Padres, Crisp Talking Deal
Tim heard yesterday that Crisp, who says he's healthy after surgery on each shoulder, would prefer a one-year deal with the Padres or A's. As for other teams, the Cubs have some interest and the Royals are open to bringing him back. Some considered the Red Sox and White Sox suitors, but they've both added outfielders this week in Mike Cameron and Juan Pierre.
Cubs Still Not Close To Dealing Bradley
Although at least three teams are still interested in Milton Bradley, no trade is close, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The FOX duo names the Rays, Rangers, and Mariners as interested parties, but notes that there are roadblocks in each instance.
The Rays have been unwilling to budge for weeks in negotiations involving Bradley and Pat Burrell. The Rangers have some interest, but Bradley's last stint in Texas didn't end on "the best of terms." The Mariners, meanwhile, may be reluctant to acquire a controversial player like Bradley on the heels of making positive news with the Chone Figgins signing and the Cliff Lee trade.
Rosenthal's and Morosi's sources indicate that the Cubs are unwilling to pay the majority of Bradley's contract, or to release the disgruntled outfielder. It's hard to imagine a scenario where Bradley returns to Chicago in 2010, so you have to think that his potential suitors are waiting for the Cubs to bite the bullet and pay for a bigger chunk of the 31-year-old's remaining salary.
Odds & Ends: Orioles, Dodgers, Beltre, Pujols
Let's round up some Thursday evening links….
- The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly hears from Orioles officials that the team isn't serious about Matt Holliday or Adrian Gonzalez. This probably means that, despite their flurry of recent activity, Baltimore is done spending for now.
- Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts takes a look at the Dodgers' salary obligations for 2010.
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com follows up on the Roy Halladay–Cliff Lee blockbuster by breaking down Halladay's extension and relaying Lee's reaction to the trade.
- While the Cardinals wait on Holliday, Mark DeRosa is exploring his other options, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown adds a surprising team to a list of otherwise predictable suitors for Adrian Beltre: the Oakland Athletics. ESPN.com's Buster Olney follows up on this point, noting that the A's do have interest, but not at $10MM a year.
- The Marlins still could retain Dan Uggla, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. However, the team hasn't been in contact with his agent since the Winter Meetings, so a trade looks more likely. We heard some details earlier today about discussions the Marlins and Giants have had regarding Uggla.
- Albert Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the Cardinals' negotiations with Holliday won't affect a possible Pujols extension: "Albert respects Matt and would love to have him as a teammate and hopes he gets his money, but Matt’s situation must be seen as independent of Albert’s."
- A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Adam Dunn "is not going anywhere for now."
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks that Johnny Damon's run in New York is about to come to an end.
- Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News says that if the Mike Lowell trade falls through because of Lowell's health, the Rangers have other targets, including Vladimir Guerrero, Jermaine Dye, and Jim Thome. Morosi says we should know about the Lowell deal "one way or the other" by the end of the weekend.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington answers fans' questions about his team's future in an MLB.com mailbag.
New York Rumors: Sheets, Bay, Molina
After reporting earlier tonight that Nick Johnson and the Yankees are on the verge of an agreement, Newsday's Ken Davidoff looks at what that means for the Yankees, and brings us some Mets tidbits as well….
- Davidoff acknowledges skepticism about the Yanks entering the season with Melky Cabrera manning left field every day, but points out that the team will be getting above-average production from enough other positions to make it work. As Davidoff speculated earlier tonight, it looks likely that the signing of Johnson will signal the end of Johnny Damon's stint as a Yankee.
- A starting pitcher is the Yankees' next priority. Although they have interest in Ben Sheets, they probably won't get involved in a bidding war over the righty.
- The Mets, meanwhile, are hoping Jason Bay responds to their contract offer tomorrow, either with an acceptance or, more realistically, with a counter-proposal. The team's current offer is $65MM over four years. It sounds like they'd be willing to add a fifth year, at a slightly lesser annual salary. SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders, via Twitter, who else could be in on the Bay bidding.
- The Mets' pursuit of Bengie Molina could still take some time. Davidoff indicates that, with other catchers still in play, the club can afford to wait for Molina's demands to lower a little.
Mets Sign Ryota Igarashi
8:10pm: Igarashi's two-year deal with the Mets is worth $3MM, tweets NPB Tracker. Given the cost of late-inning arms this offseason (Brandon Lyon, for example), this seems like a solid, low-risk investment for the Mets.
THURSDAY, 3:41pm: The Mets announced the signing of Igarashi, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday. It's a two-year deal, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. ESPN's Keith Law gave a scouting report a few days ago, calling Igarashi a "slightly wild power reliever" with a mid-90s fastball and a splitter he can throw for strikes.
8:41pm: Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweets that a Mets source has confirmed that the club has indeed signed Igarashi.
WEDNESDAY, 7:55pm: NPB Tracker (via Twitter) passes on a report from Japanese site Sanspo.com that the Mets have "a basic agreement" to sign reliever Ryota Igarashi. A follow-up tweet translated a comment from Igarashi's agent Arn Tellem, who says that "the fine points of the contract" are still being worked out.
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Angels Pursuing Javier Vazquez?
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are focusing on acquiring Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Stark (who credits angelswin.com's Chuck Richter with the initial story) hears from rival executives that, in the wake of missing out on John Lackey, the Angels have turned their attention to the Braves and Vazquez.
The Angels will have an uphill battle, however, attempting to deal for Vazquez, as opposed to his teammate Derek Lowe. In addition to coming off a stronger season and having a more favorable contract than Lowe, Vazquez also has a no-trade clause that allows him to veto a deal to a west-coast club. A trade to the Angels would mean the right-hander would have to waive that clause, which he negotiated in order to stay closer to his family in Puerto Rico.
With Lackey, Roy Halladay, and Randy Wolf all off the market, Vazquez is one of the more interesting names still potentially available. The Braves have maintained all along that once Lackey signed, Lowe would become a more attractive commodity, and the same could be said about Vazquez. I don't expect the Braves to move him, but they could demand a significant return if they did.
Padres Notes: Denorfia, Gonzalez, Payroll
The San Diego Padres have signed Chris Denorfia to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. Denorfia, who will receive an invite to Spring Training, has posted respectable career numbers in the majors (.279/.356/.380), albeit in only 237 plate appearances. The 29-year-old outfielder spent the last two years with the Oakland A's organization.
Meanwhile, Brock also shares some information from Padres CEO Jeff Moorad regarding Adrian Gonzalez. Moorad says that "there's nothing active" or currently "on the table" involving the first baseman. The Red Sox have been linked to Gonzalez most frequently in trade rumors, but Moorad doesn't believe GMs Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have had any conversations since the Winter Meetings. Still, Moorad concedes the Padres would "be silly not to listen" on any Gonzalez offer that would "dramatically improve" the club. The catch there, of course, is that even a strong haul of prospects probably has no chance of dramatically improving the Padres for at least a year or two.
One more note from Moorad: After the Padres slashed payroll by nearly $30MM heading into 2009, the team may have a little more breathing room this winter. Moorad says Hoyer "has money to spend, not a lot, but money to spend." San Diego's 2009 salaries totaled around $43MM, while 2010 could potentially see them up closer to $50MM. This slight flexibility perhaps explains the club's decision to retain Kevin Correia, following rumors that the righty would be non-tendered.
Market For Adrian Beltre
The market for third baseman Adrian Beltre, 31 in April, remains difficult to decipher. You might expect a third baseman coming off an injury-shortened .265/.304/.379 line to take a make-good, one-year deal, even considering exceptional defense. For example, Joe Crede signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal in late February. Since both players are Scott Boras clients, why is Boras seeking a four-year deal worth at least $40MM for Beltre? (Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reporting).
One reason is that Beltre proved very durable prior to 2009, whereas Crede was not. Also consider that Beltre has a better offensive track record and played in a tough park for hitters. At the risk of doing Boras' bidding, it's interesting to note that Beltre hit .286/.330/.486 away from Safeco over the last three seasons. Considering that Beltre might be the game's best defensive third baseman, Boras' asking price doesn't seem so crazy.
As far as the current market, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Giants have remainined in contact. However, they are not finding common ground with Boras on the years or dollars. The Red Sox are known to like Beltre, but as WEEI's Alex Speier noted yesterday, signing him could push them over the luxury tax threshold. The Orioles, Twins, Angels, and Cardinals haven't generated much Beltre buzz, though the Mariners appear to be leaving the door open to re-sign him.
Cust Hopes To Sign By Christmas
Free agent outfielder/DH Jack Cust hopes to sign by Christmas, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He's expected to have two or three offers from which to choose.
Crasnick finds the A's, Rays, and Mets unlikely to sign Cust despite varying degrees of interest. Instead, the ESPN scribe considers the Royals, Mariners, and Tigers to be "possible fits." The issue with the Mariners: it'd be out of character for them to endure Cust's ugly defense in left field, and signing him as a DH would reduce Ken Griffey Jr.'s role.
Crasnick does not mention the White Sox, Rangers, or Blue Jays, though those teams could technically make room for Cust at DH.
Given that Cust played his first full season at 28 in '07, the concern is that his downward offensive trends of the last two years will continue.