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Archives for February 2009

Latest On Ken Griffey Jr.

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Jon Heyman of SI.com and Buster Olney of ESPN write about free agent outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. this morning.

Heyman says Junior is well set financially: "His 16-year payout at $5MM per year just happens to begin this year."  Griffey’s agent Brian Goldberg has been shopping his client with no luck so far.  Griffey is said to be "completely healthy" after knee surgery, and is open to playing anywhere.

Olney talked to Reds doctor Tim Kremcheck, who said Griffey’s in the best shape he’s been in in years.  Kremcheck believes last year’s knee injuries limited Griffey’s power and he’ll bounce back.

We’ve heard the loose Mariners connection, but not much beyond that.  The Braves are looking for an outfielder or two, but haven’t been linked to Griffey recently.  The Padres seek a veteran left-handed hitter but Griffey’s name hasn’t come up in reports.  Olney adds:

Heard this: The Mets will continue to bottom-feed for guys on the free agent market, at the $600K-$1MM level, and if that nets them someone like Griffey, well, then so be it.

Manny Turns Down Dodgers’ One-Year Offer

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1:33am: Ramirez has turned down the Dodgers’ one-year offer, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.  The Dodgers have confirmed it.

Hernandez lists the Mets, Giants and Nationals as teams that are monitoring Ramirez’ market.

The Dodgers could find themselves in a bind if Ramirez receives a multi-year offer from another club. If Ramirez is offered what he considers a fair deal, sources close to him say that he wouldn’t grant the Dodgers a chance to match it, forcing the Dodgers to go into Spring Training without their only star attraction and reliable run producer.

Hernandez believes the Dodgers could possibly pursue free agent outfielders Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu if they don’t re-sign Ramirez.

9:11pm Monday: ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports that Ramirez and agent Scott Boras were given a 48-hour deadline to either accept or reject the offer. 

7:40pm Monday: According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Dodgers have made another offer to Manny Ramirez.  This time it’s a one-year deal worth $25MM.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed that the offer was made last night.  "We are still trying to sign Manny, and we hope that this will make him happy,” Colletti said.  The team’s first offer was two years, $45 million with a club option for 2011.  As Jackson notes, these are the only known offers extended to Ramirez since he filed for free agency last fall.

Orlando Hudson On MLB Network

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Free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson appeared on the MLB Network today.  Barry Larkin asked which teams he’s talking to, and he named the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Nationals.  None of the teams have said anything to Hudson’s agent about changing positions.  Hudson says right now he sees himself as a second baseman.  Ken Rosenthal says Hudson "seems to be banking on [the Mets or Yankees] pursuing a creative solution."

Hudson, 31, hit .305/.367/.450 in 455 plate appearances for Arizona last year while earning $6.25MM.  Based on the plus/minus system, Hudson did not flash his typical stellar glovework in ’08.  The market for Hudson has been held down partially because he is a Type A free agent who turned down the D’Backs offer of arbitration.  That means whoever signs him will give up a draft pick.  Another factor may be the broken wrist he suffered in August.

Latest On Randy Wolf, Braden Looper

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9:23pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick confirms that the Dodgers spoke multiple times with the agents for Wolf and Looper over the weekend. 

Gurnick writes that the team is "cautiously optimistic" that having Oliver Perez off the board will spur the remaining free agent pitchers to reach agreements. 

The Dodgers currently have starters Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda slotted into the starting rotation with Jason Schmidt, Eric Stults, Shawn Estes and Claudio Vargas looking on from the outside.  Either Wolf or Looper could easily slide into that fourth spot.

3:21pm: Ken Rosenthal has the latest on free agent lefty Randy Wolf: 

The Dodgers have maintained almost daily contact with the agents for left-hander Wolf, and the two sides made "a little" progress over the weekend, one source said.

It seems that Wolf has one less suitor now that the Mets are set to re-sign Oliver Perez.  Braden Looper is said to be the Dodgers’ backup plan after Wolf, but the market for Wolf appears quiet.  The Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers might be looking to add one starter, but those three clubs have not been connected to Wolf in recent days.

Baker Open To Long-Term Deal

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Twins right-hander Scott Baker said recently that he would be open to signing a long-term deal to stay in Minnesota.  Kelly Thesier has the report over at MLB.com.

"I have definitely entertained the idea of it." Baker said. "I like this place. I like playing here. I like the coaching staff and obviously we have a great clubhouse. It’s kind of up to them, but I definitely have thought about it."

Multiyear deals for pitchers can be risky, but Baker has shown the kind of consistency over the past two seasons that would warrant long-term consideration by most teams.  He is 20-13 with a 3.81 ERA in 381 innings since the start of 2007 and is still only 27 years of age.

Mariners Hot Stove Update: Griffey, Abreu, Anderson

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Mariners president Chuck Armstrong spoke to a few hundred Portland-area business leaders on Thursday and addressed a few questions on some potential moves that his team might make.  Andy Giegerich covered the event for the Portland Business Journal.

  • Armstrong met with a representative for free agent Ken Griffey Jr. on Wednesday, but nothing came out of the discussion.
  • The M’s are also looking at free agent outfielders Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson.  They could become serious suitors as contract numbers continue to fall, especially if the demand for those guys remains low.

Verlander, Tigers Working To Avoid Arbitration

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Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Monday that he’s hopeful the club can reach agreement with right-hander Justin Verlander before a February 13 arbitration hearing.

"We’re really still hopeful that we can get a deal negotiated and not go to arbitration," Dombrowski said.  "We continue to have conversations."

Verlander asked for $4.15MM while the Tigers submitted a $3.2MM bid.  Dombrowski hasn’t required an arbitration hearing since he took over as general manager in 2002.

Brew Crew Done Dealing?

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GM Doug Melvin mentioned it back in January and principal owner Mark Attanasio has now confirmed it:  The Brewers have reached their payroll limit and aren’t likely to add a major free agent this offseason.

"When I first bought the team, it was like, ’Are you ever going to get to 40 [million dollars]?’" said Attanasio, who purchased the team following the 2004 season, when the Brewers spent just shy of $28 million on players. "Now, we’re arguing between 82 and 79... There is the potential that prices will continue to come down and somebody may fall, but we don’t want to count on that, because there’s no way of knowing."

Rangers Hot Stove Update: Jennings, Sheets

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Jeff Wilson, writing for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has a few more updates on the Rangers’ hot stove situation:

  • Jason Jennings is still on the team’s radar.  His agent and GM Jon Daniels had multiple conversations last week.  Jennings, 30, struggled last season before undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.  He should be ready for spring training and is likely to come cheap.
  • The lines of communication remain open with free agent Ben Sheets, but there hasn’t been much progress.  Wilson believes that might change now that the Mets have agreed to a deal with Oliver Perez.

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