Cafardo’s Latest: Halladay, Hermida, Abreu
Time for a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Relievers on the Tigers’ radar: Trevor Hoffman, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes, and Joe Beimel.
- Blue Jays J.P. Ricciardi is frank: "We will not trade Roy Halladay."
- Marlins right fielder Jeremy Hermida is said to interest the Reds, Rays, and Giants. John Perrotto says the Rays have inquired on Hermida.
- Cafardo believes the Dodgers will turn to Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, or Jermaine Dye if they fail to re-sign Manny Ramirez.
- Cafardo likes the Angels and Brewers as dark horses for Jake Peavy.
- Cafardo says not to discount the possibility of the Nationals signing Ken Griffey Jr.
Winter Meetings Previews
We’ve added a few new Winter Meetings preview to the collection…
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help. They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered. You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever. Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds. Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
- The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated. Neal summarizes the players on the radar. The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
- Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres. Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list. The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief. The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks. Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general. Miguel Montero is the top trade chip. They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer. If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters. Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short. Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return. Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip. As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07. Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt. The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida. The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey. Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye? The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
- The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement. The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop. They have interest in Adam Everett.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.
Giants Interested In Encarnacion
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Giants are interested in Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. Fay considers EE the most likely Red to be traded, with Homer Bailey second on that list. Encarnacion, 26 in January, hit .251/.340/.466 in 582 plate appearances while playing poor defense. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, so he’s under team control for three more seasons.
Fay also notes that Walt Jocketty and Jim Bowden haven’t matched up on a trade in over ten years, and Joey Votto isn’t going anywhere. Yesterday ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick said the Nationals explored trading for Votto (among others).
One more note: David Weathers is negotiating with several teams, Reds included. Nothing is close.
Reds Sign Mike Lincoln, Still Like Weathers
10:43pm: Reds GM Walt Jocketty says that even with the Lincoln signing he still hopes to sign David Weathers. Four or five other teams are said to be in the mix for Stormy. We’ll know by midnight Sunday whether Weathers will accept the Reds’ offer of arbitration.
3:49pm: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins were "hot after" Lincoln and were "barely outbid" by the Reds. The Twins weren’t in on Bob Howry though.
12:43pm: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Reds re-signed reliever Mike Lincoln to a two-year deal worth $4MM plus incentives. Lincoln, 34 in April, posted a 4.48 ERA in 70.1 innings this year. His command was respectable, though he was prone to the longball. It was an impressive comeback from two Tommy John surgeries.
Rockies To Keep Atkins?
THURSDAY, 8:10pm: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on comments from Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd. O’Dowd says Atkins’ future with the Rockies is closely tied to the future of Todd Helton. If Helton can’t produce, Atkins becomes a seemingly irreplaceable part of the Rockies offense.
WEDNESDAY, 11:27pm: MLB.com’s Thomas Harding talked to Atkins’ agent, who said his client is still willing to listen if the Rockies make a fresh extension offer.
11:13am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post gets the impression that Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins will not be traded this winter. Renck says GM Dan O’Dowd fielded inquiries from the Reds and Twins but hasn’t found a match. The Rockies would want pitching in return. Atkins is under team control for two more years, so O’Dowd isn’t pressing to move him.
The Indians were also linked to Atkins at one point, but MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince says they’ve cooled on the idea.
Laird May Be Moving
The Texas Rangers have excess catching, and the Tigers, Reds, and Red Sox are all looking to benefit from that surplus.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com has the Tigers and Reds at the top of the list of teams interested in the oldest of Texas’ catchers, Gerald Laird. Laird is arbitration eligible, and therefore the most attractive option for a trade from the Rangers’ perspective. Joshua Roenicke of the Reds and Zach Miner from the Tigers are mentioned as potential trade bait in exchange for Laird.
Sullivan says the Red Sox are more interested in one of Texas’ younger catchers: either Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Taylor Teagarden. Clay Buchholz would not be included in any deal, but Michael Bowden and Justin Masterson may be available.
In a separate article that followed from a conference call with Texas GM Jon Daniels, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News points out that the Rangers are not in cost cutting mode. A Laird trade might give that appearance. Another note from Grant’s article – the Rangers aren’t in on Koji Uehara or Kenshin Kawakami.
Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Izturis, Gaudin
Links for Thursday…
- Check out this week’s minor league transactions. Some familiar names were signed.
- The Red Sox officially announced the signing of Junichi Tazawa.
- J.C. Bradbury likes the Dustin Pedroia contract.
- Sox Machine has parting words for Javier Vazquez, whose trade to the Braves was officially announced today. ESPN’s Keith Law tells you all you need to know about the players involved in the deal. Tyler Flowers is the key, Santos Rodriguez the wild card.
- The Rockies’ talks for lefty reliever Joe Beimel continue. In another article, Patrick Saunders looks at the team’s wish list.
- Rob Neyer believes teams are starting to figure out defensive evaluation, creating a weak market for lumbering LF/1B/DH types.
- Jesse Spector spoke to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski.
- T.R. Sullivan says the Tigers’ talks for Rangers catcher Gerald Laird continue.
- Larry Dobrow offers suggestions to fix the Reds.
- Aaron Gleeman says the Twins have already missed several good opportunities to affordably improve their bullpen.
- Viva El Birdos explains why the Cardinals should’ve offered arbitration to Russ Springer and Braden Looper.
- Lee Jenkins provides insight into Mark Teixeira – the perfect baseball player and ideal Boras client.
- Roch Kubatko says Cesar Izturis remains a strong possibility for the Orioles.
- Fred Claire notes that Jack Zduriencik will always remember Russell Branyan as his first free agent signing. Geoff Baker examines the Branyan signing and the Ken Griffey Jr. idea.
- Paul Sullivan suggests Chad Gaudin is a non-tender candidate for the Cubs. He’s set to get an arbitration raise on this year’s $1.775MM salary.
Talks Pick Up For Joe Beimel
Looks like the relief market is starting to move. MLB.com’s Jason Beck says talks for Joe Beimel have picked up in recent days, with the Tigers one of the remaining clubs. Darren Oliver‘s arbitration offer helped the market for Beimel.
Beck also notes that the Reds "supposedly had not engaged in talks as of Wednesday" for Beimel despite the team’s reported interest. The Rockies may be in the mix though.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny
6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat. Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?
1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:
- The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
- Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape. The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option. How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup? Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
- Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
- Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia. Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
- The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot.
- Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration. He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept. He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
- Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same. I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
- The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside. They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
- Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.
Nationals Rumors: Dunn, Votto, Greinke
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talks about the Nationals in today’s column. A few hot stove nuggets:
- Crasnick talked to several agents and execs who just can’t see the Nationals ponying up $20MM+ per year for Mark Teixeira.
- The Nats crave a lefthanded slugging first baseman, so Adam Dunn could fit the bill. Crasnick talked to a couple of officials who suggested Dunn might have to settle in the three-year, $36MM range. However, the Nationals may have to pay a premium to convince any prominent free agent to sign.
- Crasnick says the Nationals have explored many interesting names: Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, James Loney, Joey Votto, and Zack Greinke. They may not have the young talent to pull off that kind of deal though.
- The Nats are "looking forward to the opportunity" to select Scott Boras client Stephen Strasburg in next June’s draft.