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Jose Reyes

Brewers Notes: Fielder, Reyes, Betancourt, Hairston

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This week's GM meetings are being held in Milwaukee, so let's round up some news from the local team…

  • GM Doug Melvin confirmed to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that they will not extend an offer to Prince Fielder during this week's GM meetings. “We won’t do that here,” said Melvin, who is open to meeting with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras.
  • Melvin told McCalvy that he has not decided if he will make more phone calls or have a face-to-face meeting with Jose Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg. “[We've made] one phone call … No numbers," said the GM.
  • The Brewers declined Yuniesky Betancourt's $6MM option for 2012, but Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel that he's "very interested" in bringing the shortstop back at a lower salary.
  • Melvin has also spoken to Jerry Hairston Jr.'s agent about returning, according to Haudricourt (on Twitter).

Jose Reyes Rumors: Monday

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The latest on free agent shortstop Jose Reyes…

  • The Tigers like Reyes, but don't expect to sign him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Heyman hears that Reyes is the Brewers' top target (Twitter link).
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he has spoken with agent Peter Greenberg since Reyes visited the Marlins last week, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Greenberg is currently out of the country, so he won't be meeting with teams at this week's GM Meetings. "I still think it’s early, notwithstanding all the background noise from the last week," Alderson said.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters, including Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, that he has spoken with Reyes' representatives and hasn't decided whether to initiate more talks (Twitter link).
  • "There is an expectation [the Marlins] will work something out with Reyes for something in the range of five years, $18-20MM a year," said ESPN's Buster Olney on Sportscenter.  Olney sees the Marlins as Reyes' most aggressive suitor.
  • The Marlins are very confident on signing Reyes, a baseball source tells Kevin Burkhardt of SNY (Twitter link).  Burkhardt says not to be shocked if Hanley Ramirez winds up in center field if the Marlins sign Reyes.
  • One executive interested in Reyes told Joel Sherman of the New York Post Reyes is targeting a minimum of $100MM (Twitter link).

Marlins Rumors: Reyes, Pujols, Buehrle, Madson

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The Miami Marlins were officially born yesterday, and they grabbed some headlines by extending contract offers to free agents Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Mark Buehrle. They also expressed some interest in Ryan Madson. Let's round up the latest from South Beach…

  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that Reyes "loved his visit" to the team's new ballpark this past Wednesday, and he would like to play in Miami. SI.com's Heyman hears that Reyes is the team's top free agent target (Twitter link).
  • Within the same piece, Frisaro says that people connected to the team have told him that their offer to Pujols "probably isn’t close to being enough" to land the free agent slugger.
  • Talks with Reyes, Pujols, Madson, and Buehrle are "preliminary" according to Heyman (on Twitter), so there's no threat of all four players accepting offers.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney called the Marlins' strategy fascinating (on Twitter), but cautions that it is risky. The 1997 team also went for quick fixes, then had to tear it all down immediately after winning the World Series.

Marlins Make Offers to Pujols, Reyes, Buehrle

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9:51pm: Loria confirmed the club made the offers, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Marlins president David Samson, however, said the team had no official comment.  When asked if the club could afford all three players, Samson said “It’s a problem we never suspected could happen. That’s the true answer.”

5:03pm: The Marlins have made "substantial offers" to both Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and have also offered a contract to Mark Buehrle, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (both Twitter links).  The team met with Pujols today, Reyes on Wednesday and Buehrle on Tuesday but apparently already felt comfortable enough to make contract offers, though Heyman reports there is "nothing close" to a deal with any of the three.

Miami's aggressiveness is no surprise, given how the Marlins have been in hot pursuit of several top free agents already this offseason.  It's unlikely that Pujols, Reyes or Buehrle would sign so early without fully exploring the market for their services, though a blow-away offer from the Marlins could change their minds. 

The Marlins' payroll was expected to increase by as much as $35MM this winter, but signing Pujols, Reyes and Buehrle would add at least $60MM to the 2012 payroll.  That's a big outlay for three players — to put it in perspective, Cot's Baseball Contracts lists the entire Marlins payroll for 2011 as just under $57.7MM.  Given how committed Jeffrey Loria is to put a competitive team into his new ballpark, we may have been conservative with our estimates about how much the Marlins are willing to spend this winter.

Marlins Notes: Pujols, Cespedes, Reyes

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The Marlins will unveil their new uniforms and logos tonight, when they officially become the Miami Marlins. Here's the latest on the team, which has begun the offseason in style, courting several big-name free agents…

  • The Marlins are serious about signing Albert Pujols and intend to make a competitive offer, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria covets Pujols and envisions him at first base in 2012, according to Spencer.
  • The Marlins are meeting with Pujols and agent Dan Lozano today. You can read the details here.
  • The Marlins like what they saw from Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes yesterday, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. "We think we're a great fit because we're Miami, and we're a natural destination for any Cuban player, any Latin player," Marlins president David Samson said. "We are the Gateway to the Americas. We're the Miami Marlins. I think that he agrees, but we have to make a deal that makes sense for both parties."
  • The Marlins are more likely to sign Jose Reyes and Cespedes than Pujols, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Wright, Alderson

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Let's round up some links from Flushing. Here's the latest on the Mets…

  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Mets will not engage in a bidding war for free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. They will make him an offer they feel comfortable with, then move on if he rejects it.
  • Within the same piece, Olney says that David Wright will be gone by the time the Mets are ready to compete for a championship, so trading him now could produce players that lead to contention sooner.
  • MetsBlog.com's Matt Cerrone spoke to GM Sandy Alderson last week about the team's spending and overall strategy. "Considering where we are now with respect to revenues, in order for us to approach a break-even proposition, we have to keep our payroll at a lower range than it has been in the last few years," said Alderson. "Now, as the team performs better and the revenues increase, there will be the opportunity to increase payroll."
  • Alderson also spoke about the need to "rebalance" the organization after years of spending big on free agents while receiving little impact. "You can only have so many players on your team making $15 to $20 million," he added. "And so the farm system becomes important to the success of any team, including teams in big markets as evidence of the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies."

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Marte, Brewers

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On this date in 2004, 42-year-old Roger Clemens won his seventh and final Cy Young Award. The Astros right-hander became the oldest pitcher to win the award and the first to win it with four different teams. Here are some links from Houston's division…

  • Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux told reporters, including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, that he likes Chicago and is honored to be considered for the Cubs' managerial opening. As for Chicago executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, Maddux says they're young and bright like Jon Daniels and others in the Rangers' front office. "Highly educated, very motivated, but very true and very honest and that's about all you can really ask for," Maddux said.
  • If the Pirates decide to address needs at first, catcher and shortstop via trade, Starling Marte's name could come up, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. 
  • At this stage in the offseason, "everybody has interest in everybody," Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Until teams and agents start exchanging figures, it's hard to say which players fit in which payrolls. Jose Reyes is a possible fit for the Brewers, who declined their club option on Yuniesky Betancourt last week.

Marlins Rumors: Fielder, Reyes, Buehrle, Cespedes

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Just like last year, the Marlins are being aggressive early in the offseason.  But this time instead of quickly signing John Buck and Javier Vazquez and shipping out Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller, the new Miami Marlins are wooing top free agents.  The latest:

  • Marlins president David Samson said on the Dan Le Batard show on 790 the Ticket that the team hasn't reached out to Prince Fielder (Twitter links via MLB.com's Joe Frisaro).  
  • Samson wouldn't comment on Albert Pujols, but he confirmed that Reyes is one of the Marlins' "priorities."
  • Mark Buehrle toured the Marlins' new ballpark and caught up with his former manager Ozzie Guillen in a daylong visit yesterday, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  Ace Josh Johnson commented, "It would be great for the team as a whole. He's a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation."  
  • Buehrle is a better bet to perform over the course of a free agent deal than C.J. Wilson, according to team executives who responded to a poll question posed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Responders voted 14 to 8 in favor of Buehrle.  A GM told Crasnick, "I know C.J. Wilson is a great story, and he's obviously pitched well.  But I don't see knockout stuff, and his arm action concerns me a little bit. Buehrle quietly has been pretty rock-solid for a long time. He works fast and throws with no effort. His recipe seems built to last."
  • Marlins president David Samson appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy, and Capozzi has a transcript.  In regard to free-agent-to-be Yoenis Cespedes, Samson said, "Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit."  The Marlins are sending a contingent to the Dominican Republic for a private workout with the Cuban center fielder tomorrow, in fact.
  • Guillen has been very helpful in recruiting free agents, according to Samson.  The Marlins are meeting with Jose Reyes today, and one Mets person told John Harper of the New York Daily News the Marlins plan to offer Reyes a high-salary, three-year deal.  Personally, I don't think the Marlins will limit their offers to three years.
  • I heard today that while Japan's Yomiuri Giants inquired on free agent and former Marlins top prospect Jeremy Hermida, he's looking to stay in MLB.

Wren Talks Payroll, Shortstop

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GM Frank Wren told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the Braves will increase their payroll in 2012, but that doesn’t mean they’ll pursue top free agent shortstops (all Twitter links). Wren indirectly ruled free agents Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes out by expressing a strong preference for one-year deals.

Though the Braves remain open-minded regarding possible trades, Wren explained that a free agent signing is more likely. Shortstop prospect Tyler Pastornicky is not ready for full-time MLB duty, according to Wren. Alex Gonzalez, Atlanta's shortstop since July 2010, hits free agency with a Type B ranking (Reyes and Rollins are Type As).

Heading into the offseason, it appeared Wren would have as little as $7MM to work with. The Braves spent $91MM on payroll in 2011, when they won 89 games and narrowly missed the playoffs. I recently examined the trade and free agent market for shortstops.

Heyman On Posada, Dodgers, Beltran, Morrison

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The latest rumors tweeted from SI's Jon Heyman…

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