Twitter Rumors: Capps, Felix, Harden, Pierre
A fresh batch of Twitter rumors, for those of you with extra-short attention spans…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch learned that the Pirates plan to tender a contract to Matt Capps.
- Stubborn Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he has no regrets about not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hernandez also notes that the Dodgers are considering Ronnie Belliard, Craig Counsell, Juan Uribe, and Jamey Carroll as second base options. The Reds also like Carroll, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Rockies are open to re-signing Jason Marquis at a reduced number (less than the $9.875MM he made in '09).
- SI's Jon Heyman believes Felix Hernandez is seeking six years and $100MM, while the Mariners are thinking four years plus an option at less than $50MM. That phrasing makes a possible divide seem larger than it is, since those last two years of the deal would be the most expensive (more than $15MM per year). At any rate, Shannon Drayer and Mike Salk learned that no numbers have been exchanged on Felix yet.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants Mike Redmond to back up A.J. Pierzynski.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says the Rangers may have interest in arbitration-eligible D'Backs infielder Augie Ojeda. The Rangers added Joe Inglett off waivers, but were said to still be looking at utility infield candidates.
- Morosi tweets that Rich Harden is "willing to sign a one-year deal with a lot of incentives." Will he exceed Brad Penny's $7.5MM base salary? Morosi names the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mariners as the most serious suitors.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Tigers have interest in Juan Pierre, and are "looking for a third team to supply the pitcher L.A. needs." Odd, since the Tigers have more bad pitching contracts than anyone. The Tigers apparently prefer to unload Carlos Guillen.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates are not interested in bringing back Brian Giles.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Red Sox "have two or three teams they could trade Mike Lowell to right now" if they'd take a similar contract back. Looking at our Bad Contract Swap Meet I don't see any obvious matches for one year and $12MM.
- There's been some tire-kicking with the Phillies and Ron Mahay, writes Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Red Sox were linked to Mahay by Michael Silverman on Monday. Martino also says the Phillies met with John Smoltz's agent this morning, "but discussions remain informal."
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star characterizes the White Sox and Red Sox interest in Coco Crisp as "low-level," but says that's still more than the Royals have shown. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the White Sox would consider Crisp, Mike Cameron, and Marlon Byrd. ESPN's Mike Salk notes that the Mariners spoke to Byrd's agent.
- Dutton also has the Red Sox eyeing Ryan Shealy on a minor league deal.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports names the most asked-about Padres: Heath Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Adrian Gonzalez (in that order). He says the Padres are "not hearing anything compelling on Bell." MLB.com's Corey Brock says about eight teams inquired on Kouzmanoff. Surprised not to see Kevin Correia mentioned by Rosenthal. He'd be a great affordable option for a team like the Brewers. ESPN's Buster Olney heard from rival execs who expect the Padres to get second-line prospects for Kouzmanoff and Correia.
- The Mets appear to find a Luis Castillo deal unlikely, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees are shopping their #1 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, which they acquired for Brian Bruney. If they don't trade the pick, Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Yankees could use it on pitcher Arquimedes Caminero.
Multiple Teams Discussing Derek Lowe
WEDNESDAY, 3:33pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Braves are no longer asking for veteran bats for Lowe, and are telling teams they'll eat money.
TUESDAY, 1:42pm: The Braves are discussing righty Derek Lowe with multiple teams, MLBTR has learned. In an article yesterday, MLB.com's Mark Bowman suggested Lowe could be viewed as a cheaper, more durable alternative to John Lackey. Lowe is owed $45MM over the next three years.
Boras Speaks
We'll add some links from Scott Boras' lobby chat in this post, though from what I can tell he didn't say anything interesting. We'll keep this a tweet-free post.
- Boras busted out his famous books, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- Boras thinks Matt Holliday is a "different" kind of player than Jason Bay, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of course it's Boras' job to distinguish between Holliday and Bay, so we should expect comments like this.
- EPSN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Boras compared Holliday's production to Mark Teixeira's.
- The Rays haven't discussed a contract extension for Carlos Pena, who's entering the last year of his contract, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford has Boras talking about Matt Holliday and Adrian Beltre, where Boras compares Beltre's offensive ability to Jason Bay's.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has Boras saying five or six teams are interested in Beltre, including the Mariners. Boras said some teams (many have speculated the Red Sox) would move their third baseman for Beltre.
- Baggarly quotes Boras as saying "There are teams that have interest [in Holliday] and don’t want to let anyone to truly know." Boras assumes the Giants are interested in Holliday.
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has Boras explaining why the Mets can afford Holliday.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has Boras saying that the Cardinals retaining Holliday is like keeping two players, since it will help them sign Albert Pujols.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun has Boras saying the Kevin Millwood trade is not done, but they're having discussions.
Seven Teams In On Nick Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Giants and Mariners are still in on Johnson, but are neither is offering a second year.
MONDAY, 3:17pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert notes that it would be tough for the D'Backs to fit Johnson and a starter into the budget.
2:44pm: Seven teams are in on injury-prone on-base machine Nick Johnson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Mariners, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Yankees. Stark says Johnson is high on Seattle's first base shopping list. It's been said that Johnson, 31, is seeking a two-year deal. Check out our discussion post on him here.
White Sox, Angels Interested In Hideki Matsui
2:44pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald talked to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who hasn't had any recent discussions for Matsui and suggested the team's interest has been overstated. Williams did not ask for a medical report on Matsui; he says he already understands what he's dealing with.
WEDNESDAY, 1:00pm: Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that the Sox could go to California next week to meet with Matsui and check out his knee.
TUESDAY, 3:18pm: The White Sox "have emerged as a serious contender for Hideki Matsui," writes Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. He notes that the Angels also confirmed their interest.
I'm not convinced in either regard. Angels GM Tony Reagins said, "He's a person we've talked about," while White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen suggested Matsui would have to be able to play the outfield.
Twins Rumors: Third Base, Harden
2:34pm: Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to DeRosa's agent Keith Grunewald, who said talks with the Twins have been nothing more than preliminary.
10:49am: Neal has more, questioning the Feliz and Uribe links. Also, Neal spoke to someone from Rich Harden's agency and came away thinking the Mariners are the favorite (the Twins have not been in contact recently).
9:28am: Let's take a look at the Twins' third base situation. Yesterday afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports said they're considering free agents Adrian Beltre, Pedro Feliz, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Uribe, though Beltre and DeRosa might be too pricey. He did not see Boston's Mike Lowell as a target. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. has the Astros and Orioles in on Feliz, in addition to the Twins.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote early this morning that the Twins are "very interested in DeRosa." A trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff is another possibility, while re-signing Joe Crede hasn't been ruled out.
Padres Release Eulogio De La Cruz
The Padres released righty Eulogio De La Cruz today, according to a team press release. The 25-year-old was traded by the Marlins to the Padres in March, but then designated for assignment in April. He ended up posting a 3.12 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 5.7 BB/9 in 69.3 Triple A innings, allowing only two home runs.
Here's what Padres exec Paul DePodesta said about De La Cruz in March, when the Padres acquired him:
Described by our scouts as a "little bull with a big arm" De La Cruz has supposedly thrown 100 mph. Most of the time, however, he sits between 93-97 mph with his fastball, which he complements with both a curveball and a changeup. He has just 16 innings at the big league level (and they weren't very pretty), but we believe he's big league ready. And now for my standard ending… we're excited to have him.
Padres Expected To Non-Tender Kevin Correia
WEDNESDAY, 1:36pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Correia declined the Padres' final contract offer and has been told he'll be non-tendered by the Saturday deadline. Does he have no trade value?
MONDAY, 1:20pm: Going a little further, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Padres "are not expected to tender Correia" a contract, "barring a reversal." Commenters below note that trading him makes a lot more sense.
1:03pm: In what would be a sadly cheap move, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Padres are likely to non-tender starter Kevin Correia if he doesn't agree to another discounted contract by Saturday's deadline. Correia ended up making $1.1MM this year and provided the Padres with 33 starts and a 3.91 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9. He'll do fine on the open market if the Padres are really this cheap.
Dodgers, Cubs Interested In Alfredo Amezaga
WEDNESDAY, 1:30pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweets that the Cubs have also shown interest in Amezaga.
MONDAY, 2:19pm: The Dodgers are inquiring on Marlins utility man Alfredo Amezaga, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Amezaga, 32 in January, missed most of the season due to a knee injury that eventually required microfracture surgery. He's one of the Marlins' 11 arbitration-eligible players and shouldn't cost much to acquire.
Red Sox Claim Ramon Ramirez Off Waivers From Rays
The Red Sox claimed pitcher Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Rays, according to a team press release. This is a different Ramon Ramirez than the one the Sox acquired from the Royals last year. The Ramirez the Sox got today spent '09 in the Reds' organization, posting a 4.03 ERA, 5.5 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 127.3 Triple A innings.