Odds and Ends: Dunn, Schumaker, Abreu
Links for Friday…
- The Blue Jays signed pitcher Dirk Hayhurst to a minor league deal; they’d released him to make room for Matt Bush.
- Alex Speier of WEEI has quotes from John Smoltz about his departure from Atlanta. Smoltz leaving the Braves was the biggest surprise of the offseason for me.
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark surveyed 15 baseball sages for all kinds of opinions on the best and worst of the offseason (which is not officially over yet).
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post has more from the Adam Dunn press conference.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sees Skip Schumaker as the Cardinals outfielder most vulnerable to a trade.
- ESPN’s Keith Law weighs in on the Bobby Abreu signing.
- Kevin Goldstein’s Top 100 Prospects list is up over at Baseball Prospectus.
- Scott Moore cleared waivers; he’ll remain in the Orioles organization.
- My definition of a fantasy baseball sleeper, over at RotoAuthority.
- Shoutout: MLBTR had over 9,800 pageviews from Puerto Rico this month.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Red Sox, Cruz, Angels, Jays, Braves
On this date 14 years ago, Hideo Nomo signed with the Dodgers after "retiring" from professional baseball in Japan, becoming the first Japanese player in the big leagues in over 30 years. Nomo would go on to win 123 games in 12 big league seasons, including two no-hitters. Since then, at least 25 other pitchers have made the jump from Japan to the U.S. and Nomo is arguably still the best to make the move. With several big names still looking for their own big league contract, let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Fire Brand of the American League speculates on some in-season trade targets for the Red Sox.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at the players most affected by the recent signings of Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn.
- Jorge Says No! takes a look at the market for Juan Cruz.
- The Sports Banter reflects on what they consider to be a "disappointing" offseason for the Angels.
- UmpBump recaps the offseason for the Blue Jays and looks at their projected lineup.
- Braves Blast rummages through the scraps of what is left for the Braves outfield now that most of the big names have signed elsewhere.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Nationals Sign Adam Dunn
THURSDAY: Dunn’s two-year, $20MM deal is official according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post has quotes from Dunn from the press conference.
WEDNESDAY: According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals agreed to a preliminary two-year deal with Adam Dunn. MLB.com’s Bill Ladson confirms it, adding that a news conference is expected Thursday. According to SI.com’s Tom Verducci, it’s a two-year, $20MM deal.
Nationals GM Jim Bowden drafted Dunn when he helmed the Reds back in 1998. It seems likely that Dunn will play first base for the Nationals. The 29 year-old hit .236/.386/.513 with 40 home runs in 651 plate appearances for the Reds and Diamondbacks in ’08.
With Dunn and Abreu off the market, the Braves’ only option for an outfield addition is probably to make a trade. Also, if you’re curious, WEEI’s Alex Speier explains why the Red Sox were not in on Dunn and Abreu.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees
Some Odds and Ends around the league:
- In a good piece by Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, Nats GM Jim Bowden says Stephen Strasburg is "as good a pitcher as we’ve seen in the draft in 10 or 15 years." He could be in the rotation as soon as September. Amusingly, Strasburg’s mother described Scott Boras, who is advising the phenom, as a "Rottweiler."
- WEEI’s Alex Speier lists the Red Sox 19 non-roster invitees. 13 of them have Major League experience. Brad Wilkerson is also expected to be present.
- David Lennon of Newsday.com reports that Omar Minaya has achieved his offseason goals. "The reality is that we’ve pretty much filled all our priorities," Minaya said. "I’m set to go with this team."
- Phil Rogers touches on the absence of interest in Frank Thomas who is not working out while he’s out of camp. Rogers notes the Players Association needs to organize a spring training camp for out-of-work players. He suggests the White Sox abandoned Tucson complex.
Odds And Ends: Anderson, Griffey, Varitek
Links for Saturday…
- According to Bill Dwyre of the LA Times Garret Anderson has no ill will towards the Angels.
- Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners need to sign Ken Griffey Jr. He adds that the Mariners may be "warming to the idea."
- The Kyodo News reports that the Blue Jays have finalized Ken Takahashi‘s contract.
- According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, Jason Varitek passed his physical.
- Jay Jaffe, Kevin Goldstein and Christina Kahrl of BP fill in the remaining holes on National League teams.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com writes that players should "go the extra mile" to please fans in the weakened economy, as they did in 1995 after the strike.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Braves Howard, Mets, Nomar, Sheets
On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, several players in the twilight of their career are still looking for contracts of their own. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- River Ave. Blues says a one-year deal for Manny Ramirez in L.A. would open the door to Manny being Manny in pinstripes next year.
- Feeling Dodger Blue takes a look at options for the Dodgers other than Manny.
- Braves Blast sees Bobby Abreu as a better fit for the Braves than Adam Dunn and a better option than trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
- The Phrontiersman argues for trading Ryan Howard.
- UmpBump continues their "Hot Offseason Action" series, this time looking at the Red Sox, their offseason moves and how the roster might look on opening day.
- Mets Geek breaks down the Mets offseason.
- The ‘Ropolitans say the Mets’ bullpen still needs work and wonders why they don’t go after one of the remaining big-name relievers on the market.
- Detroit Tigers Thoughts notes that if Orlando Hudson wants to sign a one-year deal after the June draft, he is more likely to lose his type-A free agent status next season if he signs with an NL club this season.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels that Nomar Garciaparra would make a nice backup shortstop for the Cubs.
- More Hardball puts together an All-Star squad of players still available on the free agent market.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at which teams might be interested in signing Ben Sheets for the second half.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Rangers Rumors: Red Sox Pitching, Andruw
A few Rangers notes from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan…
- The Rangers weren’t able to pry Clay Buchholz loose from the Red Sox back when they were actively looking for a catcher. But, Sullivan says the Rangers "still like many pitchers in the Red Sox organization." Michael Bowden, Nick Hagadone, and Daniel Bard are Boston’s other top pitching prospects.
- The Rangers worked out Andruw Jones but with their crowded outfield they "just don’t see a fit right now."
- Sullivan looks at various pitchers who’ve had flexor tendon surgery – Andy Pettitte, Victor Zambrano, and Jason Schmidt. Jason Jennings hopes to return strong this year after two such surgeries in recent years.
Heyman On Andruw, Pedro, Crede, Grudz
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
- The Yankees offered a minor league deal to Andruw Jones, which he turned down. Other teams "thought to have interest": the Rangers, Phillies, Braves, and Mets.
- Heyman thinks Pedro Martinez makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers. However, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned from Ned Colletti on January 6th that the Dodgers weren’t among the teams pursuing Pedro.
- Jason Varitek‘s camp (ie, Scott Boras) apparently has no regrets about rejecting arbitration since it wouldn’t have been a guaranteed contract.
- Chad Cordero‘s next showcase is scheduled for February 19th.
- Heyman has the Twins as favorites over the Giants to sign Joe Crede. More on Crede here.
- Heyman says the Yankees feel they’re more likely to find a deal for Nick Swisher than Xavier Nady.
- Add Mark Grudzielanek to the list of right-handed hitters the Phillies are considering (Nomar Garciaparra, Rich Aurilia, and Moises Alou being the others).
Odds and Ends: Crede, Jays, Howard
Links for Wednesday…
- Here’s the transcript of WEEI’s interview with Theo Epstein. Epstein says "nothing is hot or active right now" for the Red Sox.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote yesterday that "a Joe Crede signing remains a real possibility for the Twins."
- Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press writes about the Blue Jays’ attempts to break into the Japanese market.
- Will the players union organize a training camp for unsigned players? Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times discusses the slow-moving market.
- Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News had two baseball officials and an agent explain how they’d approach Ryan Howard‘s arbitration case.
- RotoAuthority ranks the second baseman for fantasy baseball.
Bay Yet To Talk Extension With Red Sox
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, outfielder Jason Bay has yet to discuss a contract extension with the Red Sox. Bay put his chances of reaching free agency after the ’09 season at 50-50, while also professing his love for Boston. Click here to take a look at the rest of the 2010 free agent market – there are plenty of good hitters aside from Bay.
On January 12th, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe wrote that the Red Sox plan to discuss an extension with Bay before the season begins but after the remaining big-name free agent outfielders sign. We’re still waiting on Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, and Manny Ramirez however.