Phillies Decline To Offer Arb To Eyre, Park
Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets the unsurprising news that the Phillies have not offered arbitration to Type B free agents Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park. Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. all but confirmed this news earlier today, but noted that the team was still open to re-signing both pitchers.
Phillies Rumors: Pitching, Park, Eyre
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki spoke to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. today; here's the latest.
- Amaro would like to add starting pitching depth, perhaps a player "who may not be on anybody's radar screen." He's looking for low-risk, high-reward (who isn't?) Amaro didn't deny Jayson Stark's John Smoltz rumor, but he downplayed it a bit.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal says the Phils haven't ruled out re-signing Pedro Martinez, but Amaro hasn't had any recent discussions with Pedro's agent.
- Amaro said it's unlikely the Phillies will offer arbitration to Type B relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre tonight. Amaro prefers the flexibility, but won't rule out re-signing them.
- Amaro would be willing to give up the team's #27 draft pick for the right Type A free agent. So, we can't rule out the various Type A relievers who were offered arbitration today (Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, and Rafael Betancourt so far).
Odds & Ends: Kuo, DeRosa, Dye, Blue Jays
With all the arbitration decisions flying around today, we haven't had time for an Odds & Ends until now.
- Diamond Leung tweeted last night that the Yankees "signed Taiwanese 18-year-old infielder Fu-Lin Kuo to six-figure bonus." Taiwan Baseball says Kuo received about $150K.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, and Giants as suitors for Mark DeRosa. ESPN's Buster Olney heard that a few teams are concerned with DeRosa's range at third base.
- Fungoes shows us "when the hot stove is the hottest," graphically. Looks about right to me…peaks in December, stays hot in January.
- A.J. Burnett talked to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about Roy Halladay potentially being traded.
- Juan Castro will take his physical Thursday according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer; if he passes, his one-year deal with the Phillies will be official.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about potential fits for Jermaine Dye, noting that the Yankees have discussed him internally. Crasnick says geography will not be a major factor for Dye.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted comments from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarding their search for a catcher. Anthopoulos is eyeing some potential non-tenders. Dioner Navarro and John Buck come to mind, with Kelly Shoppach going to the Rays.
- The market for Miguel Tejada should be decent now that he certainly will not cost a draft pick. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, and Astros are interested. Rangers?
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers officially announced their minor league deal with John Halama today.
- Nick Green's agent Tom O'Connell tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday his client is drawing "significant interest" on Major League contracts.
Phillies Eyeing John Smoltz
The Phillies have kicked the tires on free agent pitcher John Smoltz, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. Smoltz could be a fit as a starter or late-inning reliever, assuming he gets past his dislike of Citizens Bank Park. Smoltz, 43 in May, pitched well for the Cardinals last year, posting 40 strikeouts and nine walks in 38 innings. His strikeout-walk numbers for Boston were strong as well, though he had problems with hits and home runs.
Stark, by the way, believes the Phillies will not offer arbitration to either of their Type B free agent relievers, Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre.
Phillies Sign Brian Schneider
The Phillies signed catcher Brian Schneider, according to Mandy Housenick of The Morning Call (hat tip to Jon Heyman). He signed a two-year deal, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Zolecki says Schneider will earn $1.25MM in '10 and $1.5MM in '11 for a total of $2.75MM. Schneider grew up a Phillies fan, which was part of the reason he was willing to accept a role backing up Carlos Ruiz rather than start for another team. The Rockies were known to have interest, but that was also for a backup job.
Schneider, 33, hit .218/.292/.335 in 194 plate appearances for the Mets this year, catching 437 innings. He dealt with knee, back, and calf issues. He earned $4.9MM in the last year of a four-year, $16MM deal signed in January of '06. In November of '07, Schneider was traded by the Nationals with Ryan Church to the Mets for Lastings Milledge.
Offseason Outlook: Philadelphia Phillies
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Philles. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Carlos Ruiz – $475K+
C – Paul Hoover – $400K
1B – Ryan Howard – $19MM
2B – Chase Utley – $15MM
SS – Jimmy Rollins – $7.5MM
3B –
IF – Juan Castro – $800K (estimated)
LF – Raul Ibanez – $11.5MM
CF – Shane Victorino – $3.125MM+
RF – Jayson Werth – $7MM
OF – Ben Francisco – $421K
OF – John Mayberry Jr. – $400K
1B/3B/OF – Greg Dobbs – $1.35MM
SP – Cliff Lee – $9MM
SP – Cole Hamels – $6.65MM
SP – Joe Blanton – $5.475MM+
SP – J.A. Happ – $405K
SP – Jamie Moyer – $8MM
RP – Brad Lidge – $11.5MM
RP – J.C. Romero – $4MM
RP – Ryan Madson – $4.5MM
RP – Chad Durbin – $1.635MM+
RP – Clay Condrey – $650K+
RP – Sergio Escalona – $400K
RP – Kyle Kendrick – $475K
Non-tender candidates: Durbin, Condrey
Other commitments: Adam Eaton – $500K, Pedro Feliz – $500K, Geoff Jenkins – $1.25MM
The Phillies have about $121.5MM committed before arbitration raises to Ruiz, Victorino, Blanton, Durbin, and Condrey. Those raises should put the Phils in the $130MM range after beginning 2009 at $132.5MM. The Phillies would have about $10MM to spend with a $140MM payroll, although Scott Lauber of The News Journal believes they have closer to $120MM committed (and $20MM to spend).
The Phillies' needs are clear: a starting third baseman, a late-inning reliever or two, and perhaps a backup catcher and cheap starting pitcher. With Romero recovering from a flexor tendon surgery, one of the relievers will probably be a lefty.
At third base, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Placido Polanco are the free agent targets. Beltre, 31 in April, would likely be an improvement on Pedro Feliz both offensively and defensively. Will Ruben Amaro Jr. tangle with Scott Boras? He extended Madson in January and signed Rodrigo Lopez in March, so relations seem fine.
Re-signing relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre appears unlikely, based on recent reports. We have seen the Phils named as speculative suitors for Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon, with the latter a better fit since the team isn't quite ready to hand over Lidge's ninth-inning role. Guys like Kevin Gregg, Rafael Betancourt, Octavio Dotel, LaTroy Hawkins, and J.J. Putz may also be willing to accept uncertainty between an eighth or ninth-inning role. The Phillies could also take the Mets-Putz approach – if you trade for someone, he has no say in his role. If the Phils were willing to offer up the closer job, they could look at free agents Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner.
A significant starting pitching acquisition seems unlikely, as the Phillies will be right up against that $140MM limit after filling the third base and bullpen needs. Barring unforeseen injuries, the Phillies should be one of the NL's top teams again next year. Their biggest move was acquiring Lee on July 29th; they'll enjoy him for all of 2010.
Heyman On Lowell, Tejada, White Sox
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Phillies had a "brief talk" with the Red Sox about Mike Lowell, but Heyman finds a free agent signing more likely.
- A competing agent believes Fern Cuza might be able to get a three-year deal for Miguel Tejada, which seems unlikely to me. Heyman says Tejada is drawing interest from the Cardinals, Astros, Giants, Phillies, and Rangers. The Rangers keep getting linked to starting infielders, but they're really only looking for a backup.
- Heyman notes that the White Sox signing Andruw Jones represents a rare Kenny Williams-Scott Boras matchup. He says Boras tried to sell the Sox on bringing back Joe Crede, prior to their Mark Teahen acquisition.
- Kendry Morales apparently advised Aroldis Chapman to switch from API to the Hendricks brothers.
Halladay Would Approve Deal To Yankees
SATURDAY 8:31am: ESPN's Buster Olney hears that Halladay's preferred destinations are the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, or Phillies.
FRIDAY 7:32pm: Roy Halladay would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to pitch for the Yankees, writes Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, in an article for Slam Sports.
A major league executive told Elliott that he doesn't know where Halladay might end up, but knows that he has told the Blue Jays that he would agree to be dealt to the Yanks. Doc has used his no-trade clause before to prevent being shipped to the Twins and Rangers.
Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that he would not be against trading a player in the American League East if it were the best deal on the table. Should he make an exception in the case of Halladay?
Phillies Sign DeWayne Wise & Wilson Valdez
According to Matt Eddy and Baseball America's latest edition of minor league transactions, the Phillies have signed utility men DeWayne Wise and Wilson Valdez to minor league contracts.
Wise, 32 in February, declared free agency back in October after hitting .225/.262/.366 in 153 plate appearances for the White Sox this year. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Valdez hit .256/.326/.337 in 95 plate appearances for the Mets.
Make sure you check out the transactions link for more moves, including shortstop Josh Wilson becoming a free agent.
Phillies Targeting Adrian Beltre
Major league and team sources have indicated that Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro is targeting free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, according to Randy Miller of The Bucks County Courier Times. However, Amaro apparently knows that money may be an issue, because Scott Boras is "believed to be after a four-year deal."
The Phillies are shopping around for someone to man the hot corner after turning down Pedro Feliz's option, and the 30-year-old Beltre seems like a natural fit given his excellent defense and solid bat, assuming his shoulder is healthy.