Rosenthal On The Braves
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes the Braves will have to trade Javier Vazquez to obtain the impact bat they're searching for. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Braves dream of trading for someone like Michael Cuddyer.
- Josh Willingham might be a more realistic target.
- Derek Lowe has too much money remaining on his contract ($45MM) to bring much of a return in a trade.
Mets Rumors: Maine, Molina, Matsui
The latest on the New York Mets:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Mets will definitely offer arbitration-eligible pitcher John Maine a contract.
- As Ben Shpigel of the New York Times points out, the Mets won't have to make concessions to Bengie Molina, even though he is one of the more appealing catchers available.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker reports that the Mets asked to see the results of Hideki Matsui's physical. I guess this means they'd consider letting him play the outfield.
Pudge Likely To Turn Down Arbitration
Ivan Rodriguez is likely to turn down the Rangers' offer of arbitration to explore other options, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Rangers could still work out a deal with the catcher, but they're not the only ones interested. The Royals and Giants are also in the picture, according to Heyman.
Pudge earned a base salary of $1.5MM last year, a figure he could presumably top by accepting arbitration. The 38-year-old hit .249/.280/.384 last year, splitting time with the two Texas teams. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, so he's still reasonably good at limiting the running game.
Braves Expect Soriano & Gonzalez To Leave
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves fully expect relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez to turn down the team's arbitration offers and explore the market. The Braves, who surrendered a top pick when they signed Billy Wagner, stand to gain four picks if Soriano and Gonzalez sign elsewhere.
That seems likely, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. One GM told Heyman that the former Braves are "the two most sought-after relievers on the market," so their Type A status doesn't seem to be scaring teams away.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Orioles and Nationals are believed to have interest in the pair.
However, one high-ranking executive tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Soriano would be "insane" to turn down arbitration, which could net him a deal worth about $8MM.
Olney On Halladay, Mets, White Sox
As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Yankees and Red Sox are hesitant to give top prospects up for Roy Halladay, since they'd have to pay him like a free agent to keep him around long-term. But some scouts aren't sure Joba Chamberlain will be able to improve his control, so Olney wonders if the Yankees might consider including him in a potential Halladay trade. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- The Mets appear poised to sign two or three veterans for $5-7MM per season. We know they're interested in Bengie Molina and they're looking for pitchers, but they have other needs, too.
- Olney expects the Mets to land a starter like Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis or Joel Pineiro.
- The Mets have discussed Mike Cameron, who would consider playing left or right, and Xavier Nady.
- Olney hears that the White Sox don't have much payroll flexibility this offseason.
Brown On Bay, Kennedy, Crosby
One assistant GM tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that this year's free agent class is "a whole bunch of schlock" compared to next year's. Here are Brown's latest rumors:
- At least one agent expects many free agents to be overpaid this offseason, because the free agent class is relatively weak.
- Some Red Sox officials prefer Jason Bay to Matt Holliday because Bay has proven himself in the AL East.
- The agent for Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby says both infielders have attracted interest from about six teams. We know the Red Sox are interersted.
Red Sox Interested In Hudson; Lowell Update
The Red Sox are interested in Orlando Hudson, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Dodgers didn't offer the second baseman arbitration, so he won't cost a draft pick. Marco Scutaro, who would cost a draft pick, still appears to be a priority for the Red Sox. Presumably, Dustin Pedroia would move to shortstop if the club signed Hudson.
And Pedroia isn't the only Red Sox willing to change positions. Mike Lowell wouldn't rule out a move across the diamond to first base, though it's not something the club has approached him about. He hasn't played first base professionally since he was a minor leaguer in the late 1990's.
Giants Interested In Beltre, Uggla, Johnson
The Giants would like to add offense and, as Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports point out, Pablo Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez are versatile enough to give GM Brian Sabean plenty of options. The FOX Sports duo reports that Adrian Beltre, Dan Uggla and Nick Johnson are all high on the team's wish list.
One source tells FOX Sports that the Giants and Marlins are in the midst of ongoing discussions about Uggla, a prime trade candidate. The Marlins are looking to obtain major league-ready players for the arbitration-eligible infielder. The Giants, not surprisingly, would only have interest in Johnson on a short-term deal.
Braves Sign Billy Wagner
11:36am: The Braves officially announced the Wagner signing, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. That implies he passed his physical.
1:28am: The Braves have agreed to sign Billy Wagner, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The deal is worth $7MM and includes a $6.5MM option for 2011 that vests if Wagner finishes 50 games.
The Red Sox offered the lefty arbitration tonight, so they stand to gain the Braves' first round pick in next year's draft (#20), plus a supplemental rounder. The move is pending a physical, which could be more than a formality in this case. The 38-year-old returned from Tommy John surgery last year to strike out 15 batters per nine innings in 17 appearances with the Mets and Red Sox.
The Elias numbers rank John Lackey, Matt Holliday, Marco Scutaro and Jose Valverde ahead of Wagner, so if the Braves sign one of those players, the Red Sox would get the Braves' 52nd overall selection.
Discussion: Carlos Delgado
The last time Carlos Delgado hit the open market, he signed a $52MM deal with the Florida Marlins. Five offseasons later, Delgado's in line for a considerably smaller deal and the Marlins are expected to spend more conservatively. The Puerto Rican slugger is returning from hip surgery that may limit his ability to play the field. He'll face competition from free agent first basemen and designated hitters, most notably Adam LaRoche, Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero.
Delgado has been a slightly below average defender in recent years without being a major liability, according to UZR/150. He isn't the offensive force he was in the early part of the decade with the Blue Jays, but he recovered from a tough start to hit 38 homers and post an .871 OPS in his last full season, 2008. This year, he had a .914 OPS before getting hurt in May and he's now just 27 homers away from 500.
So if you cheer for one of the many teams that could use a first baseman or DH, would you want your club to add Delgado? He's never been much of a defender, is returning from hip surgery and turns 38 next season. But he shouldn't be too expensive and he can still hit. The Mariners, Orioles, Braves, Mets and D'Backs are among the teams that could fit. Do you want your team to sign Delgado?