Olney’s Latest: Bradley, Damon, Yankees, Harang
In today’s blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney writes that the presence of Ken Griffey Jr. should help Milton Bradley and the clubhouse culture in Seattle, however this might be the final straw for Bradley because he’s running out of second chances.
Let’s round up the rest of Olney’s rumors…
- One GM said the Bradley deal “means that one more chair just got taken away,” referring to another corner outfielder being taken off the market.
- Olney says that Johnny Damon might be a perfect fit for the Cardinals, who continue to talk with Matt Holliday.
- Meanwhile, there was some concern in the Yankees’ organization that if Damon took a paycut to return, he would have come into the season very unhappy.
- The rumored Aaron Harang to the Dodgers deal was never a good match, because LA doesn’t have much to spend and the Reds are trying to shed payroll.
Jason Bay Rumors: Saturday
The market for Jason Bay got smaller when the Mariners acquired Milton Bradley yesterday, and now it appears the Mets are bidding against themselves for the free agent outfielder, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. John Harper of The NY Daily News says that Bay and his agent Joe Urbon continue to stall for five years, however they're running out of leverage according to The NY Post's Bart Hubbuch.
ESPN's Buster Olney hears that the Mets "are convinced they are the lone big-money bidder on Bay," though Davidoff points out that New York's other team was supposed to hear something yesterday, but didn't. If any other club has interest in adding Bay's stick to their lineup, I'd say they've done a fine job of keeping it quiet.
Cubs, Mariners Swap Bradley For Silva
The Cubs and Mariners swapped bad contracts today, with outfielder Milton Bradley heading to Seattle and pitcher Carlos Silva to Chicago. SI's Jon Heyman first reported the reignited trade talks, and then Larry Stone of the Seattle Times broke news of the agreement. According to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, the Mariners also sent $9MM to the Cubs.
Bradley is owed $21MM over the next two seasons, while Silva will earn $25MM. The Cubs net $5MM overall. Silva missed most of the season with a shoulder injury; he hasn't had big league success since the '07 contract year. His ability to contribute anything in the next two seasons is highly questionable. Bradley we know can hit; he had a .378 OBP for the Cubs even in a down year. The Mariners are the clear winners here, noting the big caveat that they must keep Bradley from becoming a distraction.
The Cubs are now out $8.5MM a year for Silva due to GM Jim Hendry's Bradley folly. It was said Bradley badly wanted to come to Chicago, but Hendry paid full price at three years and $30MM. Bradley was signed in part to bring fire to the Cubs' clubhouse, but a year later they were desperate to unload him. Talking to Sullivan, Hendry took responsibility, but added "no one could have really predicted how it turned out."
Hendry now has to add an outfielder to replace Bradley. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that Scott Podsednik could be the Cubs' choice, though the Royals and Giants are also interested. The Cubs were tied up with the Bradley situation and unable to move on the top free agent center field option, Mike Cameron.
This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.
Odds & Ends: Treanor, Barton, Damon, Kelly Johnson
More links as the weekend draws closer…
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. The former Tiger struggled to stay healthy this year.
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Brian Barton to a minor league deal, according to Hernandez. The 27-year-old has hit just .268/.354/.392 in 179 big league plate appearances, all coming in 2008.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson has learned that the Nationals are not interested in Johnny Damon because they're trying to improve their defense.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that Damon has some interest in signing with the Braves. The outfielder would have to be willing to take a pay cut to join the club, in O'Brien's opinion.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs have made Kelly Johnson an offer. The details aren't clear, but Piecoro guesses it's a one-year deal worth $2MM.
- Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti said that any talks with Cincinnati are "all but dead," according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Yesterday we heard the two teams were exploring an Aaron Harang trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers, Giants and Royals have interest in Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners may be the favorites to sign Cust.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com hears that Jose Contreras is narrowing his options down and preparing to sign. His agent says "there are some interesting opportunities in the bullpen."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says that with his options dwindling, Miguel Tejada might have to slide over to third to be rewarded with a contract.
- Claudio Vargas' deal with the Brewers is worth $900K, says Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. The righty could also earn another $400K in incentives.
- O'Brien mentions that Adam LaRoche said there's been no contact from the Braves that he knows of. Earlier we learned that some teams were put off by LaRoche's asking price.
- Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres have named Jaron Madison scouting director. Madison spent the last two years working as the assistant scouting director in St. Louis.
- Venezuelan reporter Efrain Zavarce says that Kelvim Escobar has signed with…a Venezuelan Winter League team. He'll pitch in relief tomorrow, and the Rays will have someone in attendance.
Discussion: Mariners’ Offseason
It's been less than 15 months since Jack Zduriencik became general manager of the Mariners, but in that time he's transformed a 101-loss team (with a $100M payroll, no less) into a squad that's the early favorite to win the AL West in 2010. After adding Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee earlier this month, Zduriencik may have pulled off his greatest move today, when he turned the awful Carlos Silva into the potentially useful Milton Bradley.
Despite Zduriencik's wizardry, his club still has holes at first base, left field/designated hitter, and perhaps in the bullpen. They were in on Nick Johnson until the Yankees gobbled him up, and expressed interest in both Johnny Damon and Jason Bay. The latter two don't fit Jack Z.'s mold of pitching and defense, however.
Here's the list of available free agents, see any fits? What about Felipe Lopez, with Jose Lopez sliding over the first? Maybe a Reed Johnson–Gabe Gross platoon? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Rockies Re-Sign Juan Rincon
The Rockies have re-signed reliever Juan Rincon to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. He’ll compete for a bullpen spot in Spring Training.
Rincon, 31 next month, had a 7.52 ERA in 26.1 innings with the Rockies last season. After a long stint with the Twins, Rincon has bounced around from Cleveland to Detroit to Colorado in the last few seasons.
Yankees Rumors: DeRosa, Damon, Matsui
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News hears that Scott Boras and Johnny Damon talked with the Yankees yesterday and would have considered a two-year deal. The New York Times' Tyler Kepner says he would've taken $20MM, while Newsday's Ken Davidoff says the Yanks' best offer was $14MM (both links via Twitter). Now it appears that Damon's tenure with the Bombers is over. Damon will have other suitors, but leaving the Yankees behind won't be easy.
"I know there are some teams interested," Damon told Feinsand. "But the Yankees are the best organization I've been a part of so far in my career."
One source suggests to Feinsand that Damon could land in San Francisco. Nick Johnson was a rumored Giants target until it became apparent that the Yanks were nearing a deal with him. Johnson will make less than Matsui next year, but Feinsand says the Yanks' decision to let Matsui walk has more to do with the DH's knees than his salary demands.
The Yankees' next moves? Starting pitching and a look at Mark DeRosa, according to ESPN's Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. For now, the Yankees are unwilling to meet DeRosa's $18-21MM asking price over three years (understandably). Rosenthal says the Giants, Cardinals, and possibly Braves are other suitors.
Dodgers Sign Jamey Carroll
The Dodgers signed veteran infielder Jamey Carroll to a two-year deal, as first reported by ESPN's Buster Olney. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports specified the contract's value as $3.85MM. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says there's another $500K in incentives. Carroll reportedly drew interest from eight teams this winter.
Carroll hit .276/.355/.340 in 358 plate appearances with Cleveland last season, playing mostly as a second baseman but also seeing significant time at third base and in the outfield. His versatility makes him particularly attractive to the Dodgers, since they stand to lose multiple infielders to free agency and Carroll would fill any number of holes on the bench or in the starting lineup should Blake DeWitt struggle as the everyday second baseman.
Where did the cash-strapped Dodgers get the money for Carroll? Hernandez notes that the infielder's funds came from the money GM Ned Colletti saved by shipping Juan Pierre to the White Sox. Colletti quickly spent about half of the Pierre savings on Carroll.
This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.
Olney On Gonzalez, LaRoche, Holliday
ESPN.com's Buster Olney asked an "independent evaluator" to guess what the Red Sox would have to give up to obtain Adrian Gonzalez. Olney's source says the Padres need to acquire Ryan Westmoreland and Casey Kelly, plus other highly-touted prospects. Gonzalez is under control for two more years at $10.25MM. He'd probably be worth $40MM-plus over two years on the open market, so the Padres have some serious bargaining power. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- The A's are interested in Adrian Beltre, but "only in an Oakland economy size financial package."
- Some teams bristle at the idea of paying eight figures for Beltre.
- Some teams have been put off by Adam LaRoche's asking price.
- The Orioles checked out of the Matt Holliday derby when they learned that he's asking for considerably more than $75MM.
Phillies Offer Eyre Deal; Park Likely To Leave
The Phillies would like to add relievers. Here's the latest on their search:
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Phils offered Scott Eyre a minor league deal. The lefty wants more, so he hasn't accepted the offer. The Yankees have some interest in Eyre, but have yet to make him a formal offer.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Scott Lauber of the News Journal that he doesn't expect to reach a deal with Chan Ho Park. "I just don't think Chan Ho and the Phillies are going to be able to bring the marriage together," Amaro said.