Yankees, Brewers, Giants, Astros, Rays After Percival
Buster Olney sums up the known Troy Percival suitors thusly: Yankees, Brewers, Giants, Astros, and Rays. He obviously wouldn’t close for the Yankees, but might be able to pitch the ninth for the other clubs Olney named.
The 38 year-old Percival is a fascinating story. He missed all of 2006 and joined the Cardinals this year and posted phenomenal numbers – 1.80 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 3.6 K/BB. Suddenly he’s primed to snag a closer gig again, if he wants it.
Olney named five clubs, but it’s been said that ten teams are in on Percival. Teams that were confirmed to be involved last summer: Dodgers, Indians, Cardinals, Braves, Athletics, Phillies, Tigers, and Marlins. I think it’s safe to assume the Phillies are one of the ten.
Cubs Rumors: Wood, Matsui, Crawford
The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan has the latest on the Cubs this morning.
- It’s been known for a few days now that the Red Sox like the idea of adding Kerry Wood as their setup man. Sullivan confirms the interest, and quotes Cubs GM Jim Hendry saying Wood is "getting a lot of action around the industry." In a pitching-starved market, teams will convince themselves Wood can stay healthy and dominant. Sullivan speculates that it could take multiple years at $5MM per. To see a team go 3/15 would not shock me.
- Kaz Matsui is still on the Cubs’ radar for a three-year deal. They could consider using him at shortstop or second base. Two days ago Tracy Ringolsby had said Matsui "appeared headed to the Astros," but Ken Rosenthal chimed in noting the Cubs and Rockies are ahead of Houston in the Matsui derby. Hendry met with Matsui yesterday, but no deal is imminent.
- A left-handed hitting outfielder remains on Hendry’s wish list. Carl Crawford hasn’t yet been made available according to Sullivan, but the Cubs will surely look into it if he is. Kosuke Fukudome remains a possibility as well. Bruce Miles adds Ryan Church to the mix.
- The Cubs expect to increase payroll beyond last year’s $110MM.
White Sox Shopping Uribe?
UPDATE: Good stuff from Eduardo Encina. Apparently the Rays don’t like Uribe’s weight or price tag, and their interest is "very limited." By the way, per Keith Law, Uribe can be traded despite being signed as a free agent by the Sox.
With Orlando Cabrera in house, the White Sox now have an extra shortstop in Juan Uribe. They’d like to clear his $4.5MM salary to create more room for Torii Hunter. I imagine it wouldn’t take much in return – it might be more of a salary dump. In hindsight maybe Williams should’ve declined to re-sign Uribe, but who knows where the Cabrera deal was at that time.
The above-linked Chicago Tribune names the Rays as one possible suitor for Uribe. Marc Lancaster acknowledges the need for a shortstop, but notes that the team wants defense and that isn’t Uribe’s forte. What is his forte these days? Uribe once played stellar defense, and a change of scenery could bring back the championship-level glovework.
Any other teams in the hunt for a second-division shortstop? As I have speculated before, the Orioles might be if they trade Miguel Tejada. The Cubs might be looking but Uribe wouldn’t present much of an upgrade. The Astros, Pirates, and Cardinals might be options.
Teams Still Competing For Yabuta?
On Friday, the word from Ken Rosenthal was that the Royals were close to signing Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year deal with an option. However, the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales names five teams currently in the running for his services.
We already knew about the Royals and White Sox. Gonzales adds the Indians, Rays, and Pirates to the mix as well. Looks like Japanese relievers are no longer free agency’s best kept secret. Odd that teams didn’t start figuring this out until Hideki Okajima came along. There were plenty of successes before him. It almost seems like you can throw the stats out for Japanese relievers – MLB hitters just aren’t used to these guys yet.
Blue Jays, Nationals, Rays Notes
We’ll start with the Blue Jays. Jordan Bastian has an article up on MLB.com reporting that the Jays have been in contact with Matt Clement. He says that the team has "always liked Matt," but added that he think "it depends on what Matt’s looking for a this point."
Indeed, Bastian opines that the club "would likely take a shot on Clement if the pitcher agreed to a Minor League contract with a chance at competing for a job with the Jays." With interest from a few other clubs, that seems unlikely. So this is likely one big non-rumor.
The article also quotes Ricciardi saying that Reed Johnson will be the team’s leadoff hitter in 2008, "for the most part." This would indicate that Matt Stairs is indeed a backup, and it certainly doesn’t bode well for Adam Lind. It surely fuels the speculation that Lind could be traded, as Keith Law noted yesterday.
Finally, the Jays are looking to bring back Sal Fasano to back up Gregg Zaun, though that might not happen until Fasano shops his services at the Winter Meetings, beginning December 3. Note that I am disappointed that Sal doesn’t have his own category here at MLBTR.
On the Rays end, we have reports that Nationals manager Many Acta has attended Elijah Dukes’s games in the Dominican this winter. Dukes’s team is managed by Tim Tolman, the Nats’ third base coach. 7dias.com reports that Dukes has said that "he desperately needs to leave Tampa Bay in order to resuscitate his career."
There’s a note on the Rays possibly being interested in Michael Barrett, but then mentions the forfeiture of the team’s second round pick as a deterrent. Indeed, Barrett may have few options beyond the Padres because of his free agent classification.
Speaking of catchers, if anyone was hoping that the Rays would leave catcher John Jaso (.316/.408/.484 at AA this year) off their 40-man roster, you’re going to be disappointed. The Rays plan to add him prior to Tuesday’s deadline for the Rule 5 draft.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Cafardo’s Latest: Crawford, Haren
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has a new colum up this morning; let’s check it out.
- The Carl Crawford/Cubs thing won’t die. Cafardo says the Cubs are after him, possibly offering a package starting with Rich Hill and Carlos Marmol. This rumor originated with Bruce Levine a few days ago, though Roger Mooney dismissed it yesterday.
- While the Red Sox have discussed Miguel Cabrera with the Marlins, Cafardo believes they might instead be eyeing a blockbuster for Johan Santana or Dan Haren. As if the Red Sox need more pitching.
Nats Trying To Acquire Dukes?
Rays Index dug up a story on a Dominican news site. Apparently the Nationals are trying to acquire Elijah Dukes with the intent of making him their center fielder. Manny Acta went to the Dominican Republic to watch Dukes play recently. The Rays, of course, are asking for pitching in return. The Nats don’t want to give up Collin Balester, Colton Willems, Zech Zinicola, or Glenn Gibson in the deal.
If you speak Spanish check out the article here and let us know any interesting info in the comments that we weren’t able to glean from Google Translator.
Crawford To Cubs Rumor Shot Down
ESPN 1000’s Bruce Levine suggested yesterday that the Cubs were preparing an offer for Carl Crawford. However, team officials told Roger Mooney today that there’s nothing brewing. Apparently the rumor was Rich Hill, Eric Patterson, and a prospect for Crawford. That doesn’t seem sufficient anyway. There was even some talk of a three-way deal involving the Brewers and Yankees, which was from Gotham Baseball. According to Mooney, none of it is for real. You be the judge.
In other Rays news, they picked up Al Reyes‘ $2.3MM option and passed on Greg Norton at $1MM. No surprises there. UPDATE: Reyes actually has a $1MM base salary plus $1.3MM in incentives.
Random Rumors: Glavine, Cordero, Percival
Let’s kick things off today with one of those posts packed with random rumors.
- Tom Glavine‘s agent Gregg Clifton meets with Braves’ GM Frank Wren this afternoon. They’ll talk money. Wren is expected to offer $8-10MM for ’08 plus a mutual option for ’09. Glavine isn’t a lock for the Braves – three other teams are interested. The pool includes the Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Cardinals and Astros.
- Reds beat writer John Fay recently suggested the Reds might have a payroll around $75MM, giving them only $6MM to spend. But now Fay is saying he thinks the Reds might go past $75MM. He believes the Reds will strike quickly with a focus on relief help – maybe even Francisco Cordero. The Brewers made an offer to Cordero Monday, and the Astros and Royals ar expected to be in the mix as well.
- Previously it was noted that eight teams were in on Troy Percival, four of which were considering him at closer. Now we’re up to ten clubs, and the Rays are having serious talks with his agent. The Astros may also be in the mix.
Odds and Ends: Hot Stove Hysteria
Anyone else ready for the Winter Meetings? It’s going to be a crazy four days. I’ll be blogging all of it nonstop. Here are some links to consider in the meantime.
- Play MLBTR’s Hot Stove Hysteria contest! Right now the prizes in my holding include a Carlos Zambrano biography and a Big Dawg Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. If your company would like to join in on the sponsorship of the contest, email me. The deadline to enter in the contest is midnight CST tonight. If you’ve already entered but want to change yours, just make another comment with the updated list. (Please don’t email me your entry – put it in the comments of the Hot Stove Hysteria post linked above).
- U.S.S Mariner gives its take on some of the early hot stove moves.
- Yorvit Torrealba plans to test the market, with the Marlins, Mets, Brewers, and Devil Rays as possible suitors. Torrealba will give the Rockies the chance to match any offer though.
- Phil Rogers thinks Johnny Estrada might be non-tendered.