Joe Nathan Rumors

Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends. Doesn't look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles. Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country's best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star's Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog. Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he's heard: Cubs, Sox, A's, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning. John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money...   Continue Reading

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Joe Nathan Agrees To Extension With Twins

2:07pm: LEN3 has details. He says it's $11.25MM per year for 2008-11. He's unsure of the amount of the 2012 option, but it has a $2MM buyout. Since Nathan was set to earn just $6MM in '07, it seems that's been overwritten or increased. 1:19pm: MLB.com reports the deal as done. It's a three-year extension with a club option for a fourth. MONDAY, 8:22am: La Velle E. Neal III says only minor details remain on Nathan's extension. They still need to figure out what to do about a no-trade clause. Buster Olney says the deal will have "significant no-trade provisions."...   Continue Reading

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Nathan Extension May Be Close

LEN3 of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have been talking extension all day with Joe Nathan's agent. Neal suggests that the stalemate between the two parties has been broken and a deal may be close. Since Nathan doesn't want to give a discount, he may want something similar to Mariano Rivera's three-year, $45MM deal.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Rivera, Hamels, Sherrill

Here's today's gathering of links. John Shea examines the Giants' roster crunch, which would be greatly relieved by trading Dave Roberts and Steve Kline. Adam Rubin implies that the Angels want too much from the Mets for Juan Rivera - Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell. A deal seems unlikely. Cole Hamels, accused by a heckler of being a cross between Casey Fossum and Shawn Camp. BURNED! Buster Olney is hearing from other teams that the Orioles may shop 30 year-old newly anointed closer George Sherrill this summer. Joe Christensen believes that we'll learn about Joe Nathan's future with the Twins...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Inge, Salcedo, Corey, Nathan

I write this odds and ends post with two less wisdom teeth than I had yesterday. Looks like applesauce for dinner. Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Tigers haven't talked lately, and doesn't see L.A. taking on Brandon Inge's $19.1MM. Aside from the standard Giants suggestion, Heyman puts on his speculation cap and wonders whether Inge could catch for Houston. What is J.R. Towles, chopped liver? This is questionable, but hey, it's a Friday. Hi5 is a popular social networking site in Central America. A reader sent me a link to this page, which may belong to future superstar kid...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Hughes, Nathan, Pedro

Here's today's collection. Interesting article about Phil Hughes' blog. We should see more and more player blogs as the Internet generation reaches the Majors. Jonathan Mayo's book Facing Clemens has hit shelves. The MLB.com writer attempts to put you in the batter's box against the Rocket. Nothin' doin' on the Joe Nathan talks. I thought they'd hammer this one out to restore some Johan goodwill. Guess not. Like reading about injuries? Take a look at Baseball Injury Report, by my friend Rick Wilton. Especially good for fantasy junkies. Pedro isn't going to approach the Mets about an extension, but he'd...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kelly Johnson, Nathan, Crede

Time for some early Monday odds and ends. Remember how White Sox GM Ron Schueler embarrassed Cubs GM Ed Lynch in 1998 by acquiring Jon Garland for Matt Karchner? Rany Jazayerli sees a parallel to that heist with the Royals' acquisition of Daniel Cortes as part of the July '06 Mike MacDougal trade. Mike Berardino's blog continues to entertain; this time with a Dan Miceli story. Ah, knife fights with siblings. Who among us can say they haven't had one or two? Buster Olney learned from Braves GM Frank Wren that Kelly Johnson has been the team's most asked-for player...   Continue Reading

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Nathan Still Likes Twins

Joe Nathan is not bothered by the Johan Santana trade; he thinks the Twins can still contend. Nathan wants to stay, but he's a free agent after the '08 season. And he's not planning on giving a huge discount again. I'm guessing that could mean $60MM over four years. Nathan and his agent are waiting for a call from the Twins. GM Bill Smith may soon be free to turn his attention to Nathan and decide whether to try to retain one of the game's top closers   Continue Reading

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Nathan Waits For Santana Resolution

The AP has some quotes today from Joe Nathan and his agent. Whether he re-signs with the Twins or hits the free agent market after the '08 season, Nathan isn't playing for a discount again. He said: I think we definitely gave them a really good deal this last time around. I felt I left quite a bit of money on the table, to be honest. This time around, we expect it to be different. Nathan's agent expects the Twins to resolve the Johan Santana situation first. They reached out to the Twins and had some conversations, but it didn't..   Continue Reading

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Mailbag: Roberts, Teixeira, Johan, Nathan, And More

Time for this week's mailbag. You can hit it up at mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com to get in your question for next week. Do you see the Twins signing a big name middle of the order bopper or trading for one before the opening of the new stadium in 2010? - Jordan Funny you ask this. I recently asked LEN3 whether the Twins would have a $100MM payroll for the 2010 season, and he said, "I don't see it." So I'll go with his wisdom and say business as usual for the Twins despite the stadium. Why are the White Sox not aggressively..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Like Joe Nathan

UPDATE, 12-14-07 at 2:47pm: George Ofman of WSCR radio 670 out of Chicago says the Twins would indeed want Marmol in a deal for Nathan. FROM 12-13-07 at 11:26pm: LENIII has just a single-line teaser for us at the end of his column: The Cubs are interested in trading for closer Joe Nathan if he's available. That's a new one; who knew the Cubs were looking for a closer? Their deficiences seem to be at shortstop and perhaps in the rotation. It seems that some combination of Carlos Marmol, Bob Howry, and Kerry Wood can handle the ninth inning. What..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bonds, Rusch, Iguchi, Nathan

The Winter Meetings are over and I have a nice case of carpal tunnel. Let's round up some odds and ends anyway, I can always type with my toes. In a chat today, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus said the only team besides the A's with a modicum of interest in Barry Bonds is the Cardinals (a week ago). Couple of Phils notes per Scott Lauber. Glendon Rusch asked for a big league deal and a rotation spot, neither of which the Phils are keen on. Also that Tadahito Iguchi waiver? No chance. Joel Sherman noted today that the Twins..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Tavarez, Lieber, Stewart

Another collection... A few notes from Brian Cashman...the Yanks have talked to Luis Vizcaino's agent about bringing him back. Also, they've yet to inquire on any free agent center fielders. Miguel Cabrera has been talking to Ozzie Guillen daily since the season ended. The article makes Cabrera sound like a big kid. The Red Sox have had a couple of inquiries on Julian Tavarez. Five or six teams have inquired on Shannon Stewart, who wants a two-year pact apparently. The Phillies, contrary to previous reports, are not interested in re-signing Jon Lieber. On a scale of 1 to 10, the..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Feliz, Nathan, Sexson

UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 6:04pm: Update on Richie Sexson: no one wants him, not even the Giants. FROM 12-3-07 at 1:55pm: More Rosenthal, let's cut to the chase. The Cardinals could look at Pedro Feliz at third base if they trade Scott Rolen. Rosenthal is too kind in saying the Cards would have a "sub-par offense on the left side of the infield." Rosenthal also suggests the Cardinals could take a look at Hank Blalock. Hiroki Kuroda isn't dead set on the West Coast - he's keeping an open mind in terms of location. The Twins are discussing Joe Nathan with..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Burke, Nathan, Adam Miller

Here we go, another collection of random rumors. Chris Burke is definitely getting traded. Though Burke was the 10th overall pick in 2001, he'll be 28 in March and sports a career line of .249/.319/.377. Joe Nathan is in Nashville, and seemed amused by the closer vacancies in San Francisco and Milwaukee. The Royals have $25MM to burn, and whether or not it makes sense they're damn well going to spend it. The Indians refused to trade Adam Miller for Delmon Young. Paul Hoynes suggests the Tribe tried to push Cliff Lee for Young instead but Lee was too expensive..   Continue Reading

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Brewers Not Likely To Acquire Nathan, Herges

Tom Haudricourt spoke to Brewers GM Doug Melvin recently to learn more about possible relief acquisitions. Acquiring Joe Nathan or Chad Cordero is highly unlikely, because the Brewers don't want to create holes at other positions. The Crew has an offer out to one free agent reliever but it's not Matt Herges. That conflicts with a report from Haudricourt from November 14th. Herges must be considering a Mystery Team along with the Rockies. Haudricourt speculates that the offer might be out to David Riske, who I imagine wants at least three years and $12MM   Continue Reading

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Matt Garza For Carlos Quentin?

Shooter! It's time for some new rumors courtesy of Charley Walters. You like rumors don't you? Walters tosses out the idea of a Matt Garza for Carlos Quentin swap. He's the guy who was saying previously that Garza for Delmon Young wouldn't die. I think if Quentin demonstrated good health this could be a fair swap. Meanwhile, Buster Olney suggests Quentin could end up an Athletic if the D'Backs look to acquire Dan Haren or Joe Blanton. However, Nick Piecoro doesn't see it happening. No extension talks going on with Justin Morneau, and it's arbitration time. Hey, maybe those trade..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Nathan, Garza, Bedard

Ken Rosenthal recently dished out a slew of fresh rumors for us to devour. Rosenthal still believes that if the Twins trade Johan Santana, they will also trade Joe Nathan in a separate deal. Back on November 11th, Rosenthal first suggested this might happen. About a week ago, Joe Christensen reported that the Twins exchanged contract proposals with Nathan. Nathan is in line to earn at least $15MM per season, if he wants full market value. Rosenthal suggests the Brewers, Indians, Tigers, Cubs, and Red Sox as possible fits for Nathan. The Angels may want to keep Gary Matthews Jr.,..   Continue Reading

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Morning Tidbits

Hmm. Not much really going on this A.M. Hopefully we'll see some rumors crop up as the day progresses. Until then, here are just a few teasers on this Black Friday. Remember when the Blue Jays claimed Cory Haerther off waivers from the Cardinals? Well, now the Cardinals have claimed Haerther off waivers from the Blue Jays and have added him to the 40-man roster, thus protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. "Indications are" that the Twins are talking with closer Joe Nathan about a contract extension. Nathan has one year left on his deal, and could price himself..   Continue Reading

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Santana Counters Twins' Offer

Sid Hartman was correct - Joe Christensen confirms today that the Twins did offer Johan Santana a five-year, $93MM deal (18.6MM annually). The pact was designed to top Carlos Zambrano's by $1.5MM. Problem is that Santana isn't 1.6% better than Zambrano. He's a lot better than Z. Santana countered by asking for $126MM, according to Christensen. His article implies that Santana asked for seven years in the counterproposal, since Santana's agent cited Barry Zito's deal and the dollar amount is the same. The Twins balked at the counteroffer and expect to trade Santana. This doesn't compute, because the sides seem..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Cabrera, Haren, Barrett

Rumor guru Ken Rosenthal checks in with a new column this afternoon. The White Sox are legitimately in the mix for Miguel Cabrera, but many stars would have to align for it to get done. Suitors with better prospects would have to balk, and the Sox would have to part with Josh Fields and Gio Gonzalez. Kenny Williams might even have to cash Jon Garland in and turn around and flip that prospect in a Cabrera deal. Regardless, it's clear that Williams is once again thinking big. Let's face it: the Twins aren't retaining free agents Torii Hunter or Carlos..   Continue Reading

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Twins Exercise Nathan's Option

An easy decision for Bill Smith - the Twins exercised Joe Nathan's 2008 option for $6MM today. Nathan will earn about half the salary he's worth, but we haven't heard any complaints from him. The two sides have talked on and off about an extension for some time now. I have to think 4/40 would be the bare minimum home team discount Nathan would accept. Spending even that kind of money on a closer doesn't seem to be the Twins' style, so maybe they will explore a trade. It also wouldn't be surprising to see Nathan just play out his..   Continue Reading

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Twins Hot Stove: Hunter, Nathan

It'll be an interesting offseason for the Twins, who have a new GM and two coveted free agents in Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva. Here's the latest. Charley Walters quotes Hunter as saying he hasn't had any contract offers from the Twins since the end of the season. In August, the Twins reportedly offered a three-year, $45MM contract to Hunter. They're apparently open to adding a fourth year, while Hunter would take 5/75 from the Twins. There's still a chance he's re-signed, but Hunter says the chances decrease the longer the team waits. According to Tom Powers, the Twins have..   Continue Reading

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Torre's Status Will Influence Rivera

Mariano Rivera isn't a sure thing to return to the Yankees in 2008. He's not happy about Joe Torre's unknown status, and he doesn't seem thrilled that the Yanks passed on their opportunity to re-sign him earlier this year. Jon Heyman's best guess yesterday: the Yanks re-sign Rivera for two years and $26MM, plus an option year for 2010. That seems fairly reasonable to me; it's still hard to picture a closer earning more than $13MM. But Rivera may listen to offers, and it wouldn't be a shock to see a team offer him three years guaranteed. One stopper who..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Bonds, Nathan, Barrett

Ken Rosenthal has a new rumor column up. Feels like it's been a while. Rosenthal thinks it's a sign of desperation that the Angels would entertain signing Barry Bonds, who doesn't fit in with their club. His OBP would fit in anywhere, but he would tie up the DH spot at the expense of Juan Rivera and Vladimir Guerrero. The Cubs are expected to bring Daryle Ward back at $1.2MM (makes sense) and Steve Trachsel at $4.75MM (questionable). Cubs fans can only hope Trachsel would be considered a tradeable asset, as Rosenthal opines. Rosenthal also quashes the idea of trading..   Continue Reading

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Walters On Morneau, Santana, Nathan

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has some Twins rumors for us today in his Don't Print That feature. Walters says Justin Morneau would be agreeable to a six-year contract if the Twins are interested. Walters wrote back in March that the Twins were looking to add a fifth option year to Morneau's contract at $14MM. Morneau thought a deal was "pretty close" at that time but of course it hasn't happened. By my calculations a six-year contract would buy out three years of free agency. So it wouldn't be anything like Joe Mauer's 4/33 deal. The Twins..   Continue Reading

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Ringolsby On Lidge, Otsuka, And More

Esteemed Denver Post writer Tracy Ringolsby drops a few trade rumors on us in this morning's column. Ringolsby writes that the Padres have some rainy-day money saved up to be used specifically for one of three players, if they are available and the team is contending. The players are future free agents Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Torii Hunter. I'm not sure how Mike Cameron would feel about that, and whether it would affect his contract negotiations. Hopefully he wouldn't mind moving to a corner. Should Eric Gagne prove himself healthy and reliable (a long shot), the Red Sox, Indians,..   Continue Reading

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Twins Will Negotiate In-Season

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune quotes a high-ranking Twins official in saying that the club will ignore their own policy and negotiate contracts during the season. In particular, they'll continue to try to extend Joe Nathan and Johan Santana. Neal also cites precedents where the Twins bent policies, whether regarding contracts or beards. We last heard about Nathan a few days ago, when Charley Walters reported "positive discussions" on a deal that could run through 2011. A week prior to that Nathan said he didn't think a deal would get done this year. Santana wants to..   Continue Reading

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Twins, Nathan Talking Extension

According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Joe Nathan and the Twins have had "positive discussions about a contract extension." The deal could run through 2011, enabling Nathan to spend at least a couple of seasons at the new ballpark. It sounds like Nathan won't let talks run into Spring Training 2008, which will precede his walk year. By 2009, the Twins probably will have already gotten the best of Nathan's career. But as long as he stays healthy he should be closing when he's 40. His skills could deteriorate and he'd still be a top five..   Continue Reading

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What's Joe Nathan Worth?

The St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that Joe Nathan wants to finish his career as a Twin and would like to discuss an extension this summer. The Twins have him signed for 2007-08 at a well below-market $11.25MM. Since no top tier closers were on the free agent market this winter, we didn't directly see the inflation for them. However, consider the AAVs for these relievers, who are closer candidates or closed recently: Danys Baez - $6.33MM Eric Gagne - $6MM + $5MM in incentives Octavio Dotel - $5MM + $2.25MM in incentives Keith Foulke - $5MM + 2MM in..   Continue Reading

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Trade History: The Pierzynski Deal

November 14th, 2003. A day that will forever haunt Giants fans. On that day, Brian Sabean dealt Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski and cash. A year later, the Giants would release Pierzynski. Bonser may become a tolerable fifth starter in the bigs, while Liriano and Nathan are among the very best starters and closers in baseball, respectively. Hindsight is 20/20, right? It's easy to rip on Sabean several years later. But was this like the Austin Kearns trade, where Wayne Krivsky was derided from the get-go? Or did the Pierzynski deal seem..   Continue Reading

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Trade History: The Pierzynski Deal

November 14th, 2003. A day that will forever haunt Giants fans. On that day, Brian Sabean dealt Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski and cash. A year later, the Giants would release Pierzynski. Bonser may become a tolerable fifth starter in the bigs, while Liriano and Nathan are among the very best starters and closers in baseball, respectively. Hindsight is 20/20, right? It's easy to rip on Sabean several years later. But was this like the Austin Kearns trade, where Wayne Krivsky was derided from the get-go? Or did the Pierzynski deal seem..   Continue Reading

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