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Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Blanton, Haren, Sabathia

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Let’s round ’em up.

  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro will soon get a contract extension offer for C.C. Sabathia approved by ownership.  Then he’ll put that in front of Sabathia’s agent, with an eye on resolving the situation one way or another before Spring Training.  Shapiro’s model will not be Johan Santana’s upcoming deal but rather Jake Peavy’s three-year, $50MMish extension.
  • White Sox outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Brian Anderson might be on the fringe.  The Marlins, if I recall correctly, once had interest in Anderson as a center field option.
  • Miguel Cabrera is out to prove he’s a good athlete and can stay at third base – he’s beginning a rigorous workout program like nothing he’s ever done before.
  • The D’Backs could pursue Joe Blanton or Dan Haren, while the Yankees may turn to Haren if they fail to acquire Johan.
  • The Yankees are receiving a lot of interest in The Farnz, according to Brian Cashman.

Brewers Rumors: Crede, Riske, Gagne, Dotel

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MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy recently filed a report with a few new Brewers tidbits.  Nothing new on the Scott Rolen front, but feel free to jump over to that rumor to discuss it.  On to McCalvy’s article:

  • The Brewers briefly discussed Joe Crede at last month’s GM Meetings.  The Brewers and White Sox have been on friendly terms in the past; maybe they can work something out.  There hasn’t been much buzz about Crede lately, but the Carlos Quentin acquisition seems to punch his ticket out of town.
  • The Brewers passed on an effective one-year, $8.5MM contract for Geoff Jenkins for ’08.  The Brewers prefer to replace him with a lefty hitter with a solid OBP, but don’t find the free agent options to be superior.  A Gabe Gross/Tony Gwynn Jr. combo may be sufficient.
  • The David Riske signing may be announced Tuesday, but the Brewers need to clear up a 40-man roster spot first.  My guess is that Melvin will dispense of Kevin Mench one way or another.
  • The Brewers have a passing interest in Eric Gagne and Octavio Dotel, but probably won’t end up with either due to injury concerns.  Melvin has not been in touch with their agents.

O’Brien’s Latest: Andruw, Marte, James

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The AJC’s David O’Brien has a rumor update on his blog.  Let’s summarize.

  • The White Sox are very reluctant to go after Andruw Jones, because of Scott Boras.  They’d offer three years and less than $30MM, which would result in a dial tone.  Unless it was a cell phone.
  • The Braves need a lefty reliever, and might turn to the Pirates for Damaso Marte.  That’d be easier to pull off if the Yankees opt to sign Ron Mahay or Jeremy Affeldt for their lefty reliever.
  • O’Brien suggests the Braves have collected a starting pitching surplus, which is a dangerous thought.  What do you want to bet there’d be no surplus six months from now, if the current group is maintained?  O’Brien believes some team might push hard for Chuck James, anyway.
  • Matt Diaz may be available, if Brandon Jones proves MLB-ready.  First baseman Scott Thorman may also be on the market.

Levine’s Latest: Rowand, Prior, Hudson, Swisher

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Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 went on air a few hours ago with some interesting tidbits regarding the Chicago teams.  This was before the Sox acquired Carlos Quentin so I’m not sure what kind of effect that has on this info.

  • The White Sox are still very much in the mix for Aaron Rowand, but they really don’t want to give him five years.  By the way Jerry Crasnick mentioned today that the Phillies may be willing to stretch to four years on Rowand or at least three years plus a vesting option.
  • The Cubs are having all sorts of trade discussions involving Mark Prior.  The Rangers and Padres are said to be two interested parties.
  • Of course the Cubs still have Kosuke Fukudome in their sights.  But they also have their eye on Oakland’s Nick Swisher and Arizona’s Orlando Hudson.  Both are switch-hitters, by the way.

D’Backs Trade Quentin To White Sox For Chris Carter

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According to MLB Radio via MetsBlog, the D’Backs will send outfielder Carlos Quentin to the White Sox for first baseman Chris Carter.  Here’s the MLB.com link.  Kenny Williams and Josh Byrnes have gotten together on many trades in the past. 

Carter was recently ranked Chicago’s 4th best prospect by Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein, and their best position player prospect.  The 21 year-old first baseman will try his hand at High A in 2008.  Goldstein calls him a "true slugger with tremendous strength and power to all fields," while noting that he is poor defensively even at first base.  Carter’s a few years off, so Conor Jackson doesn’t have to worry quite yet.

Quentin didn’t have a place on the D’Backs after they signed Eric Byrnes to a contract extension.  2007 was a lost year for Quentin as he dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues.  He plans to have labrum surgery to fix the shoulder this winter.  The 25 year-old has mashed at Triple A and knows how to take a walk – he is exactly what the White Sox needed.  Faith in Kenny Williams has been restored, perhaps.

It’s tough to pick a winner here; I like the deal for both clubs.  I love it for the White Sox, who had a strong need for position-playing young talent.  The D’Backs did well getting Carter, though they weren’t able to spin Quentin into a starting pitcher.  Quentin wouldn’t have gotten a chance to rebuild value with Arizona at the big league level in 2008 anyway.  Yahoo’s Jeff Passan is not impressed with the move for Arizona.

Details On Angels’ Cabrera Offer

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UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 10am: Peter Gammons says the Marlins are no longer insisting on both Adenhart and Santana.  He thinks the deal can work.

FROM 12-2-07 at 2pm:

Jon Heyman has the latest on the Miguel Cabrera situation.  As you know, the Angels are frustrated but have left the door open for the Marlins to approach them regarding their offer.

We also knew that the offer had both Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis in it.  The other players: one of Nick Adenhart or Ervin Santana, plus a "mid-level" pitching prospect.  The Marlins wanted both Adenhart and Santana, prompting the Angels to throw up their hands. Marlins ownership (Loria and Samson) are the ones pushing for both pitchers.

The Angels’ original offer stands, and they’ll wait to see if the Marlins decide to take it.  Heyman lists the Angels, Dodgers, Giants, and White Sox as those most serious in Cabrera, with the Rangers, Indians, and Mets also placing calls.  The Mets, eh?  That’s a new one.

Pirates, Indians Talking Bay

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We’ve known for a while now that the Pirates have outfielder Jason Bay on the block.  A big deal for Bay could put new Pirates GM Neal Huntington on the map.  According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Indians are engaged in talks for Bay.  This isn’t a big surprise, since Huntington came from the Cleveland organization.

Trading Bay now seems like a sell-low move, unless the Bucs feel Bay won’t bounce back in 2008.  Andy Marte, Cliff Lee, and Jeremy Sowers could be available from the Tribe.  Silverman notes that Indians’ backup catcher Kelly Shoppach has been mentioned in the talks with Pittsburgh.  Shoppach would be a capable starter for most teams.  The Indians could also part with an outfielder, perhaps Shin-Soo Choo or Ben Francisco. 

While the White Sox have also been linked to Bay, Dejan Kovacevic says there’s nothing cooking right now.

Kosuke Fukudome Rumors

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Kosuke Fukudome is expected to make an official announcement soon on whether he will come to the Major Leagues for the 2008 season.  Per Fukudome’s agent, it’s highly unlikely he stays in Japan.  He wants only a three-year contract, no more.  So who’s after him?

  • Cubs: They’re still after him, and Lou Piniella doesn’t see why the failure to sign his acquaintance Kaz Matsui would have any bearing on it.  The Cubs have a vacancy in right field plus perhaps a need to spell Felix Pie in center.  They also could use a nice dose of OBP.  Fukudome is a perfect fit.
  • White Sox: The Sox have openings in left and center and a strong need for OBP.  Aaron Rowand and Torii Hunter are out of the picture, leaving Fukudome as a prime target. It’s been said that the Cubs are prepared for a crosstown bidding war.
  • Padres: The Friars have already contacted Fukudome’s agent.  Kevin Towers has publicly expressed his interest.  Fukudome could play left or center for the Padres.
  • Rangers: With a center field spot up for grabs, the Rangers have "serious interest."
  • Giants: In late October, it was said that they were "seriously interested."
  • Yankees, Red Sox: They’ve both scouted him, for what it’s worth.  Little doubt he could play a better center field than Johnny Damon, but it’s hard to see where he could fit in with Boston since they’ve already got four starting outfielders.
  • Mets: They have a right field vacancy, but I haven’t seen too many published reports indicating they’re after him (as of now, I can’t find any).  Wouldn’t surprise me to see Omar jump in here though.

Did I miss anyone?

White Sox Looking At Fukudome, Bay

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox have cooled on Aaron Rowand as they do not want to give him a five-year contract.  Instead, they’ve set their sights on Kosuke Fukudome and Jason Bay.

This isn’t the first time they’ve been linked to Fukudome; Dan Graziano noted back in August that the Sox had scouted him.  The White Sox could entertain using Fukudome in any of the three outfield positions.  He could easily handle left field if Joe Crede is traded and Josh Fields plays third.  He could probably get by in center.  And he’s probably better than Jermaine Dye in right, so maybe it would be Dye switching to left.

New Pirates GM Neal Huntington perhaps hasn’t made an impression on the team’s fans yet.  A Bay trade this winter will be big for him in terms of PR.  It’d be a sell-low move, however.  I do think the White Sox could throw something together to make it work.

Meanwhile Mark Gonzales says the Sox still like Coco Crisp as a center field possibility.  The only problem is that Crisp could be headed to Minnesota in a Johan Santana deal.  That will have to unfold before Crisp becomes available to other teams – unless the other team makes a ridiculous offer.

Odds and Ends: Livan, Bartlett, Willis, Webb

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