Orioles Discuss Ivan Rodriguez
The Baltimore Orioles have held conversations with agent Scott Boras about free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, according to Baltimore Sun writer Peter Schmuck.
Schmuck doubts Rodriguez will sign with the Orioles, but, in part, it would hinge on him understanding that he’d need to take a seat when prospect Matt Wieters becomes ready to play at the major-league level.
Odds And Ends: Otsuka, Orioles, Johnson
I’ll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links…
- Patrick Newman found that Akinori Otsuka will work out in front of reps from all MLB teams next month. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers is interested if Otsuka’s healthy.
- Roch Kubatko knows there’s pitching talent coming from the minors, but he doesn’t love the current Orioles rotation and expects them to add two more starters.
- The difference between 69 and 72 in 2009 wins isn’t worth much to the Orioles, Peter Schmuck writes.
- The Red Sox move on after missing out on Mark Teixeira.
- Eric Wedge doesn’t seem bothered by the Yankees’ big acquisitions.
- Vernon Wells knows how hard it will be to compete now that former-teammate A.J. Burnett‘s in pinstripes along with a couple other big names.
- Keith Law says the Randy Johnson signing moves the Giants "toward 2009 respectability, if not outright contention."
- Vlae Kershner doesn’t like the possibility of Garret Anderson on the A’s.
- Bleed Cubbie Blue argues that Adam Dunn‘s patience-power combination would work well for the Cubs. Last week Dunn said he thinks so too.
- Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi revealed his favorite meal and dream date in a Q&A with the Sporting News.
Orioles In “Serious Contention” For Kawakami
According to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun, Orioles president Andy MacPhail "appears to be in serious contention to sign Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami." In another post, Schmuck explains why the Orioles would be pursuing a mid-rotation veteran. Dave O’Brien recently wrote that the Braves are "squarely in the bidding," while the Twins are also in on him. The Mets, Cardinals, and Red Sox are other suitors.
What kind of contract does Kawakami want? The best we have is that "some teams fear" he wants to match Hiroki Kuroda‘s three-year, $35.3MM deal.
Kawakami, 33, posted a 2.30 ERA and 4.48 K/BB ratio in 117.3 innings this year for the Chunichi Dragons. He missed time with a strained back and was part of a six-man rotation. The CHONE projections call for a 4.13 ERA (neutral park/league) for Kawakami in his MLB debut season.
Orioles Could Pursue Dunn
After losing out in the Mark Teixeira derby, the Orioles might consider pursuing free agent slugger Adam Dunn, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. While team president Andy MacPhail emphasized that the O’s are "focusing on [their] pitching and catching primarily at this point," Zrebiec notes that if Dunn’s price came down significantly, he could could be the middle-of-the-order hitter the Orioles were looking for in Teixeira.
Dunn, 29, has hit 40 or more home runs in each the last five years, and could find the Camden Yards right-field porch particularly inviting.
Teixeira Had Higher Offer From Nationals
Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com is reporting that the Washington Nationals offered about $5MM more to first baseman Mark Teixeira than the New York Yankees did, even though Teixeira struck a deal with the Yankees on Tuesday.
Kubatko adds that the Nationals would have gone even higher, but they were never given a chance to compete with the Yankees’ offer. He guesses that it wasn’t all about the money after all.
Kubatko also writes that the Baltimore Orioles are still looking to add another bat to the lineup, possibly a first baseman, outfielder or designated hitter.
More Mark Teixeira Signing Reactions
4:01pm: Peter Gammons of ESPN writes the Yankees are just being American.
1:26pm: FOXSports.com’s Dayn Perry believes the Yankees are taking a risk with the Teixeira deal. Perry points out that the Yankees’ spending will add even more pressure onto the franchise to win. He also thinks the Yankees needed to make this deal.
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Former pitcher Jim Kaat is in line with Perry. Kaat believes there will be an adjustment period for all three of the Yankees’ big signings. He writes that players sometimes try too hard to live up to their big contracts in the first season, and that could take place here.
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Murray Chass says Mark Teixeira banned himself from Boston.
11:33am: Add Rays skipper Joe Maddon to the list of baseball people who aren’t scared by the Yankees’ recent moves. This, via Mike DiGiovanna and the LA Times.
10:01am: Since this is the major topic today — unless anything breaks — I’ll update this periodically.
- Buster Olney of ESPN weighs in on the winners and losers of the Teixeira deal.
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes that the Washington Nationals’ attempt to sign Teixeira was admirable. He says the Nationals showed they are willing to spend money, although a need to gain credibility as a franchise stood in the way of them and Teixeira.
- Check out this post from Tuesday for more notes regarding the deal.
8:49am:
- Sports Illustrated and Tom Verducci have a Q&A posted about the Yankees’ deal with Mark Teixeira. In short, Verducci likes the move for the Yankees.
- “WE’RE BACK!” At least Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan says about the Yankees and the Steinbrenner family’s spending.
- Boston fans lost a big present from under the Christmas tree, Adam Kilgore of the Globe writes.
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines that the Yankees are bad for sports. He cites the national economic struggles as a top reason the Teixeira/Yankees deal makes no sense.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum, Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Yankees’ signing is good for baseball.
- Orioles fans are upset that the hometown boy will only be returning to town wearing Yankees gray, Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker writes.
- Mike Lupica of the N.Y. Daily News wonders if the Yankees have spent enough this offseason to “buy back a World Series.”
- Besides an apology to his wife for reporting from his vacation, New York Post writer Joel Sherman notes how Teixeira turns 29 in April. The new Yankees have become younger, he adds. He slips in that Manny Ramirez never made sense for the Yankees.
- Bill Burt of the North Andover (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune writes the Red Sox didn’t want Teixeira enough to pull the trigger on the deal. He adds that the Sox will do nothing — and that they don’t need to.
Mark Teixeira Signing Reactions
Here’s a quick look at some of the reactions to the Mark Teixeira signing. If you guys find any you find particularly remarkable, hit me up (josephp, Shift+2, riveraveblues dot com) and I’ll add it if it adds something. But for now:
- RotoAuthority has the fantasy analysis.
- Interesting angle from Joel Sherman – he says the team’s poor choice of passing on Carlos Beltran taught them to sign Teixeira now. He says they’d prefer to trade Hideki Matsui, among their outfield surplus. The Braves like Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio suggests a salary cap for the sport.
- Gordon Edes calls this a "staggering blow" to the Red Sox and Angels. I’m not sure I would go that far, at least in the case of the Angels. That could be my bias speaking, though.
- Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News notes the long-term implications of the deal. He wonders if Teixeira is really a $20 million player (or, rather, a $22.5 million player) and calls into question committing eight years to a position that serves as a transition for older players.
- Roch Kubatko got some quotes from Andy MacPhail. "We can’t devote that many resources to one player, no matter where he’s from," was the telling line. Roch wonders if the Orioles were even given a chance to counter the Yankees offer.
- Jeff Zrebiec backs up Roch. Boras didn’t give the Orioles a chance to counter. He instead informed MacPhail that Teixeira was going in another direction.
- Peter Abraham has learned a lesson from this. "This will also teach me not to believe anything Cashman says about living under a budget."
- Tony Massarotti isn’t pleased with how this turned out. "Instead, the Sox lost Teixeira for what amounted to about $10-$15 million over eight years, which is chump change for a franchise with an estimated value (including NESN and Fenway Park) or somewhere in the range of $1 billion." He notes also that the Sox had plenty of contracts coming off the books, much like the Yankees.
- Over on my home turf, Ben notes the obvious: "What this Teixeira signing indicates though is that a new generation of Steinbrenners is willing to spend what it takes to win just like George."
- Keith Law on the signing: "Signing three of the top four free agents on the market is a sign that they have excellent taste, even if they don’t seem to have a credit limit."
Teixeira Announcement Expected Today
1:32pm: Heyman now has the Yanks in "deep discussions" with Tex; he says they’ve stepped up their efforts in recent hours.
1:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Yankees are still in it – they’re "talking seriously with Teixeira’s people." He agrees that a decision could be made as soon as this afternoon.
12:42pm: Danny Knobler believes it’s down to the Nationals and Red Sox. His sources say Teixeira hasn’t decided yet but is expected to make up his mind today.
12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the Nationals at nine years, $180MM and the Red Sox at eight years and around $170MM.
10:55am: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to a Nationals spokesman who is not aware of any plans for an announcement today regarding Teixeira. WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that it is not a lock that Teixeira signs by Christmas.
10:28am: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons say Teixeira’s decision is "seemingly imminent." The journalists say the Orioles’ negotiations for Tex "appear dormant." They suggest the Yankees are lurking in case Boras offers Teixeira to them at a discount (or perhaps just to drive up the price for Boston).
10:20am: According to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times, "there will be an announcement today regarding the future of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira." Loverro says there are strong indications the Red Sox will be the victor, though it’s unclear whether those indications are based on inside information.
We learned from Roch Kubatko yesterday evening that the Nationals upped their bid to $178-184MM over eight years (Jim Williams says $178-183MM).
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday
8:07pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says baseball people expect Teixeira to sign before Thursday. Rival execs see the Red Sox as the favorite. The Orioles and Nationals remain engaged; the Yankees are the wild card. Heyman says the Yanks would only want to spend slightly more than the $161MM they committed to C.C. Sabathia.
7:20pm: Roch Kubatko of MASN Online learned from multiple sources that the Nationals "have sweetened their proposal to Teixeira, offering him an eight-year deal worth $178-184MM." He’s been told they’re willing to go nine years and there’s been talk of ten.
9:02am: ESPN’s Buster Olney sums up the Mark Teixeira situation in his blog today. Olney says Teixeira’s "leverage has probably maxed out, and now only runs the risk of being diminished." The status of the involved teams:
- Angels: out of the running.
- Yankees: Olney says they initially made an offer that was markedly less than other teams, and have since withdrawn it.
- Orioles: Olney says they’re at seven years, $140MM (as opposed to the $140-150MM range we’ve seen reported). Offer has not been upgraded.
- Nationals: eight years, $160MM based on published reports. Olney is not sure whether the Nats have raised this offer but heard from confidants of "one high-ranking executive" that they have not. Olney’s Nationals sources expressed pessimism about their chances.
- Joe Posnanski: out of the bidding.
- Red Sox: Were willing to do $170-175MM when they flew out to meet Teixeira and Scott Boras; "might be nudged to $180MM." We know that the Red Sox did not pull their offer, but haven’t spoken to Boras since Thursday night.
- Olney wonders: will Boras shoot for $190MM with the intent of topping Derek Jeter‘s $189MM? If he tops it, Boras would secure the third-largest contract in MLB history for Teixeira (with his Alex Rodriguez deals taking the first two slots).
Orioles Interested In Hendrickson, Miles
Peter Schmuck talks about two of many free agents on the Orioles’ radar, pitcher Mark Hendrickson and infielder Aaron Miles. Jeff Zrebiec named Hendrickson as an Orioles’ target back on December 6th; check out that article for many other names of interest. Baltimore could be a great opportunity for Hendrickson, as their rotation is wide open. Schmuck reminds us that the Orioles also have interest in starters Braden Looper, Tim Redding, and Kenshin Kawakami. Roch Kubatko says the O’s are not interested in Ben Sheets.
This is the first I’ve heard of the O’s being interested in Miles; the Reds are another suitor for the non-tendered infielder.