Odds & Ends: Jeter, Cameron, Rich Hill
Another eventful Winter Meetings has come to a close. Even with the pre-meetings action involving Adrian Gonzalez, Jayson Werth, and Shaun Marcum, we had plenty to talk about this week. Carl Crawford signed the biggest deal of the offseason so far. Paul Konerko stayed with the White Sox after some drama. Carlos Pena found a pillow contract with the Cubs. J.J. Putz assumed the Diamondbacks' closer role. The Orioles rebuilt the left side of their infield with Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. The Pirates, Mariners, Padres, Royals, Rockies, Mets, and others made additions as well. On to today's links…
- Check out a couple of Rule 5 draft reviews from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein. And of course, a pair of great links from John Manuel of Baseball America. We've got the picks from the Major League phase listed here.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the financial breakdown on Derek Jeter's new contract.
- The Red Sox have already gotten inquiries on outfielder Mike Cameron, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The team plans to keep him but is willing to listen. Cameron will have to take on a part-time role with Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew filling Boston's outfield.
- The Red Sox are expected to reach an agreement to re-sign Rich Hill in the next few days, reports Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hill, who grew up a Sox fan, hopes to crack the bullpen this year.
- The Tigers' talks with Carl Crawford didn't get far, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck. Dombrowski explained that a team can only have so many $20MM players, and the Tigers already have two.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail hasn't ruled out Cesar Izturis returning, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. Izturis is a tougher fit after the Orioles acquired Hardy and Brendan Harris.
Minor Deals: Oxspring, Oeltjen, Ryal
The latest minor transactions….
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers signed Chris Oxspring, who made five appearances for the Padres in 2005. Oxspring, 33, has spent time pitching in Japan, Korea, and Australia since then.
- The Dodgers have re-signed Trent Oeltjen to a minor league deal, according to CBS Sports. The 27-year-old outfielder got some big league playing time over the season's final month, making 30 plate appearances in 14 games. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers last week.
- Rusty Ryal appears to be headed to a Japanese club, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. While it's not official yet, "there's a pretty good possibility" it'll happen (Twitter links).
Crawford Fallout: Lee, Downs, Ordonez, Beltre
While Boston's agreement with Carl Crawford is, of course, a huge move in its own right, the impact it could have on other free agents can't be overlooked. Here are a few players and teams who may be affected by the Crawford signing:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates (via Twitter) that the Angels and Rangers, who were in on Crawford, could make a stronger push for Cliff Lee now. Brian Cashman, however, says the move won't affect the Yankees' tactics with Lee (Twitter link). Regardless, Crawford's contract is widely viewed as great news for the southpaw. Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes that "it just gets better and better to be Cliff Lee this winter."
- As Lou Merloni writes at WEEI.com, the Red Sox could become more interested in Scott Downs now that the Type A free agent wouldn't cost a first round pick. Boston will send its first round pick to Tampa Bay as compensation for Crawford, so they'd only have to surrender a second rounder if they signed Downs.
- The Red Sox have almost certainly been eliminated as a suitor for Magglio Ordonez now, which is good news for the Tigers. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Detroit "badly wants to re-sign" Ordonez, and while the veteran has a handful of suitors, it appeared Boston's interest was serious.
- Having missed out on Crawford, the Angels are expected to turn their "full attention" to Adrian Beltre and perhaps Rafael Soriano, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Magglio Ordonez Rumors: Wednesday
The latest on Magglio Ordonez…
- Today's workout was only meant for the Tigers and was not an open audition, tweets MLB.com's Ian Browne.
- The Orioles did not watch Ordonez work out today and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail refuted the report that they're interested, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
- Interestingly, the Red Sox did not have a representative at Ordonez's workout today, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Tigers were there, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's doubtful that the Red Sox would give Ordonez a two-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox appear to be focusing on Ordonez in their search for an outfielder, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler. This would not be good news for Carl Crawford. The Tigers, Phillies, and Orioles are also said to be in the mix for Maggs. Ordonez is coming off a broken ankle, but worked out for teams today. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boras is seeking at least two years and $20MM.
Ryan Ludwick Drawing Trade Interest
WEDNESDAY, 3:15pm: The Padres would only trade Ludwick for a package that includes two or three pieces, which means he'll likely be in their opening day lineup, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 10:46pm: Ryan Ludwick is generating trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Red Sox, Tigers, Orioles and Dodgers are among the teams that have checked in, according to the reporters. At this point – just 48 hours after trading Adrian Gonzalez – the Padres seem reluctant to part with Ludwick.
The Orioles, Tigers and Red Sox have also been linked to another outfielder who bats from the right side and is a year away from free agency: Josh Willingham.
Ludwick, 32, earned 5.45MM in 2010 and has hit 76 home runs over the course of the past three seasons, so he'll surpass the $6MM mark through arbitration in 2011 and could earn close to $7MM. He batted .251/.325/.418 with 17 homers and 27 doubles in 551 plate appearances last year.
Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Heisey, White Sox, Feliciano
One year ago today, the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks finalized the trade that sent Curtis Granderson to New York, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to Arizona and Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson to Detroit. As we await this year's answer to that 2009 blockbuster, here are some links to enjoy…
- Phil Coke, who was also in that trade, is set to move to the Tigers' rotation, but Detroit isn't desperate for left-handed relief help. Daniel Schlereth, yet another product of the trade, could be a cog in the Tigers' 'pen, so they're showing limited interest in free agents like J.C. Romero and Ron Mahay, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- The agent for Hisashi Iwakuma, Don Nomura, told the Associated Press (via ESPN) that the A's showed no respect for his client in their recent negotiations. The agent is clearly frustrated by what he perceives to be a lack of sincerity from Oakland.
- The D'Backs have some interest in outfielder Chris Heisey, but have yet to approach the Reds about him, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
- The Phillies are still interested in a potential deal with Chad Durbin, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams tells Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that his team is "about tapped out" in terms of payroll flexibility (Twitter link).
- The Indians officially announced their minor league deal with Paul Phillips today.
- The Yankees met with Pedro Feliciano's representatives today, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
Scott Boras Holds Court
Agent Scott Boras is holding court at the Winter Meetings; here's the latest.
- Boras has not met with the Indians about a Shin-Soo Choo extension and doesn't expect to at the Winter Meetings. He says the Indians being a "developmental team" might stand in the way.
- Boras says Carlos Beltran plans to be a Met this season. Beltran has full no-trade rights.
- Magglio Ordonez is working out for teams today. The Tigers were set to attend, says MLB.com's Jason Beck. The market for Ordonez is said by Boras to be aggressive, with a multiyear deal expected. More specifically, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that Ordonez wants at least two years at $10MM or more per.
- Adrian Beltre hasn't closed the door on signing with the Athletics.
- Prince Fielder is open to extension talks with the Brewers, but Boras did plenty of qualifying.
Overnight Links: Lee, Brewers, Tigers, Varitek, Parra
Here's some late night odds and ends for the night owls who are still up and running, or early birds who are just rising:
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan opines that offering seven years for Cliff Lee is the right thing for his suitors to do.
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News opines that it's better for the Rangers to overpay for Lee than it is to let him go to New York.
- Craig Counsell's agent asked the Brewers for more time to consider his options, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Milwaukee is anxious to hear whether or not the veteran infielder will return.
- McCalvy also tweets that the Brewers will continue to pursue catching options, even with the near-signing of Wil Nieves.
- McCalvy's colleague Jason Beck tweets confirmation from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski that the club has considered sending Alfredo Figaro to Japan.
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford writes that the Blue Jays talked with Jason Varitek prior to his re-signing with Boston. A.J. Pierzynski, whom the Red Sox also contacted, is happy for Varitek regarding his return to Boston, saying "He deserves it."
- A market for D'Backs outfielder Gerardo Parra is developing, tweets FOX Sports Arizona's Jack Magruder. Parra could be moved to help balance out a lineup that's heavy in left-handed hitters.
Giants Rumors: Rotation Depth, Cabrera, Santiago
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle has a pair of Giants articles up. Let's dig in:
- The Giants are looking to add rotation depth by pursuing "sixth starter" types. According to Shea, they're one of several teams interested in Andrew Miller, who visited the Giants in their suite Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.
- The Giants are also in the market for backup shortstops. Some names they've floated around include Orlando Cabrera and Tigers' utilityman Ramon Santiago. Edgar Renteria remains an option as well.
- Despite yet another surgery for Freddy Sanchez (this time on his left shoulder), San Francisco won't be pursuing any second basemen. Sanchez should be ready for Opening Day, and the Giants already have Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa to backup if needed.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the Angels and Tigers are still in on Carl Crawford. GM Tony Reagins said the Jayson Werth deal doesn't affect the way the Angels approach the rest of their offseason, but it wouldn't be surprising if Crawford's camp has nudged its asking price up a little since Sunday. Here's the latest on Crawford, with more updates to follow throughout the day:
- Signing Crawford remains by far the Angels’ top offseason priority, multiple sources tell ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Red Sox are still in on Crawford, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link).
- The Angels are likely to have the money to sign just one of Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
- The Tigers aren't involved at Crawford's current asking price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that it's premature to rule the Red Sox out of the Crawford sweepstakes, which could take some time to develop.
- Not surprisingly, the Angels haven't ruled out a high-profile addition, manager Mike Scioscia tells Yahoo's Steve Henson (Twitter link).