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Odds & Ends: Chapman, Cubs, Holliday, Damon

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Links for Saturday afternoon …

  • Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News spoke with a baseball executive who believes the Yankees will wind up with Aroldis Chapman.  "My bet is that it'll come down to the Yankees and Red Sox, like it always does…" said the executive. "And I think the Yankees will get him.  They can give him a big-league contract over five years for $20 million and they don't even feel that."
  • The NY Post's Bart Hubbuch reports that the rumored three-way deal involving Milton Bradley, Kevin Millwood and Luis Castillo "isn't happening because the Rangers aren't interested in giving up Millwood so easily." He also mentions that the Mets aren't expected to make any majors moves until the Winter Meetings in two weeks.
  • Paul Sullivan at The Chicago Tribune rounds up some Cubs' rumors all in one convenient spot, just like our Cubs archive.
  • Meanwhile, Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune posted his projections on where some notable free agents will land. He sees Matt Holliday signing with Boston, while both Jason Bay and John Lackey land with the Angels.
  • Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes that the market for Holliday is diminished because officials from the Angels and Giants said they "would not be vying" for his services. 
  • The Yankees' biggest focus right now is finding a "common ground" with Johnny Damon, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Hideki Matsui seems to be less of a priority. 
  • Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says that the Josh Johnson situation in Florida represents the worst-case scenario for the Mariners and Felix Hernandez.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report that says Yusei Kikuchi has inked his first pro contract with the Seibu Lions. Kikuchi will not be eligible for international free agency for at least nine years, though Seibu could make him available through the posting process before that.

Quinlan Drawing Preliminary Interest

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Robb Quinlan's representatives say the utility man has drawn interest from two National League teams and one American League team, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. The Phillies are known to be looking for bench help and Spencer suggests the Twins could be a fit, too. We heard earlier in the week that Quinlan will not be back in Anaheim next year.

The 32-year-old hit .243/.275/.339 last year, spending some time at all four corner positions. He posted an .836 OPS as recently as 2006, but teams may be wary of Quinlan's questionable defense and fading contact skills. He has a reputation as a solid clubhouse presence and it wouldn't be fair to draw sweeping conclusions from a year of part time play, but his numbers weren't good last year.

Heyman On Gonzalez, Wellemeyer, Rivera

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SI's Jon Heyman kicks off his newest column with thoughts on his top 50 free agents.  A few highlights from the list and elsewhere in the column…

  • Via Twitter Heyman says Mets GM Omar Minaya likes Luis Castillo more than any of the 29 other teams do.
  • Heyman groups the Cubs in as a possible Matt Holliday suitor, which does not seem feasible given the team's payroll situation. 
  • Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez has "drawn interest from as many as 15 teams."
  • A new name on the Brewers' radar as a "No. 5-type guy": Todd Wellemeyer.
  • Heyman speaks of "indications the Angels might be willing to trade outfielder Juan Rivera."  One such indication popped up earlier this month when Ken Davidoff said the Angels and Tigers discussed a Curtis Granderson deal.  Rivera had a solid year – .287/.332/.478 – and has $9.5MM remaining over two years.

Angels Won’t Pursue Holliday; Bay Is An Option

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2:45pm: Moreno estimates that he has $12MM to spend on improving the club, according to FOX Sports. That could be enough to sign Bay if the left fielder agrees to sign a back-loaded deal.

1:16pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that Matt Holliday is not an option for the Angels.

"He is not going to be an Angel," Moreno said. "We are not looking at Holliday at all."

Jason Bay, on the other hand, is a player "you have to look at," Moreno said. The Angels still have interest in bringing back John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero, but Moreno told the LA Times that the Angels won't be able to bring both Figgins and Lackey back.

As for Guerrero, Moreno hinted that he won't be back without saying so explicitly.

Heyman: Yankees, Red Sox Have Shot At Halladay

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Jon Heyman's latest column begins with this simple declaration:

"The Yankees recently called the Blue Jays to express interest in superstar pitcher Roy Halladay."

And Heyman points out the change in administrations in Toronto- from J.P. Ricciardi to Alex Anthopoulos- means an in-division trade is no longer out of the question.

Heyman also points out that with Halladay seeking a big payday from whoever acquires him, the suitors for his services could quickly dwindle to the precious few big-market teams who can afford to pay him long-term.

He lists the Yankees as option 1, the Red Sox as option 1A for Halladay. Keeping him in Toronto for now is second, with the Phillies, Angels and Mets all trailing behind.

Heyman's column also discusses topics ranging from Adrian Gonzalez to Zack Greinke, and is obviously worth a read.

Angels Notes: Guerrero, Lackey, Oliver

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MLB.com's Lyle Spencer answered a pile of fans' questions about the Angels' free agents, possible new signings and trade options.  Here are some of the highlights…

  • Spencer "has his doubts" that Los Angeles will re-sign any of its big three free agents (Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey).  He thinks the other three AL West teams would be smart to sign Guerrero given that the outfielder is "a prideful man who would have something to prove to his former employer." 
  • If the Angels do dip into the free-agent market, it would be for a starting pitcher.  Spencer lists Randy Wolf and former Angel Jon Garland as possible targets, and also says the Halos could wait until midseason to pick up another arm a la their trade for Scott Kazmir last season.
  • The Angels would "love to keep" free agent reliever Darren Oliver.  Spencer thinks Oliver's Type A status will give L.A. the edge in re-signing him since other teams won't want to give up a first-round draft pick for a 38-year-old setup man.
  • Spencer would re-sign Kelvim Escobar to "an incentives-laden contract" because he thinks the right-hander could have a big season if healthy.
  • Utilityman Robb Quinlan will likely not be back in Anaheim, and seems to be a better fit in the National League.
  • Spencer shoots down two suggested trades that would send Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, respectively, to Los Angeles.  He doesn't think San Diego will move Gonzalez for attendance reasons, and thinks Tampa Bay might ask for too much in return for Crawford.
  • However, a fan-suggested trade of Brandon Wood for Jeremy Guthrie might be mutually beneficial for both the Halos and Orioles.  Spencer also calls a proposed Milton Bradley-for-Gary Matthews Jr. swap "an intriguing suggestion," but notes that Matthews still provides more benefit to Los Angeles than Bradley would.

Angels Focused Lackey & Figgins, Not Holliday

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Yesterday we heard that the Angels were interested in free agent outfielder Matt Holliday, but GM Tony Reagins spoke to Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times and shot down that rumor.

"He's a talented player," Reagins said of Holliday, who hit .313 with 24 home runs and 109 runs batted in for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals in 2009 and could command a deal in excess of $100 million. "But our focus is not on him right now."

Instead, the team is focused on re-signing John Lackey and Chone Figgins, according to DiGiovanna. Reagins indicated that he knows "where both of them stand," though he acknowledged that they have earned the right to "see what their value is."

DiGiovanna adds that the team has had discussions with Darren Oliver and Vladimir Guerrero, and that he doesn't expect the team's payroll (about $114MM last year) to be reduced "significantly."

Mets Notes: Adrian Gonzalez, Marquis, DeRosa

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The incomparable Marty Noble answers many of the fan inquiries with his usual mixture of information and wit. Among other ideas, he considers:

  • Just what would it take, hypothetically, to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Queens? Noble believes a package of John Maine, Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis "and perhaps more would be one to consider seriously."
  • Noble likes Joel Pineiro more than Jason Marquis, adding that "I know the Mets are interested in [Bengie] Molina."
  • He says that while Mark DeRosa wouldn't be a top priority, "If they can't bring back Alex Cora, DeRosa would an even better fit."
  • He counters a fan's proposal to trade "Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Omir Santos to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Gary Matthews Jr., Ervin Santana and Jeff Mathis" with one of his own: "How about Perez for the rights to Albie Pearson?" Pearson was the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year, of course.

As usual, Noble is must-reading.

Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell

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A batch of links to kick off the work week…

  • Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today.  Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season. 
  • Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors.  One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell.  He'd like a multiyear deal.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
  • Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
  • ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
  • Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
  • Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
  • Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer.  In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
  • Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

Lyon Aiming For Multiyear Deal

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ESPN's Buster Olney spoke with Brandon Lyon's agent Barry Meister, who believes his client can land a multiyear deal this winter.  Lyon is flexible with his role, whether it be closer, set-up man, or something in-between.  Olney believes the Phillies, Angels, Yankees, and Mets make sense.  Will the Tigers feel safe offering Lyon arbitration?  They could gain a draft pick from the Type B free agent, as it doesn't sound like he'd accept an offer.

Lyon, 30, posted a 2.86 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 78.6 innings this for the Tigers, earning $4.25MM.  He posted his best groundball rate in years – 47.2% – which helps soften the blow of his career-worst walk rate.

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