Mariners Pursuing Harden & Lackey
THURSDAY, 8:08am: A source tells Rosenthal and Morosi that the Mariners are "actively pursuing" John Lackey. As a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration, Lackey would cost a top pick.
WEDNESDAY, 3:58pm: The Mariners are "showing strong interest" in Rich Harden, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers wonder if Harden being a native of British Columbia will help Seattle's cause. They note that the Red Sox are also serious about the 28-year-old righty.
Any team signing Harden will of course take a long, hard look at his shoulder. If his last two seasons are any indication, he can give you 140 strikeout-filled innings if managed carefully. What's that worth? Probably a base salary in the $6-7MM range, with a few million more in incentives. Harden's agent Arn Tellem says his client has "no health issues at all," for what it's worth.
Brewers, Rockies, Rays Interested In Zaun
The Brewers, Rockies, and Rays are showing the most interest in free agent catcher Gregg Zaun, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Zaun still has an arbitration offer from the Rays, on which he must decide by Monday. However, Zaun has said he expects to sign with a team by week's end. As the FOX writers note, he'd get the most playing time with the Brewers. Earlier this offseason it seemed that they planned to spend all of their money on starting pitching, but maybe they'll peel off a few million for Zaun.
Rosenthal and Morosi wrote yesterday that the Mariners were pursuing Zaun, but they don't mention the team in tonight's update.
Odds & Ends: McLeod, Yankees, Wagner, Lyon
Let's check out some Wednesday evening links….
- Red Sox scouting director Jason McLeod is leaving Boston to become the Padres' assistant GM under Jed Hoyer, according to Peter Gammons of ESPN (via Twitter). This news prompted a slew of baseball writers across Twitter to praise the move, including Keith Law, Amalie Benjamin, Ian Browne, and Kevin Goldstein.
- Joe Girardi discusses the Yankees' 2010 roster in an article by MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Girardi's quotes aren't overly juicy, but he mentions that he likes having some flexibility at DH to periodically give players like Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Derek Jeter a rest.
- Carrie Muskat of MLB.com talks to Cubs GM Jim Hendry about the offseason and the upcoming winter meetings. Hendry opines that "it'll be a good offseason of trades" and that plenty will be made throughout the winter.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution passes on some quotes from Billy Wagner, following the lefty's signing with the Braves.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law thinks Wagner's price was too high for Atlanta. Law also shares his opinions on some of the more notable arbitration decisions from around the majors.
- In a piece for River Ave. Blues, MLBTR's Mike Axisa warns the Yankees against signing Brandon Lyon, arguing that he's a "fringe reliever" in the AL East. We heard yesterday that the Yanks are interested.
- Speaking of Lyon, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies are also interested in the right-hander.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks that the Brewers are one of the teams Randy Wolf described as aggressively pursuing him in an earlier story.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an interesting read about where revenue-sharing checks end up.
Astros Rumors: Pitching Targets, Valverde, Tejada
Houston Astros Senior Director of Digital Media Alyson Footer invited her Twitter followers to participate in a Q&A with Astros GM Ed Wade. The exchange resulted in too many tweets to individually link them all, but check out her Twitter account for some quotes from the conversation. Here are a few points of interest:
- If the team cannot retain Jose Valverde and/or LaTroy Hawkins, Wade notes that there are other back-of-the-bullpen options out there. He says the club would prefer to have Valverde return as their closer, but mentions Fernando Rodney, Kevin Gregg, Rafael Soriano, and Mike Gonzalez as potential alternatives.
- The Astros will "proceed with caution" when it comes to pursuing pitchers like Ben Sheets, who have questionable injury histories. Wade pointed to Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz as cautionary tales.
- Wade doesn't expect to have a whole lot of money to commit to any starting pitching additions, given the other holes the team needs to fill.
- The GM singles out Randy Wolf as one starter who is "probably not realistic" due to his expected price tag.
- As much as the team would like to bring back Miguel Tejada, the market for the veteran will dictate whether they'll be able to afford it.
- The team might acquire a stopgap behind the plate, but would prefer if one of their in-house options could step up and earn the starting job.
Cubs Rumors: Bradley, Granderson, Castro
The Chicago Cubs are interested in Curtis Granderson, but would prefer to move Milton Bradley before aggressively pursuing Granderson, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune.
Earlier today, we heard rumblings that talks of a Bradley-Pat Burrell swap are still alive. If the Cubs were to deal Bradley and acquire Granderson, it would allow them to play Granderson in center field and move Kosuke Fukudome to right (Bradley's position).
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Rogers indicates that the Tigers are seeking multiple major-league-ready players in any trade for Granderson or right-hander Edwin Jackson. The Cubs also seem unwilling to part with top prospect Starlin Castro in order to acquire Granderson, so it remains to be seen if they have the chips to complete a deal.
Rogers expects Bradley and Granderson discussions to heat up during or before next week's winter meetings.
Rockies Rumors: Crosby, Betancourt, Street
The Rockies' interest in Bobby Crosby might not amount to anything if there are teams interested in him a starter, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Rockies would like to sign Crosby as a utilityman, but the Red Sox and other clubs that have been linked to the shortstop might be willing to give him a chance to start, which Crosby would prefer. Here are a few of Harding's other Rockies-related rumors….
- The team will likely have "internal discussions" about signing Chad Tracy as a bench player.
- The Rockies won't pursue any free-agent relievers until they see what happens with Rafael Betancourt, who has been offered arbitration and is their top bullpen priority.
- If they can't retain Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins could be a target.
- The club would like to re-sign Yorvit Torrealba, but will have to wait for him to test the market.
- Long-term contracts for Huston Street and Clint Barmes are another priority. One Rockies official says that it's too early in talks with Street to see how far apart the two sides might be.
Athletics Agree To Terms With Joey Devine
Joey Devine and the Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to the Associated Press. The right-hander's 2010 contract will earn him about $0.56MM.
Devine was dominant for the A's in 2008, posting an ERA of 0.59 over 45.2 IP. He was expected to compete for the closer's job in 2009, but underwent elbow surgery and did not pitch in a single regular season game.
We should be seeing plenty of similar stories coming in over the next week or two, as teams decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players before the December 12th deadline. Check out our list of non-tender candidates here.
Randy Wolf Open To Returning To Dodgers
Despite the club's uncertain ownership situation, Randy Wolf would welcome a return to Los Angeles next year, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
Wolf states that he expects the Dodgers to be competitive next season, regardless of what happens with owner Frank McCourt's divorce. However, after the team failed to offer arbitration to the left-hander, it seems unlikely that Wolf will be wearing Dodger blue next year. The lack of an arbitration offer not only suggests that the Dodgers' payroll situation is up in the air, but also makes Wolf more attractive to other suitors who now won't have to part with a high draft pick to sign him. The lefty himself mentions that a couple teams have already been "aggressive" in their pursuit.
Nonetheless, if the Dodgers can afford him, Wolf would love to come back: "I always wanted to play for the Dodgers. My teammates are great. I had a great time with them."
Pirates, Dodgers, Braves, A’s After Kameron Loe
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the scoop on righty Kameron Loe, who spent the year in Japan and is apparently contemplating a return. Back in November of '08 the Rangers sold Loe's rights to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who paid him $900K. He pitched only 27 innings, posting a 6.33 ERA. Kovacevic names the Pirates, Dodgers, Braves, and A's as teams interested in Loe.
Another Pirates note: president Frank Coonelly confirmed the team's interest in Rick Ankiel, in an MLB.com chat with fans today.
Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Red Sox. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Victor Martinez – $7.7MM
C – Jason Varitek – $3MM
1B – Kevin Youkilis – $9.125MM
2B – Dustin Pedroia – $3.5MM
SS –
3B – Mike Lowell – $12MM
IF – Jed Lowrie – $415K
LF –
CF – Jacoby Ellsbury – $450K
RF – J.D. Drew – $14MM
OF – Jeremy Hermida – $3.5MM (est.)
DH – David Ortiz – $12.5MM
1B – Casey Kotchman – $4MM (est.)
SP – Josh Beckett – $12MM
SP – Daisuke Matsuzaka – $8MM
SP – Jon Lester – $3.75MM
SP – Clay Buchholz – $415K
SP – Tim Wakefield – $3.5MM
RP – Jonathan Papelbon – $10MM (est.)
RP – Hideki Okajima – $2.5MM (est.)
RP – Ramon Ramirez – $1.5MM (est.)
RP – Daniel Bard – $400K
RP – Manny Delcarmen – $1MM (est.)
RP –
RP –
Other commitments: Julio Lugo – $9MM, Billy Wagner – $1MM, Alex Gonzalez – $500K
I decided to do things a little differently this time and put in estimates for the arbitration-eligible players (Hermida, Kotchman, Papelbon, Okajima, Ramirez, and Delcarmen). I also left four spots open as I think the Sox will acquire players to fill most of those vacancies. I have the Red Sox with about $124MM committed after entering 2009 around $122MM. Their payroll was $133MM in '08 and $143MM in '07. As they did last year, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels that the Red Sox have pretty good payroll flexibility. Note that they could trim $5MM or so by trading or non-tendered Kotchman and Delcarmen.
Overpaying a bit for Marco Scutaro, in terms of both salary and a draft pick, seems like a legitimate possibility at shortstop. He is the best available at the position this year. Adam Everett is a solid, very affordable Plan B; he could battle it out with Lowrie. It's not clear whether the Sox made a play for J.J. Hardy before he landed with the Twins. Now that Hardy's a Twin, the trade market looks bleak. If GM Theo Epstein is willing to wait, it'd be worth inquiring on the Angels' Maicer Izturis if they re-sign Chone Figgins and are willing to listen. Moving Pedroia to shortstop appears to be a last resort.
Much has been written debating the merits of Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. I'm guesing lesser players like Brad Hawpe, Josh Willingham, and Jermaine Dye could be considered as backup plans. Or, Hermida could be given a shot.
It appears that the Sox are playing around with the idea of trading Lowell, which would put them in the mix for a corner infielder. Adrian Gonzalez is the big fish possibly on the trade market. Other speculative acquisitions have different strengths: Russell Branyan could add power, Nick Johnson could add OBP, Mark DeRosa brings versatility, and Adrian Beltre brings defense. So far we've seen the Sox connected to utility infielder types like Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby, aside from DeRosa.
The rotation is in good shape, but most expect the Red Sox to add a starter or two for good measure in the vein of last year's Brad Penny/John Smoltz signings. There's a laundry list of decent one-year deal options, including Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Kelvim Escobar, Brett Myers, and Ben Sheets. As for Aroldis Chapman, he'd probably be more of a long-term investment rather than a cog in the 2010 rotation. If the Red Sox decide to prioritize pitching and pay a large cost in a contract or young players, there's always John Lackey and Roy Halladay. A couple of considerations in acquiring a big-name starter are Beckett's impending free agency and the Yankees' targets.
Given Boston's inquiries on Scutaro, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, and perhaps Holliday, I'm guessing they won't mind letting their #29 pick in next year's draft go. And as we saw with the Yankees last year, once you sign one Type A, the price for the next one decreases. Gonzalez and Soriano are two of the best free agent relievers out there, but the free agent market is packed with more affordable alternatives for a team that isn't desperate for relief help. They could also trade a spare piece like Kotchman, much as they did last year getting Ramirez for Coco Crisp.
The Red Sox appear limited in their shortstop and power bat options, while they have tons of choices for pitching additions. As usual, expect to see Boston linked to dozens of free agents and trade candidates this winter.