Odds & Ends: Brewers, Pierre, Webb, Mariners
Here's a few links on a gorgeous Saturday, at least around these parts…
- Acquiring Carlos Gomez allows the Brewers to wave goodbye to Mike Cameron, and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel says they'll use the savings on pitching. "We're going to have to take our resources that we gave to Mike and distribute them to fill other needs for our ballclub," said GM Doug Melvin. "We've said pitching is our focus. We still have other needs, like any club. And the salaries of our other players go up, too."
- The return of Manny Ramirez allows the Dodgers to resume searching for a trade partner for Juan Pierre, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Pierre still has two-years and $18.5MM remaining on his contract.
- In today's blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that Brandon Webb will be prime trade bait in the middle of next season if he makes it all the way back and the Diamondbacks aren't in contention.
- Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider takes a look at some offseason options for the Mariners.
- Meanwhile, former Mariner Kenji Johjima can provide some additional input on American pitchers the Hanshin Tigers may pursue, notes Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Patrick also passes along a report that lists some pitchers Hanshin is looking at, including two Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Jakubauskas.
- Rowland-Smith is on Twitter, and was a little surprised by the news.
- Bob Dutton of The KC Star takes a look at the newest Royals, Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball lists all 39 players who filed for free agency on Friday.
Twins Exercise 2011 Option For Michael Cuddyer
According to a team press release, the Twins have exercised their 2011 option for Michael Cuddyer. They had until five days after the 2009 World Series to either pick up or decline the option. Cuddyer will earn $10.5MM in 2011 instead of a $1MM buyout.
The 30-year-old Cuddyer hit .276/.342/.520 with 34 doubles and 32 homers last year. He spent most of the season in his customary right field, though he took over first base after Justin Morneau went down with a season ending injury.
Recent Trades
Remember all the trades that went down this summer? Now that the World Series is over, we have lots of deals to track once again. We'll be monitoring all the rumors this offseason, and when trades become official, we'll add them to this list, which will be under the 'Features' sidebar. Here's a look at the moves we've seen so far:
- The Pirates acquired Akinori Iwamura from the Rays for Jesse Chavez on November 3rd.
- The Red Sox acquired Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins for two minor league lefties on November 5th.
- The White Sox acquired Mark Teahen from the Royals for Chris Getz and Josh Fields on November 6th.
- The Twins acquired J.J. Hardy from the Brewers for Carlos Gomez on November 6th.
- The D'Backs acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs for a pair of minor leaguers on November 19th.
- The Red Sox acquired infielder Tug Hulett from the Royals for cash or a player to be named later on November 25th.
- The Rays acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Indians for a player to be named later on December 1st.
- The A's acquired Jake Fox and Aaron Miles from the Cubs for Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla and Matt Spencer on December 3rd.
- The Nationals acquired reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees for Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann on December 7th.
- The Rangers acquired lefty reliever Clay Rapada from the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash considerations on December 7th.
- The Tigers, D'Backs and Yankees completed a blockbuster on December 8th. The Tigers obtained Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from the D'Backs and Phil Coke and Austin Jackson from the Yankees. The Yankees obtained Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. And the D'Backs obtained Ian Kennedy from the Yankees and Edwin Jackson from the Tigers.
- The Orioles acquired Kevin Millwood and $3MM from the Rangers for Chris Ray and Rule 5 pick Benjamin Snyder on December 9th.
- The Astros acquired Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for minor leaguers Robert Bono and Luis Bryan and Rule 5 pick Jorge Jimenez on December 9th.
- The Rays acquired reliever Rafael Soriano for reliever Jesse Chavez on December 10th.
- The Red Sox acquired pitcher Boof Bonser from the Twins for a player to be named later on December 10th.
- The White Sox acquired Juan Pierre and cash from the Dodgers for two players to be named later on December 15th.
- The Blue Jays, Phillies and Mariners completed a three-team blockbuster on December 16th. The Phils acquired Roy Halladay, prospects Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez and $6MM. The Mariners acquired Cliff Lee and the Blue Jays acquired prospects Travis D'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor.
- In a separate, but related deal, the Jays sent Taylor to Oakland for Brett Wallace.
- The Mariners sent Carlos Silva and cash to the Cubs for Milton Bradley on December 18th.
- The Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from the Braves for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino on December 22nd.
- The Blue Jays acquired Brandon Morrow from the Mariners for Brandon League and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez on December 22nd.
- The Mariners acquired Casey Kotchman from the Red Sox for Bill Hall, cash and a minor leaguer on January 7th.
- The Blue Jays acquired Zach Jackson from the Indians for a player to be named later on January 9th.
- The A's acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff and Eric Sogard from the Padres for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham on January 16th.
- The Blue Jays acquired Merkin Valdez from the Giants for cash on January 20th.
- The Mets acquired Gary Matthews Jr. and cash from the Angels for Brian Stokes on January 22nd.
- The Yankees acquired Greg Golson from the Rangers for Mitch Hilligoss and cash on January 26th.
- The Reds acquired Aaron Miles and a player to be named later or cash from the A's for Adam Rosales and Willy Taveras on February 1st.
- The Rangers acquired Edwar Ramirez from the Yankees for cash considerations on March 9th.
- The A's acquired Edwar Ramirez from the Rangers for Gregorio Petit on March 24th.
- The Red Sox acquired Kevin Frandsen from the Giants for a player to be named later or cash on March 26th.
- The Rangers acquired Andres Blanco from the Cubs for a player to be named later on March 27th.
- The Orioles acquired Steven Lerud from the Royals for a player to be named later on March 27th.
- The Marlins acquired Nate Robertson and cash from the Tigers for Jay Voss on March 30th.
- The Rangers acquired Ben Snyder from the Giants for Edwin Escobar on April 1st.
- The Rays acquired Virgil Vasquez from the Pirates for a player to be named later on April 2nd.
- The Royals acquired Luis Mendoza from the Rangers for cash considerations on April 2nd.
Yankee Rumors: Matsui, Damon, Jeter
The parade and celebration is over, so now it's time for GM Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankees' front office to get down to business and work on improving the team for 2010. Here's a roundup of some Yankee rumors…
- After winning World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui now faces an uncertain future writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Godzilla said he hopes to keep playing in New York, but he plans on spending the offseason working his knees back into game shape so he can market himself as an outfielder. Yesterday we learned that Matsui ruled out a return to Japan.
- Johnny Damon, another player with an expiring contract, also indicated that he wants to stay in New York, according to Mark Feinsand with the NY Daily News. Said Damon, "Why wouldn't I want to come back? We have the best owners in baseball, we have the best team and we have the most revenue and the biggest payroll. Who wouldn't want to be a part of the Yankee tradition? I would like to continue mine. I feel like I can come back and do a great job again."
- Cashman indicated that the team has not had any discussions about a contract extension with Derek Jeter, says George A. King III of The NY Post. The team has a policy that they let all contracts expire before discussing new ones, which they stuck to with Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and even Cashman in the last few years.
Phillies Considering Third Base Options
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the team is "actively exploring alternatives" to third baseman Pedro Feliz before deciding whether or not to pick up his option, according to Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"More than anything else, we want to see what options may be out there for us and decide whether picking his option up is best suited for this club to try to move forward," Amaro said.
"He had a solid year for us," Amaro said. "I like the man personally. He's a great person and a great teammate, but I also believe in trying to improve, and sometimes change can be for the better. It doesn't necessarily mean we're going to, but it's just something that we're thinking about."
The Phightin's must decide whether to pick up Feliz's $5MM option or buy him out for $500K by Monday.
There are several third base options on the free agent market that could pique Amaro's interest. Both Adrian Beltre and Chone Figgins would represent a significant offensive upgrade at the position, and according to UZR/150, they'd even provide a defensive boost over Feliz's already sterling glovework. I'm just throwing two names out there, we haven't seen the Phillies connected to either Beltre or Figgins yet.
Marlins Decline Option On Ross Gload
The Marlins have declined Ross Gload's 2010 option according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Had the team picked up the option, Gload would have made $2.6MM next season. He did not receive a buyout, according to information provided at Cot's Baseball Contracts.
The 33-year-old Gload hit .261/.329/.400 in 259 plate appearances last year, but the lefty swinger excelled off the bench, hitting .318/.418/.455 in 79 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. He even threw a scoreless inning for good measure.
Eleven Option Decisions Made Today
Today was a busy day for options, as eleven decisions were reached. Here's a summary:
- The White Sox declined Jermaine Dye's $12MM option, paying a $950K buyout.
- The Phillies exercised their $9MM option on Cliff Lee.
- The Diamondbacks exercised their $8.5MM option on Brandon Webb.
- The Royals declined options on Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta.
- The Brewers declined David Weathers' $3.7MM option, paying a $400K buyout.
- The Mets declined J.J. Putz's $9.15MM option, paying a $1MM buyout.
- The Rockies declined options on Yorvit Torrealba and Alan Embree.
- The Nationals declined Austin Kearns' $10MM option, paying a $1MM buyout.
- Our 2010 MLB Free Agents list shows the remaining options: Ramon Hernandez, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek, Gregg Zaun, Alex Gonzalez, Jack Wilson, Pedro Feliz, Carl Crawford, Manny Ramirez, Tim Hudson, Braden Looper, Tim Wakefield, Rafael Betancourt, and Brian Shouse. Decisions on several of these have already been publicized though.
Nationals Decline Option On Austin Kearns
The Nationals declined their $10MM option on right fielder Austin Kearns, according to the AP. They'll instead pay a $1MM buyout. Kearns signed his three-year, $17.5MM deal in January of '07, and gave the Nats one solid year for their money. He represents the last of the day's multiple obvious option decisions.
Kearns, 29, hit .195/.336/.305 in 211 plate appearances this year. He missed a chunk of the season due to thumb surgery. Based on UZR, he still plays a strong right field.
Odds & Ends: Hardy, Tejada, Cardinals, Mariners
Here's a few links to close out the night…
- Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox "had been engaging with the Brewers in on-and-off discussions involving (J.J.) Hardy since the trading deadline." Massarotti's source says the Brewers wanted either Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard, but Boston was only willing to part with Michael Bowden.
- MLB'com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said “At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop," but noted that Miguel Tejada could return as a third baseman.
- Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at some outfield options for the Cardinals should Matt Holliday depart as a free agent.
- The Mariners don't really have any non-tender candidates, according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. He also mentions that Brandon Morrow, Jason Vargas, and Jack Hannahan fell a little short of qualifying as Super Twos.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons says it's possible, though highly unlikely, that the Red Sox and Josh Beckett's agent Michael Moye are so far apart during contract ngotiations that the team would consider dealing their ace. He also says that unless there is "some unexpected understanding," Beckett will hit the free agent market after 2010.
- J.C. Bradbury debunked some common Hot Stove Myths.
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 not be willing to commit to him as closer, and Lyon knows that's where the money is.
- Placido Polanco "has all but been consigned to free agency."
- Henning thinks the "best bet" is that Adam Everett and the team agree to a "mutually pleasing" contract.
- Detroit will make no effort to sign either Jarrod Washburn or Aubrey Huff. Washburn has already said that he isn't expecting to get an offer from his post-trade deadline employer.
- The Tigers have already traded away their most expendable minor league arms, so they aren't blessed with much trade ammo.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press says the Tigers weren't involved in trade talks for J.J. Hardy. Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said he was looking for a centerfielder or cost efficient pitching, and he "did not see a match."
- MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Tigers were deep in talks with the Mariners for Michigan native J.J. Putz last offseason, but they can now take him on as a "low-risk, high-reward signing" if they so choose.