AngelsAndRamsFan

@JeffFletcherOCR: #Angels quest for an infielder includes Colorado's Josh Rutledge. He has everyday potential so won't come for nothing.

The Blue Jays asked the Diamondbacks about both left-hander Wade Miley and outfielder Mark Trumbo earlier this winter, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports. Arizona, in turn, asked for some of the Jays’ young pitching in return. Interestingly, the Jays didn’t plan on keeping Trumbo, but rather flipping him to the Mariners forMichael Saunders, a player Toronto landed anyway by dealing J.A. Happ to Seattle. That would've felt a lot like the Napoli situation when the Blue Jays flipped him to the Rangers.

@JeffFletcherOCR: #Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said Roberto Baldoquin will start at A or AA. Will play only SS. They see him sticking at SS.

@MikeDiGiovanna: Cuban INF Roberto Baldoquin will be in big league camp with #Angels. Will probably start at Class-A Inland Empire or double-A Arkansas.

And not much power for a 1B/OF.

@MikeDiGiovanna: #Angels Cuban signee Roberto Baldoquin, 20-year old SS, has received visa, is in U.S. Will take physical next week.

Dodgers Open To Trading Dee Gordon By Mark Polishuk [December 9, 2014 at 4:34pm CST] The Dodgers have let teams know that they’re open to trading Dee Gordon, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). Gordon played 144 games at second base last season but played almost exclusively at shortstop prior to 2014, so he could appeal to teams looking for help at either middle infield position. Players who can get on base are a priority for the new Dodgers front office, Sherman notes, and Gordon has only a career .314 OBP. Still, Gordon certainly has some trade value following an All-Star season that saw him hit .289/.326/.378 over 650 plate appearances while leading the league in both steals (64) and triples (12). His production tailed off down the stretch, however, as Gordon posted just a .632 OPS over his last 68 games. If Gordon is dealt, Alex Guerrero, Justin Turner and Darwin Barney could all see time at 2B for Los Angeles, though some of those players could also address the club’s vacancy at shortstop in the wake of Hanley Ramirez‘s departure.

That's funny. I'm sure they don't have to sign off on a promotion using their name and likeness.

@Ken_Rosenthal: Sources: Clubs keep asking about Cueto. #Reds steer talk to Latos, Leake, Simon. Listening on Cueto, though. Would bring biggest return.

A is Mathis. B is Butera.

Padres Still Pursuing Kemp; O’s, M’s, Rangers Out By Jeff Todd [December 9, 2014 at 3:27pm CST] TODAY, 3:27pm: The Mariners and Rangers are also out on Kemp, Heyman tweets. 2:20pm: The Orioles are out on Kemp, sources tell Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore had concerns with Kemp’s long-term health and talks went nowhere after the Dodgers asked about young pitchers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. 1:20pm: Another name that has come up is 20-year-old righty Zach Eflin, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Wisler is not going to be included in any deal, Rosenthal now tweets, though righty Joe Ross could be.

Rangers Talking With Nationals, D’Backs On Starters By Jeff Todd [December 9, 2014 at 2:14pm CST] 2:14pm: Texas has also engaged the Diamondbacks in talks on starting pitching, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Wade Miley and, perhaps, Trevor Cahill are the likeliest targets, per Grant. 1:45pm: Multiple reports suggest that the Rangers and Nationals have engaged in discussions involving the Nats’ starting pitching. It appears that the sides have mutual interest, but may not see eye-to-eye on the pieces they would like to move. Texas has inquired about righty Jordan Zimmermann, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports on Twitter. But the club has received indications that the Nationals are uninterested in moving Zimmermann, though they will listen on Doug Fister. Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears (Twitter link) that the Rangers have expressed strong interest in the D.C. arms. The Nationals, in turn, have asked about 20-year-old second baseman Rougned Odor, with Texas indicating it is not interested in dealing him.

@MLBBruceLevine: Breaking:Cubs give up pitchers Jefferson Mejia and Zach Godley for AZ catcher Miguel Montero . Source confirmed

@pedromoura: New Angels backup C Drew Butera, acquired from Dodgers: throws hard on mound and behind plate, fine framer, lots of passed balls, can't hit.

@Buster_ESPN: The Tigers' focus is on retaining Max Scherzer. They are prepared to spend big, big dollars. Want to keep Price for 2015, too.

@JeffFletcherOCR: @AFEL120 this story includes their top targets for that spot http://t.co/bygyKBL7wc The Angels are not expected to fill their utility infield hole during the winter meetings, and perhaps not until January. Their first choice is to re-sign Gordon Beckham, but Beckham is expected to need some time to determine if he has an offer elsewhere for more playing time and more money. If the Angels don’t re-sign Beckham, they are likely to look to trade for an infielder rather than signing a free agent. Among the infielders who would make the most sense for the Angels are Detroit’s Eugenio Suarez, St. Louis’ Pete Kozma, Colorado’s Josh Rutledge and Houston’s Marwin Gonzalez. Kozma and Gonzalez are likely the most available of that group, but the Astros may be a better fit because they need the relief pitching the Angels have to spare. The Angels could trade someone like Vinnie Pestano or Fernando Salas to the Astros. The Cardinals are believed to be more interested in a prospect with some upside, and the Angels don’t have many of those to spare.

@Alden_Gonzalez: Dipoto: "Some combo of Butera & [bandy/Williams/Perez] are gonna make up the games Chris doesn't catch, and we feel comfortable with that.” Yuck.

The former Dodgers and Twins backup. Conger is a better hitter. Even Mathis is a better hitter than him. His CS% sucks.

Jeff Fletcher said the Angels are interested in Holt, but there's 3 or 4 guys that they prefer over Holt in a utility role.

@hacksaw1090: Report now Houston has made strong offer to Chase Headley..Yankees not upgrade offer...Giants may have inside track

@Ken_Rosenthal: Liriano in agreement with #Pirates on three-year, $39M deal. Pending physical. First reported: @RobertMurrayMLB

@Ken_Rosenthal: Sources: #Padres, #Dodgers working hard on Kemp deal, getting closer. LAD wants strong piece besides Grandal. SD’s Wisler one possibility.

@Buster_ESPN: Oakland's got about $35 million in contractual obligations for 2015, plus arbitration-eligible players.

@susanslusser: #Athletics send Ynoa to #WhiteSox too.

White Sox To Acquire Jeff Samardzija 11:28am: Josh Phegley and Rangel Ravelo are headed to Oakland in the trade, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com tweets. A minor league arm is going back to the White Sox. 11:18am: An announcement is expected within the hour, Slusser adds. 11:14am: There will actually be four players heading from the Sox to the A’s, Slusser reports (Twitter links). It appears that the second player departing from Oakland is not currently on the MLB roster.