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Four Teams Interested In Dontrelle Willis

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3:24pm: The Marlins will have to trade for Willis if they want to acquire him, according to Clark Spencer and Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. Willis would prefer to play closer to the West Coast, so it seems unlikely that he would sign with the Marlins if he becomes a free agent.

12:52pm: At least four teams are interested in recently-designated Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post: the Diamondbacks, Mets, Brewers, and Marlins.

Arizona's interest was reported yesterday by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, with agent Matt Sosnick noting that Willis would like to play there.  Andy Martino of the New York Daily News wrote that the Mets were not interested in Willis, while Capozzi termed the Marlins' interest in a reunion as "mild."  Today is the first we've heard of the Brewers.  At any rate, it appears that the 28-year-old southpaw will be traded rather than released.

2011 Vesting Options Update

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11:33am: ESPN's Adam Rubin explained in a chat today that Cora's option vests with 80 games rather than 80 starts.  Cora is on pace to play more than 90 games this year.

8:32am: We entered the season with nine vesting options to watch, but we're already down to five.  Let's take a look.

  • Trever Miller, Cardinals.  The lefty's $2MM option vests with 45 games.  So far he's appeared in 17 of the team's 52 games, putting him on pace for 53.  Miller appeared in ten games in May and is back on track. 
  • Alex Cora, Mets.  Cora's $2MM option vests with 80 starts.  He's started 19 of the team's 52 games, putting him on pace for 59 starts.  Cora will need to make about 15 starts per month from here on out to reach the target.  His 2011 contract may depend on Luis Castillo's foot problems and reduced playing time against righties. 
  • Darren Oliver, Rangers.  Oliver's $3.25MM option vests with 59 appearances.  He's made 24 in the team's first 50 games, putting him on pace for about 78. 
  • Ramon Hernandez, Reds.  Hernandez's $3.25MM option vests with 120 games played.  He's played in 33 of 52, putting him on pace for 103.  He'll need about 22 games per month to hit the target.  Ryan Hanigan's broken thumb is a factor.
  • Magglio Ordonez, Tigers.  His $15MM option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances.  He's on pace for 156 games and 658 PAs, so even a DL stint wouldn't necessarily prevent Ordonez from locking in his 2011 salary.
  • As a reminder, the vesting options for Brian Fuentes, Billy Wagner, Matt Cain, and Kerry Wood have already been addressed. 

Marlins Interested In Willis; Mets Are Not

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11:32pm: The Marlins have "mild interest" in Willis and are debating bringing him back to Miami, according to Capozzi.

9:00pm: Don't expect the Marlins or Mets to pursue Dontrelle Willis. As Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News report, neither NL East team is interested in the former Rookie of the Year. The Mets have an expensive, struggling left-hander of their own in Oliver Perez, so it's not a surprise to hear that they aren't interested in Willis.

Martino reports that the Mets are not interested in the recently-designated Nelson Figueroa, either. The team apparently prefers its own pitchers to Figueroa or Willis. The D'Backs, however, are looking for pitching depth and are interested in Willis.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Willis, Oswalt, Jones

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Memorial Day linkage, as Ubaldo Jimenez continues to amaze…

D’Backs Interested In Dontrelle Willis

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The Diamondbacks are interested in Dontrelle Willis, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Agent Matt Sosnick told Piecoro that Arizona is "one of the places [Willis] would rather play." Willis would prefer to play for an NL team on the West Coast, but the Tigers, who designated the lefty for assignment, still have some say in where he goes. They have discussed a trade with the Diamondbacks, who are interested in Willis as a starter.

The Tigers have about a week to determine Willis' future. They could trade him, release him, or put him on waivers. If the D'Backs trade for Willis, the Tigers will pay the vast majority of his $12MM salary. Willis, 28, has a 4.98 ERA this year with 6.9 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9. He never found his control in parts of three seasons with the Tigers, but a return to the NL could help the former Rookie of the Year.

Odds & Ends: Willis, Pierzynski, Mets, Miranda

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Links for Sunday….

Tigers To Designate Dontrelle Willis For Assignment

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The Tigers will designate Dontrelle Willis for assignment tomorrow, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The move will free up a roster spot for Max Scherzer, who is being called up to start tomorrow's game.

Willis, still just 28, has been a disappointment since coming over from the Marlins prior to the 2008 season. Overall he posted a 6.86 ERA in 101 innings with the team, including a 4.98 ERA in 43.1 innings this year. He won just two games in a Tigers' uniform, missing time with everything from knee hyper-extension to forearm tightness to anxiety disorder.

The Tigers have ten days to trade, release, or waive the former Rookie of the Year, but are still on the hook for his $12MM salary this season.

Minor League Transactions

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Matt Eddy of Baseball America has this week's listings of comings and goings in the minors, and here are a few of the notable names on the move…

  • Reliever Andrew Brown was dealt from St. Louis to Washington for future considerations.  Brown last pitched in the majors in 2008 with Oakland, and he has a 3.84 ERA in 73 appearances between 2006-08.  This is the fifth time Brown has been traded in his 10 seasons of pro ball, but it's by far the most low-profile deal; he's been involved in past trades for Gary Sheffield, Kevin Kouzmanoff and has twice been included in deals for Milton Bradley.
  • The Tigers released Phil Dumatrait, and Eddy passes on the news that the left-hander has already caught on with the Korean Baseball Organization's LG Twins.  Dumatrait was Boston's first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2000 amateur draft, and he posted a 7.06 ERA in 42 major league appearances with Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
  • The Yankees have brought former prospect Rudy Guillen back into their system.  Guillen briefly converted from the outfield to the mound in 2007, but then seemed to drop off of the radar for two seasons.  Eddy reports that he is coming back as an outfielder once again.
  • Eddy notes that catcher Carlos Maldonado, called up by the Nationals on Tuesday, could be in line for playing time as Stephen Strasburg's personal catcher given Washington's injury problems behind the plate and Maldonado's experience catching the superstar prospect at Triple-A.  Maldonado last played in the majors in 2007 as a member of the Pirates.  He has a .586 OPS in 50 major league plate appearances and a .689 OPS in 4097 minor league plate appearances.

Odds & Ends: Miner, Gorzelanny, Heyward, Twins

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Links for Wednesday, as the lights go out at Wrigley Field…

  • Tigers pitcher Zach Miner will undergo Tommy John surgery, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
  • The Tigers are better-known for developing power arms, but as Beck shows, the Tigers have successfully developed some position players, too.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Cubs don't appear to be involved in serious talks to trade Tom Gorzelanny, but wonders if clubs like the Tigers and Rangers could inquire if the lefty becomes available.
  • You knew Jason Heyward was good, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs puts the outfielder's amazing start in perspective, saying he's on his way to "one of the great rookie seasons of all time."
  • Meanwhile, Cameron wonders if the Rays should deal B.J. Upton to a team looking to capitalize on talent. It would save the Rays money and improve their chances of keeping Carl Crawford around.
  • One AL assistant GM told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he doesn't expect the Twins to trade for a reliever this summer.
  • 2010 draft prospect and Arlington native Michael Choice tells Chris Cox of MLB.com that it would be "a dream come true" to play for the Rangers, who pick 15th this year. Jonathan Mayo, Frankie Piliere and Keith Law all predicted Choice would be selected before that in their most recent mock drafts.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jeremy Bonderman

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In December of 2006, Jeremy Bonderman was 24 years old, coming off the finest season of his career.  He debuted at age 20 in '03, but put it all together in '06 by making 34 regular season starts and striking out 202.  He added three postseason starts to his resume that year.  Bonderman's extension bought out his final two arbitration years for $13MM, and a pair of free agent seasons at $12.5MM apiece.

Unfortunately, injuries set in for Bonderman after he signed the contract.  He dealt with a blister and elbow pain in '07, and learned of thoracic outlet syndrome in '08.  Shoulder soreness lingered into the '09 season, limiting him to 51.3 pro innings.

Bonderman came to Spring Training pain-free in 2010, and reclaimed a rotation spot when the Tigers traded Nate Robertson.  With a 4.43 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 40.6 innings, it appears on the surface that Bonderman has regained his '06 form.  There are notable differences though.  Bonderman is throwing 89.4 mph on average this year, as compared to 93.3 in '06.  He's throwing more fastballs and fewer sliders, and he's no longer a groundball pitcher.  Manager Jim Leyland explained to MLB.com's Stephen Ellsesser: "He's not the overpowering guy he was. He's adjusting to the pitching style, throwing a split now."  It should also be noted that Bonderman's stat line would look a lot worse had a rainout not wiped out a lousy start a few weeks ago. 

The 2010 version of Bonderman is still getting it done, but potential free agent bidders will have the luxury of adding his next 20+ starts to the sample.  Bonderman's age, 28, will be a number other free agents can't beat.  He may be looking at a contract similar to Rich Harden's one-year, $7.5MM deal assuming teams remain intrigued by his upside but wary of his health.

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