Rosenthal On Hudson, Pudge, Cabrera, Edmonds
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Orlando Hudson would like to play for the Royals, but currently they cannot afford him even at a likely salary under $5MM. They could free up most of the cash by releasing Mark Teahen, but Rosenthal’s source says the Royals are "unwilling to make such a move." Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals-Hudson idea in this blog post. The Dodgers are the only other known suitor, though the fit there is questionable in my opinion.
- The Mets aren’t serious about signing Ivan Rodriguez, though they have discussed it. The Mets already have $7.4MM committed to their current catching tandem. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post goes further, saying the Mets "aren’t interested" in Rodriguez.
- Currently the A’s are unwilling to meet Orlando Cabrera‘s asking price. They are willing to sacrifice their second-round pick for him if they get their price.
- Jim Edmonds is "attracting virtually no interest." Edmonds can still hit righties, so you’d think someone would make an offer.
Cardinals Finish Arbitration Cases
The Cardinals have reached agreements with their five arbitration-eligible players. Here are the details, courtesy of Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball:
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2009 Cardinals Players in Salary Arbitration
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|||||
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#
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Date
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Player Name
|
Service Time
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Position
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Agreement
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|
1
|
1/19/09
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Chris Duncan |
2.144
|
OF
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1/$825K
|
|
2
|
1/19/09
|
Todd Wellemeyer |
5.009
|
RP
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1/$4.05M
|
|
3
|
1/20/09
|
Brad Thompson
|
3.11
|
RP
|
1/$650K
|
|
4
|
2/12/09
|
‡ Rick Ankiel
|
5.033
|
OF
|
1/$2.825M
|
|
5
|
2/16/09
|
‡ Ryan Ludwick |
3.109
|
OF
|
1/$3.7M
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‡ Settlement reached after player exchanged figures with club
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday
8:03pm: As reported by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp did a bit of campaigning today for Manny:
"I compare him to Kobe Bryant," said Kemp. "He makes everybody around him better. Manny’s the Kobe Bryant of baseball. Of course we want him back and of course we need him. He’s a freak."
2:08pm: Everyone’s getting a bit tired of the Manny Ramirez stuff these days, but we do have an amusing link from yesterday courtesy of MLB.com’s Chris Haft. Haft spoke to Giants reliever Billy Sadler, who spent the offseason working out with Manny. Ramirez apparently picked up Sadler’s tab at Athlete’s Performance in Florida. Sadler had this to say about Manny’s future:
"It was funny. He came in a couple of times and said, ‘Billy, I’m going to be a Giant!’"
Ken Griffey Jr. Rumors: Monday
5:01pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Griffey met with Braves GM Frank Wren earlier today. It sounds like Junior will be making his decision on Tuesday.
Wren is scheduled to meet with Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, on Tuesday and in the hours that follow, the veteran outfielder will likely announce whether he’ll be playing for the Braves or Mariners this year, writes Bowman.
1:10pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has more on the topic. He’s learned that Griffey will decide today or early tomorrow at the latest.
10:00am: Over the weekend we learned that Ken Griffey Jr. is campaigning to play for the Braves, and they may be willing to offer him $1.5MM.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Griffey may decide today. One of Rosenthal’s sources still believes it could go either way (Braves or Mariners). Both teams are considering Griffey and Garret Anderson.
Halladay A Midseason Trade Candidate?
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote yesterday about possible midseason trade candidates, Roy Halladay in particular. He says Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi "did not discount" the possibility of Halladay being this year’s C.C. Sabathia, snagging this quote from Ricciardi:
"Ownership wants no part of trading Roy at this time. He’s the face of the organization. Right now we are not thinking about going down that road. But that is what we feel in February. Who knows how you feel in June? We have thought about it, this has not escaped us [that Halladay could leave as a free agent, and trading him might be best for the long-term health of the organization]. In June, we may have to say. ‘Is this the way we want to go?’ It will be up to ownership, and ownership has a strong attachment to Doc."
Halladay is signed at a reasonable $14.25MM this year and $15.75MM for ’10. Ricciardi also said the Jays could attempt to extend Halladay’s contract this spring. Sherman also learned that the Jays tried to trade Vernon Wells this winter. Wells is owed $100MM over the next six seasons, and has a full no-trade clause. He hired a personal trainer who will shadow him this season in an attempt to keep him healthy.
MLB To Lend A Hand To Type As
MONDAY: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has more on the topic. He says:
Major League Baseball, the players’ union, the Diamondbacks and Cruz’s agents are in discussions to facilitate a sign-and-trade involving Cruz that adheres to the collective-bargaining agreement. Free agents cannot be traded before June 15 without their consent, but the union will permit Cruz and other Type A players to waive that right, according to Rob Manfred, baseball’s executive vice-president of labor relations.
Rosenthal says the D’Backs are not discussing this kind of scenario with Hudson’s agents, and it’s unknown whether Cabrera and the White Sox are talking about it. Rosenthal says there would be a window, perhaps 48 hours, for the team to make a deal. If no deal is made then the player would remain a free agent.
SUNDAY: La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests MLB might allow for a workaround for Type A free agents:
There have been rumblings that Major League Baseball, which is aware that Type A free agents like Juan Cruz and infielders Orlando Hudson and Orlando Cabrera have been hindered by the compensation rules, are willing to make it easier for teams to sign then trade those free agents. For example, Arizona could sign Cruz to a contract that the Twins are willing to take on. The Twins and Diamondbacks would then work out a trade for Cruz. The Twins could land Cruz without losing a draft pick.
No word on what MLB would do to facilitate these sign n’ trades. Perhaps they’d just give their approval.
Neal notes that the Twins have discussed Cruz internally, but wouldn’t be willing to give up their #23 pick in the June draft for him. Also keep in mind that the Twins just brought in reliever Luis Ayala.
Ludwick, Cardinals Close To Agreement
According to MLB.com’s Matthew Leach, the Cardinals are close to an agreement with outfielder Ryan Ludwick on his ’09 salary. Ludwick cancelled plans to fly to Arizona for his hearing tomorrow. Both Ludwick and Cards GM John Mozeliak say small details remain. Ludwick had requested $4.25MM, the Cardinals $2.8MM.
Odds and Ends: Maddux, Beltre, Cordero
Links for Monday…
- RotoAuthority discusses possible lineup position changes for star players.
- Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions.
- Greg Maddux has joined the Padres as a Spring Training instructor, says MLB.com’s Corey Brock.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News learned that Adrian Beltre enjoys hitting in AT&T Park and would be excited to play for the Giants. Baggarly wonders if the Giants could attempt to acquire Beltre this summer. The third baseman and Scott Boras client will be a free agent after the season.
- Shawn Estes, currently in camp with the Dodgers, will retire if he can’t make a Major League roster according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
- A Mets official told Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that the team is unlikely to sign free agent reliever Chad Cordero.
- Jake Peavy talked more about the failed attempts to trade him during the winter (Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
- The Mariners added catcher Jason Phillips on a minor league deal, according to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
Orlando Hudson May Sign Soon
From ESPN’s Buster Olney this morning:
Orlando Hudson is expected to make a decision soon about where he will sign — by Wednesday, perhaps. Hudson won’t get the type of contract he had hoped for this winter, and likely will need to settle for a one-year contract. But if he has a strong season and stays healthy at age 31, Hudson would put himself in position to receive a solid three-year deal in the fall.
Hudson doesn’t have many suitors currently. The Nationals are out, and the Royals are a long shot. The Dodgers, Cubs, and White Sox have been mentioned at various points in recent weeks. Hudson, however, comes with the added cost of the first-round draft pick of those teams. Maybe certain clubs will re-engage if a sign-and-trade can be done.
Rays Close To Two-Year Deal With Willy Aybar
MONDAY, 10:39am: MLB.com’s Bill Chastain says Aybar is pleased about his new deal with the Rays and it will be announced soon.
TUESDAY, 5:44pm: The Tampa Tribune’s Marc Lancaster confirms Topkin’s report and has gathered a quote from VP of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman:
“It’s premature to comment on it, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re very close.”
3:10pm: According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are closing in on a two-year deal with an option for infielder Willy Aybar. Aybar is a Super Two player (he has four arbitration years). He’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.