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Royals Expecting Interest In DeJesus and Meche

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The Royals expect left fielder David DeJesus and pitcher Gil Meche to draw significant trade interest once the major free agents sign, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 

Both players are under club control for the next two seasons.  Meche is owed $24MM on the back end of the five-year, $55MM deal he signed with the team in December of 2006.  Meanwhile, DeJesus will earn $4.7MM in 2010 with a club option for 2011 worth $6MM.

In three years for the Royals, Meche has posted an ERA of 4.12 with 7.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.  The soon-to-be 30-year-old DeJesus posted numbers consistant with his career average in 2009, recording a slash line of .281/.347/.434 with 12 HRs.

Kansas City's motivation in trading either player would be to reduce payroll while creating an influx of young talent.  The report notes that while the Royals are not expected to be major players in free agency, they have shown interest in veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik.

What teams should be calling Dayton Moore about Meche and DeJesus?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Pudge Likely To Turn Down Arbitration

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Ivan Rodriguez is likely to turn down the Rangers' offer of arbitration to explore other options, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Rangers could still work out a deal with the catcher, but they're not the only ones interested. The Royals and Giants are also in the picture, according to Heyman.

Pudge earned a base salary of $1.5MM last year, a figure he could presumably top by accepting arbitration. The 38-year-old hit .249/.280/.384 last year, splitting time with the two Texas teams. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, so he's still reasonably good at limiting the running game.

Heyman On Pudge, Wolf, Crede

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The Giants, Mets, and Royals have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, assuming he doesn't accept the Rangers' arbitration offer.  Heyman says the Royals were trying to sign Brian Schneider before the Phillies signed him. 
  • Heyman names the Mets, Brewers, and Phillies as three clubs "believed to have some interest" in free agent lefty Randy Wolf.  First we've read this winter of a possible Wolf-Phillies reunion.
  • "At least the Orioles and Astros" are interested in free agent third baseman Joe Crede.

A’s, Royals Had Failed Talks For Callaspo

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WEDNESDAY, 2:46pm: Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that the Royals aren't actively pushing any of their players, but they're open-minded with all of them.  It seems like Moore will at least listen on Callaspo.

TUESDAY, 10:15pm: The A's and Royals held talks for infielder Alberto Callaspo at the GM Meetings, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The A's would've used Callaspo at third base, but "talks failed to progress."

The takeaway is that the Royals appear willing to discuss Callaspo now that they've acquired Chris Getz from the White Sox.  Callaspo, 27 in April, hit .300/.356/.457 in 634 plate appearances this year while playing second and third base.  His second base defense graded below average using UZR/150, but it's only a 1240-inning sample from 2009.  Callaspo is a valuable player, and he's not even arbitration-eligible yet.  He's under team control through 2013.  Getz appears to be the inferior player, so maybe the Royals should hang on to Callaspo.

Angel Pagan Drawing Trade Interest

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Mets outfielder Angel Pagan is drawing trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The writers note that Pagan may have more value to other clubs, where he could be used as a starting center fielder.  The Royals are one interested party, but the duo's source says the Mets aren't interested in Jose Guillen.  Why a guy with positive value like Pagan would be linked to one with major negative value like Guillen in the first place is beyond me.

Pagan, 28, hit .306/.350/.487 in 376 plate appearances last year for the Mets, playing all three outfield positions.  Pagan was originally drafted by the Mets in '99, purchased from them by the Cubs in '06, and shipped back to the Mets for a couple of minor leaguers in January of '08.  He's arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter.

The Cubs are now looking for a center fielder after giving away Pagan in January of '08 and Felix Pie a year later.

Pirates, Royals Interested In Jamey Wright

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The Pirates are interested in free agent reliever Jamey Wright, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Dutton notes that the Royals remain interested in re-signing him.

Wright, 35 later this month, soaked up 79 bullpen innings with a 4.33 ERA this year.  His walk rate was ugly, but unlikely most free agent relievers he posted a strong groundball rate (59.1%).  Wright earned $1.4MM for his efforts.

Davidoff On Lowe, Johnson, Torrealba

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In a blog post, Newsday's Ken Davidoff announces that he'll be voting for Mark McGwire on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, and recaps some other items of note:

  • The Atlanta Braves plan to shop Derek Lowe more aggressively after John Lackey signs somewhere. They're hoping that at that point Lowe looks more appealing than the remaining "risky commodities" on the free agent market.
  • Nick Johnson is searching for a two-year deal.
  • Yorvit Torrealba's suitors include the Blue Jays, Rockies, and Giants. The Rays, Marlins, and Royals could also be in the mix, though they're less likely landing spots for the catcher.
  • Davidoff also warns to take talk of Bud Selig's impending retirement with a grain of salt, since there's nothing to stop Selig from changing his mind by 2012.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Revenue Sharing, Bullington, Halladay, Mauer

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On this date 18 years ago, Eddie Murray signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Mets, the third of six teams he would play for in 21 seasons. In those two years, he would hit 43 home runs and post seasons of 115 and 111 OPS+. A week into this year's free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • The Biz of Baseball looks at revenue sharing in baseball and why baseball no longer releases revenue sharing figures.
  • DC Sports Plus evaluates the list of minor league free agent pitchers and who might get shots to stick with a big league club in the Spring.
  • Royals Authority looks at what the signing of Bryan Bullington could mean for the Royals and whether he can contribute as a big league relief pitcher.
  • River Ave Blues speculates on what the Yankees and Red Sox would have to give up to land Roy Halladay.
  • MLB Notebook examines why the Tigers are looking to trade Edwin Jackson.
  • UmpBump breaks down the Padres off-season needs and what San Diego needs to bring back should Adrian Gonzalez be traded.
  • Jorge Says No! speculates on an extension that could work for both the Twins and Joe Mauer.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Cabrera, Guillen, Bedard

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It's a slow night for rumors on the eve of Thanksgiving, but here's a roundup of a handful of interesting evening links:

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