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Stark’s Latest: Putz, Manny, Lackey, Ibanez

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Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Stark does the math and finds 15 potentially available closers versus six clubs in the market for one.  Should result in a few bargains or teams holding on to their surpluses.
  • The Mets don’t seem willing to extend to four years for Francisco Rodriguez.  Stark says J.J. Putz would become the Mets’ top closer target if he’s made available.  MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone wrote a few days ago that the Mets are likely to trade for a reliever with closing experience before attempting to sign one.
  • J.P. Ricciardi quote: "We won’t be involved with Manny."  Ricciardi last month: "He’s on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report."
  • Despite reports to the contrary, Stark talked to a rival executive who says Jake Peavy made it "onto [the Angels’] radar pretty hard."  Stark speculates that Peavy could fit if the Halos sign Mark Teixeira.
  • It seems likely that the Angels will put out an offer to Teixeira with a deadline, and then either sign him or move on.
  • John Lackey’s been telling friends he expects to have an extension with the Angels by Opening Day.  Lackey indicated last month he’d wait to see the Halos’ offensive plans before re-signing.
  • Stark suspects the Players Union might be OK with C.C. Sabathia turning down a larger offer from the Yankees if he still signed for more than Johan Santana’s $23MM per year.  I don’t really see why Sabathia would worry about the union in any regard.
  • The Dodgers inquired on the asking price of Jason Varitek, with the idea of moving Russell Martin to third base in mind.  They balked at Scott Boras’ demand for Tek, however.
  • Curt Schilling is "more likely than ever" to attempt a late June or early July comeback.
  • Tons of teams have expressed some degree of interest in Raul Ibanez: the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Nationals, Braves, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Angels, and Mariners.  Some interesting new ones in there.
  • The Phillies never made a two-year, $21MM offer to Pat Burrell.  Will the Phils at least offer him arbitration?  The rumored offer was questionable from Day 1, as Paul Hagen said Burrell "reportedly turned down a two-year, $22MM offer" but didn’t reference a specific report.
  • Stark believes that the Brewers were not thrilled with the Yankees’ "overbid" for C.C. Sabathia, and therefore would prefer not to trade Mike Cameron to them.  Dan Graziano wrote yesterday about the Yanks’ conversations for Cameron.
  • Roy Oswalt wants the Astros to sign Ben Sheets, but the price tag may be too high.  Stark has the following names on their radar: Randy Wolf, Mike Hampton, Freddy Garcia, Paul Byrd, and maybe Pedro Martinez.  Is Drayton McLane willing to bring Andy Pettitte back?  GM Ed Wade seemed interested in his chat yesterday, saying, "We’ll have to see what develops down the road."

Brown on Sabathia, Teixeira, Lowe, Peavy

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In his latest article, Tim Brown at Yahoo! Sports considers a possibility that others have discussed: maybe C.C. Sabathia doesn’t want to play for the New York Yankees. He certainly has options–Brown’s list includes the Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Tigers, and of course, the Brewers.

Not signing C.C. would increase the likelihood that the Yankees make a serious offer to Mark Teixeira. Nick Swisher seems to have the starting job at first base for now, but failing to land Sabathia might shift the Yankees’ attention to all three of Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe, says Brown.

Lowe might take his time before signing a new deal this offseason, with the news that Scott Boras is looking for the same average annual value obtained previously by Barry Zito ($18MM).

Finally, Brown notes that Padres GM Kevin Towers is waiting to hear from the Cubs about the possibility of continued trade talks regarding Jake Peavy, now that Ryan Dempster has been signed.

Graziano’s Latest: Sabathia, Halladay

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4:39pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News shoots down all Dodgers rumors – no offer in the near future for Sabathia, no talks for Halladay, and no interest in Raul Ibanez.

I think Graziano’s Halladay musings have been distorted a bit – he basically said the Blue Jays might explore the trade market at some point.

3:31pm: Graziano adds in a new post that the Giants plan to make a six-year offer in excess of $100MM but under $140MM.  Tom Haudricourt had info about a Giants bid several hours earlier as well.

Haudricourt adds that the Angels will make a bid, but reports about the Dodgers may be inaccurate.

12:26pm: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger explains why C.C. Sabathia is taking his time while mulling over the Yankees’ six-year, $140MM offer.  Graziano believes Sabathia and his agents are waiting to see what the Dodgers propose.

Graziano speaks of "rumblings today that the Dodgers either have offered or are about to offer Sabathia a six-year contract worth between $110 and $120 million."  He believes this could compel the Yankees to increase their offer, just to ensure a ridiculous ($30MM+) gap between the two proposals.

Graziano has a source who continues to insist the Blue Jays will explore the market for ace Roy Halladay, who has two years and $30MM left on his deal.  In that case, he believes the Dodgers are the most likely match.  If the Dodgers acquire Halladay, they would focus on Manny Ramirez rather than Sabathia.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

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MLB.com’s Corey Brock has the latest on Jake Peavy, after speaking to Padres GM Kevin Towers.

It doesn’t sound like much is going on with the Yankees, despite Ken Rosenthal’s report of numerous discussions.  Towers says he’s had "no direct conversations with Cashman about Peavy over a period of time."  Towers is currently focused on the Cubs, but admits that a third or even fourth team would need to be involved.  He hasn’t talked to the Angels about Peavy.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy, Teixeira, Burnett

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Ken Rosenthal’s got an interesting new column up.

  • Now that talks with the Braves have ended for the time being, Padres GM Kevin Towers is talking with the Yankees about Jake Peavy. The Yankees have had “numerous discussions” with the Padres, even though they just offered C.C. Sabathia a contract and are still considering A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe.
  • Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod said that “the Angels probably would be more appealing” geographically, but “from other perspectives, they might be less appealing” than other teams
  • Rosenthal talked with an agent who said that the Angels could wait a week or 10 days before making Mark Teixeira a “knockout offer” with a deadline.
  • Even though the Yankees traded for Nick Swisher, they could still have interest in Teixeira if he’s willing to consider a shorter contract of four or five years for top dollar.
  • Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi knows that Toronto “won’t be the highest bidder” for A.J. Burnett. Ricciardi hopes that Burnett likes Toronto enough to re-sign.
  • The Indians are considering going after both Juan Cruz and Jeremy Affeldt instead of an experienced closer.
  • The Phillies and Giants could also bid on Cruz.
  • The Cardinals will have interest in Affeldt and Joe Beimel as they try to strengthen their bullpen.

Do Angels Have Genuine Interest In Manny?

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Angels owner Arte Moreno had kind words for Manny Ramirez in a recent radio appearance, sparking talk that he could jump in and swipe the slugger from the Dodgers.  However, the general sense is that Moreno just wanted to get people talking about the Angels and perhaps hopes to drive up Ramirez’s price for the Dodgers.

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times gets a peek at Scott Boras’ binder for Ramirez, which predicts 204 home runs and 684 RBIs over the next six years.  Shaikin quotes Angels GM Tony Reagins saying his priority is elsewhere and the Manny discussion hasn’t taken place, so right now the Dodgers don’t face serious competition.

Shaikin also notes that the Dodgers are more likely to sign Orlando Cabrera to a short-term deal than re-sign Rafael Furcal.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Swisher, Wood, Hermida

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A look at the newest column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Rosenthal believes the Nick Swisher trade is a prelude to other moves for the White Sox, and shouldn’t be judged in isolation.
  • Darren Oliver could follow Damaso Marte and re-sign quickly, as his market value is also diminished by his Type A status.
  • Texas native Kerry Wood is a good match for the Rangers, though they’re not going to want to do three years at $10MM per (I think).  Jim Hendry says Wood will always be welcome to come back to Chicago.  Rosenthal says the Rangers also have interest in Colorado’s Huston Street.
  • The Cubs and the Rays are two suitors for Florida’s Jeremy Hermida, though they’ve cleared enough payroll already to be deliberate with this one.

Nick Swisher Trade Reactions

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The Yankees acquired Nick Swisher yesterday for Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez, and Jeff Marquez.  The reactions are clearly in favor of the Yanks; let’s take a look.

Moreno Comments On Manny

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Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal said the Angels briefly considered Manny Ramirez during their organizational meetings, but the idea was "tabled rather quickly."

Still, Angels owner Arte Moreno was full of kind words for Manny yesterday on an AM-830 radio show:

"He single-handedly took L.A. to the promised land.  He did a heck of a job, he hit great, he was a fan favorite, he did a great job with their young players. At the end of the day, you want people who can hit, and he may be one of top right-handed hitters ever."

It’s hard to see the Angels getting serious about Ramirez unless Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia sign elsewhere first.

Debunking Angels Rumors

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MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer shoots down three recent Angels rumors, based on his talks with "an informed baseball source."  Spencer says the Halos are not interested in free agents Randy Johnson or Trevor Hoffman, nor are they talking to the Rockies about Garrett Atkins.

The Angels were never linked too seriously to the Big Unit, though I thought it was a good match.  Hoffman’s agent mentioned the Angels as a "potential interested party."  Both Rockies beat writers, Tracy Ringolsby and Troy Renck, have linked the Angels to Atkins recently.

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