Odds & Ends: Bellorin, Chapman, Cardinals
Links for Friday…
- Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse takes at Yankees prospects who could draw attention in trade talks.
- The Royals signed catcher Edwin Bellorin to a minor league deal, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Bellorin, 28 in February, hit .277/.308/.351 in 216 plate appearances in his fourth Triple A stint.
- David Waldstein of the New York Times profiles new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
- Ronald Blum of the AP chatted with Aroldis Chapman, who doesn't mind beginning his pro career in the minors.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince expects a quiet offseason for the Indians, though he wonders if they could bring back Omar Vizquel.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reiterates that Joe Crede and Jarrod Washburn are on the Twins' radar.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes the Cardinals will be involved with more than just Joel Pineiro among our Top 50 Free Agents, and he names many candidates.
- Click here to watch our mention as ESPN SportsNation's Site of the Day yesterday.
Olney On Ausmus, Carroll, Prior, Penny
A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney…
- Via Twitter, Olney's heard from other teams that the Reds would love to move closer Francisco Cordero. Of course, closers are plentiful and Cordero is set to earn $25MM over the next two years. I mentioned in our Reds Offseason Outlook that the team would have to eat half of that to make him mildly appealing. Similarly, the Indians would definitely listen on Kerry Wood, who is set to earn $20MM over the next two years.
- Olney believes other teams could join the Reds and Tigers in cost-cutting mode. He says the teams with payroll space "will be in position to make some excellent deals."
- Olney finds it unlikely that Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, or John Lackey will receive a $100MM contract.
- Catcher Brad Ausmus on 2010: "I could end up playing if somebody wants me."
- The A's are interested in free agent infielder Jamey Carroll. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets that the Dodgers and at least seven other teams are also interested in Carroll.
- Mark Prior is throwing on flat ground and plans to audition for scouts. Prior, 29, most recently had shoulder surgery in June.
- The Giants are attempting to re-sign Brad Penny, who lost 12 pounds since the end of the season.
- Olney wonders if the Royals will dump more players before the December 12th non-tender deadline. I think Mike Jacobs, John Buck, and John Bale fit the bill.
- Olney's heard that the Phillies "will be aggressive in signing a set-up man/closer safety net," with Brad Lidge having flexor tendon surgery.
Odds & Ends: Griffey, Tigers, Torrealba
Let's have a look at another handful of evening links….
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that new Padres GM Jed Hoyer will sit down with Adrian Gonzalez next week to discuss the first baseman's future.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com shares his thoughts on the trades that have transpired so far during the hot stove season.
- Scott Miller of CBS Sports wraps up his observations from the GM meetings, and includes a quote from Angels GM Tony Reagins, saying the team will try their best to retain both John Lackey and Chone Figgins. I think they'd be doing very well if they were able to bring back even one of the two.
- What do the Cleveland Indians need to do to improve in 2010? The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes suggests that, considering the team's lack of payroll flexibility, the Indians just have to hope for better performances from many of their players.
- In comments relayed by Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik was vague when asked about Ken Griffey Jr.'s playing time in 2010. Griffey and the Mariners reached an agreement earlier today, but it sounds like Junior could have a lesser role next season — particularly if the team is able to retain Russell Branyan and add another bat or two.
- Despite recent rumors about the availability of Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, the Detroit Tigers don't intend to have a fire sale, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (via Twitter).
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says that if Granderson is available, the Cubs need to pursue him.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post has additional details on Yorvit Torrealba's possible future with the Colorado Rockies.
- After hearing Scott Boras compare Matt Holliday to last winter's big free agent prize, Mark Teixeira, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs takes a detailed look at how the two players' values compare.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets that a few GMs came away from this week's meetings thinking that the market for the elite free agents this year will be "very, very limited."
- Ever the optimist, Scott Boras disagrees with this assessment of the market, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Boras argues that "we hear this every year" and predicts that the top free agents will still receive "mega-contracts."
Indians May Look At Pavano As Backup Plan
If Jake Westbrook isn't fully recovered from Tommy John surgery in time to start the 2010 season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer proposes that the Tribe might turn to a familiar face — free-agent starter Carl Pavano.
The Indians want at least one veteran to anchor their young starting rotation, and if Westbrook comes out of his Puerto Rican winter league starts at less than 100 percent, that will leave the combustible Fausto Carmona as Cleveland's default ace. By signing Pavano, the Tribe would be bringing back an experienced arm who had a 3.83::1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 starts in Cleveland last season before he was traded to Minnesota on August 7.
Hoynes noted that Pavano made $4.35MM after reaching several incentive clauses in the one-year contract he signed with the Indians last winter, and will be looking for at least that total in guaranteed money for next season. This might make Pavano too expensive for the Tribe, though his agent Tom O'Connell told Hoynes that Pavano would talk to the Twins and Indians first, as Cleveland was the team who gave Pavano a shot after his disastrous, injury-plagued stint in New York.
What do you think, Tribe fans? If Westbrook can't go, do you think it would be a good move to bring Pavano back into the fold?
Indians Notes: Free Agent Targets, Marte
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer answers readers' questions in a mailbag piece. Within the article, he provides his opinions on a few Indians-related topics….
- There's "no way" the Indians will sign someone as expensive as Kerry Wood this year.
- If the club is involved in signing free agents at all, Hoynes expects the deals to happen later in the offseason, and at very little cost.
- Hoynes wouldn't be surprised if GM Mark Shapiro targeted one or two inexpensive, low-risk starting pitchers. Hoynes doesn't offer any specific names, though one reader suggests Noah Lowry. Check out MLBTR's free agent list for an idea of what type of reclamation projects the Indians might look at this offseason.
- Hoynes thinks Andy Marte has a decent chance of remaining on the roster through the winter and competing for a spot on the team in the spring
Odds & Ends: Matsui, Belcher, Cuddyer, Griffey
Links for Friday…
- Lefty reliever Darren Oliver "will play in 2010 and perhaps beyond," according to his agent Mike McCann (MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reporting).
- Free agent Hideki Matsui ruled out the possibility of returning to Japan, says NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (via Twitter).
- The Indians have hired their new pitching coach: Tim Belcher.
- The decision on Michael Cuddyer's $10.5MM option for 2011 is due by Monday, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Cuddyer would like to finish his career in Minnesota.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel considers Jeremy Hermida among the all-time exasperating Marlins.
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has comments from Andy Pettitte about the future.
- Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent Brian Goldberg told C. Trent Rosecrans of CNATI.com that Junior's future will be decided soon.
Indians Notes: Nakamura, Sizemore, Acta
A few Cleveland Indians-related links to sort through this morning. Let's take a look….
- The Indians will sign Japanese right-hander Takafumi Nakamura to a minor-league deal, according to Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker. Newman suggests that the Chuo University pitcher isn't one of the more "high-profile" draft prospects, but that he has shown he can strike out college hitters. An official contract should come sometime soon.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer answers fans' questions in a Tribe-centric mailbag. One reader asks about the possibility of the Indians dealing Grady Sizemore to the Chicago Cubs. Hoynes opines that if the team's trading patterns stay consistent, after the way they dealt with Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, then they probably wouldn't consider moving Sizemore until 2011.
- Within a mostly football-focused piece, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shares a few thoughts on the Indians as well. He thinks that Terry Francona would be a good role model for Manny Acta, given that Francona made appropriate adjustments after an unsuccessful initial managerial stint. Pluto also writes that one of Acta's main goals will be to get a bounce-back season out of Jhonny Peralta in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Hawkins, Uribe, Hill, Hazen
Here's a few links to end the night…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros GM Ed Wade said the team "is talking with LaTroy Hawkins, who wanted to see who the manager was going to be first." Hawkins will be a free agent this offseason for the fourth time in as many years.
- Juan Uribe has informed the Giants that he plans to test the market, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News.
- MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko reports that the Orioles outrighted three players off their 40-man roster, including southpaw Rich Hill. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says the Indians outrighted three players as well.
- Tom Krasovic reports that Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen interviewed for a front office position with the Padres. Hazen has held the position with Boston since 2006, and used to play in San Diego's minor league system.
- Here's this week's edition of Baseball America's minor league transactions. Lots of new names hitting the free agent pool, including Jack Taschner and Edgar Gonzalez.
Angels Yet To Call On Aroldis Chapman
The Angels have been linked to free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman via scouting director Eddie Bane. Given Chapman's friendship with Kendry Morales and interest in Southern California, the Halos could be a decent fit. However, our source says the team has yet to call to express interest.
Chapman is also friendly with Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox. We reported Chicago's interest on October 22nd, but we've since learned that their involvement has been limited.
Chapman visited with the Red Sox on Wednesday. A meeting with the Orioles will take place today. He's yet to throw for teams, so the process still appears to be in the early stages. You can check out our review of all his suitors here. One other new piece of information – Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported yesterday that the Indians have no interest.
Odds & Ends: Beeston, St. Claire, Bay
Links for Tuesday…
- The Blue Jays announced today that Paul Beeston will remain the team's president and CEO on a three-year deal.
- The Cub Reporter has three potential offseason targets: Rajai Davis, Jeremy Hermida, and Kelly Johnson.
- Kerry Wood replied, "Never say never" when asked on ESPN 1000's Waddle and Silvy show about returning to the Cubs after his Indians contract expires. I was surprised the Cubs didn't offer Wood arbitration a year ago.
- The Marlins hired Randy St. Claire as their new pitching coach; he received a two-year deal according to Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. St. Claire was fired by the Nationals in June.
- Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon unconvincingly defended his client's defense in this article from WEEI's Rob Bradford. Curt Schilling weighed in on Bay and J.D. Drew here.
- Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times discusses the Angels' key free agents. He sees John Lackey getting at least five years and $100MM, and Chone Figgins landing around five years, $50MM. He adds that reliever Darren Oliver is again considering retirement.
- The Cubs sale to the Ricketts family is complete, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.