Six Teams Considering Chien-Ming Wang
THURSDAY, 7:45pm: Nero says that Wang is reconsidering his plan not to return from shoulder surgery until a couple months into the season, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN. Nero says that "four or five teams" are pursuing Wang more aggressively than expected and therefore, his client could sign before Spring Training if he receives the right offer.
Stark mentions the Mets, Dodgers, and Cardinals as potential destinations for the 29-year-old hurler.
MONDAY, 5:32pm: Ken Rosenthal catches up with Chien-Ming Wang's agent, Alan Nero, who reports that a half-dozen teams are currently reviewing Wang's medical records.
Wang is training with an eye on throwing off a mound within a week or two, Nero added.
“We’re anticipating a major-league offer with a substantial guarantee and substantial upside,” Nero said.
The way that works out, timing-wise, Wang should be throwing off a mound right as the teams licking their wounds from losing out on Ben Sheets are ready to take notice.
The two are hardly similar pitchers, however. While Sheets gets more fly balls than ground balls and has a healthy strikeout rate, Wang is quite dependent on his infield defense.
So for those who miss out on Sheets, better check to see if Luis Castillo or Michael Young is playing for your team before going after Wang. If so, you might want to save your money.
Gammons On Bay, Lowell
The Red Sox lowered their offer to Jason Bay from four years to two years because they were "scared to death" of his knees, according to Peter Gammons. Here's the audio from WEEI and here's the transcript. The Mets were the only team to seriously pursue the left fielder, according to Gammons.
Rangers Interested In Garko, Baldelli
The Rangers are interested in Ryan Garko and Rocco Baldelli, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an EPSN.com chat yesterday that "some interesting guys" remain on the market. Jermaine Dye, who was connected to the Rangers earlier in the offseason, seems less likely to end up in Texas than Garko or Baldelli.
Garko, 29, hit .268/.344/.421 last year with the Indians and Giants. He's been an average defender at first over the course of the last two seasons, and he's played some outfield. As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reminds us, the Rangers were in the mix for Garko last summer. The Orioles had been linked to Garko earlier in the winter, but that was before they signed Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins.
The Rangers could pursue Baldelli if they're looking for more outfield experience. Baldelli has mostly played center, but he has experience in left and right, too. The 28-year-old hit .253/.311/.433 last year for the Red Sox.
Brewers Claim Joe Inglett Off Waivers
The Brewers claimed infielder Joe Inglett off waivers from the Rangers, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. McCalvy says the Brewers designated reliever Chris Smith for assignment to make room.
Inglett had been designated by the Rangers Monday to make room for Colby Lewis. He'd joined Texas on a December waiver claim from the Blue Jays.
Smith, 29 in April, posted a 6.8 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 4.11 ERA in 46 innings out of Milwaukee's pen this year. He also tossed a very strong 42.6 innings in Triple A – 1.27 ERA, 10.3 K/9, 1.3 BB/9. Smith had hooked on with the Brewers as a free agent after being outrighted by Boston in October of '08.
Odds & Ends: Mariners, Giants, Wakefield
A wrap-up of some items on this busy Tuesday evening…
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times looks at some of the free agents left on the market and wonders if the Mariners will be enticed to make one more move this winter. Neither Stone nor MLB.com's Jim Street think an Erik Bedard return is likely.
- Chris Haft of MLB.com covers a number of Giants-related topics in a mailbag, including how outfielder Fred Lewis "appears to have fallen out of favor with the organization" and "probably needs a change of scenery."
- Tim Wakefield tells CSNNE.com's Art Martone that he intends "on being one of the five starters" in the Boston rotation next season.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan-led ownership group paid a cool $570MM for the Rangers.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was told by Brewers GM Doug Melvin that he is "working on one other thing….It would be a minor-league deal." Haudricourt speculates that Milwaukee is looking for a left-handed reserve outfielder and former Brewer Gabe Gross could be an option.
- The Dodgers are another team looking for a lefty backup outfielder, tweets MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman says that a recent Chipper Jones comment about Atlanta possibly bringing back Javier Vazquez after 2010 is "wishful thinking" on the part of the Braves superstar. Bowman discusses a few other topics in the mailbag piece, including the wisdom of the Braves buying out the arbitration years of Jair Jurrjens and/or Tommy Hanson.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) says that Robb Quinlan was a reserve option for the Twins if they hadn't signed Jim Thome. The right-handed Quinlan might have fit into the Minnesota bench a bit better than Thome, but if you had to pick between the two, I think most people would give Thome the nod.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday
We'll round up any and all players that agree to deals today to avoid arbitration in this post, so check back in for updates…
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports (via Twitter) that the Rangers have avoided arbitration with reliever Frank Francisco by agreeing to a one-year, $3.265MM contract.
- The official Brewers Twitter site is reporting that Carlos Villanueva has agreed to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $950K according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter).
- The Red Sox and Jeremy Hermida have agreed to a one-year deal for 2010 to avoid arbitration according to a team press release. Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald reports (via Twitter) that Hermida will earn $3.345MM in 2010. Theo Epstein's streak of avoiding arbitration lasts another year.
Yankees Acquire Greg Golson
The Yankees have acquired outfielder Greg Golson from the Rangers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Texas will receive minor league infielder Mitch Hilligoss and cash considerations.
Texas designated Golson for assignment last week to make room on the 40-man roster for Khalil Greene. The 24-year-old righty hitter is a career .263/.308/.395 hitter with 140 stolen bases in the minors, though he hasn't had much success over A-ball. Hilligoss, 24, is a .275/.324/.352 career hitter and has yet to reach Double-A.
Odds & Ends: Twins, Angels, Rangers
Lots to get to as Monday starts to wind down:
- Frankie Piliere of AOL Fanhouse weighs in with his top 100 prospects of 2010. The Top 25 can be found here, while 26-100 are available here.
- In addition to weighing in on Jim Thome, MLB.com's Kelly Thesier reports that the Twins would likely be looking to begin any contract extension with Joe Mauer in 2011, rather than re-work his 2010 deal.
- MLB.com's Lyle Spencer doesn't think the Angels are doing anything else significant this offseason.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com says that the Rangers haven't ruled Ben Sheets out completely, but that the player movement is likely finished in Arlington as well.
- Add MLB.com's Marty Noble to the list of people who don't understand why the Mets acquired Gary Matthews Jr.
- Michael DiRocco of the Florida Times-Union reports that Texas Rangers' draft pick and Florida wide receiver Riley Cooper, practicing this week at the Senior Bowl, has chosen football over baseball.
- The Royals announced infielder Mario Lisson was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Rick Ankiel.
Rangers Designate Joe Inglett For Assignment
The Rangers designated Joe Inglett for assignment to make room for Colby Lewis, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Inglett had been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays on December 4th, but perhaps the Rangers' signing of Khalil Greene made him expendable.
Inglett, 31, hit .281/.347/.348 in 99 plate appearances for the Jays last year while playing the outfield corners and second base. He hit .360/.422/.516 in 186 Triple A plate appearances.
Odds & Ends: Byrdak, Rangers, Storen
Sunday night links..
- The Astros have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM with pitcher Tim Byrdak, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The dollar figure is the midpoint between Houston's offer and Byrdak's submission. The agreement leaves Wandy Rodriguez as the team's last remaining arbitration eligible player.
- Boston's international scouting efforts are starting to yield some results, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Of the twelve minor leaguers at this year's rookie development program, six of them were foreign-born.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) hears that Chuck Greenberg's group will pay $570MM for the Texas Rangers, though he notes that is unconfirmed.
- While all eyes are on Stephen Strasburg in Washington, right-hander Drew Storen is trying to make the Opening Day roster, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The Nationals used their other first-round selection, tenth overall, to select Storen in the 2009 draft.