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Odds & Ends: Cubs, Podsednik, Giants

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Let's close out this Sunday evening with a few links…

  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune runs down the Cubs' offseason wish list.  Unsurprisingly, getting rid of Milton Bradley is the top priority.
  • The agent for Scott Podsednik claims that the lines of communication with the White Sox are still open, despite GM Ken Williams' reluctance to re-sign the 33-year-old, writes the Tribune's Mark Gonzales.  Scotty Pods' chances of returning decreased after the club took on salary in the trade for Mark Teahen.
  • Giants prospect Angel Villalona is out on bail, says ESPN's Enrique Rojas (via Twitter).  Villalona was charged with murder back in September.

Kurkjian’s Latest: Yankees, Dodgers, Chapman

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Tim Kurkjian runs through some of the top storylines to watch this offseason for his latest article on ESPN.com.  Here's a breakdown of some of the topics discussed…

  • Kurkjian believes the Yankees will let Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk this winter and will "consider" free agents Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.
  • Kurkjian also thinks Holliday is "perfect for Fenway Park," and someone who will be pursued if the Red Sox aren't able to reach an agreement with Bay.
  • The McCourts' divorce could have a serious impact on the way Los Angeles does business this offseason.  As Kurkjian writes, "The Dodgers need to acquire at least one topflight starting pitcher, but there is already speculation that they will not have enough money to re-sign left-hander Randy Wolf."
  • The Cubs won't be able to trade Milton Bradley without picking up most of the two years, $20MM left on his contact.
  • The Yanks are likely to re-sign Andy Pettitte for at least one year.
  • Kurkjian spoke to one MLB general manager who thinks Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman has "a ways to go before he's ready to pitch in the major leagues, phyiscally and emotionally."
  • The Angels are expected to be aggressive in trying to re-sign Chone Figgins, but he'll have plenty of other suitors.  Kurkjian lists the White Sox and Orioles as possibilities.  We've heard the Cubs might also have interest.

Royals Trade Mark Teahen To White Sox

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3:42pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star heard the Royals sent $1MM to the White Sox with Teahen.

12:35pm: White Sox GM Ken Williams told reporters Teahen will play third base, with Gordon Beckham moving to second.  He told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that Scott Podsednik is unlikely to re-sign and the DH position might not be decided until the end of the offseason.

11:16am: The deal is official, according to a Royals press release.  The Royals acquired Getz and Fields for Teahen and cash considerations.

FRIDAY, 8:40am: Mum's still the word from all involved, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Late last night, Teahen tweeted that he hadn't heard anything official.

THURSDAY, 5:30pm: The story keeps changing. Now, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, neither team has confirmed the deal.

11:13am: The White Sox have confirmed the trade, according to The Chicago Sun Times. It's Teahen for Getz and Fields.

10:17am: ESPN's Buster Olney says talks are "not that far along." Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times mentions that Getz hasn't heard anything about a trade.

9:04am: According to Bill Madden of The NY Daily News, the Royals have agreed to send the versatile Mark Teahen to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Madden says Teahen is expected to replace free agent-to-be Jermaine Dye in right field.

The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 last year, but is a career .261/.325/.514 hitter at U.S. Cellular Field. FanGraphs has him at -2.0 UZR/150 in right, which is a massive upgrade over Dye's -17.5 mark. Teahen earned $3.575MM in 2009, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. He's certainly been the subject of many trade rumors over the years.

Getz, 26, was Chicago's every day second baseman for most of 2009, hitting .261/.324/.347 with 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Fields, 28, has struggled to find a place with the White Sox, hitting .229/.302/.416 in 746 plate appearances over the last four years while playing first, third, and left field. Both players are in their pre-arbitration years, and have a combined ten years of team control left.

White Sox Buy Out Option On Jermaine Dye

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The White Sox bought out Jermaine Dye's mutual option for 2010, according to a team press release.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says it cost the Sox $950K.  This decision was a given, since the option was for $12MM.  While Dye is a projected Type A free agent, it won't matter because the Sox are highly unlikely to offer arbitration.  Mark Teahen is officially a member of the White Sox now, but he'll take over at third base with Gordon Beckham playing second.

Dye, 36 in January, hit .250/.340/.453 in 574 plate appearances this year.  He slumped to .184/.303/.278 over the season's final two months.  In an article yesterday, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Dye "is of interest to the Rangers."

White Sox Re-Sign Mark Kotsay

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Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times reports that the White Sox have announced that Mark Kotsay was given a one year, $1.5MM contract to return to the team in 2010. It's essentially the same contract he signed with Boston last January.

Kotsay, acquired from the Red Sox just before the trade deadline, hit .292/.349/.434 in 127 plate appearances with the Pale Hose. He played mostly first base for Chicago, but also saw action in all three outfield spots.

Danks Hopes To Sign Extension

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White Sox lefty John Danks hopes to sign a multiyear extension with the White Sox, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The 24-year-old is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter.

Though he was thrilled to receive it, Danks turned down a four-year, $15.5MM offer from the White Sox on the advice of his agent Jeff Berry before the season.  Gavin Floyd accepted the same offer.  With another fine season in the books, Danks will probably require $16MM+ to cover his three arbitration years and $11-13MM per each free agent year.

Heyman On Damon, Scutaro, Red Sox

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The Yankees are interested in re-signing Johnny Damon, and may be willing to offer two years and $16MM.  Heyman believes the White Sox and Giants will be among the other suitors.
  • Heyman says the Reds "could do worse" than Marco Scutaro at shortstop.  The Reds first-round pick (#12 overall would be protected), but they probably don't have the payroll space to add Scutaro unless they subtract a big salary.
  • The Red Sox could look to trade Mike Lowell or David Ortiz, if they acquire two hitters this winter.

Olney On Non-Tenders

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In his latest blog post (ESPN Insider required), Buster Olney discusses what he refers to as baseball's "next great economic disparity," referring to the large number of players, young and old, who stand to make more money through arbitration than they would on the free agent market. One executive referred to the arbitration process as "outdated."

Multiple general managers feel that there will be dozens of non-tendered players over the course of the next 41 days. In total, Olney and some baseball executives counted 93 "solid" non-tender candidates as they examined each team's roster (check out Tim's list here). If the final number comes close to that, nearly 300 players will be looking for a new team this offseason, vastly deflating the asking price for most free agents.

Olney names two non-tender candidates in detail, in J.J. Hardy and Bobby Jenks:

  • Hardy hit just .229 with 11 home runs this season after posting home run totals of 26 and 24 the past two seasons. He's also due a raise on his $4.65MM salary, and the Brewers have Alcides Escobar waiting in the wings. Olney writes that the Red Sox inquired about Hardy at the deadline, but balked when the Brewers asked for excellent prospects in return. Olney wonders if this is a sign of things to come, and if no market for Hardy develops, would the Brewers be better off non-tendering the former All-Star?
  • Jenks posted a mediocre line this season, while making $5.6MM. Olney speculates that he could receive as much as $7.5MM through arbitration. Roughly a dozen closers could be available this winter, making Jenks and his disappointing 2009 a tough sell at that price tag. Should the White Sox invest that much in him, or simply look for a cheaper alternative?

Olney feels that some big market teams could reel in non-tender candidates from small market teams for lower level prospects and wait to see if they pan out over the remainder of their time under team control. Additionally, he says that teams such as the Twins will be able to take fliers on non-tendered players and receive tremendous value.

What other non-tender candidates do you see emerging this offseason, and where might they land? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Cafardo On Pujols, Mauer, Holliday, Damon

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a new column up, and he addresses a few topics of interest from around the majors. Some highlights….

  • Cafardo examines the crossroads that superstars Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer will soon face with their current clubs. He passes on this quote from one baseball official: "I think Mauer has a better chance of staying in Minnesota than Pujols in St. Louis. Mauer is from Minnesota, while you have to give Pujols an A-Rod type contract and I’m not sure the Cardinals would do it."
  • His source thinks that the best way for the Cardinals to keep Pujols in St. Louis is to continue showing him they're committed to going after championships by making moves like this year's Matt Holliday acquisition.
  • Cafardo sees "no downside" to the idea of Holliday patrolling left field in Fenway next season. From an on-field standpoint, that statement could apply to virtually every team in the league, but the Red Sox are probably one of the few clubs that could absorb the financial blow.
  • Johnny Damon could be a good fit in the south side of Chicago, according to Cafardo. The White Sox will be looking for a leadoff hitter, and it's still unclear whether or not Damon will be back in New York.
  • Casey Kotchman may not fit into Boston's plans next year, but Cafardo thinks he could also be a solid addition to the White Sox — especially if Chicago doesn't retain Mark Kotsay.
  • Cafardo wonders why a power-hitting right-hander, like the New York Mets covet, would want to play in Citi Field, which he calls a "death valley" for righties.

Rogers On Chapman, Vazquez, Valentine, Gonzalez

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Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune looks at a few hot stove topics from around the league in his latest article. Here are some of his thoughts:

  • He speculates that the Seattle Mariners' interest in Aroldis Chapman stems from their desire to still have a front-line starter if they eventually decide to move Felix Hernandez.
  • Rogers is skeptical that the two Chicago teams have the resources to compete seriously in the Chapman sweepstakes. Be sure to check out MLBTR's complete Chapman review.
  • With Tim Hudson on the verge of re-signing with the Braves, Ken Rosenthal indicated that Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe could be shopped for a bat. Rogers suggests it'll be Vazquez that's put on the trading block.
  • Bobby Valentine could be out of the mix for a major-league managerial spot this season, as the Washington Nationals look likely to give Jim Riggleman their full-time gig.
  • Rogers thinks it's "wishful thinking" to expect new Padres GM Jed Hoyer to deal Adrian Gonzalez to Hoyer's former employer, the Boston Red Sox.
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