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Odds and Ends: Kendall, Crisp, Gagne

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I’m back in the swing of things, kind of.  We’re still living out of boxes, but I’ve got a laptop and I’m digging into all the rumors I missed.  Joe did a great job the last couple of days.  Be sure to visit his Yankees blog, River Ave. Blues.  On to today’s random rumors…

  • I’m hearing that Jason Kendall could be a fallback for the Mets if they can’t pry Ramon Hernandez loose from the Orioles.
  • The Blue Jays have about $4MM to spend, and J.P. Ricciardi likes the idea of Michael Barrett splitting time behind the plate with Gregg Zaun.  It seems unlikely, though, because the Padres would have to not offer arbitration to Barrett.  And Barrett would have to take a one-year, $4MM deal.
  • Jamey Newberg discusses the idea of a Coco Crisp for Gerald Laird swap.  He notes that the market for Laird should be picking up, but the Red Sox might prefer to wait to trade Crisp.
  • Haven’t heard this one much yet…how about Eric Gagne for the Houston closer vacancy?  Would Scott Boras present a problem?
  • David Wells could be an option for the Mets, if he doesn’t retire or end up on the West Coast.
  • One free agent from Japan who hasn’t gotten much press is Marc Kroon.  He didn’t catch on in MLB but has been doing well for Yokohama the past few years.  Kroon holds the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown in a Japanese game (161 km/h, which is about 100 mph).  You can see that in this video (the second pitch he throws, the crowd loves it).  Kroon is considering trying the Majors again; he says so on his website (note that his site plays music when you visit). 

Wood On BoSox Radar

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In Nick Cafardo’s column in the Boston Globe today, he mentions that Kerry Wood is on Sox’s radar. He says they envision him as the guy they were looking for when they traded for Eric Gagne on July 31. Unfortunately, this may not jibe with Wood’s intentions. As Tim has discussed here, he might be looking to remain as a starter, though that would limit the teams that are interested in him. Presumably, given his injury history and temporary success as a reliever in ’07, more teams would line up to have Wood in their bullpens.

The Cubs, who could use Wood either as a starter or a reliever — even a closer — remain the front runners. Other teams with a noted interest include the Reds, the Rangers, and the Yankees.

Cafardo also offers up the standard-issue rumors regarding Matt Clement (Padres or Royals), Bartolo Colon (Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Phillies), and Kris Benson ("drawing a lot of interest"). He also mentions the Tigers in connection with Livan Hernandez, Carlos Silva, and obviously Kenny Rogers. He also notes that without Joel Zumaya, the team might be looking at Eric Gagne.

And then there’s the recycled Miguel Cabrera talks. Cafardo describes the situation as we’ve all known it for some time now (guess what…Angels and Dodgers!).

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Yankees Pull Back Lowell Offer?

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According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Yankees have pulled their offer to Mike Lowell off the table since they’re close to signing Alex Rodriguez.  The last indication was that Lowell had a four-year offer from the Yanks in the neighborhood of $50-55MM.  Reportedly that offer was made with the idea of Lowell moving to first base.  If that was true, why would an A-Rod signing change things?  The offer was made with an A-Rod signing in mind.

None of the other suitors for Lowell are admitting anything right now.  The Phillies seem a logical fit but Pat Gillick is denying it.  The Brewers may also enter the market for a third baseman. 

Did Mike Lowell Really Receive Four Offers?

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This has all been covered here on MLBTR, but I guess it’s gotten lost in the shuffle because I’m receiving tons of email about it.  Maybe I’ll try to build something into the site to better keep up with the big names besides just reading through everything.  In the meantime, you can always use the search bar on the sidebar.

Anyway, let’s talk about this Mike Lowell rumor from WHDH Channel 7 News out of Boston.  These guys are getting a ton of traffic to this rumor and I just gave them more.  Oh well.

The uncredited rumor says a source close to Lowell indicates that he’s received four-year offers in the $55-60MM range from the Braves, Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees.

GM Frank Wren debunked the Braves portion today.  Esteemed St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz killed the Cardinals portion last night.  The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford shot down the Angels rumor.

So we have an uncredited rumor that is currently 0 for 3. 

A different Boston TV station, WBZ, said today that the Yanks did make an offer in the $56-60MM range to Lowell today (courtesy of Dan Roche).  That could be accurate but I would like to see some of the regular Yankees beat writers pick it up also.

Yanks Want Lowell For First Base

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UPDATE, 11-15-07: A reporter from WBZ TV out of Boston is saying Lowell has a four-year offer from the Yankees in the $56-60MM range.

UPDATE, 11-14-07: Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch kills the Lowell-Cardinals rumor.

FROM 11-13-07:

A new twist!  Dan Graziano reports that an Alex Rodriguez signing wouldn’t stop the Yankees from pursuing Mike Lowell.  They’d like Lowell to play first base for them.  A big part of it would be to take Lowell away from the Red Sox, it appears.  Of course the Red Sox would get the Yankees’ 28th overall pick next June as a consolation prize. 

Graziano admits signing Lowell to switch positions would be tough, as teams like the Angels and Dodgers will be after him.  According to a Boston television station, Lowell has already received offers from the Braves, Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees.  Each is supposedly a four-year offer between $55-60MM.  Color me skeptical of that particular rumor, but you never know.

Anyway, the Yankees dropping $50MM+ on Lowell just to thwart the Red Sox seems kind of irresponsible to me.  Here’s what they’d have:

C – Jorge Posada – $13.1MM
1B – Mike Lowell – $14MM
2B – Robinson Cano – $0.5MM
SS – Derek Jeter – $20MM
3B – Alex Rodriguez – $28MM
LF – Hideki Matsui – $13MM/Johnny Damon – $13MM
CF – Melky Cabrera – $0.5MM
RF – Bobby Abreu – $16MM
DH – Jason Giambi – $21MM

That’s a $139MM starting lineup, and one of those guys would be on the bench.  I imagine a Lowell signing would compel Brian Cashman to shop someone.

Cafardo’s Latest: Crawford, Haren

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has a new colum up this morning; let’s check it out.

  • The Carl Crawford/Cubs thing won’t die.  Cafardo says the Cubs are after him, possibly offering a package starting with Rich Hill and Carlos Marmol.  This rumor originated with Bruce Levine a few days ago, though Roger Mooney dismissed it yesterday.
  • While the Red Sox have discussed Miguel Cabrera with the Marlins, Cafardo believes they might instead be eyeing a blockbuster for Johan Santana or Dan Haren.  As if the Red Sox need more pitching.

Rivera, Posada, Lowell To Hit Open Market?

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Brian Cashman was unable to reach an agreement with either of his big-name free agents tonight.  Both Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada will hit the open market despite receiving improved offers from the Yankees.  Rivera hinted that he could follow Joe Torre to the Dodgers.  That seems an unlikely way for the Dodgers to spend $40MM+.

Honestly I thought the Yankees would extend themselves to get both deals done by midnight tonight.  I’m surprised to see this pair hit the open market, where any team is liable to overpay.  Peter Abraham speculates that Posada might require four years, $56MM, because that’s what Mike Lowell wants.

Speaking of Lowell – the Red Sox don’t seem willing to stretch to add that fourth year.  They’re still negotiating, so maybe something creative can be done before Lowell starts fielding offers from other clubs.

More On Mike Lowell

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Michael Silverman has a little detail on Boston’s three-year offer to Mike Lowell: it’s between $12-15MM per season.  It’s all guaranteed, and it doesn’t seem to be a "take it or leave it" offer, but they won’t add a fourth year.  So it’s for $45MM on the high end.  If you agree with Jon Heyman’s 4/52 prediction, Lowell would be leaving a minimum of $7MM on the table.

Silverman adds that the Red Sox won’t go nuts trying to replace Lowell with a big name if things don’t work out.  They figure that if Kevin Youkilis can win a Gold Glove at first, he might be adequate at third base.  They peeked their head in on Miguel Cabrera and balked at the price of Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz.  Joe Crede might be someone for the Sox to consider. 

The Yankees, Angels, and Phillies will be in on Lowell if he can’t come to an agreement with Boston.  However, Phils GM Pat Gillick has stated his focus is pitching rather than third base.

Rockies Rumors: Helton, Holliday, Matsui

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Troy E. Renck is at it again, with another column updating us on the Rockies’ hot stove situation.

  • Todd Helton isn’t going anywhere, for multiple reasons.  His current $16.6MM salary is less frightening due to playoff revenue, and he’d be unlikely to approve a trade since his current team is already a winner.
  • As Renck reported earlier this week, the Rox will offer Matt Holliday a four-year, $60MM deal to buy out two years of free agency.  Holliday, a Scott Boras client, seems unlikely to accept anything like that.
  • Why would the Cubs be willing to overpay for Kaz Matsui with a three-year deal?  Surely the Cubs know Matsui has hit .256/.305/.370 away from Coors since joining the Rockies?  I don’t buy the speed angle – promote Eric Patterson, then.  I don’t buy the "make Fukudome comfortable angle" – sign a Japanese reliever, then.  The Rockies are fine moving on from Matsui and Yorvit Torrealba if their offers are beat.
  • Renck says Michael Barrett has drawn interest from six clubs so far, the Rockies one of them perhaps.  The Marlins could be another.
  • The Phillies won’t be going after Brian Fuentes now that they have Brad Lidge, but they weren’t pursuing him before Lidge anyway.  After the dust settles on Francisco Cordero and Mariano Rivera, the Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees are expected to look at Fuentes.  The Rockies’ demand is aggressive for one year of the closer – a #3 starter and a decent reliever.
  • Matt Herges will look for a two-year deal; otherwise he’ll accept the Rockies one-year offer.
  • Javy Lopez is attempting a comeback!

Orioles Notes: Crisp, Burnett

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The always-informed Jeff Zrebiec has a few Orioles tidbits for us.

  • The Orioles didn’t engage in conversations with agents for any free agents during the GM meetings – just trade talks with other teams (about 15 total).
  • President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said that he’s open to trading with other teams in the AL East.  He just wants the best deal. 
  • With that in mind, two Yankees who interest the Orioles are Melky Cabrera and Kyle Farnsworth.  The Yankees could employ Miguel Tejada at third base, if he’s willing.
  • The O’s could have some interest in Coco Crisp, though he’s not atop their list.  But they do need some kind of center fielder.
  • The team’s ears perked up at the availability of A.J. Burnett, even though he makes no sense for them.

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