Bay Rejects Boston’s Offer
Jason Bay rejected a contract offer from the Red Sox worth close to $60MM over four years, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. We've heard for a while that Bay wants to test the free agent market, and so have the Red Sox.
"It's not a surprise that a player that's gone this far wants to see what's out there,'' GM Theo Epstein said.
Bay will hit the open market in 12 hours, along with John Lackey, Matt Holliday and the rest of this year's free agents. Heyman says the Red Sox are thought to have interest in Holliday as well as Bay.
Epstein told a group of reporters including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that there's no firm timetable for signing Bay.
"This part of the process is important to him, so he’ll see what it’s like, see what’s out there and ultimately make a decision,” Epstein said.
Francona Speaks About Red Sox Offseason Topics
Red Sox manager Terry Francona was on WEEI's Dale & Holley earlier today (audio here, transcript courtesy of Alex Speier here), and spoke about a variety of Red Sox offseason topics. Let's round it all up…
- The team is currently interviewing candidates for openings in their coaching staff. Bench coach Brad Mills has since moved on to take over as Astros' skipper.
- Francona hopes the team re-signs Jason Bay, but he acknowledges that he's going to have other options. "You know we’re going to be a major player. We always are."
- He also thinks Bay won't drag out his decision until mid January.
- Francona says he has gone on free agent recruiting trips before, most notably to speak to John Smoltz and Mark Teixeira.
- Whenever GM Theo Epstein talks to him, Francona always tells him to get a pitcher.
- The team has met with John Lackey's agent, and Francona considers him "one of the best." He also notes that you're talking about a lot of years when committing to a player like that.
- Francona acknowledged that Alex Gonzalez stabilized the shortstop position, but "you look at that .310 on-base percentage, for a full year, if that’s what you’re going to go with, you’ve got to recoup that somewhere else."
Francona also spoke about how they mix stats and scouting, and how they "try to look at both and make good decisions."
Heyman: Yankees, Red Sox Have Shot At Halladay
Jon Heyman's latest column begins with this simple declaration:
"The Yankees recently called the Blue Jays to express interest in superstar pitcher Roy Halladay."
And Heyman points out the change in administrations in Toronto- from J.P. Ricciardi to Alex Anthopoulos- means an in-division trade is no longer out of the question.
Heyman also points out that with Halladay seeking a big payday from whoever acquires him, the suitors for his services could quickly dwindle to the precious few big-market teams who can afford to pay him long-term.
He lists the Yankees as option 1, the Red Sox as option 1A for Halladay. Keeping him in Toronto for now is second, with the Phillies, Angels and Mets all trailing behind.
Heyman's column also discusses topics ranging from Adrian Gonzalez to Zack Greinke, and is obviously worth a read.
Morning Links: Red Sox, Phillies, Rays
Plenty to absorb this morning, baseball fans:
- The Red Sox have asked the Braves for medical records of free agent relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, according to George King of the New York Post. WEEI.com also notes that catcher George Kottaras has been released.
- Chan Ho Park wants to be a starter, while the Phillies, most other teams, and the results on the field see him as a reliever. Todd Zolecki also writes about why he's not surprised that the Phillies are considered by many to be the front runners to land Mark DeRosa.
- DRaysBay.com evaluates whether the Rays should trade Carlos Pena.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic estimates that the Diamondbacks have about $14MM to spend this winter.
- Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets have hired Dave Jauss as bench coach.
- Kelly Thesier of MLB.com looks at the minor league free agents from the Twins.
Eight Teams Express Interest In Billy Wagner
Eight clubs have expressed interest in free agent closer Billy Wagner, according to his agent Bean Stringfellow (Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reporting). Stringfellow generously named five of the suitors: the Red Sox, Braves, Nationals, Astros, and Orioles. The agent says Wagner's Type A status hasn't scared teams off, and that of these five only the Red Sox spoke about a non-closing role. Stringfellow expects multiyear offers, though Wagner turns 39 in July.
The FOX authors speculate on possibilities for the remaining three teams by mentioning the Tigers, Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, White Sox, Rays and Marlins.
Washington's interest in Wagner and Mike Gonzalez makes you wonder if they'll tender a contract to their current closer, Mike MacDougal. MacDougal is due a raise on this year's $2.65MM salary. Perhaps they just like him more for a setup role.
Certainly nothing will happen with Wagner until after December 1st, when we learn definitively whether the Red Sox will offer arbitration.
Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell
A batch of links to kick off the work week…
- Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today. Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season.
- Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors. One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell. He'd like a multiyear deal.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
- Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
- ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
- Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
- Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
- Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer. In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
- Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jeter, Marlins
Let's take a look at some Sunday morning links….
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pirates may be able to add one or two low-cost free agents this winter, but, as usual, they won't be making any big splashes.
- The Boston Globe's Chad Finn thinks that the Red Sox should be doing whatever it takes to acquire Adrian Gonzalez.
- When it comes to Derek Jeter, the Yankees ought to rethink their rule about not discussing early contract extensions, according to Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports.
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press writes that all of the Curtis Granderson trade rumors could be much ado about nothing.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff has a few tidbits of info from around the league. He mentions that he doesn't see the Yankees taking care of their outfield/DH situation until after the winter meetings.
- The latest Marlins mailbag from MLB.com's Joe Frisaro includes a few hot stove inquiries from readers.
- Roch Kubatko looks back at some of the names that were bounced around Orioles hot stove talks a year ago and wonders if the Orioles will again be linked to Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Matt Treanor now that they're all back on the market.
- Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues hopes to see the Yankees stay internal to solve fill the eighth inning role, rather than venture to the free agent market and spend on a name like Rafael Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins, or Octavio Dotel.
- Adam McCalvy at MLB.com examines some of the rumored discussions that obviously fell through when the Brewers and Pirates were talking JJ Hardy.
- El Lefty Malo crunches some numbers to try to predict how many additional runs the Giants will need to score to approach 90 wins and make a postseason run.
Cafardo On Cabrera, Penny, Upton
In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the differing opinions on this year's free agent market and passes on some info from around the majors. The highlights:
- One National League GM on the top players in this year's free agent class: "[Matt Holliday] won’t get what Mark Teixeira got. No chance. [John] Lackey may get A.J. Burnett money, but I’m not even sure anyone would go that high."
- A separate source tells Cafardo that many teams will wait out the market this winter, potentially resulting in a few bargains for thrifty teams later in the offseason.
- Cafardo wonders if the Detroit Tigers would entertain trade offers for Miguel Cabrera, who will make $20MM next season. If so, Cafardo thinks the Red Sox would get involved.
- The Seattle Mariners believe they're very close to contending, which will mean hanging on to Felix Hernandez and pursuing players like Lackey and Jason Bay this offseason.
- The San Francisco Giants are interested in bringing back Brad Penny.
- Cafardo says it "isn't far-fetched" that the Rays could deal B.J. Upton. He suggests Upton's availability will depend on Carl Crawford's future with the team, or lack thereof.
Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll
In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark.
Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors…
- The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year.
- Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees.
- Olney hears that the Astros "are cutting payroll, and will have the flexibility to make only minor moves, such as getting a right-handed hitting third baseman, to platoon with Geoff Blum."
- Tom Hicks is still trying to find a way to hold onto the Rangers, but bids from prospective buyers are due next week.
- The Pirates "first made it clear" they were willing to deal Ryan Doumit before the trade deadline, while the Dodgers have been having "internal conversations" about bringing Jamey Carroll aboard as a utility infielder.
Odds & Ends: Lackey, Bay, Matsui, Wilson
Some links to start off your weekend…
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are just doing their due diligence by touching base with John Lackey's agent, reminding us that they also spoke to CC Sabathia's and A.J. Burnett's representatives last offseason.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier breaks down Joe Urbon's pitch for his client, free agent outfielder Jason Bay.
- Hideki Matsui acknowledged that he'd be disappointed if he didn't return to the Yankees, according to Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News. Godzilla says that his agent Arn Tellem is taking care of the situation, but he doesn't think the two sides have had any discussions yet.
- ESPN's Rob Neyer says that Jack Wilson's defense is definitely worth the $10MM the Mariners gave him yesterday.
- Steve Slowinski at DRays Bay goes back and evaluates the deal that brought Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist to Tampa in exchange for Aubrey Huff.
- Edgardo Alfonzo still thinks he could be valuable utility player and has two or three years of baseball left, according to The NY Post's Kevin Kernan. The 36-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006.