Hoyer Met With Gonzalez’s Agent
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that new Padres' GM Jed Hoyer met with John Boggs, agent for Adrian Gonzalez, on Friday. The two-hour lunch meeting was said to be more of a "get-acquainted session" than a formal negotiation. Said Boggs:
"There wasn't any kind of negotiating or exchanging of numbers or anything like that. I'm sure we're going to keep the dialogue open, but nothing is imminent at this point. The way we're looking at it, Adrian is a Padre until something happens . And they're the ones who are really in control of the situation.''
Hoyer declined comment, but Boggs said the two sides "agreed to stay in contact over the coming weeks."
Gonzalez is the biggest name on the trade block (non-pitcher division), and several clubs, including the Red Sox, Mets, and White Sox are said to be interested in the first baseman. The 27-year-old Gonzalez hit .306/.402/.643 with 28 homers in 80 games away from Petco Park last year, and is owed just $10.25MM over the next two seasons, assuming his 2011 option is picked up.
Gammons & Edes On Boston’s Offseason
In a piece for ESPN Boston, Peter Gammons and Gordon Edes answered five key questions about the Red Sox and the upcoming offseason. There's not many hard rumors in the piece, but there's plenty of discussion topics, so let us know what you think…
- Both Gammons and Edes believe the Sox will retain Jason Bay (Gammons guesses the contract will be in the four year, $64MM range), and neither is sure who will compete with them for his services.
- The Red Sox "can easily" keep shortstop Alex Gonzalez at a reduced rate even though they declined his option earlier this month. Gammons feels the team needs depth and mentions Marco Scutaro, while Edes doesn't think it would be wise to make a long-term commitment that would block prospect Jose Iglesias.
- When it comes to blockbuster trades, Gammons thinks the only way the team pulls one off is if they a) get frustrated during contract extension negotiations with Josh Beckett, or b) can get Adrian Gonzalez or Felix Hernandez.
- Edes says it wouldn't be a Red Sox offseason if they didn't explore a big trade, but he thinks it's a longshot that they'll acquire Gonzalez. He says another run at Roy Halladay is more likely.
- Gammons notes the Sox would like to add a righthanded batter than could play center and right, and they've long been intrigued by Cody Ross. He mentions that the Marlins tried to get Manny Delcarmen in July.
- Both writers believe they will make a run at Rich Harden, and Gammons thinks they'll go after Ben Sheets as well.
- And finally, Gammons says the team believes they will not be the high bidder for Aroldis Chapman, but they made a strong case for Boston as the place he'd want to be.
Red Sox Express Interest In Four Boras Clients
The Red Sox have expressed interest in four players – all Scott Boras clients – early in the hot stove season, according to Mike Silverman of The Boston Herald. Those four players would be Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Mike Gonzalez, and Rick Ankiel.
Silverman notes that the Sox consider Holliday and alternative to Jason Bay, should they fail to re-sign him. Gonzalez could replace Billy Wagner, although Ankiel is somewhat redundant after the team acquired Jeremy Hermida earlier this month. Beltre could replace Mike Lowell at third, who Silverman says may "wind up being traded if the Red Sox go out and find a big-slugging first baseman," mentioning Adrian Gonzalez.
Odds & Ends: Mulder, Matsui, Smoltz, Rangers
Some afternoon linkage…
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt tweets that "it would be a huge upset if Mark Mulder doesn't try his comeback attempt in the Brewers' spring camp."
- Meanwhile, Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said the George Kottaras pickup was all about depth, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- NPB Tracker passes along a report that says the Yankees stand to lose at least $15MM in revenue if Hideki Matsui leaves as a free agent.
- The Tigers aren't one of the teams that have expressed interest in John Smoltz, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Yesterday we learned that at least seven teams are interested in the righthander.
- Tom Hicks is trying to put together a group of local businessmen that would allow him to maintain major ownership of the team, says ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett. The deadline to submit a bid for the team is Friday, so if you have a couple hundred million bucks burning a hole in your pocket…
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball reports that the Nationals have named Davey Johnson Senior Advisor to GM Mike Rizzo.
- ESPN's Howard Bryant writes about a salary cap, and how baseball doesn't need one.
- Last, but certainly not least, everyone welcome FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal to Twitter!
A’s Unlikely To Pursue Free Agents
Billy Beane indicated that the A's will not pursue free agents with whatever money they have available, and instead will look to the trade market to fill any openings, according to MLB.com's Mychael Urban.
"We're going to look at young players to fill spots, first and foremost," Beane said. "If those players we'd like to acquire aren't obtainable, we'll consider bringing in guys who can hold the positions down. We're going to stay disciplined and try to do everything we can to fill those spots with young players.
"So the next step is to continue to bring guys like Andrew up here. That's our responsibility, and I know the deal. To sign a couple free agents and have three or four press conferences during the winter doesn't get it done. We're going to be disciplined."
Urban says that means the team may let Adam Kennedy and Justin Duchscherer entertain offers on the open market, and that Beane will look for an alternative (i.e. younger and cheaper) option at third base.
The A's traded for Matt Holliday while signing Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera, and Nomar Garciaparra last offseason, but only Nomar made it through the entire season with Oakland.
Orioles Rumors: Corner Infielders, Hendrickson
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez has a bunch of Orioles rumors for us, but unfortunately they're spread out among a half-dozen tweets or so. Here's the goods…
- Andy MacPhail said that they've "made no secret about the fact that we're looking for corner infielders."
- ESPN's Keith Law notes the team has some prospects coming up at first and third base, but MacPhail acknowledged that they probably aren't ready to contribute yet. Gonzalez mentions the team's two most notable prospects, Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder, will likely get some more seasoning in the minors.
- MacPhail also said the team plans to accumulate whatever pitching they can.
- Regarding free agent lefty Mark Hendrickson, "We've talked with his [rep], & I think we both have a pretty good understanding of where we are …"
- When it comes to trading prospects, MacPhail said "I think we'll be judicious about giving up any of those guys we think are a part of our core future… I would think it unlikely … we gave up a young key part of our future and just got something back that would be a short-term answer."
Brewers Claim George Kottaras
Anthony Witrado of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers have claimed catcher George Kottaras off release waivers from the Red Sox. Boston released Kottaras earlier today.
The 26-year-old Kottaras hit .237/.308/.387 in 107 plate appearances in 2009, though he didn't play after July 31st due to a lower back injury. Witrado also has news on some prospects that the Brewers added to their 40-man roster.
Francona Speaks About Red Sox Offseason Topics
Red Sox manager Terry Francona was on WEEI's Dale & Holley earlier today (audio here, transcript courtesy of Alex Speier here), and spoke about a variety of Red Sox offseason topics. Let's round it all up…
- The team is currently interviewing candidates for openings in their coaching staff. Bench coach Brad Mills has since moved on to take over as Astros' skipper.
- Francona hopes the team re-signs Jason Bay, but he acknowledges that he's going to have other options. "You know we’re going to be a major player. We always are."
- He also thinks Bay won't drag out his decision until mid January.
- Francona says he has gone on free agent recruiting trips before, most notably to speak to John Smoltz and Mark Teixeira.
- Whenever GM Theo Epstein talks to him, Francona always tells him to get a pitcher.
- The team has met with John Lackey's agent, and Francona considers him "one of the best." He also notes that you're talking about a lot of years when committing to a player like that.
- Francona acknowledged that Alex Gonzalez stabilized the shortstop position, but "you look at that .310 on-base percentage, for a full year, if that’s what you’re going to go with, you’ve got to recoup that somewhere else."
Francona also spoke about how they mix stats and scouting, and how they "try to look at both and make good decisions."
Rockies Sign Tracy to Three-Year Extension
The Rockies have signed manager Jim Tracy to a three-year contract extension, according to Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies. The news comes on the heels of Tracy's Manager of the Year Award, so it's a pretty good day in the Tracy household.
Ringolsby mentions that Tracy's entire coaching staff has agreed to return for 2010 as well. The Rockies were 18-28 and 14 games out when Tracy took over in late-May, going 74-42 the rest of the way while securing the NL Wild Card.
Twins And Brewers On Washburn’s Radar
Free agent lefty Jarrod Washburn hasn't made much of a secret of his desire to play near his Webster, Wisconsin home, and he told FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi that both the Twins and Brewers are on his radar.
"The Twins and Brewers are both on the radar for me," Washburn said. "The thought of playing close to home has always appealed to me, and I think both of those teams would be good fits for me.
"I don't know yet if either of those teams have mutual interest, but we will see."
Obviously, those two teams fit Washburn's geographical desires. Both are said to be seeking veteran starters this offseason as well. Washburn also feels there's "mutual interest" in a return to the Mariners, noting that he enjoyed his time in Seattle and his family loved it there.
He also mentioned that his surgically repaired knee feels good.
"The surgery on the knee wasn't real extensive," Washburn told FOXSports.com in a Wednesday e-mail. "Dr. (Lewis) Yocum said he didn't have to do too much in there — just a little cleaning up.
"It feels great now, almost like I didn't even have a surgery. So, I don't see it being a problem for me in the future."
The Tigers acquired the 35-year-old from Seattle at the trade deadline, only to see him pitch to a 7.33 ERA in eight starts. Washburn has already received word from Detroit that they will not attempt to re-sign him.