Orioles Notes: Jones, Hardy, Fielder, Saunders
Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette recently told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that he's not sure if this year's everyday second baseman is currently on the team's roster. The Orioles are also looking for starters and outfielders while considering trades. Here's the latest…
- Talks between the Braves and Orioles about Adam Jones are “nowhere,” according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Braves won’t trade a top young starter for Jones, so there’s no momentum for a deal. However, talks remain fluid and Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens could be involved. The Braves are understandably reluctant to part with pitchers such as Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Randall Delgado.
- Shortstop J.J. Hardy said yesterday on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Report that he thinks former teammate Prince Fielder would "help [the Orioles] out a lot," according to Kubatko.
- Free agent lefty Joe Saunders confirmed to Hardy that he’s been in contact with the Orioles recently. Baltimore has interest in Saunders, who could land a multiyear deal.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun doesn't expect former Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail to take over Joe Torre's recently vacated position at MLB, but he expects the longtime executive will "eventually take a position of significance within the sport."
Orioles Acquire Jai Miller
WEDNESDAY, 7:38am: The A's received $45K for Miller, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
TUESDAY, 1:06pm: The Orioles acquired outfielder Jai Miller from the Athletics for cash considerations, according to a press release. Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said in a statement, "Jai Miller has the power, speed, base stealing skills and good athletic ability to be an asset in our outfield as he competes for a spot on our ballclub this spring." With the Orioles' trade of Brandon Snyder to the Rangers, their 40-man roster remains full.
Miller, 26, hit .276/.368/.588 with 32 home runs in 475 Triple-A plate appearances this year, his fourth stint at the level. He spent most of his time in center and right field.
Miller was originally drafted by the Marlins in the fourth round in 2003. He was designated for assignment in April of 2010, claimed a few days later by the A's, designated again that same month, claimed by the Royals a few days later, and outrighted in November of 2010, at which point he signed back with the A's as a free agent. The A's then designated Miller for assignment in late December of 2011 after trading Gio Gonzalez.
Coco Crisp Decides Where To Sign
2:29pm: An announcement from Crisp's new team should come today or tomorrow, Comte tells Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group. Comte ruled out the Cubs, while Stiglich gets the impression Crisp could return to the A's.
TUESDAY, 7:33am: Though the Orioles talked to Crisp's agent, Heyman does not believe they are the team he chose. The O's are looking elsewhere for a leadoff hitter.
MONDAY, 8:55pm: The Orioles have been talking to Crisp in recent days and they’re interested in signing him, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, it hasn’t been confirmed that the Orioles are the mystery team.
7:19pm: Coco Crisp won’t be on the open market much longer. The free agent outfielder has decided which team he’ll sign with, agent Steve Comte told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Basically, we just have to let that team know," Comte told Slusser.
The Athletics want to re-sign Crisp, according to Slusser. They’ve been in touch with him all offseason, but 12-13 other teams have discussed Crisp with Comte. The A’s have also spoken to free agent Ryan Ludwick, according to Slusser. Oakland selected Ludwick in the second round of the 1999 draft and traded him to the Rangers three years later.
The switch-hitting Crisp led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The California native seems to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he’s also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself.
Orioles Rumors: Adam Jones, Tommy Hanson, Fielder
The Orioles acquired Jai Miller today and also sent Brandon Snyder to Texas. The latest on the team…
- Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com he wants to improve the Orioles' "on-base capability from top to bottom." Duquette isn't sure he currently has a .380 OBP guy, and isn't sure if his second baseman is currently on the roster. The free agents with the best 2011 OBPs include Casey Kotchman, Chris Snyder, Carlos Pena, and Pat Burrell.
- The Orioles haven't made contract with Luke Scott since non-tendering him on December 12th, reports Kubatko.
- The Orioles are fairly confident they will add another outfielder, though that wouldn't necessarily portend an Adam Jones trade, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles were not overly intrigued by the Braves' offer of Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, and a minor league pitcher. Connolly doesn't see Jurrjens as a centerpiece for a Jones trade. Instead, the Orioles are intrigued by Tommy Hanson.
- Connolly notes that an extension remains possible for Jones, who is under team control for two more years. January is always a big month for extensions.
- An Orioles source told Connolly they would not offer Prince Fielder the seven-year, $140MM deal Mark Teixeira rejected three years ago. For the Orioles to sign Fielder, Connolly feels that his market would have to completely collapse, and he finds that highly unlikely. Connolly reiterates that agent Scott Boras and Fielder "did not meet with [Orioles owner] Peter Angelos despite being in the area – which I thought should demonstrate once and for all that the Orioles really aren’t anywhere near the frontburner of this issue and Fielder's side isn't forcing it."
Rangers Acquire Brandon Snyder
The Rangers acquired infielder Brandon Snyder from the Orioles for cash considerations, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Snyder, 25, was drafted 13th overall by the Orioles in 2005, a first round that has become legendary for the talent produced.
Snyder gave up catching after the 2006 season and now plays the infield corners. In 2011 he hit .261/.312/.406 in 494 Triple-A plate appearances, his third stint at the level.
Orioles Eyeing Chen, Jackson, Maholm
Wei-Yin Chen, Edwin Jackson, and Paul Maholm are among the pitchers of interest to the Orioles as they seek to further upgrade their rotation, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Their interest in Chen has been known for a while, and last Thursday Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun linked the Orioles to Jackson and Joe Saunders. I added Hisashi Iwakuma to the list yesterday.
Last week, Connolly wrote that Jackson's upside intrigues the Orioles, though Duquette and the team have historically been reluctant to give pitchers four-year deals. Today, Rosenthal writes that the Orioles expect Jackson will be beyond their price range. He notes that Roy Oswalt and Hiroki Kuroda are not realistic for Baltimore given their desire to sign with contenders.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Kuroda, Nakajima, Guthrie
On this date in 1996, the Red Sox signed veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer, who at that time had a 4.51 ERA in 1116 2/3 MLB innings over the course of nine MLB seasons. Though he appeared in just 23 games for Boston, he enjoyed a career renaissance in Seattle and hasn't stopped yet. Moyer, now 49, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has drawn some interest from MLB teams. Here's the latest on the AL East…
- The Orioles are expected to hire former Mets, Brewers and Athletics pitching coach Rick Peterson as an organizational pitching guru this week, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Red Sox have maintained interest in Hiroki Kuroda, but his asking price figures to exceed Boston’s budget unless they make another move to free up payroll, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Kuroda is open to pitching on the East Coast, Bradford notes.
- The Yankees have until Friday to negotiate a deal with Japanese infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima and the sides continue discussing possible contracts, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Earlier reports had suggested the deadline was Tuesday, rather than Friday. Depending on whether the Yankees sign Nakajima, they could have interest in bringing back Eric Chavez or trading Eduardo Nunez.
- Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie told Jeff Joyce and Todd Hollandsworth on MLB Network Radio that he hopes trade rumors surround him next year, since other teams won't be interested if he's pitching poorly. Guthrie is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and will hit free agency after the 2012 campaign.
- Jason Frasor says he was confused when he saw Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos had texted him over the weekend, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. "I thought he might have wanted to talk,” Frasor said. “He likes to talk. He's a talker." In fact, the GM was calling about the trade that sent Frasor back to the Blue Jays for Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb. Frasor's optimistic that Sergio Santos, his teammate in the minors and majors, will fit well in Toronto.
Mariners, Orioles In On Hisashi Iwakuma
2:28pm: The Orioles are in on Iwakuma, MLBTR has learned. New GM Dan Duquette has been active internationally, signing Tsuyoshi Wada and showing interest in Wei-Yin Chen, Yoenis Cespedes, and Chong Tae-Hyon.
2:03pm: The Mariners and two other American League teams are in the hunt for free agent starter Hisashi Iwakuma, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
The Mariners rumor has been kicking around in Japanese reports since Friday. A week ago, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that four teams inquired on Iwakuma, with the Athletics in that mix but with "lukewarm" interest. Iwakuma may have been on the Twins' radar, though they added Jason Marquis in late December. Both teams bid on him in 2010 via the posting process. The A's won with a $19.1MM bid, but could not work out a contract with Iwakuma.
Iwakuma, a member of the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2011, posted a 2.42 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, and 0.45 HR/9 in 119 innings, battling a shoulder injury.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Rodriguez, Rays
Here's a look at some items out of the American League East as the Yankees and Red Sox continue to scour the market for pitching..
- The Red Sox are budget-conscious as they look to add to their rotation and one agent told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that he believes it will continue. “[GM Ben Cherington] is listening with free agents, but that’s it so far,’’ said the agent. "I don’t think it’s an act, either. They’re hoping somebody falls to them and that may be it."
- In a piece for the New York Times, Rob Neyer takes a look back at the ten-year, $275MM deal Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees in December of 2007. The Yankees have little reason to regret the signing so far but A-Rod remains under contract through 2017 when he'll turn 42.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at six different approaches that the Yankees can take to solve their rotation issues. Davidoff doesn't like the odds of the club pulling an "old school" move and throwing money at the problem, which would likely mean giving Edwin Jackson a sizeable contract. Instead, it seems likely that the Bombers will look for another lottery ticket and hope they hit it big, much as they did with Bartolo Colon in 2011.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald suggests that the Rays pair up with the Angels to land either Mark Trumbo or Kendrys Morales. The Halos seem content to keep both sluggers in the mix for now but it seems likely that they'll move at least one of them before the start of the season. Tomase also credits recently-appointed Orioles GM Dan Duquette with prioritizing the rebuild of the front office over the on-field product in 2012.
Quick Hits: Theriot, Aoki, Nakajima, Orioles
Links for Saturday night..
- Congratulations to MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith on being named among the 100 most influential Canadians in baseball by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Luke Adams and Mark Polishuk picked up honorable mentions.
- The Rays' interest in Ryan Theriot, presumably as a backup, has been preliminary to this point, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Mets and Braves are also said to be interested in the infielder's services.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker breaks down the pros and cons of Japanese import Norichika Aoki. Earlier this month, the Brewers won the negotiating rights to the speedy outfielder and have until mid-January to work out a deal. Milwaukee reportedly started negotiations with an offer in the $1-1.5MM range.
- Meanwhile, the Yankees and Hiroyuki Nakajima are said to remain far apart in their talks, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Bombers won the exclusive right to negotiate with the shortstop with a bid around $2MM earlier this month. The deadline to reach a deal is on Tuesday.
- Just as they were at the beginning of 2011, the Marlins will begin 2012 on the prowl for a starter, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders if a new year will mean a new DH for the Orioles. For the time being, it seems like the O's will look for an in-house solution to fill the gap.