In need of outfield help, the Red Sox emerged as frontrunners for free agent outfielder Shane Victorino on Tuesday after offering him a three-year, $38-million deal, according to The Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo.

The two sides have agreed to a three-year contract, reports WEEI’s Alex Speier.

Sox have agreed with Victorino on 3yr deal—
Alex Speier (@alexspeier) December 04, 2012

Victorino has played all three outfield positions during his nine-year career, and fits with Boston in right field alongside Jacoby Ellsbury and the recently signed Johnny Gomes.

The Indians, Cubs, Yankees and Phillies also showed interest in Victorino, according to reports.

The 32-year-old batted .255 with 11 home runs and 39 stolen bases for the Phillies and Dodgers last season. He made two All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves and a World Series during seven-plus seasons in Philadelphia, before being traded at the 2012 non-waiver deadline.

Boston also considered Nick Swisher and Cody Ross, according to reports on Monday, when the team agreed to sign Mike Napoli to a three-year deal.

Today’s signing of catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli may not be the only move the Red Sox make on the first day of the Winter Meetings.

CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports free-agent outfield/first baseman Nick Swisher is a possibility for the Red Sox.

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports the Red Sox are still interested in Swisher, as well as Cody Ross and Shane Victorino.

Signing Napoli would take the Red Sox out of Adam LaRoche bidding. But Cody Ross, Nick Swisher & Shane Victorino still on their radar screen—
Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 03, 2012

Swisher, 32, hit .272/.364/.473 with 24 homers and 93 RBI for the Yankees last season.

Victorino is coming off a down year, hitting just .255/.321/.383 in 666 plate appearances with the Phillies and Dodgers.

Ross reportedly is asking for a three-year, $25 million deal after hitting 22 home runs for the Red Sox last season.

The Giants are reportedly interested in center fielders Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The San Francisco Giants won a World Series with Angel Pagan in center field. But CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Giants are interested in adding two premier free agents to fill the position.

Heyman reported that the Giants are talking to both Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino about their open center-field slot. On Sunday, Giants general manager Brian Sabean told The San Jose Mercury News that the team’s first order of business at the upcoming meetings was trying to get deals done with Pagan and infielder Marco Scutaro. But he said the team would also look at “fallback options” if deals don’t come together quickly.

“We have fallback positions and have created options if one or both decides not to sign with us,” Sabean said. “We’ll react to what we’re up against. You have to play the game.”

Batting mostly out of the leadoff slot last season with the Giants, Pagan hit .288 with a .338 on-base percentage and 29 stolen bases. Of the three, Bourn is coming off the best offensive season. He hit .274 with a .348 OBP and had 42 stolen bases with the Atlanta Braves, who signed B.J. Upton to a five-year deal on Thursday to replace Bourn. Bourn is also the youngest of the three at 29.

Seven teams are reportedly interested in free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

In a loaded crop of free-agent outfielders, Shane Victorino is drawing a considerable amount of interest.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that Victorino has garnered interest from at least seven teams in the free-agent process — the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. Heyman reported that “several” of these teams are believed to be willing to offer at least three years in a contract.

The 2012 free-agent crop is ripe with outfielders. Along with Victorino, Josh Hamilton, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, Angel Pagan and B.J. Upton are all on the market.

Hurting Victorino’s standing is the fact that he had his worst statistical season of his career in 2012. With the Phillies and Dodgers, Victorino batted only .255 with a .321 on-base percentage. He hit 11 homers and stole 39 bases.

Bobby Abreu was designated for assignment on Wednesday to make room for the Dodgers’ acquisition of Shane Victorino from the Phillies. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Golden Glove winner Bobby Abreu has been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers following the team’s acquisition of Shane Victorino from Philadelphia at the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the team on Wednesday afternoon.

The 38-year-old Abreu was batting .251 over 70 games with the Dodgers since signing with the team on May 4. His .347 on-base percentage this season and .316 batting average in 22 pinch-hitting appearances could make him a low-cost option for a team next season.

The Dodgers also confirmed that Victorino will be in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game in Los Angeles against the Arizona Diamondbacks, batting leadoff and playing in left field. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly will switch to No. 12 so Victorino can wear No. 8.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are close to a trade for Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, according to reports by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

#dodgers victorino deal looking very likely. LA likely set up possibility by acquiring b. league late monday. #phillies

—
Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 31, 2012

The Dodgers acquired reliever Brandon League from the Mariners on Monday, which many believe was a prelude to another deal.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies were prepared to make a “flurry of moves” before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline. Cliff Lee is among the other Philadelphia players who could be moved.

Victorino would help the Dodgers fill out their lineup. The 31-year-old outfielder, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, is hitting .261 with nine home runs this season.

A trade for Victorino could end — or at least hurt — Los Angeles’ chances of acquiring Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Potential talks between the two teams have recently included Alfonso Soriano, but it would seem unlikely the Dodgers would add another outfielder.

It’s possible the two sides could reach an agreement without Soriano, but the Dodgers, who acquired infielder Hanley Ramirez earlier this month, could also decide they are finished reworking their roster.

The Reds want to trade for a leadoff hitter like Shane Victorino, but the Phillies’ asking price might be too high. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

The Cincinnati Reds have made Philadelphia Phillies leadoff hitter Shane Victorino their top trade target ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, CBS Sports’ Danny Knobler reported Monday. But the price may be too high for the Reds to pull the trigger.

The Phillies have also drawn interest in Victorino from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates, Knobler reported.

All three teams have inquired about Victorino for good reason: Their leadoff situations have been anemic all season. But the Reds are perhaps most in need of a leadoff hitter. Cincinnati ranks dead last in the majors in average (.203) and on-base percentage (.248) from the No. 1 spot.

The Reds are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak, their longest since 1999. They are currently three games ahead of the Pirates in the National League Central.

Victorino is currently batting .261 with nine homers, 40 RBI and a .324 OBP this season.

Knobler reported that the Reds also have some interest in the Phillies’ Juan Pierre.

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the Cincinnati Reds are searching high and low for a new leadoff hitter, and that team officials have discussed the possibility of acquiring one of two Philadelphia Phillies: Shane Victorino or Juan Pierre.

Knobler writes that the switch-hitting Victorino is “likely” to be traded before the July 31 deadline, and although he has only a .316 on-base percentage, that’s a significant upgrade over the collective .247 the Reds have gotten out of Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs.

Meanwhile, the left-handed Pierre is enjoying a bit of a renaissance this season, hitting .316 (highest since 2004) with a .354 OBP (second-highest since ’04).

The Dodgers are reportedly interested in trading for the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins to boost their sluggish offense. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

In an effort to improve their sluggish offense, the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in trading for Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, CBS’ Danny Knobler reported Monday.

Rollins has disappointed in Philadelphia after signing a three-year, $33 million contract last offseason. He’s hitting only .261 with a .315 on-base percentage, and he has eight homers and 33 RBI in 87 games this year.

But with Dodgers’ shortstop Dee Gordon on the disabled list, the Dodgers have been in desperate need of a shortstop. Even before he got hurt, Gordon wasn’t exactly tearing it up. He was hitting only .229 with a .562 OPS.

Rollins is one of three Phillies players in which the Dodgers have interest, Knobler reported:

The Dodgers, who still hope to add both a pitcher and a hitter, also have interest in both Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino. It’s unlikely they have enough prospects to land Hamels; Victorino would seem a more realistic target (because he’s a free agent-to-be having a so-so year), as might Rollins (big contract, so-so year).

The Dodgers are 1.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

Shane Victorino is entering the last season of a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he’s not shy about his intentions to stay with the team past 2012. Victorino wants a five-year extension, according to Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

“I’ll be 32 on the market,” Victorino said. “I can go another five years. I would think even more. I want to go until I’m 40. My agents say I can get a five-year deal on the market. Why not trust them?”

Victorino has earned three outfield Gold Gloves and two All-Star selections in his last four seasons. Last year he hit .279 with 17 homers, 27 doubles and a major league-leading 16 triples for the Phils.

This is the final season of Victorino’s three-year, $22 million deal in Philly. While he could wait until the end of the season to talk about a long-term contract, he doesn’t want to put it off.

“Why not make it happen now?” he said. “I love this place. This is the place that gave me my chance. I’m a World Series champion in this city. That’s stuff that forever will be remembered. I want to be here.”