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Odds & Ends: Royals, Pena, Alderson, De La Rosa

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Happy 133rd birthday to Archie "Moonlight" Graham.  Arguably baseball's most famous one-game player (Eddie Gaedel also has a great case for this distinction), Moonlight Graham's only taste of the majors was one half-inning as a defensive replacement for the 1905 New York Giants.  That half-inning grew into immortality thanks to his characterization in W.P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe and its film adaptation Field Of Dreams.  Graham, who passed away in 1965, went on to become a doctor in Chisholm, Minnesota following his brief playing career.

Onto some news items…

Nationals Interested In Jorge De La Rosa

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Like the Yankees, the Nationals are pursuing both of the winter’s top free agent left-handers. Not only is Washington eyeing Cliff Lee, the front office is interested in Jorge de la Rosa, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. 

When Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona’s scouting director, he signed De La Rosa to his first pro contract. Twelve years later, the Nationals are looking for front of the rotation starters and De La Rosa is available. Another pitcher with ties to Rizzo, Brandon Webb, is on the Nationals’ radar this winter.

The Yankees and Rockies are among the teams known to have interest in De La Rosa. Assuming Colorado offers arbitration, signing the lefty will cost a top draft pick since he's a Type A free agent. The 29-year-old battled finger injuries in 2010, but still posted a 4.22 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings.

Yankees Interested In Jorge De La Rosa

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Cliff Lee isn't the only free agent left-hander who's drawing interest from the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have expressed interest in Jorge de la Rosa, according to Mark Feinsand and Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. GM Brian Cashman did not confirm the club’s interest in De La Rosa, but he did acknowledge that he has made “a lot of phone calls” to free agents.

Cashman told Feinsand that he is impressed with Lee's demeanor and postseason experience, but has not yet made the left-hander an offer. Lee and De La Rosa are both Type A free agents, so signing either player will cost a top pick, assuming both receive offers of arbitration from their former clubs.

Dye Drawing Interest, Intends To Play Again

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Jermaine Dye wants to play again and he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Rays, Rockies and Phillies have contacted him about potential deals. The 36-year-old didn't play in 2010, but he hit 27 homers and posted a .250/.340/.453 line for the 2009 White Sox.

Dye drew interest last offseason, but told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he didn't like the offers he saw. "I'm not going to a bad team, and I'm not playing for $1.5MM," Dye said in April. Later in the year, he told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he stayed in shape and hoped to find a job in 2011.

Dye still has some power, so if he lowers his demands and teams are willing to stash him at DH or overlook his poor fielding, he could find a job this offseason. This time, Dye, who is representing himself, says money isn't important as long as he finds a major league deal. He is open to playing first or outfield and wants to sign with a contender.

Rockies Rumors: Vazquez, Catching

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Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest Rockies buzz…

Rockies Interested In Westbrook, Garland, Kuroda

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The Rockies are interested in Jake Westbrook, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda and will be in touch with the representatives for all three starters, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Free agent left-handers Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa may not return to Colorado, so the Rockies are exploring the open market in case they have to look elsewhere to solidify their rotation.

The Dodgers may also have interest in Westbrook, Garland and Kuroda, according to the LA Times. The pitchers figure to be looking for multi-year deals. Last week Garland turned down his side of a $6.75MM option with the Padres, which suggests he'll look for a longer term contract. The Cardinals were discussing an extension with Westbrook last month, but the sides didn't reach a deal.

None of the Rockies' three potential targets will cost a compensation pick; Garland and Kuroda are Type B free agents and Westbrook is not ranked. They are among the more attractive free agent starters other than Cliff Lee, De La Rosa and Carl Pavano. Click here for details on the free agent market for righty and lefty starters.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Webb, Galarraga, Ring, Rasner

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Some links to check out on the 11th anniversary of the Indians signing Danys Baez to the largest amateur signing bonus in team history…

O’Dowd On Payroll, De La Rosa, Gonzalez

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Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told readers of the Denver Post that he’d like to trade for top players, but is not willing to sacrifice significant organizational depth to make an acquisition. Fans wanted to know whether Zack Greinke could be pitching in Colorado, but O’Dowd chose not to comment specifically on the Royals ace. Here are some more noteworthy comments from the GM:

  • The Rockies are likely to have a similar payroll next year, but they could go a little higher than $85MM.
  • The team is “actively engaged” in talks with Jorge de la Rosa’s representatives. It won’t be long before the lefty can negotiate with all 30 teams.
  • The Rockies would like to lock Carlos Gonzalez up long-term, but O’Dowd pointed out that it’s a “two-way street.” Scott Boras represents Gonzalez, so it probably won't be easy for the Rockies to sign him to an extension. There's no rush though – Gonzalez is under team control through 2014.

Blue Jays Acquire Miguel Olivo, Decline Option

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10:48pm: The Blue Jays have declined the option on Olivo, according to a team press release.  Toronto will be responsible for paying Olivo's $500K buyout and the catcher is now a Type B free agent.

9:15pm: The Rockies have traded catcher Miguel Olivo to the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later, according to a press release from Toronto.

The Blue Jays have until midnight to decide whether to exercise Olivo's $2.5MM option for 2011.  The veteran is a Type B free agent, meaning that he could potentially net the Blue Jays a compensatory draft pick if they decline the option, offer arbitration, and see him decline to sign elsewhere.  Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press tweets that the Blue Jays could potentially wind up with eight picks inside of the top 50 selections in this year's draft.  Toronto may get two picks for Scott Downs, two for Jason Frasor, and one each for John Buck, Kevin Gregg, and Olivo in addition to their own.

It would seem that the Blue Jays now have a glut of catchers as Olivo will join fellow backstops J.P. Arencibia and Jose Molina in Toronto.  On the surface it doesn't seem as though there is a spot left for Buck, whom GM Alex Anthopoulos told could still have a place in Toronto.

Just short of the deadline, Colorado informed Olivo that they would not pick up his option for 2011, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  Renck reported yesterday that the Rockies were likely to wait until the eleventh hour to make a decision on Olivo to give themselves time to make a trade.  Even if they had decided to exercise the catcher's option, he reportedly wouldn't have returned to Colorado as they planned to trade him either way.

The move clears the way for Chris Iannetta behind the plate though Renck writes that the Rockies will bring in competition.  By trading Olivo, the Rockies avoid having to pay the veteran a $500K buyout.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Giants, Gregg, Pujols, Webb

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Links for tonight as we remember Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who passed away today at the age of 76.  MLB.com's Marty Noble penned a great article today looking back at the life and career of the universally beloved skipper.

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