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Odds & Ends: Manny, Garland, Fredi Gonzalez

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Links for Wednesday, as Manny Ramirez finishes a 1-for-3 White Sox debut with a hit-by-pitch…

  • ESPN's Buster Olney feels that a team interested in Manny this winter should dangle an incentive-based contract with a base salary of $1MM or less.  But keep in mind that last offseason Scott Boras got $3.3MM and $2MM guarantees for Xavier Nady and Alex Cora, respectively.
  • The Nationals and Padres were the only teams to pursue Jon Garland during the offseason, the righty told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Garland chose the Padres because he liked the ballpark and felt they were closer to competing.
  • Fredi Gonzalez tops Cubs GM Jim Hendry's managerial wish list currently, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Taiwanese news reports indicate that the Yankees determined their deal with Tzu-Wei Lin is invalid, reports the Taiwan Baseball blog.  The 16-year-old shortstop might be able to get more money from another team after he finishes high school. 
  • Mike Napoli puts his chances of being an Angel next season at 50-50, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman

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More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…

Red Sox Claim Mike Napoli, No Deal Reached

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MONDAY, 4:06pm: The Red Sox will not trade for Napoli, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. A source familiar with the situation told Speier that the Angels were "not really looking to move" the catcher.

SUNDAY, 6:29pm: The Angels will likely pull Napoli back as they can create more of a trade market for him over the winter, a league source told John Tomase of the Boston Herald.

3:38pm: ESPN's Joe McDonald tweets that the Red Sox have claimed Napoli on waivers, but in a separate tweet says it's unlikely the two teams work out a deal for the slugging catcher.

Sitting 5.5 games back of the Wild Card and first place in their division, the Red Sox are a logical fit to claim Napoli. His right-handed power would fit well in Fenway, and his presence would also serve as an insurance policy to Jarrod Saltalamacchia beyond the 2010 season. The claim also blocks Tampa Bay from getting their hands on Napoli.

Ken Rosenthal points out (via Twitter), that if the Angels are intent on trading him, they could likely get more for Napoli in an offseason deal when they can incorporate more teams into the bidding.

9:23am: Mike Napoli has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Angels have until Monday afternoon to work out a trade with the claiming team, which Morosi speculates is an American League club.

Napoli, 28, has been a consistent source of power for the Angels, hitting 61 homers in his last three seasons, including a career-high 21 this year. However, Mike Scioscia seems to prefer Jeff Mathis, a superior defensive backstop, behind the plate. Since Mathis came off the disabled list in June, Napoli has seen far more playing time at first base, replacing the injured Kendry Morales, than at catcher.

As Morosi notes, most American League contenders could use some help at catcher, first base, or designated hitter, and Napoli may also appeal to non-contenders like the Tigers, since he's under team control through 2012. As they exhibited on Friday by dealing Brian Fuentes, the Angels aren't averse to making August trades, but the bet here is that Napoli remains in Anaheim.

Twins Acquire Brian Fuentes

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The Twins have acquired Brian Fuentes from the Angels according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune tweets that the Angels will receive a player to be named later in the deal.

Fuentes, 35, has a 3.52 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 38.1 innings this season. There's approximately $1.89MM left on his contract this season, and he's unlikely to reach the 55 games finished that will trigger his $9MM vesting option for next season (he's at 33 GF right now). He's saved 23 games in 27 opportunities.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said that Matt Capps will retain closer duties, pushing Fuentes to set-up work according to another Neal tweet. The former Rockie has held lefthanded batters to a .132/.209/.158 batting line against with 15 strikeouts in 44 at-bats, so he'll also be a valuable weapon against lefties.

The Angels In The Outfield

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Carl Crawford will have suitors lining up for him after the season and we've been assuming for a while that the Angels will be one of them. Owner Arte Moreno doesn't seem to mind spending on his team and Crawford told Mark Saxon of ESPNLos Angeles that he likes Anaheim.

"The weather's great. The grass is really soft. It's one of the best places in the big leagues," Crawford said.

It's not the first time he has said the right thing about a potential free agent destination. Over the weekend, Crawford told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he likes Oakland's young pitching. Both teams could use Crawford, but let's see how he'd fit onto the 2011 Angels. The team has five viable outfielders under team control for 2011:

  • Bobby Abreu – He is showing his typical mixture of speed (17 SB), power (15 HR) and patience (68 BB) this season. He'll be back in 2011 for $9MM.
  • Torii Hunter – Hunter is having another strong season. He'll be back in 2011 for $18MM.
  • Peter Bourjos – The fleet-footed 23-year-old hasn't hit much in 71 major league plate appearances, but his minor league track record (.861 OPS at Triple A this year) suggests he should.
  • Juan Rivera – Rivera has been playing a little first base, but Kendry Morales should bump Rivera back to the outfield in 2011. The Angels will pay Rivera $5.25MM next year, but his production has dropped off (.256/.309/.415 line).
  • Reggie Willits – Willits goes to arbitration for the second time this winter, but he isn't guaranteed a contract offer or a roster spot on the 2011 Angels. 
  • Hideki Matsui hits free agency after the season and seems likely to depart. It's not too early to get excited about Mike Trout, but it is too early to pencil him onto the team's 2011 roster. The top prospect has yet to play in the upper minors.

The Angels do have room for Crawford if they let Matsui walk and move Abreu to the DH spot. That would give the Angels a strong defensive outfield of Crawford, Bourjos and Hunter and could mean the Angels part ways with either Willits or Rivera. 

Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti

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Some more links for Tuesday night, including the latest waiver wire news…

  • Brad Hawpe is one step closer to signing with another team now that he has cleared waivers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Kuroda hits free agency after the season, but the Dodgers don't necessarily want to move him. A rival executive guaranteed Rosenthal that the Yankees will be "all over" Kuroda if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Rosenthal reports that the Angels placed Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Bobby Abreu on waivers (Twitter link). The Angels are presumably curious about the interest their players draw, even if they don't intend on making a trade.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters including Paul M. Banks of TheSportsBank that he has to "speak in generalities” about waiver claims. Rosenthal reported earlier today that the White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is taking on more responsibility as he prepares to replace current GM Mark Shapiro after the season, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers and Red Sox never agreed on a deal involving Johnny Damon (Twitter link). Damon, who has the final say, said today that he intends to stay in Detroit, even though the Red Sox claimed him on waivers.
  • Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects the club to agree to an extension with manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link). The Reds offered Baker a deal last week.

Angels Sign Kaleb Cowart

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The Angels signed first-round pick Kaleb Cowart, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports by way of a team press release.  BA's Jim Callis reports that he'll get $2.3MM, about $900K over slot.  Cowart, a pitcher and third baseman drafted out of high school, was chosen 18th overall by the Angels.  The Angels received the pick from the Mariners as compensation for the Chone Figgins signing.

With the Cowart agreement, 16 first-round picks remain unsigned.

Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone

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Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…

  • The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year. 
  • Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
  • MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
  • Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
  • The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
  • The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
  • Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
  • Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
  • Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.

Odds & Ends: Rockies, Haren, Cowart, Cubs

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Links for Tuesday, after a night of drama in Cincinnati…

Scot Shields May Be Designated Soon

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Angels reliever Scot Shields "could be designated for assignment soon," in the opinion of Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Relievers Jason Bulger and Brian Stokes, both dealing with shoulder injuries, may return from the disabled list soon. Shields could be a roster casualty.

Shields, a 35-year-old righty, is a lifelong Angel.  As DiGiovanna notes, he's the last remaining link to the '02 World Series champion team.  Shields' control has never been great, but it's been terrible the last two years.  Since 2009 he has a 6.23 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 7.3 BB/9, with seven home runs allowed in 56.3 innings.  He had knee surgery last summer. 

Shields signed a three-year, $14.6MM extension in March of '07, a contract that began with the '08 season.  Angels GM Bill Stoneman committed to four years of Shields at top dollar.  He was 31 at the time and had compiled a staggering 284.6 relief innings over 2004-06.

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