Cubs Likely To Sign John Grabow
1:47pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune believes a Grabow deal may be finalized "in the next week or so."
9:12am: The Cubs are nearing a deal with lefty reliever John Grabow, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers say the Cubs are "making progress" on a possible two-year deal. Of course, we've read these rumors for a few weeks now.
Blue Jays, Mariners Discuss Overbay Trade
The Blue Jays and Mariners have discussed a deal involving first baseman Lyle Overbay, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers say Overbay "would welcome" a deal, and note that he's been coming up in multiple rumors. Overbay almost went back to Arizona in a deal for Chris Snyder before the Blue Jays backed out.
At $7MM next year, Overbay is reasonably priced. Nonetheless, the Jays seem to prefer to go in another direction at first base. Aside from the Mariners and D'Backs, the Orioles, A's, Rangers, Braves, Mets, and Giants might have openings at first.
Reds Talk: Votto, Budget, Olivo
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has the latest on the Reds, after talking with GM Walt Jocketty.
- Asked about trading Joey Votto, Jocketty replied, "Oh God, no."
- The Reds are restricted by their payroll, but Jocketty said, "not yet" as far as trading players to make the budget. Check out our Reds Offseason Outlook for details on their commitments.
- If the Reds can't negotiate a new deal with Ramon Hernandez, Fay feels that they might consider free agent catcher Miguel Olivo.
Freddy Guzman, Josh Towers Elect Free Agency
Freddy Guzman and Josh Towers were outrighted by the Yankees and elected free agency, according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Towers would've been arbitration-eligible.
Guzman, 29 in January, hit .223/.272/.294 in 381 plate appearances for four Triple A teams this year. Towers, 33 in February, posted a 3.05 ERA in 103.3 Triple A innings for two clubs.
Anthopoulos Would Deal Within Division
Same-division dealing won't be a big factor for new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Said Anthopoulos:
That will never be a stumbling block, if we get the return that we feel, no matter what player it is. We're trying to worry about the Toronto Blue Jays and what makes us a better team.
A comment like that tends to fuel the fire regarding rumors that the Red Sox or Yankees will have interest in Roy Halladay. Indeed, SI's Jon Heyman just tweeted that the Yanks plan to inquire.
Rockies Rumors: Hawpe, Atkins, Barmes, Street
Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post has the Rockies hot stove chatter; let's take a look.
- GM Dan O'Dowd explained that, "There is a difference between listening and attempting to move a player." Brad Hawpe falls squarely into the "listening" category. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Rockies would probably seek a right-handed hitting outfielder and a reliever for Hawpe.
- New contracts for O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy are still pending a few small details.
- The Rockies are trying to trade Garrett Atkins. If and when they fail, they'll release him. So rather than wait until the December 12th non-tender deadline, Atkins should join the free agent ranks by November 20th at the latest. The Rangers have "moderate interest" in Atkins, according to Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Rockies will attempt to sign arbitration-eligible players Clint Barmes and Huston Street to multiyear deals, but if that doesn't work they'll simply get one-year contracts.
- Catcher Paul Phillips who had 54 plate appearances with the big club this year, is expected to be designated for assignment re-signed to a minor league deal to create 40-man roster space.
- Click here to read Monday's Rockies rumors.
Marlins Rumors: Lindstrom, Cantu, Uggla
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald packs his Marlins rumors into one paragraph:
We hear the Marlins have been getting trade inquiries about Matt Lindstrom and are considering dealing him. One Marlins official said Leo Nuñez seems better-suited to close games. The Marlins lean toward keeping Jorge Cantu (who has drawn interest) but would consider an extraordinary offer. Dan Uggla remains likely to be dealt.
It's fitting to see Lindstrom's name on the trading block, since he's arbitration-eligible for the first time. Lindstrom had an ugly year; he spent time on the DL with an elbow strain.
The Marlins' desire to retain Cantu is surprising. His salary will continue to increase in 2010, and he's shaky defensively.
Mariners Reach Agreement With Ken Griffey Jr.
11:53am: The Mariners confirmed the news in a press release. A quote from Griffey:
I look forward to contributing in any role that Don (Wakamatsu) sees fit on the field, and any manner I possibly can off the field.
10:54am: The Mariners have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with Ken Griffey Jr., according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Junior's new contract is similar to last year's. SI's Jon Heyman says it's a $2MM base with incentives that could exceed $1MM. The Griffey signing did no harm a year ago, but this time around it makes less sense.
Griffey, who turns 40 soon, hit .214/.324/.411 in 454 plate appearances, earning $2MM plus incentives. He mostly served as the team's DH, logging 83 outfield innings. Griffey had arthroscopic knee surgery last month.
One ripple effect: the Mariners are presumably crossed off Hideki Matsui's list, tweets Jon Heyman. Another could be Ryan Langerhans being non-tendered, suggests U.S.S. Mariner's Dave Cameron.
Yankees May Let Chien-Ming Wang Leave
The Yankees "will be very cautious" with pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees always preferred to go year-to-year with Wang, so this is nothing new. Wang is certain to be non-tendered, but the Yankees may be reluctant to do any kind of deal. From Sherman:
I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.
Wang, 30 in March, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his shoulder capsule back in July. He hopes to throw a rehab game by April or May.
Milton Bradley Suitors
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune takes a look at the Milton Bradley situation in an article this morning.
Sullivan, like many, sees the Rangers as the favorite. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News looks at all the factors there.
Giants GM Brian Sabean was quizzed about a possible bad contract swap for Bradley, and shot down the idea. The Mets and Rays appear in the mix to a certain extent, with Omar Minaya even admitting he'll talk to Jim Hendry about it. Luis Castillo figures to be in that discussion, but Sullivan says reports suggest Mets ownership may be anti-Bradley.
ESPN's Bruce Levine adds more detail. He says Hendry spent over an hour Monday with the Rays discussing a Bradley-Pat Burrell swap, with the $12MM salary difference a key. A similar gap exists with Kevin Millwood, who Levine believes the Rangers would "gladly" swap for Bradley. However, Levine says the Rangers will only take about $4MM of Bradley's contract at this point.
A few other notes from Sullivan: the Cubs remain fans of Marlon Byrd, who is now a free agent. That interest suggests that the Cubs' "left-handed bat" obsession from a year ago has gone by the boards. Sullivan also mentions that the Cubs "are in no hurry to open up talks with Derrek Lee on a contract extension." Lee will earn $13MM in 2010 in the last year of his contract.