Nationals To Sign Ivan Rodriguez
9:30am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that this contract "immediately prompted questions within the industry." Scott Boras just has a knack for getting teams to overpay, as you know.
TUESDAY, 12:09am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the deal pays Pudge $2.5-3MM per season.
11:41pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson says it's almost certain that Wil Nieves will be non-tendered now.
11:30pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports (via e-mail) that the deal is done, pending a physical.
MONDAY, 11:20pm: The Nationals agreed to sign Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year deal worth $6MM, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. The Rangers will obtain a supplementary rounder in next year's draft because Pudge signed elsewhere after they offered arbitration.
This is a coup for Scott Boras: a multi-year deal for a 38-year-old catcher in a market filled with comparable options. Pudge hit .249/.280/.382 for the Rangers and Astros last year.
MLBTR Has The Winter Meetings Covered
MLBTR is pulling out all the stops for our fifth time covering baseball's Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis this year. For the first time, we've got 24/7 coverage of the Meetings. If news of a signing breaks at 4am, we'll be on it just as if it had broken at 4pm. Below is a refresher on how to use the site and important links.
If you want to take it old school, just refresh the page to see the latest stories up top. If you get to the bottom of the website you can hit Previous Entries for more. Other ways to get your MLBTR fix:
- Go to MLBTradeRumors.com and check out Top Stories on the right-hand sidebar for a quick overview. This will be important as posts will be coming in fast and furious. We're also trying out a new Top Stories ticker right above the first post.
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- Check out Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents with destination predictions.
- Click here to see who's eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
- Fun links: Ben Nicholson-Smith's Trades of the Decade series, Scott Boras clients, non-tender candidates, offseason outlooks by team, free agent market analysis by position, trade market analysis by position, and important dates.
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Curtis Granderson Rumors: Tuesday
Time for a fresh round of Curtis Granderson rumors. Yesterday we heard rumors about the Cubs and Yankees, and then learned of a possible three-team blockbuster involving the Yankees and D'Backs.
The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney: "Two of the teams involved in the Granderson discussions have moved on to other things." It's unclear which teams Olney is referring to.
Free Agents List
Here's a link to our current free agents list, which lost Brad Penny, Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Everett, Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Soriano, and Carl Pavano yesterday but gained Saul Rivera. We'll keep it up-to-date, as always.
Sherman’s Latest: Mets, Molina, Damon, Granderson
Here's a quick look into Joel Sherman's latest column:
- The Mets need to add a starting pitcher, and given all of the already-volatile options in their rotation, they're likely to pursue someone more "vanilla" as Sherman describes. He names Kevin Millwood, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Jason Marquis. We've already seen that the O's may be closing in on Millwood today.
- While acquiring Roy Halladay is a pipe dream, a full-on pursuit for John Lackey isn't quite as far-fetched, and Lackey would be every bit the No. 2 starter to complement Johan Santana that the previously mentioned options simply are not.
- Minaya will meet with Lackey's representation but isn't confident; he'd prefer to wait for the price to come down, so as not to spend most of the Mets' available funds on one resource. If that price drops, though, suitors for Lackey will abound.
- The Mets are confident that they can improve their pitching staff by improving their catching core; they're confident they can land Bengie Molina and believe he and Henry Blanco can help stabilize the staff.
- If the Yankees acquire Curtis Granderson, they can use him as leverage against Johnny Damon. Adding Granderson will allow the Yanks to pose a "take it or leave it" offer to Damon, and remove some of the leverage Damon and Scott Boras may have. Sherman lists free agent alternatives to bring in should Damon leave in that scenario, including Mike Cameron or re-signing Xavier Nady.
Cards Meet With Boras, No Offer For Holliday
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and Scott Boras met for 90 minutes on Sunday night, but the meeting "failed to produce" a formal contract offer for Matt Holliday.
Mozeliak stresses that the club's recent agreement with Brad Penny should not be seen as a sign that the Cardinals are giving up their pursuit of Holliday. However, the general manager did concede to the fact that there is a "gulf" between the Cardinals and Boras.
For now, the Cardinals will look at anywhere from three to five alternatives to Holliday as they wait, including retaining Mark DeRosa. The Cards don't plan to wait around forever though. Says Mozeliak:
"I think we will be patient with Holliday to start… But we're not going to take this deep into the winter. In fairness, they need to get clarity where other clubs see this going."
Mozeliak described the talks as preliminary, but as Strauss points out, chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. attended, which could signal that finances were discussed. For the time being, the Cardinals can wait for the market for Holliday to develop more. However, given that Mozeliak has said one alternative to Holliday will be to focus more on pitching, it seems like they can't wait around too long, or all of their best options will be off the table.
Pettitte Rejects Yanks’ Initial Offer?
TUESDAY, 7:10am: Sherman calls Pettitte the "linchpin" of the Yankees whole offseason. Sherman feels signing Pettitte removes pressure to pursue Lackey or Halladay, which allows the Yankees to focus on adding an arm such as Harden, Duchscherer, etc. From there, the Yanks can address the Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui issue, and decide if they'd like to retain one of the two or step up pursuits of Curtis Granderson or sign Mike Cameron.
Sherman suggests an $11MM base salary plus $3MM worth of incentives as a suitable offer.
MONDAY, 12:36pm: Olney expects the offer to Pettitte to be $11MM+.
10:47am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has a source saying no official offer has been made to Pettitte, but a contract north of $10MM will be proposed today.
8:46am: Talks between the Yanks and Pettitte are expected to pick up this week, with Sherman and Jon Heyman both expecting an offer exceeding $10MM.
6:27am: Buster Olney tweets that Pettitte has "for sure decided to pitch again in 2010," and that not surprisingly, his preference is the Yankees.
6:05am: Joel Sherman reports that Andy Pettitte has turned down a one-year deal from the Yankees, believed to be in the $10MM range, which is roughly what Pettitte earned last year through base salary and performance incentives.
Pettitte posted a 4.16 ERA through 194.2 innings, striking out 148 and walking 76. The Yankees have previously stated that Pettitte is their top priority this offseason.
Sherman cites an NL executive who is confident that a deal will still be reached between both sides, saying that Pettitte wants to return to the Bronx. According to Sherman, if Pettitte returns, the Yankees are unlikely to pursue John Lackey, but could be inclined to roll the dice on a high-upside reclamation project such as Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, or Rich Harden.
At that point, says Sherman, the only other potential target would be Roy Halladay. That, however, will depend on the number of prospects desired by Alex Anthopolous, whether or not Halladay will require an extension, whether or not the Yankees really have a budget, and if Brian Cashman is even genuinely interested or just trying to drive up the price for other bidders.
What type of deal will it take to bring Pettitte back to the Bronx, and more importantly, is he worth more than the rejected $10MM that the Yankees reportedly offered?
Winter Meetings Review: Day 1
In case you missed anything from yesterday, here's a quick rundown of the day's top rumors and transactions:
- The Cardinals reached an agreement on a one-year deal with Brad Penny worth $7.5MM with another $1.5MM in incentives. I thought he'd fetch a lower base with more incentives. Will this set the tone for other incentive-based one-year deals for pitchers?
- The Nationals agreed on a two-year pact with Ivan Rodriguez, reportedly worth $5MM-$6MM. The Pudge signing likely spells the end of Wil Nieves in Washington. Surprised to see Pudge get two years, though I can't imagine a better mentor if the Nats land Bryce Harper in the 2010 draft.
- The Tigers re-signed Adam Everett on a one-year deal worth $1.55MM. Everett's defense is worth more than that, and the Tigers need to watch spending; makes sense.
- The Brewers appear to be the frontrunners to land Randy Wolf, having reportedly offered a three-year deal to the veteran left-hander. No word on the dollars yet, but the signing should happen soon, apparently.
- The Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Tigers are talking about a three-way trade that would send Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Michael Dunn and Phil Coke to Detroit, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to Arizona, and Curtis Granderson plus D'Backs prospects to New York. Talks are currently stalled, though the D'Backs are pushing to resume them. Not sure I'd let go of Scherzer that easily if I were Josh Byrnes.
- The arbitration deadline has come and gone; here's a recap of all the free agents who were offered arb this season, as well as their respective decisions. Three accepted: Carl Pavano, Rafael Betancourt, and shockingly for Atlanta, Rafael Soriano. They've suddenly got a real pricey bullpen on their hands.
- The Nationals acquired Brian Bruney from the Yankees for a PTBNL that was later revealed to be the Nats pick in the Rule 5 Draft this Thursday. Bruney's never really put it together, but either the Nats really like him or there's no one who interests them in the Rule 5 Draft this year. Nice move for the Yankees anyway.
- Matt Lindstrom is practically a sure thing to be dealt at the Winter Meetings, and we learned that a number of teams are interested in the Florida reliever.
- Could the Padres really non-tender Kevin Correia because of an unwillingness to increase his $1.1MM salary? Seems like it, which is too bad for Pads fans. The team is in need of pitching, and letting go its most reliable starter from 2009 over a couple million dollars doesn't make sense. At the very least, they should trade him.
- Conflicting reports on whether or not the Yanks ever extended a formal offer to Andy Pettitte, but either way, we learned that $10MM won't do it. Pettitte wants to be back in the Bronx next year, but it will probably take an $11MM+ offer.
Overnight Links: Myers, Castillo, Verlander, Padres
As we gear up for another long night, here's some links to take a look at if you're still awake:
- Paul Hagen questions the Phillies' logic when refusing to look at bringing Brett Myers back. The Phils are looking for an inexpensive fifth starter candidate; Myers fits the bill and brings plenty of upside. Do they feel he's just not worth the trouble anymore?
- Ben Shpigel explains why, in spite of a resurgent season from Luis Castillo, and in spite of the Mets' feeling that his contract is better than that of Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Matthews Jr., they're still looking to move him.
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press feels the Tigers must do whatever it takes to keep Justin Verlander in Detroit for as long as possible. Rosenberg makes the interesting point that with one more dominant season, Verlander could put the Tigers in a similar position that Johan Santana put the Twins, though he concedes that Verlander's not as good. At least not yet.
- Corey Brock tells us that new Padres GM celebrated his 36th birthday by kicking off the Winter Meetings and fielding calls on about "half a dozen" of his players, including Heath Bell, who could be due as much as $5MM through arbitration. Still, Brock suggests the Padres would prefer to keep Bell.
- The Phillies payroll for 2010 will likely be around $140MM, says David Murphy. He also quotes Ruben Amaro Jr., implying that Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians could look to trade Kerry Wood during the Winter Meetings, but then discusses why it might be smarter to wait until midseason.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart feels that Jose Valverde's probable departure is probably for the best, given the economics of the situation.
- Danny Knobler at CBS Sports explains why the Pirates would even bother showing interest in Juan Pierre, whom they were linked to last night.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times says White Sox GM Kenny Williams declined to comment on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and implies that Hideki Matsui may not be a fit for the South Siders, even if Carlos Quentin moves to right field. Scott Podsednik, however, may still fit.
- Aaron Gleeman looks at what it means to the Twins to have Carl Pavano back for 2010. Gleeman says Pavano's a better fit than past veteran starters the Twins have tried, as well as a safer bet than signing Jarrod Washburn to multiple years.