Odds & Ends: Uggla, Granderson, Lackey
Links for Thursday…
- MLBTR will be mentioned on ESPN2's SportsNation program today at 3pm CST, check it out!
- FanGraphs' Dave Cameron thinks the Marlins are shopping Dan Uggla a year late, and believes he'd be expensive enough in 2011 that the Marlins "are really only selling one year of value."
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says not to dismiss the Uggla-to-left field rumor, in relation to the Braves.
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald at the GM Meetings that "one club, I think, changed course a little bit, with more players being available." Silverman figures Epstein was referring to the Reds or Tigers.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post plays around with various Curtis Granderson-Yankees scenarios and effects. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Cubs must pursue Granderson. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs have yet to pursue him, but "conversations appear inevitable."
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin had a sit-down with John Lackey's agent Steve Hilliard this week, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sees a three-year deal worth $18-24MM for Marlon Byrd, though he notes the limited demand for center fielders.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman looks at American players who could wind up or remain in Japan in 2010.
- Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell had an excellent first meeting with the Twins Wednesday night, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. In another article, Christensen notes that Glen Perkins settled his service time grievance with the Twins.
Heyman On Figgins, Pineiro, Braves
SI's Jon Heyman reports from Chicago, where the GM Meetings are wrapping up…
- The Phillies are "intent on pursuing Chone Figgins hard," while the Mets are also fans of the Seth Levinson client. The Angels still hope to re-sign Figgins. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has more on the Mets' interest, explaining that moving Luis Castillo would make signing Figgins easier. Sherman thought another reasonable addition for the Mets might be Carlos Lee, but his idea was shot down by Ed Wade and a Mets official.
- Heyman senses mixed signals with the Mets and Matt Holliday – Omar Minaya loves the player, but the money required will be huge and the Mets might be better-served spreading it around.
- The Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, and Minaya met with his agent Arn Tellem.
- On Page 2 of the article, Heyman quotes a couple new Scott Boras gems.
- Braves GM Frank Wren admitted he'll field offers on his starting pitching excess. It appears inevitable that the Braves will trade one starter, Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- My Billy Wagner-Cubs idea should probably be put to bed, as Jim Hendry said he wouldn't spend a lot of money on a closer given Carlos Marmol's talent. Marmol himself is due a large arbitration raise.
Braves Discussing Extension for Vazquez
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that "Someone here at the meetings who would probably know, told me the Braves have at least discussed trying to sign [Javier] Vazquez to a contract extension."
Vazquez was quietly an elite pitcher for Atlanta in 2009, posting a 2.87 ERA in 219 1/3 innings, striking out 238 and walking just 44. He's signed to an $11.5MM deal for 2010, after which he will be a free agent.
There has been speculation that Atlanta will deal Vazquez, since with the return of Tim Hudson, they appear to have six starting pitchers for five spots. Meanwhile, a deal for the underachieving Derek Lowe, who was far worse than Vazquez and has $45MM left on his contract, would presumably yield far less than Vazquez.
Heyman’s Latest: Holliday, Lackey, Bay, Trades
Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…
- Scott Boras said on Sunday that the Cardinals have not made any proposals in an effort to retain Matt Holliday, and Heyman says "the chances for Holliday to remain a Cardinal look slim at this point."
- A source familiar with the situation said the Angels offered John Lackey an extension earlier this year worth less than $40MM over three years on top of 2009's $10MM salary, so if they wish to re-sign him now, they'll have to completely rethink their original stance.
- The Red Sox are trying to bring Jason Bay back on a four year, $60MM deal, though his agent maintains that Bay is the "most complete player on the market."
- The Mets, Giants, Braves, Cubs, Mariners, and Yankees could also be interested in Holliday and/or Bay.
- The Mets are believed to have Holliday higher on their wish list than Bay, and are also expected to pursue Randy Wolf.
- There is speculation that Lackey would like to pitch at home in Texas, but the Rangers' interest might depend on how quickly their sale is resolved.
- Heyman says that "MLB has set a tentative Thanksgiving deadline for the sale of the Rangers, but the price tag is expected to be in the $500 million range, and in cases of such big money there are no guarantees that things will go quickly."
- Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks, Dan Uggla, and Milton Bradley should highlight a star studded trade market.
- Halladay seems like a good bet to be moved, while the Red Sox and Dodgers represent possible suitors for Gonzalez.
- Tampa has a replacement for Crawford in top prospect Desmond Jennings, while Jenks and Uggla would be moved in cost cutting deals.
- Teams will certainly inquire on the availability of Felix Hernandez, but Heyman says the team plans to spend the winter trying to lock him up long-term. At the GM Meetings today, GM Jack Zduriencik said "Felix is our property. We're going to have him the next two years."
- The Yankees have started to think about re-signing both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- Both the Brewers and Mariners are expected to have interest in Jarrod Washburn.
- If the Angels don't re-sign Chone Figgins, they are expected to pursue Adrian Beltre to fill their third base hole.
- The Rangers will let Hank Blalock walk as a free agent, and are expected to promote top prospect Justin Smoak next year.
- Orlando Hudson is expected to leave the Dodgers as a free agent, though Heyman says they could re-sign Ronnie Belliard to compete with Blake DeWitt at second base.
- Team officials would not be shocked if the Red Sox tried to move David Ortiz and/or Mike Lowell, though it's going to be tough to move them with all the DH-types available on the free agent market.
Braves Sign Scott Proctor
FRIDAY: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has details on Proctor's deal.
WEDNESDAY: The Braves signed reliever Scott Proctor to a split contract, according to Mike Graham of TCPalm.com (hat tip to Talking Chop). Proctor's agent Mark Rodgers said the Braves were "very aggressive in their pursuit of Scott." The contract contains performance incentives. Jeff Euston of Cot's Baseball Contracts informed me that Proctor would "have to spend all but about 21 days on the 25-man to qualify as a free agent after 2010." He'll probably need all of April in the minors, meaning the Braves could retain Proctor for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player if he has a successful '09 campaign.
Proctor, 33 in January, was released by the Marlins a month ago. He had Tommy John surgery in May. Proctor is a low-risk signing; the Braves may need to accumulate relievers in the event Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez both depart via free agency.
Odds & Ends: Holliday, Putz, Lopez, Teahen, Reds
It's been a busy first day on the hot stove, so here's another batch of links…
- Derrick Goold of The St. Lous Post Dispatch says there are eight teams "that have the need and the financial wherewithal" to sign Matt Holliday. It's the usual suspects (i.e. big market clubs), and Goold explains why each may be interested in Holliday.
- Craig Landis, agent for J.J. Putz, said that his client "hasn't ruled out returning to the Mets with a cheaper, incentive-laden deal," according to Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post. Earlier today we learned that the Mets informed Putz that they wouldn't be picking up his 2010 option.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy says the Brewers are waiting to see whether Felipe Lopez qualifies as a Type-A or B free agent, and that will likely play a role in their decision whether or not to offer him arbitration. Eddie Bajek's work projects Lopez to be a Type-B, but he's right on the cutoff.
- ESPN's Keith Law loves the Mark Teahen trade for the Royals, noting that they traded one average player close to free agency for two average players with several years of team control left.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Reds' relievers Nick Masset and Jared Burton are arbitration eligible as Super Two's, but Micah Owings is not.
- Meanwhile, the Reds are expected to decline Ramon Hernandez's $8.5MM option for 2010, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution has some quotes from Tim Hudson about his contract extension.
- Did you catch Mariano Rivera saying that he wants to play another five years during the Yankees' World Series celebration last night? It turns out he wasn't kidding. Chad Jennings of The Journal News quotes the Yanks' closer as saying “I’m serious. I hope the organization does whatever it takes to bring me back.”
Tim Hudson Extension Close
Multiple journalists said to expect the Braves' three-year extension for Tim Hudson to be finished last week, but that didn't happen. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why:
The delay on Hudson extension resulted from the team having to find a doctor the insurance company approved of to do the physical. But they got the doc and Huddy passed the physical, from what I’m told. If so, it shouldn’t be much longer before they sign this deal and it gets announced.
The Braves may also prefer to wait until after the World Series to announce the deal, though Freddy Sanchez's extension with the Giants was publicized mid-Series. MLB.com's Mark Bowman agrees with O'Brien's info.
Hudson's signing could lead the Braves to trade a starter for a hitter. O'Brien discussed the idea of trading Javier Vazquez in a blog post yesterday.
Atlanta’s Offseason Needs
If and when Tim Hudson signs an extension with the Braves, MLB.com's Mark Bowman says GM Frank Wren appears likely to shop Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez. Moving one of the two veterans would create the financial flexibility to allow the Braves to pursue a first baseman, a closer and, possibly, an outfielder.
It's a "strong possibility" that Adam LaRoche, Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano will all sign elsewhere as free agents. Bowman says the Braves may consider signing Billy Wagner or trading for Matt Capps if they don't retain Gonzalez and Soriano.
Jason Heyward looms in the minor leagues. He's arguably the game's top prospect, but the Braves may choose to sign an outfielder. This would enable Heyward to pick up more minor league experience – he's only played 50 games in the upper minors – and would allow the Braves to prevent Heyward from becoming a Super Two. It's the strategy they used with Tommy Hanson this year and it makes sense to do the same with Heyward.
Last week, Tim suggested the Braves spend on a first baseman and a left fielder. To cut costs, he recommends the Braves save on the bullpen. Trading Vazquez would free up $11.5MM for the upcoming season and trading Lowe would free up $15MM, but the Braves may ultimately need the pitching depth.
Braves Interested In Chapman?
10:07pm: In an e-mail to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Braves GM Frank Wren denied having any plans to meet with Chapman.
7:37pm: The Atlanta Braves have joined the list of suitors after Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, writes Melissa Segura of SI.com. While an exact date, time and location has not been decided on yet, the two parties are "expected to schedule formal conversations in the coming weeks."
Segura identifies the Orioles, Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Mets, Athletics and Cardinals as other clubs also believed to be interested in the 21-year-old. Our review of the Chapman sweepstakes cites information that indicates Detroit, Seattle and San Francisco also have some level of interest in signing the lefty.
Rogers On Chapman, Vazquez, Valentine, Gonzalez
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune looks at a few hot stove topics from around the league in his latest article. Here are some of his thoughts:
- He speculates that the Seattle Mariners' interest in Aroldis Chapman stems from their desire to still have a front-line starter if they eventually decide to move Felix Hernandez.
- Rogers is skeptical that the two Chicago teams have the resources to compete seriously in the Chapman sweepstakes. Be sure to check out MLBTR's complete Chapman review.
- With Tim Hudson on the verge of re-signing with the Braves, Ken Rosenthal indicated that Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe could be shopped for a bat. Rogers suggests it'll be Vazquez that's put on the trading block.
- Bobby Valentine could be out of the mix for a major-league managerial spot this season, as the Washington Nationals look likely to give Jim Riggleman their full-time gig.
- Rogers thinks it's "wishful thinking" to expect new Padres GM Jed Hoyer to deal Adrian Gonzalez to Hoyer's former employer, the Boston Red Sox.