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Indians Rumors: Encarnacion, Diaz, Alonso, Santana, Myers, Kluber, Bauer, Kipnis

By Mark Polishuk | December 12, 2018 at 11:07am CDT

The Indians continue to explore trade scenarios involving their veteran players, including some three-team proposals involving Edwin Encarnacion, Yonder Alonso, and Yandy Diaz, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  The three-team discussions are mostly about unloading salaries, which is why Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer have “for the most part” not been involved in the multi-team talks, Hoynes notes.  In general, Cleveland is exploring any and all possible options with their veteran players as the team looks to thread the needle between staying competitive in 2019 while still freeing up payroll space both for next season and in the future.

The Tribe was linked to Carlos Santana in trade rumors yesterday, and a reunion with their former first baseman would be possible if Cleveland was able to offload Encarnacion or Alonso in another trade (or potentially maybe even the same trade, if the Mariners were also involved in a three-team swap).  Santana has already changed teams once this winter and continues to be a popular trade target given that the Mariners are another team looking to cut payroll.  In the latest update, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that Santana could possibly be traded over the next few days.

If Santana did return to Cleveland, some financial juggling would likely have to take place due to the money involved with all of the first basemen.  Santana is owed $40MM over the next two seasons, while Encarnacion is owed $25MM through 2019 (a $20MM salary in 2019 and a $5MM buyout of a $20MM club option for 2020) and Alonso $8MM in 2019, plus a $9MM vesting option for 2020 based on plate appearances and a clean physical.  In reports from earlier this week, Hoynes suggested that the controllable Diaz could be added to a deal involving one of these larger salaries in order to make the salary hit more palatable for another team.

Speaking of big contracts, Hoynes also notes that Cleveland has been “linked” to Padres first baseman/outfielder Wil Myers in trade rumors.  That would be an even more surprising addition for the cost-conscious Tribe to make, and it would require even more salary-shifting given that Myers is owed $64MM through the 2022 season.  It isn’t clear if the Indians were strongly pursuing Myers or just doing their due diligence in overall talks with the Padres.  Hoynes mentions that the Tribe has interest in some of the MLB-ready young players in San Diego’s organization, though there has been “little headway” in those discussions.

There has also been “little interest” in Jason Kipnis as the Tribe tries to market the veteran second baseman/outfielder.  Given that Kipnis has posted below-average hitting numbers in each of the last two seasons, it isn’t surprising that the Indians are struggling to find a trade partner, especially given the $17MM remaining on Kipnis’ contract.

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Cleveland Guardians San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners Carlos Santana Corey Kluber Edwin Encarnacion Jason Kipnis Trevor Bauer Wil Myers Yandy Diaz Yonder Alonso

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Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Jimmy Nelson

By Mark Polishuk | December 12, 2018 at 10:06am CDT

The Brewers have avoided arbitration with right-hander Jimmy Nelson by agreeing to a one-year contract for 2019, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).  Nelson will earn $3.7MM in the deal, The Athletic’s Robert Murray tweets, which was Nelson’s salary from 2018 and the number that Haudricourt figured the righty would receive, given that Nelson missed all of last season recovering from shoulder surgery.  MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected the same $3.7MM figure for Nelson.

Before going under the knife in September 2017, Nelson was enjoying a breakout season, posting a 3.49 ERA, 10.2 K/9, and 4.15 K/BB rate over 175 1/3 innings for the Brew Crew.  It was originally believed that Nelson would return at some point in 2018, though delays in his rehab kept him off the mound and he missed out on contributing to Milwaukee’s run to the NLCS.

Nelson’s expected return in 2019 is a “true wild card” for the Brewers and their rotation, as Haudricourt notes.  The club has been checking in on available pitchers in free agency and trade talks, though a healthy and in-form Nelson would certainly be a major internal boost.

The Brewers now reached deals with four of their 10 arbitration-eligible players.  The club has now avoided hearings with Nelson, Hernan Perez, Tyler Saladino, and Erik Kratz.

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Milwaukee Brewers Transactions Jimmy Nelson

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NL East Notes: Pollock, Camargo, Swanson, Maldonado, Realmuto, deGrom

By Mark Polishuk | December 12, 2018 at 9:52am CDT

The Braves have discussed offering a contract to free agent A.J. Pollock, The Athletic’s David O’Brien writes (subscription required).  Atlanta is known to be casting a wide net for outfield help so it isn’t any surprise that Pollock is one of the team’s many options under consideration.  The 31-year-old would, however, be one of the costlier names available, both in terms of money — Pollock is reportedly looking for an $80MM deal — and in draft compensation, as Pollock rejected a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks.  The Braves would have to give up their third-highest selection in the 2019 draft for signing Pollock, though GM Alex Anthopoulos indicated that wouldn’t be an obstacle.  Pollock has spent the vast majority of his career as a center fielder but would likely shift to a corner position in Atlanta given Ender Inciarte’s outstanding glovework, though Inciarte has himself been the subject of some trade speculation.

More from Atlanta and other teams in the NL East…

  • The Braves have one of the game’s deeper farm system, though they have also received interest in several players on their Major League roster.  Johan Camargo and Dansby Swanson are two players other teams have called about, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes, and a follow-up tweet from Bowman includes the detail that teams asking about Ozzie Albies “have found the discussion has shifted toward Swanson.”  Since breaking in with an impressive rookie season in 2016, Swanson has posted below-average numbers at the plate, hitting just .235/.308/.359 over 1084 PA.  It seems logical that Albies has more value than Swanson at this point, though it’s worth noting that Swanson is still just 24 and has only four pro seasons under his belt. To that end, Bowman writes that “some within the Braves organization remain hesitant to move Swanson.”  As for Camargo, he seems like another player unlikely to be pried away from the Braves without a hefty return, as Camargo offers five seasons of team control and a lot of multi-positional versatility.
  • The Mets had a meeting with Martin Maldonado and his camp yesterday, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.  Maldonado was originally mentioned as a Mets target earlier this winter, and the club could now be circling back towards a more defensive-oriented answer at catcher rather than continue making a big push for J.T. Realmuto.  As per Heyman, the Mets “are [starting] to lose a bit of confidence in Realmuto talks” with the Marlins.  In another tweet from earlier in the evening, Heyman cited the Mets as seemingly “the most aggressive team” in pursuit of Realmuto, with the Braves and Yankees in the next tier down, and the Yankees perhaps in the mix only for the purposes of flipping Realmuto to another club.
  • In other Mets news, the team spoke with Jacob deGrom’s camp yesterday, James Wagner of the New York Times reports (Twitter link).  SNY.tv’s Andy Martino described the meeting as “very preliminary” in nature, and not exactly proper “extension talks” just yet.  As Wagner notes, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen is staying out of any extension negotiations with deGrom due to Van Wagenen’s former role as deGrom’s agent, so it will be particularly interesting to see how things unfold between the two sides.  DeGrom has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining before he hits free agency, so while there isn’t any immediate rush for a long-term deal, the Mets might prefer to lock up one ace before potentially looking to deal another in Noah Syndergaard.
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Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins New York Mets A.J. Pollock Dansby Swanson J.T. Realmuto Jacob deGrom Johan Camargo Martin Maldonado Ozzie Albies

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Quick Hits: Angels, Giants, Braves

By TC Zencka | December 12, 2018 at 7:34am CDT

GM Billy Eppler reiterated the Angels’ plan to build upon the growth of their farm system in 2018, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The plan is clear: build a Top-5 system, and then use their financial muscle to supplement (Fangraphs pegs their current farm as the 12th most valuable system in the league). The Angels aren’t out on all trade candidates, however, as Eppler makes an important distinction in stating that they haven’t traded anyone “impactful” from their farm. Deals that don’t require surrendering top prospects remain theoretically in play, though such a strategy likely won’t yield any of the sexier names being bandied about these winter meetings, such as Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer or J.T. Realmuto. Fletcher suggests Sonny Gray, Francisco Cervelli and Julio Teheran as the types of trade targets that might be within their reach. These types of targets are likely better fits for their financial outlook as well.

  • Behind the leadership of President of Baseball Ops Farhan Zaidi, the San Francisco Giants will open their playbook to more modern pitching strategies next season, per Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News. A staff comprised of injury-prone veterans like Jeff Samardzija and up-and-comers potentially on innings limits (Dereck Rodriguez, Andrew Suarez) may lead manager Bruce Bochy to employ the Opener strategy or, as Zaidi puts it, “different forms of pitching staff constructions” in 2019. Bochy is a noted traditionalist in the dugout, but in lieu of finding five starters capable of pitching 200 innings, he and Zaidi will be forced to adapt by building a pitching strategy tailored to their current personnel. The Giants may still add to their stable of arms, but outfield is far-and-away the winter priority at this time, and they feel pretty good about where how the bullpen is currently constructed. That said, there has been considerably trade interest in Will Smith and Tony Watson, so the near-term outlook could change if a can’t-miss deal presents itself. Thus far, Zaidi is adhering to a patient approach in his first winter at the helm, which makes sense given the financial and talent makeup of the San Francisco roster.
  • The Braves lost out to division rival Philadelphia in the bidding for Andrew McCutchen, though Atlanta was never a serious contender once the price rose to include a third season, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. GM Alex Anthopoulos is perfectly content to wait until the new year before making any more additions, should that be what the market dictates. In the case of McCutchen, for instance, the Braves viewed the former Pirates outfielder as comparable to Carlos Gonzalez or Nick Markakis – corner bats that add value when secured on a shorter-term deal. They’ve vetted most outfielders available, and a bigger name like Michael Brantley is still in play for Atlanta, but the Braves aren’t eager to overpay for expediency at this stage of the winter. This mirrors the situation they faced earlier in the winter when they looked into possibly acquiring J.T. Realmuto. After feeling like the Marlins wouldn’t deal within the division, they moved on to free agent target Brian McCann. While the intra-division embargo seems to have passed, the Braves will not be reengaging the Marlins, as they secured a catching tandem they like, in McCann and Tyler Flowers, at a price they like.
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Atlanta Braves Los Angeles Angels San Francisco Giants Trade Candidate Alex Anthopoulos Billy Eppler Bruce Bochy Carlos Gonzalez Farhan Zaidi Francisco Cervelli Julio Teheran Michael Brantley Nick Markakis Sonny Gray Tony Watson

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White Sox Notes: Harper/Machado, Rotation, Catcher

By TC Zencka | December 12, 2018 at 5:55am CDT

The White Sox are unfazed in their pursuit of both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, but the Southsiders don’t view themselves as the favorite for either, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The White Sox plan to meet with both Harper and Machado during these winter meetings. In their favor, Chicago’s financial ledger is clear of future obligations (save for Tim Anderson’s deal, which is guaranteed through 2022) as they approach a window to compete in the AL Central after 2019. Still, a Harper signing would be uncharacteristically rich for White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, writes the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription link). There are examples of the typically-prudent Reinsdorf opening his wallet, however, most notably the signings of Albert Belle (for $55MM in 1996 )and Jose Abreu (for $68MM in 2013). Clearly, those dollar amounts pale in comparison to what either Harper or Machado will demand, but both were splashy acquisitions in their time that demanded the league’s attention in their respective winters. More rumblings on the Southsiders plans for the rest of the offseason…

  • GM Rick Hahn checked one box off his offseason to-do list with yesterday’s acquisition of starter Ivan Nova. While it’s not a landscape-shifting move by any means, it’s an important one for the White Sox, who have Nova earmarked for the innings originally allocated to top prospect Michael Kopech, per James Fegan of the Athletic (subscription link). Nova should provide reliable, if unspectacular rotation innings, much in the mold of James Shields, though Nova isn’t quite the innings-eater that Shields is (Nova’s career high in innings is 187 in 2017). Nova, with Scott Boras client Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito, should make up the front four in the Sox 2019 rotation, with the fifth spot an open competition between Manny Banuelos, Dylan Covey, Jordan Stephens and perhaps a couple non-roster invitees. Hahn remains on the lookout for further rotation help, but with at least one more rebuilding season ahead, the White Sox have the luxury of patience as they continue to audition young arms for what, they hope, could be an earnestly-competitive roster by 2020.
  • Hahn is also on the lookout for a short-term catching option to add to the 2019 mix after dealing Omar Narvaez to Seattle. Their interest in Yasmani Grandal must be grouped, at present, with Machado and Harper as guys the Sox are kicking the tires on, but unlikely to lock down. They have a pair of catching prospects in Zack Collins and Seby Zavala, but there’s no reason to rush either one when one-year stopgaps like Martin Maldonado or James McCann are available, whom the Sox could happily pair with Wellington Castillo for the time being. Collins and Zavala don’t preclude a Grandal acquisition, as the latter would take some pressure of the pair of prospects, though it’s reasonable to assume Grandal’s market could see an influx of suitors when the J.T. Realmuto sweepstakes reaches a conclusion. 
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Chicago White Sox Bryce Harper Ivan Nova James McCann Manny Machado Martin Maldonado Michael Kopech Rick Hahn Yasmani Grandal

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NL Notes: Reds, Mets, Cubs, Maeda

By Ty Bradley | December 12, 2018 at 3:46am CDT

With news that the team is contemplating a rare foray into the big-game portion of the offseason’s free agent market, and today’s reports that the club is interested in acquiring Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig, the Reds have moved to the fore of the offseason’s hot stove.  As The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans details, it’s a unique position for a team that’s spent the last four years in the cellar of the NL Central. The Reds, to no one’s surprise, are said to be pursuing a center fielder, but quotes from President of Baseball Ops Dick Williams suggest the player need not be of the defense-first variety: “That’s one of the factors in not being comfortable in paying Billy (Hamilton) what we were paying him,” he said. “You could argue we can have room for a little more offense, a little less defense out of our center fielder.” One player said to be in the plans is blue-chip prospect Nick Senzel, a third baseman by trade who apparently offers enough athleticism to handle the position, though the options surely remain numerous at this juncture.

In other news from around the NL . . .

  • Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets continue to ruminate internally about whether or not top prospect Andres Gimenez will be able to make the jump to the parent club in 2019, which would allow the team to dangle current shortstop Amed Rosario in a deal to reel in the trade market’s big fish, Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto. Such a scenario would, in all likelihood, necessitate the signing of a stopgap, defense-first shortstop, though 24-year-old Luis Guillorme, a supposed virtuoso with the leather, would seem to fit the bill as well as any. Gimenez, who spent nearly half of last season in Double-A as a 19-year-old, has a scouting report that reads quite similar to the one originally stamped to Rosario: a plus glove, with questions surrounding the bat.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times cites sources who claim the Cubs would like to acquire two “established” but “not high-end” relievers, though such moves might not happen until next month. The Cubs’ pen delivered strong results last season (an NL best 83 ERA-), though much of the success may be ascribed to a combination of luck and sterling defense — the unit’s .277 BABIP, after all, was tied for the second lowest in the league, and its collective 106 xFIP- ranked in the league’s bottom half. Brandon Morrow, arguably the team’s best reliever in his limited action last year, is already scheduled to miss time next season after undergoing elbow surgery in November.
  • Per Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts (via the LA Times’ Jorge Castillo on Twitter), righty Kenta Maeda will begin next season in the Dodger rotation. Maeda, 30, was yo-yoed between the bullpen and rotation last year despite mostly excellent (10.62 K/9, 3.30 FIP) results as a starter. His contract, which includes a series of incentive bonuses for each additional 10 IP after reaching the 90-inning plateau for a season, plus $1MM each for making his 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, and 32nd starts of the year, may have been a factor, though the club’ll be hard-pressed to again limit the Japanese hurler if he reprises his dominance from a season ago.
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Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets Kenta Maeda

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Red Sox Notes: Bogaerts, Payroll, Sale, Catchers

By Ty Bradley | December 12, 2018 at 2:23am CDT

Following a startling afternoon report that the Red Sox would “listen” to offers on franchise cornerstones Xander Bogaerts, Rick Porcello, and Jackie Bradley Jr., presumably in order to clear payroll space for upgrades elsewhere on the diamond, the BoSox brass spent much of the evening in equivocation.  Indeed, NBC Sports Boston’s Evan Drellich reports that the defending champs would need to be “blown away” to deal their star shortstop, and the notion that they’re “actively shopping” these players is “overblown.”  Replacing the 26-year-old Bogaerts, who’s posted an exceptional 17.4 fWAR over the last four seasons, would be nearly impossible, and the rental market, at least in recent times, leaves little to be desired.  Boston, though, will face a number of tough decisions with core players in the upcoming seasons: after all, nearly half of the team’s projected 25-man roster is set to hit free agency by the conclusion of 2020 season.

In other news from Beantown . . .

  • Both Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Chad Jennings of The Athletic offer insight into the potential mass exodus set to hit the club after the 2019 and 2020 seasons.  Each of Bogaerts, Porcello, Chris Sale, and possibly J.D. Martinez (if he elects to exercise his opt-out) are free agents after next season, with Bradley and Mookie Betts set to hit the market the following year.  Though the club’s annual reserves match (and often surpass) that of any other MLB team, keeping all these players in the fold seems altogether unlikely: “I do caution, and the one thing I keep talking about, is that it’s just from a financial perspective and rule perspective, it’s not going to be possible to keep everybody that we have,” GM Dave Dombrowski said. “You have to realize that if anybody is signed long term now, it may have an effect on some other things that you may do later on.”  It seems prudent, then, to cull from at least two of the lower-profile members of the group (which includes a half-dozen or so other contributors), though Porcello, with his $21.1MM salary for next season, and Bradley, with declining performance in the box, may not yield the assets the BoSox desire.
  • Drellich, in a separate report, cites sources claiming that lefty Chris Sale would be “open” to extension talks, and perhaps more so than “most players of his caliber.”  The 29-year-old, of course, just completed one of the most impressive seasons in AL history and is on a surefire hall-of-fame trajectory; the figures, then, are sure to be astronomical, but neither the team nor Dombrowski have shied away from huge starting-pitcher payouts in the past.
  • Christopher Smith of MLB.com reports that the Sox “prefer to trade” one of their three catchers before Spring Training but “are willing” to hold on to each. Blake Swihart, long the subject of trade rumors across the baseball landscape, continued to disappoint at the plate in 2018, while platoon mates Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon combined for a dreadful -1.7 fWAR. The position seems a clear target of upgrade for the defending champs, though dealing from their current surfeit may be challenging, to say the least.
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Boston Red Sox Chris Sale Xander Bogaerts

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Minor MLB Transactions: 12/11/18

By Ty Bradley | December 12, 2018 at 12:55am CDT

The latest minor moves from around the league …

  • IF/OF Danny Santana, formerly of the Twins and Braves, has signed a minor league pact with Texas, per Jon Heyman of Fancred on Twitter. Santana, 28, had a brilliant debut season in 2014 with Minnesota, albeit one with an obviously unsustainable .405 BABIP.  He’s been mostly awful since, posting below-replacement-level in figures in three of the last four seasons.  Santana spent most of last season with Triple-A Gwinnett, slashing .264/.294/.497 in 342 plate appearances.
  • The Angels have signed righty Forrest Snow, outfielder Cesar Puello, infielder Wilfredo Tovar, and reliever Matt Ramsey to minor league deals with invites to Spring Training, per MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. Snow, 29, has spent nine full seasons in the minors without an MLB appearance; in 2018, he struggled with the gopher ball (1.68 HR/9) in 20 starts for Tampa’s AAA affiliate. Puello, 27, has some previous MLB experience with the Angels and Rays and has posted a number of impressive slash lines in the high minors. Last year, he hit .317/.426/.454 in semi-regular time with Triple-A Reno in the Arizona system. Tovar, 27, is a noted defensive wizard at shortstop but offers little at the plate. In his fourth appearance at the AAA level in 2018, he slashed .297/.342/.386 in 389 PA. Ramsey, 29, posted an excellent 10.34 K/9 over 3.06 BB/9 in the hitter-friendly PCL last year, and could be an intriguing early-inning pen option for the Halos next season.
  • The KBO’s NC Dinos have signed former big-leaguer Christian Bethancourt to a one-year deal for $1MM, per the Yonhap News Agency. Bethancourt, 27, was acquired by San Diego in 2016 in hopes of becoming a two-way contributor, but was mostly abysmal on both fronts. The C/IF/OF/P posted an uninspiring 113 wRC+ in the rarefied air of AAA Colorado Springs last season, with forays to the mound mostly suspended for the time being.
  • The Yonhap News Agency also reports that the SK Wyverns of the KBO have re-signed former Pirate reliever Angel Sanchez to a 1-year, $1.2MM deal. Sanchez, 29, last appeared for the Pirates in 2017, following a mostly-solid career in the minors.
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Los Angeles Angels Texas Rangers Angel Sanchez Cesar Puello Christian Bethancourt Danny Santana Forrest Snow

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FA/Trade Rumors: Kinsler, Jays, Yanks, Indians, Miller, Allen, Miley

By Connor Byrne | December 12, 2018 at 12:00am CDT

The Tigers, Brewers, Athletics and Nationals are among the teams interested in free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The Brewers have met with Kinsler at the Winter Meetings, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Detroit’s inclusion on the list is particularly interesting in light of the fact that Kinsler thrived there from 2014-17, before the team traded him to the Angels last offseason. The 36-year-old ended up dividing the season between Anaheim and Boston, where he combined to hit a less-than-stellar .240/.301/.380 (87 wRC+) in 534 plate appearances. But to Kinsler’s credit, he swatted 14 home runs, stole 16 bases and, for the 12th consecutive season, posted at least 2.0 fWAR (2.3).

More chatter from around the game…

  • Blue Jays right-handers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, though teams are finding it especially difficult to pry them loose. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, interested clubs have found the Jays’ asking price for both pitchers to be “uncomfortably high.” Because Stroman and Sanchez each have two years of control left, Nicholson-Smith suggests the Jays are holding out for a return similar to the one the Mariners received from the Yankees for James Paxton. That doesn’t seem realistic on Toronto’s part, however, as both Stroman and Sanchez struggled through injury-limited seasons in 2018.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino’s representative Tuesday, though no real offers have been exchanged to this point, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.  Ottavino, 33, remains near the top of the Yankees’ free-agent wish list, Sherman notes. With free agents Zach Britton and David Robertson possibly on their way out of the Bronx, Ottavino – a New York City native – is a logical target for the club.
  • There’s “no chance” free-agent reliever Andrew Miller will re-sign with the Indians, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com writes. On the other hand, there’s still a possibility of fellow FA reliever Cody Allen returning to Cleveland, according to Hoynes, though he adds that it would be surprising. Although both Miller and Allen fell off in 2018, it still appears the two highly accomplished late-game arms will rake in sizable paydays on the open market.
  • Free-agent lefty Wade Miley’s camp is “confident” he’ll reel in a multiyear contract, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The 32-year-old Miley’s clearly in far better position than he was last offseason, when he had to settle for a minor league deal with Milwaukee. Miley went on to hold his own over 80 2/3 innings with the Brew Crew, pitching to a 2.57 ERA/3.59 FIP with a 52.8 percent groundball rate. At the same time, though, he recorded unappealing strikeout and walk numbers (5.58 K/9, 3.01 BB/9) and benefited from an ultra-low, likely unsustainable home run-to-fly ball rate of 5.2 percent.
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Athletics Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Aaron Sanchez Adam Ottavino Andrew Miller Cody Allen Ian Kinsler Marcus Stroman Wade Miley

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NL Rumors: Phils, Boras, Cards, Dodgers, J. Martinez, Giants, Tulo

By Connor Byrne | December 11, 2018 at 11:21pm CDT

The latest free-agent and trade rumors from the National League…

  • The Phillies met with agent Scott Boras on Tuesday at the Winter Meetings, where they discussed clients Bryce Harper and Zach Britton, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. Even after agreeing to sign fellow outfielder Andrew McCutchen on Tuesday, the Phillies continue to have interest in Harper, Salisbury writes. Meanwhile, the Phillies have been “very aggressive” in their pursuit of Britton as they attempt to strengthen their bullpen, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.
  • The Cardinals have shown interest in both Britton and fellow free-agent lefty Andrew Miller, but the belief is that they’re more interested in the former, per Mark Saxon of The Athletic (subscription required). St. Louis has also been connected to Giants relievers Will Smith and Tony Watson, and Saxon suggests the Cardinals may be willing to trade an outfielder – either Jose Martinez or Tyler O’Neill, but preferably the former – to San Francisco. The Cards have been “pushing” Martinez for Smith, Henry Schulman of the San Franscisco Chronicle reports.
  • More on Martinez, who’s drawing interest from the Dodgers, Rosenthal tweets. The two teams are discussing Martinez, with Rosenthal noting the Dodgers could use the defensively challenged 30-year-old at first base and deploy Cody Bellinger in center field. Despite his defensive limitations, Martinez has proven himself a formidable hitter, and he’s controllable for the next four years.
  • As for the aforementioned Giants relievers, they’re generating a “high level of interest,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told Maria Guardado of MLB.com and other reporters Tuesday. Zaidi added that “we’re going to have to feel good about the return to trade one of those guys.” 
  • Continuing with the Giants, Zaidi suggested Tuesday that they’ll consider free-agent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Schulman tweets. Tulowitzki would presumably back up both shortstop Brandon Crawford and second baseman Joe Panik in San Francisco. It’s worth noting that Tulowitzki’s a Bay Area native who, according to his agent, would be interested in playing there.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Andrew Miller Bryce Harper Jose Martinez Troy Tulowitzki Tyler O'Neill Zach Britton

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