Joe Beimel Rumors

Beimel Has "Several Irons In The Fire"

It's been a relatively quite winter for Joe Beimel, but the free agent lefty reliever told Troy Renck of The Denver Post that he has "several irons in the fire." The Rockies, however, are not involved.

Last month we heard that Beimel was sitting on several offers, but obviously nothing has materialized. The Marlins were said to have interest, but that was before they signed Randy Choate. Beimel, 34 in April, has held left-handed batters to a .254/.305/.394 batting line with 5.3 K/9 over the last three seasons. He didn't sign until mid-March in each of the last two offseasons, so the wait is nothing new for him.

Renck also notes that Jay Payton wants to still play, but he isn't interested in spending time in the minors. The 38-year-old outfielder hit .343/.361/.514 in 36 plate appearances with Colorado last year, his first big league action since 2008.

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Mets Notes: Reyes, Dickey, Beimel

Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com has the latest on the Amazins...

• Jose Reyes doesn't want to discuss his impending free agent status during the season.  It may be a moot point, since Sandy Alderson wasn't planning to pursue extension talks with players before Spring Training, though the Mets GM recently hinted he could be open to negotiating with Reyes during the season.  Reyes will earn $11MM in 2011 after the Mets picked up the option year on the four-year, $23.25MM contract signed by the shortstop in 2006.
• R.A. Dickey and the Mets have exchanged arbitration figures, but the knuckleballer still hopes the two sides can work out a multi-year contract.  Both Dickey and the club were interested in the prospect of a long-term deal back in October.
• The Mets have had "discussions" with free agent reliever Joe Beimel, but a source tells Rubin that these talks aren't "active." (Twitter link)  It's possible the Mets were one of several teams that made Beimel an offer last month, though we haven't heard much news about Beimel since.  Rubin reported earlier today that the Mets are still looking to add another left-handed reliever to their bullpen before Spring Training.

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Rockies Notes: Fuentes, Gonzalez, Kazmir, Beimel

Let's take a look at some Rockies-related tidbits..

• The Rockies like Brian Fuentes but the left-hander is looking to close and also looking for roughly $5MM per year.  Colorado isn't looking to shell out that kind of money for the 35-year-old, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
• After resolving his visa issues, Carlos Gonzalez arrived in Denver today and will take a physical tomorrow to finalize his seven-year, $80MM contract, Renck writes.  The Rockies will likely hold a presser on Tuesday to announce the deal.
• The Rockies lost interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir once they re-signed Jorge de la Rosa, Renck tweets.
• One reader asks Renck via Twitter if the Rockies are still interested in reliever Joe Beimel.  It appears that other clubs have more interest in the veteran as Colorado hasn't talked to his representation lately.

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Odds & Ends: Thome, Vladdy, Blue Jays, CarGo

As Cooperstown welcomes Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame, some of these news items concern a few of Alomar and Blyleven's former teams and teammates...

• Jim Thome is said to be looking for a one-year deal worth as much as $8MM, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.  Thome's strong 2010 season notwithstanding, that would represent a whopping increase over the $1.5MM contract he signed with Minnesota last year.  The Twins have been considered the favorites to re-sign Thome, but if the team balks at that asking price, Churchill suggests they could instead turn to Vladimir Guerrero as a DH option.  Churchill adds that Tampa Bay could also be interested in Guerrero if the price is right.
• Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "conceded that it's looking more likely that" Jose Bautista will be Toronto's Opening Day third baseman rather than its right fielder, reports Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.  Anthopoulos noted that the club is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever.  The Blue Jays have added Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero and Wil Ledezma to their bullpen mix over the past two days.
• Carlos Gonzalez had a lengthy meeting with agent Scott Boras in December to discuss a possible extension with the Rockies, so the agreed-upon deal wasn't at all "an impulse decision," tweets The Denver Post's Troy Renck.
• Also from Renck (Twitter link), the Rockies are "not totally out" of the bidding for Joe Beimel, but other clubs "have shown stronger interest."  We heard last month that the Rockies weren't one of several teams who had made Beimel a contract offer.
• The Pirates' desire to add left-handed relievers has only grown in the wake of Ledezma going to Toronto, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Speaking of the Pirates, Bucs president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's relief options and other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
• With so many intriguing designated hitter possibilities on the market, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog notes that it's an unfortunate time for the Yankees to be shifting Jorge Posada into the full-time DH spot.

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Odds & Ends: Diamondbacks, Lindstrom, Lee, Ramirez

Merry Christmas everyone!  Let's see what tidbits of information Santa has for us under the tree..

• It appears that the Diamondbacks' offseason revamping has already come to a close, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
• Even though the Astros didn't get a ton in return for Matt Lindstrom, they didn't get fleeced either, opines David Golbiewski of Fangraphs.
• Alex Rodriguez told Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News that he thinks the Yankees will be just fine without Cliff Lee.
• Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets that the Rockies aren't too worried about resigning Joe Beimel because they trust Matt Reynolds and, to a lesser extent, Franklin Morales.
• More from Rubin as he suggests that the Yankees could have brought up Manny Ramirez's name while discussing Johnny Damon with agent Scott Boras. 
• The Royals should be able to fill out their rotation with talented, cost-controlled pitchers in the coming years.  In the meantime, however, their rotation could use a boost after the Zack Greinke deal, writes Golebiewski.

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Joe Beimel Has Multiple Offers

Lefty reliever Joe Beimel is sitting on offers from several teams tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post, but none of them have come from the Rockies. 

The market for Beimel has been very quiet this offseason, but that is nothing new. The 33-year-old lefty hasn't signed a contract before January since the 2005-2006 offseason, and in each of the last two winters he's had to wait until March to find a job. Beimel pitched to a 3.40 ERA in 45 innings for the Rockies in 2010, holding left-handed batters to a .221/.275/.379 batting line. 

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Rockies Interested In Cantu, Harden, Bullpen Help

We've heard that Ty Wigginton is the Rockies' top target for a right-handed bat, but the club has other targets for that role, as well as interest in several other players, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Let's go over some of them:

• Jorge Cantu is one alternative to Wigginton, despite a miserable second half to the 2010 season. GM Dan O'Dowd acknowledged that they'd prefer someone who can play in the outfield, but that's not critical.
• The Rockies have soured on Josh Willingham due to Washington's asking price and concerns over the 31-year-old's knee. They've also called about Jeff Francoeur, believing he could handle first base.
• Colorado would have interest in Rich Harden in a bullpen role, if the righty would be willing to make the switch from starting pitching. There's also the question of whether or not the injury-prone Harden could hold up physically. Renck says the Rox have tried to acquire Harden numerous times in the past, but to no avail.
• Colorado is also looking at Kevin Gregg, Bobby Jenks, Brian Fuentes, Jesse Crain, and Pedro Feliciano, though the first three prefer to close, which won't happen in Denver.
• The Rockies also haven't closed the door on Joe Beimel, who tells Renck he'd love to come back to Colorado.

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Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins

Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks...

• Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
• Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
• The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
• The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.

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Rockies Rumors: Martinez, Jackson, Wigginton

Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that he’s looking for the "right player" this offseason, not the "best player." As Armstrong explains, that could be bad news for the Rockies fans hoping to see Victor Martinez in Denver:

• The Rockies aren’t likely to make the winning bid on Martinez, though he caught the team’s attention as a potential free agent target.
• Colorado would pursue an innings eater if Jorge de la Rosa proves too expensive to re-sign. The lefty is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Yankees and Nationals.
• Joe Beimel could return to Colorado, but the Rockies have other left-handed relievers including Matt Reynolds and Franklin Morales, so their need for Beimel isn’t pressing.
• Adding a right-handed hitter is a priority for the Rockies. Their list of candidates includes Conor Jackson, Ty Wigginton and Jermaine Dye. Jackson is a non-tender candidate and may join Wigginton and Dye on the free agent market within a few weeks. The Rockies have already contacted Dye about a potential deal.

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Renck On Buck, Lopez, Giambi, Mora

It's already been a busy day for the Rockies what with their declined options on Jeff Francis, Octavio Dotel and (possibly) Miguel Olivo, but the Denver Post's Troy Renck has even more news from the Mile High City.  All of Renck's links are from Twitter...

• John Buck is not a candidate to play for Colorado next season, but Renck "knows for a fact" the Rockies like the Angels' Mike Napoli.
• The Rockies are interested in Jose Lopez, among several other right-handed hitters.  Lopez had his 2011 option declined today by Seattle and could be non-tendered next month.
• Lopez could be a right-handed option at first base to platoon with Todd Helton, which would make Jason Giambi "unlikely to return."  Then again, Renck notes Giambi "really didn't fit last year" in terms of a platoon situation and he was very popular in the clubhouse.
• Melvin Mora wants to come back next season, but there might not be enough playing time available to satisfy him.
• Renck says there's about a "60%" chance that Francis returns to Colorado.  He notes that Pittsburgh could be interested in Francis if former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle is hired to manage the Bucs and if Zach Duke is non-tendered.
• It's "uncertain" if Joe Beimel will be pitching for the Rockies next year.

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