Orioles Notes: MacPhail On Bedard, Hendrickson
According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles are simply looking for "any kind of pitching" as the club winds down its winter shopping. While corner infield help ostensibly remains at the top of Baltimore's shopping list, O's GM Andy MacPhail told Kubatko that it isn't a critical priority given the club's organizational strength at the corners (i.e. prospects Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder).
As for pitching, however, MacPhail said, "we'll always sort of stay in the hunt for pitching." Here's what MacPhail had to say about two potential free-agent targets…
- Erik Bedard. We've heard some rumors about the O's looking to bring the left-hander back to Baltimore, but the lack of activity should not be taken as a decline in interest on the club's part. Bedard "doesn't seem to be in a rush to sign" with anyone, and MacPhail noted that Bedard was likely to sign "a late-January type deal anyway, if that." Given how Bedard's probable contract will be a one or two-year, incentive-laden deal, it makes sense that clubs would wait to see how the rest of the offseason pitching market shakes down before making Bedard an offer. MacPhail added that based on some preliminary medical information the Baltimore staff has received about Bedard, the southpaw will be able to pitch before midseason, contrary to what some reports have suggested.
- Mark Hendrickson. It's been widely assumed that Hendrickson would re-sign with Baltimore, and the pitcher himself said he was hoping to get a deal done quickly back in October. But now we're a third of the way through January and the left-hander is still a free agent. MacPhail said the team is still interested in bringing Hendrickson back, but they have been waiting "to see how some of these other things play out, as far as what we do and how extensive it's going to be and how our roster shapes up. So we can't quite commit yet, but we never pretended that there wasn't interest."
Kubatko also reported that the door seems to be closed on Ben Sheets joining the Orioles. Sheets fit the Bedard mold as a pitcher who would sign a short-term deal, but Kubatko said Baltimore asked for (and never received) Sheets' medical records. Sheets "apparently wants to be paid as if he isn't a health risk," which is a pretty firm negotiating stance for a pitcher who hasn't appeared in a Major League game since 2008.
Aroldis Chapman Rumors: Saturday
According to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, the Red Sox are "starting to pull back" from their pursuit of Aroldis Chapman. Boston was one of the first clubs to offer a contract to the Cuban left-hander, worth a reported $15.5MM and made before Chapman switched agents from Edwin Mejia to the Hendricks brothers. Now that the bidding has now reportedly passed the $20MM mark, however, the Sox aren't willing to spend that much on "someone they believe has a lot of question marks."
The Red Sox were seen as one of three 'finalist' candidates for Chapman's services, along with the Blue Jays and Angels. It was reported yesterday that Toronto had offered Chapman a $23MM deal, and today, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star breaks down how and why the Jays (not known for being big spenders) are willing to break the bank for this particular prospect.
Twins Made Offer To Jarrod Washburn
SATURDAY, 1:13pm: Neal reports that Washburn has turned down Minnesota's offer.
FRIDAY, 4:08pm: Neal hears that the Twins made Washburn a one-year offer worth about $5MM. Neal hears that talks have been "pretty much dead" since the club made the initial offer.
THURSDAY, 10:28am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune spoke to several Twins people yesterday and "received NO indications that an offer has been made." Talking to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier, Washburn would not comment on Miller's report but said the Twins are "definitely one of the teams at the top of my list of places I'd like to end up."
TUESDAY, 10:35pm: The Twins made an offer to lefty Jarrod Washburn, reports Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. Miller doesn't have the details, though I'd say Washburn is a candidate for a one-year deal in the $6-7MM range. Then again, he's represented by Scott Boras. The Twins claimed Washburn off waivers from the Mariners in August of '08, but a deal could not be reached.
The Twins would have decent rotation depth with Washburn, since Carl Pavano accepted arbitration earlier this winter. Miller believes the depth might allow the Twins to trade for a third baseman. Kevin Kouzmanoff is the oft-discussed name, though Dan Uggla or Mat Gamel could make sense in my opinion.
Washburn might be considered similar to Doug Davis and Jon Garland; the Brewers are expected to sign one of the three. The Mets could also enter the mix.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Holliday, Yankees
Some Saturday links…
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein expanded a bit on his "bridge year" comment from the Winter Meetings, writes Dan Duggan of The Boston Herald.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Players' Union calculates the present day value of Matt Holliday's deal at $113.6MM, or $16.2MM per year. The Cardinals, however, see the present day value as lower because they use a different discount rate. ESPN's Buster Olney has a breakdown of the award based incentives.
- Chad Jennings of The Journal News has some more utility player candidates for the Yankees.
- Tommy Rancel at DRaysBay wonders if Franklin Gutierrez's contract extension could be used as a blueprint for a potential B.J. Upton extension.
Padres Have $5-8MM Left To Spend
A source has indicated that the Padres have about $5-8MM left to spend this offseason, according to Dan Hayes of The North County Times. The team is expected to enter 2010 with a payroll around $40MM.
"There's no question there's good value out there," said (GM Jed) Hoyer, who declined to comment on which players the Padres have targeted. "Certainly we have money to spend. We're going to spread it around to some of our needs. There's a lot of good players."
Hayes says the club's biggest needs are a veteran pitcher, a righty hitting outfielder, a utility player, and a veteran catcher. We've already seen them connected to Mike Redmond, Ramon Castro, Brad Ausmus, Jerry Hairston Jr., Randy Winn, and Reed Johnson, while Hayes throws Josh Fogg's name into the mix.
Royals DFA Luis Hernandez
The Royals have designated infielder Luis Hernandez for assignment according to a team press release. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot following the signings of Noel Arguelles and Scott Podsednik.
The 25-year-old Hernandez is a career .244/.284/.276 hitter in 243 big league plate appearances, though his defense at short is solid. His minor league performance isn't much better: .249/.297/.320 in over 2,800 plate appearances. Not much to see here, folks.
Cubs Sign Bryan LaHair To A Minor League Deal
The Cubs have signed first baseman Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
LaHair, 27, received 150 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2008, hitting .250/.315/.346. The lefty swinger is a career .284/.352/.480 hitter in over 1,700 Triple-A plate appearances, so he'll get a chance to show he can contribute something off the bench.
Olney’s Latest: Chapman, A’s, Yankees, Marlins
In his blog post this morning, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that evaluators are split on Aroldis Chapman, as some see him as once in a generation talent, while others see extreme risk because of control and makeup concerns. "Where was Randy Johnson when he was that age?" asked one scout, and the answer is in A-ball walking 94 batters in 119.2 innings.
Here's the latest on Chapman, and here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Olney hears that if Oakland doesn't commit to a new ballpark for the Athletics, that commissioner Bud Selig will step in and negotiate a lucrative territorial rights deal with the Giants, similar to what happened with the Orioles when the Nationals moved into town. That could result in the A's getting their long desired San Jose stadium.
- The Yankees are in no big rush to sign a righty hitting left fielder, and are content to let the market for guys like Reed Johnson and Jonny Gomes play out. Last night we learned that the team had interest in bringing Jerry Hairston Jr. back.
- The Marlins continue to scour the free agent market for a closer, however Jose Valverde is too expensive and they aren't expected to bring back Kevin Gregg.
Mets Considering John Smoltz
The Mets are considering John Smoltz for a rotation spot, according to Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News. Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com was all over this earlier in the week.
The 42-year-old righthander has drawn interest from the Nationals, Phillies, and Cardinals this offseason. Even though his ERA was an ugly 6.35 last season, Smoltz still posted strong strikeout and walk numbers. A National League team seems like the best fit, and a contender could do a lot worse at the back of the rotation.
McCarron adds that the Mets continue to negotiate with Bengie Molina, however things are moving along slowly.
Blue Jays Acquire Zach Jackson
The Indians have traded lefthander Zach Jackson to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later, according to a team press release. He's been assigned to their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.
Jackson, 26, has a 5.81 ERA in 105.1 big league innings, striking out just 5.4 batters per nine innings. His minor league track record isn't much better (4.83 ERA, 6.2 K/9), however he's always been stingy with walks. Toronto originally drafted Jackson in the first round back in 2004, but sent him to Milwaukee in the Lyle Overbay trade after the 2005 season. He joined the Indians in 2008 as part of the C.C. Sabathia deal.