Cubs Interested In Matt Garza
9:54pm: The Cubs and Rays met again to talk about a potential trade that would send Garza to Chicago for prospects, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The Brewers and Rangers have also met with the Rays about Garza, but the Cubs have the strongest current bid, according to Levine. However, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hears that talks between the Rays and Brewers did not progress (Twitter link).
5:17pm: The Rays have been uninspired by the offers for Garza and may hold on to the right-hander until next summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
10:40am: The Cubs are one of four teams in the mix for Rays righty Matt Garza, reports ESPN's Bruce Levine. The Rays are interested in receiving prospects in return.
Garza, 27, would be the best available pitcher aside from Cliff Lee and Zack Greinke. He posted a 3.91 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, and 35.8% groundball rate in 204 2/3 innings this year. Garza could earn $6MM+ in arbitration for 2011 and is under team control through '13. As a Super Two, he'll go to arbitration four times. Garza probably has a touch more trade value than Shaun Marcum did despite the higher salary, given the extra year of control. We learned yesterday that Garza may also interest the Rangers and Brewers.
Levine also feels that the Cubs could still be a match for Chris Davis after the Carlos Pena signing, with the Rangers eyeing minor league catcher Robinson Chirinos.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday we learned that teams may be upping their offers for Royals ace Zack Greinke, though the Royals' asking price remains high. The latest:
- An executive of an interested team hears that the Royals won't deal Greinke before Cliff Lee signs, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The Royals may not have to wait long, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports Lee will sign by the end of the weekend.
- The Phillies have discussed Greinke with the Royals, reports CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury, but it's a long shot.
- The Dodgers haven't heard back from the Royals about Greinke, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hears that the Marlins did not discuss Greinke with the Royals (Twitter link).
- One of the Marlins' attempted three-team trades would have sent Greinke to Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Talks are lukewarm, but still alive, Rosenthal reports.
- The asking price on Greinke has gone up since last summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The deal will be "very hard to get done," according to one interested executive.
- The Nationals are being aggressive, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. MLB.com's Bill Ladson heard earlier that Washington was not pursuing the right-hander, however.
- Five teams are seriously pursuing Greinke and another three are on the periphery, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports – in an article, not a tweet! The Royals are specific with their request – pitching to replace Greinke and up-the-middle help. The Royals are moving slowly and there is no frontrunner. The Rangers, Dodgers, Nationals, and Blue Jays have shown some measure of interest.
- The Cubs called on Greinke but a mid-rotation addition is more likely for them, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
Cubs Sign Carlos Pena
Carlos Pena and the Cubs have officially agreed to terms on a one-year deal believed to be worth $10MM, half of which is deferred.
Pena, 33 next May, saw his average slip below the Mendoza Line in 2010, totaling a line of .196/.325/.407. While the average and strikeout rate (32.6%) are concerns, Pena still managed to hit 28 home runs. That he managed a .325 OBP with a sub-.200 average speaks well to his plate discipline (14.9 BB%), and his average was deflated by a career-low .222 BABIP. Pena was affected by plantar fasciitis during the season, from which he is now said to be recovered.
Earlier, it was believed that Pena and agent Scott Boras were looking for a two or three-year deal, which would have been unsurprising in what's shaping up to be a players' market. However, one-year "pillow contract" will allow Pena to rebuild stock in the National League and enter a first base class that could be weak beyond Prince Fielder, if the Red Sox and Cardinals hammer out their rumored extensions with Adrian Gonzalez and Albert Pujols, respectively. A strong 2011 will position Pena as the second-best first base option on the market. This year, he drew interest from the Orioles, Nationals, Mariners, Braves, and Blue Jays as well as the Cubs.
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat first wrote that the deal was close, then later added the numbers via Twitter. Jon Heyman broke the news (via Twitter) that the two had agreed to terms.
Cubs Targeting LaRoche, Pena
11:28pm: The Cubs met with Carlos Pena's agent, Scott Boras, again tonight, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago reports that Boras is looking for a two or three-year deal.
2:06pm: The Cubs are targeting first baseman Adam LaRoche and would like to close a deal soon, reports CBS Sports' Scott Miller. The Nationals are known to be in on LaRoche as well. The 31-year-old hit .261/.320/.468 with 25 home runs in 615 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks this year, earning $6MM. His walk rate slipped while his strikeout rate rose.
Both clubs have also been linked to Carlos Pena; Cubs GM Jim Hendry met with Scott Boras on that front but did not exchange dollar figures, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Rangers, Cubs Talking Multiplayer Trade
8:52pm: The Cubs like Davis, but don't want to part with much in a trade, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
6:00pm: The Rangers and Cubs are discussing a trade that would send Chris Davis and Darren O'Day to Chicago, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter).
Davis, 24, has the makings of a slugger, but has struggled to realize his potential. He has 39 homers in 872 big league plate apperances, which projects to 25 or 30 over the course of a full season. Davis has a .248/.300/.459 line in parts of three major league seasons and he strikes out in 32% of his plate appearances.
The Rangers claimed O'Day off of waivers from the Mets in 2009 and saw him develop into a valuable cog in their bullpen. The sidearmer has a 1.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings for Texas.
Cubs Shopping Tom Gorzelanny
6:52pm: The Tigers contacted the Cubs about Gorzelanny, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
9:38am: The Cubs are aggressively shopping lefty Tom Gorzelanny, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Trading Gorzelanny would open up a spot in the Cubs' rotation, but wouldn't clear much payroll.
Gorzelanny, 28, posted a 4.09 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9, and 40.7% groundball rate in 136 1/3 innings this year. He's arbitration eligible for the second time after earning $800K in 2010.
Brandon Webb Rumors: Tuesday
Things are heating up for free agent starter Brandon Webb. The latest:
- Webb's agent will meet with the Cubs again this afternoon, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
- The Nationals will meet with Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer soon, MLBTR has learned.
- The Rangers met last night with Maurer, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. The agent also spoke with the Cubs last night, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins
Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
- The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
- The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.
Cubs Close To One-Year Deal With Pena
This post was originally published on Dec. 8, 2010.
The Cubs are closing in on a one-year deal with Carlos Pena, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. She adds, via Twitter, that the deal is believed to be for $10MM.
Pena, 33 next May, saw his average slip below the Mendoza Line in 2010, totaling a line of .196/.325/.407. While the average and strikeout rate (32.6%) are concerns, Pena still managed to hit 28 home runs. That he managed a .325 OBP with a sub-.200 average speaks well to his plate discipline (14.9 BB%), and his average was unquestionably deflated by a career-low .222 BABIP.
Earlier, it was believed that Pena and agent Scott Boras were looking for a two- or three-year deal, which would be unsurprising in what's shaping up to be a players' market.
Red Sox Notes: Buchholz, Gonzalez, Ellsbury, Okajima
Here's the latest on the Red Sox, including some continued fallout from the blockbuster Adrian Gonzalez deal…
- The Red Sox are interested in adding a complementary right-handed bat, GM Theo Epstein tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox have offered Taylor Buchholz a minor league deal and are one of 12 teams to express interest in the right-hander, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
- Felix Doubront, Jed Lowrie, and Jacoby Ellsbury's names were all discussed in the Boston/San Diego trade talks, says John Tomase of the Boston Herald. Ellsbury was the only one that drew much interest from the Padres, but they decided against him since Ellsbury's forthcoming arbitration raise would make him too expensive and a trade candidate himself in the near future.
- Also from Tomase, both Chicago teams were "finalists" for Gonzalez and were offering at least one major league player in their trade packages. Ultimately, San Diego decided that it preferred the prospects in Boston's offer.
- John Boggs, Gonzalez's agent, talks to WEEI.com's D.J. Bean about the contract extension negotiations that nearly held up the trade on the weekend. "We’re not working in a spirit to get [the Red Sox] by the jugular or squeeze every nickel, or set a precedent-setting deal," Boggs said.
- The agent for Hideki Okajima tells ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes (Twitter link) that he will talk with the Red Sox "soon," though there has been "pretty strong" interest in Okajima from some other clubs.
- It's not often the Red Sox are priced out of a signing, but FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says Jayson Werth's contract with Washington may have made Carl Crawford too expensive for Boston's liking, especially since the Sox now have to fit a Gonzalez extension ("the parameters" for which are $154MM over seven years) into their budget. The Red Sox may instead focus on acquiring relievers or finding a cheaper outfield option, like trading for Josh Willingham.
- Adrian Beltre's asking price is $85MM over five years, Rosenthal reports. Boston would be interested in re-signing the third baseman if "the market for Beltre collasped," but the plan is to play Kevin Youkilis at third with Gonzalez taking over at first. Rosenthal says the Red Sox aren't considering moving Youkilis to left field to make room for Beltre.