Andy Pettitte Open To Astros?
According to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, free agent lefty Andy Pettitte "might be softening his opposition to rejoining the Astros." Davidoff believes a deal with the Yankees is in jeopardy, though the sides continue to talk. Davidoff says Xavier Nady "figures to be dealt now" as another way to trim payroll.
Pettitte may be amenable to a Houston return, but it takes two to tango. So far this winter the Astros have already pulled their offer to Randy Wolf and non-tendered their starting third baseman Ty Wigginton.
Brewers, Dodgers Pursuing Hoffman
11:27pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers have emerged as the frontrunner for Hoffman.
10:19pm: Bill Shaikin says Hoffman will make his decision Thursday. Kevin Towers said tonight that the Padres "just don’t have the money" to retain their longtime closer. He added that if Hoffman would’ve accepted their $4MM offer they it would’ve been hard to exercise Brian Giles‘ $9MM option.
9:07pm: Tom Haudricourt spoke with Doug Melvin and Melvin believes that the Brewers have a legitimate shot at landing Hoffman. He does not believe the team is not being used to drive up the offer from the Dodgers. Melvin is confident based on his previous work with agent Rick Thurman. Melvin and Thurman have agreed to speak again tomorrow morning.
4:11pm: Jon Heyman believes the Brewers are making a stronger move for Hoffman.
3:36pm: Both offers from the Dodgers and Brewers are for one year with a club option, and both exceed $4MM. Hoffman’s agent (Rick Thurman) expects to have a deal within 48 hours. A requirement of Hoffman signing is that he is the closer. The Brewers have not heard back today from Thurman yet.
11:19am: Brown has confirmed that the Brewers made an offer as well.
WEDNESDAY, 8:43am: Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the Dodgers offered Hoffman a one-year contract worth more than $4MM. Hoffman would take the ninth inning in L.A. Buster Olney confirms the one-year offer as well, but neither Olney nor Shaikin mention the club option Brown did.
TUESDAY, 11:11pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown says the Dodgers offered Hoffman a one-year deal with a club option. Brown suspects the Brewers have made an offer as well. Hoffman is "thought to prefer Southern California," though he might have to take a setup role in L.A. At this point, the Padres have not reconciled with Hoffman or restored their offer.
8:16pm: Haudricourt says the Brewers have to battle geography if they hope to win the Hoffman sweepstakes.
6:37pm: Hoffman is in discussion with the Brewers over the "parameters of a contract" according to Ken Rosenthal. His source, who has knowledge of the negotiations, says, "It’s got legs."
5:37pm: Jon Heyman echoes the Brewers and Dodgers are in the running and that Hoffman "could sign in coming days." Heyman reiterates Hoffman’s interest to say close to his "home base" in Anaheim, CA.
1:21pm: Hoffman’s agent says they have mutual interest with the Brewers, though Haudricourt got the impression they may seek two years.
10:13am: Tom Haudricourt talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who indicated Trevor Hoffman is the team’s top choice to fill the closer role. The two sides have talked parameters and Melvin hopes to learn his chances soon as discussions continue. The Brewers’ main competition might be the Dodgers, but Hoffman would have a lock on the ninth inning in Milwaukee. Haudricourt believes the Brewers want to do a one-year deal with an option.
Orioles Rumors: Roberts, Uehara, Zaun, Pudge
10:46pm: Roch Kubatko says Zaun wants a two-year deal but the Orioles prefer one year. The O’s are also talking with Ivan Rodriguez. Kubatko adds that Kenshin Kawakami was seeking a three-year deal. In another post, Kubatko says the O’s have no interest in Shelley Duncan, but Richie Sexson and Ty Wigginton are possibilities for first base. Peter Schmuck adds Nick Swisher, Ryan Garko, Billy Butler, and Ryan Shealy as trade possibilities.
Dan Connolly says the Orioles offered Brian Roberts a multiyear extension at about $10MM per, but the two sides have not made progress and Roberts doesn’t want talks dragging into the season. Andy MacPhail said he hasn’t had trade talks for Roberts for at least a month. As for Nick Markakis, the sides were about $10MM apart on a possible six-year extension.
11:31am: Orioles notes…
- As you know, the Orioles reached an agreement with their first-ever Japanese player, Koji Uehara. It’s a two-year deal worth $10MM guaranteed, with another $6MM in incentives and bonuses. Patrick Newman offers commentary on the signing, which is not getting a ton of press in the Japanese media. Keith Law wonders if Baltimore was a wise choice for Uehara.
- Dan Connolly says the Orioles’ immediate priority is now to add a catcher, with Gregg Zaun and Ivan Rodriguez the candidates.
- Peter Schmuck says the O’s are looking for a reserve infielder as well. They’ve talked to Chris Gomez‘s agent and Willie Bloomquist "might be another possibility."
Jake Peavy Rumors: Wednesday
10:37pm: Kevin Towers said tonight the Braves made a good offer for Peavy a few months ago, but it was unclear whether Peavy would approve a trade there. He also said a proposal from the Cubs "would fill several holes" on the Padres’ roster. Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod says a framework was in place with the Cubs at the Winter Meetings but they were "trying to fill out that framework" by acquiring some pieces.
Bruce Miles runs through the chances of the Cubs signing various free agent starters mentioned below.
3:32pm: Padres CEO Sandy Alderson doesn’t believe there have been new talks with the Cubs, though that is not exactly what Wittenmyer said below. Alderson said it’s likely Peavy will be with the Padres on Opening Day. He added that the Padres were never that close to a deal with the Braves and did not have an offer from the Cubs on which they could give a yes or no. Also, he doesn’t believe the team’s impending sale changes their position on Peavy.
10:03am: According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, "those close to Jim Hendry expect him to restart the Jake Peavy talks" now that the Cubs have unloaded salary with the Jason Marquis trade. Hendry admitted yesterday he hopes to add another pitcher before Opening Day.
Wittenmyer notes that the Cubs’ 2010 payroll was unaffected by the recent moves, so Hendry would need a nod from the new ownership group before taking on Peavy’s contract. The new ownership could be in place with just enough time for the Cubs to swing a Peavy deal, Wittenmyer believes.
As alternatives, Wittenmyer suggests Braden Looper and Tim Redding would fit better financially than Derek Lowe. Dave van Dyck wonders if Andy Pettitte could be a fit. Bob Klapisch says the Mets have considered Pettitte.
Pirates Still In On Baldelli
7:53pm Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times says Baldelli could be close to signing, saying "there were indications Wednesday that a deal could be completed very soon." It is not clear whether this is based on reading other reports or if he has inside information. Topkin does write that a return to the Rays "doesn’t seem likely" noting that the Rays have very limited funds available after signing Pat Burrell.
1:44pm Dejan Kovacevic talked to a source directly involved in the Rocco Baldelli negotiations who believes the field may be down to the Pirates and two AL teams at this point. The Rays and Reds seem less likely to sign Baldelli given their recent signings. I imagine the Red Sox are one of the remaining AL clubs.
Kovacevic says all of the contracts being discussed are short term and heavy on bonuses.
Renck On Redding, Fogg, Jennings
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post weighs in on various free agent pitchers.
- The Rockies are a long shot for Tim Redding following their Jason Marquis acquisition. The Mets and Orioles still like him; he may command $2.5-3MM.
- Josh Fogg would like to return to Colorado, but has drawn interest from other teams as well.
- The Rangers and D’Backs are interested in Jason Jennings. Jennings missed most of the season after signing with Texas for $4MM. He had surgery in May to repair a torn flexor tendon in his forearm.
- The Mets are one team with an eye on outfielder Cory Sullivan.
Braves Rumors: Andruw Jones, Kawakami
4:04pm: More on Kawakami from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. He’s apparently narrowed his focus to a small group of teams. Bowman isn’t sure if the Braves are in that group but he says Kawakami is impressed with the organization.
11:35am: Today we have a few rumors from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus. The Braves "will likely sign Andruw Jones" if the Dodgers end up releasing him. Perrotto also believes the Braves are in the lead for Kenshin Kawakami.
Royals Sign Vance Wilson
According to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, the Royals signed catcher Vance Wilson to a minor league deal. Wilson has been dealing with an elbow injury for a while now.
Marlins Avoid Arbitration With Logan Kensing
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Marlins avoided arbitration with reliever Logan Kensing by signing him for $660K.
Odds and Ends: Crede, Swisher, Astros
Links for Wednesday…
- RotoAuthority identifies a bunch of sleepers who had between 200-400 at-bats in 2008 in posts here and here.
- Joe Crede remains on the Rangers’ radar, but they have not made an offer.
- All kinds of interesting thoughts from Peter Gammons.
- Fred Claire contrasts Pat Burrell and Milton Bradley.
- Dave Sheinin says the Nationals inquired on Nick Swisher, but their offer did not impress the Yankees. Chico Harlan mentioned the same yesterday. Joel Sherman notes that the Mets and Braves had interest in Swisher before he was traded to the Yankees.
- In that post, Sherman also predicts the contracts for Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez.
- The Astros are mostly done, unless Drayton McLane pulls a surprise move.
- Murray Chass reflects on Carl Pohlad.
- Eric Stashin talked to Wayne Graczyk of the Japan Times about various Japanese pitchers.