March 2016 - Baseball Wiretap

Blue Jays, Jose Bautista Reopen Talks On Short-Term Deal

Jan 2, 2017 8:43 AM

The Toronto Blue Jays could re-sign Jose Bautista after all if a short-term deal can be agreed upon.

It was reported on Thursday that the Blue Jays are "engaged in active contract discussions" with Bautista, but nothing is imminent.

Gregor Chisholm/MLB

Tags: Toronto Blue Jays, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Rangers Haven't Had Serious Extension Talks With Darvish, Lucroy

Jan 2, 2017 8:43 AM

The Texas Rangers have yet to engage in serious talks with Yu Darvish or Jonathan Lucroy on possible contract extensions, according to Jon Daniels.

Texas has had "informal" talks with Lucroy and Daniels says the team will explore new deals with both players as Opening Day gets closer.

"We will sit down and talk to them but haven't yet and that's by design with so much going on," Daniels said.

1310 The Ticket (Dallas)

Tags: Texas Rangers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Nationals Maintain Interest In Matt Wieters

Jan 2, 2017 8:43 AM

The Washington Nationals continue to have interest in Matt Wieters if he lowers his asking price.

Washington isn't heavily pursuing Wieters currently because they want the catcher to lower his demands in terms of both years and dollars.

Washington Post

Tags: Washington Nationals, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Red Sox Not Concerned After Eduardo Rodriguez Tweaks Knee

Dec 30, 2016 8:24 AM

The Boston Red Sox say they aren't concerned after Eduardo Rodriguez tweaked his right knee after he slipped on a wet mound during a winter ball start in Venezuela on Tuesday.

Dave Dombrowski characterized the injury as merely a "tweak," and the team hasn't asked Rodriguez to return to Boston to be examined by their medical staff.

"At this point, we are not sure if he is coming to Boston or not," Dombrowski said. "We are staying in contact with him in Venezuela and will determine that over the next few days."

Rodriguez missed five weeks in spring training and the first nine weeks of last season with a dislocated right knee that the club didn't deem serious when it happened Feb. 28.

Scott Lauber/ESPN

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Misc Rumor

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Edwin Encarnacion Received Two Offers From Athletics

Dec 30, 2016 8:39 AM

Before signing with the Cleveland Indians, Edwin Encarnacion received a pair of contract offers from the Oakland Athletics.

One offer was a two-year, $50 million contract, while the second would have included a third-year option in exchange for an opt-out clause.

Oakland's offers are believed to have pushed the Indians to increase their own offer.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports

Tags: Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Rangers, Mike Napoli Discussing Two-Year Deal

Dec 30, 2016 8:39 AM

The Texas Rangers are discussing a possible two-year deal with Mike Napoli and both sides are motivated to get a deal completed.

However, nothing is imminent and Napoli is receiving interest from other clubs as well.

T.R. Sullivan/MLB

Tags: Texas Rangers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Rangers Re-Signing Josh Hamilton To Minors Deal A 'Formality'

Dec 29, 2016 7:08 AM

Josh Hamilton has been cleared by the Texas Rangers' medical staff and re-signing him to a minor league deal is a "formality" at this point.

Hamilton will still have to earn his way onto the major league roster in spring training.

T.R. Sullivan/MLB

Tags: Texas Rangers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Orioles Have Interest In Bourn, Davis, Pagan, Saunders

Dec 29, 2016 7:04 AM

The Baltimore Orioles have maintained interest in free agent outfielders Michael Bourn, Rajai Davis, Angel Pagan and Michael Saunders.

Internally, Dariel Alvarez is a candidate to get one last chance to convince the Orioles he can be a productive major league player.

Alvarez hit .288/.324/.384 with four homers in 560 plate appearances as a 27-year-old at Triple-A this past season.

Roch Kubatko/MASN Sports

Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Manfred Hints More Pace Of Play Changes Coming

Dec 29, 2016 7:14 AM

Rob Manfred is hinting that more pace of play changes could be coming to Major League Baseball.

In a conversation with the New York Daily News, Manfred addressed the possibility of a "pitch clock" and limiting the use of relievers.

"The reason I like the clock is not that I'm looking to force somebody to do something, but I think it is a constant reminder of the need to move things along, and I think that's really important in terms of dealing with the pace-of-play issues," Manfred said.

"It's had great results in the minor leagues. Quantitative data shows that it made the games go faster, but equally important, players don't complain about it. They get used to it and they work within it."

Dayn Perry/CBS Sports

Tags: Misc Rumor

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Yankees, White Sox Aren't Discussing David Robertson

Dec 29, 2016 7:14 AM

Rumors circulated on Tuesday that the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox were in talks on a trade involving Jose Quintana and David Robertson.

A source told MLB.com that talks between the two clubs haven't advanced very far and the New York Post reported that Robertson wasn't involved in the talks either.

Cash Kruth/MLB

Tags: New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Misc Rumor, Trade Rumor

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Reds Name Dick Williams President; Walt Jocketty Becomes Advisor
The Reds have announced that Dick Williams has been promoted from general manager to president of baseball operations.

C. Trent Rosecrans/Cincinnati Enquirier

Several Clubs Interested In Brian Dozier
The Cardinals have joined the Dodgers, Nationals, and Giants in talks with the Twins about second baseman Brian Dozier.

MLB.com

Son: Mel Stottlemyre's Health Has Improved
Former Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyre is battling cancer and looks forward to getting out of the hospital.

ESPN.com

Jays May Have Trade Interest For McCutchen
The Blue Jays are still attempting to address their outfield needs for next season.

MLBtraderumors.com

Report: Jose Bautista Could Take One-Year Deal From Jays
Jose Bautista could return to the Blue Jays if the value of the deal exceeds the $17.2M qualifying offer.

MLB.com

Son Says Mel Stottlemyre 'Fighting For His Life'
Former Yankees pitcher and coach Mel Stottlemyre is in the hospital.

ESPN.com

Braves Sign Ender Inciarte To Five-Year Extension
The Braves and outfielder Ender Inciarte have agreed to a new five-year contract worth over $30 million.

ESPN.com

Tigers Bring Back Alex Avila, Agreeing To One-Year Deal
Alex Avila played in 57 games for the White Sox this year, hitting .213 with seven homers and 11 RBIs.

ESPN.com

Pirates, Ivan Nova Agree To Three-Year, $26M Deal
Ivan Nova returns to the Pirates after going a combined 12-8 with a 4.17 ERA for Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees last season.

ESPN.com

Angels, Ben Revere Agree On One-Year, $4M Deal
Ben Revere hit .217 with two homers and 24 RBIs in 103 games for the Nationals last season.

ESPN.com

Report: Red Sox, Yankees May Play In London In 2018
The AL East rivals could play a series in London Stadium in 2018.

ESPN.com

Report: Giants To Sign Morse, Ruggiano To Minor-League Deals
Michael Morse's last productive season was in 2014 with the Giants organization.

MLBtraderumors.com

Edwin Encarnacion Agrees To Three-Year Deal With Indians
Edwin Encarnacion has agreed to sign with the Indians on a three-year deal worth approximately $20 million per season.

Jon Heyman/Today's Knuckleball

Pirates In Mix To Trade For Jose Quintana
The Pirates have "worked hard" to complete a trade with the White Sox for Jose Quintana, according to a report.

Adam Berry/MLB

Six Teams Have Made Offers To Edwin Encarnacion
While it appears as though the Blue Jays are out of the running, six teams have made offers to Edwin Encarnacion.

Jim Bowden/ESPN

Dodgers, Twins Aren't Progressing On Brian Dozier Trade
Talks between the Dodgers and Twins on a Brian Dozier trade haven't progressed, according to a report.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports

Jonny Gomes Intends To Play In 2017
Jonny Gomes intends to make a comeback to the Major Leagues this coming season, according to a report.

Jerry Crasnick/ESPN

Agent: Door Closed On Blue Jays Re-Signing Edwin Encarnacion
Edwin Encarnacion won't be re-signing with the Blue Jays, his agent says.

ESPN

Kevin Costner Open To A 'Bull Durham' Sequel
While a guest on The Dan Patrick Show recently, Kevin Costner said he'd be open to a 'Bull Durham' sequel some 28 years after the movie opened in theaters.

Matt Morgan/MLB

Braves Could Have Mallex Smith Start Season In Triple-A
Mallex Smith is currently playing in Puerto Rico after missing the season half of the 2016 season with a fractured thumb.

Mark Bowman/MLB