Eight Teams Interested In Carroll
There's no shortage of interest in Jamey Carroll this year. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Pirates, Reds and Indians all have interest in the 35-year-old utility man. We know the Marlins are interested, too.
Carroll hit .276/.355/.340 with the Indians last year, spending most of his time at second and third, and playing some outfield as well. UZR/150 suggests Carroll has been an above-average defender at second base over the course of the last five years.
Odds & Ends: Jenks, Polanco, Tate, Marquis
Some links for Thursday…
- John Manuel of Baseball America ranks all 30 MLB farm systems at SI.com. The Rangers, Rays and Giants top the list.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick lists nine potential free agent bargains.
- Keith Law, Dave Cameron and Tyler Hissey don't like the Placido Polanco deal from the Phillies' standpoint.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have tentative interest in Xavier Nady and Ron Villone, who are both Scott Boras clients.
- Sam Borden of the Journal News wonders how many long-term contracts the Yanks can take on.
- The Yankees get the sense that Andy Pettitte isn't done yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- They aren't expected to consider an extension for Joe Girardi this offseason.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have begun preliminary talks with arbitration-eligible reliever Bobby Jenks.
- Placido Polanco appears to be nearing a three-year deal with the Phillies, but the Astros have some interest in the Gold Glover, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
- Curtis Granderson tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that he doesn't let the trade talk get to him.
- The Rockies have tentative plans to meet with Rafael Betancourt's representatives this coming Monday, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- As Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Donavan Tate, the Padres' third overall selection in the June draft, was injured in an ATV accident. He broke his jaw, but should be ready for Spring Training.
- Jason Marquis had a falling out with the Rockies, so Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests he isn't likely to accept the team's offer of arbitration.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach explains why long-term deals are becoming less frequent in MLB.
- Juan Castro passed his physical, so his deal with the Phils is now offiicial, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pudge Likely To Turn Down Arbitration
Ivan Rodriguez is likely to turn down the Rangers' offer of arbitration to explore other options, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Rangers could still work out a deal with the catcher, but they're not the only ones interested. The Royals and Giants are also in the picture, according to Heyman.
Pudge earned a base salary of $1.5MM last year, a figure he could presumably top by accepting arbitration. The 38-year-old hit .249/.280/.384 last year, splitting time with the two Texas teams. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, so he's still reasonably good at limiting the running game.
Heyman On Pudge, Wolf, Crede
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Giants, Mets, and Royals have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, assuming he doesn't accept the Rangers' arbitration offer. Heyman says the Royals were trying to sign Brian Schneider before the Phillies signed him.
- Heyman names the Mets, Brewers, and Phillies as three clubs "believed to have some interest" in free agent lefty Randy Wolf. First we've read this winter of a possible Wolf-Phillies reunion.
- "At least the Orioles and Astros" are interested in free agent third baseman Joe Crede.
Several Clubs Interested In Jermaine Dye
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the latest on free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye. Cowley notes that while the Rangers are interested, Dye may prefer not to be a DH. He names the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Giants as other teams that have shown interest. Dye would presumably be a backup plan for the Red Sox and Cardinals.
What about the Yankees, who ESPN's Jerry Crasnick said yesterday discussed Dye internally? Cowley says the Yanks denied the report, yet his source said the team asked for Dye's medical reports.
As for the Giants, MLB.com's Chris Haft notes that Xavier Nady is another outfielder on their radar.
Rangers, Astros Eyeing Brett Myers
The Rangers and Astros have interest in free agent righty Brett Myers, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Myers, 29, posted a 4.84 ERA in 70.6 innings this year, working around hip surgery. We learned last month that the Phillies won't be re-signing Myers, who is open to starting or relieving in 2010.
For the Astros, using Myers in the rotation would probably mean bumping Felipe Paulino. The Astros' rotation actually isn't too bad, but added depth would be nice. The Astros could use back-end bullpen help as well, with the statuses of Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins up in the air.
Crasnick names Myers and J.J. Putz as pitchers on the Rangers' radar; they're apparently hoping to sign a pitcher to an incentive-based deal. The Rangers have good rotation depth, so Myers might fit better in the bullpen.
Rangers Offer Arb To Marlon Byrd, Ivan Rodriguez
The Rangers offered arbitration to Type B free agents Marlon Byrd and Ivan Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Byrd was a lock, but Pudge comes as a surprise given the Rangers' catching depth.
Odds & Ends: Kuo, DeRosa, Dye, Blue Jays
With all the arbitration decisions flying around today, we haven't had time for an Odds & Ends until now.
- Diamond Leung tweeted last night that the Yankees "signed Taiwanese 18-year-old infielder Fu-Lin Kuo to six-figure bonus." Taiwan Baseball says Kuo received about $150K.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, and Giants as suitors for Mark DeRosa. ESPN's Buster Olney heard that a few teams are concerned with DeRosa's range at third base.
- Fungoes shows us "when the hot stove is the hottest," graphically. Looks about right to me…peaks in December, stays hot in January.
- A.J. Burnett talked to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about Roy Halladay potentially being traded.
- Juan Castro will take his physical Thursday according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer; if he passes, his one-year deal with the Phillies will be official.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about potential fits for Jermaine Dye, noting that the Yankees have discussed him internally. Crasnick says geography will not be a major factor for Dye.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted comments from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarding their search for a catcher. Anthopoulos is eyeing some potential non-tenders. Dioner Navarro and John Buck come to mind, with Kelly Shoppach going to the Rays.
- The market for Miguel Tejada should be decent now that he certainly will not cost a draft pick. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, and Astros are interested. Rangers?
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers officially announced their minor league deal with John Halama today.
- Nick Green's agent Tom O'Connell tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday his client is drawing "significant interest" on Major League contracts.
Rangers Rumors: Oliver, Dye, Dotel
This info-packed T.R. Sullivan report for MLB.com indicates that Texas is interested in Darren Oliver, Jermaine Dye and Octavio Dotel. Sullivan points out that all three are Type A free agents. Of course, there would only be a draft pick cost attached if the player is offered and turns down arbitration (which seems possible only for Oliver).
Sullivan added that Texas is expected to offer arbitration to Marlon Byrd, while no decision has been made about Ivan Rodriguez. Both are Type Bs.
Oliver worked out of relief for the Angels last season, but had two tours of duty with the Rangers, most recently as a starter in 2001. Their interest in Oliver is understandable- his 8 strikeouts per nine innings was his highest total since back in 1994. Dotel has posted back-to-back healthy seasons for the White Sox, and could solidify a shaky Texas bullpen.
Dye, meanwhile, was also mentioned as a potential Texas target by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
Orioles Interested In Millwood
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com are reporting that the Orioles have called the Rangers about Kevin Millwood, though talks are not serious, according to one source.
The source said the Rangers would like to move Millwood's $12MM salary for 2010 in order to sign Jermaine Dye.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, however, reports that the Rangers are not interested in moving Millwood.
Millwood pitched to a 3.67 ERA in 198 2/3 innings in 2009, but his strikeout rate dropped from 6.7 per nine innings in 2008 to 5.6 in 2009.
Dye, meanwhile, hit .250/.340/.453 in 2009. He's indicated a willingness to move to first base, but that kind of offensive production wouldn't be enough for the position.