Dodgers Not Pursuing Aroldis Chapman
Bill Shaikin of The LA Times reports (via Dylan Hernandez) that the Dodgers are not pursuing Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman, even though starting pitching remains a top priority.
Here's our Chapman review from a little over a week ago last week. Since then we've learned more about the Angels, White Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Braves, and Marlins.
Nick Green, Joey Gathright Become Free Agents
According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, both Nick Green and Joey Gathright elected to become free agents after the Red Sox outrighted them off the 40-man roster late last week.
Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances in 2009, holding down Boston's shortstop gig for much of the season. Speier mentions that Green will have surgery on his back today to correct a disc and nerve problem.
The 28-year-old Gathright received just 32 plate appearances with the Cubs and Sox this season, but made Boston's postseason roster as a pinch-runner specialist.
Twins Looking At Veteran Starters
While speaking with Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune, Twins' GM Bill Smith may have tipped his hand regarding the team's offseason plans.
"We'll see what's out there," he said. "And if there's a veteran starter or two that's a good fit for us, then we'll proceed accordingly."
The team is already returning at least five young starters, and that isn't counting Kevin Slowey's return from wrist surgery. Christensen mentions that they'll try to re-sign Carl Pavano, and says that the Twins also plan to pursue Jarrod Washburn, who has made it known that he'd like to pitch closer to his home in Wisconsin.
It's unlikely the Twins could afford John Lackey as a free agent, but Christensen says the team should find out if they have what it takes to acquire Roy Halladay or Josh Johnson via trade.
Cardinals Not Expecting Much At GM Meetings
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is lowering expectations for this week even though his team has plenty of issues to address this offseason, according to Joe Strauss The St. Louis Post Dispatch.
"I'd say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, a central mover during last November's weeklong meeting at Dana Point, Calif. "My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business."
Mozeliak also said he believes that rookie David Freese should get first crack at the third base job next year, although the team publicly remains interested in Mark DeRosa. He also indicated the team plans to promote a young pitcher to fill one of the rotation spots vacated by John Smoltz and Joel Pineiro, while seeking a "short-term veteran" for the other.
Strauss mentions that if the team believes it can retain Matt Holliday for $17MM annually, they're likely to be disappointed because Scott Boras "is believed committed to finding a far more lucrative deal for Holliday than the eight-year, $136 million deal left fielder Alfonso Soriano accepted to sign with the Chicago Cubs in November 2006."
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Halladay, Rangers
Here's some links to kick off the week…
- Bill Center of The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres haven't contacted John Boggs (Adrian Gonzalez's agent) to discuss a contract extension yet, mentioning that Gonzalez could be an $18-20MM player. FanGraphs valued Adrian's 2009 performance at $28.4MM, tenth best among position players.
- The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin looks at some potential suitors for Roy Halladay, saying that there are ten teams that meet the necessary criteria to make a deal work.
- Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe touches on two players figured to be tied to the Red Sox this winter: Gonzalez and Halladay.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes that the Rangers have plenty of trade fodder thanks to their pitching, and they may be willing to deal someone like Brandon McCarthy.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal looks at some third base options for the Phillies.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday ranks the ten best general managers, with Billy Beane taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press takes a look at the key free agents in the AL Central.
- MLBTR's own Cork Gaines analyzes how the Rays have fared in free agency during Andrew Friedman's tenure.
- J.C. Bradbury defends his stance that just because there are more available free agents at a given position, it doesn't mean their prices wil drop.
Cubs Talk: Bradley, Trades vs. Free Agency
The GM meetings kick off today in Chicago, though free agents are stuck talking only to their current team until November 20th. As a result, the days ahead figure to be filled with plenty of trade talk, and Milton Bradley is certainly one of the higher profile players on the block. It's only natural that his name popped up this morning.
We heard back in October that "multiple teams are in contact with the Cubs" about Bradley, and now a source tells Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun Times that "at least three more interested parties contacted the Cubs in the last week or so." Wittenmyer also mentions the Cubbies figure to be more involved in trades than free agency this winter.
''I think you'll see a lot of that,'' Hendry said. ''At the same time, I think the free-agent world will be a patient market like it ended up being last year, and some good players will probably be available as the winter progresses. We'll be looking to trade some pieces to get some pieces.''
We've already seen some speculation that the Cubs could bolster their bullpen through trades.
Royals Seeking A Catcher
After declining their 2010 option for Miguel Olivo, the Royals are searching for a catcher according to Bob Dutton of The KC Star. Dutton mentions that it would be best for the team to fill their hole behind the plate prior to December 12th, allowing them to non-tender the incumbent John Buck.
“We led all of baseball (last season) in passed balls and wild pitches,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “That will be fixed in 2010. Our defense in general is our main objective to fix before next season.
“And it starts behind the plate.”
The team has indicated that they aren't ready to hand the starting job over to Brayan Pena, even though he made "significant defensive strides last season."
Dutton mentions one interesting rumor to watch, a "deal sending second baseman Alberto Callaspo to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher A.J. Ellis." Callaspo, who hit .300/.356/.457 in 2009, would help fill the Dodgers' second base vacancy, while the 28-year-old Ellis would give KC a defensive standout behind the plate. Ellis also has a career .398 OBP in the minors, with more walks than strikeouts in nearly 1,800 plate appearances.
Even though there are plenty of catching options in free agency, Moore acknowledged that his team prefers to improve their club through trades.
“Our free-agent pursuit will not be as aggressive as in the past,” he said. “We’re going to focus on trades first. We’re going to exhaust every opportunity to make trades.
“In the previous two offseasons, we’ve been more likely to pop a free agent or two early on. I look for us to exhaust every possible trade scenario this offseason before we enter into the free-agent market.”
Tim previewed the trade market for catchers back in October. See any fits?
Igarashi To Pursue MLB Next Season
Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes along a report which says that hard-throwing reliever Ryota Igarashi has decided to pursue a Major League contract for 2010. We first learned that Igarashi qualified for international free agency back in June.
The 30-year-old has spent his entire 11-year career with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, posting a 3.25 ERA with 630 strikeouts in 570 IP over 507 appearances. He's hooked on with agent Arn Tellem, who also represents Hideki Matsui. Patrick profiled Igarashi back in May. At 98.75 mph, Igarashi holds the record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher in a NPB game.
Discussion: Jon Garland
Earlier this week, the Dodgers, as expected, declined to pick up their side of a $10MM mutual option for Jon Garland. However, one has to think that Ned Colletti & Co. would like to hang on to the 6'6 righty after surrendering Tony Abreu for him.
In 2009, Garland turned in an ERA of 4.01 in 200+ IP. The 30-year-old shined in his limited time in Dodger Blue, recording a 2.72 ERA with a 2.89 SO/BB ratio in six regular season games. While he would be a fairly attractive option in any free agent class, this winter's weak crop of starting pitchers may make Garland an even hotter commodity.
With Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla also entering free agency, should the Dodgers look to hang on to Garland? What kind of an offer would you extend to him?
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Podsednik, Giants
Let's close out this Sunday evening with a few links…
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune runs down the Cubs' offseason wish list. Unsurprisingly, getting rid of Milton Bradley is the top priority.
- The agent for Scott Podsednik claims that the lines of communication with the White Sox are still open, despite GM Ken Williams' reluctance to re-sign the 33-year-old, writes the Tribune's Mark Gonzales. Scotty Pods' chances of returning decreased after the club took on salary in the trade for Mark Teahen.
- Giants prospect Angel Villalona is out on bail, says ESPN's Enrique Rojas (via Twitter). Villalona was charged with murder back in September.