Heyman’s Latest: Pedro, Alou, Pudge
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
- Some baseball people believe Omar Minaya will bring Pedro Martinez back to New York once Oliver Perez signs. Minaya loves Pedro and Pedro may prefer to return to the Mets
- The Phillies have about $3MM left to spend; Heyman wonders whether Moises Alou would sign for that kind of money.
- The Phillies have also considered Rich Aurilia and Nomar Garciaparra, but Aurilia may simply return to the Giants if they have room for him.
- Heyman says Ivan Rodriguez makes the most sense for the Marlins, but adds that they have little money to spend.
- Jeff Moorad’s attempt to buy the Padres will almost certainly go through.
- Heyman makes one clarification about Milton Bradley‘s deal after viewing the contract. It’s a two year $20MM deal with an option for a third year that kicks in if Bradley spends fewer than 75 days on the DL this year.
D’Backs Closing In On Deal With Garland?
11:20pm: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert has a source saying the D’Backs and Garland are closing in on a deal.
4:56pm: According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks have resumed contract discussions with free agent starter Jon Garland. Piecoro says Garland initially turned down an Arizona offer in the two-year, $13-14MM range. It’s unclear which side restarted talks, but maybe that offer is starting to look better to Garland.
Benson Works Out In Front Of Nine Teams
Free agent right-hander Kris Benson worked out Saturday for nine teams and demonstrated that he should be ready to compete for a job in Spring Training, MLB.com reports.
Agent Gregg Clifton said the throwing session “went well, and he showed teams that he’s ahead of schedule in getting ready for the ’09 season.”
The article only lists the Rockies as being there, though it does note that nine teams were in attendance. This post lists the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Indians and Cardinals as teams that planned to attend.
Benson, 34, missed the 2007 season because of surgery on his right shoulder. He spent last season in the minors with the Phillies. He is 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA in 195 career starts.
Padres, Nats Interested In Ohman
According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick the Nationals and Padres are among the teams interested in Will Ohman. Both teams are "bottom fishing," and are considered secondary options for the lefty reliever.
Ohman hoped for a deal similar to the ones signed by Jeremy Affeldt ($8MM, two years) and Damaso Marte ($12MM, three years). He’s generated lots of interest and has a new contract offer from an unnamed team.
Crasnick mentions the Dodgers and Mets as potential suitors for Ohman, and the D’Backs, Orioles, Rangers, Indians, Rays and Braves have all reportedly had interest in him.
D’Backs Focused On Jon Garland
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks "seem to be focusing now on free agent hurler Jon Garland." Heyman says the D’Backs originally had their eye on Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, but now believe they might be able to afford a younger pitcher. The D’Backs struck out on Randy Johnson, Brad Penny, and Randy Wolf already.
Surprising to see no mention of Braden Looper, who was reportedly the next target.
Diamondbacks, Rangers Interested In Jennings
According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Diamondbacks have interest in free agent right-hander Jason Jennings.
The D-Backs have an offer out to Braden Looper, but if that falls through Jennings could be next on the list. Jennings last pitched effectively in 2006, when he finished 9-13 with a 3.78 ERA. He lasted just 27 1/3 innings last season. Renck claims the Rangers have also expressed serious interest.
Rosenthal On Sheets, Cruz, Cabrera, Reyes
The latest from Ken Rosenthal…
- Rosenthal recommends the Yankees sign Ben Sheets and Juan Cruz, partially because they’d pay less of a cost in draft picks than any other team. One exec predicted Sheets would require a $6-8MM base with the potential to earn at least $14MM, and possibly a "lucrative club option." Despite Rosenthal’s recommendation, the Yanks remain focused on Andy Pettitte (who is not weighing an offer from the Astros).
- Industry sources tell Rosenthal that the Red Sox have kept their payroll flexible in case mid and low-revenue teams need to dump contracts.
- The A’s probably cannot afford both Nick Johnson and Orlando Cabrera, so they’ll wait to see what happens with Cabrera before pursuing the trade with Washington.
- Prince Fielder filed for $8MM against the Brewers’ $6MM; Rosenthal indicates the team feared he’d file higher.
- One chatter mentioned yesterday that Cory Sullivan and Jeremy Reed are the exact same player; one GM said the same to Rosenthal.
- Dennys Reyes has backed off his demand for Jeremy Affeldt money (two years, $8MM). Affeldt seemed like a bargain at the time.
- Expected to be in attendance at Kris Benson‘s upcoming throwing session: the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, Rockies, and D’Backs. Looks like an NL West affair.
Diamondbacks Continue to Strike Out
As Nick Piecoro reports, Randy Wolf is the latest free agent starting pitcher to decline an offer from the D’backs this off-season. Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, and Jon Garland are some of the others who have already indicated their desire to pursue other options.
Not much is known about the offer made to Penny, but Johnson was apparently offered a one-year deal in the $2-3MM range, and Garland is rumored to have been offered both a one-year deal that included two option years and a guaranteed two-year deal worth at least $13 million.
Piecoro notes that the rapidity with which Arizona appears to be cycling through its options could turn out to be an effective strategy for getting the right player at the right price. Pedro Martinez, perhaps? Of course, this is all assuming that they can get someone to actually say yes.
D’Backs Avoid Arb With Chad Qualls
According to Nick Piecoro, the D’Backs avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Qualls by signing him at $2.535MM for ’09. The Conor Jackson case remains unresolved.
Wolf Rejects D’Backs Offer
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, free agent lefty Randy Wolf rejected an offer from the Diamondbacks. Jon Garland did the same last week; Garland’s offer apparently had two option years. Piecoro says the D’Backs have about $4-5MM left to spend this winter. Braden Looper is said to be next on the list.
Piecoro adds that the D’Backs have two arbitration-eligible players, Chad Qualls and Conor Jackson. They’re closer to an agreement with Qualls than Jackson.