told SI's Jon Heyman earlier that seven or eight teams are in on his client.  From previous reports, it appears that the Rockies, Orioles, Pirates, Rangers, Yankees, and Brewers comprise most of those clubs.  The Nationals have also been linked to Carl Pavano and Brandon Webb this offseason as they look to upgrade their rotation. 

De La Rosa, a Type A free agent, will net the Rockies a pair of draft picks if he turns down an arbitration offer.  His Elias score is 74.422, so the Rockies won't necessarily receive a first-rounder from another club.  Also working against them is the fact that the first-round picks of the Pirates, Orioles, Nationals, and Brewers are protected.

Josh Willingham Drawing Interest; Extension Unlikely

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Although Josh Willingham is hoping to sign a long-term extension to remain in Washington for a few more years, that seems unlikely to happen this winter, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Willingham, who is under contract through 2011, will likely either receive a one-year contract from the Nationals or be traded.

"I think we're going to take him one year at a time, like we've been doing," said Nats GM Mike Rizzo. "That's the short answer. But things are fluid, and they could always change. We'll see what the season brings us."

Rizzo also told Kilgore that several teams have inquired about Willingham's availability, which is to be expected since "there's not a lot of [productive right-handed bats] out there." The Rockies are believed to be one of the clubs with some interest in the 31-year-old, according to Kilgore.

In October, when agent Matt Sosnick discussed the possibility of his client signing in Washington long-term, he opined that Willingham would be worth $10MM annually over multiple years on the open market.

Blue Jays Acquire Rajai Davis

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The Blue Jays added to their outfield mix today by acquiring speedster Rajai Davis from the Athletics for minor league relievers Danny Farquhar and Trystan Magnuson.  The Jays also released righty Shawn Hill, according to a press release.

Davis, 30, became more expendable for Oakland after they acquired David DeJesus from the Royals.  Davis slipped to .284/.320/.377 this year in 561 plate appearances for the A's, playing all three outfield positions but mainly center.  It's not clear how the Jays will employ him, but capable center fielders are a rare commodity.  We named him as a trade candidate back on October 25th.  Davis is arbitration eligible for the second time this winter and potentially under team control through 2013.

Farquhar, 24 in February, posted a 3.52 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, and 0.82 HR/9 in 76 2/3 Double-A innings this year.  Baseball America ranked him 14th among Jays prospects heading into the season, noting that he effectively uses multiple arm angles to keep hitters off balance.  The Blue Jays reportedly offered him to the Marlins as part of a deal for Dan Uggla.

Magnuson, a 25-year-old righty, posted a 2.58 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9 with only one home run allowed in 73 1/3 Double-A innings this year.  Heading into the season BA had him 22nd among Jays prospects.

Hill, 30 in April, has undergone Tommy John surgery twice in his career but was solid in 15 pro starts this year.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the deal was close, while MLBTR added Magnuson's inclusion.

Twins, Red Sox Eyeing Nishioka?

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3:32pm: The Red Sox are also in on Nishioka, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  However, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe disagrees (Twitter link).

8:25am: The Twins' Orlando Hudson–J.J. Hardy middle infield combination may not stick around for 2011.  Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune runs through the possibilities.

For starters, the Twins are expected to bid on Tsuyoshi Nishioka this week.  However, Christensen finds the team unlikely to win the bidding.  Nishioka was posted Monday, and the high bidder should be revealed next week.

Only one of Hudson and Hardy is expected to be retained, and Christensen writes of "growing indications" the Twins will tender Hardy a contract at the December 2nd deadline.  In an August 17th poll, almost 84% of you expected Hardy to be tendered.  If they keep Hardy and lose out on Nishioka, it looks like Alexi Casilla will get a shot as the regular second baseman.

Rockies Interested In Kouzmanoff, Cantu, Wigginton

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The Rockies have expressed interest in Athletics' third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He adds that Jose Lopez, Jorge Cantu, and Ty Wigginton are also on Colorado's radar in a second tweet, calling the team "quietly aggressive" during the GM Meetings.

Kouzmanoff is a non-tender candidate, even moreso now that the A's have brought in Edwin Encarnacion and are aggressively bidding on Adrian Beltre. Renck adds that he would fill the role of Melvin Mora for Colorado, pushing Ian Stewart at third base and potentially platooning with him. Cantu, Lopez, and Wiggington could all do the same as well. Earlier today we learned that the Rockies also have interest in Alex Gordon.

“Six Or Eight” Teams Have Spoken To Pavano

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"Six or eight" teams have had preliminary discussions with Carl Pavano's representatives according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. He adds that the Nationals are one such team and have gauged the right-hander's interest during this week's GM Meetings.

Washington has already expressed interest in Jorge de la Rosa and Cliff Lee, potentially Brandon Webb as well, so they're clearly willing to spend money to upgrade their rotation. Pavano is generally considered to be the best free agent starter on the market after Lee, having thrown 420 1/3 innings to the tune of a 4.39 ERA over the last two seasons.  The Rockies and Twins figure to be among the suitors. Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Pavano's free agent stock back in September.

Odds & Ends: Gordon, Anderson, Phillies, Park

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Links for Wednesday, the second day of the GM Meetings, as Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black take home Manager of the Year honors…

Athletics Open Bidding On Beltre At Five Years?

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2:48pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that Beltre's camp is using Torii Hunter's five year, $90MM contract as a comparable for their expectations (Twitter link).

2:01pm: Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes tweets that Oakland offered Beltre five years and $64MM, the same contract he signed with Seattle before the 2005 season.

12:06pm: The Athletics made an initial offer of $45MM over five years to third baseman Adrian Beltre, according to Juan Mercado at the Dominican daily El Dia (link in Spanish).  Enrique Rojas at ESPN Deportes recently identified the team as a serious suitor for Beltre.

Opening the bidding at five years for the 31-year-old is certainly an aggressive opening salvo toward the dozen or so teams that reportedly hope to land Beltre. Mercado cites a source saying this is the first offer made thus far to Beltre, though at $9MM annually, the A's offer is a good step below the four years, $52MM that Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe recently labeled a likely ceiling for the Red Sox.

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