![]() |
|
|
| |
SUNDAY, 10:37pm: The White Sox offered Vizquel a one-year pact worth about $1MM, writes Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune.
FRIDAY, 3:10pm: Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago hears that the White Sox are close to a deal with Vizquel's representatives. Levine notes that the White Sox offered Vizquel a long-term deal before the 2005 season only to see him sign with the Giants.
10:59am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the White Sox are close to a deal with free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel. He says it'd be a one-year deal and Vizquel would serve as a backup.
Vizquel, 43 in April, hit .266/.316/.345 in 195 plate appearances for the Rangers this year while playing shortstop, second base, and third base. He earned $1MM.
The Red Sox are shopping third baseman Mike Lowell and are willing to eat half of his $12MM salary for next season, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, a rival executive says that he would be surprised if another club would even be willing to pay Lowell $6MM.
The 35-year-old has played less than 120 games in each of the last two seasons. While he remains productive offensively, Rosenthal and Morosi point out that he posted a .932 OPS in Fenway Park while batting for a .713 OPS on the road. However, it should be noted that Lowell's production hasn't followed this pattern every year in Boston. While he hit much better at home than on the road in 2007 and 2009, his away numbers were actually stronger in 2006 and 2008.
Theo Epstein has to move Lowell and shift Kevin Youkilis to third if he acquires Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres. Boston could also move Lowell to create an opening for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
Who should be calling the BoSox about Lowell? How much of his $12MM salary would you make the Red Sox pay? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.
After turning down a two-year, $4.5MM offer to remain with the Rockies, Yorvit Torrealba is expected to receive an offer from another NL West club, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Although Renck isn't 100% certain, he believes that the Giants are the team interested in the 31-year-old catcher as they might be looking for someone to keep the seat warm for Buster Posey.
Renck also reports that the Rockies have "expressed preliminary interest" in Brian Schneider in the event that they do not retain Torrealba. In 59 games last season, the veteran catcher recorded an OPS of .627, his lowest since his rookie campaign.
As for Torrealba, does anyone see an NL West club other than the Giants or Rockies being a match?
Some Sunday night links:
The Mets are busy crafting a Plan B in the event that they do not win the John Lackey sweepstakes, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They would love to sign the market's top starter, but if they don't, they want to add from a group that includes Joel Pineiro, Randy Wolf, Ben Sheets, and Jason Marquis. According to a source, that group does not include Rich Harden.
Rosenthal and Morosi were told that the Metropolitans believe that Sheets has more upside than other hurlers coming back from injury, such as Kelvim Escobar, Erik Bedard, Mark Mulder, and Brett Myers.
Like many other clubs, the Mets are still unsure who the best consolation prize would be. Who in your estimation would be the next best thing for the Amazins?
Although the Cubs would "love" to pull off a deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they are unlikely to pull off such a deal as they lack the necessary room in payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Cubbies have a combined $42.375MM committed to pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster. They would have a hard time finding a taker for Alfonso Soriano as he is owed $18MM per year for the next five years. Same goes for Kosuke Fukudome, who is due to make $26.5MM over the next two seasons. Aramis Ramirez is a hefty contract that could be moved, but as Rosenthal and Morosi point out, he's probably too valuable for the Cubs to trade.
Derrek Lee will make $13MM in the final year of his contract and could be a match for the Braves, however Atlanta would likely need to find a taker for a big contract (i.e. Derek Lowe) first.
Therefore, it appears that GM Jim Hendry's winter plans will center around finding a new home for Milton Bradley and acquiring a new center fielder. Interestingly, the post floats the possibility of a three-way deal involving Bradley to net Mets second baseman Luis Castillo.
It seems as though Hendry has quite a few obstacles in his way if he hopes to swing a deal for Doc. Would you be willing to make all of the moves necessary to create the space needed for such a trade? What would it take for the Cubs to pry Halladay from the Blue Jays? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Ken Rosenthal's latest entry in the offseason blog at FOX Sports says that he believes Scott Boras will likely use Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19MM contract as a baseline for fellow 36-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon.
Damon put up a career year in his age 35 season, belting out 24 home runs en route to a line of .284/.365/.489. And, as Rosenthal is careful to point out, while Damon did play in the homer-happy Yankee Stadium, he also posted a career high OPS+ of 126, a stat which is adjusted to both league and home park.
Damon and Abreu both offer a good mix of speed and power, though they both have the same weakness - subpar defense in the outfield. If the Yankees are looking to bring back Damon on a one- or two-year deal, as we've heard in the past, they may have to open their wallets a little wider than originally thought. Should teams back away from a price tag that high, or is Damon worth that type of money? Fangraphs valued Damon's production this season at $13.6MM, and $16.4MM in 2008.
John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that while J.D. Drew has undergone minor surgery on his left shoulder, it will have no impact on the team's opt out clause in his contract.
Drew's contract states that the club can opt out if he spends 35 or more days on the disabled list due to his pre-existing right shoulder troubles or if he finishes 2010 on the disabled list and cannot play in the outfield for 2011.
Drew is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $70MM contract he signed in 2007, which pays him $14MM annually. The article suggests that even if the surgery had been on the right shoulder, Boston wouldn't have opted out of Drew's deal. General manager Theo Epstein feels that Drew's offense, defense, and baserunning are integral to the Boston lineup.
As Sunday afternoon crawls along at a slower-than-usual pace, we'll take a look back at the past week here on MLBTR:
A few Sunday links to peruse....
Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights:
The Oakland Athletics have signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league contract, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
McPherson, selected by the Angels in the second round of the 2001 draft, was once considered an elite prospect, but injuries and strikeout woes have slowed him in recent years. After slugging .586 in his minor league career, he has hit .245/.298/.458 in 399 major-league plate appearances, homering 18 times and striking out 126.
Crasnick indicates that the 29-year-old is expected to compete for the A's third base job in the spring.
In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights....
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News doesn't expect the New York Mets to make too big a splash in free agency this winter. Madden notes that a left-handed hitter and a couple of starting pitchers are "absolute necessities" for the Mets, but he projects they'll only have about $20MM to spend.
Based on his payroll projections, Madden declares "you can count [the Mets] out right now" on top free agents such as John Lackey, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay. Instead, he feels the Mets should be, and will be, focusing on second-tier free agents, such as Mark DeRosa, Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis, and Marlon Byrd.
In a separate article, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News suggests that, if they're unable to sign a big bat like Holliday or Bay, the Mets might be interested in acquiring Jose Guillen from the Kansas City Royals. Rubin says that a potential deal isn't close, and it seems hard to believe that one could happen.
Rubin himself points out multiple roadblocks, including Guillen's lack of fielding ability and the $12MM that the 33-year-old is owed in 2010 (the Mets would want the Royals to take on a huge chunk of that figure). If Madden is right about the Mets' limited spending money, I can't imagine the club investing in a player like Guillen.
The Orioles are positioned to be buyers in free agency, according to Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. GM Andy MacPhail says that the club is looking to spend this offseason, but there remains some skepticism in Baltimore as to whether owner Peter Angelos will be willing to open up his checkbook. If the O's decide to dole out dollars this winter, here are some of the players they will and won't be targeting:


|
|