J.J. Putz Rumors

Rays Rumors: Crawford, Upton, Zaun

Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights: The Rays are said to be interested in discussing a long-term extension with Carl Crawford. If the team does decide to move him, however, the Mets and Braves have expressed interest. The Rangers and White Sox are among the teams interested in acquiring B.J. Upton. Executive VP Andrew Friedman on his team's offseason targets: "We have a list of guys on other teams we have an interest in, and a list of free agents as well. And depending on how the market evolves...   Continue Reading

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Tigers Notes: Laird, Putz, Lyon

While the Edwin Jackson trade rumors are the biggest item out of the Motor City today, here are a few other Tiger-related tidbits... The FOX Sports team of Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal are reporting that Detroit is also shopping Gerald Laird. The catcher hit .225/.306/.320 last season while making $2.8MM, and the Tigers would like to save some money by finding another catcher who can hit the same (or, as they surely hope, better) for a lesser contract. Michigan native J.J. Putz would be an attractive local-boy candidate for the Detroit bullpen, but Putz told MLB.com's Jason Beck...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal And Morosi On Harden, Putz, Wagner

3:35pm: More from Rosenthal and Morosi: The White Sox are expected to add a leadoff man, but Chone Figgins still seems too expensive. John Smoltz is open to starting or relieving next year. He figures to end up in the NL after his failed stint with the Red Sox. Phillies officials "strongly downplayed" the idea that they could trade for Roy Halladay. The NL Champs will focus instead on third base and the bullpen. 12:38pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi are constantly updating their blog at FOX Sports with more info from the GM meetings. Here are some highlights...   Continue Reading

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Discussion: J.J. Putz

We learned this week that, as expected, the New York Mets declined J.J. Putz's pricey 2010 option. Now that the righty has filed for free agency, tonight's discussion topic focuses on where he might land. Putz last signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners, following a strong 2006 campaign as the team's closer. The deal was for $13.1MM over three years (plus incentives), and it looked like the club might have themselves a bargain when Putz posted a 1.38 ERA and 40 saves in 2007. Unfortunately, the next two seasons, one with the Mariners and one with the Mets, were...   Continue Reading

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Tigers Talk: Rodney, Lyon, Polanco, Everett

The Tigers already removed Marcus Thames and Matt Treanor from the roster today, making both players free agents, and now Lynn Henning of The Detroit News has some more hot stove talk for us... GM Dave Dombrowski replied "Nothing hot and heavy" when asked if there was any trade dialogue ongoing. The Tigers would "likely bite on an affordable two-year deal" for Fernando Rodney, but would probably not want to gamble on anything longer. Brandon Lyon's agent, Barry Meister, emphasized that his client wants to know what his job description in 2010 will be ahead of time. The Tigers may...   Continue Reading

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Mets Decline Option On J.J. Putz

FRIDAY: The Mets officially declined Putz's option, according to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. Rubin adds that the Mets exercised an option to pay Mike Pelfrey $500K in 2010, after which he'll be arbitration-eligible. THURSDAY: According to Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post, the Mets have informed reliever J.J. Putz that they will not pick up his $9.1MM option for 2010, instead paying him a $1MM buyout. Hubbuch says the club cited health concerns when breaking the news to Putz. The 32-year-old righthander appeared in just 29 games for the Mets before going down with an...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Holliday, Putz, Lopez, Teahen, Reds

It's been a busy first day on the hot stove, so here's another batch of links... Derrick Goold of The St. Lous Post Dispatch says there are eight teams "that have the need and the financial wherewithal" to sign Matt Holliday. It's the usual suspects (i.e. big market clubs), and Goold explains why each may be interested in Holliday. Craig Landis, agent for J.J. Putz, said that his client "hasn't ruled out returning to the Mets with a cheaper, incentive-laden deal," according to Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post. Earlier today we learned that the Mets informed Putz that they...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Vazquez, Hairston, Teahen

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Javier Vazquez has more value than any available hitter. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors: Not even Matt Holliday or Corey Hart would be fair value for Vazquez, so Rosenthal asks why the Braves would want to trade him at all. The Mets inquired on Scott Hairston, who could have been an affordable stopgap, but balked when the Padres asked for Bobby Parnell. The Marlins offered Gaby Sanchez for Manny Delcarmen, but the Red Sox weren't interested. The Mariners, Tigers and Rays weren't far from agreeing to a deal that...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Nats, Astros, Putz, Brewers

More links for Friday afternoon... Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post believes the Lerner family and Stan Kasten have to take responsibility for a weak Nationals team and turn it around in Washington. Former Nats GM Jim Bowden told WUSA9 that in retrospect he wishes he'd kept a closer eye on the Nationals' actions in the Dominican. More from Richard Justice on his chat with Astros owner Drayton McLane. It's "likely" that Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Valverde and Miguel Tejada will be shopped. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he wouldn't be surprised if Braves GM Frank Wren calls the Rockies about Ryan...   Continue Reading

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Oakland A Fit For Mark DeRosa?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser: Oakland is likely to talk to the Indians about Mark DeRosa, who is on the block. The A's had some interest in the infielder after the 2006 season. The Indians are believed to be looking for pitching, but the A's won't trade any of their hotshot young pitchers. Second baseman Mark Ellis should be back in June, but the A's are getting a .177/.270/.300 line over at the hot corner. The A's are currently 7 games out and in last place, though, so they might be the ones shopping veterans a month...   Continue Reading

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