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Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers

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They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…

  • David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
  • With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.

Diamondbacks Seeking Veteran Reliever

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The Diamondbacks could have two potential holes to fill in their rotation depending on what happens with Doug Davis and Brandon Webb after the season, but GM Josh Byrnes also wants to add a veteran reliever according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.

"We've had our share of adversity this year, and in the bullpen it's not going to be a smooth ride for six months," Byrnes said. "We'd like to have people who can sort of understand that a bad game is going to happen but not let it happen too often and set an example that way."

Arizona's pen was supposed to be anchored by Chad Qualls, Scott Schoeneweis, Tony Pena and Jon Rauch, but Rauch and Pena were traded, Qualls battled injury, and Schoeneweis dealt with the unfortunate passing of his wife. The foursome combined for a 4.46 ERA in 163.1 IP for the D-Backs this season.

Looking the list of available free agents this offseason, could Bobby Howry or Octavio Dotel make sense? Maybe a Brandon Lyon reunion? 

Pirates Will Tender Contracts To Key Arbitration Eligible Players

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates plan on tendering contracts to their three key arbitration eligible players: closer Matt Capps, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, and starter Zach Duke. Jeff Karstens may also qualify as a Super Two.

Capps earned $2.3MM this season, the second year of the two year, $3.05MM contract he signed last April. With three more years of arbitration ahead of him, Capps may have been a non-tender candidate after posting a 5.68 ERA and sky-high homerun rate (1.7 HR/9 IP) in 2009.

"I don't see a situation in which we non-tender Capps unless we get completely unrealistic financial demands," [GM Neal] Huntington said. "From the standpoint of our belief in his ability, that's absolutely there."

Duke and Cedeno, on the other hand, earned $2.2MM and $822K this season, respectively. Duke was an All Star for the first time in 2009, although Cedeno hasn't hit much after coming over in the Jack Wilson deal. The team could approach Duke about a long-term extension, similar to the three year, $14.5MM deal they gave Paul Maholm earlier this year.

Discussion: Phillies’ Closer Situation

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Unless you've just started following baseball, as in today, you know that Phillies closer Brad Lidge isn't just in the middle of a bad year, but a historically bad year. His 7.48 ERA is the highest in history for a pitcher with 30+ saves, eclipsing Shawn Chacon's 7.11 mark back in 2004. Depending on who you ask, Lidge either still is or no longer is the Phillies closer, and with the playoffs less than two weeks away, the team has a pretty significant decision to make.

The once mighty Lidge has blown a Major League worst 11 saves on the year, and his peripherals have all declined precipitously across the board. With $24.5MM left on his contract over the next two years, the defending World Champs have to hope he's just experiencing a hangover year following a deep run into the postseason. Luckily, they have a top notch setup man in Ryan Madson to fall back on.

Barring a miraculous rebound in the postseason, the Phillies will start the 2010 season with a major question mark at the back of the bullpen. Do you think the Phightin's should look into adding another end game reliever this offseason? The free agent pool features plenty of relievers with closer experience, but will Philly pony up for another top notch closer?

Odds & Ends: Halladay, Pujols, Mateo, Benitez

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Here's a few links to check out as Roy Halladay makes what might be his final start in Toronto as a member of the home team…

  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian spoke to Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston about Halladay, and what the offseason might hold for him. "If you didn't [have a shot at the playoffs in '10], I think you would maybe think about ''Maybe it is time to move him.'" He also added "I can't make those decisions. They're going to do what's right for the club and certainly Doc's got a little bit of say-so."
  • Rob Neyer of ESPN suggests that Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt wait a year before signing Albert Pujols to an extension because Pujols' value will never be higher than it is right now. What to do you guys think, any chance Pujols actually increases his value next season?
  • Yoel Adames of ESPN Deportes has some quotes from Edgar Mercedes, agent for Wagner Mateo, about a possible lawsuit against the Cardinals. St. Louis voided Mateo's $3.1MM contract earlier this week after finding "pre-existing injuries and physical defects."
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that the "hottest rumor among baseball scouts is that Pat Gillick will be returning to Toronto to become president of the club, but not GM."
  • The Astros released Armando Benitez and the Braves released John Halama, according to this week's edition of minor league transactions, courtesy of Baseball America.

Aroldis Chapman Declared A Free Agent

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According to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., Cuban southpaw Aroldis Chapman has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. Chapman established residency in the small European country of Andorra earlier this week, the first step towards becoming a free agent. We've seen plenty of speculation about which teams could be interested in his services and how much they'd likely have to pay for it, but now teams are free to actually pursue him.

Let the bidding begin.

Mets Claim Jack Egbert From White Sox

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5:24pm: Just following up, Hubbuch says Egbert will not pitch for the Mets this year, instead he'll just report to Spring Training next year.

3:06pm: The Mets claimed right-hander Jack Egbert off waivers from the White Sox, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. The 26-year-old only appeared in two games with the White Sox this year and the results weren't pretty. He allowed one run for every out he recorded, so he has a 27.00 ERA to show for his 2.2 innings pitched.

Egbert pitched better at Triple A Charlotte, where he allowed 132 hits and 33 walks in 108 innings. He struck out 78 and finishes his minor league season with a 5.05 ERA.

Padres Are Open-Minded About Milton Bradley

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Padres GM Kevin Towers says he's open-minded about the possibility of bringing Milton Bradley back to San Diego, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Towers hasn't yet spoken with Cubs GM Jim Hendry about the possibility of re-acquiring the 31-year-old, but the Padres have to take chances at times, so Bradley could fit.

"We could be in the market for an outfielder," Towers said. "I'm not saying it's necessarily Milton. But our experience with him was rather a positive one. It wasn't really a negative one."

The Padres' experience with Bradley wasn't without its negative episodes. Bradley injured his knee when manager Bud Black restrained him during an on-field argument. The bizarre turn of events ended Bradley's Padres career, over the course of which he posted an OPS of 1.004 in 42 games.

Earlier in the week, ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggested that the Padres could be a fit for Bradley and Jon Heyman of SI.com echoed the thought this afternoon. One obstacle the Cubs will encounter with any trading partner will be the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract before the end of the 2011 season.

Odds & Ends: Astros, Girardi, Ricciardi

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Time for a round of afternoon links before the regular season's second-last weekend officially begins…

  • The Astros signed Korean infielder Chan Jong Moon to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Tom Singer. The 18-year-old high schooler is apparently a high-energy player.
  • Peter Abraham of the Journal News wonders if the Yankees would extend Joe Girardi's contract if the Yankees secure a World Series berth this year. Girardi's current deal expires after next season. 
  • Joe Posnanski doesn't get J.P. Ricciardi, partly because people say wildly divergent things about the GM. Posnanski doesn't expect J.P. to be the person who will turn the Jays around in the tough AL East.
  • Tom Verducci of SI.com says it's time to think of Clay Buchholz as a number three starter. Meanwhile, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com wonders if Jon Lester is Boston's new ace.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Soria, Red Sox, Pirates, Verlander, Felix

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On this date five years ago, Carlos Delgado hit his 300th career home run. He would go on to hit three more home runs that game to become just the 15th big leaguer to hit four in one game. Now in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract, Delgado has a season average of .298 with four homers and 23 RBI in the 26 games he played before his hip surgery. Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are open to bringing him back next year. However, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets will not offer Delgado arbitration. With one week remaining before the off-season starts for most teams, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • MLB Notebook looks at where Brandon Webb could end up if the D'Backs decline his option.
  • Royals Authority wonders if the Phillies would be a good trade partner to land Joakim Soria.
  • The Bottom Line writes that the Red Sox either have to re-sign Jason Bay or pick up Matt Holliday.
  • Bucco Fans says the Pirates have money to spend this off-season and speculates on where that money might be spent.
  • Jorge Says No! speculates on what it might take to sign Justin Verlander to an extension.
  • Prospect Insider looks at what it might take to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • Blogging Mets lists Omar Minaya's worst moves.
  • Sports: A Game Of Inches compares Jonny Gomes to Adam Dunn. Gomes will be arbitration-eligible after the season.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

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