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Orioles Roundup: Mora, Moeller, Datz

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The Orioles have declined Melvin Mora's $8MM option for 2010, likely ending his successful tenure with Baltimore.

Mora struggled in 2009, hitting just .260/.321/.358 in 496 plate appearances this past season. He will be 38 years old, and will likely command far less than his option number as a free agent.

However, for teams looking for a third baseman, Mora might be a reasonable option. He is just a year removed from hitting .285/.342/.483, while his Ultimate Zone Rating was still 1.1 runs saved above average per 150 games in 2009.

Mora criticized Dave Trembley, Baltimore's manager, in August over a lack of playing time. Therefore, once Baltimore announced Trembley's return, it became far less likely the team would retain Mora, even at a lesser cost.

Mora hit 158 home runs with Baltimore after coming over from the New York Mets in a deal for Mike Bordick.

Other Baltimore moves this afternoon included declining the $850K option on catcher Chad Moeller and outrighting outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, pitchers Chris Lambert and Jim Miller and catcher Guillermo Rodriguez after each cleared waivers.

And last but not least, Jeff Datz was named bench coach, after spending 19 years in the Cleveland Indians' organization. Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com has some reaction from Trembley to the hire.

Blue Jays Claim Sean Henn From Orioles

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The Blue Jays claimed lefty Sean Henn off waivers from the Orioles, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). The 28-year-old appeared in 20 games for the Twins and Orioles this year. He allowed 15 hits and 12 walks in 14.1 innings, striking out 15. His major league numbers aren't impressive, but Henn struck out 10.5 batters per nine in the Twins' system before the Orioles acquired him in September.  GM Alex Anthopoulos on his first move:

"The Yankees gave Damaso Marte a three-year $12MM deal, we can't.  If we have to claim 10 arms and click on the 10th, it's a good investment with a huge upside."

The Jays designated Michael Barrett for assignment to clear space for Henn on the 40-man roster.

Aroldis Chapman Review

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With all the information swirling around about free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, I thought a summary would be helpful.  Chapman has been declared a free agent and can sign at any time, though a deal is unlikely before the conclusion of the World Series.  One GM told Yahoo's Tim Brown in July, "I'm sure all 30 teams will be interested to some degree."  Nonetheless, let's look at specific suitors.

  • Red Sox:  They've been a top suitor from the start.  Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says Chapman was scheduled to throw a bullpen at Fenway today but it was cancelled due to inclement weather.  ESPN's Peter Gammons believes Boston's signing of former Chapman teammate Jose Iglesias may impact the pitcher's decision.
  • Yankees: They've also been a top suitor from the start.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. said Chapman met with GM Brian Cashman and other Yanks officials at the October 25th playoff game and "had good conversations."  Several reporters see Chapman as another Yankees-Red Sox battle. 
  • Mariners: Add them to the list – our source says they'd like to meet with Chapman in the next week.
  • Cardinals: A scheduled October 26th meeting was cancelled due to the Tony La Russa announcement.  The meeting is expected to be rescheduled.
  • Orioles: They've maintained interest and are pushing for a meeting soon.  In September, president Andy MacPhail admitted interest to MASN's Roch Kubatko, but added, "If some of the big boys are going to go after him, like the Red Sox did with Dice-K, that's not a risk that I would be willing to take."
  • Mets: They met with Chapman on October 23rd.  The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch said the Mets were out after being told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign.  I'm not so sure the Mets and Chapman actually discussed dollar figures.
  • Tigers: They've confirmed interest.
  • Angels:  Scouting director Eddie Bane admitted interest in July, but noted that Chapman's breaking pitches are not yet effective in talking to Mark Saxon of the OC Register.  Bane more recently told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times that he'd need to see Chapman throw against live hitters before investing.  Chapman has mentioned L.A. as a place he'd like to visit.
  • White Sox:  Our source said they've expressed interest.
  • Cubs: Our source said they've expressed interest.
  • Athletics:  Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman."  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed Oakland's interest but says they haven't met with him.
  • Giants:  Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman."
  • Dodgers: They aren't likely to be serious suitors, according to one of Arangure Jr.'s sources.
  • Blue Jays:  We named the Jays as an interested club, but GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that signing Chapman is "not realistic."
  • Astros: Owner Drayton McLane seemingly considers Chapman too pricey, based on his comments to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Byrnes, Orioles

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Links for Wednesday…

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Padres, Orioles, Coste

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Here's a few links to help you through another baseball-less night…

  • Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus tweets that Aroldis Chapman will throw a bullpen at Fenway tomorrow.
  • ESPN's Keith Law says that firing VP of scouting and player development Grady Fuson was a good move by new GM Jed Hoyer and the Padres. He notes that San Diego's drafts have been among the worst in the game over the last few years, although they did change course last year.
  • Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says the Orioles need a power hitter at one of the corner infield spots, and mentions that players like Adrian Beltre, Troy Glaus, or Carlos Delgado could represent a decent stop gap.
  • Chris Coste became a free agent after being outrighted by the Astros, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
  • Phil Wood of MASNsports.com has news on a few front office hirings by the Nationals.
  • The Phillies added Brett Myers to their World Series roster according to David Murphy of The Philadephia Daily News. The 29-year-old righthander could earn himself a few extra bucks in free agency with a big series.

Odds & Ends: Mariners, Orioles, Indians

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If you're up reading, we're up writing!

  • MLB.com's Jim Street takes questions about the Mariners. Among other things, he believes the Mariners will find a veteran catcher to at least split time with prospect Adam Moore.
  • Street's Baltimore counterpart, MLB.com's Spencer Fordin, believes the Orioles will move Koji Uehara to short relief and look to acquire another veteran starter.
  • The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Paul Hoynes has very positive things to say about Manny Acta, the new Indians' manager.
  • Manny Corpas looks strong in Instructional League play, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, and Corpas will play winter ball as well. A Corpas revival gives the Rockies some alternatives if they don't want to face a big arbitration number from Huston Street, or pick up the $5.4MM option of Rafael Betancourt.

Odds & Ends: Rockies, Orioles, Mets

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A few more links to peruse while the baseball world waits for tonight's game in the Bronx….

  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post discusses Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy and GM Dan O'Dowd, and the deals they'll likely sign this week. Renck praises O'Dowd's recent acquisitions and suggests that this winter the GM will be looking for starting pitching and a right-handed bat.
  • MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports that the Baltimore Orioles' potential corner infielders of the future, Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder, are currently tearing up the Arizona Fall League.
  • In the first part of a feature, Viva El Birdos takes a look at the "untradeable" Kyle Lohse.
  • Michael Baron at MetsBlog summarizes a few opinion pieces on the Mets from around the internet, including one by Mike Silva of the New York Baseball Digest about inexpensive free agents.

Strong Interest In Aroldis Chapman

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SUNDAY, 12:35pm: As suggested by Lennon earlier, Chapman's price tag is too high for the Mets. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets were told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign.

SATURDAY, 7:23pm: John Stockstill – the Orioles' director of international scouting – has confirmed that the club will meet with Chapman and his agent next week in New York, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.com.  In a piece yesterday, Kubatko wrote that he doesn't think Baltimore will end up signing the 21-year-old.

SATURDAY, 2:38pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the A's have also had interest in Chapman since he became a free agent.  However, they were not among the teams that met the hard-throwing left-hander in New York this week.

FRIDAY, 1:59pm: Lennon says (via Twitter) that the Mets won't bid $40-60MM for Chapman.

FRIDAY, 1:19pm: Add the Blue Jays to the mix of teams interested in Chapman, according to our source.  Also, the Orioles have maintained interest and want to meet.

THURSDAY, 2:39pm: MLBTR has learned that the Cubs and White Sox have expressed interest in free agenty lefty Aroldis Chapman.  The Cardinals have been more aggressive than those clubs, and plan to meet with Chapman next week.  The Yankees and Red Sox, of course, have also been among the aggressive suitors.  A meeting with the Mets will come later this week, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

The Chapman tour began yesterday in New York, as the 21-year-old's agency decided not to make MLB clubs come to Andorra.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. believes Chapman will command a contract in the $40-60MM range.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, DeRosa, Lackey, Hinske

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Roch Kubatko of MASN.com doesn't expect the Orioles to win the bidding for free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, but the club doesn't have a policy against signing Cuban defectors, according to a high-ranking Orioles official.
  • Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors takes a look at this year's class of free agent second basemen. Players like Mark DeRosa and Freddy Sanchez have value, but Hissey doesn't see a true star among the group. 
  • MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs aren't going to sign DeRosa just because he's popular. Jeff Baker is currently the frontrunner to start at second base next year.
  • Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog thinks John Lackey, who turns 31 today, would be a fantastic pitcher for Citi Field.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for a Canadian scout and, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, have received permission from the Phillies to interview a member of their front office for the job.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker compiles a list of players who could spend next season in Japan, including Kenji Johjima and Eric Hinske. 
  • Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle points out that most of baseball's best-respected managers improved in their second or third stints.
  • Felix Perez, the Cuban outfielder who was suspended for lying to the Yankees about his age, has been reinstated, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.

Odds & Ends: Sano, Towers, D’Backs, Fehr

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Kevin Towers has a standing offer from the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  For now, Towers plans on taking a few months off.  In contrast, a week ago ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that "there would appear to be excellent odds that Towers will land with the Yankees as a special assistant sometime in the months ahead." 
  • The Cubs' contract with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo is official.
  • Miguel Angel Sano received his U.S. work visa, according to SI's Melissa Segura.
  • The new Rays hitting coach is Derek Shelton, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic crafts an offseason plan for the Diamondbacks, who have a decent amount of money to work with.  We did our Offseason Outlook for the team back in September.
  • J.C. Bradbury of Sabernomics says tendering a contract to arbitration-eligible right fielder Jeff Francoeur is probably worthwhile for the Mets.  I don't sense that non-tendering him is a serious consideration.
  • Donald Fehr will receive an $11MM parting gift when he steps down from his MLBPA position, says ESPN's Amy K. Nelson.  The players were mostly in favor of the decision, according to Curtis Granderson.
  • The Rangers met with Jim Crane's group Tuesday, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Two more potential investing groups are scheduled.
  • Backup catcher Mike Redmond told MLB.com's Kelly Thesier he plans on playing next year, whether or not it's with the Twins.
  • 41-year-old righty Keiichi Yabu also hopes to play in 2010, says NPB Tracker's Ryo Shinkawa.
  • Reliever George Sherrill has no hard feelings about the Orioles trading him to the Dodgers, says Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
  • MLB.com's Dick Kaegel talked to Zack Greinke, who was characteristically blunt.
  • In a Saturday post, Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts said he'd like to see how GM Ned Colletti handles the decreased payroll flexibility once his young players reach arbitration.  Weisman is even-handed in his assessment of Colletti, but here's a funny quote: "I don't laud him for retaining the young core of the team: Kershaw, Kemp, Billingsley, Broxton, Martin, et al. Knowing not to dump those guys is like knowing not to show up to work in your underwear."
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