Braves Rumors

Sitting Out Free Agency

By Tim Dierkes | December 19, 2011 at 1:49pm CDT

Four teams have yet to sign a free agent to a Major League deal, according to our free agent tracker: the Braves, Astros, Athletics, and Blue Jays. A closer look:

Braves: So far, the Braves' offseason has consisted of exercising a $1.5MM option on Eric Hinske, ridding themselves of $5MM of Derek Lowe's contract, taking Robert Fish in the Rule 5 draft, and signing players to minor league deals. The Braves have the starting pitching depth for another trade, perhaps involving Jair Jurrjens. Martin Prado has also been mentioned in many rumors. The Braves are looking to add a traditional backup shortstop on a one-year deal, and Ronny Cedeno is a candidate. The Braves don't seem to have any huge needs, so perhaps their inactivity is justified.
Astros: As you might expect, the rebuilding Astros focused on finding a new GM rather than signing Major League free agents. Prior to the hiring of Jeff Luhnow, the team added Brian Bixler and Craig Tatum on waiver claims, took Rhiner Cruz in the Rule 5 draft, and signed a slew of minor league free agents. Luhnow made a splash right out of the gate, acquiring Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland in a trade with the Red Sox for Mark Melancon. I imagine he'll continue to shop Wandy Rodriguez.
Athletics: This offseason the A's picked up some cash for reliever Trystan Magnuson, but more notably traded Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for prospects. The A's are tearing down the team as they hope for approval to move to San Jose, and Andrew Bailey and Gio Gonzalez could be next to go.
Blue Jays: The Jays have been active in routes other than free agency. They picked up Edwin Encarnacion's $3.5MM option, made several waiver claims and traded for Magnuson, Sergio Santos, Luis Valbuena, Jeff Mathis, and Ben Francisco. They were a finalist for Mat Latos, and we'll know soon whether they'll spend the next 30 days negotiating with Yu Darvish. Additionally, second baseman Kelly Johnson accepted arbitration and is under team control for next year.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Rays, Cubs, Wandy, Zumaya

By Luke Adams 2 | December 18, 2011 at 10:06am CDT

In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to be wary of an American League where the competition continues to get stiffer. With the Albert Pujols-led Angels and the improving Blue Jays aiming to contend for the postseason, the Red Sox may need to continue making moves to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight year, says Cafardo. Here are some highlights from his piece:

Other GMs say Ben Cherington has been active in discussing potential moves. The Red Sox have looked into a number of pitchers on the trade market, including Gio Gonzalez, Jair Jurrjens, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks. According to Cafardo, the Sox probably don't have the caliber of prospects the Athletics want for Gonzalez.
An AL executive on how the Rays might fill their roster holes: "They could just continue to bottom-feed and keep all of their pitching. There's that January market that they've done very well with, and as long as they keep making the right decisions, their pitching is so good it will keep them in that playoff hunt every year."
Cafardo is skeptical that the Cubs are legit contenders for Prince Fielder, saying right now the team's mindset is "let’s not spend until we’re ready to spend and right now we're not ready to spend." It makes sense then that Cafardo also hears Chicago's bid for Yu Darvish was low, as detailed in MLBTR's Darvish rumors.
The Astros seem willing to take on some salary in a Wandy Rodriguez trade. We heard during the Winter Meetings that Houston didn't want to eat any of Wandy's contract to move him, so perhaps the club modified that stance after Jeff Luhnow took over as GM.
One NL scout who watched Joel Zumaya pitch this week said the righty "didn't have much of a breaking ball but threw 93-96 on his fastball. Somebody will bite on him."

NL East Links: Oswalt, Davis, Cedeno, Cuddyer

By Mark Polishuk | December 16, 2011 at 5:41pm CDT

Here's the latest from the National League East…

The Nationals "have had little contact with" Roy Oswalt, a source tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson. We heard last week that Oswalt was the Nats' "plan B" once Mark Buehrle signed with Miami. The Nats didn't bid on Yu Darvish and won't meet Oakland's price for Gio Gonzalez, so the club may stick with its current rotation.
Ladson believes the Nationals will look for bench help before re-entering the pitching market. To that end, Ladson reports the team is maintaining interest in Mike Cameron, Mark DeRosa and Greg Dobbs. (Both links go to Ladson's Twitter account.)
The Marlins are interested in Rays right-hander Wade Davis, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. With Matt Moore, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson as untouchables and the Rays seemingly determined to keep James Shields, Davis and Jeff Niemann are the most likely Rays pitchers to be moved, if the club does indeed try to deal from its pitching surplus. The inter-Florida rivals have already completed one (lower-profile) trade this offseason, involving righty Burke Badenhop.
The Mets have talked to Ronny Cedeno and Jack Wilson, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Wilson has been linked to the Mets for a few weeks, but Cedeno is a new name in the mix for the Amazins. The Red Sox and Braves have also had interest in Cedeno this offseason.
Also from Heyman, the Phillies made Michael Cuddyer an early contract offer worth more than $25MM. The club lost interest in Cuddyer, however, after signing Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix. Cuddyer agreed to a three-year, $31.5MM deal today with the Rockies.
Dontrelle Willis sounded confident that he will play alongside his longtime friend Jimmy Rollins with the Phillies next season, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Jose Reyes has yet to speak to Hanley Ramirez since signing with the Marlins, according to The Associated Press. "As soon as I have the opportunity, I'm going to talk to him, because we are very good friends," Reyes said. "We're both here for one reason — to win the World Series. It doesn't matter where I'm going to play or where he's going to play."
The Braves will rely on several players aged 24 and under next season, but Fangraphs' Jason Roberts thinks the health of veterans like Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson are bigger concerns for the club.

Reds Eyeing Gonzalez, Latos, Jurrjens

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2011 at 4:14pm CDT

Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos and Jair Jurrjens are among the pitchers on the Reds’ wish list, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Latos may be available in the right deal, Gonzalez could be had, but Oakland's asking price is high and Jurrjens also appears to be available. GM Walt Jocketty recently told Rosenthal that he’s looking aggressively at ways of improving his team’s pitching staff, despite the high asking prices sellers are setting for available arms.

Matt Garza, who could earn a salary approaching $9MM through arbitration, is too expensive for Jocketty’s liking and John Danks is less appealing than some alternatives, as he’s under team control for just one season, Rosenthal writes. James Shields appears to be out of the reach for every team, including the Reds, and Jocketty is aiming to obtain a better pitcher than Wade Davis.

Heyman On Fielder, Moreland, Kuroda

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2011 at 1:07pm CDT

Agent Scott Boras hasn’t explicitly stated Prince Fielder’s asking price, but one GM with some interest in the free agent first baseman says he knows the target figure. "Isn't it obvious?," the GM asked Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, implying that Fielder will look to approach Albert Pujols’ $254MM deal. Here’s the latest on Fielder, plus other notes from Heyman:

Though Rangers people have suggested they're focused on pitching and trades, Heyman says the team talked about deals involving Mitch Moreland. Barring an addition at first base, the Rangers will be relying on Moreland in 2012.
The Blue Jays “are said to be thinking long and hard about Fielder.”
There’s “no way” Adam Jones is going to Atlanta for Jair Jurrjens, an Orioles person says. The Braves and Orioles discussed a deal involving Jurrjens and Martin Prado, according to FOX Sports. It should be noted that FOX didn’t say Jones was available in trade talks with the Braves.
The Yankees seem to like Hiroki Kuroda more than the other free agent pitchers, according to Heyman.

Braves Interested In Ronny Cedeno

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2011 at 9:19am CDT

The Braves are among the teams interested in free agent shortstop Ronny Cedeno, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Peter E. Greenberg & Associates client has been on Atlanta's backup shortstop and utility list all offseason, O'Brien reports.

The Pirates declined Cedeno's option earlier this offseason, after he posted a .249/.297/.339 line in 454 plate appearances. The 28-year-old posted a strong 6.8 UZR/150 at shortstop this past season, though his career mark of -1.6 UZR/150 is slightly below average. The Red Sox and Pirates were also linked to Cedeno earlier this offseason, but they've since added depth in Nick Punto and Clint Barmes, respectively.

Alex Gonzalez won't return to Atlanta; he agreed to terms with the Brewers last week. GM Frank Wren figures to add a shortstop on a one-year deal to provide Tyler Pastornicky with time to develop into an everyday player. Yuniesky Betancourt, Cesar Izturis, Ryan Theriot and Jack Wilson are among the available free agent shortstops.

NL East Links: Johan, Cameron, Conrad

By Mike Axisa | December 14, 2011 at 8:15pm CDT

Thirteen years ago today, the Cardinals acquired Edgar Renteria from the Marlins for Braden Looper, Pablo Ozuna, and Armando Almanza. Here's the latest from the NL East…

“We think he’s going to be ready, but he might not be," said Mets GM Sandy Alderson to Dan Martin of The New York Post when asked about the status of Johan Santana. "That’s where the [pitching] depth becomes important.”
We can add Mike Cameron to the list of Nationals' bench targets according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Yesterday we heard they have interest in Greg Dobbs.
By non-tendering Brooks Conrad rather than outright releasing him, the Braves will not have to wait until mid-May to re-sign the utility player according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Orioles, Braves Discussed Trade For Jurrjens, Prado

By Tim Dierkes | December 14, 2011 at 9:12am CDT

The Orioles and Braves have discussed a deal that included both righty Jair Jurrjens and infielder/outfielder Martin Prado, reported Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports yesterday. However, the FOX writers find it unlikely that the Braves would package both chips in one trade.

Jurrjens, 25, posted a 2.96 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.83 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 152 innings this year, missing time with oblique and knee injuries. His skills continue to suggest an ERA around 4.40, and he's only reached 190 innings once, but sub-3.00 ERAs in '09 and '11 may have allowed Jurrjens' reputation as a front-end starter to persist. The Orioles don't seem to be in a position to move significant young players for two years of Jurrjens, despite their current rotation uncertainty.

Quick Hits: Varitek, A’s, Braves, Cordero, Lee, Pujols

By Mike Axisa | December 13, 2011 at 11:42pm CDT

Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

The Red Sox have not yet made catcher and captain Jason Varitek a contract offer, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston added Kelly Shoppach to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday, a move that likely spelled the end of Varitek's time with the Sox.
There are clubs with interest in trading for both Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey and others with interest in both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Athletics and Braves are likely to deal their players separately to maximize the return. Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado.
Interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero has slowed down, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). His market could hinge on how clubs fill their other roster holes.
The Pirates still have interest in first baseman Derrek Lee even after trading for Casey McGehee, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Bringing Lee back at first base would allow them to use McGehee at the hot corner with Pedro Alvarez.
Heyman hears that the Angels put a deadline on their ten-year, $254MM offer to Albert Pujols (Twitter link). The deal did seem to come together very quickly Wednesday night into Thursday morning last week.
The Rockies do have some money to spend according to Heyman (on Twitter). In addition to Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer, they also have interest in Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, and various trade targets.
Morosi says (on Twitter) that Andruw Jones could also be an option for the Rockies if Beltran and Cuddyer sign elsewhere.
The Cardinals' interest in pitching upgrades is "understated," reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain on the trade block.
The Yokohama Bay Stars have released right-hander Hiroki Sanada so that he may pursue a deal in MLB according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. No teams bid on Sanada when he was posted last week.
The Astros and Rays are possibilities for Ivan Rodriguez, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Though the Mets have discussed Rodriguez, they’re leaning toward relying on Mike Nickeas as their backup to starter Josh Thole.
MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner says the Joint Drug Agreement should provide Ryan Braun with privacy and fair proceedings. “I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out," Weiner said in a statement.

NL East Links: Rollins, Conrad, Mets, Baxter

By Mike Axisa | December 13, 2011 at 8:21pm CDT

Eight years ago today, the Braves acquired J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero from the Cardinals in exchange for Ray King, Jason Marquis, and a pitching prospect named Adam Wainwright. Here's the latest from the NL East (all links go to Twitter) …

Dan Lozano, agent for Jimmy Rollins, told a source of ESPN's Jayson Stark that he is having dialogue with a team other than the Phillies. The Tigers are believed to have interest, however Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says they insist they won't pursue the shortstop. People with other teams believe they will though, according to Knobler.
The Braves non-tendered Brooks Conrad yesterday, and Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution heard that the team told him to check out the free agent market. They do have interest in bringing him back on a minor league deal, though.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that adding starting pitching will be tricky because they need to have the flexibility to move a new starter to the bullpen or even option him to the minors.
The Mets have interest in bringing Mike Baxter back according to Rubin, though it depends on what the market offers the outfielder. Baxter was non-tendered yesterday.
Alderson told Andy Martino of The New York Daily News that minority sales of the Mets could be complete next month. The GM answered more financial questions on FOX Business' "After The Bell," today. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo has a transcript.
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports (on Twitter) that Nick Green's minor league contract with the Marlins has been finalized. The infielder has not played in MLB since 2010, but he gets an invite to Spring Training.

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