Arbitration Decision Rumors
As you know, 24 free agents were offered arbitration – 15 Type As and 9 Type Bs. Their decisions will roll in throughout the day, but SI.com’s Jon Heyman spoils the ending – aside from perhaps a couple of middle relievers (Darren Oliver comes to mind), almost everyone will decline. Nonetheless, let’s gather up some rumors on the topic.
- Heyman analyzes six players: Jon Garland, Oliver Perez, Paul Byrd, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Varitek, and Ben Sheets. He doesn’t really see these guys accepting, but their names have at least been raised in baseball circles.
- Ken Rosenthal has sources saying Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Sheets, and Garland will decline. Tracy Ringolsby agrees on Fuentes.
- Brandon Lyon‘s agent Barry Meister admitted that he’ll consider accepting.
C.C. Sabathia Rumors: Saturday
11:17pm: Ken Rosenthal explains why the idea of Sabathia signing with the Red Sox is not far-fetched. He notes that free agent markets in years to come may not offer a pitcher of Sabathia’s character.
7:23pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman jumps in on the Brewers angle. He says Sabathia is telling friends he expects the Brewers to upgrade their offer soon, perhaps when they get together at the Winter Meetings. Heyman’s heard deferred money in the Brewers’ current offer makes it closer to $90MM over five years.
9:14am: According to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, the Brewers might offer a six-year contract to C.C. Sabathia. Davidoff has a source who said the possible sixth year would bring the total value of the deal to about $110MM, still $30MM short of what the Yankees have offered, but $10MM more than Milwaukee’s initial proposal. Jayson Stark first reported on Thursday that the Brewers could offer a six-year $110MM deal.
Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has a source of his own who doubts Sabathia has serious suitors other than the Yankees and Brewers at this point. The source said to McCarron that a deal with the Giants is "not happening," and doubts that the Angels were ever involved. Yesterday, Jon Heyman wrote that the free agent lefty received two offers from teams other than the Yankees and Brewers.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Bruce Jenkins thinks that the Giants have a chance with Sabathia even if they can’t compete dollar for dollar with the Yankees.
Odds and Ends: Lowe, K-Rod
Some more links for Saturday…
- Derek Lowe says his priority is winning. Fortunately, all the teams rumored to be in on Lowe (Philadelphia, Boston, the Dodgers and both New York teams) should compete in 2009. So he can stop worrying about that and turn his attention to making gobs and gobs of money.
- Lyle Spencer, who writes for MLB.com’s Hot Stove Blog, says what the Mets reportedly offered Francisco Rodriguez (three years and $36MM) isn’t much better than what the Angels were prepared to pay (three years and $34MM). So maybe K-Rod will stay in Anaheim after all?
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.
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.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Byrd, Putz, Wilson
Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new column…
- Free agent starters C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are in no hurry to sign. Makes sense; they’re obviously special compared to the other starters on the market.
- Nationals owner Ted Lerner "has spent extensive time" with Scott Boras, presumably in regard to Mark Teixeira.
- The Cubs want to acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before worrying about Jake Peavy. Rosenthal says the trade market is bleak, suggesting free agents such as Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley might make sense. As we’ve said, there is no perfect fit for the Cubs’ right field vacancy (unless Brian Giles will waive his no-trade clause).
- Paul Byrd is "virtually certain" to decline Boston’s offer of arbitration. He aims to pitch near his Atlanta home – the Braves, Marlins, or Rays could work for him.
- A Rosenthal source pegged Jon Garland‘s chance of accepting arbitration at less than 50-50. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently indicated it was 75-25 he’d decline. Buster Olney says "some executives are stunned" that Garland will seemingly not accept.
- Rosenthal spoke to officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz. The Ms haven’t decided yet whether to make him available, contrary to a previous report. Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn’t consider his club in rebuild mode.
- The Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria: "widely panned in industry circles." Joel Sherman found the same consensus. This differs from the web, where Keith Law and Dave Cameron liked it.
- Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Jack Wilson; those talks broke down earlier in the offseason. Who to believe? He says the Tigers are making a "more serious push."
- Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald is a popular trade target, but the Phils might need him to fill in for Chase Utley at the start of the season.
Garland Likely To Decline Arbitration
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Angels pitched Jon Garland "is leaning toward declining the Angels’ salary arbitration offer by Sunday’s deadline." Garland believes he can get more on the open market, according to Crasnick’s source. If Garland leaves, the Angels will receive a supplemental draft pick.
There are two sides to the Garland debate. His detractors will point to his ugly ERA, FIP, and strikeout rate. His fans will talk about durability, double digit wins, and eating innings in the American League.
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.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny
6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat. Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?
1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:
- The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
- Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape. The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option. How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup? Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
- Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
- Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia. Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
- The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot.
- Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration. He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept. He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
- Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same. I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
- The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside. They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
- Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.
Reagins Debunks Sabathia Rumors
MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer talked to Angels GM Tony Reagins, who said Mark Teixeira remains the team’s top priority (and they’re not concerned about his knee). Reagins said there was nothing to reports of the Halos shifting their focus to C.C. Sabathia. The Angels have also not made a play for Jake Peavy.
The original report on the Angels interest in Sabathia suggested Tex remained the priority, though Danny Knobler had said the Halos dropped their pursuit of Tex.