Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Red Sox Have Mike Napoli On Their Radar

By Mike Axisa | November 8, 2012 at 9:35am CDT

The Red Sox have Mike Napoli on their radar for first base, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). He also reiterates the team's interest in Adam LaRoche, and hears that Boston's rebuilding won't keep free agents away.

"We view Boston as a contender because they'll build team quickly. I doubt they'll have trouble attracting free agents," said a prominent agent to Cafardo (Twitter link).

Napoli, 31, hit .227/.343/.469 with 24 homers this season and is a year removed from a 30-homer, .320/.414/.631 performance. For what it's worth, he's a .306/.397/.710 hitter with seven homers in 18 career games at Fenway Park. Napoli has been primarily a catcher in recent years, but he also has plenty of first base and DH experience.

The Rangers did not make Napoli a qualifying offer, therefore teams will not have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him.

Minor Moves: Mock, Burke, Maier, Slowey, Ford

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 10:18pm CDT

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves…

The Diamondbacks have signed Garrett Mock to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.79 ERA in 61 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this season.
The Mets have signed right-hander Greg Burke to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, the team announced (on Twitter). Burke, 30, pitched to a 1.53 ERA in 64 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this year.
Indians right-hander Kevin Slowey has elected free agency, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 28-year-old spent 2012 with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate.
The Red Sox have signed Mitch Maier to a minor league deal, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (on Twitter). The 30-year-old outfielder hit .172/.260/.313 in 74 plate appearances for the Royals this year.
The Pirates have signed Darren Ford to a minor league pact, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 27-year-old outfielder hit .273/.326/.385 with 26 steals in 329 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
The Pirates have signed infielder Jared Goedert to a minor league deal, reports Rosenthal (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hit .311/.373/.502 with 19 homers in 504 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
The Royals have agreed to re-sign catcher Manny Pina to a minor league contract, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Pina, 25, hit .278/.415/.417 in 183 minor league plate appearances this summer. Dutton notes that he will be exposed in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

White Sox Acquire Blake Tekotte

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 5:28pm CDT

5:28pm: The Padres will receive right-hander Brandon Kloess as the player to be named later in the deal, according to Sosnick Cobbe Sports (via Twitter). Kloess, 28 in December, split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season in the White Sox's system. In total, Kloess posted a 2.69 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in three starts and 34 relief appearances.

3:37pm: The White Sox have acquired Blake Tekotte from the Padres for a player to be named later, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). San Diego designated the speedy outfielder for assignment last week.

Tekotte, 25, has hit .163/.226/.224 in 55 plate appearances for the Padres over the last two years. He's a .269/.355/.445 career hitter at the minor league level. Baseball America ranked Tekotte as San Diego's 15th best prospect before the season in their Prospect Handbook, saying he "makes enough contact against lefties and fields well enough to remain relevant as a potential center-field regular"

Sherman’s Latest: Pettitte, Athletics, Mets

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 4:46pm CDT

Here’s the latest from Joel Sherman of The New York Post (links go to Twitter)…

Andy Pettitte is now represented by Excel Sports after being with the Hendricks Brothers throughout his career. Jim Murray left Hendricks for Excel and will continue to represent the veteran left-hander. Casey Close, who runs Excel’s baseball division, said Pettitte has not yet made a firm decision about pitching next year.
The Athletics are planning to bottom feed for a shortstop after trading Cliff Pennington and letting Stephen Drew walk. They feel they can find an average producer from the pool of available players.
The Athletics are telling teams they will keep their outfielders (Yoenis Cespedes, Chris Young, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick, Seth Smith) and rotate them while not using a traditional DH.
The Mets are saying they have hardly any money to spend this winter beyond signing David Wright and R.A. Dickey to contract extensions. Perhaps parting ways with Jason Bay will give them some more flexibility.

Mariners Notes: Offense, Hernandez, Maurer

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 4:21pm CDT

Here's the latest from Seattle…

The Mariners are again looking to add offense this winter, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He says free agent hitters are showing a greater willingness to sign with the team now that the Safeco Field fences are moving in.
"Think I'll carry around a recording: 'I am not trading Felix Hernandez'," joked GM Jack Zduriencik to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). This doesn't figure to be the last time we hear that this offseason.
Rosenthal says the Mariners view right-hander Brandon Maurer in the same light as top prospects Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, and James Paxton (Twitter links). The 22-year-old pitched to a 3.20 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 137 2/3 innings in Double-A this year.

Diamondbacks Will Listen To Offers For Trevor Bauer

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 4:01pm CDT

The Diamondbacks are already involved in "active discussions" about Justin Upton, and now ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the team will also listen to trade offers for Trevor Bauer (Twitter links). The right-hander has fallen out of favor with some in the organization.

Bauer, 21, was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. He made his MLB debut this season and surrendered 13 runs in 16 1/3 innings across four starts while also battling a groin problem. Bauer pitched to a 2.42 ERA in 130 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this year as well. Between Upton and Bauer, GM Kevin Towers may be in possession of this offseason's two biggest trade chips.

Guthrie Believed To Be Seeking Three Years, $34MM

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 3:12pm CDT

Jeremy Guthrie is believed to be seeking a three-year contract worth $34MM this offseason, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The free agent right-hander is a Brodie Van Wagenen client.

"I think he’s looking at other opportunities, and we’ll see where that goes," said Royals GM Dayton Moore. "It’s hard to predict what is going to happen with a lot of these guys in free agency. It only takes one or two clubs…He’s looking to get the best deal."

Guthrie, 33, pitched to a 3.16 ERA in 91 innings for the Royals after being acquired from the Rockies at midseason. The former Oriole is one of only ten pitchers to throw at least 175 innings every season since 2007, so he offers lots of reliability. Ben Nicholson-Smith examined Guthrie's free agent stock in September, and the Royals have expressed interest in bringing him back.

D’Backs In “Active Discussions” About Justin Upton

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 2:31pm CDT

It's that time of the year again. The Diamondbacks are engaged in "active discussions" about a trade involving Justin Upton, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Multiple teams are looking into his background, makeup, etc. (Twitter link), and one executive put the outfielder's chances of playing elsewhere next season at 80-20.

Upton, 25, hit .280/.355/.430 with 17 homers this season while battling hand issues. He hit .289/.369/.529 with 31 homers just a year ago, earning him a fourth place finish in the MVP voting. Upton is signed through 2015 for a total of $38.5MM. Rosenthal says his limited no-trade clause included the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Cubs this year, though the list has since changed.

The Diamondbacks seems to be involved in trade discussions involving Upon every offseason and every trade deadline, though the most serious talks occurred back in 2010. Arizona has already traded Chris Young and still has plenty of outfield depth with Gerardo Parra, Adam Eaton, and Jason Kubel.

Yasmani Grandal Suspended 50 Games

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 2:06pm CDT

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal as been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a high testosterone level, the team announced.

"We were disappointed to learn of the suspension of Yasmani Grandal for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention & Treatment Program," said the team in a statement. "We fully support Major League Baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing drugs from our game. Per the protocol outlined by Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement, we will not comment further on this matter.”

Grandal, 23, hit .297/.394/.469 with eight homers in 226 plate appearances for San Diego last season, his first taste of the big leagues. He was acquired from the Reds in the Mat Latos trade. Grandal was slated to be the team's starting catcher next year, potentially freeing Nick Hundley up for a trade. Those plans — as well as a decision to potentially non-tender John Baker — may have to change.

Yankees Rumors: A-Rod, Rivera, Pettitte, Excel

By Mike Axisa | November 7, 2012 at 1:43pm CDT

Earlier today we had some news on the Mets, now let's travel to the other side of town and check in on the Yankees…

The Yankees are more likely to pursue bargains this offseason than top free agents like Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post. The one nine-figure deal they are considering is an extension for Robinson Cano.
“I don’t see that happening," said GM Brian Cashman to Ken Davidoff of The New York Post when asked if he anticipates receiving trade inquires for Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees are preparing a contract offer for Mariano Rivera, reports Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record. The deal will call for a pay cut from this year's $15MM salary after Rivera missed almost the entire season with a knee injury.
"Will I be surprised if he comes back? No, I won't," said manager Joe Girardi to Newsday's Marc Carig when asked about Andy Pettitte coming back in 2013 (Twitter links). "Andy pitched well again. So, my sense is he's going to be pulled to come back. He'll have to make a decision."
Cashman met with Excel Management Group last night, reports David Lennon of Newsday (on Twitter). Excel represents free agents Greinke and Scott Hairston, as well as many others.

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