Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
The Blue Jays are not resigned to trading ace pitcher Roy Halladay, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. However, Feinsand believes Halladay "wants out of Toronto," and would require an extension as part of waiving his no-trade clause. As you know, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos won't rule out trading within the division, opening up Yankees and Red Sox speculation.
SI's Jon Heyman says the Yankees will inquire on Halladay; why wouldn't they? Heyman believes Halladay favors a deal to an East Coast team and was willing to go to the Yankees or Red Sox last summer. Since then, the asking price has presumably come down. Heyman also expects the Mets to check in on Doc, but sees them as a long shot.
Feinsand and Heyman also get into the Yankees' other options to add top-level pitching. Feinsand says the Yankees "already have their sights set on signing either Halladay or Cliff Lee if both become free agents after next season," but fear Lee might sign an extension with the Phillies. He says Yankees officials have mixed opinions on whether to pursue John Lackey this winter.
Odds & Ends: Uggla, Granderson, Lackey
Links for Thursday…
- MLBTR will be mentioned on ESPN2's SportsNation program today at 3pm CST, check it out!
- FanGraphs' Dave Cameron thinks the Marlins are shopping Dan Uggla a year late, and believes he'd be expensive enough in 2011 that the Marlins "are really only selling one year of value."
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says not to dismiss the Uggla-to-left field rumor, in relation to the Braves.
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald at the GM Meetings that "one club, I think, changed course a little bit, with more players being available." Silverman figures Epstein was referring to the Reds or Tigers.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post plays around with various Curtis Granderson-Yankees scenarios and effects. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Cubs must pursue Granderson. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs have yet to pursue him, but "conversations appear inevitable."
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin had a sit-down with John Lackey's agent Steve Hilliard this week, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sees a three-year deal worth $18-24MM for Marlon Byrd, though he notes the limited demand for center fielders.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman looks at American players who could wind up or remain in Japan in 2010.
- Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell had an excellent first meeting with the Twins Wednesday night, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. In another article, Christensen notes that Glen Perkins settled his service time grievance with the Twins.
Mike Fontenot Gets Super Two Status
Three players – Mike Fontenot, Adam Jones, and Micah Owings – have exactly two years and 139 days of service time. According to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, only one could be designated a Super Two player, and it will be Fontenot. It might seem pretty minor, but once you refresh yourself on what Super Two means, check out these ripple effects from the tiebreaker decision…
- Fontenot is arbitration-eligible now, so the Cubs can't just renew him for $430K. He's coming off a poor season, but he'll still be more expensive in 2010. The Cubs are tight on payroll, so you have to wonder if they'll now trade or non-tender Fontenot. However, Jim Hendry's comments to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune imply the Cubs will retain Fontenot for 2010.
- The Orioles save significant money on Jones, who might've made more than $5MM in 2010 but can now be renewed at less than a tenth of that.
- Owings escapes a possible non-tender situation with the Reds.
- The article names a slew of other Super Twos: Tim Lincecum, Matt Garza, Tom Gorzelanny, Alex Gordon, Matt Albers, Jeff Karstens, Hunter Pence, Dustin Nippert, and Carlos Gomez.
Orioles Rumors: Bedard, Third Base, Adam Jones
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has the buzz on the Orioles…
- President Andy MacPhail said he can't see himself trading a young, talented player for a short-term (one or two-year) fix. He left open the possibility of trading a young player to fill a different, more urgent need long-term.
- Zrebiec says bringing Erik Bedard back to the organization has been discussed.
- The Orioles may acquire bullpen help, but Zrebiec adds, "some team officials would be comfortable starting the season with Koji Uehara as the closer."
- MacPhail admitted the third base supply is strong. Zrebiec says the O's have interest in free agents Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Pedro Feliz, while Dan Uggla and Garrett Atkins are also known to be available.
- The Orioles have not yet spoken to Mark Hendrickson's agent, nor have they made an offer for Aroldis Chapman.
- It was close, but Adam Jones just missed being a Super Two. Since he won't be arbitration-eligible this winter, the Orioles will save millions.
Cardinals Talk: Holliday and Plan B
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has his finger on the pulse of the Cardinals…
- GM John Mozeliak explained that his offer for Matt Holliday will be firm: "I think it's fair to say when we present an offer, that's pretty much going to be our position. We're not really interested in becoming involved in a long, drawn-out back-and-forth." As is typical of these situations, Mozeliak would like the situation to be resolved more quickly than Scott Boras typically works.
- Where would the Holliday money go if the slugger signs elsewhere? A veteran third baseman is one possibility, though the Cards haven't expressed interest in Chone Figgins. Mark DeRosa could still fit at third base or even left field if Holliday leaves.
- Strauss has Mozeliak saying earlier this week that the Holliday money could be allocated toward the rotation (but probably not for a John Lackey signing).
Twins’ Extension Talks For Joe Mauer Have Not Begun
THURSDAY, 8:48am: Mauer told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that contract talks "haven't really started."
WEDNESDAY, 2:00pm: The Twins have begun extension talks with Joe Mauer's agent Ron Shapiro, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That hardly qualifies as news, but I'm guessing Twins fans on this site crave every detail.
Mauer, 27 in April, hit .365/.444/.587 in 606 plate appearances this year. He'll earn $12.5MM in 2010, the last year of an extension signed in February of '07.
Hideki Matsui Reports
There was a throng of Japanese media at the GM Meetings, seemingly in the hunt for Hideki Matsui news the majority of the time. NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman has more today, after yesterday's Red Sox report was misinterpreted and repeated around the web…
- One report has Theo Epstein talking about how David Ortiz is his DH, making Matsui an unlikely match.
- There's word that the Rays could look into Matsui if they move Pat Burrell.
- The Angels could make sense, while the Mets would only if they convince themselves Matsui can play the field.
- Newman likes the White Sox and Orioles as possibilities if the Yankees don't re-sign Matsui.
Top Stories Section
We wrote quite a few posts today, and it's easy to miss items. If you ever want to see the hard news in a quick glance, check the Top Stories section on the right-hand sidebar. And if you are really adamant on getting just the news and not the rumors, you can subscribe to MLBTR's Transactions-Only RSS feed.
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Wasserman Media Group Clients
Today let's take a look at the Wasserman Media Group's free agent clients. Their best known agent is probably Arn Tellem. Here's the list:
Wilson Betemit
Aaron Boone
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
John Grabow
Rich Harden
Shawn Hill
Ryota Igarashi
Reed Johnson
Jason Kendall
Hideki Matsui
Jason Michaels
Guillermo Mota
Vicente Padilla
Wily Mo Pena
Joel Pineiro
Matt Treanor
Randy Wolf
Omar Vizquel
WMG is light on regular position players this year, with Matsui and maybe Kendall qualifying. They've got several of the free agent market's top starters in Harden, Pineiro, and Wolf, with Padilla generating interest as well.
Trade Market: Designated Hitters
There are plenty of DH candidates on the free agent market, but trades are possible too. Here's our look at the DH landscape…
- Milton Bradley, Cubs. The Cubs seem certain to unload Bradley, perhaps on the Rangers, Mets, or Rays (obviously the Mets would have to use Bradley in the outfield). Surely by now you've memorized the fact that he's owed $21MM over the next two seasons.
- Luke Scott, Orioles. Scott came up in our left field analysis. He could fit the mold as an arbitration-eligible trade candidate, in the vein of Jeremy Hermida and Mark Teahen.
- Travis Hafner, Indians. I'm guessing Hafner can be had; he's owed $40.25MM over the next three seasons. His .272/.355/.470 line this year was a step in the right direction though.
- Jack Cust, Athletics. We mentioned Cust in that same left field post, wondering if the A's will tender him a contract next month.
- Pat Burrell, Rays. He's been linked to the Cubs in a possible Bradley swap, though the money doesn't match up and the Cubs would have to flip Burrell or else have ghastly outfield corner defense.
- Mike Jacobs, Royals. The only reason the Royals would tender Jacobs a contract next month would be to save face for last year's Leo Nunez swap.
- David Ortiz, Red Sox. No real indication that he's on the block, but Ortiz is owed $12.5MM next year and slumped to .238/.332/.462 in '09. If only he could have a mulligan on those first two months.