Indians Sign Grilli, Buscher, Gosling, Rodriguez
4:09pm: The Indians also signed Brian Buscher, Mike Gosling, and Luis Rodriguez to minor league deals, according to a team press release.
Buscher, 29 in April, has a career line of .266/.343/.356 with the Twins, mainly at third base. Gosling, 29, tossed 25 innings for the Indians last year with a 5.04 ERA. He posted a 4.81 ERA in an additional 67.3 Triple A innings. Rodriguez, 29, had a career-high 251 plate appearances with the Padres this year but hit just .202/.319/.260. He's capable of playing all around the infield.
10:59am: The Indians signed reliever Jason Grilli to a minor league deal, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Grilli will make $800K in the Majors. Grilli first tweeted about the signing on November 23rd, but couldn't reveal the team. The 33-year-old righty posted a 5.32 ERA in 45.6 innings for the Rangers and Rockies this year, whiffing over a batter per inning but battling control and elbow problems. If the Indians are happy with Grilli, they can retain him for 2010 and 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Heyman On Pudge, Wolf, Crede
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Giants, Mets, and Royals have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, assuming he doesn't accept the Rangers' arbitration offer. Heyman says the Royals were trying to sign Brian Schneider before the Phillies signed him.
- Heyman names the Mets, Brewers, and Phillies as three clubs "believed to have some interest" in free agent lefty Randy Wolf. First we've read this winter of a possible Wolf-Phillies reunion.
- "At least the Orioles and Astros" are interested in free agent third baseman Joe Crede.
A’s, Royals Had Failed Talks For Callaspo
WEDNESDAY, 2:46pm: Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that the Royals aren't actively pushing any of their players, but they're open-minded with all of them. It seems like Moore will at least listen on Callaspo.
TUESDAY, 10:15pm: The A's and Royals held talks for infielder Alberto Callaspo at the GM Meetings, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The A's would've used Callaspo at third base, but "talks failed to progress."
The takeaway is that the Royals appear willing to discuss Callaspo now that they've acquired Chris Getz from the White Sox. Callaspo, 27 in April, hit .300/.356/.457 in 634 plate appearances this year while playing second and third base. His second base defense graded below average using UZR/150, but it's only a 1240-inning sample from 2009. Callaspo is a valuable player, and he's not even arbitration-eligible yet. He's under team control through 2013. Getz appears to be the inferior player, so maybe the Royals should hang on to Callaspo.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday
2:09pm: SI's Jon Heyman sees a potential Red Sox-Yankees battle brewing for Halladay. He says the Blue Jays told the Yankees they're interested in Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero, and Austin Jackson (not necessarily all four).
10:22am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post terms the Yankees as "bystanders rather than aggressive pursuers" when it comes to Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. The Yankees remain "averse to giving up both high-end prospects and a top-of-the-market contract extension to secure one player." Some members of the Yankee front office would prefer to acquire Doc but not extend him. Speaking in general terms, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian he'd prefer not to give an extension window in a trade. Sherman also learned that the Blue Jays "have yet to divulge exactly what it would take to land Halladay."
As for Halladay's Spring Training deadline for a trade, Sherman talked to "outside executives" who don't take it entirely seriously. Regarding agent Jeff Berry's comments to ESPN about the deadline, Anthopoulos told Bastian, "I just want to hear it for myself and talk to him." Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun notes that George Bell issued the Blue Jays a similar ultimatum at the 1987 Winter Meetings.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Wolf, Betancourt, Braves
Links for Wednesday…
- The Reds signed pitcher Jon Adkins to a minor league deal, according to the pitcher's Twitter (hat tip to The Hall Of Very Good). Adkins spent 2009 pitching in Korea.
- The Giants were right not to offer arbitration to Bengie Molina, writes Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles.
- Chris Pummer as well as our own Howard Megdal from The Perpetual Post weigh in on Andruw Jones, who recently signed with the White Sox for $500K.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News discusses the chances of the Giants signing Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, or Hudson.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners are interested in Orlando Hudson, at the right price. The lack of an arbitration offer helps.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs looks at Ned Colletti's claim that the Dodgers' decision not to offer arbitration to Type A free agent Randy Wolf "was made strictly from a baseball perspective."
- No surprise here: Astros GM Ed Wade indicated that a reunion with Wolf is unlikely (MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reporting). Wade also downplayed the reports linking the Astros to Brett Myers and J.J. Putz, saying, "We've made contact with agents for about every player out there as a matter of course. I would not read anymore into it than that."
- ESPN's Buster Olney believes Rafael Betancourt "could be the player whose market is most affected" among the ten Type As offered arbitration.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday questions the Mets' Billy Wagner trade from August.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves might now pursue a setup man such as Octavio Dotel or Fernando Rodney.
- Corey Brock and Steve Gilbert have Winter Meetings previews at MLB.com for the Padres and Diamondbacks, respectively.
- Diamond Leung links to stories indicating the Chiba Lotte Marines "are interested in purchasing the contract of Dodgers left-hander Eric Stults." Stults posted a 4.86 ERA in ten starts for the Dodgers last year, making another 13 starts in the minors.
Several Clubs Interested In Jermaine Dye
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the latest on free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye. Cowley notes that while the Rangers are interested, Dye may prefer not to be a DH. He names the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Giants as other teams that have shown interest. Dye would presumably be a backup plan for the Red Sox and Cardinals.
What about the Yankees, who ESPN's Jerry Crasnick said yesterday discussed Dye internally? Cowley says the Yanks denied the report, yet his source said the team asked for Dye's medical reports.
As for the Giants, MLB.com's Chris Haft notes that Xavier Nady is another outfielder on their radar.
Multiple Teams Interested In Noah Lowry
1:45pm: Aside from the Pirates and Rockies, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Dodgers, Padres, A's, Mariners, and Reds are interested in Lowry.
10:56am: The Pirates are interested in free agent lefty Noah Lowry, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As Kovacevic notes, the former Giant had forearm surgery in March of 2008, which the pitcher's agent later claimed was a misdiagnosis. In May of '09 Lowry had surgery to remove a rib to help with thoracic outlet syndrome. Earlier this month, Lowry's agent said his client is finally "completely healthy." Yesterday, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post noted the Rockies' interest in Lowry.
The first four spots in the Pirates' rotation appear set, with Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf, and Charlie Morton. Lowry could compete for the fifth starter job; the Bucs would have three lefties in the rotation if he won it. Lowry's best season came in 2005, when he made 33 starts with a 3.78 ERA. That campaign netted him a four-year, $9.25MM extension.
Braves Eyeing Setup Candidates
Now that the Braves officially have closer Billy Wagner in tow, they're considering some free agent candidates to fill the role of setup man. Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Octavio Dotel and Fernando Rodney as candidates earlier today. MLB.com's Mark Bowman went further, saying the Braves are pursuing Dotel, Rodney, and Takashi Saito. While it seems unlikely, the Braves might want to make sure Rafael Soriano and/or Mike Gonzalez do not accept their arbitration offers before making offers to other free agents.
Bowman also notes that the Braves maintain interest in first baseman Adam LaRoche despite not offering arbitration to the Type B free agent. The Braves appear unwilling to offer a multiyear deal.
Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Scutaro, Lackey, Bedard
Red Sox rumors from ESPN's Gordon Edes…
- Edes talked to Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon, who indicated the timing of Bay's signing won't be affected by Matt Holliday. Edes' team source says Bay remains Boston's top target.
- Edes says Marco Scutaro "almost certainly remains at the top of Boston's list" at shortstop. Scutaro's agent Peter Greenberg left open the possibility of his client signing before Monday's Winter Meetings.
- One of Edes' Red Sox sources says John Lackey is not a target.
- We knew of Boston's interest in Rich Harden and Kelvim Escobar, and Edes adds that the Sox are eyeing Erik Bedard. Edes talked to Escobar's agent (also Greenberg) and learned that Boston is "at or near the top of" his client's list. The righty plans to pitch in winter ball. Escobar had labrum surgery in July of 2008.
Marlins Rumors: Pinto, Lindstrom, Nunez
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a few Marlins rumblings…
- The Marlins are prepared to pay Cody Ross and Jorge Cantu in 2010, although both players will receive raises through arbitration.
- Frisaro feels that two of Renyel Pinto, Matt Lindstrom, and Leo Nunez will be traded. All three relievers are eligible for arbitration for the first time.
- Frisaro feels that Vladimir Guerrero is not a fit for the Marlins, given his inability to play the field.