Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Cordero, Colon, Byrd
Links for Thursday…
- John Smoltz told Dan Patrick that the Yankees and Dodgers also courted him.
- KNBR had interviews with Scott Boras and Ned Colletti yesterday.
- The Dodgers are "only monitoring" Kris Benson and Chad Cordero.
- The Phillies have "kept tabs" on Cordero and Eric Milton.
- Baseball America ranked the Rangers’ farm system as the best in baseball.
- Andy MacPhail says the Orioles don’t necessarily have to add a first baseman.
- South Side Sox and Sox Machine on the Bartolo Colon signing.
- Jon Paul Morosi says Jason Isringhausen is a "natural fit" for the Tigers.
- The Red Sox will only get a supplemental pick for Paul Byrd if he signs before the June draft.
- Barry Bloom gathers responses from baseball execs on the salary cap issue.
- Eddie Bajek made a breakthrough in his attempt to crack the Elias code.
- Richard Justice has an interesting story involving new Astro Russ Ortiz.
- Rickey Henderson says he’s still available to play. Asked about the WBC, he responded, ""What is [the WBC], wrestling?"
- Transcript of an interview with Red Sox owner John Henry.
Freddy Garcia May Sign Soon
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, free agent starter Freddy Garcia "is expected to make a deal in coming days." Heyman says the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, and White Sox are interested.
About a month ago, Jason Beck reported that an MRI on Garcia’s arm revealed shoulder tightness but no structural damage.
Rosenthal On Lackey, Dunn, Young, Isringhausen
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal.
- John Lackey is due up for extension talks with the Angels, as he’ll be eligible for free agency after the ’09 season. He’d easily be the best available starter. Rosenthal says talks with the Angels should occur before the beginning of the season, but the Halos may not be willing to offer A.J. Burnett money (five years, $82.5MM). In November, Jayson Stark said Lackey had been telling friends he expects to have an extension by Opening Day. That came after Lackey’s confirmation he’d wait to see the Angels’ offensive plans before re-signing.
- The Braves paid $60MM for Derek Lowe, though no one else made a comparable offer. This is a testament to Scott Boras (and perhaps the Braves’ desperation), though Boras has more challenging work ahead in Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek.
- The Red Sox have shown interest in Adam Dunn, one rival exec tells Rosenthal. Rosenthal considers the possibility a longshot – "a square peg in a round hole." The Sox could always make a midseason deal if their offense isn’t cutting it.
- A Rangers official put Michael Young‘s chances of being with the team on Opening Day at at least 90%. The Rangers aren’t interested in moving Ian Kinsler to left field and Young to second base.
- Rosenthal believes Xavier Nady is likely to garner Type A status when he becomes a free agent after the ’09 season, but half of the equation (his 2009 stats) is missing.
- Jason Isringhausen is considering four teams, and he’d have a shot to close for those clubs. The Dodgers aren’t terribly interested, while the Cardinals and Tigers are possibilities.
- Should the Mets sign Andy Pettitte as well as Randy Wolf or Oliver Perez? One rival exec suggested the idea.
- The Astros apparently made a three-year, $28.5MM offer to Wolf before pulling it back. Looks like he’ll be settling for less.
- Rosenthal says a Rangers trade for Jermaine Dye is "not happening." They’ll go with Hank Blalock‘s left-handed offense rather than sign an aging veteran. Blalock is headed into a contract year.
- If Todd Helton has a healthy spring, the Rockies could shop Garrett Atkins.
- The Red Sox and D’Backs are not close to a deal involving catcher Miguel Montero. Arizona will need to add a capable backup catcher if they do find a deal for Montero.
Odds and Ends: Lowry, Kawakami, Lowe, Young
Links for Wednesday…
- Rany Jazayerli has withdrawn his support for Royals GM Dayton Moore.
- Chris Haft says that if Noah Lowry has a nice spring, perhaps the Giants should trade him rather than Jonathan Sanchez.
- Keith Law says Kenshin Kawakami should provide bulk innings for the Braves, while the risk with Derek Lowe is his age.
- La Velle E. Neal III doesn’t get the sense the Twins are interested in Michael Young.
- Jeff Wilson looks at the likely free agent options for the Rangers.
- Peter Abraham suggests the Yankees don’t have sufficient rotation depth without Andy Pettitte or a similar veteran addition.
- It was bound to happen sooner or later…a blog dedicated entirely to Scott Boras.
- The Reds are looking for power off the bench…Mark Sheldon has suggestions.
- A look at the Twins’ non-roster invitees.
- Geoff Baker says the Mariners screwed up with Jarrod Washburn.
Four Clubs Interested In Kris Benson
Roch Kubatko talked to starter Kris Benson, who said his shoulder hasn’t felt this good since 2000. Benson had rotator cuff surgery almost two years ago. Benson says the Cardinals and Dodgers have expressed the most interest, with the D’Backs and Rangers also in the mix.
Mets Lose Lowe; What’s Next?
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times looks at the Mets’ plans now that Derek Lowe has signed with the division-rival Braves.
Contrary to Jon Heyman’s report yesterday, Shpigel says the Mets have not yet made an offer to Oliver Perez. He expects that to happen within a day or two. The Mets are also "weighing a run at Ben Sheets, but are wary of his injury history." This Sheets-Mets idea is picking up steam. Sheets is also a "person of interest" for the Rangers, but they have not made an offer. Randy Wolf seems to be Mets’ fallback plan. David Lennon says the Mets are also involved with Jon Garland.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the Wolfs of the world – do those guys all end up with one-year, $8MM deals?
Michael Young Requested Trade From Rangers
9:41pm: More from Sullivan – he has quotes from Jon Daniels on Young tonight:
"We’re not looking to trade him and have no plans to. We plan on him being a big part of our ballclub going forward."
5:22pm: Another interesting update from T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com regarding the Michael Young situation.
The article focuses on Elvis Andrus‘ official invitation to Spring Training. Sullivan makes a point to clarify that the starting shortstop job is not Andrus’. Sullivan writes:
"It is also not guaranteed that Andrus will be the Opening Day shortstop. The Rangers still have Joaquin Arias as an alternative."
Wouldn’t Young, not Arias, be the next alternative? Just further affirmation of how serious the Rangers are about moving Young over to third.
2:20pm: T.R. Sullivan has new quotes from Jon Daniels. Daniels says he’s still preparing as if Young will play third base for the 2009 Rangers. Sullivan says no trade is imminent.
MONDAY, 8:35am: More on the topic of Young asking for a trade. Young is upset that he wasn’t given a choice about the position switch, saying, "My hand’s been forced with this one." He says he’s "adamant" about not playing third base. Young has given the Rangers a list of teams to which he’ll accept a trade, according to the Dallas Morning News. He’d consider a move back to second base for a new team. Young is owed $62MM over the next five seasons.
SUNDAY, 9:25pm: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Rangers shortstop Michael Young asked for a trade back in December when club officials requested that he play third base in the upcoming season.
According to Rosenthal, Young was "absolutely livid" that the Rangers would request such a move just months after he was awarded his first Gold Glove (the award was not supported by his advanced statistics). The team was hoping to clear a spot for top prospect Elvis Andrus, but now they’ve got a real problem on their hands.
GM Jon Daniels is expected to explore trade opportunities, but a deal seems unlikely at this point. White Sox GM Ken Williams has already said that he "would not waste time" discussing the possibility. The asking price would be far too high for most clubs. Other teams that have popped up in rumors this winter: the Twins, Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Royals.
Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Young, Cameron
Links for Tuesday…
- Lyle Spencer doesn’t think Michael Young and Jermaine Dye make sense for the Angels.
- Joel Sherman speculates on some possible matches Young trades.
- The Marlins’ recent minor league signings, including John Koronka and Jay Gibbons.
- The Red Sox officially announced the John Smoltz signing today. Here’s the transcript, and here are the contract terms.
- Buster Olney debunks the Mike Cameron for Nick Swisher rumor, saying the teams haven’t talked trade since the Winter Meetings.
- With the ninth pick in a fantasy draft, this is the team I’d put together.
Heyman On Young, Pettitte, Dye, Cordero
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
- It’s more likely that Michael Young will give in and move to third base than be traded. Heyman runs through six (long shot) "potential contenders." Most were addressed here, but Heyman adds the Yankees.
- Yankees people believe there is less than a 50% chance of the team re-signing Andy Pettitte. He could instead retire or sign with the Dodgers or Astros.
- Heyman suggests Bobby Abreu or Garret Anderson for the Reds, noting that Abreu is probably too expensive.
- The White Sox want "top pitching prospects" for Jermaine Dye, not necessarily big league-ready ones.
- The Dodgers were among 12 teams who watched Chad Cordero throw on Friday. The Mets, Twins, Brewers, Rangers, Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Nationals are among the other known attendees.
Red Sox Still Eyeing Miguel Montero
9:10am: WEEI’s Alex Speier talked to a source who said little has changed in the Montero trade talks. Speier says the D’Backs hope to receive a starter for Montero, meaning Daniel Bard might not cut it. The D’Backs aren’t in any rush to trade Montero.
TUESDAY, 8:40am: Massarotti says the D’Backs and Red Sox "clearly feel there is a fit." They’re still trying to determine which young Boston player is comparable to Montero. Massarotti reiterates that the Red Sox maintain interest in Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as well.
MONDAY, 2:44pm: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic weighs in:
We’re hearing the Diamondbacks aren’t getting the impression that the Red Sox are zeroing in on Montero. The clubs are still talking — or maybe we should say they are again talking — and the Sox have tweaked their offer, but it apparently is not to the point where it satisfies the Diamondbacks.
8:59am: According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have been "intensifying talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks concerning 25-year-old catcher Miguel Montero." Silverman says the D’Backs have not been requesting Clay Buchholz, and the teams may be able to find a match. Last week Peter Gammons said the Red Sox would not give up Michael Bowden for Montero. Alex Speier wrote on December 9th that the Red Sox rejected that offer.
Silverman adds that the Red Sox are expected to continue to sign new players this week. They’ve already added John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Mark Kotsay, Rocco Baldelli, and Takashi Saito on one-year deals. Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire weighs in on Boston’s bargains at MLB.com.