Tigers Rumors: Tazawa, Putz
According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Detroit Tigers are interested in Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa. Morosi lists the Red Sox, Mariners, Braves and Phillies as other potential suitors for the 22-year-old.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Morosi that it’s “too early to tell” whether the club will pursue Tazawa aggresively.
Though Morosi doesn’t think the Tigers have a great chance of signing Tazawa, their chances of signing Japanese players have gone up since they hired Kevin Hooker to co-ordinate their Pacific Rim scouting.
Morosi also wonders whether the Tigers would part with Matt Joyce or Jeff Larish in a deal for J.J. Putz. Earlier this week, Morosi wrote that the Tigers would have to find bullpen help outside the organization.
Twins Rumors: Blake, Escobar, Hardy
Joe Christensen has an update on the Twins’ search for help on the left side of the infield. Minnesota is one of seven teams interested in Casey Blake, according to Blake’s agent Jim McDowell.
Blake hit .274/.345/.463 last year for the Indians and Dodgers this year. He’s been released twice by the Twins, but he could come back to stabilize their third base situation.
Christensen has sources who suggest that the Twins are also targeting Yunel Escobar and J.J. Hardy in trades. If no deal is made, they could re-sign Nick Punto, who played 61 games at shortstop in 2008.
The Twins are also interested in trading for Garrett Atkins, who’s six years younger than Blake.
Olney’s Latest: Peavy, Hoffman, Sabathia
Buster Olney has a new update on the Padres and a new article about the Giants.
Olney says there’s a growing feeling that Jake Peavy will be dealt “sometime before Thanksgiving.”
Trevor Hoffman hopes to meet with Padres executives soon to discuss the team’s direction. Olney says that the Indians are one of many teams who might be interested in Hoffman if he decides to reject the Padres one year $4MM offer.
Olney writes that the Giants shouldn’t let the Barry Zito signing stop them from going after C.C. Sabathia aggressively this offseason.
McLane: Astros Unlikely To Acquire Peavy
According to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle, Astros owner Drayton McLane doesn’t expect his team to trade for Jake Peavy. Not surprisingly, the Padres asked for “three or four” of Houston’s best prospects in return for the ace pitcher.
McLane didn’t reveal which players the Padres were interested in, but said that their asking price was ultimately a “stumbling block.”
The Cubs and Braves are still front-runners in the Peavy sweepstakes.
Odds And Ends: Guerrero, Blue Jays, Reds
Links for Saturday…
- J.P. Ricciardi has begun "exploring other things" in case the Jays can’t bring back A.J. Burnett.
- The Angels aren’t discussing a contract extension with Vladimir Guerrero yet.
- Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto are off-limits according to Walk Jocketty.
- The White Sox are interested in a 19-year-old Cuban third base prospect, Dayan Viciedo. Ken Williams, who has a history of acquiring Cuban players, may have the inside track on signing Viciedo.
- The Astros signed a young international player of their own, Chia-Jen Lo. They announced Friday that they signed the 22-year-old Taiwanese righty to a minor league contract.
- The Rockies added a 16-year-old Venezuelan pitcher, Alving Mejias.
Yankees Rumors: Sabathia, Pettitte, Mussina
Some new Yankees rumors surfaced at Joe Torre’s charity event in New York last night.
- Derek Jeter talked to C.C. Sabathia about what it’s like to play for the Yankees but says he’s not "trying to sell anyone on New York."
- According to Newsday’s Kat O’Brien, Andy Pettitte isn’t looking for a long-term deal. He’s waiting to hear from the Yankees, who know that "one year’s fine" for Pettitte. Brian Cashman said this week he’s looking to bring Pettitte back, and that was before Pettitte said he was looking for a one-year deal.
- Peter Abraham has news on Mike Mussina. Mussina told Joe Girardi at the end of the season that he expected to retire.
Matt Holliday Rumors: Saturday
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals’ offer for Matt Holliday includes Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Mitchell Boggs. Rosenthal thinks the Cardinals would try to sign Holliday to an extension if traded to St. Louis.
Rosenthal also weighs in on the gap between Holliday’s .997 home OPS and his .891 road OPS this year.
The Phillies and A’s remain in the mix for Holliday, and the Nationals are involved as well. Rosenthal says that if the Rockies are likely to get quantity rather than quality if they deal Holliday to Washington.
MLB.com’s Matthew Leach asked Ludwick about the possibility of being traded. Ludwick said that even though "St. Louis feels like home," he knows trade talks are part of the business.
Yankees Are Abreu’s First Choice
According to Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News, Bobby Abreu would like to remain a Yankee. Chris Leible, one of Abreu’s agents, said that Abreu’s been "very happy with the Yankees" and that returning to play for them is his "first choice."
Spector points out that the Yankees have lots of outfielders already under control next year. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner are all options for the Yankees in the outfield. Since Jorge Posada might have to DH, the Yankees can’t afford to carry too many outfield-DH type players.
Abreu was productive for the Yankees this year, hitting .296/.371/.471 in 156 games. The Yankees plan on offering him arbitration.
Edmonds Plans On Playing Next Year
According to Buster Olney, Jim Edmonds intends on playing in 2009. His agent, Paul Cohen, told Olney that Edmonds is "definitely coming back."
Edmonds hit .256/.369/.568 for the Cubs this year after struggling with the Padres. He'll meet with Cohen to discuss his plans in the next few days. Lou Piniella has said that he plans on platooning Reed Johnson with Kosuke Fukudome in center field in 2009.
About a month ago, Edmonds was considering retirement, but Cohen says his client is ready to play again in 2009.
Odds And Ends: Street, Schilling, Tigers
Links for Saturday…
- Huston Street tries to ignore the chatter, but realizes he might be traded before the season starts.
- Curt Schilling‘s Red Sox career is probably over, writes MLB.com’s Ian Browne.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said the Tigers are open to improving the team in creative ways, but he’s not looking to trade away the team’s "core players."
- Other than Justin Verlander and Armando Galarraga, there’s a whole lot of uncertainty in the Tigers’ 2009 rotation, writes Jon Paul Morosi.
- It looks like the Mets won’t trade Carlos Delgado. Instead, they’ll focus on rebuilding their bullpen and improving in left field and at second base.
- Junichi Tazawa will meet with the Mariners and Braves Tuesday. Now the Phillies are in the mix for his services, too.