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Reds Claimed Hisanori Takahashi

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10:16am: Even though the Reds claimed Takahashi, he cannot play for the Mets before May 15th if he signs with New York, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). In other words, don't expect him to return to the Mets.

8:07am: The Reds claimed Hisanori Takahashi on unconditional release waivers last week, according to transactions summaries at CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports. A source confirmed to MLBTR that the Reds claimed the left-hander. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Reds claimed Takahashi to obtain an exclusive five-day negotiating window with him.

Takahashi was set to hit free agency, but the Reds' move won't prevent him from hitting the open market. Players claimed on unconditional release waivers have five days to reject the claim and elect free agency and Takahashi elected free agency, according to Rubin.

It's unclear whether the move will help the Mets, who were negotiating an extension with Takahashi earlier in the month. Because the Mets didn’t sign Takahashi in time, it appeared that he would not be able to pitch before May 15th if he re-signed in New York. Takahashi's last club was the Reds, which could allow the Mets to re-sign him.

Rockies Rumors: Martinez, Jackson, Wigginton

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Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that he’s looking for the "right player" this offseason, not the "best player." As Armstrong explains, that could be bad news for the Rockies fans hoping to see Victor Martinez in Denver:

  • The Rockies aren’t likely to make the winning bid on Martinez, though he caught the team’s attention as a potential free agent target.
  • Colorado would pursue an innings eater if Jorge de la Rosa proves too expensive to re-sign. The lefty is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Yankees and Nationals.
  • Joe Beimel could return to Colorado, but the Rockies have other left-handed relievers including Matt Reynolds and Franklin Morales, so their need for Beimel isn’t pressing.
  • Adding a right-handed hitter is a priority for the Rockies. Their list of candidates includes Conor Jackson, Ty Wigginton and Jermaine Dye. Jackson is a non-tender candidate and may join Wigginton and Dye on the free agent market within a few weeks. The Rockies have already contacted Dye about a potential deal.

Japanese Team Interested In Kawakami

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The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are exploring their options regarding Kenshin Kawakami, according to reports passed along by Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times (on Twitter). Last month it appeared that the Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters had interest in the right-hander, but that was before the Braves demoted him to the minor leagues.

Braves GM Frank Wren said this weekend that he has had "a number of discussions" about the right-hander's future. Last month it seemed possible that the Braves could get a Japanese team to pay as much as $3MM of Kawakami's $6.67MM salary. 

The 35-year-old lost his rotation spot last year and even spent some time in the minor leagues. His ERA rose from 3.86 to 5.15, though he posted similar strikeout (6.1 K/9) and walk (3.3 BB/9) ratios to the ones he had in his 2009 rookie season. 

Rosenthal On Brewers, Doubront, Marlins, Barmes

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In case there was any doubt, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Brewers aren't going to trade Ryan Braun. However, the Brewers are open to trading any of their other top hitters for rotation help. That means Rickie Weeks, Casey McGehee and, of course, Prince Fielder would be available in the right deal. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Brewers don't want to trade top players for back-of-the-rotation starters, but teams are reluctant to include top young pitchers in potential deals.
  • The Padres have spoken repeatedly to the Brewers about minor league infielder Brett Lawrie, who could be obtained for young pitching.
  • Adrian Gonzalez is still drawing trade interest, even though he won't be ready to swing a bat until the end of Spring Training.
  • Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Red Sox are open to trading Felix Doubront. One says Boston would part with the left-hander "in a heartbeat" and the other guaranteed the Red Sox will trade him by mid-summer. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Rosenthal that the Red Sox "value Felix tremendously" and that the report "couldn't be further from the truth."
  • Every young Orioles pitcher "could be in play for the right bat," Rosenthal reports. 
  • If the Marlins trade Dan Uggla, they would use the savings to sign at least one free agent. John Buck is a target for the Marlins regardless of whether they trade or extend Uggla.
  • The A's don't have interest in Mark Reynolds.
  • The Rockies are drawing lots of interest in Clint Barmes. They could trade or non-tender the infielder if they aren't able to sign him to a multi-year contract.
  • Cody Ross and Javier Lopez are strong candidates to receive extensions from the Giants.

A’s Interested In Lance Berkman

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The A's have been bidding, trading and claiming their way through the early stages of the offseason, and they're also considering a big free agent bat. Oakland has interest in Lance Berkman as a potential DH, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested earlier in the week that Berkman "can probably find 500 plate appearances in 2011 for around $5MM." The Astros won't be pursuing Berkman, but AL teams such as the Mariners, Rays, Blue Jays, Twins and Rangers could have some interest. The 34-year-old batted .248/.368/.413 for the Yankees and Astros last year, though he now struggles against left-handed pitching.

Red Sox Acquire Andrew Miller

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The Red Sox acquired Andrew Miller from the Marlins in exchange for Dustin Richardson, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports (on Twitter). 

Miller, 25, was picked sixth overall by Detroit in the 2006 amateur draft and was dealt to Florida as part of the big Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis swap in December 2007.  Miller was seen as arguably the biggest piece (along with Cameron Maybin) of the six-prospect package that Florida acquired for their stars, but the left-hander has struggled to become a consistent major league hurler.  In 79 career games, 54 of them starts, Miller has a 5.84 ERA and a 7.2 BB/9 rate.  Miller was out of options with the Marlins and could've been non-tendered, but the Red Sox were clearly willing to take a chance on a young pitcher who still has a high ceiling.

Richardson is also a 25-year-old southpaw originally chosen in the 2006 draft, though Richardson's pick came in the fifth round.  Also like Miller, Richardson has struggled with control issues — in 16.1 major league innings, Richardson has recorded 15 walks.  His control has been better (4.4 BB/9 rate) in the minors, plus he has a K/9 ratio of 10.0 over his five minor league seasons.  Richardson has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the last two years and the Marlins were known to be looking for relief pitching this winter.

Moore Explains Greinke Trade Rumors

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Royals GM Dayton Moore repeated today that he is willing to listen to offers for his ace. Moore told Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy on MLB Network Radio what will happen if they can’t sign Zack Greinke to another multi-year contract.

“Then we are going to have to make a decision to move him at some point in time,” Moore said. “Is that this winter?  I don't know.  Is it prior to the deadline in 2011?  Possibly.  Is it off-season 2011?  But we will have to make that determination no different than other clubs have had to make.  Minnesota had to make a similar decision with [Johan]  Santana and, of course, Cleveland had to make a decision similar with [Cliff]  Lee and [C.C.] Sabathia.  So we will have to maximize his value certainly at some point in time.”

Moore says the Royals have received calls on Greinke at multiple points, including at last year’s trade deadline. The Blue Jays and Red Sox are among the teams that have inquired on Greinke, who has a partial no-trade clause and two years and $27MMM remaining on his current deal.

Moore added that the Royals are approaching the free agent market cautiously. The club will look to add one or two right-handed hitting outfielders this offseason and, as we heard yesterday, Jeff Francoeur is one option for Kansas City.

Odds & Ends: Pudge, Indians, Orioles, Jeter

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Links for Friday, four years to the day after the Cubs signed Aramis Ramirez to a five-year $75MM contract. He has 93 homers and a .287/.356/.510 line since signing the deal…

Nationals Interested In Bloomquist, Miles, Cairo

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The Nationals are interested in Willie Bloomquist, Aaron Miles and Miguel Cairo, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter). GM Mike Rizzo is apparently looking to add versatility to his bench.

Bloomquist, 33 this month, said at the end of the season that he wanted to play every day in 2011. He batted .267/.299/.380, so it seems doubtful that teams would see him as a regular. Instead, clubs will presumably ask Bloomquist to move all around the diamond as he did last year, when he played all four infield positions and all three outfield positions.

Miles, 33, batted .281/.311/.317 for the Cardinals last year. He played short, second and third and even pitched two scoreless innings (lowering his career ERA to 3.60).

The Reds have had preliminary talks about re-signing Cairo, who batted .290/.353/.410 in 226 plate appearances last year. The 15-year veteran played five positions for Cincinnati.

Phillies Sign Eddie Bonine, Erik Kratz

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The Phillies signed right-handed reliever Eddie Bonine and catcher Erik Kratz to minor league deals, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). 

Bonine posted a 4.63 ERA in 68 innings for the Tigers last year with 3.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. The Tigers made a push to bring The 29-year-old back on a minor league deal before the Phillies made a better offer, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). Both teams expressed interest in Bonine after he became a free agent last week.

Kratz, 30, made his big league debut with the 2010 Pirates after spending nine seasons in the minor leagues. He has a .252/.325/.434 minor league line, but he hit just .118/.167/.118 in 36 big league plate appearances.

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