Turnbow Receives Major League Offer
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are one of five teams in serious talks for free agent reliever Derrick Turnbow. A large-market team among those five made a Major League offer to Turnbow. Kovacevic says Turnbow could sign before Christmas.
The Rockies, Giants, and Tigers have also been linked to Turnbow, who stopped pitching in July of this year due to a slight labrum tear. We’ve also heard the Marlins are in the mix.
Mets Rotation Plans
12:20pm: MLB.com’s Marty Noble writes:
The possibility of the Mets signing a lesser alternative isn’t precluded, but the club is unlikely to act on picking up another starter until it’s satisfied it has done all that is possible — and financially feasible — to bring in Lowe.
Noble says the Mets sense Lowe’s price tag is $16-17MM per year.
8:37am: Ken Davidoff of Newsday lays out the Mets’ plans for their starting rotation.
For Oliver Perez‘s slot, the Mets want to either re-sign Perez or sign Derek Lowe. Randy Wolf, Jon Garland, and possibly Tim Redding are the backup plans to these two.
The fifth starter job has sparked an internal debate – it could be given to Jon Niese, or the Mets could bring in competition with pitchers like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, or Eric Milton. This decision will not be made this month.
Updated Diagnosis For Rocco Baldelli
WEDNESDAY: Baldelli told Marc Topkin that more sophisticated tests have revealed "his condition is a less-severe and treatable channelopathy."
TUESDAY: From Ken Bell of ABC6 out of Rhode Island:
Great news for Rocco Baldelli. A visit to the Cleveland Clinic last week revealed that doctors had misdiagnosed his illness. Baldelli missed much of last season, and when he did play, he was limited because of extreme fatigue. Doctors thought it was mitochondrial disorder, which can be fatal. The Baldelli family told me tonight that the Cleveland Clinic diagnosed his condition as channelopathy, a non-progressive, highly treatable disease.
Bell adds that the Red Sox have not contacted Baldelli, who is a free agent. The story is also being reported by WPRI 12 out of Rhode Island.
Pirates Make Offer To Chris Bootcheck
10:56am: Correction – the Pirates have offered a minor league contract to Bootcheck, but no agreement has been reached.
12:15am: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates signed free agent reliever Chris Bootcheck. It’s a minor league deal paying $700K for time spent in the Majors. Bootcheck pitched 54 innings this year at various levels. He missed time with a strained oblique and forearm.
Bootcheck went to the Angels with the 20th overall pick in the 2000 draft; he was advised by Scott Boras. If Bootcheck is still represented by Boras, this move could be viewed as a sign that the Pedro Alvarez drama did not have a lingering effect. Bootcheck hasn’t done much in the Majors, but he does average about 93mph with his fastball.
Wigginton Too Pricey For Twins?
According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
The Twins like Ty Wigginton but believe he’s looking for a bigger contract than the three-year, $17.5 million deal the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Casey Blake. So the Twins have had little to no dialogue with Wigginton’s agent, Dan Lozano.
I had Wigginton pegged for two years and $12MM or so, but he is four years younger than Blake and outhit him in 2008 (though he had 172 fewer plate appearances and was largely aided by Minute Maid Park). If Wiggy can really get a better contract than Blake, it would’ve made sense for the Astros to tender him a contract and then trade him.
Christensen adds that the Twins still have hope for acquiring Mark DeRosa, but talks for Garrett Atkins and Adrian Beltre hit dead ends. Also, Jon Heyman tosses the Twins into the mix for Michael Young. We’d previously heard about the Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Royals discussing him. Heyman did not find evidence talks for Young got serious with any team, though, and he wonders if Young would approve a trade to Minnesota.
In other Twins news, Christensen notes that the Twins expressed interest in free agent reliever Brandon Lyon, who seems to be waiting until Brian Fuentes signs.
Sheets Market Still Developing
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
There’s no evidence Ben Sheets has received any proposals for two years or more yet, though he’s drawing interest from at least the Rangers and Yankees, and very likely his old Brewers team, as well.
As Heyman says, Sheets’ timing was terrible. If his flexor tendon injury had occurred in April and he finished the season strong, he might’ve been looking at three or four years. Instead, the lingering memory of the September injury had a huge effect on his market despite the fact that he made 31 starts in 2008. Heyman says the Yankees may wait to bid on Sheets until they hear Andy Pettitte‘s decision.
As Sheets is a Type A free agent offered arbitration, the Brewers could swipe a first-round pick if he signs elsewhere. Assuming they can’t sign him, they have to be rooting for a new team to jump into the fray since they wouldn’t get a first-round pick from the Rangers or Yankees.
Orlando Cabrera A Long Shot For A’s
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s only have interest in free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera if he can be had as a late bargain. Despite the twists and turns it seems safe to say the A’s are no longer in the mix for Rafael Furcal.
The problems with Cabrera are the loss of a second-round pick and his probable $10MM+ salary demands. Slusser sees a legitimate chance the A’s stick with Bobby Crosby at shortstop for 2009.
Cabrera is said to be the Dodgers’ Plan B, though he carries an even steeper price for them. The Dodgers have the #17 selection in the 2009 amateur draft, the first unprotected pick. The White Sox would be thrilled to get it, and Cabrera’s Elias number is higher than that of any other Type A free agent who was offered arb the Dodgers could plausibly sign. So if the Dodgers sign Cabrera and, say, Oliver Perez, the White Sox still get the #17 pick.
Yankees Going Hard After Manny?
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News talked to one baseball official (presumably not with the Yankees) who believes the Yankees are "going hard" after Manny Ramirez. That official sees the Yanks willing to offer three years, while other execs see them stopping at two years, $50MM. Another source told Feinsand that Brian Cashman isn’t keen on Manny but Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are. Feinsand wonders whether the team’s interest in Ramirez is one reason they’ve put the Mike Cameron trade on hold.
You’ll find a differing point of view from Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff, who do not see the Yankees signing Manny. By the way, Jon Heyman talked to a friend of Manny’s who dismissed the idea of retirement.
Cardinals Rumors: Fuentes, Saito, Kawakami, Uehara
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest on the Cardinals’ hunt for pitching.
GM John Mozeliak is getting impatient with Brian Fuentes‘ agents, who are waiting for the market to develop. They might be waiting for the Angels to jump in, but that won’t happen until the Mark Teixeira situation is resolved. Strauss says the Cardinals have offered two years and $16-18MM, and the ball is in Fuentes’ court. Fuentes, of course, wants three years and more than $30MM. The Cardinals are reluctant to give him the third year.
Strauss says the Cards "may investigate the availability" of Takashi Saito, though the Dodgers hope to re-sign him. Strauss also learned that Mozeliak met with the agents for Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara at the Winter Meetings.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Tuesday
12:07am: Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald does not believe the Red Sox will go beyond eight years for Teixeira.
10:32am: WEEI has a transcript of comments from Karl Ravech of ESPN regarding Tex. Ravech believes "a decision is getting closer and closer to being made." He says teams are escalating their offers and Teixeira should land in the $22-28MM salary range. You can also hear Ravech’s comments in a video at ESPN.com (upper right corner).
8:24am: According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox made an offer to Mark Teixeira. Silverman believes it to be for eight years. Tex is believed to be seeking more than $21MM per year, closer to Alex Rodriguez‘s $27.5MM per year.
The Angels are reportedly at eight years and at least $160MM, the Orioles around seven years, $140-150MM, and the Nationals at eight years, $160MM.