Braves Offer Arb To Soriano, Gonzalez, Not LaRoche, Anderson
The Braves' arbitration decisions are in, thanks to a tweet from David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constituation. They've offered arbitration to Type A relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez, but not to Type B first baseman Adam LaRoche or Type B outfielder Garret Anderson.
We predicted these correctly, but the LaRoche decision still gives pause. He hit a solid .278/.357/.487 on the season, but the Braves apparently did not want to be locked into a salary north of $7MM for 2010.
The price of Soriano and Gonzalez goes up for other teams; each will now cost a draft pick to sign.
Rockies Leaning Toward Keeping Spilborghs
The Rockies "plan to keep [outfielder Ryan] Spilborghs unless they receive a substantial offer," according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Despite Spilborghs' first-time arbitration-eligibility and Scott Boras representation, and admirers in the Braves and White Sox, the Rockies do not expect to trade him.
Spilborghs, 30, makes for a solid fourth outfielder. He slipped to .241/.310/.395 this year, dragged down by slumps in July and September. He played all three outfield positions, with the most time spent in left field.
With Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, and Seth Smith highly likely to stay put, the Rockies will probably have to trade one of Matt Murton, Brad Hawpe, or Spilborghs. Non-tendering Murton is another possibility.
Eight Teams Interested In Takashi Saito
The White Sox, Cubs, Braves, and Mets make up half of the eight teams interested in signing right-hander Takashi Saito, according to Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker.
Saito posted a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 IP for the Red Sox last year, in what was maybe his least effective MLB campaign. In 245.1 innings over four seasons in Los Angeles and Boston, Saito's ERA is a minuscule 2.01. Although he turns 40 before Opening Day 2010, Saito's track record should earn him an eighth-inning job, and perhaps even a chance to close.
The last rumor we heard on Saito was that the Red Sox weren't picking up the reliever's $6MM 2010 option, but were still open to bringing him back to Boston. So we can probably add the Sox to the list of teams interested in the veteran righty. Any speculation on who the others might be? Tigers? Phillies? Astros?
Cafardo On Lowe, Red Sox, Millwood
As usual, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe brings us a Sunday morning column with some info from around the league. Let's check out a few highlights….
- Derek Lowe likes pitching for the Braves and would prefer to stay in Atlanta, but acknowledges that he doesn't have much control over the situation. "I understand this is a business and I know the Braves have some things they’d like to do," Lowe told Cafardo. "I hope I can be here because I really enjoy it."
- Cafardo doesn't think that Roy Halladay will be a Red Sox next season. He can't see a trade happening "unless some sense of realism overtakes the Blue Jays" and they lower the asking price for their ace.
- Boston's "ideal scenario" according to Cafardo is signing John Lackey and then dangling Clay Buchholz to acquire a bat. Ideal, maybe, but probably not likely.
- Although the Marco Scutaro-to-Boston rumors have gained momentum since Toronto signed Alex Gonzalez, the Red Sox could still explore other options, such as dealing for Stephen Drew or signing Adam Everett.
- Given Carl Crawford's strong leadership role in the Rays' clubhouse, Cafardo speculates that the team could eventually bite the bullet and pony up the money to extend Crawford's contract.
- The Brewers have inquired about Kevin Millwood, but the Rangers haven't actively tried to move the righty.
- The Giants, Rangers, and Orioles are among the teams who have Miguel Tejada on their radar.
Davidoff On Lowe, Johnson, Torrealba
In a blog post, Newsday's Ken Davidoff announces that he'll be voting for Mark McGwire on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, and recaps some other items of note:
- The Atlanta Braves plan to shop Derek Lowe more aggressively after John Lackey signs somewhere. They're hoping that at that point Lowe looks more appealing than the remaining "risky commodities" on the free agent market.
- Nick Johnson is searching for a two-year deal.
- Yorvit Torrealba's suitors include the Blue Jays, Rockies, and Giants. The Rays, Marlins, and Royals could also be in the mix, though they're less likely landing spots for the catcher.
- Davidoff also warns to take talk of Bud Selig's impending retirement with a grain of salt, since there's nothing to stop Selig from changing his mind by 2012.
Braves Notes: Soriano, Gonzalez, Wagner
Mark Bowman of MLB.com discussed some of Atlanta's options in the free agent market, and here are a few of the more notable pieces of news….
- Relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez "will likely leave Atlanta" for greener free agent pastures, and thus the Braves are looking for new options at the back of their bullpen. Bowman says the Braves have talked to free agent closer Billy Wagner's representatives and "won't necessarily be scared" by Wagner's Type A status since Soriano and Gonzalez are also both Type A's. If those two were to sign elsewhere, the compensation that Atlanta would receive would more than make up for the picks they would lose for signing Wagner. The Braves and Wagner's most recent club, the Red Sox, may end up virtually trading relievers since Soriano and Gonzalez are two names on Boston's lengthy list of possible free agent targets.
- Bowman lists former Brave Octavio Dotel as a potential set-up option, and Fernando Rodney as a signing who could serve as either a set-up man or a closer.
- There isn't anything to rumors that Atlanta will try to trade with Detroit for Miguel Cabrera, or sign free agent Jermaine Dye. Cabrera's big contract is too rich for the Braves' blood, and as for Dye, there is no DH spot in the National League to stash a right fielder who posted a -20 UZR and -24.5 UZR/150 last season.
- Signing Marlon Byrd would make Jordan Schaefer expendable, Bowman reports. Byrd wouldn't necessarily solve Atlanta's need for a right-handed outfield bat, however, given that Byrd's career splits against right-handed and left-handed pitching are pretty even — a .769 lifetime OPS against southpaws and a .759 OPS against righties. Byrd actually hit significantly better against righties (.835 OPS) last season than he did against lefties (.744 OPS).
- The Braves are prepared to see what other offers Adam LaRoche receives before they decide if they want to bring him back next season.
Braves Sign Juan Abreu
The Braves signed minor league free agent Juan Abreu to a big league contract, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The righty reliever, 25 in April, was previously in the Royals organization. This year he tossed 41.6 innings between High A and Double A, posting 53 strikeouts and 36 walks. Given Abreu's huge strikeout rates and fastball, you have to wonder how the Royals let him go.
Heading into the 2009 season, Baseball America ranked Abreu as the Royals' #25 prospect. Their take: "Abreu has shown a great arm, iffy command and rotten luck during his time with the Royals." The luck note refers to Abreu twisting his ankle in August of last year by stepping on a baseball and missing the rest of that season.
Olney On Cabrera, Yankees, Cust, Rays
In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney writes about the potential market for Miguel Cabrera, who is now apparently available in a trade. He notes the enormous financial commitment attached to Cabrera's All-World bat, and discusses the Red Sox, Angels, Mets, White Sox, Giants, Mariners, and Braves as potential landing spots.
Here's the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Olney tweets that the Astros' payroll will be cut from $107MM to the low $90MMs.
- Olney says the Yankees will look to add two relievers in all likelihood, though it's unclear if they're willing to give up a first round pick for one of the Type-A bullpen arms. For what it's worth, GM Brian Cashman said the bullpen wasn't an area of "obvious need" yesterday.
- Jack Cust could be in line for a $4.5MM payday through arbitration, which just might get him non-tendered. Given all the DH-types on the market, that might not be a good thing for Cust. We learned yesterday that the Mets might be among the suitors for him.
- Regarding a potential Milton Bradley to Tampa trade, Olney says the Rays "absolutely will not do it unless it's on their terms, which is that the Cubs might absorb enough money in the swap of Bradley and (Pat) Burrell to make it worthwhile for the Rays."
- Olney also reiterates that it's extremely unlikely the Padres will move Adrian Gonzalez given his favorable contract.
Teams Calling About Nelson Cruz
Several teams are calling the Rangers about Nelson Cruz, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, but the Rangers aren't inclined to move him, citing his low salary and high production.
Cruz posted a .260/.332/.524 line in 2009, but made just over $418K while earning his first All Star selection. According to the report, "Cruz could intrigue clubs such as the Braves, Cardinals and Giants if their other efforts to add an outfield bat fall short."
Brewers Sign John Halama
Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that the Brewers have signed John Halama to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major league camp.
Halama, 37, also drew interest from the Toronto Blue Jays. His career numbers are 56-48 with a 4.65 ERA. In 2009, he pitched to a 4.48 ERA in 90 1/3 innings with Gwinnett, Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate.
Milwaukee is a good landing spot for Halama. The Brewers are eager to revamp a pitching staff that recorded a 4.84 team ERA in 2009, 15th in the National League.