Yankees Rumors: Sabathia, Marte, Mussina
11:09pm: Brian Cashman sums up the Yankees’ plan: "We’re going to show a lot of love."
12:15pm: It’s about time we check in with Yankees links.
- The Yankees will make their record-breaking pitch to C.C. Sabathia. If it fails, they’ll move on to A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Oliver Perez.
- Joel Sherman says the Yankees could get involved on Manny Ramirez, but only if they fail to sign Mark Teixeira and manage to trade Hideki Matsui.
- Sherman says the Yanks are in on the catching market just to be safe, engaging the Rangers about Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. They’ll also "keep tabs" on Ivan Rodriguez. If the Yanks find another club that values Robinson Cano highly and offers pitching, he could be traded and Orlando Hudson signed. None of this stuff seems likely.
- Peter Abraham believes the Yanks are working on an extension with Damaso Marte.
- Buster Olney says some of Mike Mussina‘s friends believe that the longer it takes for him to decide on 2009, the more likely it is he pitches.
- Peter Abraham believes Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy will be traded before next season, but Brian Cashman has not lost faith in Hughes.
Braves Rumors: Ludwick, Johnson, Escobar, Francoeur
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has all kinds of Braves info, found in the body and comments of his latest blog post.
- The Braves have expressed interest in Ryan Ludwick, and the Cardinals would be willing to take Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar in return. However, the Braves would probably have to include one of their middle infielders in a Jake Peavy deal and don’t want to trade both this winter.
- Braves GM Frank Wren publicly acknowledged the Peavy trade talks. O’Brien believes a package built around Escobar has a chance. Pitching prospect Tommy Hanson is not available. The Braves don’t have interest in Khalil Greene, by the way.
- The Braves aren’t looking to sign health risk-starters like Ben Sheets and Brad Penny.
- The Braves have an eye on the available White Sox veterans: Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher, and Javier Vazquez.
- The latest word on Atlanta’s offer to Junichi Tazawa: a $4-5MM signing bonus and a four-year contract, which wouldn’t be counted against ’09 payroll. Speaking of Tazawa – the Rangers are in on him too.
- The Braves are not shopping Jeff Francoeur. His name has not surfaced in trade talks.
Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Tazawa, Kawakami, Lugo
Collecting today’s Red Sox rumors and links…
- Nick Cafardo says the Red Sox did not meet with C.C. Sabathia‘s agent and he doesn’t appear to be in their plans.
- The Sox are eyeing southpaw reliever Billy Traber, according to WEEI’s Alex Speier.
- Scott Boras believes Derek Lowe would be a good fit in Boston or New York. Nick Cafardo says Lowe would like to return to Boston, maybe even at a slight discount.
- Jason Bay‘s agents say he’s loving Boston and is open to a contract extension.
- When asked about the possibility of Manny Ramirez signing with the Yankees, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein basically said it’s not his concern.
- Otherwise, the theme of Epstein’s comments was flexibility. Justin Masterson could be a starter or reliever, and Epstein won’t get hung up on acquiring any one player.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox are heavily involved on Junichi Tazawa, though the Braves and Mariners are after him as well. The Sox also like Kenshin Kawakami and may have interest in Paul Byrd and Javier Vazquez.
- Cafardo believes the Mets and White Sox have interest in Julio Lugo. It would have to be a bad contract swap. Cafardo adds that the Red Sox view Jacoby Ellsbury as their starting center fielder, and there has been trade interest in Coco Crisp.
- Boston’s luxury tax threshold for 2009 is $160.5MM.
- By tomorrow the Red Sox should receive the Jason Varitek book compiled by the Boras corporation. Boras gave a ridiculous Varitek pitch to the media; click the link for quotes. Epstein will meet with Boras today to discuss his clients.
- The Red Sox plan to talk to the Rangers, with Taylor Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Gerald Laird as possibilities. For Teagarden, the Red Sox would probably have to give up Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden.
Odds and Ends: Twins, Big Unit, Rockies
Links and tidbits for Wednesday. Remember to check back on this post for updates!
- Dave Cameron notes that the Elias rankings screwed over Damaso Marte by making him a Type A. See also: Doug Brocail, Bob Howry, Darren Oliver.
- Remember to check out the Previous Entries link at the bottom of the website, as stories get buried pretty quickly in times like these.
- Japanese outfielder Saburo Ohmura (link in Japanese) would be fine with a minor league deal.
- Roch Kubatko has info on what it might take to trade for Khalil Greene or Jack Wilson.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly confirmed the team’s interest in Junichi Tazawa. For what it’s worth, Coonelly wouldn’t rule out Derek Lowe when asked.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times offers his thoughts on the rumor mill.
- Official Elias rankings for the AL and NL.
- Ballplayers are in for a tax bump under the Obama administration. They’ll manage.
- The Twins are looking for righthanded pop.
- The D’Backs have just $3-5MM budgeted for Randy Johnson.
- The Hanshin Tigers are eyeing Nelson Cruz, Kevin Mench, and Jose Bautista. Only Mench is a free agent of the three.
- The Rockies are looking for a lefty reliever, according to Troy Renck and Keith Law. How about Jeremy Affeldt again?
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin doesn’t like his C.C. Sabathia offer being called window dressing.
Marlins Rumors: Max Ramirez, Pavano, Rhodes
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald has the latest on the Marlins.
- The Marlins have had informal talks with the Rangers regarding catcher Max Ramirez. The Fish are willing to trade lefty Scott Olsen, though the Rangers are wary of his makeup and home run tendencies. The Marlins are OK with their in-house options if they can’t work out a trade. The Marlins aren’t interested in Gerald Laird.
- The Marlins may consider bringing Carl Pavano back to Florida, the site of his last success.
- Luis Gonzalez, Mark Hendrickson, Paul Lo Duca, and Arthur Rhodes are the Marlins’ free agents. Of the four, Rhodes stands a chance of being re-signed. However, the Marlins have not spoken to Rhodes’ agent in weeks.
- Juan C. Rodriguez reports that despite reports, the Marlins are not in on Junichi Tazawa.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Tex, Furcal, Johnson, Lofton
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly. However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so. It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th. There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.
- Rosenthal’s worst case scenario for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia goes to a West Coast team while A.J. Burnett re-signs with Toronto. The Jays truly are in the mix for Burnett. ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett expects to receive multiple five-year offers.
- The Orioles plan to make serious offers to Teixeira and Burnett. Still, both are considered long shots for Baltimore. Another note: the Orioles were one of the teams the Yankees outbid for Sergio Mitre.
- The Dodgers are considered "a good bet" to re-sign Rafael Furcal. The Giants have their eye on him if he hits the open market.
- About ten teams have inquired on Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson. We had a Cardinals rumor yesterday.
- The Rangers figure to trade one or two of their catchers, with Gerald Laird a strong candidate to be traded. The Red Sox and Marlins are looking for catching, though the Rangers are wary of Florida’s Scott Olsen.
- Rosenthal wonders if Brandon Webb could leave the D’Backs after the 2010 season.
- Kenny Lofton wants to play in 2009.
Heyman’s Latest: Holliday, Bradley, Hudson
SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports from the GM meetings…
- Matt Holliday showed up at the GM meetings to talk to Scott Boras, sparking trade speculation by reporters.
- The Rangers failed to reach an agreement with Milton Bradley, and he’ll seek a four-year deal worth more than $10MM per. Good luck with that.
- Heyman says the Nationals are interested in Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday, which MLB.com’s Bill Ladson first reported yesterday. It does not seem that the Nats have the goods to acquire Holliday. Heyman adds A.J. Burnett as a possibility, though Ken Rosenthal said to scratch them from the running this morning. Adam Dunn is a more realistic name for the Nats.
- The Angels haven’t ruled out signing Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia, though it’d be tough to fit both in the payroll.
- The Yankees are eyeing Orlando Hudson, and could even ask him to play center field. Nick Piecoro figures this would require an absurd offer from the Yanks.
Rangers Want Pitcher For Catcher
The Rangers are seeking to deal one of their three catchers – Gerald Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Max Ramirez – for pitching, says Evan Grant of the Dallas News. Grant notes that they would still have Taylor Teagarden, who they’re also open to dealing if "the return is great enough."
Grant discusses potential matches in the Giants, Red Sox, Brewers, Reds, and Tigers:
"San Francisco has pitching depth, and the Rangers love the Giants’ arms, but San Francisco has a more pressing need for a corner infielder than a catcher because Bengie Molina is signed for 2009. Getting a pitcher such as Matt Cain might require the Rangers to discuss trading Chris Davis. Boston, Milwaukee and Cincinnati, however, may be the best fits for a catcher-for-pitcher deal. Detroit also needs a catcher, but the Tigers’ system is quite thin at pitcher."
MLBTR discussed this on Friday, including Hank Blalock in the discussion as well as the Rangers’ interest in Scott Olsen.
Rangers To Shop Catchers, Blalock
According to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, Rangers GM Jon Daniels will open up discussions to acquire starting pitching at next week’s GM meetings. Specifically, Daniels could deal from his catching surplus or trade Hank Blalock. The Rangers will first need to pick up Blalock’s $6.2MM option for 2009. One thing to keep in mind about Blalock is that his ability to play third base regularly is in question.
Sullivan names all kinds of potential targets and trading partners – the Mariners, Giants, Rays, Marlins, Reds, Red Sox, and many more. Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this morning that the Rangers (and Indians) inquired on Scott Olsen.
Bradley Gets Type B Status
It seems that teams have received the official Elias rankings, so we’ll have to see if they’re posted publicly today. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that Milton Bradley is officially a Type B free agent. Bradley was right around the Type A/B borderline.
This is good news for teams other than the Rangers that may wish to sign Bradley. As a Type B, he can be signed without his new team surrending a draft pick. The Rangers will still snag a supplemental pick if they offer him arbitration and he declines and signs elsewhere.