Poll: Does A Cliff Lee Mystery Team Exist?
Ah, the mystery team. Enough of a hot stove tradition that it has its own category here at MLBTR. One such phantom club still appears to be pursuing Cliff Lee, multiple sources told SI's Jon Heyman. Heyman cautions that it's not the Phillies. The Brewers, Cubs, and Orioles were ruled out during the winter meetings. The Nationals and Angels appear unlikely, and with their GMs confirming interest they wouldn't qualify as mysteries anyway.
Before the Carl Crawford signing, the Red Sox made a low-salary seven year offer, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. So they're a former mystery team, but not a current one.
ESPN's Buster Olney notes in a tweet today that the whole mystery team idea "can only come spoon-fed from an agent who is trying to create leverage." That makes sense in regard to Lee, who still appears to only have two legitimate suitors and may be nearing a decision. There are only so many teams that can even propose a $140MM+ deal to a 32-year-old pitcher.
Does a third serious suitor for Lee even exist? Vote in today's poll.
Does a legitimate Cliff Lee "mystery team" currently exist?
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No 69% (11,460)
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Yes 31% (5,256)
Total votes: 16,716
Athletics, Hideki Matsui Could Be Close To Agreement
MONDAY, 6:54am: Slusser writes that "the deal might be finalized today, with a news conference likely to be held Tuesday if the details are finalized in time." SI's Jon Heyman believes a deal would be for around $7MM a year.
SUNDAY, 10:46pm: Slusser says that even though Matsui has not yet visited Oakland, the A's are the front runner to sign him with no close second. She's heard about a possible one-year, $5MM contract, but believes that might be low given the two-year, $16MM offer they made to Berkman.
9:35pm: Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says that the two sides could reach an agreement as early as this week (Twitter links). She adds that Arn Tellem, Matsui's agent, wanted to get proposals this weekend with a decision to follow.
8:10pm: The Athletics could be close to an agreement with Hideki Matsui, tweets Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group. Oakland has had trouble getting free agents to take their money this offseason, most notably getting spurned by Adrian Beltre and Lance Berkman.
Matsui has been connected to the A's pretty much all offseason. The 2009 World Series MVP hit .274/.361/.459 with 21 homers for the Angels this past season, though he was much more impressive after the calendar flipped to June (.300/.392/.498). The 36-year-old Matsui could slot right in at DH for Oakland, though he did make 18 appearances in the outfield in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Rivera, Mets, Bruce, Orioles, Dodgers
Links for Sunday….
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports that Mariano Rivera's representatives initiated contact with the Red Sox, who eventually offered the closer a contract. Boston was never inclined to non-tender Jonathan Papelbon had they signed Rivera; they valued him at the back of their bullpen in the short-term, and the draft picks that would come their way if he signs elsewhere as a free agent in the long-term.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman has the scoop on the Mets new coaching staff (Twitter link). Dave Hudgens will be the hitting coach, Jon Debus the bullpen coach, Ken Oberkfell the bench coach, and Mookie Wilson the first base coach.
- Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News thinks the Jay Bruce extension is an excellent message.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun speculates that the Orioles could still sign two more relievers even after Koji Uehara's deal becomes official, and he wouldn't be against them signing a designated hitter type either.
- Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at what Cliff Lee would mean to both the Yankees and the Rangers.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) breaks down the details of Jay Gibbons' contract with the Dodgers. $400K of Gibbons' $650K salary is guaranteed, and he could earn as much as $800K with incentives based on plate appearances (Twitter link).
- Hernandez's colleague at the L.A. Times, T.J. Simers, isn't a fan of the Dodgers' recent moves.
- Trading for Zack Greinke is still a possibility for the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Speaking to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, Andrew Friedman said the Rays are targeting "under-the-radar type guys that we feel fit us well and have a lot of upside."
- The Pirates haven't approached Andrew McCutchen about a long-term extension, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests Jay Bruce's deal would be a good comparable if the two sides discuss anything.
- Clint Hurdle tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his preference is for the Pirates to add two left-handed relievers.
- The Rockies agreed to minor league deals with a pair of players, including former Yankee first round pick Eric Duncan, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding.
Angels Are “Offensively Focused”
After adding a pair of left-handers to their bullpen, the Angels are now "offensively focused" according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. He adds that they do not appear to be the mystery team in on Cliff Lee.
The Halos' offseason plan took a huge hit when Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, but they could always turn to Adrian Beltre. There has been talk about a reunion with Vladimir Guerrero as well, and there are a number of similar DH-centric types on the market, including Magglio Ordonez, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Jason Giambi. Those last four names are just my speculation, though.
MLBTR Originals: 12/5/10 – 12/12/10
We didn't have much time for original content this week because of the winter meetings, so make sure you browse the Week In Review in case you missed anything along the way. Here's the original content we did come up with…
- First and foremost, make sure you check out our new Free Agent Tracker.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the catching market, and also listed the remaining players that will require draft pick compensation to sign.
- Ben also rounded up all of the winter meetings acquisitions and told us what it all means.
- This week's poll questions asked if Matt Garza will be traded, where Rafael Soriano will sign, where Magglio Ordonez will sign, where Cliff Lee will sign, if the Yankees need Lee, and the most surprising winter meetings deal.
- I rounded up the best of the blogosphere with Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Howard Megdal's latest Jack of All Trades post featured Rickey Henderson.
- Make sure you check out our regular features and join our forums.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Sunday
If Nolan Ryan is right in believing that Cliff Lee will weigh his options this weekend and come to a decision Monday, we'll have to wait at least another day before hearing anything concrete on Lee. In the meantime, here are the rumblings on the left-hander since yesterday….
- The Nationals are officially out on Lee, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Christian Red of The New York Daily News hears from a source that the Lee situation "should get resolved early this week."
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that there are "strong indications" of a third team being involved in the Lee discussions, but conventional wisdom still says it's between the Rangers and Yankees.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that "nothing has happened as of yet" regarding Lee's decision.
- Sherman's colleague, George A. King III writes that the Yankees will not increase their offer to Lee again. The Yankees have extended three offers, the longest of which is believed to be in the seven-year, $160MM range.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines that Lee and agent Darek Braunecker have "used time expertly" to discomfort the Yankees and force them into upping their offer one last time prior to sealing the deal (Twitter link).
- We heard on Saturday that some Yankees officials were expressing "a bit of skepticism" about the team's chances of landing Lee. ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the same thing today in his Insider-only blog. According to Olney, one Yankee exec told another team's GM that he figures the odds of New York signing Lee are about 50-50.
- Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal explains how Texas' tax rates mean the Rangers could effectively match the Yankees' offer without actually matching it. Ken Belson of the New York Times made a similar observation earlier this weekend.
- Rangers manager Ron Washington thinks Lee will be back in Texas in 2011, as Tom Spousta of the Dallas Morning News writes.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday examines some of the oft-repeated theories about Lee's decision, attempting to determine which ones are legitimate.
Marlins, Three Other Teams Pursuing Randy Choate
8:30pm: Choate confirmed to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times that he is in fact in talks with the Marlins, as well as three other teams that he declined to name.
11:17am: Looking to bolster their bullpen, the Marlins are "working to sign" Randy Choate, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Choate, 35, spent his last two seasons in Tampa Bay, and appeared in over half of the Rays' games in 2010. The left-hander pitched just 44 2/3 innings in his 85 appearances, recording a 4.23 ERA and striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. He's best used as a one- or two-out pitcher against left-handed batters, as exhibited by his 2010 splits – lefties posted a .529 OPS against him, while righties hit at a 1.162 clip.
Choate declined an arbitration offer from the Rays, so as a Type B free agent, he'd net Tampa Bay a supplemental round draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Poll: Who Will Sign Magglio Ordonez?
Magglio Ordonez‘s season came to an abrupt end on July 24th, when he fractured his ankle sliding across home plate. He had been hitting .303/.378/.474 in 365 plate appearances up to that point, and appeared to be on his way to having his $15MM option for 2011 vest. The injury changed everything and Magglio is a free agent for just the second time in his career.
Agent Scott Boras said that Ordonez has completed the rehab required for his ankle and has “returned to full workout routines.” He also held a private work out for the Tigers last week. The Rangers have interest in Magglio and the Red Sox did as well, at least until they traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford. Tim Dierkes examined Ordonez’s free agent stock last month, speculating that the Rays, Blue Jays, and Athletics could have some interest in a DH role.
With the big free agent outfielders off the board, the market for Magglio should heat up very soon. Where do you think he’ll land?
Which team will sign Magglio Ordonez?
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Tigers 39% (4,021)
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Another team not listed 20% (2,077)
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Blue Jays 10% (1,046)
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Rangers 9% (884)
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Red Sox 9% (869)
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Rays 7% (706)
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Athletics 6% (595)
Total votes: 10,198
National News: Lee, LaRoche, Pavano, Webb
Let's round up the latest from the nation's capital, courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson…
- The Nats have expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, echoing a report from yesterday.
- All of their eggs are not in one basket however, Ladson says the team also maintains interest in Adam LaRoche. It appeared that a deal between the two sides was a go last week, but obviously nothing came from it.
- "We will explore both options, so it expands our pool a little bit more," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to short and long-term first base options, not Lee and LaRoche. "I don't ever want to feel rushed to do a deal. I think when you feel rushed to do a deal, you make a deal that you may not have wanted to do. So we are going to look at our options. We feel there are still good options out there, and we will see where they take us."
- The Nats are still in on Carl Pavano and expect talks to get serious this week. Two days ago we learned that Washington wasn't thrilled with the idea of offering the right-hander a multiyear deal.
- Brandon Webb "remains excited" about the Nationals, and the two sides talked during the winter meetings.
Week In Review: 12/5/10 – 12/11/10
One of the busiest weeks in MLBTR history has come to a close, as the 2010 Winter Meetings are officially in the books. Here's your look back at the past seven days:
- No way to link to everything that happened during the Meetings, but as part of our 24/7 coverage we provided daily recaps of the action. Here's a look at Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four.
- Be sure to check out our Transactions page to see everything that went down this past week, but for the purposes of this post, we'll cover the big moves and most active teams, starting with Boston's acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez. San Diego received Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later. After nearly two years of expressing trade interest, Boston landed the big first baseman. The Red Sox want to extend him, but there's no deal in place so far.
- Gonzalez was just a warm-up for Theo Epstein, who also signed Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142MM deal later in the week. Much had been made about the Angels' interest in Crawford, but the Sox outbid their competition and added two of the game's best players in a four-day span.
- The other top free agent outfielder came off the board too, as Jayson Werth signed his own seven-year deal with the Nationals. Washington came from out of nowhere with a $126MM bid to secure Werth's services.
- The Cubs found a replacement for Derrek Lee when they signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal worth $10MM. Half of the money on Pena's deal is deferred.
- On the other side of Chicago, the White Sox resolved their own first base situation when they re-signed Paul Konerko to a three-year deal worth $37.5MM. Konerko and newly-signed Adam Dunn should create a fearsome 3-4 tandem on the South Side.
- Lots of trades and near-trades this week. In addition to the Gonzalez deal, we saw the Brewers and Blue Jays make a swap of Brett Lawrie and Shaun Marcum. The Brew Crew is already hoping to extend their new righty.
- Baltimore's infield has a new look. They acquired Mark Reynolds in exchange for David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio. The Orioles also acquired J.J. Hardy on the cheap from Minnesota, giving up Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. The O's received $500K in the deal as well, though they had to take on Brendan Harris and his $1.75MM salary. Lastly, Baltimore signed one of the better relievers available, securing the return of Koji Uehara on a $3MM deal.
- A similar deal to the Hardy trade may or may not go through; the Padres are attempting to acquire Jason Bartlett from Tampa Bay in exchange for Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos, but there's been a hitch in either Ramos or Russell's physical.
- Scott Downs landed the next big contract for free agent relievers, securing himself $15MM over three years with the Angels. That deal could have some implications for Rafael Soriano, who was seen as a good fit for the Angels.
- Odd as it sounds, the Pirates signed a trio of players and are looking at a trade for a fourth. Kevin Correia and Matt Diaz both received two-year deals, while Scott Olsen got a high-incentive one-year deal. Pittsburgh is also looking into acquiring Kenshin Kawakami.
- In addition to trading Reynolds, the D'Backs also had a trio of signings, including their new closer, J.J. Putz, for two years and $10MM with a club option, as well as Melvin Mora on a one-year deal for $2MM and Mike Hampton on a minor league deal.
- Ty Wigginton suprisingly found a two-year deal, signing with Colorado for $8MM. The Rockies have had a busy and expensive offseason to date.
- Former Rockie Miguel Olivo received a two-year contract of his own, signing in Seattle for $7MM. Seattle has had Olivo in the past, and is looking for better results this time around.
- More than just trades and signings this week: The Reds likely used Justin Upton's contract as a model in extending Jay Bruce for six years and $51MM. Cincinnati holds a $13MM club option for 2017 as well.
- This week was also home to the 2010 Rule 5 Draft, the results of which can be viewed right here.
- Cliff Lee rumors swirled all week, though the latest is that the Yankees have a seven-year deal on the table while the Rangers are likely maxing out at six guaranteed and possibly a vesting option for a seventh year. His decision may come as soon as Monday night.