Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee
1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.
11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.
As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee. He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM. I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested. While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so. At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Francoeur, Theriot, Braves, Hacker
Links for Tuesday, as the American League Gold Glove winners are announced…
- Rangers outfielder Jeff Francoeur is expected to clear waivers and become a free agent by week's end, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Francoeur would have been non-tendered on December 2nd, otherwise.
- Speaking of non-tender candidates, Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick he hopes to return next year.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan provides his top 164 free agents.
- ESPN's Keith Law says Arthur Rhodes is a player to avoid, in his relievers buyer's guide (Insider required).
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution speculates on outfield options for the Braves.
- Minor league free agent Eric Hacker signed a big league deal with the Twins, agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). Hacker, 28 in March, posted a 4.57 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 in 165 2/3 Triple-A innings for the Giants' affiliate this year.
Odds & Ends: Hale, Pirates, O’s, Free Agents
With the free agency period officially upon us, many of today's links focus on either the top players available or which of those players particular teams will pursue. Let's round 'em up….
- DeMarlo Hale will interview for the Mets managerial opening, reports Maureen Mullen of Comcast SportsNet. Hale was a finalist for the Blue Jays' job before Toronto hired John Farrell.
- Jon Heyman hears that the Pirates are going after players aggressively in the early stages of free agency (Twitter link).
- The Orioles have hired Mark Connor as their pitching coach, according to the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly. A former Twins' minor leaguer, Connor was Buck Showalter's pitching coach with the Yankees, D'Backs, and Rangers as well.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe breaks down the top free agents by position and lists some possible destinations.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Keith Law breaks down his top 50 free agents, with Cliff Lee topping the list. Meanwhile, there's no Insider account required for Newsday's Ken Davidoff's top 30 free agents and accompanying predictions.
- The baseball writers at FOX Sports predict the landing spots for some of the best available players, in slideshow form.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan names ten free agents he thinks the Rangers will consider signing.
- Mark Simon of ESPNNewYork proposes some realistic free agent targets for the Mets.
- In his Insider-only ESPN.com blog, Buster Olney identifies a few players who may be hurt by their Type A status this winter.
- There are a few "hot stove myths" to keep in mind as you follow rumors and signings this offseason, writes J.C. Bradbury at Sabernomics.
- Jorge de la Rosa's agent, Bobby Barad, tells Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that he has already received multiple calls from teams expressing a "sincere interest" in his client.
- The Padres are rebuilding once again, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Athletics Win Hisashi Iwakuma Bid?
SUNDAY, 10:00pm: Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura tweeted about the Athletics winning the bidding, it appears.
SUNDAY, 8:55am: NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes on a pair of Japanese reports suggesting that Rakuten will accept the top bid for Iwakuma, which could be higher than $16MM (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 1:48pm: Rosenthal writes that the A's "are believed to have made a strong push" for Iwakuma. He speculates that if the Brewers are willing to part with Casey McGehee, they could potentially match up for a trade with Oakland given their need for pitching.
1:07pm: Rosenthal says that the Athletics also bid on Iwakuma (Twitter link) with the idea trading one of the excess starters for a bat if they landed him. The FoxSports.com scribe adds that the Rangers may have bid too low.
12:11pm: FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers may be the high bidder for Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma. Last night we heard that the Mariners were the favorite to land him. In a second tweet, Rosenthal says that Texas definitely submitted a bid, but there's no guarantee that the Rakuten Golden Eagles will accept the high bid. They were seeking $16MM-17MM in the posting process.
The Rangers had tremendous success bringing Colby Lewis over from Japan last year, so it makes sense that they'd explore that avenue again. Iwakuma is widely considered to be the second best starting pitcher in Japan behind Yu Darvish.
The bidding closed last night, and reports out of Japan indicated that Seattle submitted a bid of $13MM. Iwakuma was also said to prefer the West Coast.
Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Red Sox, Simmons, Bush
We're now less than 12 hours away from the start of free agency. Here are some links to help you pass the time…
- The Diamondbacks have outrighted pitchers Leo Rosales and Clay Zavada off the 40-man roster according to the team's official Twitter feed.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe places odds on each of the Red Sox's four free agents returning the team.
- Larry Larue of The Tacoma Tribune reports that the Mariners have hired Ted Simmons as a senior advisor to GM Jack Zduriencik. Simmons was in the mix for various managerial jobs.
- The Rays have added Matt Bush, the first overall pick in 2004, to their 40-man roster according to The Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Bush would have been eligible for minor league free agency otherwise.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears from a source that Terry Collins is anywhere from "a strong candidate to the front-runner" for the Mets managerial job. Collins will interview with new GM Sandy Alderson this weekend, and has a backer in Fred Wilpon. He's also a favorite of Paul DePodesta, who Alderson is trying to lure to New York.
- Don Wakamatsu has plenty of job opportunities these days. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that he has an offer to become the Blue Jays bench coach, an interview for the Mets manager's job forthcoming, and is also in the mix to be Baltimore's bench coach.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik unsurprisingly declined to comment about Hisashi Iwakuma two days ago, according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. Last night we heard that the Mariners appear to be the favorites to land the righty.
- Robert MacLeod of The Globe And Mail passes along a quote from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos in which he indicates a willingness to bringing Kevin Gregg back. He just wasn't comfortable with the price of the reliever's options, which is why they were declined.
- Scott Boras told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies "have the ability to do what they need to do to retain their players," referring to Jayson Werth. He compared Philadelphia's financial situation to that of the Yankees
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News offers some good and bad news about the Rangers' catching situation.
- Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle speculates that the Giants will keep an eye on Derek Jeter's negotiations with the Yankees. GM Brian Sabean ran New York's farm system when Jeter was drafted, so there's a connection there in the unlikely event that he can't work out a deal with the Yanks.
Five More Potential Free Agents
SATURDAY, 10:47am: CBSSports.com reports that German, Mathis, and McCarthy all refused the minor league assignments and elected to become free agents.
FRIDAY, 3:54pm: Two White Sox will soon hit free agency and a trio of Rangers could join them before long. Left-hander Randy Williams and catcher Donny Lucy were outrighted and will soon become free agents, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, the Rangers outrighted Esteban German, Doug Mathis and Brandon McCarthy off of the 40-man roster and all three can become free agents, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. McCarthy was a non-tender candidate, though he's just 27, made 17 useful starts for the Rangers last year and posted a 3.36 ERA at Triple-A in 2010.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gonzalez, Pirates, Elias
On this date way back in 1976, the Mariners and Blue Jays each selected 30 players in the expansion draft. Seattle drafted outfielder Ruppert Jones from the Royals with the first pick, then Toronto grabbed the versatile Bob Bailor from the Orioles with the second pick. The full results of the expansion draft can be found here.
We had to do some expanding of our own this week – get ready for what I'm certain is the largest BBWI in MLBTR history…
- Baseball Time In Arlington thinks the Rangers need to wave goodbye to Vladimir Guerrero after declining his option.
- Royals Review asks what Kansas City should do, and will do with their arbitration eligible players.
- The Friarhood breaks down the trade market for Adrian Gonzalez.
- Pirates Propects examines what the impact would be if Andrew McCutchen qualified as a Super Two next year.
- Capitol Avenue Club looks at some options to address the Braves' need for a fourth outfielder.
- Amazin Avenue explains why they don't want the Mets to hire Wally Backman to serve as manager.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. wonders if the Pirates should start spending on free agents this winter.
- Meanwhile, Wahoo Blues believes the Indians are poised to make a free agent splash.
- Crashburn Alley says the Phillies need to give Domonic Brown 600 plate appearances in 2011.
- Disciples of Uecker explains why Justin James was an interesting waiver claim.
- Prospect Insider thinks that the Elias free agent ranking system needs to go.
- The Process Report tries to find a fit for Matt Garza with the Mets.
- Randall on Baseball reviews Jack Zduriencik's moves as the Mariners GM.
- SD Sports Net thinks the Padres should go out and acquire Dan Uggla.
- The Love Of The Game likes what the Yankees have in 2010 rookie Ivan Nova.
- Fan Speak tries to figure out what the Nationals should do with Josh Willingham (part one, part two).
- Cubs Billy Goat Blog (formerly Cubs Pack) asks what the Cubbies can learn from more successful teams.
- 1 Blue Jays Way re-lives Toronto's 2010 season, top ten style.
- River Ave. Blues comes up with a list of the players the Yankees shouldn't even think about acquiring this winter.
- MLB Depth Charts is putting together early looks at each team's 2011 roster.
- Baseball Prospectus' Analyze This reviews how the World Champion San Francisco Giants were built in a two part series (part one, part two). No subscription is required.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Rangers Agree To Extend Ron Washington
THURSDAY: The Rangers agreed to a two-year extension with Washington, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
WEDNESDAY: Ron Washington will meet with Rangers president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels tomorrow to work out the terms of a contract extension, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The deal could be finalized as soon as tomorrow and Sullivan guesses the extension will cover two or three seasons.
Washington has a 331-317 record in four years as the Texas manager, and will forever hold a place in Rangers history as the first manager to lead the team to an AL pennant. Washington originally signed a two-year contract to manage the club in November 2006, with options for 2009 and 2010 that were both picked up. The next step for Texas may be to explore an extension for Daniels — the GM is under contract only through next season.
Pierzynski Yet To Hear An Offer From White Sox
In an interview with Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio today, A.J. Pierzynski said that the White Sox have not made him an offer to return to the club in 2011. (Twitter link) Pierzynski doesn't specify if the club has made any contact with him at all, and it's worth noting that Chicago still has three days left of exclusive negotiating time for pending free agents. Given that Pierzynski said he would like to keep playing in Chicago "but they are going to have to want him first," however, it seems unlikely that the Sox have opened negotiations.
Pierzynski went into detail about his criteria for a new team (another Twitter link): in order, his new club must be a contender, be willing to give him a starting job, be located close to his home in Florida and along those same lines must also have their spring training camp in Florida and be a "quick flight home." He says the Marlins, Padres, Rangers, Rays and Red Sox "would all be good fits." All of these teams except the Rays were mentioned by MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith in his look at potential suitors for Pierzynski. All make some sense on Pierzynski's checklist, though the Rangers and Padres are in Arizona for spring training and San Diego is a cross-country flight away from his home.
Rangers Decline Option For Guerrero
The Rangers declined their side of Vladimir Guerrero's $9MM option for 2011, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Instead, Texas will pay a $1MM buyout.
Guerrero, 35, hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers last season, his first in Texas. The Rangers would like to keep him, but he is a Type A free agent, so they will obtain a pair of top picks in next year's draft if he declines arbitration to sign elsewhere.