Nationals Notes: Hardy, Needs
The latest on the Nationals, courtesy of Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post…
- The Nats discussed a deal for shortstop J.J. Hardy, before he was traded to the Twins. However, with Ian Desmond and Cristian Guzman the projected starters, upgrading in the middle infield is not the top priority.
- Manager Jim Riggleman says starting pitching comes first, with Sheinin suggesting trades are preferred over free agent signings. You can see our list of starting pitcher trade candidates here.
- The Nationals also seek a catcher, more than just a backup type according to Riggleman.
Angels Still In On John Lackey
The Angels "remain heavily in the mix" for John Lackey, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the Angels' renewed their efforts to re-sign Lackey at the behest of owner Arte Moreno, though GM Tony Reagins denied any change in the team's course.
Rosenthal lays out three other factors that might be motivating the Angels to consider re-upping Lackey: an unappealing asking price for Roy Halladay, uncertainty with Scott Kazmir, and the Mariners' interest in Lackey.
If the Angels do allow Lackey to leave, they'll gain two draft picks as compensation. A couple of big-market clubs might be out of the Lackey bidding – Gordon Edes recently wrote that Lackey is not a Red Sox target, and Bill Shaikin said the Dodgers won't be in pursuit. The New York teams haven't been ruled out, while the Nationals and Brewers could be dark horses.
Nationals Interested In John Smoltz
The Nationals and John Smoltz have "sincere mutual interest," according to a source of Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Current Nats and former Braves president Stan Kasten is said to be a longtime fan. However, Rosenthal says the Cardinals remain Smoltz's top choice.
Previously, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi linked the Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles to Smoltz, while ESPN's Jayson Stark named the Phillies.
Smoltz had his ups and downs this season, but his offseason popularity makes sense. He's not coming off surgery this time, but his base salary will almost certainly be south of last year's $5.5MM.
Asking Prices For Beltre, DeRosa
Free agent infielders Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa had off-years offensively, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, both have steep asking prices. Said Olney:
As teams have been checking in on the availability of infielders, they have found that the asking price for Beltre is no less than $10 million a year, and for DeRosa, it's a three-year deal for something in the range of $9 million a year.
Beltre is a relatively young 31 in April, his third base defense is top-notch, and he's represented by Scott Boras. He did have shoulder surgery in June. Still, his initial demands aren't entirely unexpected, and Olney didn't tell us how many years he's seeking.
DeRosa turns 35 in February, earned $5.5MM this year, and had wrist surgery in November. But since he reportedly has at least a dozen suitors, why not start the bidding around $27MM?
Both players are Type B free agents, and the Mariners and Cardinals offered arbitration on Tuesday. Beltre and DeRosa don't seem likely to accept.
Mets Sign Henry Blanco
THURSDAY, 5:48pm: Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post confirms the agreement and adds that an announcement will come tomorrow or Saturday (via Twitter).
5:46pm: Blanco agreed to a one-year pact worth $1.5MM according to a tweet from Francisco Blavia of Lider en Deportes passed along by Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.
8:58am: Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News passes on a report from the Venezuelan paper, El Nacional, that says Blanco is on his way to a physical with the Mets. Via Twitter, Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests the Mets will sign Blanco. He says the club maintains interest in Bengie Molina.
MONDAY, 2:58pm: The Mets are close to a deal with free agent catcher Henry Blanco, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Blanco would be brought on as a backup. The 38-year-old hit .235/.320/.382 in 232 plate appearances for the Padres this year, catching 508 innings and earning $750K.
Rosenthal notes that in terms of starting catchers, Bengie Molina "is believed to be" the Mets' top target. Molina's prospects will be greatly affected by the Giants' decision whether to offer him arbitration tomorrow night.
Mauer Responds To Deadline Rumor
THURSDAY, 2:41pm: La Velle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune tweets that no serious negotiations about a contract extension have begun, and that "absolutely no deadlines have been set."
TUESDAY, 4:10pm: Mauer has been texting his heart out…in a text to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last night, he said the Passan report is "news to me." Still, it'd be more direct if Mauer came out and said, "My agent and I did not give the Twins any kind of deadline."
1:59pm: Mauer texted MLB.com's Kelly Thesier but didn't exactly deny setting a deadline, saying:
"I'm not going to react to every story/rumor that comes out or comment on any negotiations. As far as that report, I don't know where that came from."
MONDAY, 11:25pm: Joe Mauer will end contract negotiations if he doesn't have a deal with the Twins by Opening Day next year, according to a Jeff Passan source said to be close to the catcher. In his Yahoo column, Passan also notes that "formal negotiations between the sides have yet to begin" despite the Twins' desire to have a deal by Christmas.
This is no time for Twins fans to panic, however. Passan believes talks will begin soon, and the sides have a full four months even if Mauer is imposing that deadline. It's way too early to predict Mauer's future, and I have a feeling Ron Shapiro and the Twins will keep leaks to a minimum.
Mariners Pursuing Harden & Lackey
THURSDAY, 8:08am: A source tells Rosenthal and Morosi that the Mariners are "actively pursuing" John Lackey. As a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration, Lackey would cost a top pick.
WEDNESDAY, 3:58pm: The Mariners are "showing strong interest" in Rich Harden, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers wonder if Harden being a native of British Columbia will help Seattle's cause. They note that the Red Sox are also serious about the 28-year-old righty.
Any team signing Harden will of course take a long, hard look at his shoulder. If his last two seasons are any indication, he can give you 140 strikeout-filled innings if managed carefully. What's that worth? Probably a base salary in the $6-7MM range, with a few million more in incentives. Harden's agent Arn Tellem says his client has "no health issues at all," for what it's worth.
Brewers, Rockies, Rays Interested In Zaun
The Brewers, Rockies, and Rays are showing the most interest in free agent catcher Gregg Zaun, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Zaun still has an arbitration offer from the Rays, on which he must decide by Monday. However, Zaun has said he expects to sign with a team by week's end. As the FOX writers note, he'd get the most playing time with the Brewers. Earlier this offseason it seemed that they planned to spend all of their money on starting pitching, but maybe they'll peel off a few million for Zaun.
Rosenthal and Morosi wrote yesterday that the Mariners were pursuing Zaun, but they don't mention the team in tonight's update.
Pirates, Dodgers, Braves, A’s After Kameron Loe
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the scoop on righty Kameron Loe, who spent the year in Japan and is apparently contemplating a return. Back in November of '08 the Rangers sold Loe's rights to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who paid him $900K. He pitched only 27 innings, posting a 6.33 ERA. Kovacevic names the Pirates, Dodgers, Braves, and A's as teams interested in Loe.
Another Pirates note: president Frank Coonelly confirmed the team's interest in Rick Ankiel, in an MLB.com chat with fans today.
Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Red Sox. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Victor Martinez – $7.7MM
C – Jason Varitek – $3MM
1B – Kevin Youkilis – $9.125MM
2B – Dustin Pedroia – $3.5MM
SS –
3B – Mike Lowell – $12MM
IF – Jed Lowrie – $415K
LF –
CF – Jacoby Ellsbury – $450K
RF – J.D. Drew – $14MM
OF – Jeremy Hermida – $3.5MM (est.)
DH – David Ortiz – $12.5MM
1B – Casey Kotchman – $4MM (est.)
SP – Josh Beckett – $12MM
SP – Daisuke Matsuzaka – $8MM
SP – Jon Lester – $3.75MM
SP – Clay Buchholz – $415K
SP – Tim Wakefield – $3.5MM
RP – Jonathan Papelbon – $10MM (est.)
RP – Hideki Okajima – $2.5MM (est.)
RP – Ramon Ramirez – $1.5MM (est.)
RP – Daniel Bard – $400K
RP – Manny Delcarmen – $1MM (est.)
RP –
RP –
Other commitments: Julio Lugo – $9MM, Billy Wagner – $1MM, Alex Gonzalez – $500K
I decided to do things a little differently this time and put in estimates for the arbitration-eligible players (Hermida, Kotchman, Papelbon, Okajima, Ramirez, and Delcarmen). I also left four spots open as I think the Sox will acquire players to fill most of those vacancies. I have the Red Sox with about $124MM committed after entering 2009 around $122MM. Their payroll was $133MM in '08 and $143MM in '07. As they did last year, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels that the Red Sox have pretty good payroll flexibility. Note that they could trim $5MM or so by trading or non-tendered Kotchman and Delcarmen.
Overpaying a bit for Marco Scutaro, in terms of both salary and a draft pick, seems like a legitimate possibility at shortstop. He is the best available at the position this year. Adam Everett is a solid, very affordable Plan B; he could battle it out with Lowrie. It's not clear whether the Sox made a play for J.J. Hardy before he landed with the Twins. Now that Hardy's a Twin, the trade market looks bleak. If GM Theo Epstein is willing to wait, it'd be worth inquiring on the Angels' Maicer Izturis if they re-sign Chone Figgins and are willing to listen. Moving Pedroia to shortstop appears to be a last resort.
Much has been written debating the merits of Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. I'm guesing lesser players like Brad Hawpe, Josh Willingham, and Jermaine Dye could be considered as backup plans. Or, Hermida could be given a shot.
It appears that the Sox are playing around with the idea of trading Lowell, which would put them in the mix for a corner infielder. Adrian Gonzalez is the big fish possibly on the trade market. Other speculative acquisitions have different strengths: Russell Branyan could add power, Nick Johnson could add OBP, Mark DeRosa brings versatility, and Adrian Beltre brings defense. So far we've seen the Sox connected to utility infielder types like Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby, aside from DeRosa.
The rotation is in good shape, but most expect the Red Sox to add a starter or two for good measure in the vein of last year's Brad Penny/John Smoltz signings. There's a laundry list of decent one-year deal options, including Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Kelvim Escobar, Brett Myers, and Ben Sheets. As for Aroldis Chapman, he'd probably be more of a long-term investment rather than a cog in the 2010 rotation. If the Red Sox decide to prioritize pitching and pay a large cost in a contract or young players, there's always John Lackey and Roy Halladay. A couple of considerations in acquiring a big-name starter are Beckett's impending free agency and the Yankees' targets.
Given Boston's inquiries on Scutaro, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, and perhaps Holliday, I'm guessing they won't mind letting their #29 pick in next year's draft go. And as we saw with the Yankees last year, once you sign one Type A, the price for the next one decreases. Gonzalez and Soriano are two of the best free agent relievers out there, but the free agent market is packed with more affordable alternatives for a team that isn't desperate for relief help. They could also trade a spare piece like Kotchman, much as they did last year getting Ramirez for Coco Crisp.
The Red Sox appear limited in their shortstop and power bat options, while they have tons of choices for pitching additions. As usual, expect to see Boston linked to dozens of free agents and trade candidates this winter.