Odds and Ends: Zimmerman, Tulo, Hawpe, Wang
Some bits and pieces from today…
- Damian Miller is leaning toward retirement, leaving Johnny Estrada as the one halfway viable catching option out there.
- Talks continue with Ryan Zimmerman on a long-term deal. The Nationals and Zimmerman reportedly discussed this a year ago.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers is upfront about his inquiries on Matt Murton and Xavier Nady. The Cubs aren’t done, by the way.
- Troy Tulowitzki is able to void his contract if he’d traded.
- The Rockies have had preliminary talks with Brad Hawpe about a multiyear deal. Tracy Ringoslby says they might aim for a four-year deal, buying out one year of free agency. The 28 year-old hit .291/.387/.539 in ’07. He was a lot better at Coors and against righties.
- Anthony McCarron says a long-term deal with Chien-Ming Wang looks unlikely, and the Yankees may have to go to a hearing with him regarding his ’08 salary.
Orioles Discuss Lohse, Villone, Chacon
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles are looking at various one or two-year stopgap free agents.
- According to Scott Boras, he and Andy MacPhail have discussed six or seven of his clients. Among them are Kyle Lohse, Ron Villone, and Corey Patterson. Lohse would probably not sign for two years, I’m guessing. Or in the American League. Who else might they have discussed? Jeff Weaver? Anyway, it’s nice to see the Orioles getting along with Boras!
- Zrebiec notes that the O’s have had "preliminary talks" with the agents for Shawn Chacon and Steve Trachsel. Looks like MacPhail just wants some warm bodies for the back end of the rotation. Chacon seems to prefer to the Pirates, and a return to Pittsburgh looks "increasingly logical."
- Zbrebiec says Rod Barajas seems to be headed elsewhere despite "significant discussions" with Baltimore.
Pirates Sign Jaret Wright
The Pirates signed 32 year-old righty Jaret Wright today to a minor league deal. Seems crazy that Wright is 32 now, we all remember the baby-faced kid in the ’97 World Series.
Wright gets $800K if he makes the Major League roster and has incentives based on relieving or starting. Obviously Wright needs to get healthy again; he missed most of ’07 with shoulder woes.
Wright is the poster boy for good timing, signing a three-year, $21MM deal with the Yankees in December of ’04 after Leo Mazzone coaxed 15 wins out of him in ’03.
Odds and Ends: Hinske, Doumit, Colon, Greene
It’s up to an impressive 5.7 degrees where I am, but I still don’t think I’ll be going outside much today. Hence, some odds and ends.
- Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald believes Eric Hinske might sign with the Diamondbacks this week. The 30 year-old former ROY has a career line of .255/.336/.434, with much better work against righties.
- John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Red Sox are interested in the Pirates’ Ryan Doumit. However Perrotto says the Bucs are reluctant to trade the versatile Doumit, who turns 27 in April. Only past Doumit rumor I can find was from Will Carroll in May of ’06, saying he and Oliver Perez were being dangled to the Phillies.
- Perrotto believes the Royals could sign Bartolo Colon if he’ll take a one-year deal; that may be true for several clubs. Paul Hoynes reports that the Indians watched Colon pitch, but weren’t impressed with his sub-90 velocity. Hoynes says Kris Benson will have another throwing session and the Tribe will be in attendance.
- According to Marc Topkin, the Rays are talking with lefty reliever Trever Miller. The two sides haven’t agreed on the term yet.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers commented about the team’s rejected long-term overtures toward shortstop Khalil Greene. Towers brought a three or four year proposal to Greene but does not expect anything to get done. He stated Greene’s possible desire to be on the East Coast as a factor.
- Vince Gennaro does an economic analysis of the Johan Santana rumors, indicating that the acquisition makes the most sense for the Mets.
Odds and Ends: Stewart, Shelton, LaRoche
Today’s smattering of random rumors and links. Question for you readers: how do you feel about the Odds and Ends posts in general? Interesting? Lame? Do you skip them, or are they worthwhile?
- Friend of MLBTR Susan Slusser quotes Shannon Stewart as saying the A’s are one of several teams in the running for his services. If you browse the ol’ free agent list, you’ll see that the other available free agent left fielders include Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Kevin Mench, Reggie Sanders, and Brad Wilkerson.
- Chris Shelton, we hardly knew ye – the Rangers have already DFA’d him. Career OPS of .825, seems the guy deserves a decent shot somewhere. Other Rangers news, Jason Jennings seems like a lock at this point.
- The Pirates and Adam LaRoche agreed at $5MM for ’08. They could still work out an extension that starts with the ’09 season.
- Wondering which service to use for your fantasy league this March? I merely started the discussion at RotoAuthority, and then commenters weighed in with tons of excellent feedback.
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.
Odds and Ends: Inge, Snell, Jones
Some early Monday odds and ends to get things rolling…
- D-Town Baseball takes a closer look at the idea of Brandon Inge catching this year, something Dave Dombrowski would recommend to him.
- According to Marc Topkin, the Rays have increased payroll more than they promised (from $24MM in ’07 past $40MM this year.)
- Speaking of ’08 payrolls, the Detroit Free Press projects the Tigers at nearly $134MM.
- We’ve got a good discussion at RotoAuthority going regarding my Top 76 Fantasy Baseball Outfielders.
- The Pirates rejected Ian Snell‘s idea of a contract extension. He’s under team control for four more seasons, so they’re in no hurry.
- Some quotes from Adam Jones regarding being pulled from winter league ball.
Astros Close On Runelvys Hernandez
Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are close to a one-year deal with starter Runelvys Hernandez. Hernandez will turn 30 in April. He spent 2007 in Triple A with the Pirates, Yankees, and Red Sox organizations.
None of this seems terribly interesting, but the article also says Hernandez got on a strict training regimen. Now that he’s in shape, he’s reportedly hitting 97 on the gun (sounds like agent-speak to me). I’ll believe it when I see it. But Hernandez chose the right team in the Astros, as they’re hurting for starting pitching. It’s not a done deal yet; he’s having some last minute discussions with other clubs. McTaggart says the Rangers, Pirates, Phillies, and Reds have all shown interest.
Pirates Talking Extension With LaRoche
The Pirates have first baseman Adam LaRoche under team control through the 2009 season, currently. However, they have recently approached LaRoche about a three or four-year contract. They could be buying out two years of free agency.
Dejan Kovacevic notes that LaRoche and the Pirates only have a week to reach an agreement or put in their figures for his ’08 salary. They could reach an agreement for ’08 and then work out an extension that would start with ’09.
LaRoche hit .272/.345/.458 in 2007, while the average NL 1B hit .284/.365/.481. He was above average for his position in ’06, though. And if we cut him a break for his first month in Pittsburgh, we see that he hit .296/.361/.492 thereafter. LaRoche turned 28 in November, so he may still be in his prime.
Pirates Interested In Brad Thompson?
Scott Wuerz of the Belleville News-Democrat suggests that Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson is a rumored target for the Pirates. He could be part of a larger package, where players such as Jack Wilson, Matt Morris, and/or Jason Bay could be involved.
Thompson turns 26 soon. The Cardinals tried him as a starter last year, and he posted a 4.66 ERA in that role. He was at 4.91 in relief, but for his career he’s been better coming out of the pen. Thompson lost his groundball mojo a bit in ’07, and as a result his HR rate rose dramatically.
At one point, the Cards and Bucs discussed a Wilson-for-Chris Duncan deal. About a month ago Dejan Kovacevic said he expected Wilson to stay put this winter. Morris was a Cardinals’ target at various times in ’07. There hasn’t been much buzz about the Pirates trading Bay to St. Louis.