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Odds & Ends: Brewers, Pierre, Webb, Mariners

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Here's a few links on a gorgeous Saturday, at least around these parts…

  • Acquiring Carlos Gomez allows the Brewers to wave goodbye to Mike Cameron, and Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel says they'll use the savings on pitching. "We're going to have to take our resources that we gave to Mike and distribute them to fill other needs for our ballclub," said GM Doug Melvin. "We've said pitching is our focus. We still have other needs, like any club. And the salaries of our other players go up, too."
  • The return of Manny Ramirez allows the Dodgers to resume searching for a trade partner for Juan Pierre, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Pierre still has two-years and $18.5MM remaining on his contract.  
  • In today's blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that Brandon Webb will be prime trade bait in the middle of next season if he makes it all the way back and the Diamondbacks aren't in contention.
  • Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider takes a look at some offseason options for the Mariners.
  • Meanwhile, former Mariner Kenji Johjima can provide some additional input on American pitchers the Hanshin Tigers may pursue, notes Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Patrick also passes along a report that lists some pitchers Hanshin is looking at, including two Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith and Chris Jakubauskas. 
  • Rowland-Smith is on Twitter, and was a little surprised by the news.
  • Bob Dutton of The KC Star takes a look at the newest Royals, Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
  • Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball lists all 39 players who filed for free agency on Friday.

Royals Trade Mark Teahen To White Sox

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3:42pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star heard the Royals sent $1MM to the White Sox with Teahen.

12:35pm: White Sox GM Ken Williams told reporters Teahen will play third base, with Gordon Beckham moving to second.  He told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that Scott Podsednik is unlikely to re-sign and the DH position might not be decided until the end of the offseason.

11:16am: The deal is official, according to a Royals press release.  The Royals acquired Getz and Fields for Teahen and cash considerations.

FRIDAY, 8:40am: Mum's still the word from all involved, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Late last night, Teahen tweeted that he hadn't heard anything official.

THURSDAY, 5:30pm: The story keeps changing. Now, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, neither team has confirmed the deal.

11:13am: The White Sox have confirmed the trade, according to The Chicago Sun Times. It's Teahen for Getz and Fields.

10:17am: ESPN's Buster Olney says talks are "not that far along." Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times mentions that Getz hasn't heard anything about a trade.

9:04am: According to Bill Madden of The NY Daily News, the Royals have agreed to send the versatile Mark Teahen to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Madden says Teahen is expected to replace free agent-to-be Jermaine Dye in right field.

The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 last year, but is a career .261/.325/.514 hitter at U.S. Cellular Field. FanGraphs has him at -2.0 UZR/150 in right, which is a massive upgrade over Dye's -17.5 mark. Teahen earned $3.575MM in 2009, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. He's certainly been the subject of many trade rumors over the years.

Getz, 26, was Chicago's every day second baseman for most of 2009, hitting .261/.324/.347 with 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Fields, 28, has struggled to find a place with the White Sox, hitting .229/.302/.416 in 746 plate appearances over the last four years while playing first, third, and left field. Both players are in their pre-arbitration years, and have a combined ten years of team control left.

Royals Decline Options On Crisp, Olivo, Yabuta

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The Royals declined their 2010 options on Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta, according to a team press release.

On Crisp, the Royals chose his $500K buyout over his $8MM option.  It's possible the Royals will offer Crisp an incentive-laden deal (he had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders this summer).

The Royals plan to go in a different direction than Olivo at catcher; they may also non-tender John Buck.  Olivo had a $3.3MM mutual option.  As for Yabuta, the press release says he can "elect free agency if he doesn’t sign a 2010 Major League contract with the Royals by November 16th."  The Japanese reliever has been a $6MM bust; his $4MM club option was an obvious choice to decline.

Royals Facing Option Decisions

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Now that the World Series has ended, the clock has started for clubs to make decisions about any player options for 2010. The Royals have three such decision to make, involving Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta.

Bob Dutton of The KC Star breaks down what we might see happen with those three…

  • Decisions on Crisp's and Yabuta's options are due five days after the end of the World Series, Olivo's just three days.
  • The team has shown "little inclination" to pick up Crisp's $8MM option, but his $500K buyout isn't exactly cheap. Crisp was limited to just 49 games last year due to a shoulder injury.
  • Dutton notes that the Royals continue to "express interest in negotiating a new contract with Crisp that contains a low guarantee with significant performance bonuses."
  • Olivo's $3.3MM option is mutual, meaning he can walk even if the team picks up their half. He's expected to push for a mutli-year deal, which would make the Royals look elsewhere.
  • Yabuta has put up a 7.14 ERA in 51.2 IP in two years in KC, so the team figures to walk away from his $4MM option, instead paying him a $500K buyout.

Odds & Ends: Holliday, Putz, Lopez, Teahen, Reds

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It's been a busy first day on the hot stove, so here's another batch of links…

  • Derrick Goold of The St. Lous Post Dispatch says there are eight teams "that have the need and the financial wherewithal" to sign Matt Holliday. It's the usual suspects (i.e. big market clubs), and Goold explains why each may be interested in Holliday.
  • Craig Landis, agent for J.J. Putz, said that his client "hasn't ruled out returning to the Mets with a cheaper, incentive-laden deal," according to Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post. Earlier today we learned that the Mets informed Putz that they wouldn't be picking up his 2010 option.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy says the Brewers are waiting to see whether Felipe Lopez qualifies as a Type-A or B free agent, and that will likely play a role in their decision whether or not to offer him arbitration. Eddie Bajek's work projects Lopez to be a Type-B, but he's right on the cutoff.
  • ESPN's Keith Law loves the Mark Teahen trade for the Royals, noting that they traded one average player close to free agency for two average players with several years of team control left.
  • John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Reds' relievers Nick Masset and Jared Burton are arbitration eligible as Super Two's, but Micah Owings is not.
  • Meanwhile, the Reds are expected to decline Ramon Hernandez's $8.5MM option for 2010, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. 
  • David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution has some quotes from Tim Hudson about his contract extension.
  • Did you catch Mariano Rivera saying that he wants to play another five years during the Yankees' World Series celebration last night? It turns out he wasn't kidding. Chad Jennings of The Journal News quotes the Yanks' closer as saying “I’m serious. I hope the organization does whatever it takes to bring me back.”

Odds & Ends: Mariners, Riggleman, Crisp, ‘Stros

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A few leftovers as the Phillies and Yankees do battle in Game 6…

  • According to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, recently-defected Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz has impressed scouts in workouts the past two weeks.  The Red Sox and Tigers are known to have some level of interest.
  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner thinks the M's should "kick the tires" on several undervalued starters this offseason.  He lists Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson, among others, as possible targets.
  • MASN's Byron Kerr spoke Wednesday with Jim Riggleman, who's hoping to be named the Nationals' permanent manager shortly after the World Series ends.  He went 33-42 as Washington's interim skipper last season.
  • According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals have shown "little inclination" that they plan to pick up Coco Crisp's 2010 option worth $8MM.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle lays out some advice for Astros owner Drayton McLane, including this nugget: "Give GM Ed Wade a five-year extension and give him the freedom to reshape the roster and the organization. If there's any doubt he knows what he's doing, check out the 2008-2009 Phillies. Ed Wade acquired the core of those teams."

Commissioner’s Office Says Rodriguez To Red Sox, Not Royals

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3:04pm: WEEI’s Alex Speier writes, “According to a major-league source, the MLB Commissioner’s Office has ruled that the Red Sox still possess the rights to Reynaldo Rodriguez, a first baseman whom they acquired from the Yuma Scorpions of the independent Golden Baseball League earlier this month.”

According to Speier’s source, the Red Sox went through proper channels to acquire Rodriguez, and the player himself claims he hadn’t reached an agreement with Kansas City.

10:46am: The Royals have signed a prospect whose contract the Red Sox appeared to have purchased. Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports that the Royals signed first baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez. The 22-year-old, who has been playing in Colombian leagues, projects as a corner outfielder, if you ask Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper.

Earlier in the month, Baseball America named Rodriguez the best independent league prospect around. The Royals also signed Adam Frost, a 22-year-old infielder who had been playing in Winnipeg. BA named Frost the second-best indy league prospect, highlighting his speed and gap power. 

Top Royals prospect Aaron Crow is no stranger to independent ball (he pitched for the Fort Worth Cats this year) and, as ESPN.com’s Jason Grey notes, many believe Crow could climb quickly through the minors.

Royals Face Options On Crisp, Olivo

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MLB.com's Dick Kaegel takes a look at the Royals' two contract option decisions, which are due ten days after the World Series.

Kaegel believes the Royals will consider Coco Crisp's $500K buyout an easy choice over his $8MM option.  However, Kaegel wonders if the Royals will then offer Crisp a new incentive-laden deal.  Crisp said in August, "I don't know.  It'd be nice to stay for a while.  I like it here."  The 29-year-old center fielder had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders this summer.  The weak free agent market for center fielders should work in his favor.

Catcher Miguel Olivo has a $3.3MM mutual option; both Kaegel and Royals GM Dayton Moore believe he'll test the free agent market.  Catchers are also in short supply this year.  While Olivo slugged 23 home runs this year, his OBP was just .292.

Don't forget the Royals' two primary non-tender candidates: first baseman Mike Jacobs and catcher John Buck.  Kaegel says the Royals intend to "re-cast" their catching situation, so Buck is probably destined for free agency.  It doesn't make sense to tender a contract to Jacobs, who earned $3.25MM this year and hit just .228/.297/.401 in 478 plate appearances.  Between Jacobs, Buck, and Olivo, the Royals had 1,096 plate appearances of sub-.300 OBP.

Odds & Ends: Astros, Acta, Soria

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Let's take one final look around the web as the Yankees and Angels battle in the Bronx:

  • Astros General Manager Ed Wade confirmed to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that the club made an offer to Manny Acta to become their next skipper before he took the same position with the Indians.  Sources tell McTaggart that Houston offered two years plus a one-year option whereas Cleveland was willing to give Acta three years in addition to a one-year option.  
  • Striking out on Acta makes this a very bad day for the Astros according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer isn't so sure that the Indians made the right move in tabbing the former Nats skipper as their new manager.
  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star implores the Royals to put emotion aside and consider dealing closer Joakim Soria.  This past season the 25-year-old posted an ERA of 2.21 with 11.7 K/9.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Indians, Mulder, Royals

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More links for Friday…

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