Yankees Want To Trade Nady
FRIDAY: Ken Davidoff of Newsday says Yankees GM Brian Cashman has received more requests for Swisher than Nady, but agrees the Yanks would prefer to move Nady. (Chris Haft likes Swisher for the Giants). Davidoff says the Mets had interest in Nady at last year’s trade deadline but are currently focused on their rotation.
THURSDAY: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle heard from a good source that Yankees GM Brian Cashman wants to keep Nick Swisher and trade Xavier Nady. Would Nady make sense for the Giants at first base? Schulman doesn’t think so, as the Nady hasn’t played the position much and is unlikely to sign an extension with Scott Boras as his agent. Nady will be eligible for free agency after the ’09 season.
Latest On Pedro Martinez
FRIDAY: From Mike Puma of the New York Post:
Martinez said he’s open to pitching just about anywhere in 2009, but the Mets are far and away his first choice.
THURSDAY: Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog does a nice job summing up reports on the Pedro Martinez situation.
Dylan Hernandez has said the Dodgers are not in on Pedro, but the righty has narrowed his choices to two teams in each league. The Mets are one known suitor – Omar Minaya will meet with Pedro next week. I’ve talked to many Pirates and White Sox fans who would like to see their team sign Martinez to a one-year deal, but the interest level of those teams is unknown.
Cerrone also relays a Tom Verducci report from the MLB Network saying Martinez recently rejected a one-year, $7MM offer from an AL team. He must really dislike that team, because he’s not going to get that kind of money elsewhere.
Red Sox Sign Mark Kotsay
According to Sean McAdam and Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox reached an agreement with outfielder Mark Kotsay on a one-year deal worth $1.5MM plus incentives. Kotsay will back up Kevin Youkilis at first base and complement Rocco Baldelli as an extra outfielder.
Kotsay was one of few viable options at center field among free agents this year, but he still could not find a regular job.
Braves, Orioles Eyeing Kenshin Kawakami
11:14pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown says the Braves were aggressive on Kawakami even before John Smoltz left, so the Japanese pitcher is in a good position. Brown’s list of Kawakami suitors includes some new clubs. He names the Braves, Cardinals, Red Sox, Twins, Pirates, Orioles, and possibly Yankees.
A Nikkan Sports article about Kawakami (in Japanese) has been making the rounds lately. I asked Patrick Newman about it; apparently it says Kawakami has advanced to final negotiations with the Braves. My guess is that this report jumped the gun.
8:34pm: Steve Melewski of MASN reports that the Orioles are still in the hunt for Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami.
"The O’s remain in the mix, no question," a source told MASN. "They’ve showed a strong pursuit of Kawakami." Baltimore has already signed another Japanese import, Koji Uehara, but are looking for more starting pitching depth. Kawakami, 34, has a career record of 106-62 and a 3.17 ERA in Japan. The O’s extended an offer to him at the end of December, but he’s obviously keeping his options open. The Braves, Twins and Cardinals are also believed to have interest.
Chad Cordero To Audition Friday
THURSDAY: Count the Mets in on the Cordero session. Twins too.
WEDNESDAY: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy says Cordero will throw Friday, and the Brewers will be in attendance. They’ve already seen him throw once. The Rangers will also be there.
TUESDAY, 9:57pm: MLB.com’s Jason Beck says the Tigers are also expected to watch Cordero throw.
1:37pm: Nick Piecoro says the D’Backs will be one of the teams in attendance at Cordero’s audition. Chico Harlan says the Nationals will also attend.
8:38am: According to a baseball source, free agent reliever Chad Cordero is ahead of schedule and teams will watch him throw this week. The Nationals had said he wouldn’t be able to throw until June due to last summer’s labrum/biceps surgery.
Teams known to be interested based on reports: the Angels, Mets, Cardinals, D’Backs, Rangers, and Tigers.
What’s Next For Chipper And Glavine?
9:22pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman has some related quotes from Glavine from this week.
3:04pm: John Smoltz is gone, even after Bobby Cox’s last-ditch phone call this morning. What about longtime Braves Chipper Jones and Tom Glavine?
The AJC’s Carroll Rogers talked to Chipper, who wonders whether he could be traded midseason if the Braves aren’t playing well. He is expecting the Braves to approach him about an extension this winter though. Jones is quite disappointed about Smoltz’s departure and said "it hasn’t gone unnoticed by me."
Glavine’s first choice is the Braves, but he’s keeping an open mind according to Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick wonders if the Nationals could be a possibility.
Red Sox Still Working With Jason Varitek
According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, the Red Sox are still pursuing free agent catcher Jason Varitek.
"There’s still some unfinished business," Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said Thursday. "Jason is still out there. As I said at the beginning of the offseason, he’s been a really important guy here to this organization and by no means have we shut the door on him." Varitek hit .220 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI last season and made $10.4MM. He’s definitely in line for a pay cut.
Pirates Talk Nady, Swisher With Yankees
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have had trade talks with the Yankees regarding outfielders Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
Kovacevic, however, goes on to say that there is "little cause to expect a deal involving either coming to Pittsburgh," noting that Swisher is due $22MM over the next three years and hit just .219 last season. A Nady deal is even less likely because the Yankees will demand top young talent; and the Pirates should be in full rebuilding mode.
Padres Re-Sign Scott Hairston
According to the Associated Press, the San Diego Padres have avoided arbitration with Scott Hairston, signing him for $1.25MM for ’09.
Hairston, 28, hit .248/.312/.479 last season with 17 home runs and 31 RBI in 326-at bats. He’ll provide depth in San Diego’s outfield this season.
Red Sox Agree To Terms With Baldelli, Smoltz
7:00pm: Smoltz signed the offer sheet from the Red Sox, says Buster Olney. Olney’s story has contract details as well. There’s also an interesting quote from Theo Epstein:
"I think you’ll see us now turn to players who we can take chances on, players who represent potential impact players. We still have some things going on."
2:31pm: Gordon Edes provides details on the Braves’ offer to Smoltz:
The Braves would have paid Smoltz incrementally based on his health up to a maximum of $5 million if he remained on the major league roster for 60 days, and the guarantee was for no more than $3 million. The offer also included another $5 million in performance bonuses and $2 million in additional incentives. So Smoltz could have earned up to $12 million by staying healthy and pitching extremely well.
1:55pm: David O’Brien says the Braves would not exceed $3MM guaranteed for Smoltz. Braves CEO Terry McGuirk is "shocked and surprised" by his decision. Buster Olney says Smoltz is set to sign Boston’s offer sheet and was perturbed by McGuirk’s comments. In a statement, Smoltz said there were "large discrepancies" between the offers.
11:39am: Chad Finn of the Boston Globe sums up the reports: the Red Sox announced an agreement with Rocco Baldelli on a one-year deal and the AP says their one-year deal with John Smoltz will be finalized today. Both players are pretty much luxuries for the Sox, but they had money to burn. I never would’ve predicted Smoltz and Trevor Hoffman would be wearing new uniforms in 2009.
Baldelli’s deal has a $500K base with $1.75MM in roster bonuses and $5.25MM in performance bonuses. The Phillies, Reds, Pirates, and Orioles were in on him. Smoltz gets $5MM guaranteed with another possible $5MM in bonuses.
WEEI’s Alex Speier looks at Boston’s successful history of buying low, and the station also notes that Brad Penny‘s physical is scheduled for today.