MLB Free Agents: The Latest on Cliff Lee, Adrian Beltre and Others
Now that the winter meetings have concluded, many players have changed hands, while others have signed with their original teams. Some have been a long time coming, like Adrian Gonzalez being traded to the Red Sox, while others seemed to come out of nowhere.
While many players have now been signed, there are many others who are still free agents, such as Cliff Lee and Adrian Beltre. Others are signed with their teams, but remain in trade rumors, as they have been since the season ended. This group of players will be looked at. Who is close to being signed, and which rumors have started to fall by the wayside?
Cliff Lee
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Over the weekend, the Cliff Lee story got more complicated when the Washington Nationals joined the fray in an attempt to bring him to D.C. Now, the Nationals have dropped out of the fold, putting us back where we started: he will either sign with the Yankees or Rangers.
A decision has now been considered "imminent," with Lee making a decision early this week on where he will finally sign. News sources seem to imply that Lee is leaning towards re-signing with the Rangers and their menu of offers, but until he actually announces where he will sign, there's no way of knowing.
Zack Greinke
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The wheels on Zack Greinke and any related deals are being put on the back burner for the next couple days until Cliff Lee decides where he signs. Once that domino falls, all eyes will turn to the Royals' ace pitcher.
If the Yankees sign Lee, the Rangers remain the frontrunner on Greinke. If the Rangers sign Lee, the involved teams shift since Greinke is obviously not going to become a Yankee. The Nationals have been aggressive in pursuing him, and the Blue Jays and Dodgers have been thrown about as a possibility due to a deep farm system that Kansas City may be able to work with.
Prince Fielder
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With every day that goes by, it becomes less and less likely that Prince Fielder will be traded. If there were any teams with an irresistible offer, they would have already come forward. Many sportswriters are accepting that he will be a part of the 2011 free agent class, or will be the must-have piece at the 2011 trade deadline if the Brewers aren't in the playoff hunt.
Personally, the fact that we saw nothing big with him at the winter meetings tells me he's remaining a Brewer for now.
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Rafael Soriano
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The next piece that will likely leave the Rays. The ace closer is not only available, but it seems that any team that wants him could probably acquire him without much trouble. The Angels were a big name most of this past week, but have since decided against picking him up.
With the presumed favorites out of the equation, where will he end up landing? It's tough to say, and unfortunately for Soriano, he's in a place you do not want to be at free agency: a premier player with nowhere that he can fit. Right now I'll throw out the Nationals as a possibility just because they've seemingly been in the mix for everyone else.
Matt Garza
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Perhaps proof that they are now starting from scratch, the Rays have now come out saying they are determined to trade Garza. Given the thin starting pitching market, this does seem likely to happen. The Rays and Cubs have reportedly been talking about a possible deal, and the Brewers and Nationals have popped up as possibilities.
The ball is in the Cubs' court on this one. If they can put up an offer that the Rays like, he will be a Cub next year. Whether they will or not remains to be seen.
Hideki Matsui
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After a year with the Angels, it seems all but certain that Hideki Matsui will be signing a deal with the Oakland A's. Matsui would be signing a one-year deal and be the team's designated hitter should this signing take place. At age 36, Matsui has showed signs of slowing down but can still hit .270 and drive in 80 runs a year.
Matsui is simply ready to go out and play, rather than worrying solely about winning. As a result, he should be signing with the A's very shortly.
Carl Pavano
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Perhaps the next-best free agent pitcher on the market, I was never convinced that he was leaving Minnesota. With the talks that took place this weekend, it almost seems like a sure thing now that he'll remain a Twin.
The Brewers and Nationals have been among the teams that have reportedly fielded offers. Pavano has had some offers come his way, mainly two or three-year deals of about $10 million per. This is another one that likely won't be decided until after the Lee and Greinke dominoes fall.
Justin Upton
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Upton suddenly became a hot name on the trading block when the winter meetings opened up. Now that the meetings have wrapped up, it is pretty much accepted that he'll remain in Arizona. Arizona GM Kevin Towers noted that they only talked with one team about a trade possibility, so it's likely that he was never seriously considered as trade bait.
Derrek Lee
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The latest reports state that six teams are interested in Derrek Lee. They are the Orioles, A's, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals and Diamondbacks. Many of them are not typical spending powers, namely the Padres, but he could potentially be a good fit in a few of these places. Even though the Nationals replaced Adam Dunn's power, they're looking to replace that spot in the field as well.
Seems like the Nationals are targeting everyone, so it's tough to say how serious they are in this acquisition.
Adrian Beltre
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With the bad luck the Angels have had signing anyone and with Beltre still sitting around waiting for the right offer, it seems destined that he'll be playing in Los Angeles in April. Beyond the Angels, there are not too many other teams being discussed; anyone with a need for the third baseman doesn't have the finances to pull it off.
Other teams being tossed around include the Rangers and A's, and both teams are pessimistic about the possibility.
Josh Willingham
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Willingham is a player who is quietly being shopped around by the Nats, and there are several teams that have been in talks to acquire him. Since Jayson Werth is on the Nationals, it's a fairly safe bet that Willingham will be traded. The Red Sox have been in talks. The Tigers, A's, Mariners and Rockies have been possible destinations as well.
I don't see him going to the Red Sox now that they have Crawford, but any of the other teams could work.
Vladimir Guerrero
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The Guerrero talks are realistically down to two teams. Despite declining the option, the Rangers have remained the frontrunners. While Vlad wants a three-year deal, he has stated that he's willing to take a two-year deal from Texas. The Angels are the other team that's a possibility, though it's a long shot and depends on whether they can sign pretty much any other power bat.
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