WEDNESDAY: Hal McCoy ran this one by Dusty, who implied that he hasn’t had any discussions about Piazza specifically. Meanwhile Fay says the Reds have "mild interest" in his latest article.
TUESDAY: This morning, Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball wrote that Reds manager Dusty Baker expected his team to sign free agent catcher Mike Piazza. Reds beat writer John Fay checked in on the rumor, and it he didn’t get a denial. Whether or not Piazza is the target, the Reds are looking for catching help and/or a right-handed bench bat.
Piazza, 39, hit .275/.313/.414 in 83 games last year. He earned $8.5MM from the A’s and didn’t catch at all. A shoulder injury knocked him out for much of the season, and he cleared waivers in August. The A’s offered him arbitration after the season, which he declined. They stand to snag a supplemental draft pick if he signs with the Reds. This winter we heard rumblings about retirement, the Rays, or even Japan for Piazza.
