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• Source: Four clubs interested in free agent Oliver

  December 14, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  Four American League contenders — the Rangers, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays — have shown interest in free-agent left-hander Darren Oliver, a major-league source told FOXSports.com.

  Oliver, 41, is coming off a season in which he posted a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances for the Texas Rangers.

  Oliver pitched for the Red Sox (2002) and Angels (2007-2009) earlier in his career.

  Oliver has reached the postseason in each of the last six years but is still looking for his first World Series ring. So, he is almost certain to sign with a team that has a realistic chance of winning it all in 2012. He lives with his family in the Dallas area, so a return to the Rangers would be easiest from a personal standpoint.

  — Jon Paul Morosi

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• Big deals on horizon?

  December 13, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  Teams with two marketable assets generally prefer to trade them separately to maximize the return.

  The Athletics likely will do that with left-hander Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey. Ditto for the Braves with right-hander Jair Jurrjens and infielder/outfielder Martin Prado.

  Certain teams, however, are interested in both Gonzalez and Bailey, and others want both Jurrjens and Prado, according to major league sources.

  It is unlikely that that the Athletics or Braves will package both their chips in the same trade, sources say. But the mere possibility raises the potential for a bigger deal.

  The Red Sox, Rangers and Reds are among the teams that have shown interest in both Gonzalez and Bailey, and the Orioles and Braves have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado, sources say.

  The main problem with pulling off such trades is that teams offering veterans with rising salaries want back packages of high-value, low-cost players — the very players that most clubs are reluctant to move.

  The Athletics likely will trade before Bailey before Gonzalez, preferring to hold off on Gonzalez until after the winning bidder for the rights to Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish is identified. At that point, Gonzalez should be in even greater demand.

  Then again, a team could justify trading multiple prospects for both A’s pitchers. Bailey, 27, is under club control for three more seasons; Gonzalez, 26, is under club control for four more.

  The same case is more difficult to make with Jurrjens and Prado, but not by much; Jurrjens, who turns 26 on Jan. 29, and Prado, 28, each are under club control for two more seasons.

  — Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi

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• The Athletics aren't done

  December 09, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  If you think the Oakland Athletics’ trade of right-hander Trevor Cahill reduces their chances of moving lefty Gio Gonzalez, think again.

  The Angels’ $331.5 million investment in free-agent first baseman Albert Pujols and left-hander C.J. Wilson on Thursday only reinforced the Athletics’ vastly inferior status in the AL West.

  So, the A’s again are turning back the clock, dangling pitchers such as Cahill, Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey for younger, less expensive players — not that Cahill, Gonzalez and Bailey are terribly expensive themselves.

  The Cahill deal was Phase One. The interest in Gonzalez and Bailey continues to be intense, major-league sources say. Once Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish goes off the board, Gonzalez should be in even higher demand.

  The Rangers, Blue Jays, Nationals and Marlins are among the teams targeting Gonzalez, sources said. The Red Sox and Rays are among the clubs after Bailey. Certain teams, including the Rangers and Reds, like both.

  The Athletics’ plan is to acquire as much young talent as possible in preparation for either a move to a new ballpark in San Jose or additional years of low-revenue purgatory in Oakland.

  A move to San Jose does not seem close to approval.

  -- Ken Rosenthal

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• Nats, Marlins, Rangers after Buehrle

  December 04, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  The Nationals, Marlins and Rangers are the most aggressive teams on free-agent left-hander Mark Buehrle, according to major-league sources.

  All three clubs also are pursuing free-agent lefty C.J. Wilson, but the Nats would prefer Buehrle on a shorter deal to Wilson on a longer one, sources said.

  The Rangers, meanwhile, are wary of overpaying Wilson, who also is drawing interest from their biggest rival, the Angels.

  The Marlins’ biggest obstacle to signing Buerhle is their policy against awarding no-trade clauses on multi-year contracts; Buehrle wants full no-trade protection.

  Buehrle, 32, has spent his entire 12-year career with the White Sox, but is intrigued by the National League, sources said. He might thrive in the less offensively oriented NL, and one scout says it would be “a good career move.”

  -Ken Rosenthal

   

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• DeRosa looking for opportunity

  December 02, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  Free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa spoke with Nationals manager Davey Johnson on Thursday night and said he came away encouraged by the conversation.

  The Nationals are one of several teams interested in DeRosa, who missed significant time with the Giants the past two seasons due to a left-wrist injury that required two surgeries.

  DeRosa, 36, said that the Nationals, Rangers, Indians, Pirates all have spoken with his surgeon. He also said that the Giants have expressed interest in bringing him back, even though he did not give them the expected return on a two-year, $12 million free-agent contract.

  He just wants another chance.

  “It’s not like I’m looking for an everyday job, even though (playing) will be my goal going to the yard every day,” DeRosa said Friday.

  “I just think I can be a difference-maker on a team, not only on the field, but in the clubhouse. I’ve been on a lot of winning clubs in my 13 years.

  “I definitely understand the concerns. If it wasn’t for my wrist getting banged up two years ago, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

  DeRosa hit effectively after coming off the disabled list last Aug. 5, batting .367/.439/.388 in 57 plate appearances. He is aware of the large number of modestly skilled infielders that have signed two-year contracts. He believes he still has something to offer.

  “I battled back. I had a great September. I would like the opportunity for my career to continue,” DeRosa said.

  “I just think the story is not finished yet.”

  — Ken Rosenthal

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• Could Moreland surgery prompt Prince pursuit?

  November 30, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  The Texas Rangers announced Wednesday evening that first baseman Mitch Moreland will need a recovery period of 8-12 weeks after undergoing surgery to remove the pisiform bone from his right wrist.

  It’s impossible to know if Moreland will be game-ready when the Rangers’ spring-training schedule begins, raising an obvious question: Could the uncertainty surrounding Moreland’s immediate future nudge the Rangers into a more serious pursuit of free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder?

  Right now, at least, it appears the answer is no, particularly given the existence of in-house contingencies Michael Young and Mike Napoli.

  The Rangers have interest in Fielder, sources say, but CEO/president Nolan Ryan downplayed the possibility of signing Fielder or Albert Pujols for seven or eight years in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram earlier this offseason. Sources describe Fielder as not high on the Rangers’ priority list, citing a more pressing need to upgrade the rotation and bullpen. Texas is keeping tabs on free-agent starters Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson.

  The Brewers, Cubs, Mariners and Nationals are among the teams with interest in Fielder, sources say.

  At this point, the Rangers are not seriously courting Pujols, sources say.

  -- Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal

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• Rangers still looking for 'pen help — and Bailey is a target

  November 30, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  The Rangers traded for right-handed setup men Mike Adams and Koji Uehara last July. They signed free-agent closer Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5 million contract last week.

  And they are still trying to upgrade their bullpen.

  Not only did the Rangers make a strong push for free-agent righty Jonathan Broxton, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Royals, but they also are one of the clubs trying to trade for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey, major-league sources say.

  The Rangers, who also pursued Bailey before the non-waiver trade deadline, intend to build the strongest relief corps possible after producing a 7.43 bullpen ERA in their seven-game loss to the Cardinals in the World Series.

  “They are going to get one more guy at the back end of their bullpen, I can promise you that,” said one source who has been in contact with the Rangers.

  The addition of Nathan enabled the Rangers to move their previous closer, right-hander Neftali Feliz, into the starting rotation. Broxton likely would have pitched in the seventh inning, with Adams continuing to work the eighth.

  A trade for Bailey would give the Rangers a late-inning tandem of Adams, Bailey and Nathan — one of the strongest in baseball. A lefty such as the White Sox’s Matt Thornton might be an even better fit than Bailey. And it’s still possible that the team will re-sign C.J. Wilson or replace him with another free-agent lefty, Mark Buerhle.

  Uehara could remain part of the bullpen mix, or the Rangers could trade him. Teams are calling the Rangers about Uehara, sources say, but club officials have been reluctant to move him.

  — Ken Rosenthal

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• Uncertainty persists over star pitcher Darvish

  November 25, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  Major League Baseball is still waiting on star Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish, and some around the game are beginning to question whether he will even be available for the 2012 season.

  The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters — Darvish’s current team — were expected to announce after the Japan World Series whether Darvish would be posted for MLB clubs. But the Japan Series ended about a week ago, and there has been no word from the club.

  One source with close knowledge of Darvish’s thinking said Friday afternoon it remains “more likely than not” that the right-hander will come to the major leagues in 2012. The source added that there has been no deadline placed on the posting decision.

  But consider the timeline of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s posting after the 2006 season. About six weeks passed between his posting and the signing of his contract with the Boston Red Sox. If Darvish’s process is of similar length, he won’t sign with an MLB team until the middle of January. And that’s probably the best-case scenario.

  Darvish’s status could affect the plans of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, both of whom are in the market for starting pitching. The general managers of the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays scouted Darvish in person this season.

  — Jon Paul Morosi

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• Nathan wanted the Rangers

  November 21, 2011 by KenRosenthal

   

  Once Joe Nathan decided he was gone, he was gone.

  He didn’t go back to the Twins, trying to inflate his price, according to his agent, Dave Pepe. He was comfortable signing with the Rangers, and that’s what he did.

  Nathan, 36, agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the two-time defending American League champions on Monday night, becoming their new closer.

  Pepe said the Twins also made Nathan a two-year offer, and that “the prospect of a better deal was out there” from a third, undisclosed team. But Nathan, after eight seasons with the Twins, wanted the Rangers.

  A dinner meeting with Rangers team president Nolan Ryan, general manager Jon Daniels, assistant GM Thad Levine and special assistant Don Welke about two weeks ago helped persuade Nathan to make the move, Pepe said.

  “It comes with mixed emotions,” Pepe said. “He loved Minnesota. He had lots of friends there. He had lots of friends on the team. His wife loved it. His family loved it. They were great to him, and he was pretty good to them.

  “But he felt there was a point in time (where he thought), ‘Wow, this is something I really want to do.’ Joe’s rear-view mirror doesn’t work too well. When he makes a decision, he doesn’t look back. When things happen to him, he doesn’t look back.”

  The Rangers perhaps overpaid Nathan by $1 million to $2 million per season, but they believe that they also “bought” an affordable starter in former closer Neftali Feliz, whom they now will move to the rotation.

  The Twins’ two-year offer is a good sign for the Rangers, indicating that Minnesota — the team that knows Nathan best — is confident that he is fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2010 season.

  Nathan averaged 41 saves per season from 2004 to ’09 and showed marked improvement as he rounded into form after the All-Star break last season, holding opponents to a .654 OPS.

  With the addition of Nathan, Rangers manager Ron Washington and his coaches need not vacillate about whether to return Feliz or even Alexi Ogando to the bullpen next spring.

  Nathan is an established closer.

  Nathan is their man.

  — Ken Rosenthal

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• Execs forecasting five-year deal for C.J. Wilson -- maybe six

  November 14, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  Interest in free-agent starter C.J. Wilson has been heavy despite his disappointing postseason, sources say.

  An official with one of the involved clubs predicted that the Texas Rangers left-hander would get “at least five years” with an option for a sixth year; an official of another club told FOXSports.com that Wilson could end up with a six-year deal.

  In other words, Wilson, who turns 31 this week, appears likely to surpass the five-year, $82.5 million guarantees received by John Lackey and A.J. Burnett in recent years.

  The Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers are among the teams that have already expressed interest in Wilson, sources say.

  One executive who’s in the market for pitching seemed to capture the industry sentiment when he said, “It should be a four-year deal, but I bet he gets more. It just takes one club.”

  Wilson has been a starting pitcher for only the past two seasons, going 31-15 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 427 1/3 innings. He outperformed Burnett and Lackey over the two years approaching their free agencies by a fairly wide margin.

  Some have suggested that Wilson’s performance over the past two postseasons – 1-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 10 games – would dampen interest in his services. But he actually has a 2.95 ERA in four career World Series games and seems likely to get a larger guarantee than fellow left-handed free agent Mark Buehrle, who is 20 months older.

  The Angels are seen by some as a natural fit for Wilson, because of his California roots. But Wilson’s agent, Bob Garber, said recently, “C.J. lived in Manhattan last off-season – he’s very familiar with the lifestyle there. Yes, he’s a California guy who’s played in Texas, but I don’t think the region is going to be a factor in where he wants to play.”

  -- Jon Paul Morosi

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• Source: Rangers interested in reunion with Danks

  November 11, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  The Texas Rangers haven’t ruled out re-signing free agent C.J. Wilson. But they are preparing for the possibility that he will leave.

  The Rangers are working diligently to evaluate the available left-handed starters, a major-league source said Friday. One name that’s high on their list: Chicago White Sox southpaw John Danks, who began his career in the Texas organization. The White Sox are trying to move payroll, and Danks is a prime candidate to be dealt.

  Wilson and Mark Buehrle are the top left-handed starters on the free-agent market. Wilson’s agent, Bob Garber, told FOXSports.com earlier this week that he would “love to play in the National League,” because he enjoys hitting. Wilson is 1-for-8 at the plate in his career. (Garber said that the NL/AL question alone wouldn’t determine Wilson’s decision.)

  At present, the Rangers are leaning toward moving Neftali Feliz from the closer’s role into the starting rotation. If they do that, and maintain their existing cast, their starting five would consist of Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando and Feliz.

  -- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi

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• Marlins, Blue Jays pursuing starters

  November 08, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  As the pitching market turns…

  The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, according to major-league sources.

  The Marlins also were meeting with free-agent left-hander Mark Buerhle on Tuesday, but the competition to sign Buehrle is intense, sources say.

  Three big-money AL clubs - the Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers – are among the teams said to be interested in Buehrle.

  As for the Jays, their pursuits of both starters and relievers is standard operating procedure for general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

  “Alex is always looking for everything,” one rival GM said. “He is the only GM in the league with a 60-man roster – and I say that as a compliment.

  “You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players.”

  The starting pitchers who are known or thought to be available in trades include:

  *Rays right-handers James Shields and Wade Davis.

  *Athletics lefty Gio Gonzalez and righty Trevor Cahill.

  *Braves righty Jair Jurrjens.

  *White Sox lefty John Danks and righty Gavin Floyd.

  *Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano.

  *Dodgers righty Chad Billingsley.

  *Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez.

  The availability of Rodriguez will become clearer if Jim Crane is approved as owner at the owners’ meetings next week in Milwaukee.

  Crane is willing to move Rodriguez, sources say. Drayton McLane, who would remain owner if the deal fell apart, is more reluctant to make a deal.

  — Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi

   

   

   

   

   

   

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• Could World Series have been Bell vs. Adams?

  October 19, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  At the July trade deadline, the San Diego Padres had two big-name relievers on the market: closer Heath Bell and setup man Mike Adams.

  The Rangers were among the teams interested in Adams. They made the trade.

  The Cardinals were among the teams interested in Bell. They didn’t.

  On Tuesday, it was mentioned to Adams that he easily could have opposed his former teammate in the World Series.

  “I guess so,” Adams said. “There was a lot of places he could have ended up. Unfortunately for him, I guess — I don’t know how much he wanted to (leave) — he ended up in San Diego for the remainder of the year.

  “But he’s going to be all right. He’s going to go somewhere where the team’s pretty good. And he’s going to get compensated very well.”

  (We should acknowledge that it may not have been possible for the Cardinals to trade for Bell while also making the Colby Rasmus trade — a move widely credited with pushing them into the postseason.)

  Bell will be a free agent this offseason after saving 43 games with a 2.44 ERA in 2011.

  So, where does Adams think Bell will end up?

  “With a nice contract,” Adams said. “I don’t know where he ends up, but he ends up with a nice contract, I know that.”

  Last year, Bell, Adams and setup man Luke Gregerson comprised one of the best 7-8-9 combinations in baseball. If Bell leaves via free agency, the Padres could evaluate Gregerson as a possible closer.

  “Luke can get the job done,” Adams said. “He struggled a little this year. He had some issues with the slider. But when Luke’s on, Luke’s one of the best in the game.

  “There’s a couple guys over there that are going to be battling for that spot. I hope Luke gets the opportunity to close over there. Hopefully for him, he gets it all back together this winter, has a good spring and gets that job.”

  — Jon Paul Morosi

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• Hamilton: Watch us, not the Red Sox drama

  October 18, 2011 by JonPaulMorosi

  Josh Hamilton is about to play in the World Series, but he’s apparently aware of the ongoing turmoil with the Boston Red Sox.

  The Red Sox parted with manager Terry Francona after the season, general manager Theo Epstein is on the verge of taking a job with the Chicago Cubs, and reports say Boston pitchers were drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games.

  So when Hamilton was asked on World Series Media Day in St. Louis about the absence of the Boston, New York, and Philadelphia teams, he had a clever response.

  “Right now, the two teams that got it done are here,” the Texas slugger said. “Hopefully the focus will be on them, not worrying about where Boston is and what they’re going to do with their GMs or pitching or whatever.”

  — Jon Paul Morosi

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• Bell a goner; Padres likely to make 2-3 trades

  July 31, 2011 by KenRosenthal

   

  The Padres are not going to keep Heath Bell and settle for draft picks when he departs as a free agent. They are not going to use him to close meaningless games in the final two months of the season.

  Bell will be traded Sunday before the non-waiver deadline at 4 p.m. ET, according to a source familiar with the Padres’ thinking. The Rangers remain the front-runner, the source said, but the Cardinals remain in the mix and the Phillies and Yankees are showing late interest.

  The Padres will make two and possibly three trades Sunday, with Bell, outfielder Ryan Ludwick and right-hander Chad Qualls the most likely to move, according to the source.

  Right-handed starter Aaron Harang is unlikely to be dealt – two teams that pursued him, the Tigers and Indians, acquired better starting pitchers on Saturday.

  Right-handed setup man Mike Adams also is expected to stay in San Diego barring a strong late bid from one of his many suitors; Adams would replace Bell as the Padres’ closer.

  — Ken Rosenthal

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