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Stark On Greinke, Jeter, Phillies, Uggla

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It's looking more and more likely that MLB will add a second wild card team to each league, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. He also has the latest rumblings from around the league; here they are:

  • Clubs that have spoken to the Royals say Kansas City would only accept a bunch of front-line players for Zack Greinke. One of those players must be a pitcher with a Greinke-like ceiling, so GM Dayton Moore expects a lot for his ace.
  • Clubs that have checked in with the Royals believe Greinke would veto a deal to any major market East Coast team. However, one official says the pitcher “would at least think about the L.A. clubs.”
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently suggested that the Yankees make Derek Jeter a Yankee for life with a 25-year contract that would keep him involved in the organization once his playing days end, but Stark hears that Jeter’s next deal will be “a baseball contract. Period.”
  • A Phillies source summed up the chances of Jayson Werth returning to Philadelphia concisely: "No chance. None. Zero.
  • "The Phillies are working aggressively to re-sign Jose Contreras, according to Stark.
  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Stark that he has been working the phones this week. "We've made contact with 40 free agents, predominantly bullpen guys." He said. "Left-handed relief is a priority for us."
  • Teams that have contacted the Marlins about Dan Uggla see definite signs that if extension talks don’t go anywhere, the second baseman could soon become trade bait.

Dodgers Eyeing Brandon Webb

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The Nationals and Dodgers have some interest in free agent right-hander Brandon Webb, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  We'd heard about the Nationals, but the Dodgers part is news.  Webb hasn't pitched professionally since he made one appearance in April of 2009, as he was sidelined by shoulder surgery.  Prior to '09, Webb was among the best pitchers in all of baseball.

The Dodgers signed Ted Lilly early, so he's penciled into their rotation along with Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.  One more veteran arm would make sense.  The Dodgers are also known to be seeking a left fielder and bench players, with another question mark being Russell Martin's standing as the starting catcher.

This is purely my speculation, but I wonder if the Cardinals will take a look at Webb as their annual rotation wild card.  Perhaps it will depend on whether they sign Jake Westbrook.

Japan Rumors: Nishioka, Kobayashi

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The Chiba Lotte Marines will not decide whether to post shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka until after Saturday's championship game, tweets Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times.  Nishioka would prefer to play for the Dodgers if he's posted, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  Otherwise, he hopes to land with the Giants, Padres, or Diamondbacks.  Of course, Nishioka can't control which team wins the bidding for the right to negotiate with him.  The 26-year-old switch-hitter batted .346/.423/.482 this year, and was described as a Chone Figgins/Ryan Theriot type by Patrick Newman of FanGraphs.  Hernandez says he'll be represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council if posted.

One Marines player is definitely heading to MLB, tweets Coskrey: free agent reliever Hiroyuki Kobayashi.  The 32-year-old righty reliever posted a 2.21 ERA, 7.82 K/9, 2.07 BB/9, and 0.30 HR/9 in 61 innings this year.  Kobayashi moved to the bullpen in 2010, reported Newman, so he brings versatility.  He will be represented by Octagon, MLBTR has learned.

Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee

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1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.

11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.

As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee.  He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM.  I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested.  While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so.  At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.

Odds & Ends: Francoeur, Theriot, Braves, Hacker

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Links for Tuesday, as the American League Gold Glove winners are announced…

Free Agent Stock Watch: Scott Podsednik

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Last week, Scott Podsednik officially declined his half of his mutual option with the Dodgers and elected to become a free agent. Pods has seen time with three different clubs over the past two seasons, and may end up with a fourth within the next few months. While a few years ago, Podsednik may have been a Major League afterthought, he's rebuilt some stock and now joins a fairly weak outfield market. Let's take a look at his position:

The Good

  • Podsednik can still run. He may no longer be a 70 stolen base threat, but he's still good for 30-plus swipes per season and will always give pitchers something to think about when he's on base.
  • His .300/.347/.397 slash line over the past two seasons is passable for a leadoff hitter who can steal plenty of bases.
  • Podsednik makes good contact; he struck out just 15.4% of his plate appearances this year, while the Major League average sat at 20.7%.
  • He's a Type B free agent, so he won't cost a draft pick to sign, and likely won't require an overly large salary either.
  • He can handle lefties decently, so he doesn't need to be part of a platoon. It's worth noting that what little power he has is against right-handers though; he had just four extra base hits against southpaws in 2010.

The Bad

  • It's been awhile since Pods was a defensive asset. While he has good speed still, he's failed to post a positive UZR in left field since 2007, and his arm is considerably below average.
  • While he can steal you bases, it's not at an elite rate anymore. Podsednik got caught in nearly 30% of his attempts in 2010, compared to just 16% of the time at his peak in 2004, when he stole 70 with Milwaukee.
  • He can hit the occasional home run, but Podsednik isn't a reliable source of power. He's slugged above .400 just twice in his career.
  • He may not be the sexiest option, but after Carl Crawford, Podsednik represents one of the best left field options on the market (Johnny Damon and Pat Burrell are others, depending on how many clubs still view them as viable outfielders). That should give him bargaining power and increase the number of suitors.

The Verdict

Podsednik is no longer the terror on the bases he was in his younger days. He'll be 35 next season, but can still steal 30+ bases and get on base well enough to be a club's leadoff hitter. He won't bring power, but he doesn't strike out much and many teams will like his veteran presence. He represents one of the better left field options on the market, thanks to a resurgent 2009-2010 stretch. He declined a $2MM salary with the Dodgers, which means he'll look to best that mark and likely won't have trouble doing so. It's at least possible a team commits two years, but I'd assume most will want to stick to one-year deals, probably with a club option. Podsednik can likely command a salary in the $3MM-$4MM range, and if he can maintain his speed, it wouldn't be a terrible commitment.

Podsednik's nothing too special at this point, but he picked a good time to enter free agency. A weak market and back-to-back solid seasons will earn him a respectable payday.

Dodgers & Angels Notes: Payroll, Crawford, Werth

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Kevin Baxter and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times bring us the latest from Tinseltown…

  • Pitching is the number one item on the Dodgers' shopping list this offseason. "Pitching is a priority — both starters and relievers," said GM Ned Colletti. "We're open-minded to both left-handers and right-handers."
  • Colletti declined to give an exact number, but he promised that payroll would rise from the $95MM or so they spent in 2010.
  • Ted Lilly might end up being the Dodgers' biggest pickup. They aren't likely to pursue Cliff Lee, and could instead turn to Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez, and Jake Westbrook. Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla might also become options if their prices drop as the offseason progresses.
  • Colletti also wants to add a left fielder, "full time or platoon," plus figure out his bench and catching situation. Russell Martin is a non-tender candidate, but they could look at Miguel Olivo.
  • There is nothing to indicate that the Dodgers will make a run at either Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth. 
  • "We're going to be active. Whether it's via free agency or trades," said Angels GM Tony Reagins. "We're going to look at the opportunities and be aggressive when the opportunity presents itself."
  • Owner Arte Moreno is expected to approve a 10% payroll increase, pushing it to about $135MM. The team already has close to $93MM committed to 2011 contracts, not including the arbitration eligible Jered Weaver, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar.
  • The Times' scribes call Werth and Adrian Beltre "more economical Plan B options" to Crawford, relatively speaking of course. Both Werth and Beltre are Scott Boras clients however, and the Angels still have a bad taste in their mouths from the Mark Teixeira negotiations two winters ago.
  • Rafael Soriano might be an option after Fernando Rodney's terrible finish (6.08 ERA after Sept. 1st).

Bidding For Iwakuma Closes, Mariners The Favorite?

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NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a report saying that the bidding has closed for Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma (via Twitter), and a report from Sports Hochi (article in Japanese) indicates that the Mariners appear to be the favorite to land him. More than one team submitted a bid, and Seattle reportedly wagered $13MM.

The above reports indicate that Iwakuma prefers the West Coast, but neither the Angels nor Dodgers planned to submit a bid. Both the Yankees and Diamondbacks scouted him during the season, though whether or not they chose to pursue him remains to be seen. The Rakuten Golden Eagles were hoping to land $16MM-17MM in the posting process, though it appears they might fall a little short of that.

The Mariners have a long history with Japanese-born players, none more notable that Ichiro Suzuki. In recent years they've also employed Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Kazuhiro Sasaki, and Kenji Johjima, among others.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Giants, Gregg, Pujols, Webb

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Links for tonight as we remember Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who passed away today at the age of 76.  MLB.com's Marty Noble penned a great article today looking back at the life and career of the universally beloved skipper.

Dodgers Sign Jay Gibbons

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The Dodgers signed Jay Gibbons to a one-year major league deal worth $650K plus incentives, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (all Twitter links). $400K of that money is guaranteed, while Gibbons could earn up to $800K if he makes 500 plate appearances (Twitter links).

The 33-year-old earned a call up to the majors after hitting .347/.375/.594 in Triple-A this year. He followed that performance up with a .280/.313/.507 line in 80 big league plate appearances, so the Dodgers were expected to bring him back.

L.A. signed Gibbons to a minor league deal in January, though he hadn't appeared in the majors since 2007. The eight-year veteran has had success in the majors, as his 126 career homers indicate. Gibbons, a left-handed batter, has a career .783 OPS against right-handed pitching.

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