Nationals Interested In Randy Winn?
4:12pm: Winn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link) that he hasn't heard anything about the Nationals' interest.
3:13pm: Randy Winn has a new suitor, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter). The Nationals are interested in the 35-year-old outfielder. Winn hit .262/.318/.353 last year, but has appeal because of his glove (He added more defensive value than all but three outfielders in 2009, despite his age).
The Nationals have Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes in the outfield, so adding Winn would probably mean dealing Willingham or reducing Dukes' role. Winn wants to get at bats, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, so it doesn't sound like he'll take a bench role unless he has to.
The Royals were connected to Winn, but their interest has presumably waned, now that they're on the cusp of adding Scott Podsednik. Winn could make sense for the Padres, and we've heard him connected to the D'Backs for a while now.
Jose Valverde Has Four Offers
FRIDAY, 8:12am: MLB.com's Jason Beck hears (via Twitter) from another source who agrees: Valverde has four offers and the Tigers are interested.
THURSDAY, 3:17pm: The market for Jose Valverde finally appears to be picking up. It's been relatively quiet for a few months, but the reliever now has four offers, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (via Twitter). All of the offers are for closing jobs and two of them are multi-year proposals. Brown says the Tigers and D'Backs "are in," so they've presumably made two of the offers.
The incumbent closers for the Blue Jays, Marlins, A's and Pirates don't have much seniority, but it's hard to imagine these teams spending big on Valverde.
Brandon Webb Discusses Free Agency
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has an excellent article on Diamondbacks starter Brandon Webb, who appears primed for a big contract year after missing nearly the entire 2009 season due to shoulder issues. It's easy to forget how dominant Webb was prior to '09; his agent Jonathan Maurer considers the pitcher a "quiet superstar."
Webb is up for free agency after the season, and like most players, he's looking for the best contract possible:
"Obviously you want to see what's out there and do the best deal you can for yourself and your family. That's probably No. 1. We've had a great time in Arizona, and if everything works out and we stay here, that would be good. But to get back close to home [in Kentucky] would be just as good. I'm definitely keeping it open. I'm not going to hold myself down to just Arizona."
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes would only admit that it'd be "challenging" to sign Webb long-term. Though next year's free agent starting pitching class looks strong, a return to form could have him searching for a deal north of $80MM. Webb will turn 32 in May of 2011.
If Webb focuses on playing close to home, we can probably rule out the West Coast teams. Cincinnati would be closest, followed by Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.
Odds & Ends: Cantu, Lowry, Nationals, Braves
Some links for Wednesday night…
- The Marlins have no interest in trading Jorge Cantu to save money, even if they don't trade Dan Uggla before the season, tweets Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. Yesterday we heard the team may "start taking calls" about Cantu if they can't unload Uggla.
- Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that the Dodgers are among the 14 teams that have asked for Noah Lowry's medical records according to his agent Damon Lara. We first heard of their interest in the lefty way back in early December.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said he is still looking for starting pitching and to improve his team's defense, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman says that Braves' team president John Schuerholz indicated the team's payroll "won't be diminished at all." Bowman's rough estimate has the team's 2010 payroll at about $87MM after they spent roughly $95MM in 2009.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports (via Twitter) that the Brewers have outrighted pitcher Omar Aguilar to Triple-A, however assistant GM Gord Ash said the team has no move in the works to the fill the vacated 40-man roster spot according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel (again, via Twitter).
- In response to a fan on Twitter, C.J. Wilson tweets that the Rangers have never offered him a long-term deal.
- Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News says there's a chance Juan Uribe could be the Giants' starting third baseman, shifting Mark DeRosa to the outfield. He adds that the team plans to make more moves, however their lack of pitching depth will make it tough to swing a trade.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com examines how the recent moves by the Red Sox impact their payroll with regard to the luxury tax.
- The Diamondbacks have released minor league righthander Tony Barnette so he can pursue opportunities in Japan, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter).
GM Trade Histories: NL West
Today Brendan Bianowicz updates the GM Trade History series for the NL West. You can download the info-packed Excel spreadsheets below.
Odds & Ends: Bay, Byrd, Liriano, Duchscherer
Some links on the last day of a year we'll remember for Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols and the World Series Champion New York Yankees…
- Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother Brandon Laird, a prospect in the Yankees farm system, were arrested following a brawl at the Celtics-Suns NBA game in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the Associated Press. Gerald lives in Arizona during the offseason while Brandon played in the Arizona Fall League this past year.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via his newly minted Twitter account) that Chan Ho Park's name has come up in the Giants' front office.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com hears that Jason Bay was indeed interested in joining the Mets. The two sides didn't go longer than a day without talking once negotiations got started. An interesting note: Speier hears that the Mets never offered Bay a guaranteed five-year deal.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs considers Marlon Byrd an average player, but likes the Cubs' decision to sign him.
- Cameron tweets that the Mariners are "kicking the tires" on Francisco Liriano.
- Mike Lowell's thumb surgery was a success, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Lowell appears to be available, but health concerns may prevent the Red Sox from dealing the third baseman and some of his $12MM salary (the D'Backs face a similar challenge with Chris Snyder).
- Just because Lowell's still in Boston doesn't mean the Red Sox won't consider other third basemen. Adrian Beltre is one option and R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs doesn't think $10-15MM is an unfair asking price for the Scott Boras client.
- Justin Duchscherer tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he returned to the A's because he's comfortable in Oakland and appreciates the club's support through his struggles with depression. Slusser also has details on the incentives in the righty's contract.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues wants the Yankees to stay away from free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates' failure to sign Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano was one of the club's low points this year. As Kovacevic says, "not every signing can be an absolute steal."
D’Backs Rumors: Valverde, Byrnes, Snyder
A D'Backs official tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the team's payroll now sits at about $75MM. Piecoro gets the sense that the D'Backs have the flexibility to spend a little more, but not much. That means Jose Valverde could return to the D'Backs if his asking price drops (let's not rule that out; the market for Valverde isn't great right now).
The Market For Jose Valverde
Jose Valverde and Juan Cruz have a lot in common. The two relievers were born within months of each other in the same country; they both pile up big strikeout totals; they even anchored Arizona's bullpen together for a couple seasons. Now Valverde's Type A status is limiting interest from potential suitors, just as Cruz's did a year ago.
Valverde has struck out over a batter per inning every year of his major league career, so he'd be a difference maker in any bullpen. The only season in which he has allowed more hits than innings pitched came in 2006 when he surrendered 50 hits in 49.1 innings. His fastball has been extremely effective and consistently hits the upper nineties.
The 31-year-old right-hander is one of the top free agents available, but he hasn't generated much buzz this offseason, partly because he'll cost teams a high draft pick. He could return to the D'Backs, who are keeping an eye on him, and it's too early in the winter to rule out a surprise bidder, but so far the market doesn't appear to have developed.
The Marlins, Pirates and Tigers could use closers, but as ESPN.com's Buster Olney recently pointed out, those three teams seem unlikely to spend big on Valverde or any other reliever. Plus, Valverde would cost the Tigers and Marlins their first round picks and the Pirates would have to give up a second rounder to sign him. The Nationals and Orioles were connected to Valverde earlier in the month, but they've moved on and signed Matt Capps and Mike Gonzalez, respectively.
The market for Valverde doesn't look good now, but there's some hope for him: Cruz did sign a multi-year deal in the end.
Diamondbacks Sign Kelly Johnson
The Diamondbacks signed second baseman Kelly Johnson to a one-year, $2.35MM deal today. They'll also retain his rights for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. The impending agreement was first reported yesterday by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. This morning SI's Jon Heyman tweeted that an agreement had been reached, and Piecoro later added the contract value. Piecoro also wrote yesterday that signing Johnson could make Augie Ojeda expendable.
Johnson, 28 in February, lost the Braves' starting second baseman job to Martin Prado in July and hit .224/.303/.389 overall. He spent time on the DL for right wrist tendinitis. MLBTR learned earlier this month that the Pirates, Cardinals, and Astros also had interest in Johnson, who was non-tendered by the Braves on December 12th.
Diamondbacks Notes: Johnson, Snyder, Bailey
Some Diamondbacks tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Steve Gilbert…
- The Diamondbacks have about $3MM left to spend and are expecting to hear back from Kelly Johnson in the next couple of days regarding their offer, according to Gilbert's MLB.com blog.
- The acquisition of Johnson could shift Tony Abreu into an infield utility role, making infielder Augie Ojeda expendable.
- While inking Johnson would put Arizona at their budget, trading Chris Snyder and the $4.75MM he is owed next season would give the D-Backs some more wiggle room. You may recall that they nearly dealt Snyder to the Blue Jays for Lyle Overbay, before Toronto's concern over his surgically-repaired back triggered them to call off the swap.
- Gilbert also reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Jeff Bailey to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. The 31-year-old hit .262/.362/.424 with 10 HRs in 63 games for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2009.