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Archives for December 2007

ESPN’s Latest: Sosa, Prior, Kuroda, Reyes

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:19pm: Ah, the truth comes out.  Sammy Sosa’s people approached the Royals, but they weren’t interested.

FROM 12-4-07 at 3:17pm:

ESPN has a huge team at the Meetings; here are some tidbits that haven’t appeared elsewhere on MLBTR.

  • Enrique Rojas says the Royals have interest in Sammy Sosa.  Could that indicate a Mark Teahen trade is in the works also?  Teahen is expected to move to first base to accomodate Jose Guillen, which would push Billy Butler to DH.  But Sammy can only DH.
  • Buster Olney says the Rangers and Padres are in on Mark Prior.
  • The Padres also like lefties Glendon Rusch and Shawn Estes, and may sign both after the Rule 5 as a means of adding starting depth.
  • Jayson Stark says the Mariners made an offer to Hiroki Kuroda in the range of four years, $45MM.
  • Jerry Crasnick says Anthony Reyes is generating a lot of interest.  The Cards, by the way, are open to trading Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, or Jim Edmonds.
  • The Rockies have gotten in touch with Marcus Giles’ agent.
  • The Astros aren’t interested in Jon Lieber, despite previous reports.  They liked Matt Clement a bit among the injury guys but are over him now.
  • Ryan Howard’s agent and the Phillies will sit down soon to talk about a long-term deal.

Nationals Rumors: Colon, Fukumori

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MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has a handful of Nationals rumors tonight.

  • As you know, Damian Miller, Johnny Estrada, and Miguel Montero have been targeted at the catcher position.
  • The Nats want to sign Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, but it appears he craves multiple years.
  • As mentioned earlier, the Nats like Kazuo Fukumori.  What we didn’t mention earlier was the idea that Fukumori could start.  The notion seems questionable, as the 31 year-old hasn’t started a game since 2002.
  • The Nationals have no interest in David Eckstein or Kenny Lofton, despite their desire for a leadoff hitter.  They certainly don’t need an outfielder, anyway.

Dan Haren Will Be Pricey

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:09pm: Hank Steinbrenner weighed in on the Haren-Yankees talks, calling Billy Beane’s request "ridiculous."  The Yankees are out on Haren.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:00pm: Nick Piecoro’s source says Conor Jackson is not a part of the Haren talks, actually.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:13pm: The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford says the A’s and D’Backs have had "constructive talks" about Haren for Carlos Gonzalez, Conor Jackson, and two others.

FROM 12-4-07 at 10:58am:

OK, you already knew that.  But Joel Sherman has details.

  • Billy Beane sees Dan Haren as equal in value to Johan Santana, all things considered.  Over the next three years, that could be true – plus Haren is much more reasonable in terms of salary.
  • Beane’s focus is young pitching.
  • Beane doesn’t want Melky Cabrera from the Yankees.  He wants a package starting with Phil Hughes and one of Ian Kennedy or Alan Horne.
  • Sherman says the Mets don’t have the blue-chippers in Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey. 
  • The Dodgers and D’Backs match up better for Haren than the Yankees and Mets, though Arizona doesn’t really have the young pitching.
  • Joe Blanton won’t be cheap either; Beane equates him with Brad Penny.
  • Athletics Nation believes Blanton is much more likely to be traded than Haren this winter.

Dodgers Still In On Andruw, Rowand?

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:03pm: Talks between the Dodgers and Andruw revived today, according to Ken Gurnick.  Gurnick thinks Scott Boras is looking for something similar to J.D. Drew’s Dodgers deal, a long-term one with an opt out in the middle.  Boras told Jerry Crasnick today that he does not have a one or two-year deal in mind for Andruw.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:00am: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick is with Tony Jackson on this one…Colletti hasn’t made any offers and will move on to other priorities unless Jones and Rowand reduce their demands.  Gurnick notes that the Dodgers are still in hard on Hiroki Kuroda but don’t seem terribly interested in David Wells.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:44am: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times does not agree with Jackson exactly…he says the Dodgers still want to sign Jones or Rowand.

UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 11:49pm: Jackson now has some quotes from Ned Colletti…Colletti wasn’t able to get to the point of making an offer to Andruw.  Apparently Boras wants far more than the Dodgers think Jones is worth.  Also, Aaron Rowand wants 5/70 and the Dodgers ain’t havin’ that.

UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 9:31pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News counters Crasnick’s report, saying the Dodgers did not offer 2/32 to Andruw.  As far as Jackson can tell, no offer at all was made to Jones today.

UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 1:04pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the Dodgers have a two-year, $32MM offer on the table.  That seems a little light; I suggested $38MM earlier.

FROM 12-3-07 at 1:24am:

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers have stepped up their talks with free agent Andruw Jones.  As we suggested before, it seems Ned Colletti’s rift with Scott Boras was overblown.

Andruw is asking for something bigger than Torii Hunter’s five-year, $90MM pact.  However, Jones had a terrible 2007 and the Dodgers only want to give him two guaranteed years.  This is one of Ned Colletti’s methods that I actually like, the paying more to decrease the term (see Rafael Furcal and Jason Schmidt).

So if Torii makes $18MM annually, maybe the Dodgers will offer Andruw two years, $38MM?  That would keep their risk low while giving Jones a chance to become a free agent as he enters his age 33 season.  If no agreement can be reached, it sounds like the Dodgers could make a similar high-dollar short-term offer to Aaron Rowand.  Failing that, they’d turn to Mike Cameron.

Gurnick adds that the Dodgers are aggressively pursuing Hiroki Kuroda for rotation depth.

Johan Santana Rumors: Tuesday

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:00pm: LENIII says that despite their public proclamations, the Yanks haven’t told the Twins they’re out on Johan.  Neal recommends you go to bed anyway.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:28: A new team is in the mix for Johan, but barely.  The Rangers talked to the Twins today about what it would take, but they’re not expected to pursue it much further.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:05pm: Talks are expected to re-open in about an hour, after the execs have dinner.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 8:21pm: Theo Epstein expects negotiations with the Twins to carry "well into the night."  He says the Red Sox are being flexible, so it sounds like they’ll hammer something out.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 7:50pm: Not much to report here.  Twins and Sox still haggling, per LENIII.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 7:09pm: Hank is sticking to his story, that the Yanks’ deadline for a Santana deal has passed.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 5:02pm: All the Santana-Angels stuff is bogus, according to GM Tony Reagins.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:28pm: Per Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus: Santana to Boston is "all but done" with Lester, Masterson, and Kalish in the package.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:25pm: Stark says the Angels and Twins continue to talk Santana, with many of the youngsters earmarked for Cabrera being mentioned.  Seems the Halos have shifted gears from Cabrera to Johan even though they have no need for starters.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:14pm: Hey, it’s been a few minutes without a Johan update.  A Red Sox source told Gordon Edes he’s not buying that the Yankees are out on Santana.  I heard the exact same thing from my own Winter Meetings source – my guy says the Yanks fully expect to hear back from the Twins about a final offer later tonight.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:26pm: The Yankees, who rarely have kept their word lately, have closed the door on Johan talks.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:08pm: The Twins want to get this thing done by day’s end.  700 reporters just sighed in relief. 

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:51pm: Per Peter Gammons, this baby is getting closer and is now a 5-for-1 deal.  The addition is outfielder Ryan Kalish.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:12pm: Phil Miller heard some speculation that the Twins could throw in another player on their side to make this thing work.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:04pm: According to Sean McAdam, the Twins will also meet with the Angels this afternoon to discuss Santana.  The Twins would want Jered Weaver and Brandon Wood for starters.  McAdam says the Red Sox and Twins haven’t spoken since this morning.  Meanwhile Joe Christensen says there’s lobby buzz about the Red Sox/Twins deal becoming a 5-for-1. 

Peter Abraham chimes in, saying the Yankees have made their final offer and the Twins would have to approach them now.  That’s one way to frame it; Joel Sherman says it’s more that the Yankees just won’t get a chance to top Boston’s best offer.  The Yankees left off pushing Hughes/Cabrera/Marquez/Alberto Gonzalez.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 1:15pm: ESPN Peter Gammons says the Twins are trying to decide between a 3-for-1 (Ellsbury/Lowrie/Masterson) or a 4-for-1 (Lester/Crisp/Lowrie/Masterson).  No contract negotiations with the Red Sox and Santana’s agent have taken place yet.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 1:08pm: The Boston Globe has an update, basically saying negotiations are to resume this afternoon between the Red Sox and Twins.  It’s still not known whether the Twins will take an Ellsbury package or the Lester one.  Meanwhile WFAN’s Sweeny Murti expects the Red Sox to send Lester, Crisp, and two others for Johan.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Red Sox will enhance their offer one more time to get this thing done.  It still won’t include both Lester and Ellsbury.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:13am: Not sure when this morning he wrote it, but George King still thinks the Yankees are the favorite for Johan.  Peter Abraham quotes Hank as saying the Yanks are done talking to the Twins about Santana, for now.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:59am: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has an update.  The Red Sox looked at Lester’s medical records and saw no issues.  There are two different possible scenarios/packages of players still in play.  None include Ellsbury and Lester/Buchholz.  Masterson and/or Lowrie are expected to be in there one way or another.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 8:34am: LENIII is hearing the four players are Lester, Crisp, Lowrie, and Masterson – same as Gordon Edes said.

FROM 12-4-07 at 7:31am:

It was a long Monday with all the twists and turns you’d expect in the Johan Santana talks.  Here’s the latest, which will surely be updated throughout the day.

The Red Sox and Twins called it a night around 2am CST, but Gordon Edes thinks the Red Sox are close and a deal could be announced this morning.  The Twins looked at Jon Lester’s medical records; the Red Sox reviewed Santana’s.  The supposed deal right now is Coco Crisp, Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie, and Lester.  Not bad but it would represent a concession by the Twins.  If an agreement is reached, the Red Sox still need to pull off a contract extension.

Ed Price has a different take on Boston’s offer – his source says it’s Lester, Crisp, Ellsbury, and Lowrie.  It would be odd to see two center fielders included, but there you go.

Meanwhile Mark Feinsand says the Yankees are moving on to Dan Haren.  Brian Cashman will probably find equal if not bigger demands coming from Billy Beane.

Padres Make Offer To Fukudome

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MLB.com’s Corey Brock says the Padres made a preliminary offer to Kosuke Fukudome for three years.  His source indicates it could be for around $24MM, but the Padres have some flexibility on that.  As you know, Fukudome wants exactly three years on his deal.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see it climb to $36MM.

The Padres were also said to be close to a deal for Luke Scott, but it seems that deal died.

Odds and Ends: Peavy, Ellsbury, Montero, Fukumori

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More random rumors to devour…

Rosenthal’s Latest: Rolen, Haren, Prior, Hawkins

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Ken Rosenthal has some new rumors for us.

  • The Dodgers lead the chase for Scott Rolen, with the Angels also in the mix.  The Giants’ Brian Sabean denied interest.
  • The D’Backs view the Athletics’ requests for Dan Haren to be quite excessive.
  • Talks between the Padres and Cubs for Mark Prior have cooled.
  • The Rangers offered LaTroy Hawkins a one-year deal with a club option.  As you know, he wants two years.

Padres Fail To Acquire Luke Scott

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:07pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Padres and Astros were unable to reach an agreement on Scott.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:15pm: Talks are ongoing.  Chase Headley and Matt Antonelli won’t be involved, but names like Nick Hundley, Will Venable, Josh Geer, and Wade LeBlanc have been mentioned.

FROM 12-4-07 at 2:39pm:

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Padres are nearing a deal to acquire Luke Scott from the Astros.  No word on the return yet.  I’m curious – Scott seemed like a solid bargain acquisition and it’s no surprise Kevin Towers got him.

Indians Asked About Miguel Cabrera

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Anthony Castrovince has a few notes about the Indians this evening.

  • For Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins asked for Asdrubal Cabrera, Adam Miller, and then some.  Obviously the Tribe said no thanks.
  • There’s not much going on with the Indians and Jason Bay.  And rumors of their interest in Alex Rios proved false.
  • Cliff Lee has been linked to the Mariners, Pirates, and Blue Jays.  However no one has given the Indians an actual offer for Lee.
  • Castrovince suggests the Indians may explore a long-term deal for Fausto Carmona this spring.

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