Pirates Rumors: Bay, McLouth, Morris
MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch jumps into the fray with her own set of Pirates rumors.
- Jason Bay rumors are flying around. Langosch mentions Steve Phillips’ rumor at ESPN: Kelly Shoppach and Cliff Lee for Bay. Andy Marte could be involved as well.
- The Rangers have decided they desire a corner outfielder, and moved from Nate McLouth to Bay accordingly. Langosch suggests the Rangers would send relievers over to Pittsburgh – now that would be a bad trade for the Bucs.
- McLouth, by the way, is drawing interest from the Giants and Padres. He’s also been linked to the Marlins.
- The Rockies may have some interest in Matt Morris.
- Dealing Morris might allow the Bucs to give Brett Tomko what he wants – an opportunity to start. The Pirates will meet with Tomko’s agent this week.
Indians Have Mild Interest In Ibanez
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 10:11pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has heard the Ibanez for Lee rumor as well. The concern is that the Indians would be overpaying.
FROM 12-3-07 at 2:02pm:
We’ve got a few correspondents at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. One source just checked in to mention that the Indians have a minor interest in Raul Ibanez, depending on the asking price. A match could be found with Cliff Lee.
Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Blanton, Haren, Sabathia
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.
Indians To Discuss Long-Term Deal With Betancourt
Reliever Rafael Betancourt turns 33 in April. I have to admit, I didn’t realize he was that old. He spent a lot of time in the Boston organization. Betancourt had a career year in ’07, posting a 1.47 ERA in 79 innings. Also I feel like I have to make the obligatory mention: Betancourt was suspended 10 games in July of 2005 for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He was the first Indians player to test positive and at the time spoke of filing a grievance to clear his name.
Anyway we’re in happier times now, as Betancourt’s agent will meet with the Indians about a possible multiyear extension. He’s got four years of service time, so he’ll reach free agency after the 2009 season.
Odds and Ends: Burke, Nathan, Adam Miller
Here we go, another collection of random rumors.
- Chris Burke is definitely getting traded. Though Burke was the 10th overall pick in 2001, he’ll be 28 in March and sports a career line of .249/.319/.377.
- Joe Nathan is in Nashville, and seemed amused by the closer vacancies in San Francisco and Milwaukee.
- The Royals have $25MM to burn, and whether or not it makes sense they’re damn well going to spend it.
- The Indians refused to trade Adam Miller for Delmon Young. Paul Hoynes suggests the Tribe tried to push Cliff Lee for Young instead but Lee was too expensive for the Rays. The Indians have a few extra starters and a backup catcher capable of full-time duty in Kelly Shoppach. They’re reluctant to make a deal on both fronts.
- Lew Ford is closing in on a deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
- Johan Santana WHIFF Profile courtesy of friend of MLBTR Tom Koch-Weser.
Pirates, Indians Talking Bay
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.
Indians Look At Alexei Ramirez
Remember Alexei Ramirez, the 26 year-old Cuban defector/shortstop/center fielder? He’s a wild card in a terrible shortstop market. He’ll soon establish residency in the Dominican Republic, and then he’ll be a free agent. It’s pretty tough to say how Ramirez would fare in the big leagues.
The Indians, always hunting for a good bargain, recently took a look at Ramirez in the DR. The Tribe is hunting for a run-producing left fielder; maybe they like Ramirez in that role. Maybe they just want to build up extra middle infield depth to trade later.
Masahide Kobayashi Signs With Indians
UPDATE: The deal is done – Kobayashi gets $6MM guaranteed over 2008-09 and has a $3.25MM club option for 2010. This seems like a fine Indians-esque bargain.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Indians are close to signing Japanese reliever Masahide Kobayashi. The 33 year-old is taking his physical today. The Braves and Mariners were also known to have interest in him. It’s been said that Kobayashi would prefer to close but it’s not a dealbreaker.
Here’s what Bob Bavasi of JapanBall told me about Kobayashi:
This closer was the number one draft pick by the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1999. He may be the best available reliever on the free agent market, though he has not made the sort of overtures about wanting to leave Japan as the other two. During the recent playoffs in Japan, his manager, Bobby Valentine, noted that Kobayashi keeps "looking better every time out.” True enough, and a reason I like him.
And here’s what Aaron Shinsano and Jackson Broder of East Windup Chronicle said about him:
Lost seven games and ERA rose nearly a point in 2007, but that shouldn’t deter teams from pursuing this 200+ save closer for Chiba Lotte. Throws from the stretch, and has that deceptive delivery that scouts seem to like these days. Has a great forkball that often tails in toward the batter. Not as good as Iwase or Koji Uehara, but might just be an upgrade over, say, The Farns. Tak adds that he was dropped to the "minors" at the end of the season and many feel his velocity and control are slipping.
OK, Tim here again. Just wanted to add that Rosenthal also reiterated that the Royals are close on Yasuhiko Yabuta. Mark Gonzales had previously said five teams were still in the running for him.
Teams Still Competing For Yabuta?
On Friday, the word from Ken Rosenthal was that the Royals were close to signing Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year deal with an option. However, the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales names five teams currently in the running for his services.
We already knew about the Royals and White Sox. Gonzales adds the Indians, Rays, and Pirates to the mix as well. Looks like Japanese relievers are no longer free agency’s best kept secret. Odd that teams didn’t start figuring this out until Hideki Okajima came along. There were plenty of successes before him. It almost seems like you can throw the stats out for Japanese relievers – MLB hitters just aren’t used to these guys yet.
Law: Top 10 Trade Candidates
Keith Law, a favorite here at MLBTR and at home home, River Ave. Blues, has posted an article on 10 potential trade candidates off-season. It seems that if anything big does go down this off-season, it will be in the form of a trade, since the FA market is particularly weak. So who does Law have in mind?
The most surprising name on the list is the Blue Jays’ Adam Lind. Law believes that with the next year’s financial commitments to Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay, and now Matt Stairs, there is no obvious spot for Lind, and he’ll have to win a job in Spring Training — which he could most certainly do. It seems a bit foolish to trade a 24-year-old because of a couple of short-term financial commitments, most notably in the case of Stairs, who will be making a paltry $1 million in 2009. J.P. Ricciardi has done stranger things, though.
Another strange name is Ben Broussard, who figures to at least have a shot at being non-tendered. Law notes his favorable platoon splits against righties and figures he can help a team fill out a position. But since the Mariners already have Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro under contract, and are looking to get Adam Jones some more playing time, there doesn’t seem a logical spot for Broussard.
Law also brings up David DeJesus and Coco Crisp, often mentioned around these parts, as well as Andy LaRoche and, despite the trade of Jacques Jones, Matt Murton.
As a Yanks fan, I have to be at least a little curious at the inclusion of Cliff Lee. With Andy Pettitte’s career at the most a year from ending, and with the further possibility that he’s thrown his last pitch, the Yanks are going to need a lefty starter. Might as well inquire on Lee, as his not-so-stellar 2007 has significantly decreased his value.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.