Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
11:36pm: One baseball source tells Tom Verducci of SI.com that the Phillies have been "very aggressive" in their efforts to obtain Halladay. Apparently the Phils are trying to find the players the Blue Jays want, even if that means looking on other teams.
10:00pm: Angels GM Tony Reagins didn't comment on the reported offer of Saunders, Aybar and Bourjos, but two sources shot the rumor down when Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times asked them about it.
Reagins said the Blue Jays have targeted Saunders, Bourjos and Mike Napoli. It's even "possible" that the deal could be expanded to send more Blue Jays to Anaheim.
"They have a lot of pieces that are attractive," Reagins said.
8:33am: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had this to say to Scott Lauber about acquiring Halladay: "I don't think there's any likeliness. None."
6:01am: Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News spoke to a source who said "Don't rule out them including Cole Hamels" in a potential Halladay deal. I'm not sure it's wise for Philly to sell low on Hamels for only one year of Halladay, but that would be something.
4:47am: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says that the Angels and Phillies have emerged as the frontrunners in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. Philadelphia is prepared to offer a package that will likely include J.A. Happ, plus either Michael Taylor or Domonic Brown. Echoing a report from yesterday, Rosenthal says the Angels offered Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, and Peter Bourjos to the Blue Jays.
Halladay will likely require a contract extension in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause according to Rosenthal, and the Phillies would almost certainly have to make another move to fit Halladay into the payroll. Joe Blanton is a prime candidate to be that sacrificial lamb. Meanwhile, the Angels are trying to re-sign John Lackey, and could withdraw from the Halladay pursuit if he returns.
Odds & Ends: Beltre, Lyon, Nats, Rangers
Some more links for your Thursday night…
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox believe Adrian Beltre to be "one of the most game-changing defenders in the majors."
- Two GMs tell Tom Verducci of SI.com that they were shocked to see the Astros commit $15MM to Brandon Lyon.
- Verducci reports that the Yankees called the Tigers about Curtis Granderson before the World Series began.
- The Nats still plan on adding multiple veteran starters, according to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.
- Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers have to be "extremely selective with multi-year deals, stock a good farm system, fill in with low-risk, high-reward short-timers and churn regularly." So far, Sherrington likes Jon Daniels' strategy.
- MLB.com's Ian Browne expects Mike Lowell to be a positive presence in the Texas clubhouse.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he's "not close" on any deals.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that there's a chance Phil Coke starts in Detroit.
- The D'Backs don't appear to have much money to spend, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
- Marlins president Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that "there is still some stuff simmering." The club hopes to trade Dan Uggla, according to Frisaro.
- Orioles starter Brian Matusz told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he grew up watching Kevin Millwood pitch for the Braves. Now, the two will be teammates.
- Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers turned down a Japanese club that wanted to buy Eric Stults' contract.
- Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that Juan Miranda could potentially DH for the Yanks next year.
Yankees Rumors: Sheets, Damon
The Yankees have some interest in Ben Sheets and they're taking their time with Johnny Damon. Here are the details on the defending World Champions:
- Marc Carig of the Star Ledger reports that the Yankees made contact with Ben Sheets' agent. This doesn't mean they'll sign him, or that he's a priority, but it's worth noting. We know Sheets is looking for $12MM or so. That target seems lofty given that Rich Harden, who actually pitched last year, signed for less than that, but the Yankees are looking into starters.
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The Yankees haven't made progress with Johnny Damon. Sam Borden of the Journal News says they haven't yet set a firm deadline for their negotiations.
Discussion: Winter Meetings Winners & Losers
Roy Halladay's still a Blue Jay. Jason Bay, Matt Holliday and John Lackey are still free agents. But lots of moves did take place this week in Indianapolis, so let's discuss: which teams are winners? Which teams are losers? And which teams are in between?
The Yankees signed Andy Pettitte and traded for Curtis Granderson. That makes them winners, right? The Dodgers didn't make any major moves and didn't obtain compensation for the loss of Randy Wolf: does this make them losers?
But what about the Astros? Yahoo's Steve Henson considers them a winner, but some people think the Brandon Lyon deal was a mistake. How about the Rangers? The Mariners? Let's hear about your 2009 Winter Meetings winners and losers in the comments section.
2009 Winter Meetings In Review
The 2009 Winter Meetings in Indianapolis have drawn to a close. The volume of hot stove information coming out of this event was staggering, in no small part because of Twitter. The highlights are below.
Free Agent Signings
- The Reds signed Chris Burke to a minor league deal.
- The Astros signed third baseman Pedro Feliz to a one-year, $4.5MM deal.
- The Astros signed reliever Gary Majewski to a minor league deal worth $650K in the Majors.
- The Mariners re-signed shortstop Josh Wilson to a minor league deal.
- The Astros reached an agreement with reliever Brandon Lyon on a three-year, $15MM deal, netting the Tigers a supplemental draft pick.
- Starter Rich Harden reached an agreement with the Rangers. Harden will get $6.5MM plus incentives in 2010, and has an $11MM mutual option for '11 with a $1MM buyout.
- The Mariners signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor league deal.
- The Brewers reached an agreement with reliever LaTroy Hawkins on a two-year, $7.5MM deal.
- The Pirates signed shortstop Bobby Crosby to a one-year deal worth $1MM with $500K in incentives.
- The Yankees re-signed starter Andy Pettitte to a one-year, $11.75MM deal.
- The Brewers agreed to a three-year, $29.75MM deal with starter Randy Wolf that includes a fourth-year club option.
- The Cardinals signed starter Brad Penny to a one-year deal worth $7.5MM, with another $1.5MM in incentives.
- The Phillies reached an agreement with infielder Ross Gload on a two-year deal.
- The Nationals signed outfielder Jerry Owens to a minor league deal.
- The Tigers signed catcher Robinzon Diaz.
- The Mets signed first baseman Mike Hessman to a minor league deal.
- The Nationals signed catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year, $6MM deal.
- The Red Sox signed pitchers Fabio Castro and Kason Gabbard.
- The Tigers re-signed shortstop Adam Everett to a one-year, $1.55MM deal.
- The Red Sox signed reliever Scott Atchison out of Japan to a one-year deal worth $420K, with two club options.
- The Pirates signed reliever Vinnie Chulk to a minor league deal.
Trades
- The Red Sox and Rangers agreed in principle to a trade that would send Mike Lowell and cash to the Rangers for Max Ramirez.
- Pitcher Boof Bonser was designated for assignment by the Twins on Tuesday and acquired by the Red Sox on Thursday for a player to be named later.
- Reliever Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration Monday night, and the Braves later traded him to the Rays for reliever Jesse Chavez.
- The Rangers traded starter Kevin Millwood and $3MM to the Orioles for reliever Chris Ray and Rule 5 pick Benjamin Snyder.
- The Astros acquired reliever Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for pitcher Robert Bono, shortstop Luis Bryan, and Rule 5 pick/third baseman Jorge Jimenez.
- The Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson, the D'Backs acquired Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers acquired Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke, and Austin Jackson in a three-team blockbuster.
- The Nationals acquired reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees for Rule 5 pick/outfielder Jamie Hoffmann.
- The Rangers acquired lefty Clay Rapada from the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
New Free Agents
- The A's released reliever Santiago Casilla.
- First baseman/DH Mike Jacobs and lefty John Bale were released by the Royals.
- The Padres released pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz.
- The Nationals released reliever Saul Rivera.
Other Stuff
- The Rockies signed Chris Iannetta to a three-year deal worth more than $8MM.
- 17 players were taken in the first round of the Rule 5 draft.
- The Red Sox claimed pitcher Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Rays.
- Peter Gammons will leave ESPN to work for MLB.com, MLB Network, and NESN.
- The Braves designated outfielder Ryan Church for assignment.
- The White Sox agreed to a three-year deal with third baseman Mark Teahen, buying out two arbitration years and one free agent year for a total of $14MM.
- Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Soriano, and Carl Pavano accepted arbitration offers, while everyone else declined.
- The Rockies sold Matt Murton's rights to the Hanshin Tigers.
- The Brewers claimed infielder Luis Cruz off waivers from the Pirates.
Phillies Bullpen Search: Dotel, Putz, Smoltz
The Phillies are moving on to other bullpen options, now that the Astros have signed Brandon Lyon. Scott Lauber of the News Journal reports that the Phils have had conversations with the representatives for Octavio Dotel and J.J. Putz. They're negotiating with Chan Ho Park, but Lauber hears that other teams might be interested in Park as a starter, which he would prefer.
Lyon had been linked to the Phillies for weeks before former Phillies GM Ed Wade signed him to a $15MM deal with the Astros. As Amaro tells Lauber, the Phillies were interested until the end.
"We were in there pretty deep,” Amaro said. “Ed stole him from us.”
The Phils also had productive talks with John Smoltz, who seems willing to pitch in a small ballpark for the chance to win another title. We heard earlier in the week that the Nats are also interested in Smoltz.
Jason Bay Rumors: Thursday
7:36pm: A source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Mets offered Bay more than $60MM, but less than $65MM.
5:57pm: The Mets confirmed that they made Bay and Bengie Molina offers, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
3:27pm: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets offered Bay four years and about $65MM. He feels "they'd probably have to bump it to five years to get him." Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the offer was in the four-year, $60MM range. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News agrees with Heyman's figure.
12:57pm: Newsday's David Lennon tweets that the Mets' first two free agent offers are going out to Bay and Bengie Molina.
5:18am: Going into the fourth day of the Winter Meetings, the Angels, Mariners, Red Sox, and maybe even the Mets are suitors for free agent outfielder Jason Bay, writes Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald. One source indicated that Boston was in a "holding pattern" until the Bay situation was resolved, however they could turn to Matt Holliday, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier writes that if anyone offers Bay a five year contract, that would likely seal the deal. However, ESPN's Buster Olney hears that there are "concerns within the Boston organization about whether Jason Bay would hold up physically through a multi-year deal." For what it's worth, Bay has only been on the DL twice in his career, the last time coming way back in 2004.
Meanwhile, Kevin Baxter of The LA Times says that Angels' manager Mike Scioscia would prefer to re-sign John Lackey instead of importing Bay, noting that they have to be as balanced as possible.
Rays Acquire Rafael Soriano
7:18pm: Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times says it's a "done deal." It'll be announced tomorrow.
6:29pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the deal hasn't been finalized yet. The doctors didn't look at all the reports today, but it should go through tomorrow.
4:38pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the medical reports have been reviewed and the Rafael Soriano–Jesse Chavez swap has been finalized.
11:00am: Rosenthal and Morosi say the Rays will sign Soriano for one year and $7MM or slightly more; the deal will be official after medical records are exchanged. They say Soriano's contract will be non-guaranteed.
White Sox Interested In Brett Gardner
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times hears from a scout familiar with the situation that the White Sox covet Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. The Yankees, who just acquired Curtis Granderson, have extra outfielders so the White Sox and Royals have inquired on Gardner.
The White Sox had Scott Podsednik around last year, but Cowley says they haven't offered him the two-year deal he wants. The Royals and Tigers are also unwilling to give Podsednik a second year at this point.
Stark On Halladay, Bradley, Lackey, Gonzalez
The Blue Jays are still demanding nearly as much for Roy Halladay as they were this summer, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Angels, Phillies and Yankees appear to be "the only realistic destinations" for Halladay at this point. The Angels would apparently want Halladay to sign an extension if they traded for him, but the Jays don't appear to be close to dealing their ace away. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- One GM would be shocked if the Angels don't sign Jason Bay or John Lackey. The Angels haven't shown any indications that they're ready to offer Lackey A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM).
- The Yankees are focused on adding a free agent starter and determining whether Johnny Damon will return.
- If the Cubs and Rays can figure out the money, Milton Bradley could still end up in Tampa Bay.
- The Red Sox will have a hole at first or third if and when the Mike Lowell deal goes through, but you can count out Adrian Gonzalez. Stark says the Padres just have no motivation to move the hometown slugger.
- The Red Sox are "clearly infatuated with" Adrian Beltre.
- Dan Uggla, Francisco Cordero, Luis Castillo, Lyle Overbay, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Pierre, Jose Guillen and Eric Byrnes were all being shopped this week.
- Stark notes that the market for starting pitchers hasn't been bad so far, pointing to Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte as examples.