Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Odds & Ends: Hannahan, Votto, Cargo, Angels

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 11:37am CDT

Three years ago today, the Marlins and Tigers completed a six player trade that sent slugger Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) to Detroit. It appears another slugging first baseman will be on the move shortly, but here's some other tidbits from around the league…

The Indians have signed infielder Jack Hannahan to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to the team. Hannahan, 31 in March, hit .237/.340/.374 in 392 Triple-A plate appearances this year while playing all around the infield.
When asked about contract talks, Joey Votto told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer "[The Reds] said they wanted to do a contract. They haven't said one year or million years. How can I comment on that?" (Twitter link)
The Rockies, meanwhile, continue to talk to Carlos Gonzalez about a long-term contract, says Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He cautions that nothing is imminent, and it's unlikely that a deal would go beyond his arbitration years. Agent Scott Boras is known for taking his clients to free agency whenever possible.
The Angels are not setting deadlines with free agents this winter, a change from their previous way of doing things according to ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links).
Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel looks at what the impending Adrian Gonzalez trade means for Prince Fielder. Brewers GM Doug Melvin acknowledged that teams just aren't making young pitching available in trades.
Lynn Henning of The Detroit News and Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch write that the Tigers and Cardinals, respectively, expect to be busy during the upcoming winter meetings.
Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at how some moves might impact the Phillies in the coming weeks.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo takes a look back at some Rule 5 Draft gems. This year's Rule 5 Draft takes place this coming Thursday.

Mark Reynolds Will Not Be Traded To Padres

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 10:35am CDT

Mark Reynolds will not be traded to the Padres according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (Twitter link). His source adds that the Diamondbacks are seeking two relievers for their third baseman.

Reynolds, 27, would have been a fine power replacement for Adrian Gonzalez, who appears to be headed to Boston. He's hit at least 28 home runs in each of the last three seasons, at least 32 in the last two seasons. Reynolds does strike out at a historic rate though; he's the first man in baseball history to be set down on strike three at least 200 times in three straight seasons.

Reynolds is under contract for $5MM in 2011 and then $7.5MM in 2012 before a $11MM club option for 2013 ($500K buyout) comes into play. Earlier today we heard that the Orioles were the front-runner to acquire him.

Padres Will “Absolutely” Trade Heath Bell?

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 10:22am CDT

10.22am: Rosenthal now hears from another source that it's "highly unlikely" the Padres will move Bell (Twitter links). They could hold him to keep the fans happy, and because they might be able to fetch more at the trade deadline.

9:38am: Adrian Gonzalez might not be the only Padres star on his way out of San Diego. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from a source that they will "absolutely" trade Heath Bell, who is likely to get a sizable raise from his $4MM salary in his last time through arbitration (Twitter link).

The free agent market includes Rafael Soriano and Bobby Jenks, but Bell could be an alternative for a team not wanting to commit multiple years to a reliever. Rosenthal speculates (on Twitter) that the White Sox, Angels, Rangers, Marlins, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Rays could have interest in Bell, who owns a 10.4 K/9 and a 2.32 ERA as San Diego's closer over the last two seasons.

Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Reynolds, Reyes

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 9:12am CDT

Rival executives have been expecting Adrian Gonzalez to land with the Red Sox at some point, and right now it's on the verge of happening. ESPN's Buster Olney writes (Insider req'd) that once the Gonzalez deal is complete, Boston will still have enough financial flexibility and the leverage to pursue a high-priced player like Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

The Padres, meanwhile, will be left to explain to the fan base that trading the team's best player is a good thing. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

The Orioles are the "clear front-runner" for Mark Reynolds. Last night we heard that Chris Tillman's name has come up in trade talks.
The Mets will listen to offers for Jose Reyes, and unless the two sides agree to a contract extension, they will move the shortstop before the trade deadline next July.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Votto, Jenks, Lee, Padres

By Mike Axisa | December 3, 2010 at 11:46am CDT

On this date two years ago, the Red Sox signed then-reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia to a six-year contract worth $40.5MM. The deal bought out all of his arbitration eligible years plus two free agent years with a club option for a third. Given the contract just signed by another middle infielder at a similar age (Troy Tulowitzki), it sure looks like Boston saved themselves a boatload of money with Pedroia's deal.

Here are this week's links, which aren't looking for a long-term contract…

Speaking of Tulo's deal, Red Reporter wants to know if you'd give Joey Votto a ten-year contract.
The Captain's Blog, meanwhile, evaluated baseball's longest and most lucrative contracts.
SPANdemonium interviewed Phillies' prospect Jiwan James.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness talks about the Dodgers' catching situation in the wake of Russell Martin being non-tendered.
The Process Report believes the Rays should give the non-tendered Bobby Jenks a call.
U.S.S. Mariner explains why it would be okay for Seattle to trade top pitching prospect Michael Pineda.
Baseball Time In Arlington wonders how much Cliff Lee will be worth.
Red Sox Beacon is concerned about Boston's fall-back options.
The Nats Blog wants the Nationals to sign Lance Berkman.
The Friarhood thinks it's time to blow up the Padres.
Wahoo Blues says goodbye to Andy Marte, the Indians' best pitcher.
1 Blue Jays Way wonders if J.P. Arencibia is being overvalued.
Amazin' Avenue looks at Terry Collins' managerial tendencies.
Meanwhile, Flushing Faithful writes about the small market Mets.
Rooftop View wants to see the Cubs pursue Brandon Webb.
Crashburn Alley comes up with some baseball one-liners, CSI: Miami style.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Derek Jeter Rumors: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | December 3, 2010 at 10:26am CDT

The Yankees and long-time captain Derek Jeter appeared to be closing in on a deal late last night, but there are still some hurdles that need to be cleared. Let's keep track of latest surrounded the game's active career hits leader throughout the day, with the most recent news up top…

Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets that both Jeter and Mariano Rivera have agreed to defer money, concessions that help pushed talks along. Rivera is close to re-signing as well.
SI.com's Jon Heyman says a contract could be finalized today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the deal will be for three years at $15-17MM annually, and that the fourth year option will be a "creative hybrid solution" that is not guaranteed and can't vest. (Twitter links)
Sweeny Murti of WFAN.com tweets that the Yankees worked deep into the night to get a deal done, and they're talking about a three-year contract worth $51MM that includes a fourth year vesting option at $10MM. The two sides are reportedly "very close."

This post was originally published on November 4th, 2010.

Week In Review: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2010 at 10:33pm CDT

Time to review the week that was, with the Winter Meetings just less than eight days away…

The first big name free agent changed teams this week, with the Tigers signing Victor Martinez to a four-year contract worth $50MM. Fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera helped lure him to Motown, and the Red Sox received two draft picks (including the 19th overall selection) as compensation.
Aubrey Huff re-signed with the Giants for two-years and $22MM guaranteed, plus an option for a third year. GM Brian Sabean was given the okay to match any offer Huff received, and he's now focused on finding a shortstop.
The Dodgers signed Jon Garland for one year and $5MM, plus an $8MM option for 2012 that will vest with 190 innings. GM Ned Colletti now turns his attention to a bat, a reliever, and his catching situation. The Marlins, meanwhile, landed Javier Vazquez for one year and $7MM, pending physical.
The Twins won the rights to negotiate with Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and his NPB team announced that they've accepted the bid. The agent for right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma explained his side of the story after the A's broke off contract talks last weekend.
Arizona acquired Zach Duke from the Pirates for a player to be named later, and will attempt to sign him for 2011 at a lower rate than his 2010 salary of $4.3MM. If they can't, they'll non-tender him. Pittsburgh has interest in Scott Olsen, who could fill Duke's vacated rotation spot.
A total of 35 free agents (14 Type A, 21 Type B) were offered arbitration before the Tuesday night deadline. Pedro Feliciano is "seriously considering" accepting the offer, ditto Frank Francisco.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman encouraged Derek Jeter to test the open market after making several contract offers. The two sides remain far apart. The Yanks prefer to limit Mariano Rivera's contract to one year, and they have yet to make an offer to Cliff Lee.
The Reds are going to talk to NL MVP Joey Votto about a long-term contract and the Rangers are going to do the same with AL MVP Josh Hamilton.
Both the Cardinals and Padres are interested in trading for Jason Bartlett as well as Miguel Tejada (add the Giants), while the Brewers and Braves are making a push for Eric Hinske. Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets want three or four young players for their shortstop.
Nine teams have interest in Jesse Crain, eight have interest in Lance Berkman, seven have interest in Brandon McCarthy, a half-dozen have interest in Cliff Lee, and several have interest in Jarrod Washburn. The Royals are interested in Kevin Millwood, the Red Sox Rod Barajas and Matt Guerrier, the Cubs Carlos Pena, the Rockies and Nationals Brandon Webb, the Dodgers Juan Uribe, and the Phillies Dennys Reyes. Both the Cubs and Rockies have interest in several free agent pitchers.
Lots of players signed minor league contracts this week, including Dontrelle Willis (Reds), Dana Eveland (Dodgers), Raul Valdes (Cardinals), and Charlie Haeger (Mariners). Former first overall pick Bryan Bullington landed with the Hiroshima Carp while Kaz Matsui joined the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Kevin Towers is growing more pessimistic about trading Justin Upton.

Odds & Ends: Vazquez, Nationals, Yankees, Werth

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2010 at 9:42pm CDT

Links for Sunday…

Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says (via Twitter) that the Marlins never give out no-trade clauses, but they gave one to Javier Vazquez to get his price down.
Meanwhile, Ben Goessling of MASN Sports looks at some pitching options for the Nationals now that Vazquez is off the board.
With the Yanks and Derek Jeter still far apart during negotiations, Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at some other star Yankees that ended their career elsewhere.
Jayson Werth told CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he's not close to signing via text message. "It’s very early. I will make an informed decision in due time," said the free agent outfielder.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why Juan Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.
Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates are sincere with their interest in several big name free agents, but he notes they do in fact have money to spend.
In the wake of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers, John Tomase of The Boston Herald looks at how the Red Sox have done with their extra draft picks over the years.
SI.com's Jon Heyman says that Magglio Ordonez remains a possibility for the Tigers (Twitter link), who have already committed close to $90MM for four players this offseason.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explains how declining his option and not offering Vladimir Guerrero arbitration suggests the Rangers want him back.
Right-hander Waldis Joaquin, who was released by the Giants then claimed off waivers by the White Sox, have rejected the claim and elected to become a free agent according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (Twitter link).

MLBTR Originals: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2010 at 9:00pm CDT

Let's recap the original content produced by the MLBTR crew this week, shall we?

Ben Nicholson-Smith explained free agent rankings and draft pick compensation, and then told us what we learned from this week's arbitration offers. He also wrote about how teams build their roster to fit their home stadium, and showed us how the AL MVP candidates were acquired.
We reviewed the stock of several free agents, including Arthur Rhodes (formerly of the Reds), Miguel Olivo (Blue Jays/Rockies), Matt Guerrier (Twins), Pedro Feliciano (Mets), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), and Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays). We also looked at Russell Martin's non-tender case.
This week's poll questions asked which relievers will sign multiyear deals, which Type A free agents will be offered arbitration, which Type B's will accept arbitration, whether or not someone will sign Manny Ramirez, who is the top remaining free agent catcher, and if George Sherrill will have to settle for a minor league deal.
I rounded up the best links from around the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
Ben's chat transcript can be found here.

This Date In Transactions History: November 28th

By Mike Axisa | November 28, 2010 at 8:02pm CDT

Not one, but two trades involving big-name starting pitchers have taken place on November 28th in the not-too-distant past. Let's review…

The Rays and Twins completed a six-player swap on this date in 2007. Tampa received Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eddie Morlan while Minnesota received Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. The move looked like a steal for the Rays initially, especially after Garza and Barlett helped their new team to its first World Series in 2008, but Young started to even things out with a big season in 2010.
While that was going on, the Reds signed Francisco Cordero to a four-year, $46MM contract on the same day. He's pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 113 saves in his three seasons in Cincinnati, helping get the team back to the playoffs this year.
Four years earlier, the Red Sox acquired Curt Schilling from the Diamondbacks for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and minor leaguer Michael Gross. Schilling helped Boston to World Championships in 2004 and 2007, and other than Lyon (4.03 ERA in 232 IP), Arizona didn't get much out of this trade.
The Astros dealt Pete Harnisch to the Mets for two players to be named later on this date back in 1994. Harnish pitched to a 4.33 ERA in two-plus seasons in New York while neither of the players Houston received, righties Juan Castillo and Todd Beckerman, played in the big leagues after the trade.
The Mariners signed a young slugger out of the Dominican Republic by name of David Arias in 1992, and eventually traded him to the Twins four years later. Seattle had incorrectly listed his name after signing him, but everyone knows him by his nickname now: Big Papi.
Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Chad Bradford, Adam Kennedy, Randy Wolf, Gregg Zaun, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.

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