Odds and Ends: Guillen, Patterson, Clark, Andruw
Let’s keep things rolling along with a morning Odds and Ends collection.
- U.S.S. Mariner is not amused with the Ms’ decision not to offer arbitration to Jose Guillen.
- Andruw Jones hasn’t been getting much player, and his camp initiated contact with the Royals yesterday. The mutual interest may have been what pushed Guillen to sign.
- With the David Riske to Milwaukee signing not official, the Orioles apparently had talks with his agent yesterday. He’ll be too pricey for them, anyway. By the way, the Cubs checked in on Brian Roberts, but nothing is really stirring right now on that front.
- Corey Patterson seems a little down, as he’s no one’s first choice in center field. The Orioles are apparently moving on. Patterson wouldn’t say whether he’d take a one-year deal. As a Scott Boras client, I imagine he won’t.
- Summing up the Rockies’ external second base candidates: Chris Burke, Marcus Giles, and Mark Loretta. The agents for both Giles and Loretta have contacted the Rockies, and Loretta would play there at a discount.
- Evan Grant has his Rangers column up, but we already hit upon most of the points yesterday (he was the source then, too). One new note is that the Rangers don’t want to give Tony Clark anything more than one year plus an option, while Clark wants a two-year deal. The Rays, Dodgers, and Twins are said to like Clark.
Odds and Ends: Tavarez, Lieber, Stewart
Another collection…
- A few notes from Brian Cashman…the Yanks have talked to Luis Vizcaino‘s agent about bringing him back. Also, they’ve yet to inquire on any free agent center fielders.
- Miguel Cabrera has been talking to Ozzie Guillen daily since the season ended. The article makes Cabrera sound like a big kid.
- The Red Sox have had a couple of inquiries on Julian Tavarez.
- Five or six teams have inquired on Shannon Stewart, who wants a two-year pact apparently.
- The Phillies, contrary to previous reports, are not interested in re-signing Jon Lieber.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, the chances of the Astros trading for a Miguel Tejada were rated a 2. The ‘Stros don’t want to give up the farm. That’s also why Joe Nathan is unlikely for Houston.
- Scott Boras recently called Ed Wade to sell him on Eric Gagne, Jeff Weaver, and Rodrigo Lopez. Wade seemed unimpressed.
- Nothing much new on the Padres front – still interested in Kosuke Fukudome, Geoff Jenkins, Jim Edmonds, Darin Erstad, and Mark Prior.
- Brian Cashman’s phone has been ringing off the hook about Melky Cabrera.
Jays In On Lincecum, Bedard, Bay
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:34am: Blair has updated his article to reflect the Jays’ interest in Cain and Lincecum. He says the Giants spent much of the day watching tape of the two, trying to decide which they prefer. Putting two and two together, maybe the "interesting offer" Brian Sabean spoke of today was Alex Rios?
FROM 12-3-07 at 8:46pm:
The Globe and Mail’s Jeff Blair has several new rumors in his column tonight.
- The Jays’ President, Paul Godfrey, is all about bringing in a big-name Canadian player. Blair rattles off Jason Bay, Erik Bedard, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, and Eric Gagne as available Canada natives. Of course, not all of those guys would be draws.
- The Jays are indeed in on Bedard, which is a surprise since starting pitching is a strength of theirs. This idea has been around since at least May though. Blair talked to one exec who said the Jays are planning to get "aggressive and creative." It had been previously thought the Jays would have a low-key winter.
- Blair talks of somehow sending A.J. Burnett to Baltimore in a Bedard deal, which makes little sense for the O’s even if Burnett would like to play there. In my estimation the O’s could ask for Alex Rios or Dustin McGowan for Bedard. The Jays could try to push Adam Lind and Shaun Marcum instead but I don’t see that getting it done. I could see the O’s asking about Travis Snider as well.
- Blair says the Jays could get Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum "right away" if they’d offer Rios to the Giants. Blair even says an expanded deal could send Lind and/or Troy Glaus over to San Francisco as well. Hmmm.
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com isn’t hearing any of this stuff – but he did connect the Jays to…Paul Bako. Blair and Bastian present two very different stories around the same ballclub.
Giants Rumors: Lincecum, Tejada, Molina, Fukudome
Another MLB.com article for you, this time about the Giants from Chris Haft.
- Brian Sabean is getting a bit annoyed with teams thinking Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are available. They’re pretty much not, but since the door is open a crack it may be inhibiting other deals. Sabean did admit that one team made an "interesting" offer for Lincecum. Any guesses?
- The Giants had talks with the Orioles about Miguel Tejada, as has been reported elsewhere. The Giants aren’t thrilled with Miggy though because of his age, salary, and the position switch thing.
- A team asked about Bengie Molina. Any guesses on that? The Marlins don’t seem right. Rays maybe?
- Nothing much going on regarding free agents Andruw Jones and Kosuke Fukudome.
Mets Close On Erik Bedard?
There’s some crazy stuff floating around Mets-ville, let’s take a look. As usual MetsBlog is on top of it.
- Mets beat reporter Sweeny Murti said on WFAN that the Mets might be close on Erik Bedard. This would be very surprising, because even the Mets’ best package could be challenged by a number of teams (unless Jose Reyes is the centerpiece). Plus, why wouldn’t the Orioles wait for Johan Santana to be moved first?
- Matthew Cerrone also heard some craziness involving a three-way deal with Bedard and Miguel Tejada, but there doesn’t seem to be anything to it.
Cubs May Shop Murton, Like Ibanez
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 5:53pm: Geoff Baker checks in with some more info about the Cubs’ interest in Ibanez. He is apparently their fallback option behind Fukudome. Baker notes the frightful possibility of using Ibanez in right field. One trade idea I hadn’t considered is swapping Ibanez for Mark Prior.
FROM 12-3-07 at 9:48am:
Jim Hendry may view 26 year-old outfielder Matt Murton as expendable, if only because he’s not the left-handed hitter the Cubs crave.
Murton has a respectable career line of .296/.365/.455 in 289 games. While it would be nice to see his power develop a bit, he’s a decent option in right field. Outside of Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs might end up acquiring an outfielder who is no better than Murton, just because of handedness. Even though he’s been solid it doesn’t seem that the price tag on Murton would be terribly high.
Meanwhile, Gordon Wittenmyer notes that Brian Roberts and Raul Ibanez remain on the Cubs’ wish list. Murton would be useful for the O’s but it would take a lot more to get Roberts.
Heyman’s Latest: Santana, Bedard, Willis
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 5:48pm: Jayson Stark confirms the Reds’ interest in Willis. However he suggests that the Marlins would ask for Homer Bailey and then some in return.
FROM 12-3-07 at 11:41am:
SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in with the latest hot stove banter he’s hearing. There’s some confusion here as Heyman has contrary info to other published sources.
- Heyman believes Johan Santana is "more likely than not" to get traded at the Meetings, and quite possibly today.
- Heyman says the Red Sox and Yankees are the two teams Santana would waive his veto power for, running contrary to LENIII’s recent note.
- Heyman reports that the Mets offered Gomez/Humber/Heilman for Erik Bedard, though as you may recall Roger Rubin said it was Lastings Milledge and not Gomez. Whatever it was, the Orioles weren’t impressed with the offer. Heyman says the Mets feel they still have a chance. The Dodgers, Mariners, and loser of Santana will be in on Bedard as well.
- Heyman seems to indicate the Marlins are still asking for Adenhart and Ervin Santana in a Miguel Cabrera deal, despite Peter Gammons’ comment this morning.
- The Reds may pursue Dontrelle Willis. I was thinking they might, the fit makes sense. A package with Josh Hamilton and one of the Reds’ stud pitchers might be required though. Also keep in mind that Joe Frisaro said the Marlins plan to keep Willis at least until July.
- Heyman suggests the Mets could re-acquire Xavier Nady to play right field for them.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Barrett, Piazza
Ken Rosenthal is presumably in Nashville doing what he does best – collect trade rumors by the dozen. His latest column is an excellent example. What’s the over/under on Rosenthal scoops over the next four days? I’ll set it at 10.
- Rosenthal says the Mets are unwilling to extend the contract of GM Omar Minaya, who is signed through 2009. The lack of job security could compel Minaya to mortgage the future, and the Lastings Milledge trade was a good example. Carlos Gomez, watch out. Here’s MLBTR’s look at Omar Minaya’s Mets trade profile.
- The Astros, Giants, and Cardinals aren’t really in the running for Miguel Cabrera, so they don’t need to wait for that shoe to drop to go after Miguel Tejada. However it sounds like all three clubs don’t have the talent even for a Tejada trade. Jon Heyman mentioned today that the Orioles do have interest in Adam Everett and Michael Bourn of the Astros.
- Here’s a good one: Peter Angelos favorite Brian Roberts might be available. The Mets and Astros inquired but moved on, but Roberts might be just what the Cubs are looking for. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec recently told us that he doesn’t expect Andy MacPhail to move Roberts unless he’s "totally overwhelmed."
- The Marlins, Rays, and Orioles have interest in Michael Barrett. In the case of Baltimore, the interest indicates the availability of Ramon Hernandez. If Barrett can find a multiyear deal from one of those teams, he may decline the Padres’ offer of arbitration. It’s a catch-22, though, because that would make Barrett much less signable in terms of draft pick compensation.
- If Barrett does decline, the Padres might bring Mike Piazza back.
- The Nationals keep asking for Rickie Weeks for Chad Cordero, and the Brewers keep saying no.
- The Braves are big fans of Coco Crisp, and could have a passing interest in Corey Patterson. But they certainly wouldn’t mind going with internal options in center next year.
- Aaron Rowand is definitely getting that five-year deal – a Mystery Team has already offered one. The Yanks could pursue him if they trade the Melk Man.
- Deja vu – the Yanks and Mets both like Octavio Dotel, again. It’s known that Octavio loves New York.
Erik Bedard Rumors: Monday
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:20am: MLB.com’s Jim Molony has a big ol’ post up at his blog. Molony names the Phillies and Cardinals as new teams interested in Bedard. Previously we’d learned that the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, and D’Backs had inquired. Neither the Phils nor the Cards would appear to have the goods in my estimation.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 9:06pm: Andy MacPhail says he told the Washington Post that extension talks with Bedard had cooled, but the door remains open. Something have gotten lost in translation. MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin believes Bedard and Miguel Tejada could both be traded by week’s end, anyway.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 4:55pm: Sounds like the Mariners might make a run at Bedard now, but it’d cost ’em Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow, and Jeff Clement. That bounty sounds about right.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 2:38pm: ESPN 1050 via MetsBlog reports Andy MacPhail as saying he will meet with Omar Minaya while in Nashville to discuss Bedard again.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 8:35am: I knew the Red Sox belonged in the mix for Bedard. Jayson Stark confirms their interest, and adds a new one in the Phillies. Stark also verifies that the Orioles want more for Bedard than the Twins want for Santana – as in four top youngsters. Stark’s source thinks the Orioles will hang onto Bedard.
FROM 12-2-07 at 11:30pm:
According to Dave Sheinin and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, Erik Bedard has informed the Orioles that he has no interest in signing an extension. He’s under Baltimore’s control through the 2009 season.
The authors indicate that Bedard would cost half the talent Johan Santana will. I don’t agree with that assertion – two years of a cheap Bedard is easily worth more than one of Santana, without question. If anything, Bedard should require more talent than Santana to pry loose.
According to Jeff Zrebiec, six teams have inquired on Bedard so far: the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks. The Mets reportedly made an offer of Lastings Milledge, Aaron Heilman, and Philip Humber to the Orioles before trading Milledge to Washington, according to the Roger Rubin of the Daily News. A source of Rubin’s believes replacing Milledge with Carlos Gomez or even Ryan Church would represent a superior offer. And to further the speculation, I think the Mets would have to replace Humber with Mike Pelfrey to really get the Orioles thinking. I repeat: Erik Bedard is worth more than Johan Santana.
Hat tip to MetsBlog on the Daily News link.
Giants, Astros Interested In Miguel Tejada
Friend of MLBTR Jeff Zrebiec reports on the Orioles Winter Meetings situation. All Orioles are available, and Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard figure to be in all sorts of rumors.
A few days ago Zrebiec named the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, and Dodgers as the teams that have inquired on Bedard. Today he adds the Diamondbacks to that list.
As for Tejada, we know he’s a fallback option if the Halos can’t acquire Miguel Cabrera. One new one is the Giants, who have an opening at third base. The Orioles won’t pry Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum loose, but maybe Jonathan Sanchez would be a start. Hard to see the two teams matching up though. Plus Tejada makes little sense for the Giants.
Meanwhile, Jon Heyman confirms the Giants’ interest and adds the Astros to the mix. They’ve been interested in before, but Roy Oswalt was a part of those talks way back when. These days the O’s have interest in Adam Everett, Michael Bourn, and various prospects. Hopefully they can do better than that!