Nationals Rumors: Fielder, Milledge, O-Dog
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has dug up more Nationals rumors…
- Prince Fielder is one of the left-handed power bats that interest the Nats. Ladson writes that "it’s doubtful" that the Brewers would part with him.
- Lastings Milledge "could be trade bait before the season starts."
- Ladson expects the Nats to go after Orlando Hudson, and suggests he could bat leadoff.
- Willie Harris will stay put in Washington.
- Nick Johnson could start the season at first for the Nats, but they’d rather avoid relying on him.
- Washington isn’t likely to make a play for a big-name starter.
Reds Sign Willy Taveras To Two-Year Deal
WEDNESDAY: Taveras’ deal with the Reds is worth $6.25MM over two years.
SATURDAY: The Reds have signed Willy Taveras to a two-year contract according to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. The terms of the deal aren’t yet known.
The 27-year-old figures to play center field and lead off for the Reds. He’s stolen at least 30 bases in each of the last four years, including 2008 when he set a career high with 68 steals in spite of a .308 OBP.
Odds And Ends: Otsuka, Orioles, Johnson
I’ll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links…
- Patrick Newman found that Akinori Otsuka will work out in front of reps from all MLB teams next month. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers is interested if Otsuka’s healthy.
- Roch Kubatko knows there’s pitching talent coming from the minors, but he doesn’t love the current Orioles rotation and expects them to add two more starters.
- The difference between 69 and 72 in 2009 wins isn’t worth much to the Orioles, Peter Schmuck writes.
- The Red Sox move on after missing out on Mark Teixeira.
- Eric Wedge doesn’t seem bothered by the Yankees’ big acquisitions.
- Vernon Wells knows how hard it will be to compete now that former-teammate A.J. Burnett‘s in pinstripes along with a couple other big names.
- Keith Law says the Randy Johnson signing moves the Giants "toward 2009 respectability, if not outright contention."
- Vlae Kershner doesn’t like the possibility of Garret Anderson on the A’s.
- Bleed Cubbie Blue argues that Adam Dunn‘s patience-power combination would work well for the Cubs. Last week Dunn said he thinks so too.
- Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi revealed his favorite meal and dream date in a Q&A with the Sporting News.
No Offer Yet For Sheets From Rangers
Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News passes along some of what Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in a radio interview yesterday. Daniels said the Rangers haven’t offered Ben Sheets a contract, but acknowledged that he’s been in contact with Sheets’ agent.
Durrett expects the Rangers to offer the righty a contract, but writes that "it’s still a long shot to expect Sheets to pitch" for Texas.
Olney’s Latest: Lowe, Castillo, Hudson
Buster Olney focuses his new column on reluctant-to-spend teams and how they’ve changed the market. He turns up some interesting rumors…
- The Rays and A’s are in a "bidding war" of sorts over the likes of Jason Giambi, Pat Burrell, Garret Anderson and Bobby Abreu. Both teams are willing to spend, but neither wants to go first since prices are higher now with both teams interested than they will be once the first team signs a player.
- The Mets are in a great position since the Cards and Brewers aren’t likely to compete for Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf. This means they can wait, knowing that bargains will likely surface.
- The Mets have "quietly continued to gauge" the Luis Castillo market and are interested in moving him and some of his salary.
- If they find a taker, they could pursue Orlando Hudson.
- As Joel Sherman predicted, the Nationals are now courting O-Dog.
- Olney asks whether aging stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Pedro Martinez will choose to play for the offers they’re likely to get.
- Brad Penny may soon decide where he wants to pitch next year. He’s weighing "an overture from the Cardinals" against other options.
Varitek, Red Sox Talking
According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Scott Boras "continue to exchange ideas on Jason Varitek‘s potential return."
If the sides don’t reach an agreement, Benjamin writes that the Red Sox would still like to trade for a catcher, but a team source said no trades are imminent. The price remains high for teams in need of catching help and the Red Sox are reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz.
Pettitte Still Has Offer From Yanks
There have been lots of rumblings about the Yankees’ fading interest in Andy Pettitte, but he still has a $10MM offer from the club for 2009 according to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.
A baseball official confirmed to McCarron that the Yankees are ready to go in "another direction" since Phil Hughes seems ready for a rotation spot. The official said the chances of Pettitte’s return are "55-45 against."
We’re not likely to hear of any decisions until next week, when Yankees offices reopen.
A’s Discussing Abreu, Anderson
Signing Jason Giambi remains a priority for the A’s, but they’ve begun preliminary discussions about Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson in case Giambi demands too much, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s heard that Billy Beane contacted the agents for Abreu and Anderson.
Slusser doesn’t expect any deals until after the holidays, but writes that the Oakland front office spent part of last week preparing to meet with Giambi’s agent, Arn Tellem.
And Slusser heard from an A’s source that they are not interested in trading for Miguel Tejada.
Giants Sign Randy Johnson
The Giants have signed Randy Johnson to a one year deal, the team announced in a press release. Andrew Baggarly and Ken Rosenthal were both right on this one.
MLB.com’s Chris Haft heard from a baseball source that the deal guarantees the Big Unit $8MM in 2009 and includes performance bonuses that could reach $2.5MM and award bonuses that could reach another $2.5MM. The AP agrees.
Johnson joins fellow-Cy Young Award winners Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in a San Francisco rotation that also includes Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez. It’s hard not to like the signing for the Giants; R.J. Anderson considers it a steal.
Cardinals Payroll Developments
Here’s a bit of "pure speculation" from Buster Olney: he wonders if the Cardinals have scaled back their payroll going forward.
Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III recently sounded reluctant to lower payroll, saying it would lead to a "spiral" he’d rather avoid.
The Cards have been patient on the free agent market so far, but the Mark Teixeira saga slowed everything down, so they could be more active soon. Now that they seem to have pulled their offer to Brian Fuentes, the Cardinals’ next steps will be telling.
Olney’s sources tell him that some teams have scaled back spending by as much as $20MM for next year and more may do the same as they project their revenues in the weakened economy.