Mariners Pushing For Jason Bay
The Mariners are making a "concerted push" for free agent left fielder Jason Bay, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. We've seen the Mariners linked to the Canadian before, but this is the first indication that they've intensified their pursuit.
The Mariners were an excellent defensive team last year, but appear willing to tolerate below-average defense from Bay as long as he hits. Bay would cost the Mariners their 18th overall pick in next year's draft.
This is the second time in as many days that we've seen the Mariners linked to a British Columbia native. The team is also interested in righty Rich Harden, according to FOX Sports.
Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, told WEEI.com earlier in the week that he expects his client to remain in contact with the Red Sox.
Braves Expect Soriano & Gonzalez To Leave
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves fully expect relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez to turn down the team's arbitration offers and explore the market. The Braves, who surrendered a top pick when they signed Billy Wagner, stand to gain four picks if Soriano and Gonzalez sign elsewhere.
That seems likely, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. One GM told Heyman that the former Braves are "the two most sought-after relievers on the market," so their Type A status doesn't seem to be scaring teams away.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Orioles and Nationals are believed to have interest in the pair.
However, one high-ranking executive tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Soriano would be "insane" to turn down arbitration, which could net him a deal worth about $8MM.
Olney On Halladay, Mets, White Sox
As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Yankees and Red Sox are hesitant to give top prospects up for Roy Halladay, since they'd have to pay him like a free agent to keep him around long-term. But some scouts aren't sure Joba Chamberlain will be able to improve his control, so Olney wonders if the Yankees might consider including him in a potential Halladay trade. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- The Mets appear poised to sign two or three veterans for $5-7MM per season. We know they're interested in Bengie Molina and they're looking for pitchers, but they have other needs, too.
- Olney expects the Mets to land a starter like Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis or Joel Pineiro.
- The Mets have discussed Mike Cameron, who would consider playing left or right, and Xavier Nady.
- Olney hears that the White Sox don't have much payroll flexibility this offseason.
Brown On Bay, Kennedy, Crosby
One assistant GM tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that this year's free agent class is "a whole bunch of schlock" compared to next year's. Here are Brown's latest rumors:
- At least one agent expects many free agents to be overpaid this offseason, because the free agent class is relatively weak.
- Some Red Sox officials prefer Jason Bay to Matt Holliday because Bay has proven himself in the AL East.
- The agent for Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby says both infielders have attracted interest from about six teams. We know the Red Sox are interersted.
Red Sox Interested In Hudson; Lowell Update
The Red Sox are interested in Orlando Hudson, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Dodgers didn't offer the second baseman arbitration, so he won't cost a draft pick. Marco Scutaro, who would cost a draft pick, still appears to be a priority for the Red Sox. Presumably, Dustin Pedroia would move to shortstop if the club signed Hudson.
And Pedroia isn't the only Red Sox willing to change positions. Mike Lowell wouldn't rule out a move across the diamond to first base, though it's not something the club has approached him about. He hasn't played first base professionally since he was a minor leaguer in the late 1990's.
Mariners Pursuing Harden & Lackey
THURSDAY, 8:08am: A source tells Rosenthal and Morosi that the Mariners are "actively pursuing" John Lackey. As a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration, Lackey would cost a top pick.
WEDNESDAY, 3:58pm: The Mariners are "showing strong interest" in Rich Harden, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The writers wonder if Harden being a native of British Columbia will help Seattle's cause. They note that the Red Sox are also serious about the 28-year-old righty.
Any team signing Harden will of course take a long, hard look at his shoulder. If his last two seasons are any indication, he can give you 140 strikeout-filled innings if managed carefully. What's that worth? Probably a base salary in the $6-7MM range, with a few million more in incentives. Harden's agent Arn Tellem says his client has "no health issues at all," for what it's worth.
Odds & Ends: McLeod, Yankees, Wagner, Lyon
Let's check out some Wednesday evening links….
- Red Sox scouting director Jason McLeod is leaving Boston to become the Padres' assistant GM under Jed Hoyer, according to Peter Gammons of ESPN (via Twitter). This news prompted a slew of baseball writers across Twitter to praise the move, including Keith Law, Amalie Benjamin, Ian Browne, and Kevin Goldstein.
- Joe Girardi discusses the Yankees' 2010 roster in an article by MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Girardi's quotes aren't overly juicy, but he mentions that he likes having some flexibility at DH to periodically give players like Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Derek Jeter a rest.
- Carrie Muskat of MLB.com talks to Cubs GM Jim Hendry about the offseason and the upcoming winter meetings. Hendry opines that "it'll be a good offseason of trades" and that plenty will be made throughout the winter.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution passes on some quotes from Billy Wagner, following the lefty's signing with the Braves.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law thinks Wagner's price was too high for Atlanta. Law also shares his opinions on some of the more notable arbitration decisions from around the majors.
- In a piece for River Ave. Blues, MLBTR's Mike Axisa warns the Yankees against signing Brandon Lyon, arguing that he's a "fringe reliever" in the AL East. We heard yesterday that the Yanks are interested.
- Speaking of Lyon, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies are also interested in the right-hander.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks that the Brewers are one of the teams Randy Wolf described as aggressively pursuing him in an earlier story.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an interesting read about where revenue-sharing checks end up.
Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Red Sox. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Victor Martinez – $7.7MM
C – Jason Varitek – $3MM
1B – Kevin Youkilis – $9.125MM
2B – Dustin Pedroia – $3.5MM
SS –
3B – Mike Lowell – $12MM
IF – Jed Lowrie – $415K
LF –
CF – Jacoby Ellsbury – $450K
RF – J.D. Drew – $14MM
OF – Jeremy Hermida – $3.5MM (est.)
DH – David Ortiz – $12.5MM
1B – Casey Kotchman – $4MM (est.)
SP – Josh Beckett – $12MM
SP – Daisuke Matsuzaka – $8MM
SP – Jon Lester – $3.75MM
SP – Clay Buchholz – $415K
SP – Tim Wakefield – $3.5MM
RP – Jonathan Papelbon – $10MM (est.)
RP – Hideki Okajima – $2.5MM (est.)
RP – Ramon Ramirez – $1.5MM (est.)
RP – Daniel Bard – $400K
RP – Manny Delcarmen – $1MM (est.)
RP –
RP –
Other commitments: Julio Lugo – $9MM, Billy Wagner – $1MM, Alex Gonzalez – $500K
I decided to do things a little differently this time and put in estimates for the arbitration-eligible players (Hermida, Kotchman, Papelbon, Okajima, Ramirez, and Delcarmen). I also left four spots open as I think the Sox will acquire players to fill most of those vacancies. I have the Red Sox with about $124MM committed after entering 2009 around $122MM. Their payroll was $133MM in '08 and $143MM in '07. As they did last year, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels that the Red Sox have pretty good payroll flexibility. Note that they could trim $5MM or so by trading or non-tendered Kotchman and Delcarmen.
Overpaying a bit for Marco Scutaro, in terms of both salary and a draft pick, seems like a legitimate possibility at shortstop. He is the best available at the position this year. Adam Everett is a solid, very affordable Plan B; he could battle it out with Lowrie. It's not clear whether the Sox made a play for J.J. Hardy before he landed with the Twins. Now that Hardy's a Twin, the trade market looks bleak. If GM Theo Epstein is willing to wait, it'd be worth inquiring on the Angels' Maicer Izturis if they re-sign Chone Figgins and are willing to listen. Moving Pedroia to shortstop appears to be a last resort.
Much has been written debating the merits of Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. I'm guesing lesser players like Brad Hawpe, Josh Willingham, and Jermaine Dye could be considered as backup plans. Or, Hermida could be given a shot.
It appears that the Sox are playing around with the idea of trading Lowell, which would put them in the mix for a corner infielder. Adrian Gonzalez is the big fish possibly on the trade market. Other speculative acquisitions have different strengths: Russell Branyan could add power, Nick Johnson could add OBP, Mark DeRosa brings versatility, and Adrian Beltre brings defense. So far we've seen the Sox connected to utility infielder types like Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby, aside from DeRosa.
The rotation is in good shape, but most expect the Red Sox to add a starter or two for good measure in the vein of last year's Brad Penny/John Smoltz signings. There's a laundry list of decent one-year deal options, including Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Kelvim Escobar, Brett Myers, and Ben Sheets. As for Aroldis Chapman, he'd probably be more of a long-term investment rather than a cog in the 2010 rotation. If the Red Sox decide to prioritize pitching and pay a large cost in a contract or young players, there's always John Lackey and Roy Halladay. A couple of considerations in acquiring a big-name starter are Beckett's impending free agency and the Yankees' targets.
Given Boston's inquiries on Scutaro, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, and perhaps Holliday, I'm guessing they won't mind letting their #29 pick in next year's draft go. And as we saw with the Yankees last year, once you sign one Type A, the price for the next one decreases. Gonzalez and Soriano are two of the best free agent relievers out there, but the free agent market is packed with more affordable alternatives for a team that isn't desperate for relief help. They could also trade a spare piece like Kotchman, much as they did last year getting Ramirez for Coco Crisp.
The Red Sox appear limited in their shortstop and power bat options, while they have tons of choices for pitching additions. As usual, expect to see Boston linked to dozens of free agents and trade candidates this winter.
Several Clubs Interested In Jermaine Dye
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the latest on free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye. Cowley notes that while the Rangers are interested, Dye may prefer not to be a DH. He names the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Giants as other teams that have shown interest. Dye would presumably be a backup plan for the Red Sox and Cardinals.
What about the Yankees, who ESPN's Jerry Crasnick said yesterday discussed Dye internally? Cowley says the Yanks denied the report, yet his source said the team asked for Dye's medical reports.
As for the Giants, MLB.com's Chris Haft notes that Xavier Nady is another outfielder on their radar.
Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Scutaro, Lackey, Bedard
Red Sox rumors from ESPN's Gordon Edes…
- Edes talked to Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon, who indicated the timing of Bay's signing won't be affected by Matt Holliday. Edes' team source says Bay remains Boston's top target.
- Edes says Marco Scutaro "almost certainly remains at the top of Boston's list" at shortstop. Scutaro's agent Peter Greenberg left open the possibility of his client signing before Monday's Winter Meetings.
- One of Edes' Red Sox sources says John Lackey is not a target.
- We knew of Boston's interest in Rich Harden and Kelvim Escobar, and Edes adds that the Sox are eyeing Erik Bedard. Edes talked to Escobar's agent (also Greenberg) and learned that Boston is "at or near the top of" his client's list. The righty plans to pitch in winter ball. Escobar had labrum surgery in July of 2008.