Mariners Sign Corey Patterson
The Mariners signed Corey Patterson to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The 30-year-old struggled through 16 games with the Nationals and Brewers last year, putting up a .207 OPS in 30 plate appearances.
The Cubs chose Patterson third overall in the 1998 draft, but he disappointed in the major leagues. He hit 24 homers, stole 32 bases and posted a .771 OPS five years ago, but hasn't matched that production since. FanGraphs likes his defense, however, so the Mariners do add depth to help patrol spacious Safeco Field.
Astros Acquire Matt Lindstrom
7:56pm: MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says the Marlins will also obtain the Astros' pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 Draft.
5:44pm: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets that the Marlins obtain righty Robert Bono and shortstop Luis Bryan for Lindstrom.
4:22pm: The Astros have acquired Lindstrom, reports ESPN's Peter Gammons. The reliever is flying to Houston for a physical.
3:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Astros are close on Lindstrom – swapping medicals (acknowledged by Lindstrom himself). Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel agrees that the deal is close.
3:14pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets of a rumor that the Marlins will make a deal today. He's unsure whether it'll be Lindstrom, Dan Uggla, or Renyel Pinto on the move.
1:55pm: The Astros are close to acquiring reliever Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Capozzi notes that the Marlins have been close on other deals that failed to materialize, however. The Astros are also considered a finalist for Rafael Soriano; I imagine they won't get both.
Lindstrom, 30 in February, lost his closer job to Leo Nunez midseason as he dealt with an elbow strain. He's arbitration-eligible for the first time.
Red Sox Have “Significant” Interest In Beltre
Multiple industry sources tell John Tomase of the Boston Herald that the Red Sox have "significant" interest in free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. Mike Lowell is the incumbent at third base, but the Red Sox are talking about moving him perhaps to the Rangers. Scott Boras, who represents Beltre, said today that some teams would consider moving their current third baseman for Beltre.
Beltre is a Type B free agent, so the team that signs him won't have to surrender a draft pick. The Mariners will obtain a supplementary rounder if Beltre leaves the Pacific Northwest.
Beltre figures to demand a hefty contract. Tomase says "it's believed that" Beltre wants a four or five year deal worth $13MM or so per season. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says Beltre's asking for $10-11MM per season.
The 30-year-old hasn't come close to matching the 48 homers he hit in 2004, but he still has 25-homer power and he's been a consistently strong defender, according to UZR/150.
Twitter Rumors: Lyon, Holliday, Counsell
Looking for more rumblings and analysis? These tidbits are all 140 characters or less…
- The Rangers are talking to Jason Kendall, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Royals have made the veteran backstop a two-year offer.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Brandon Lyon is asking for $9MM over two years. Speaking of Lyon, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says the Phillies are pursuing him and Fernando Rodney with equal interest.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Blue Jays expressed interest in Craig Stammen. However, the Nats aren't likely to trade him.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson hears that the Yankees will be strong players for Matt Holliday.
- The Brewers still have interest in Craig Counsell, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the two sides met and continue to talk. He expects them to reach a deal.
- The Indians have no money to spend, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- Ruddy Lugo signed a minor league deal with the Tigers, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.
- Arangure's colleague, Jayson Stark, has a similar update. The Dodgers could soon sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't consider Aroldis Chapman an option for the team's rotation next year, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. They'll still watch him throw in Houston, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
- The Red Sox will be there too, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that the Padres are considering some options in the Rule 5 draft.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Royals inquired on Brett Gardner after the Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson.
- The Phillies asked Cliff Lee's agent to fly to Indianapolis this week to discuss an extension, according to Scott Lauber of the Journal News.
- You can expect the D'Backs to pursue Bob Howry, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
Milton Bradley Rumors: Wednesday
7:05pm: Ian Browne of MLB.com says there's "no chance" the Bradley-Lowell deal goes through. Sounds about right. But ESPN.com's Gordon Edes says the Cubs really did ask.
6:43pm: A Cubs official didn't dismiss the Milton Bradley for Mike Lowell rumor, speaking to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Still, that swap seems unlikely.
3:10pm: Cubs president Crane Kenney implied to the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers that the team won't be releasing Bradley.
2:46pm: The White Sox don't consider Bradley a fit, but GM Kenny Williams had kind words for the player today (Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reporting).
12:38pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Cubs would be open to swapping Bradley for Mike Lowell, but that deal is "unlikely to happen." Lowell, like Pat Burrell, seems like someone the Cubs would have to flip. Regardless, Sullivan talked to a Cubs official who seemed to shoot this rumor down.
9:53am: With the Cubs' desire to trade Milton Bradley by the end of the Winter Meetings common knowledge, the words "imminent" and "close" have been tossed around a little too freely. At any rate, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune still likes the Rays as the favorite, while noting the presence of a possible mystery team. This is good…I always like to bust out my "Mystery Team" category on a post (although MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says there is no such team). Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times weighs in on the Rays possibility here.
Yesterday, we saw the Mariners, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Royals pretty much dismissed as Bradley suitors.
Brewers, LaTroy Hawkins Reach Agreement
6:53pm: Bob Nightengale of USA Today has the specifics: Hawkins gets $3MM next year, plus a $500K signing bonus. He makes $4MM in 2011 and can earn an extra $275K in incentives.
1:53pm: Hawkins' agency tweets that the pitcher received a two-year, $7.5MM deal. Hawkins was disappointed the Astros would not offer a second year. The D'Backs were also unwilling to go to two years.
1:30pm: Rosenthal says the Brewers have an agreement with Hawkins, pending a physical. He says it's a two-year deal. The signing was confirmed by Hawkins' agency, Reynolds Sports Management.
9:48am: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Brewers are looking at reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Bob Nightengale of USA Today does him one better, saying the Brewers are "moving fast" on Hawkins and "could sign him today."
Hawkins, 37 later this month, posted a 2.13 ERA in 63.3 innings for the Astros with a 6.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. He earned more than $3.5MM for this efforts.
Padres Discussing Kouzmanoff
618pm: Stark hears that the Padres offered Kouzmanoff up for Lewis and Frandsen. That doesn't match with the reports below, which suggest the Padres wanted more. Stark agrees with Nightengale that the Padres wanted more than Glen Perkins in return from the Twins.
WEDNESDAY, 5:21pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears that the Padres are aggressively trying to move Kouzmanoff. The Twins and Giants are interested.
TUESDAY, 5:39pm: The Twins offered Perkins for Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
4:50pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that Kouzmanoff has drawn interest from as many as eight teams. The Padres aren't interested in Lewis or Frandsen.
1:47pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets about an NL West trade discussion: the Giants are talking to the Padres about third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more than Fred Lewis and Kevin Frandsen. I'm guessing the Padres would prefer not to pay Kouzmanoff the $3-5MM he'll get through arbitration.
Meanwhile La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Padres would like to discuss Kouzmanoff with the Twins. He wonders if they'd be interested in Glen Perkins, who is available. Neal notes that Pedro Feliz's agents would like to talk to the Twins as well.
John Lackey Rumors: Wednesday
6:02pm: Newsday's Ken Davidoff reports that the Yankees met with Lackey today and appear unlikely to become bona fide suitors for him.
3:14am: Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still in negotiations with John Lackey, but that it's "highly doubtful" they'll go as high as six years or $100MM for the right-hander.
GM Tony Reagins didn't specify a limit for the number of years the team could offer Lackey but said "there is a point where it doesn't make sense" to tie up too much long-term money.
News has been slow on the Lackey front this week, but this isn't the first time we've heard that a team is reluctant to offer the 31-year-old a long-term contract: The New York Post's Joel Sherman reported Monday that the Mets would prefer not to exceed four years. As Mike Salk of ESPN Radio in Seattle points out, Lackey's eventual signing could act as a catalyst for the rest of the starting pitching market.
Dodgers Rumors: Wolf, Belisario, Wade
Dodgers hot stove info courtesy of Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times…
- Why didn't the Dodgers offer arbitration to Type A free agent Randy Wolf? They feared he'd accept and get $15MM. Do you agree with that logic? The Dodgers were given one last chance to sign Wolf this morning, but GM Ned Colletti passed.
- Free agent possibilities at second base: Ronnie Belliard, Juan Uribe, Craig Counsell and Jamey Carroll.
- The Dodgers offered only a minor league deal to Juan Castro, so he went with the Phillies.
- The Mets have inquired on Dodgers relievers Ronald Belisario and Cory Wade.
Twitter Rumors: Capps, Felix, Harden, Pierre
A fresh batch of Twitter rumors, for those of you with extra-short attention spans…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch learned that the Pirates plan to tender a contract to Matt Capps.
- Stubborn Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he has no regrets about not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hernandez also notes that the Dodgers are considering Ronnie Belliard, Craig Counsell, Juan Uribe, and Jamey Carroll as second base options. The Reds also like Carroll, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Rockies are open to re-signing Jason Marquis at a reduced number (less than the $9.875MM he made in '09).
- SI's Jon Heyman believes Felix Hernandez is seeking six years and $100MM, while the Mariners are thinking four years plus an option at less than $50MM. That phrasing makes a possible divide seem larger than it is, since those last two years of the deal would be the most expensive (more than $15MM per year). At any rate, Shannon Drayer and Mike Salk learned that no numbers have been exchanged on Felix yet.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants Mike Redmond to back up A.J. Pierzynski.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says the Rangers may have interest in arbitration-eligible D'Backs infielder Augie Ojeda. The Rangers added Joe Inglett off waivers, but were said to still be looking at utility infield candidates.
- Morosi tweets that Rich Harden is "willing to sign a one-year deal with a lot of incentives." Will he exceed Brad Penny's $7.5MM base salary? Morosi names the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mariners as the most serious suitors.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Tigers have interest in Juan Pierre, and are "looking for a third team to supply the pitcher L.A. needs." Odd, since the Tigers have more bad pitching contracts than anyone. The Tigers apparently prefer to unload Carlos Guillen.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates are not interested in bringing back Brian Giles.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Red Sox "have two or three teams they could trade Mike Lowell to right now" if they'd take a similar contract back. Looking at our Bad Contract Swap Meet I don't see any obvious matches for one year and $12MM.
- There's been some tire-kicking with the Phillies and Ron Mahay, writes Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Red Sox were linked to Mahay by Michael Silverman on Monday. Martino also says the Phillies met with John Smoltz's agent this morning, "but discussions remain informal."
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star characterizes the White Sox and Red Sox interest in Coco Crisp as "low-level," but says that's still more than the Royals have shown. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the White Sox would consider Crisp, Mike Cameron, and Marlon Byrd. ESPN's Mike Salk notes that the Mariners spoke to Byrd's agent.
- Dutton also has the Red Sox eyeing Ryan Shealy on a minor league deal.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports names the most asked-about Padres: Heath Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Adrian Gonzalez (in that order). He says the Padres are "not hearing anything compelling on Bell." MLB.com's Corey Brock says about eight teams inquired on Kouzmanoff. Surprised not to see Kevin Correia mentioned by Rosenthal. He'd be a great affordable option for a team like the Brewers. ESPN's Buster Olney heard from rival execs who expect the Padres to get second-line prospects for Kouzmanoff and Correia.
- The Mets appear to find a Luis Castillo deal unlikely, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees are shopping their #1 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, which they acquired for Brian Bruney. If they don't trade the pick, Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Yankees could use it on pitcher Arquimedes Caminero.