Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Jeff Francoeur Becomes A Free Agent

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 10, 2010 at 2:41pm CDT

Jeff Francoeur has hit free agency after clearing waivers and declining an outright assignment to the minors, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The 26-year-old split the 2010 season between the Mets and Rangers, batting .249/.300/.383 in 503 plate appearances.

Francoeur earned $5MM last year and would have been eligible for arbitration again, so the Rangers were expected to non-tender him. This move is essentially an early non-tender, as it allows Francoeur to explore the free agent market a month early. He has said he'd like to play every day, but a part-time role may be more likely given his struggles against righties (.699 career OPS) and success against lefties (.824 career OPS).

Padres Seek Backup Catcher

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 9:41pm CDT

The Padres expect to ease catcher Nick Hundley into a bigger role in 2011, but they’ll look to complement him with a backup, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times. GM Jed Hoyer said the Padres are not looking for someone to play as much as Yorvit Torrealba did in 2010. Instead, the Padres are looking for a catcher who can "play a fair amount” while Hundley starts 95 games, Hoyer says.

Gerald Laird, Bengie Molina, Miguel Olivo, Matt Treanor, Jason Varitek and Gregg Zaun are among the free agent catchers who could be willing to accept part-time jobs, so they could fit in San Diego if their demands fit the Padres' budget. It’s too early to rule out Henry Blanco and Yorvit Torrealba, the two catchers who shared time with Hundley in 2009-10, but A.J. Pierzynski probably isn't a fit. He said he'd like to catch in San Diego, but other teams figure to offer more playing time and more money.

Hundley hits lefties (.672 career OPS) and righties (.708 career OPS) at about the same rate, so the Padres can consider backstops who bat from either side of the plate. Manager Bud Black says the organization believes in Hundley “as a major league catcher” at this point in his career. The 27-year old batted .249/.308/.418 in 307 plate appearances in 2010 and he threw out a career-best 29% of would-be base stealers.

Red Sox Rumors: Crawford, Martinez, Saltalamacchia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 8:47pm CDT

The Red Sox may have interest in Cliff Lee, but he's far from the only free agent they'll consider. Here are the details on which teams are interested in Boston's free agents and which players the Red Sox might like to sign:

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox have also checked in on Carl Crawford, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
Six teams including the Red Sox have inquired about Victor Martinez, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
The Red Sox seem "firmly convinced" that Jarrod Saltalamacchia can be their regular catcher, according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons. Gammons suggests the Red Sox could bring Jason Varitek back to hit against left-handers and mentor Saltalamacchia if Martinez signs elsewhere.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boston’s top priority should be keeping Adrian Beltre, since they have the money and the need for the third baseman.

Hoffman Drawing Interest, Undecided On Future

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 7:48pm CDT

Trevor Hoffman told MLB.com’s Barry Bloom that he wants to test free agency before deciding whether to play in 2011. If he sees an offer he likes, the 43-year-old could return for a 19th season. If not, the all-time saves leader says he’s prepared to retire.

Hoffman has drawn preliminary interest from a number of teams, according to his agent. Rick Thurman, who also represents free agents Brian Fuentes, Arthur Rhodes, Will Ohman, Octavio Dotel and Chan Ho Park, spoke with the D’Backs last Friday about potential fits for their bullpen.

That’s one possible destination for Hoffman, who can envision playing in Arizona under Kevin Towers, the D’Backs GM who ran the Padres when Hoffman pitched in San Diego. Towers repeated that re-building the bullpen is a priority for the D’Backs this offseason, but Hoffman isn't sure how much interest he'll draw.

"I'm coming off a tough year,” Hoffman told MLB.com. “I don't know if people are going to be turned off by that or not. I hope the strong second half I had will compensate."

Hoffman won’t find many closing jobs available outside of Arizona, but there are many potential closers available, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes pointed out yesterday. Though he started slowly, Hoffman recovered to pitch considerably better after early May. ESPN.com’s Keith Law warned interested teams about the risks associated with Hoffman earlier today. However, Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that "you'd be nuts if you didn't at least consider somebody like Trevor Hoffman" (Twitter link).

Free Agent Stock Watch: Vladimir Guerrero

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 7:14pm CDT

Vladimir Guerrero made Jon Daniels and the Rangers look pretty smart this year, but he could make another organization look foolish in 2011. That's not to say Guerrero can't repeat his 2010 success, but here are some facts to consider about the likely Hall of Famer:

The Pros

Guerrero hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers in 2010 and finished 9th in the league in homers and total bases.
He struck out just 60 times in 643 regular season plate appearances.
He will probably be available on a one-year deal.
Guerrero is a Type A free agent, but the Rangers, who turned down his option last week, don’t figure to offer arbitration. As long as Texas doesn’t offer arbitration, Guerrero won’t cost a draft pick.

The Cons

He turns 36 before the season begins.
As anyone who watched the World Series knows, Guerrero is no longer a legitimate option in the outfield. He played just 18 regular season games in the field and is now a full-time DH.
He started hot, but posted an OPS over .800 just once from July to October.
Guerrero has always been a free swinger and he'll always be one. Last year was no exception; he swung at a higher percentage of pitches outside the zone than any qualified hitter in the game.

The Verdict

Guerrero will likely sign a one-year deal given his age and the market for DHs. Many DHs are available for a relatively small number of jobs, so it seems unlikely that any team would offer two years. The Rangers could bring him back and the Rays, Blue Jays, White Sox, Twins, Tigers, A's and Mariners could all be looking for DHs too, so Vlad should have a number of suitors after a successful 2010 campaign. A one-year deal worth $8MM or so seems likely for Guerrero.

Laynce Nix Becomes A Free Agent

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 5:55pm CDT

Laynce Nix has cleared waivers, refused an outright assignment and become a free agent, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon (on Twitter). The 30-year-old batted .291/.350/.455 in 182 plate appearances this year after the Reds signed him to a minor league deal.

Nix played all three outfield positions for the second consecutive season, spending most of his time in left field. However, he missed weeks with a sprained left ankle in August and September and saw his homer total drop from 15 to four. The left-handed hitter has handled righties (.738 OPS) much better than lefties (.521 OPS) over the course of his eight-year MLB career.

Odds & Ends: Beltre, Crawford, Mets, Konerko

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 5:36pm CDT

Links for Tuesday night, as free agents Adam Dunn and Dave Bush celebrate birthdays…

Adrian Gonzalez said on XX 1090 in San Diego that he had surgery in October and may not swing a bat until late March, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). The Padres have said they’re willing to listen to offers on Gonzalez, but the surgery could limit the number of offers GM Jed Hoyer gets.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch explains why the Pirates might have some interest in Adrian Beltre and why the third baseman isn't likely to end up in Pittsburgh.
Free agent outfielder Carl Crawford says he's "just kind of sitting back waiting" to hear from interested teams, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune.
Dennis Sarfate, Scott Moore, Joel Guzman, Chris George and Mike Hinckley became minor league free agents over the weekend, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
ESPN.com's Mark Simon explains that we aren't necessarily going to see "a strict adherence to baseball analytics and a formulaic, stats-over-scouts approach" from the Mets, who now have Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi in their revamped front office.
The friendship between free agent first baseman Paul Konerko and White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf likely means Chicago will have the chance to match any offers Konerko receives from other teams, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.
Patrick Newman of FanGraphs says Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a pretty good player who can hit well from both sides of the plate and handle second base. The Chiba Lotte Marines may post the Pacific League batting champion and make him available to MLB teams.

Gregg Zaun Would Prefer To Sign With Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2010 at 3:56pm CDT

Gregg Zaun would like to return to Tampa Bay, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (on Twitter). Zaun said on Bowden's radio show that his first choice is to sign in Tampa Bay, where he played at the end of the 2009 season.

Zaun's 2010 campaign lasted just 28 games, so the Brewers recently declined their 2011 option for the catcher. He hit .265/.350/.392 before he tore the labrum in his right shoulder and missed the rest of the season.

Zaun signed a one-year $1.5MM deal with Baltimore before the 2009 season and a one-year $1.9MM deal with Milwaukee before the 2010 season. The 39-year-old is in line for another one-year deal, but could be available for even less than usual because of his injury-shortened season.

Dioner Navarro probably won't be back in Tampa Bay, but the Rays do have John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach, so they don't appear to need Zaun.

Adam Everett Intends To Play In 2011

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 8, 2010 at 10:00pm CDT

The agent for Adam Everett told MLB.com's Jason Beck that his client intends to play in 2011 and has heard from multiple interested teams. Clubs looking for a cheap, defense-first shortstop could turn to the 33-year-old, but they shouldn't expect much offense from him. Everett batted just .185/.221/.247 for the Tigers in 89 plate appearances last year, before Detroit released him.

The trade market for shortstops isn't deep and the free agent market isn't either, but it just got a little more interesting. The Chiba Lotte Marines will post Japanese batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishioka this week, according to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine.

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