Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday
According to the AP, Albert Pujols said he can’t understand how his friend Manny Ramirez is not signed yet. Pujols gave Manny’s phone number to Tony La Russa and wondered if he’d give the Cardinals a discount.
When asked by Bill Shaikin if the Cardinals are interested in Ramirez, GM John Mozeliak said, "The answer is no."
Rosenthal On Abreu, Garland, Glavine, Sisco
The latest from Ken Rosenthal…
- The Mariners and Giants are interested in Bobby Abreu, if the price is right. Yesterday Buster Olney suggested that Abreu is willing to take a one-year deal. The A’s and Nationals have other targets, while the Mets, White Sox, and Braves are seen as long shots.
- Rosenthal examines the nuances of Jon Garland‘s December 7th decision to reject arbitration, saying that it wasn’t an obvious mistake at the time.
- Tom Glavine‘s agent Gregg Clifton did not attend yesterday’s meeting with Frank Wren; it was a health update and not a contract negotiation. Rosenthal says Glavine figures to seek a Freddy Garcia-like deal. The Braves need to save money to add an outfielder, with Nick Swisher atop their list. The Yankees’ goal in moving Swisher or Xavier Nady would be to recoup prospects.
- The Brewers are not interested in projects such as Kris Benson, Jason Jennings, Mark Redman, and Victor Zambrano. They’re just lukewarm on Mark Mulder. Benson is drawing interest from the Dodgers, Rangers, and Cardinals; one exec reviewed his audition as "so-so."
- Rosenthal doesn’t seem to buy the idea that Jason Varitek and Scott Boras feared the Red Sox could cut him if he accepted arbitration, noting that Boras client Travis Lee was advised to accept years ago.
- The Braves have reservations about re-signing Andruw Jones, who could be a Spring Training cut.
- The A’s deal for Russ Springer will be worth more than $3MM plus incentives. They’re also eyeing Brian Shouse and Andrew Sisco as possible pen additions. Sisco, recovering from Tommy John, has also auditioned for the Rockies and Giants.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Wednesday
11:39pm: Dylan Hernandez and Ken Gurnick talked to Ned Colletti tonight about Manny, but there’s not much new to report.
3:50pm: Not sure where the rumor started, but you can cross the Cardinals off the list for Manny suitors.
8:39am: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times talked to Scott Boras, who anticipates that his client Manny Ramirez will be signed by Spring Training (February 14th). Boras claims the Manny negotiations are taking shape and progressing and "the train has left the station." Of course, we all recall Kevin Towers saying the same thing about a Jake Peavy trade.
Boras acknowledged that he’s still talking with the Dodgers and (of course) implied that he has more than one additional suitor.
In other Manny news, Mets manager Jerry Manuel said he’d like to add the slugger (despite the team’s lack of interest).
Odds and Ends: Lohse, Reyes, Greinke, Howard
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan called the Winter Meetings "a big waste of money and time."
- Nationals GM Jim Bowden implied that a Tom Glavine signing is unlikely.
- Kyle Lohse feels the pain of all the unsigned free agents; he didn’t sign until March 14th last year. Lohse said he "put a lot of pressure on all parties" to get his four-year, $41MM extension done on September 29th. Given that it wasn’t on the open market, Scott Boras did well for Lohse.
- The Dodgers prefer Dennys Reyes over Luis Ayala, says Ken Gurnick.
- Joe Posnanski loves the Zack Greinke signing. Sam Mellinger says the Royals and fans are no longer allowed to complain about baseball’s financial structure.
- Maury Brown leans slightly toward Ryan Howard winning his arbitration case. I think the Phillies will prevail.
- Brandon Lyon turned down more lucrative offers for a chance to close in Detroit. ESPN’s Keith Law likes the Tigers’ signing, in part due to Jim Leyland’s track record with relievers.
- The Marlins seem to prefer the trade market, if they are to add a catcher.
- Joe Nathan knows his $47MM extension signed in March of ’08 is looking pretty good right now.
Benson Works Out In Front Of Nine Teams
Free agent right-hander Kris Benson worked out Saturday for nine teams and demonstrated that he should be ready to compete for a job in Spring Training, MLB.com reports.
Agent Gregg Clifton said the throwing session “went well, and he showed teams that he’s ahead of schedule in getting ready for the ’09 season.”
The article only lists the Rockies as being there, though it does note that nine teams were in attendance. This post lists the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Indians and Cardinals as teams that planned to attend.
Benson, 34, missed the 2007 season because of surgery on his right shoulder. He spent last season in the minors with the Phillies. He is 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA in 195 career starts.
Brandon Lyon To Sign With Tigers
12:34pm: The AP reports that the deal pays Lyon $4.25MM in guaranteed money, but could be worth up to $500K more.
11:09am: The AP reports the Tigers announced the deal at TigerFest.
SATURDAY, 8:44am: MLB.com’s Jason Beck also hears from an industry source that Lyon’s nearing a one year deal with the Tigers. Beck expects an official announcement this morning at TigerFest.
FRIDAY, 8:30am: Lyon’s agent Barry Meister says, "We continue to work through it. Everything is moving forward." Lyon is at home in Utah currently.
THURSDAY, 9:04pm: Ken Rosenthal heard from a major league source that Lyon’s close to a one year deal worth just under $5MM with the Tigers. The deal includes incentives.
3:47pm: Jon Paul Morosi takes it a step further, saying the Tigers are "nearing an agreement on a multiyear contract" with Lyon. The 29 year-old righty started strong with a 1.64 ERA through May, but posted a 6.51 mark thereafter. He lost the D’Backs’ closer job to Chad Qualls in September.
3:27pm: According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, Brandon Lyon is down to two teams and may reach an agreement by Friday. Beck says the Tigers are one of the two and appear to be in the lead. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals are the other contender. I guess that means the Twins are out.
Cardinals’ Non-Roster Invitees
Here are the Cardinals’ non-roster Spring Training invitees, via a press release on MLB.com.
Pitchers Jess Todd, Adam Ottavino, Tyler Herron, Clayton Mortensen, Ian Ostlund, Fernando Salas, Francisco Samuel and P.J. Walters, catchers Bryan Anderson, Tony Cruz, Luis De La Cruz, Steve Hill, Justin Knoedler and Matt Pagnozzi, infielders Allen Craig, David Freese, Joe Thurston and Brett Wallace and outfielders Colby Rasmus and Jon Jay.
Three Teams Seeking Counsell
FRIDAY, 8:33am: Ken Rosenthal says the Mariners and Cardinals are also in on Counsell. The Cards jumped in as a reaction to Troy Glaus‘ injury.
THURSDAY, 5:51pm: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers are having productive talks with Craig Counsell to bring him back as a utility player for the upcoming season. The Brewers did not exercise Counsell’s $3.75MM option earlier in the winter; he’s likely to sign for considerably less.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin said talks have progressed to the point that he "might know something by tomorrow."
Glaus Unavailable For Opening Day
So far today I have avoided this story, because it didn’t seem to have much to do with the hot stove. It was revealed today that Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus had shoulder surgery that may keep him out until mid-April. John Mozeliak has plenty of internal third base candidates, but he did say, "We may also look at external options."
Fogg Mulling Rockies Offer
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, free agent starter Josh Fogg has an invitation to rejoin the Rockies on a deal similar to Matt Belisle‘s minor league pact. Fogg would face significant competition for a job with the big league club, so he’s waiting to see if anything better surfaces. Renck notes that Belisle has an April out clause, which is not something the Rockies hand out lightly.
Renck adds that the Rox will watch Kris Benson throw Saturday but are unlikely to sign him. Ken Rosenthal said yesterday the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, and D’Backs will also be in attendance. The Indians and Cardinals too, says Thomas Harding.