With another Thanksgiving in the books (hope you had a good one!), let’s take a look at some of the rumors that originated and evolved on turkey day.  It was a relatively slow day due to the nature of American holidays, but nevertheless there is some news to report. 

Mark Ellis, Second Base

Ellis is moving into the latter years of his career, as the 36 year-old had his $5.75 million team option declined by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  However, that doesn’t mean he has no value on the open market.  He continues to provide above average defense at second and has come up with timely hitting over the last few years.  The Miami Marlins are looking to fill a second base void and Ellis’ name has come up within the organization.  His offensive line last year was .270/.323/.351 including six homers, which is around the norm for second basemen.  I would expect Ellis to sign a two-year deal worth $8-9 million.  The Detroit Tigers are also interested in Ellis.

Nelson Cruz, Outfield

The 33 year-old free-agent is ‘demanding’ a four-year contract worth at least $75 million.  If he receives a contract of that nature, it would only continue to feed the fire of former PED users getting lucrative contracts (read: it pays to cheat).  Clubs that have an interest in signing Cruz are the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and possibly the Oakland Athletics.  The A’s are said to have a “meaningful interest”, but in order to sign Cruz they would likely have to give up a first-round draft pick.  No deal is imminent between Cruz and any team at this point.

Justin Morneau, First Base

Coming off a very disappointing season in Pittsburgh, Morneau is the main target of the Colorado Rockies at this time.  The former American League Most Valuable Player still has some pop in his bat, and Rockies executives think Coors Field is a perfect place for him to bounce back.  Colorado is actively pursuing Morneau, although no offer has been made. 

Scott Feldman, Starting Pitcher

Feldman is interested in signing a contract for more than two years, but so far no team is willing to commit to that.  He admitted that the market for his services has been slow developing this offseason, but his agent confirmed that over half of MLB teams had made phone calls to check on him.  There is said to be mutual interest between Feldman and the Baltimore Orioles, who enjoyed his services last season.  The team could make a two-year offer with a club option for a third, which could be the tipping point in courting Feldman.  The 30 year-old was 12-12 with a 3.86 earned run average last year with the Orioles.