Royals Seeking A Catcher
After declining their 2010 option for Miguel Olivo, the Royals are searching for a catcher according to Bob Dutton of The KC Star. Dutton mentions that it would be best for the team to fill their hole behind the plate prior to December 12th, allowing them to non-tender the incumbent John Buck.
“We led all of baseball (last season) in passed balls and wild pitches,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “That will be fixed in 2010. Our defense in general is our main objective to fix before next season.
“And it starts behind the plate.”
The team has indicated that they aren't ready to hand the starting job over to Brayan Pena, even though he made "significant defensive strides last season."
Dutton mentions one interesting rumor to watch, a "deal sending second baseman Alberto Callaspo to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher A.J. Ellis." Callaspo, who hit .300/.356/.457 in 2009, would help fill the Dodgers' second base vacancy, while the 28-year-old Ellis would give KC a defensive standout behind the plate. Ellis also has a career .398 OBP in the minors, with more walks than strikeouts in nearly 1,800 plate appearances.
Even though there are plenty of catching options in free agency, Moore acknowledged that his team prefers to improve their club through trades.
“Our free-agent pursuit will not be as aggressive as in the past,” he said. “We’re going to focus on trades first. We’re going to exhaust every opportunity to make trades.
“In the previous two offseasons, we’ve been more likely to pop a free agent or two early on. I look for us to exhaust every possible trade scenario this offseason before we enter into the free-agent market.”
Tim previewed the trade market for catchers back in October. See any fits?
Igarashi To Pursue MLB Next Season
Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes along a report which says that hard-throwing reliever Ryota Igarashi has decided to pursue a Major League contract for 2010. We first learned that Igarashi qualified for international free agency back in June.
The 30-year-old has spent his entire 11-year career with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, posting a 3.25 ERA with 630 strikeouts in 570 IP over 507 appearances. He's hooked on with agent Arn Tellem, who also represents Hideki Matsui. Patrick profiled Igarashi back in May. At 98.75 mph, Igarashi holds the record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher in a NPB game.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Pierre, Webb, Mariners
Here's a few links on a gorgeous Saturday, at least around these parts…
- Acquiring Carlos Gomez allows the Brewers to wave goodbye to Mike Cameron, and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel says they'll use the savings on pitching. "We're going to have to take our resources that we gave to Mike and distribute them to fill other needs for our ballclub," said GM Doug Melvin. "We've said pitching is our focus. We still have other needs, like any club. And the salaries of our other players go up, too."
- The return of Manny Ramirez allows the Dodgers to resume searching for a trade partner for Juan Pierre, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Pierre still has two-years and $18.5MM remaining on his contract.
- In today's blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that Brandon Webb will be prime trade bait in the middle of next season if he makes it all the way back and the Diamondbacks aren't in contention.
- Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider takes a look at some offseason options for the Mariners.
- Meanwhile, former Mariner Kenji Johjima can provide some additional input on American pitchers the Hanshin Tigers may pursue, notes Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Patrick also passes along a report that lists some pitchers Hanshin is looking at, including two Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Jakubauskas.
- Rowland-Smith is on Twitter, and was a little surprised by the news.
- Bob Dutton of The KC Star takes a look at the newest Royals, Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball lists all 39 players who filed for free agency on Friday.
Twins Exercise 2011 Option For Michael Cuddyer
According to a team press release, the Twins have exercised their 2011 option for Michael Cuddyer. They had until five days after the 2009 World Series to either pick up or decline the option. Cuddyer will earn $10.5MM in 2011 instead of a $1MM buyout.
The 30-year-old Cuddyer hit .276/.342/.520 with 34 doubles and 32 homers last year. He spent most of the season in his customary right field, though he took over first base after Justin Morneau went down with a season ending injury.
Yankee Rumors: Matsui, Damon, Jeter
The parade and celebration is over, so now it's time for GM Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankees' front office to get down to business and work on improving the team for 2010. Here's a roundup of some Yankee rumors…
- After winning World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui now faces an uncertain future writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Godzilla said he hopes to keep playing in New York, but he plans on spending the offseason working his knees back into game shape so he can market himself as an outfielder. Yesterday we learned that Matsui ruled out a return to Japan.
- Johnny Damon, another player with an expiring contract, also indicated that he wants to stay in New York, according to Mark Feinsand with the NY Daily News. Said Damon, "Why wouldn't I want to come back? We have the best owners in baseball, we have the best team and we have the most revenue and the biggest payroll. Who wouldn't want to be a part of the Yankee tradition? I would like to continue mine. I feel like I can come back and do a great job again."
- Cashman indicated that the team has not had any discussions about a contract extension with Derek Jeter, says George A. King III of The NY Post. The team has a policy that they let all contracts expire before discussing new ones, which they stuck to with Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and even Cashman in the last few years.
Phillies Considering Third Base Options
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the team is "actively exploring alternatives" to third baseman Pedro Feliz before deciding whether or not to pick up his option, according to Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"More than anything else, we want to see what options may be out there for us and decide whether picking his option up is best suited for this club to try to move forward," Amaro said.
"He had a solid year for us," Amaro said. "I like the man personally. He's a great person and a great teammate, but I also believe in trying to improve, and sometimes change can be for the better. It doesn't necessarily mean we're going to, but it's just something that we're thinking about."
The Phightin's must decide whether to pick up Feliz's $5MM option or buy him out for $500K by Monday.
There are several third base options on the free agent market that could pique Amaro's interest. Both Adrian Beltre and Chone Figgins would represent a significant offensive upgrade at the position, and according to UZR/150, they'd even provide a defensive boost over Feliz's already sterling glovework. I'm just throwing two names out there, we haven't seen the Phillies connected to either Beltre or Figgins yet.
Marlins Decline Option On Ross Gload
The Marlins have declined Ross Gload's 2010 option according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Had the team picked up the option, Gload would have made $2.6MM next season. He did not receive a buyout, according to information provided at Cot's Baseball Contracts.
The 33-year-old Gload hit .261/.329/.400 in 259 plate appearances last year, but the lefty swinger excelled off the bench, hitting .318/.418/.455 in 79 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. He even threw a scoreless inning for good measure.
Odds & Ends: Hardy, Tejada, Cardinals, Mariners
Here's a few links to close out the night…
- Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox "had been engaging with the Brewers in on-and-off discussions involving (J.J.) Hardy since the trading deadline." Massarotti's source says the Brewers wanted either Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard, but Boston was only willing to part with Michael Bowden.
- MLB'com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said “At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop," but noted that Miguel Tejada could return as a third baseman.
- Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at some outfield options for the Cardinals should Matt Holliday depart as a free agent.
- The Mariners don't really have any non-tender candidates, according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. He also mentions that Brandon Morrow, Jason Vargas, and Jack Hannahan fell a little short of qualifying as Super Twos.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons says it's possible, though highly unlikely, that the Red Sox and Josh Beckett's agent Michael Moye are so far apart during contract ngotiations that the team would consider dealing their ace. He also says that unless there is "some unexpected understanding," Beckett will hit the free agent market after 2010.
- J.C. Bradbury debunked some common Hot Stove Myths.
Tigers Talk: Rodney, Lyon, Polanco, Everett
The Tigers already removed Marcus Thames and Matt Treanor from the roster today, making both players free agents, and now Lynn Henning of The Detroit News has some more hot stove talk for us…
- GM Dave Dombrowski replied "Nothing hot and heavy" when asked if there was any trade dialogue ongoing.
- The Tigers would "likely bite on an affordable two-year deal" for Fernando Rodney, but would probably not want to gamble on anything longer.
- Brandon Lyon's agent, Barry Meister, emphasized that his client wants to know what his job description in 2010 will be ahead of time. The Tigers may not be willing to commit to him as closer, and Lyon knows that's where the money is.
- Placido Polanco "has all but been consigned to free agency."
- Henning thinks the "best bet" is that Adam Everett and the team agree to a "mutually pleasing" contract.
- Detroit will make no effort to sign either Jarrod Washburn or Aubrey Huff. Washburn has already said that he isn't expecting to get an offer from his post-trade deadline employer.
- The Tigers have already traded away their most expendable minor league arms, so they aren't blessed with much trade ammo.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press says the Tigers weren't involved in trade talks for J.J. Hardy. Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said he was looking for a centerfielder or cost efficient pitching, and he "did not see a match."
- MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Tigers were deep in talks with the Mariners for Michigan native J.J. Putz last offseason, but they can now take him on as a "low-risk, high-reward signing" if they so choose.
Rockies Decline Options For Torrealba, Embree
Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that the Rockies have declined the 2010 options for catcher Yorvit Torrealba and reliever Alan Embree. Torrealba's option was worth $4MM, Embree's $3MM. Instead, the players will receive buyouts worth $500K and $250K, respectively.
Torrealba's agent indicated that his client has not ruled out returning to the club, but the Rockies are committed to Chris Iannetta as their starter. Yorvit hit .291/.351/.380 in 242 plate appearances on the year, while Embree threw just 24.2 innings in 2009 before a liner broke his leg and forced him to miss the rest of the season.