Johan Santana Rumors
It’s time for today’s dose of Johan Santana rumors and info. It’s funny – I sense that everyone is getting sick of this stuff and would prefer a fresh rumor about, say, Brad Wilkerson.
- Lisa Kennelly wrote this morning that the Mets appear to be sticking to their guns with an offer of Carlos Gomez or Fernando Martinez, Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. However, she says the Mets prefer Erik Bedard over Santana since he will not require a huge extension. The New York Times adds that the Mets "are not engaged in heavy discussions with the Twins."
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone dives into the situation, summing up recent events and providing some insight from a roundtable that included Ken Rosenthal, Dan Graziano, and Jim Duquette.
- Michael Silverman, with some help from Baseball America, evaluates each reported package of prospects that has been offered for Santana.
- An end may be in sight – the Twins lose leverage if teams truly start to pull out, writes Joe Christensen.
Yankees Still Involved On Santana
UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 10:28pm: Hank says "there’s still a little back and forth" between the Yanks and Twins regarding Santana. Ugh.
FROM 1-14-08 at 11:47am:
ESPN Radio’s Andrew Marchand reports that the Yankees have again pulled their offer for Johan Santana off the table. Hank Steinbrenner could certainly change his mind again, but it seems to be down to the Red Sox and Mets. And recent rumblings point to the Mets as the frontrunner.
The Yankees’ rotation currently shapes up as Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and probably Mike Mussina. Ian Kennedy will be nipping at Mussina’s heels in Spring Training, while Kei Igawa‘s status is unknown. Keep in mind that Chamberlain pitched only 116 innings in 2007, most of them in the minors. It would be surprising to see the Yankees take him past 150 innings this year. What are your thoughts on the current Yankees rotation, sans Johan?
Kotsay Traded To Braves For Devine, Richmond
UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 5:07pm: Kotsay passed his physical; he’s a Brave. The Braves also got most of his salary covered. In return the A’s receive Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond. Devine is a 24 year-old righty reliever with a 92-94mph sinker, according to Baseball America. Richmond turns 22 in March; he’s the type of pitching prospect who doesn’t light up the radar gun but has "command of three pitches and advanced feel for pitching" according to BA.
FROM 1-13-08 at 12:11pm:
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports today via a Braves official that the Mark Kotsay trade is "still kind of a tentative thing." He doesn’t take his physical until Monday, and there’s no deal until the Braves deem him healthy. Slusser notes that the A’s acquisition of Kotsay several years ago was delayed by concerns over his health.
Slusser also says the A’s could receive an A ball pitcher in addition to Joey Devine. She confirms that the Devine acquisition could be a precursor to a Huston Street trade, something many emailers have speculated.
Perrotto’s Latest: Sabathia, Varitek, Crede, Villone
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus checks in with his usual Sunday column. He’s got some new hot stove material to consider.
- Perrotto says the Indians are holding firm at an offer of four years plus an option for C.C. Sabathia. As of a week ago, the Indians were said to have an offer on the table for him. I suggested that the Tribe might top out around four years, $72MM plus an option for 2013.
- Perrotto writes that "Boston is expected to sign catcher Jason Varitek to a two-year extension worth around $20 million." Varitek could retire after that.
- Perrotto suggests that Joe Crede is on the Giants’ radar if they don’t re-sign Pedro Feliz (hat tip South Side Sox). Crede seems like he’ll be involved in one of those late Spring Training deals, given the need to prove his health.
- The Yankees, Mets, and Pirates are interested in free agent lefty reliever Ron Villone.
Neal On Johan Santana Talks
I recently named La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as Rumor Royalty for the Twins. He answered a few questions for MLBTR, so let’s kick it off.
MLBTR: Are you sick of the Johan Santana saga yet? These talks have been dragging for a month after it seemed like something would get done at the Winter Meetings. Who will cave in – the Twins, Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox?
Neal: Can’t wait for this to end! I think the Twins have sent out signals in recent weeks that they have lowered their demands some in order to get something done. I initially felt that the Red Sox had the best chance to land Santana because I kept hearing how well talks were going. Then I thought the Yankees would step up and make the deal because they have a greater need for a front line starter than Boston. But the Mets have a greater need than the Yankees, and as soon as the Twins indicated that they would accept a deal with the Mets without Jose Reyes being involved the Mets’ chances shot upward.
I don’t blame a team for holding out to get what they want, but Santana will require a hefty contract extension wherever he winds up. A team won’t empty its roster and take on salary. So get what you can and move on.
A’s Interested In Cameron
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports in with new info regarding an A’s target. She says Mike Cameron is in their sights, and the A’s have had "several conversations" with his agent. The A’s weren’t mentioned as a contender for Cameron last night; he is expected to land with the Brewers or Yankees.
Slusser also names a couple of available right-handed hitting free agent outfielders in Reggie Sanders and Rondell White. Those are just examples, though – there is no current indication that the A’s have interest.
Slusser adds that there’s nothing to recent rumors of a Huston Street for Coco Crisp swap. That one sounds like fan speculation (in fact I think I saw it in our comments somewhere).
Odds and Ends: Phelps, Mirabelli, Varitek
Random rumors and links for your perusal…
- The Cardinals inked Josh Phelps to a minor league deal that could be worth up to $1MM. I always liked Phelps; he’s a more than capable bench guy.
- The Red Sox bit the bullet and brought Doug Mirabelli back for another round. Tony Massarotti notes that the Red Sox may sign Jason Varitek to an extension this spring worth upward of $10MM annually. I still like the idea of going after Kenji Johjima next winter.
- RotoAuthority ranks the shortstops for fantasy leagues, hot off the press.
Notes From Hot Stove, Cool Music: Cashman, Santana, Varitek
A few interesting tidbits came about via the Hot Stove, Cool Music charitable event on Saturday. The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford has the details.
- Brian Cashman admitted that he lost some power when the Hank and Hal regime took over. He no longer has full authority to run everything, a sticking point when he signed on several years ago. It would not be shocking to see Cashman move on when his term ends after the 2008 season. He’s finishing up a three-year, $5.4MM deal.
- For what it’s worth, Theo Epstein seemed to indicate that the dragging Johan Santana talks are not holding up other moves for the Red Sox. But really it’s hard to believe that Coco Crisp‘s situation hasn’t been delayed. Boston already lost the White Sox as a suitor, most likely.
- During Spring Training, Scott Boras plans to begin contract extension talks with the Red Sox for Jason Varitek. Here’s a look at other free agent backstops the Sox could consider after the ’08 season. Kenji Johjima could be an interesting signing.
Odds and Ends: Estrada, Payton, Kielty
Random rumors from the day…
- The Bucs are set with their starting five, unless they can trade Matt Morris. Dejan Kovacevic adds that the Pirates and Johnny Estrada have mutual interest but haven’t spoken in a while.
- Roch Kubatko expects the Orioles to shop Jay Payton now that they’ve acquired Chris Roberson. Really, all of their vets should be fully available.
- Bobby Kielty has interest from three or four teams, but his first choice is Boston. The likelihood of that increases if Coco Crisp is sent elsewhere. Kielty is willing to give up switch-hitting if his new team so desires.
- Troy E. Renck has salary details on Mark Redman and Kip Wells. Redman gets $1MM, with another possible $500K in incentives. Wells gets a $3.1MM base with another possible $1.5MM in incentives.
Gammons Chat: Crisp, Santana, Ramirez
The Boston Globe ran a chat with Peter Gammons today, and some good hot stove material came about.
- Gammons believes the Rangers or A’s could go after Coco Crisp if he’s not dealt to the Twins. He notes that "the A’s think he’s the best CF in the game right now," and that Billy Beane could acquire him to flip him.
- He says the Mets are currently trying to build up inventory to trade for Johan Santana, and that might be why Bill Smith hasn’t pulled the trigger on anything yet.
- Gammons believes the Red Sox will exercise Manny Ramirez‘s $20MM options for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He notes that Manny is getting himself into phenomenal shape this winter.