Odds and Ends: Andruw, Marquis, Coonelly
Links for Monday…
- In his first post for RotoAuthority, David Chase looks at players who were said to have lost weight or gained muscle during Spring Training ’08. How did they perform in ’08?
- The Red Sox inked infielder Nick Green to a minor league deal.
- Murray Chass explains why the New York Times Company’s purchase of a share of the Red Sox was a conflict of interest.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik: "We’ve got an offer out right now for a piece of the puzzle, and I’d hope to hear in the next few days."
- David Laurila talked to new Mariners exec Tony Blengino. One of many interesting quotes (in reference to the Bill Bavasi regime and the ’07 club): "I thought that it was clear going in that, with all due respect, they overrated their team from the last year."
The Yankees will introduce Mark Teixeira tomorrow. He passed his physical today. - River Ave. Blues and Peter Abraham ask whether the Yankees should consider Andruw Jones. Evan Brunell looks at other possible fits.
- The Dodgers talked to the Cubs about Jason Marquis, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly joins Mark Attanasio (Brewers) and Drayton McLane (Astros) in supporting a salary cap.
- Jeff Moorad might be aggressive in the draft if he takes over the Padres. Tom Krasovic adds that the Padres have already discussed spending up to $6MM on their #3 pick this June.
- Keith Law likes the Angels’ Brian Fuentes signing, and doesn’t think the Indians gave up much for Mark DeRosa.
- If the Indians are to add another significant player, they’ll have to get creative with contracts.
- RAB and In Mo We Trust discuss Kevin Kernan’s recent suggestion that the Yanks sign Oliver Perez over Andy Pettitte.
- A couple of recent Hot Stove Dailies from Jeff Passan: the Braves and A’s.
- Athletics Nation asks whether Brian Sabean is "out-GMing" Billy Beane this winter.
- Sox Machine on why the Gavin Floyd–Brian Roberts rumor makes no sense.
Eight Phillies Eligible For Arbitration
David Murphy notes the Phillies’ large group of arbitration-eligible players: Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Ryan Madson, Joe Blanton, Chad Durbin, and Greg Dobbs. Scott Lauber suggests their combined salaries could double in 2009 – from $19MM to $38MM.
Murphy says there’s not much of a precedent for Hamels, who will easily top Chien Ming Wang‘s $4MM from last year. Ryan Howard also stands to tack millions on to last year’s $10MM award. Negotiations for a long-term deal are not active for either player, but the Phils will probably at least discuss it with Hamels’ agent. Between these two players, the Phillies may add $10MM to the payroll. Most of the others will also receive raises exceeding $1MM.
Japanese Baseball Rumors
A few rumors from NPB, courtesy of Patrick Newman.
- Lefty reliever Koji Mitsui will be posted again; all 30 MLB teams declined to bid the first time.
- The Chiba Lotte Marines may be prepared to offer Tadahito Iguchi two years and $4.4MM or so. Such a deal would not have been available in the States.
- Remember John Wasdin? He has a one-year deal with the Seibu Lions.
Rangers Rumors: Manny, Sheets, Gagne, Young
SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in with a post on the Rangers; most of the info came up during his recent MLB Network appearance.
- Heyman says the Rangers "are considering a pursuit" of Manny Ramirez, noting that Jon Daniels isn’t currently pursuing him but didn’t rule it out. Heyman still considers the Dodgers and Giants the top suitors. El Lefty Malo doesn’t seem him landing with San Francisco.
- The Rangers maintain interest in Ben Sheets and are also considering bringing Eric Gagne back. T.R. Sullivan also mentions Tim Redding, Chad Cordero, Jason Isringhausen, and Eddie Guardado.
- The Rangers have received inquiries on Vicente Padilla (Braves) and Michael Young. Young has been loosely linked to the Twins, Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Royals. Sullivan names Hank Blalock and Kevin Millwood as other trade candidates.
Active Week Ahead?
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who said:
"I expect to be a little more active, and I think you’re more likely to get calls returned at this time of the year. I think this week will see a lot of stuff going on. Players start to get a little nervous after [New Year’s Day] if they don’t have a place to play."
Over 150 free agents remain unsigned, so it seems that a lot of the typical December action will be pushed to January. Keep it right here with MLBTR; we won’t miss a beat.
Rangers Not Pursuing Manny Ramirez
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan spoke to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who said:
"We’ve looked at some right handed options for the lineup but we’re not pursuing Manny [Ramirez] at this time."
Chatter was sparked earlier today by a recent Jon Heyman appearance on the MLB Network where he said the Rangers have interest in Manny. But there’s nothing on Heyman’s blog on the topic currently. Tim Brown, sizing up the market for Ramirez, talked to a Rangers source who said they’re "unlikely" to sign him.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Friday
11:00pm: Schulman says the Giants have had conversations with Boras about Manny, but have not extended a formal offer. Nothing is imminent, and the Giants are considering other options via trade and free agency.
3:33pm: The Chronicle’s Henry Schulman doesn’t have anything new on the KPIX report yet. But he’s heard that the Dodgers offered Manny $60MM over three years at some point and were turned down.
2:40pm: MLB.com’s Chris Haft splashes some cold water on the KPIX-TV rumor. His sources say recent reports linking the Giants to Manny are overblown. The Dodgers may be the only truly interested team currently. Haft says the Giants are looking to add a corner infield bat instead (they’ve been linked to Edwin Encarnacion and Jorge Cantu in the past, among others).
1:30pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman was able to confirm that the Giants entered the bidding for Manny. He says the Dodgers remain interested, and that "some baseball people" aren’t writing off the Angels despite Tony Reagins’ public statement. Heyman adds that one or two other AL teams are on the periphery, the Yankees not among them.
6:05am: There’s a rumor making the rounds from Dennis O’Donnell of KPIX-TV of San Francisco. O’Donnell says the Giants have offered Manny Ramirez a four-year deal. Reasons to treat the report with skepticism:
- O’Donnell says it’s a fourth-year club option, so it was inaccurate to call it a four-year offer.
- We haven’t heard anything about this from the Giants beat writers or national reporters, who have a better track record than television stations. Henry Schulman covers the Giants for the San Francisco Chronicle, and he says the team "could consider Ramirez under very specific financial conditions." He was probably not referring to a three or four-year offer.
- O’Donnell was told by a team spokeman, "It’s not happening." Scott Boras’ publicist "had no knowledge of any negotiations with the Giants," according to O’Donnell.
Odds and Ends: Bard, Cubs, Guardado
Links for Friday (feels like a Monday)…
- Boston’s deal for catcher Josh Bard is official. Bard had offers from the Cubs and Nationals as well.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman ranks the top 20 remaining free agents.
- RotoAuthority asks readers to name their #1 sleeper for 2009.
- The Marlins reportedly have interest in reliever Jesus Colome.
- MLB.com’s Barry Bloom explains that the arbitration filing period begins Monday. He gives a nice primer on the arbitration system for those that need to brush up. Ryan Howard is due for another big raise.
- Buster Olney does not like the Cubs’ recent moves, particularly the Mark DeRosa trade.
- Jeff Wilson says the Rangers remain in contact with free agent reliever Eddie Guardado.
D’Backs Re-Sign Tony Clark
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Diamondbacks have re-signed Tony Clark to a one-year deal worth about $800K. Clark, 36, .225/.359/.318 in 184 plate appearances for the Padres and D’Backs this year. His power seems to come and go.
Sherman’s Latest: Red Sox, Lowe, Manny
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a new blog post up.
- The Red Sox would like to trade for a young star player; they’ve already attempted to acquire Mark Teixeira and Hanley Ramirez this offseason. The Sox seem willing to discuss some very talented young players of their own (Clay Buchholz seems a bit more available). Sherman speculates on all kinds of names that could make sense for Boston.
- Derek Lowe is not keen on taking less money and the same salary as Carlos Silva. He and Scott Boras will take some time to see if someone can beat the Mets’ three-year, $36MM offer. Ken Rosenthal wrote in November that most executives consider the Silva contract an aberration.
- Sherman finds many reasons Manny Ramirez could make sense for the Giants. He notes that Giants special assistant J.T. Snow can give the team the inside scoop on what it was like to be teammates with Manny.
- The Cubs would’ve liked to send Jason Marquis home to New York (the Mets), but the Mets are addressing their needs one at a time and aren’t looking at the fifth starter role yet. Sherman says the Rockies have long been fans of Marquis and like his bat. He could accumulate 80 plate appearances, I suppose.