Matt Holliday Trade Roundup
It seems that the Rockies will send left fielder Matt Holliday to the A’s for Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, and Huston Street soon (assuming Smith’s elbow checks out). While the A’s were rumored to be in the mix for Holliday, the trade still comes as a surprise to most. Let’s round up today’s links on the topic.
- Nick Cafardo says the Red Sox were briefly involved in talks for Holliday.
- ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Beane first engaged the Red Sox on Jason Bay before moving on to Holliday.
- Troy Renck says Holliday is flying to Oakland today to meet with team officials. Garrett Atkins hopes the Holliday trade keeps him in Colorado.
- Dave Cameron thinks Holliday can hit around .300/.380/.500 for the A’s.
- Athletics Nation considers this a message that the A’s are trying to compete in ’09, and expects more additions. They also believe Billy Beane will take stock in July and decide whether to trade Holliday or keep him all year and take the draft picks. I agree on both points.
- Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post have scouting reports on the players Colorado will receive.
- Depressed Fan tries to get a handle on Beane’s motivation for the trade.
- Holliday’s dad would like to see his son join the Yankees.
Angels Hold Off On Teixeira Bid
Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times describes the Angels’ strategy regarding free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. He says that since Tex will test the open market regardless, the Halos will not make an offer within their exclusive negotiation period. So much for resolving the situation quickly.
The Angels do not want Scott Boras shopping around their offer to the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, and Nationals and driving up the price. Just a guess, maybe the Nats consider Josh Willingham their cleanup hitter acquisition and will back out of the Teixeira derby.
DiGiovanna adds that the Angels "plan a serious run" at C.C. Sabathia and could bid on A.J. Burnett. He also describes their stance on their own free agents aside from Teixeira:
The team will look to re-sign reliever Darren Oliver, is open to retaining closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Juan Rivera, and seems lukewarm to the idea of retaining pitcher Jon Garland and outfielder Garret Anderson.
Hanshin Preparing $18 Million Offer For Kawakami
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker says the Hanshin Tigers are preparing a four-year, $18MM offer for starter Kenshin Kawakami. Kawakami, a free agent, has yet to decide whether to come over to MLB. The Braves and Red Sox may be interested if he does.
Newman figures Kawakami will come over, and pegs him as a solid mid-rotation type. If so, he may be able to match Hiroki Kuroda‘s three year, $35.3MM deal.
Holliday To Cards Dead
MONDAY: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also checked in with Mozeliak, who said, "That one’s not happening – at all" in reference to a Cards-Holliday trade. The Cardinals balked at the required player package. Mozeliak was irritated that (inaccurate) details of the talks leaked to the press. The Cards are looking at other things now, though Strauss’s source believes Holliday talks could be resurrected.
SUNDAY: Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News talked to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, who admitted the idea of a Matt Holliday trade is dead. The Rockies sought Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, and Mitchell Boggs from the Cards, and talks hit a wall.
The A’s may still be in play, while Ringolsby says the Phillies did not discuss Holliday with the Rox during the GM meetings. The Phils are unwilling to part with Shane Victorino. Ringolsby adds that the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees have expressed interest in Holliday. Joe Strauss recently said the Mets are in pursuit, and Bill Ladson had him as a Nationals target.
Odds And Ends: Saltalamacchia, White Sox, Ludwick
Links for Sunday…
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia says playing with Jason Varitek for the Red Sox would be a "dream come true."
- Ken Davidoff writes that the White Sox would like to trade Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko or Jim Thome.
- Bernie Miklasz asks whether the Cardinals believe in Ryan Ludwick.
- According to the Chicago Tribune, 19-year-old Cuban prospect Dayan Viciedo has raw tools and questionable commitment. Yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times suggested the Sox were interested.
- Mike Jacobs doesn’t expect to walk more than he did last year.
- Tim Cowlishaw thinks the Rangers should try to sign Manny Ramirez.
- Phil Rogers says that the Cubs could sign Ryan Dempster by Thursday. Rogers doesn’t expect Manny Ramirez or C.C. Sabathia to sign soon.
Indians Rumors: Shoppach, Roberts, Street
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the Indians’ offseason needs.
- With Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach, Carlos Santana, and others, the Indians have a surplus of catching (and mad guitar skills). The Red Sox, Marlins, Reds, and Tigers are known to be in the market, so maybe the Indians can deal a catcher to fill another need. Those other needs: an infielder, a late inning reliever, and a starter.
- Hoynes believes the Indians will fall short of meeting the demands of free agents Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Rafael Furcal.
- Hoynes implies the asking price for one year of Brian Roberts is Fausto Carmona and Asdrubal Cabrera. That won’t work for the Tribe; they are looking to add a starter. They might have the same problem if they try to acquire Garrett Atkins.
- As we’ve heard, the Indians are in on Huston Street.
- Hoynes tosses out a couple of possible free agent bargains that may come with the necessary price break: Joe Crede and Jason Isringhausen.
Odds and Ends: Tazawa, Young, Kouzmanoff
Links for Friday. As always, I’ll update this post with more stuff so refresh later if you’re interested.
- Nick Piecoro suggests catcher Miguel Montero could be the D’Backs’ best trade chip. Their needs will be second base and perhaps starting pitching.
- The Marlins’ top priority is improving their defense.
- Dave Cameron takes apart Scott Boras’ claim about Oliver Perez. If more of these client books leak out, Boras is going to have to hire Cameron to keep him quiet.
- White Sox GM Ken Williams talked about adding speed from within, though Williams is notoriously unpredictable.
- Two 19 year-old Indian men named Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel will try out in front of Major League scouts today after winning the Million Dollar Arm contest. The idea of the contest was to find raw talent among India’s huge population, kids who could hit 85mph consistently. The Red Sox and Indians are among the clubs in attendance.
- The Phillies may be interested in Junichi Tazawa, though Ruben Amaro’s "We know of him" comment isn’t exactly an endorsement. The Indians, Yankees, and D’Backs will pass on Tazawa, who could command $7MM.
- Also at NPB Tracker, a second Japanese club hopes to convince the Rangers to trade Nelson Cruz. Doesn’t make much sense for Texas.
- Amaro is figuring out his front office; Chuck LaMar has been promoted to assistant GM.
- Chris De Luca’s sources close to Bud Selig say there’s "zero chance" Bud and the owners let Mark Cuban buy the Cubs.
- Baseball America has the full list of 561 minor league free agents. See anyone you like?
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire looks at the notable waiver claims of the past few years.
- Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto says the Twins are reportedly willing to trade Delmon Young to the Padres for Kevin Kouzmanoff.
Miller’s Latest: Olsen, Willis, Blake
Here’s a look at the latest from Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- The Braves and Rangers have talked to the Marlins about lefty Scott Olsen.
- The Red Sox have done background work on Dontrelle Willis, stirring up the Willis for Julio Lugo rumors.
- The Twins, Dodgers, and Indians have expressed interest in Casey Blake. Blake’s agent said he anticipates offers ranging from one to three years.
Mets Revamping The Bullpen
The Mets’ primary focus this winter is to completely revamp their bullpen. Ken Davidoff and Joel Sherman outline Plan A: free agents. Names in the mix: Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, Joe Beimel, Juan Cruz, and Chad Cordero. Sherman figures the Mets are in a good position because most of the other big-market teams aren’t looking for a closer.
Plan B: trades. The Mets have already discussed Bobby Jenks with the White Sox. J.J. Putz, Huston Street, and Kevin Gregg are the other names. It all depends on how much young talent Omar Minaya wants to sacrifice.
As a corollary to Plan B, the Mets want to ship out Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis. They hope to clear payroll and/or bring in other relievers in these trades. Davidoff says Heilman has plenty of admirers.
Another note from Sherman – the Mets "could be interested" in Jason Varitek if the price comes down but Varitek doesn’t re-sign with Boston. In another article, Davidoff lays out Plans A, B, and C for both the Mets and Yankees.
Red Sox Rumors: Crisp, Lugo, Burnett, Baldelli
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the latest on the Red Sox.
- GM Theo Epstein says there’s one deal he might be able to do before the winter meetings, possibly involving Coco Crisp or Julio Lugo. The free agent market for center fielders and shortstops is weak this year.
- Cafardo doesn’t believe the Sox are in on C.C. Sabathia or A.J. Burnett, and he says they’re unsure about Derek Lowe. However, Buster Olney says "there is an expectation within other quarters of the AL East that the Red Sox will get in on the Burnett bidding." Cafardo does see Boston adding a starter of some kind, possibly a Japanese free agent.
- Catchers on Epstein’s radar to varying degrees: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Jeff Clement, Bengie Molina, and Ivan Rodriguez.
- Cafardo says the Red Sox are "more than intrigued" by Rocco Baldelli, who could fill their fourth outfielder role if and when Mark Kotsay leaves.
- Tony Massarotti discusses Mark Teixeira in-depth at his blog.