Odds & Ends: Kendall, Uggla, Reds, Pedro
You want links? Well we got 'em…
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says that Jason Kendall was looking for $5MM to return to Milwaukee for another year. Yeah, good luck with that. No wonder why the Brewers went with Gregg Zaun.
- Dan Uggla doesn't have any control over whether the Marlins trade him or not, but if they do, he hopes it happens sooner rather than later, according to Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.
- When asked about the hot stove, Reds' manager Dusty Baker said "there's not much of anything going on," reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald says that Pedro Martinez wants to pitch a full season in 2010, instead of going on the Roger Clemens plan (pitching in the second half only) again.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says that the D-Backs' perfect world Winter Meetings scenario "involves them acquiring a cost-effective starting pitcher in a trade and then using their remaining payroll flexibility to upgrade other areas of the club."
- According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, Padres' GM Jed Hoyer said that given his (and new assistant Jason McLeod's) experience with the Red Sox, they have a “level of comfort” in any potential trade with them, moreso than with any other team.
- Re-signing Andy Pettitte is the Yankees' top priority, says George A. King III of The NY Post.
- MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says as many as three teams are interested in Milton Bradley, and Cubs' GM Jim Hendry will spend next week trying to find the best match.
- Former Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi said that Roy Halladay wants to be traded, according to The Canadian Press. Ricciardi added that a "lot of these decisions are out of the general manager's hands as far as what ownership perceives as fan reaction and what the perception of the club (is) and the direction that they are going. I think any time you have a player of this magnitude, that's really an ownership call."
- In addition to Justin Miller, the Dodgers also signed Prentice Redman to a minor league contract, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert has the news of three players the Diamondbacks inked to minor league contracts: T.J. Beam, Drew Macias, and Carlos Corporan. All three received invites to Spring Training.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote about the five biggest plotlines going into the Winter Meetings next week, while Scott Miller of CBSSports.com has some pre-Winter Meetings chatter of his own.
- Got a problem with how FanGraphs puts a dollar amount on a player's performance? If so, Dave Cameron clarifies some things.
Rockies Rumors: Betancourt, Duchscherer, Hawkins, DeRosa
Tracy Ringolsby of FoxSports.com reports that the Rockies hope free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt accepts arbitration, even though he’s a Type-A free agent and would net them two draft picks if he went elsewhere. Colorado declined their $4.5MM option for Betancourt last month, and he’s since rejected their two year, $7MM offer.
The deadline for free agents to accept arbitration is Monday, and if Betancourt accepts, Colorado would get to keep him on a one year deal, though it might cost them somewhere in the neighborhood of $6M.
Meanwhile, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post adds that Justin Duchscherer and LaTroy Hawkins have become “top targets,” while the team has also expressed interest in Mark DeRosa.
Tigers Unlikely To Deal Cabrera Anytime Soon
Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that two people “with knowledge of the Tigers’ plans heading into the winter meetings downplayed the possibility that Miguel Cabrera will be traded in the coming week,” with one going so far as to say the chances of a deal were “pretty remote.”
Morosi’s sources say the team is more likely to move Edwin Jackson and/or Curtis Granderson, and that even though Justin Verlander isn’t on the trade block, his future is “indirectly” tied to what happens in the next few weeks.
Cabrera is owed $126MM over the next six years, and given the team’s financial situation, the case can be made that they’d be better off using that money to fill multiple holes.
Royals Interested In Pudge
The Royals have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
"He can still catch and throw pretty good," Moore said. "You look at the supply out there for free-agent catchers and there aren't a lot of options."
Pudge is expected to turn down the Rangers' offer of arbitration, however he's only a Type-B free agent, so whatever signs him won't have to forfeit a draft pick. Kansas City has already declined Miguel Olivo's option, and John Buck is a prime non-tender candidate, so they're certainly in the market for a backstop. The 38-year-old Rodriguez hit .249/.280/.384 in 448 plate appearances for the two Texas-based teams in 2009.
A’s Offered Scutaro Three Years
The A's offered Marco Scutaro three years and slightly more money than the Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. Oakland planned to use Scutaro at short, pushing Cliff Pennington into a utility role.
The Fox scribes say the A's are clearly "operating with a measure of financial flexibility," reminding us that Oakland assumed $1.7MM of Aaron Miles' salary when they acquired him from the Cubs yesterday. What do MLBTR's readers think about this, surprised the A's were willing to open their wallet like this?
Giants’ Talk: Catchers, Rotation, Howry
Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News and John Shea of The SF Chronicle have some notes on the Giants' for us…
- GM Brian Sabean said "nobody thinks [Buster Posey] is ready to catch 100-plus games in the big leagues," however they haven't made any "money offers" to any free agent catchers. He acknowledged that a multi-year deal for a backstop "wouldn't be wise."
- As for why they didn't offer Type-A free agent Bengie Molina arbitration, Sabean said the team didn't "need another arbitration case," and that they "have multiple needs and we want to spread the money throughout the roster."
- Sabean indicated that the team isn't comfortable paying Brad Penny or Juan Uribe what they want, and neither is likely to return. Both players declined one year deals last week.
- Shea says that if Penny leaves, the team probably won't move Jonathan Sanchez in a trade, while Baggarly says there is "less resistance to the idea of Madison Bumgarner beginning the season in the rotation."
- The team has informed reliever Bob Howry that they would like to bring him back, but they have not yet talked about money.
- The Giants will not forfeit a draft pick to sign a player, which rules out the Type-A's. They hold the 24th overall pick in next year's draft. However, Sabean said that Type-A's who weren't offered arbitration were "more sensible targets."
Rangers Express Interest In Rich Harden
The Rangers have expressed interest in free agent righty Rich Harden, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. They hope he's willing to settle for a one year deal with incentives, which would allow them to get involved given their current financial situation.
If Harden is in fact willing to accept a one-year deal with the idea of building up his stock and re-entering the market next year, then interest in his services would surely skyrocket. The Mariners, Red Sox, and Twins have all expressed various levels of interest in the former 38th round draft pick of the Mariners (look it up!).
Braves Sign Takashi Saito
3:57pm: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has the contract details. Saito will earn a $3.2MM base salary with another $2.3MM in incentives. Interestingly, all but $500K of the incentives are based on games finished, which should be Wagner's department.
2:20pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the deal will be announced during a 4:30pm ET press conference at turner Field.
1:16pm: Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that free agent reliever Takashi Saito is close to signing a one year deal worth $3MM with the Braves.
Saito, 40 in February, had a 2.43 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 55.2 innings with the Red Sox last season. He has a 2.05 ERA with a 10.9 K/9 in his four years in MLB. Atlanta was rumored to be looking for a setup man to complement new closer Billy Wagner, especially with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez likely headed for greener pastures.
Rockies Rumors: Hawpe, Tracy, Carroll
Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post has some Rockies rumors for us…
- GM Dan O'Dowd called Brad Hawpe a "legitimate alternative" that can spell Todd Helton at first base. The team had been looking for a bench player capable of playing both first and third.
- The Rockies have expressed preliminary interest in free agents Chad Tracy and Jamey Carroll.
- O'Dowd confirmed that he's not looking to move Ryan Spilborghs.
- Contrary to reports, the Rockies are not interested in Gregg Zaun, though they still hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba back.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com say that reports about hard feelings between Jason Marquis and the Rockies about not getting a playoff start are untrue.
Odds & Ends: Harper, Phillies, Yankees, Marlins
Some afternoon links…
- Baseball America's Conor Glassey reports that Bryce Harper passed his GED exam, which will allow him to attend junior college next year and be eligible for the 2010 draft. Harper is the odds on favorite to go first overall.
- Now that they've taken care of third base and the bench, Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will focus on their bullpen. He notes that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is "intrigued by low-risk/high reward types," which is why the team recently kicked the tires on J.J. Putz. ESPN's Buster Olney mentions Brandon Lyon as a name to watch as well.
- Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News has some hot stove related quotes from Yankees' manager Joe Girardi.
- Marlins' president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said "we're definitely going to be active" at the Winter Meetings next week, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia's recent winter ball injury (he felt tingling and numbness in his right arm) could making catching a priority for the Rangers next week, writes T.R. Sullivan on MLB.com.
- The Rays have released righty Ramon Ramirez, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Ramirez was claimed off waivers from the Reds back in early November.
- Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette says the Pirates are one of the teams interested in Bobby Crosby. This morning we learned that about six teams were interested in the former Rookie of the Year.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that even though the Mets asked for his medical records, they are not going after Hideki Matsui.