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Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Cabrera, Molina

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Links for Monday…

  • Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs gave his thoughts on the Orioles' "enviable outfield logjam."  In his Offseason Outlook for the club, Tim suggested that Luke Scott could make sense as a trade candidate.
  • A week ago, we heard conflicting reports about whether or not the Yankees had talked to the Cubs about acquiring Carlos Zambrano. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that the Yankees "definitely" inquired, and speculates that Zambrano is "eminently available."
  • In a piece for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, David O'Brien suggested in passing that the Braves could potentially use Melky Cabrera as a trade chip. Heyman tweets that the Cubs would be very interested, if the Braves were to make Cabrera available.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Bengie Molina "might be willing to consider" a two-year deal.  So far the Mets are at one year with an option.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik must retain at least one of Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez long-term.
  • Derek Zumsteg of U.S.S. Mariner gives us a Milton Bradley chronology.
  • CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban tweets that he's heard a whisper connecting the Giants to free agent reliever Kiko Calero.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier examines the differences between the contracts of John Lackey and A.J. Burnett.  In case you missed it, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe revealed on Wednesday that Lackey must play for the league minimum in 2015 "if an old elbow injury forced him to miss significant time with surgery any time during the deal."
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says statheads and scouts are mostly in agreement these days, and Moneyball would be a very different book if Michael Lewis wrote it today.

Discussion: What’s Next For The Cubs?

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The Chicago Cubs haven't enjoyed the most inspiring offseason so far. Their efforts to deal Milton Bradley dragged on for weeks and ultimately resulted in the team taking on a contract even worse than Bradley's. They missed out to the Nationals on a potential bargain in Matt Capps, and signed John Grabow to a contract that Dave Cameron of Fangraphs called "a waste of cash." What exactly are the North Siders planning to do for an encore?

ESPN.com's latest Rumor Central update examines this question, naming the starting rotation, the bullpen, and center field as the three areas that the club will be looking to upgrade before the spring. The article speculates that the Cubs will choose either Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, or Scott Podsednik for their outfield opening, and wonders if Joel Pineiro or Kelvim Escobar could be solutions for the rotation and bullpen, respectively.

One possibility for the Cubs, as Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune points out, is filling out their bullpen with in-house candidates, such as Jeff Samardzija. This would allow the team a little more payroll flexibility, as they attempt to address their other needs.

With the rumor mill slowing down on Christmas Eve, we'll open this topic up for discussion. Will the Cubs salvage their offseason? Which of the team's needs would you like to see them make their top priority? And when the dust settles, which free agents do you expect to see wearing Cubs uniforms?

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Valverde, Phillies, Hanrahan

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Just because it's Christmas Eve doesn't mean the hot stove is taking a holiday. Let's check out some links….

Pirates Talking To Dotel, Gregg

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The Pirates have had conversations with free agent relievers Octavio Dotel and Kevin Gregg, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Earlier tonight, Kovacevic shot down a report that Dotel was offered a deal in the vicinity of $3MM.  According to a team source, the club has had conversations with the reliever, but has yet to make an offer.  Last year for the White Sox, Dotel posted a 3.32 ERA and 10.8 K/9 in 62 appearances.

Meanwhile, Gregg posted a 4.72 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 72 games for the Cubs in 2009.  The 31-year-old was the team's closer until mid-season, when the mantle was given to Carlos Marmol.

Odds & Ends: Delgado, Johnson, Igawa

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Some links as Hanley Ramirez celebrates his 26th birthday…

  • The Mets may have reduced interest in Carlos Delgado, according to Marty Noble of MLB.com. The slugger won't start playing baseball in Puerto Rico until mid-January; no reason was given for the delay.
  • The Yankees have about $4MM to spend on a left fielder, according to the New York Daily News.
  • Nick Johnson's deal with the Yankees is official, according to MLB.com's Brian Hoch.
  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out (via Twitter) that Troy Glaus will be the Braves' 11th opening day first baseman in 12 seasons if he signs in Atlanta, as expected.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says (via Twitter) that the Cubs were willing to take on Kei Igawa's salary (two years, $8MM) before the Yanks acquired Javier Vazquez.
  • Brandon Morrow tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he hopes to start in Toronto.
  • Dustin Parkes of Drunk Jays Fans says there's no point thinking of Roy Hallladay as a saint, even if he did buy ad space in the Toronto Sun.
  • An unnamed source tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that the Dodgers broke even last year. Check out Shaikin's interview with team president Dennis Mannion.
  • The Phillies have been in touch with former Nats reliever Mike MacDougal, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. MacDougal's agent says "a good number" of teams are interested, which is what we heard earlier in the week.

Royals Sign Brian Anderson

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The Royals signed outfielder Brian Anderson to a one-year, Major League deal worth $700K.  He can earn another $100K in incentives.  MLB.com's Scott Merkin broke the news yesterday, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added contract details.  Anderson was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for Mark Kotsay and cash on July 28th, and non-tendered on December 12th.

Anderson, 28 in March, has a career line of .227/.290/.370 in 883 plate appearances, mostly with the White Sox.  He's mainly played center field in his career, and the Royals probably represented his best opportunity for big league playing time.  The Royals will have the chance to retain Anderson beyond 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.

Merkin notes that the Cubs, Nationals, and Reds had also expressed interest in Anderson.

Four Team Salary Dump Trade Fell Through

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Well here's an interesting deal that never came to be. According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, a four-team trade involving Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Luis Castillo, and Gary Matthews Jr. fell apart at the winter meetings for an undisclosed reason.

According to a source, the deal would have sent Bradley to the Rays, Burrell and Castillo to the Cubs, and Matthews Jr. to the Mets. Burrell would have then been spun off elsewhere. No word on what the Halos would have received, though getting rid of Sarge Jr. and presumably at least part of his contract would have been a win.

Yankees Aiming To Add Starter Soon

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman will "almost certainly add a starter by New Year's," reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.  Puma notes that the Yanks inquired on the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, but did not like the asking price.  Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is well-paid – $53.75MM over the next three years.  On the other hand, ESPN's Bruce Levine has a Cubs source that refuted the idea that the Yankees even inquired.

A few other names to consider from our trade market post: Derek Lowe, Aaron Harang, and Gil Meche (we're unsure on the availability of Meche).  Another interesting name could be Jeremy Bonderman, given his $12.5MM salary for 2010.  Note that the Yankees have not been connected to these four in trade rumors; we're just speculating.  And there is the small question of whether the team has $10MM+ in payroll space for a veteran starter.

Puma finds a free agent addition more likely for the Yankees; his speculative targets are Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro, and Ben Sheets.  However, Ken Davidoff of Newsday talked to "a person in the Yankees' loop" who said Sheets is "not even on the board" currently.  Pineiro's contract demands remain steep, and you have to wonder whether a low-strikeout National League lifer like Marquis offers anything over Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin.  The rest of the free agent market is not terribly appealing.

Bottom line: Puma expects Cashman to add a starter in the next eleven days, but we have no idea who that will be.

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Bradley, Hamels

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Let's have a look at some miscellaneous Sunday links….

  • The Tigers purchased the contract of catcher Andy Bouchie from the Long Beach Armada. Bouchie, 24, was a seventh round pick by the Brewers after his junior season at Oral Roberts University, but was released due to catching depth in the Milwaukee system. He hit .290 with 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games in the Golden Baseball League this year.
  • Jon Paul Morosi explains why the Padres should wait until July 31 to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Larry Stone offers some optimism for Seattle fans with concerns about newly-acquired Milton Bradley in a nice article, reminding us that Bradley has had non-problematic stops over the course of his career. Stone quotes Eddie Guardado, Bud Black, and Ken Macha, all of whom support Bradley.
  • Scott Lauber writes that amidst the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pandemonium, it's easy to forget about Cole Hamels, but the Phillies haven't. They still see Hamels as a top-of-the-rotation arm and are confident in his ability to rebound from a forgettable 2009.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that Oakland's potential deal with Coco Crisp reflects the value the A's place on defense.
  • In his usual lengthy Sunday column, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo focuses primarily on the Red Sox' moves, past, present, and future. He provides at least one interesting hot stove note though: Mark DeRosa's asking price has come down, and Cafardo wonders if the Mets could sign the infielder and play him at first base.
  • Cafardo also mentions that, while plenty of teams are interested in Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees hope to match any final offer the right-hander receives.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff can't see any other teams taking a chance on Mike Lowell unless he exhibits good health in Spring Training.
  • In a separate article, Davidoff examines the next move for Johnny Damon. Davidoff lists the Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Mets as possible destinations, but concedes there are roadblocks in each case.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the remaining names on the closing market, concluding that there are too many arms and not enough teams in need of a closer.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says there's nothing wrong with any of the Orioles' recent signings, but that they aren't the big splashes fans may have hoped to see.

Cubs Rumors: Byrd, Capps, Bradley

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After finally trading Milton Bradley, the Cubs are in position to move forward and address the rest of their offseason priorities. Let's round up some Cubs-related links….

  • Jon Heyman tweets that before the Cubs traded Bradley, their choices for center fielders were Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, Melky Cabrera, and Scott Podsednik.
  • A center fielder and a setup man are two of the Cubs' most pressing needs, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. There is mutual interest between Marlon Byrd and the Cubs, and the team could also be one of two finalists for Matt Capps (the other being the Nationals).
  • Wittenmyer also points out that, of the $9MM coming to Chicago in the Bradley-Carlos Silva swap, $5.5MM will be applied this season, giving the team a little more flexibility for 2010 salaries.
  • Erik Manning of Fangraphs wonders if moving Bradley is actually addition by subtraction for the Cubs.
  • Yesterday we heard via a FOX Sports report that the Cubs might look into acquiring Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. LoHud.com's Chad Jennings examines the Yankees' perspective of such a move, arguing that the world champions' center field depth is a necessity, rather than a luxury.
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