Tigers, Mets Interested In Wood?
According to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Tigers and Mets have shown the most interest in free agent closer Kerry Wood. He expects Wood to sign a two-year deal with a third-year vesting option. De Luca also notes that Wood never conveyed to the Cubs a willingness to take a one-year deal. Still, the Cubs surely had read the quotes by the time they decided not to offer him arbitration.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Tigers, Red Sox, Angels, Pirates
Today is free agent Cliff Floyd’s birthday. He is 36 years young. His knees are not. Also, on this date 18 years ago, the San Diego Padres sent Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, in one of the biggest trades ever featuring young, proven talent. Got one that can top that? Let’s hear it in the comments…With little action so far this year, the Hot Stove Season is ugly, Don Mossi ugly. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the blogosphere…
- Mets Geek takes a look at three recent rumored deals that may be sitting on Omar Minaya’s desk and ponders whether or not the Mets should make each trade.
- The Detroit Tigers Weblog breaks down what a Jack Wilson trade would mean for the Tigers.
- Fire Brand of the American League feels that with the recent additions to the bullpen, the Red Sox may be better suited to insert Justin Masterson into the rotation, rather than sign a high-priced free agent.
- Ump Bump suggests that the Angels could get more bang for the buck if they sign Adam Dunn over Mark Teixeira.
- The ‘Burgh Blues picks through the scraps and identifies eight players they would like to see the Pirates invite to Spring Training, including Richie Sexson, Sidney Ponson, Mark Prior and Matt Clement.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at the big guns in the free agent market and feels that the Yankees are no longer in a position to set the pace. Rather, they argue that the Angels now control the market.
- East Windup Chronicle feels that some are underestimating the amount of potential Major League talent playing in Japan, noting the number is "at least 30" and considerably more if they had the opportunity to start in the minors out of high school.
- Bernies Crew likes the Jorge Julio signing by the Brewers, noting the move gives the team much needed flexibility and depth in the bullpen.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Red Sox Rumors: Sabathia, Youkilis, Tazawa
Red Sox rumors and links abound this morning.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Red Sox will meet with C.C. Sabathia within the next few days. It’s unknown whether they have serious interest.
- Olney adds that the Sox hope to sign Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester long-term, in the wake of the Dustin Pedroia deal. Peter Gammons suggested a deal for Youkilis could get done quickly.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says GM Theo Epstein has prioritized catching. Epstein suggested more catchers may be available in trade than people think.
- Benjamin says the Red Sox also want to add a right-handed hitting outfielder who can play center (such as Rocco Baldelli) and a corner infielder. Trade talks with the Tigers for Julio Lugo have broken down.
- Epstein indicated to Benjamin that certain free agent pitchers will "dominate for years to come," and that’s the type he’s interested in. He also said an eight-to-ten year deal for a free agent is unlikely, but Benjamin says not to rule out Mark Teixeira.
- Epstein said at a press conference yesterday that the team’s Junichi Tazawa signing was made possible in part by the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing a few years back. Dice-K and Hideki Okajima could be reasons Tazawa turned down more money from the Rangers. Tazawa may begin his career in Double A.
- The Boston Herald’s Sean McAdam looks at the controversy caused by the Tazawa deal.
Jack Wilson Rumors: Thursday
11:35pm: One more dose of Wilson rumors before we close up shop for the evening.
Dejan Kovacevic does not agree with Jackson’s report. Kovacevic says the Dodgers and Pirates began a fresh round of talks for Wilson on Saturday. What’s more, Wilson is open to renegotiating his contract to facilitate a trade to the Dodgers. The Dodgers might be willing to give Wilson $12MM over 2009-10.
Talks have been going on with the Tigers for over a month, and Detroit made a fresh offer Wednesday night that caught the Pirates’ attention. The Bucs may have an eye on Tigers first base prospect Jeff Larish.
7:42pm: Tony Jackson at the Daily News says the Dodgers haven’t talked to the Pirates in months, and "are NOT in pursuit of Jack Wilson." This directly contradicts today’s report from the Associated Press.
5:02pm: MLB.com’s Jason Beck is getting mixed signals on the chances of a Wilson-to-Detroit deal.
3:52pm: The AP has more on the Wilson trade talks. They say the Dodgers have been in extensive talks for Wilson this week, but want the Pirates to pick up "a substantial share of his salary." Meanwhile the Tigers would need the Bucs to absorb most of the contract. The report suggests the Tigers have moved on to free agent Adam Everett.
2:30pm: Jenifer Langosch talked to Wilson, who said he’s open to revising his no-trade list. He doesn’t seem likely to veto a trade. Meanwhile, Graziano still trusts his source.
12:41pm: Jon Paul Morosi’s source says the Tigers’ talks for Wilson have become "more active and meaningful" recently.
12:14pm: Dejan Kovacevic talked to Pirates president Frank Coonelly, who said Wilson has not been traded. The Tigers apparently made an interesting offer last night for Wilson, but the Dodgers remain in the mix. Wilson would have to approve a trade to the Tigers, and he and his agent haven’t been informed of anything.
11:15am: According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Tigers acquired shortstop Jack Wilson from the Pirates today. We’ll update the post as more info comes in.
Wilson, 31 later this month, hit .272/.312/.348 in 330 plate appearances this year while playing his typical excellent defense. He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has an $8.4MM club option for ’10 with a $600K buyout.
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.
Olney’s Latest: Manny, Peavy, Fuentes
ESPN’s Buster Olney has a bunch of new info in today’s blog.
- Olney continues to wonder if Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras will "wave the white flag" and accept the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. It could result in a huge one-year salary, and the current market for Manny is not robust. However, Peter Abraham said in July that a condition of Manny’s trade was that he would decline arbitration. Did anyone else write this? Hopefully a journalist will ask Boras about it soon.
- Olney says the Cubs would love to have Adam Dunn in their lineup, but he’s a stretch as a full-time right fielder. The Cubs are willing to sacrifice some defense in right, but how much?
- Could Dunn or Pat Burrell wind up with the Rays on an affordable one-year deal?
- The Cubs and Padres "have a basic framework in place" for a Jake Peavy deal built around third baseman Josh Vitters. Things may pick up after the Cubs’ ownership situation is resolved.
- The Astros don’t have a ton of flexibility to move their high-salaried stars, but Jose Valverde is one they can deal without restriction. He’s due for a nice raise from this year’s $4.7MM.
- Olney suggests the Rockies were wise to trade Matt Holliday when they did, or they might’ve gotten significantly less.
- Olney speaks of "a belief within the Rockies’ organization" that Brian Fuentes could come back on a multiyear deal. The Rockies could trade Huston Street in that case.
- The Braves may push A.J. Burnett for an answer before C.C. Sabathia signs, in case the Yanks miss out on C.C. and come after Burnett.
- Apparently there is "serious tension" between Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.
- Olney sees Rafael Furcal signing with the A’s.
Perrotto’s Latest: Dye, Jenks, Werth, Madson
THURSDAY: David Lennon of Newsday talked to a source who said there’s "nothing there" in regard to the rumor of a Dye and Jenks to the Mets blockbuster. Joel Sherman talked to a few Mets officials who called the rumor nonsense. Sherman says Martinez is "all but untouchable."
WEDNESDAY: Let’s dig into the latest column from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.
- Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster. The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others.
- Regarding the Orioles’ possible involvement in a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, Perrotto says Baltimore seeks Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie from Chicago.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken to outfielder Jayson Werth and setup man Ryan Madson about contract extensions. Madson might be a tough one as he’s represented by Scott Boras (who recently compared him to Mariano Rivera). Both players are under team control for one more season.
- The Red Sox are considering free agents Willie Bloomquist, Jay Payton, and Mark Loretta as possible bench additions. A return to Boston seems to be Payton’s preference.
- Perrotto believes the only player seriously considering accepting arbitration is Darren Oliver. Oliver’s already seen the Reds drop out of the mix due to the draft pick price.
- Perrotto says the Tigers and Orioles are showing interest in Jack Wilson, while the Dodgers have backed off.
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.
Tigers Interested In Laird
According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers continue to have interest in Rangers catcher Gerald Laird. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Tigers "seem to have the most ardent interest" in Laird, and a trade could save Texas nearly $3MM. Grant believes the Reds are another possibility; would they trade Homer Bailey for him? Laird, a Scott Boras client, is under team control for two more seasons.
Morosi says the Tigers also like Miguel Montero of the D’Backs, but the teams don’t seem to match up well. Another note – Morosi says the Tigers are not interested in Padres shortstop Khalil Greene.