2012 Winter Meetings: Greinke looms, Anibal in reserve, Soriano/Lowe relief options, SS/3B

Zack Greinke news is dribbling in slowly, especially given that talks were expected to escalate quickly. The latest speculation is that the Dodgers and Rangers are out ahead, according to Bill Shaikin.

The Dodgers and Rangers appear to be the favorites for Greinke, with the Angels as the dark horse, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

So apparently the Angels are still in the mix, which goes counter to a previous report. Perhaps the Nationals are now out of it after acquiring Dan Haren.

With that said though, if Josh Hamilton and the Rangers works out, it bodes well for the Dodgers chances at Greinke.

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Remember when the Dodgers were hot and heavy with Anibal Sanchez? Well, that’s apparently still a thing, as they’re in the mix along with five other teams.

The Mystery Team has finally showed up in Nashville! Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that, in addition to the Tigers, Angels, Royals, Dodgers, and Red Sox, a mystery team is in the mix for Sanchez.

Mystery Team is ETERNALLY the dark horse.

I doubt the Dodgers interest in him is serious at this point, as they are occupied currently with Greinke and James Shields.

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Jim Bowden says the Dodgers are in on Rafael Soriano.

Don’t eliminate the Dodgers as a possible landing spot for Rafael Soriano, despite their multiyear commitment to Brandon League.

Since he opted out of a $14 million option, he’s obviously going to want multiple years and more money than that to sign.

The problem? He hasn’t been all that good over the past two seasons, posting a 3.97 FIP in 2011 and a 3.32 FIP in 2012. He’s going to want to be paid like Brandon League but he hasn’t even been as good as that in the last two seasons.

Why this would be a thing I have no idea.

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Dodgers are looking at reliever Mark Lowe, according to Jon Paul Morosi.

The market for setup relievers is starting to take shape, and free agent Mark Lowe is drawing interest from a number of teams.

The Dodgers, Giants, Brewers, Angels and Rays are among the clubs that have checked in on the right-hander, major-league sources told FOXSports.com. Of that group, Milwaukee’s need for bullpen help is particularly acute.

4.16 FIP in 2011, 4.32 FIP in 2012, 4.10 FIP career.

Depending on who he would replace in the pen, there’s a solid argument that signing him would be a downgrade.

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Was waiting for this, actually.

If they actually have no restrictions, I’m not sure why they would go into next year satisfied with Hanley Ramirez at short and Luis Cruz at third.

10 comments

  1. As for a backup OF that can play CF and mashes lefties, how about Chris Denorfia?
    He can play a serviceable OF (been rated a positive 2 of last 3 years by UZR) and crushed lefties this year to a tune of .337/.390/.500. His OPS vs. LHP last 2 years has been .883 and .890 while playing half his games at Petco. Not to mention the fact that he’s signed through 2014 for cheap — about $2mil a year.
    What about the price?
    I’d like other’s suggestions b/c my deals always tend to favor LA, but Harang and a lower prospect like Kyle Russell might get it done if the bidding gets too high on FA’s for the Pads. Otherwise, Guerra for Denorfia straight up might make sense for both teams.

    • Not sure why the Padres would want to trade him now. Also not sure I would want to give up a valuable asset for a fourth outfielder.

      As far as your suggestion goes, they’re a rebuilding team, why would they want Harang? Also, I don’t think Russell is a legit prospect in the sense that we could get MLB return for him.

      • I don’t know why the Padres would want a veteran starter. I don’t know why the Padres do what they do. However, what I do know is that they have been in rumors for a FA starter like
        Blanton, Mccarthy, etc. So if those guys get too expensive, Harang’s a possibility

          • I don’t mean to snap at you, but you seem to shoot down all of my trade scenarios, so I’d like to hear what you would do to get a 4th OF that mashes lefties and can play a passable CF.
            (I guess signing Scott Hairston would be the easy way out of this question)

          • Dunno, haven’t thought about it much because of the bigger targets.

            Though the Dodgers seem to have already passed on a lot of options for bench pieces.

    • I doubt a reliever would be enough, even if I do think Guerra is solid.

      • They picked Denorfia off the waiver wire and are getting 5 cost-controlled years of a HR-suppressing 27 year old reliever. I think they would pull the trigger.

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