Aaron Heilman Trade Reactions
Plenty of baseball writers are already offering their opinions on the Diamondbacks' acquisition of Aaron Heilman, and speculating about what the pitcher's role might be in Arizona….
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that some Diamondbacks execs have viewed Heilman as a starter in the past.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, however, suggests that the team plans to use Heilman out of the bullpen.
- In a separate article, Gilbert writes that he likes the deal for Arizona, as a low-risk move with upside. He notes that the two prospects the D'Backs gave up "were not exactly setting the world on fire."
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs leans the other way: He applauds the Cubs for getting anything for Heilman, and wonders if "giving up anything of value for a middle reliever" is smart for the Diamondbacks.
- Matthew Pouliot at NBC Sports thinks that both sides did well. He says that Heilman is a durable pitcher with upside, but that he wasn't in the Cubs' plans, and Chicago probably couldn't have gotten a better return elsewhere.
Braves Looking For Lowe Suitors
6:36pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman responds to Rosenthal's report, writing that even though they view the Brewers as a potential trade partner, the Braves aren't interested in Hart. If Atlanta were to work out a deal with the Brewers or Angels, Bowman thinks they might be more likely to trade for prospects than a major-league outfielder.
5:58pm: The Atlanta Braves are shopping Derek Lowe, but not having much success so far, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Rosenthal suggests that Lowe's contract situation (he'll make $15MM in each of the next three years) and his 2009 struggles (4.67 ERA in 34 starts) are discouraging teams' interest in the right-hander. The Braves, however, are still optimistic, believing that John Lackey is the only free agent starter on this year's market more appealing than the 36-year-old Lowe.
Rosenthal names the Angels and White Sox as potential trade partners. According to his sources though, the most serious discussions the Braves have had about Lowe were with the Milwaukee Brewers, involving Corey Hart. It doesn't sound like those talks are necessarily dead, but the Brewers would expect Atlanta to take on a large chunk of Lowe's salary, and even then aren't entirely sure they'd want him.
Phillies Notes: Free Agent Targets, Park, Eyre
Scott Lauber of The News Journal spoke to Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. today about some of the team's offseason plans. Here are a few of the highlights from Lauber's article:
- The Phillies' offseason wishlist: a third baseman, bullpen help, bench depth, and starting pitching depth.
- The team expects to have about $120MM committed in salaries and $20MM to spend to fill their needs.
- Amaro Jr. doesn't comment on specific free agents he's interested in, but Lauber suggests Mark DeRosa and Placido Polanco are still the club's top targets.
- The "greatest challenge" Amaro Jr. will face in attempting to sign free agents could be persuading players to assume lesser roles. That could mean convincing a closer such as Fernando Rodney to assume a setup role, or asking someone like Juan Uribe to come off the bench.
- Amaro Jr. expects relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre to test the free agent market. Eyre has said he'll only pitch for the Phillies, but the Phillies GM is skeptical about whether that's really true.
Giants Unlikely To Pursue Holliday, Bay
The San Francisco Giants don't expect to pursue free agent outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Giants GM Brian Sabean tells Schulman that he hasn't been in touch with the agents for Holliday or Bay, and that he doesn't plan to contact them. Sabean indicated that he doesn't want the Giants used to give leverage to a player hoping to pry more money from the Yankees, Red Sox, or other big-market teams. The team is only interested in free agents who have a "genuine interest" in playing for San Francisco.
Sabean suggests to Schulman that the Giants are more likely to look into signing "second-tier" free agents.
D’Backs Acquire Aaron Heilman
The Diamondbacks acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Cubs obtained minor leaguers Scott Maine and Ryne White in return.
Tim listed Heilman as a non-tender candidate last month, so it's not a surprise that the Cubs were willing to part with the 31-year-old righty. He pitched to a 4.11 ERA in 72.1 innings with the Cubs last year, allowing 68 hits and 34 walks, while striking out 65.
Heilman has started before, but GM Josh Byrnes suggests to the Arizona Republic that the D'Backs see him as a reliever.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Cubs, Red Sox, Hawkins
Some more links to read through as we count down the hours until teams can start serious negotiations with all free agents…
- GM Neal Huntington tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that the Pirates won't be spending big on relievers this year: "Our focus is going to be more on the borderline-type guys that may not get $3-4 million or may not even get a Major League contract," Huntington said.
- The Cubs probably can't afford Rich Harden or Reed Johnson, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- Harden and Erik Bedard appear on Jeff Zrebiec's list of ten free agents the O's might target.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says the O's need at least one middle-of-the-order bat.
- The Cubs don't intend to pursue Pedro Martinez this offseason, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- David Ortiz tells WEEI.com that the Red Sox can always use more power.
- The Astros have already offered LaTroy Hawkins a contract, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- Peter Gammons of ESPN.com shows that the low-budget Marlins have had a lot of recent success because they're well-run.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean hinted that he could approach ownership with creative offers for big-name free agents, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft.
Dodgers Don’t Plan To Pursue Lackey
They may be looking for starting pitching , but the Dodgers don't plan to pursue John Lackey, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Team president Dennis Mannion told Shaikin that the team has reservations about making a big free agent commitment.
"You can't ignore the fact the economy will be level at best for next year," Mannion said. "We're not going to make any outlandish-type decisions in a rough economy."
That doesn't mean the Dodgers will have to trade arbitration-eligible players to save money. The team's ownership is in flux because of the McCourt divorce, but the Dodgers intend to keep players like Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley as they become more expensive.
Angels Won’t Pursue Holliday; Bay Is An Option
2:45pm: Moreno estimates that he has $12MM to spend on improving the club, according to FOX Sports. That could be enough to sign Bay if the left fielder agrees to sign a back-loaded deal.
1:16pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that Matt Holliday is not an option for the Angels.
"He is not going to be an Angel," Moreno said. "We are not looking at Holliday at all."
Jason Bay, on the other hand, is a player "you have to look at," Moreno said. The Angels still have interest in bringing back John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero, but Moreno told the LA Times that the Angels won't be able to bring both Figgins and Lackey back.
As for Guerrero, Moreno hinted that he won't be back without saying so explicitly.
Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:
- The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
- Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
- There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
- The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
- At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.
Yankees Interested In Gonzalez, Soriano?
An MLB executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Yankees plan to pursue free agent relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. However, another source tells Rosenthal that the Yanks intend to develop relievers from within the organization.
Both relievers are Type A free agents, so they would cost draft picks if the Braves offer arbitration. The Yankees might to prefer to wait until December 1st. By then, we'll know whether the Braves offered arbitration and if any other ranked relievers can be signed without surrendering a high pick.
We heard yesterday that the Red Sox asked the Braves for the relievers' medical records. If the Red Sox and Yankees decide to pursue Gonzalez, they'll be negotiating with his new agent: Scott Boras.