Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Cordero, Colon, Byrd
Links for Thursday…
- John Smoltz told Dan Patrick that the Yankees and Dodgers also courted him.
- KNBR had interviews with Scott Boras and Ned Colletti yesterday.
- The Dodgers are "only monitoring" Kris Benson and Chad Cordero.
- The Phillies have "kept tabs" on Cordero and Eric Milton.
- Baseball America ranked the Rangers’ farm system as the best in baseball.
- Andy MacPhail says the Orioles don’t necessarily have to add a first baseman.
- South Side Sox and Sox Machine on the Bartolo Colon signing.
- Jon Paul Morosi says Jason Isringhausen is a "natural fit" for the Tigers.
- The Red Sox will only get a supplemental pick for Paul Byrd if he signs before the June draft.
- Barry Bloom gathers responses from baseball execs on the salary cap issue.
- Eddie Bajek made a breakthrough in his attempt to crack the Elias code.
- Richard Justice has an interesting story involving new Astro Russ Ortiz.
- Rickey Henderson says he’s still available to play. Asked about the WBC, he responded, ""What is [the WBC], wrestling?"
- Transcript of an interview with Red Sox owner John Henry.
Dodgers Finalize Contract With Mota
9:13pm: Jackson has made a correction to the report. Mota can earn only $300,000 in performance bonuses.
7:41pm: The Dodgers finalized their one-year deal with reliever Guillermo Mota on Wednesday and released the terms of his contract. The 35-year-old right-hander will make $2.35MM in ’09 and can earn up to $750,000 in performance bonuses. Terms are courtesy of Tony Jackson with the Los Angeles Daily News.
Dodgers To Release Andruw Jones On Thursday
8:29pm: Several e-mailers have pointed out that Andruw Jones is in attendance at the Duke-Georgia Tech men’s basketball game and is wearing an Atlanta Braves hat. Interesting, eh?
7:46pm: According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers are expected to officialy release Andruw Jones Thursday morning.
Jones, you’ll remember, agreed to defer the $21.1MM remaining on his contract back in early January to open up payroll for the Dodgers, and for a chance at a fresh start with a new team. The Dodgers have reportedly discussed a few potential trades this week, but all talks have apparently fallen flat. He has expressed interest in returning to the Braves.
Rosenthal On Lackey, Dunn, Young, Isringhausen
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal.
- John Lackey is due up for extension talks with the Angels, as he’ll be eligible for free agency after the ’09 season. He’d easily be the best available starter. Rosenthal says talks with the Angels should occur before the beginning of the season, but the Halos may not be willing to offer A.J. Burnett money (five years, $82.5MM). In November, Jayson Stark said Lackey had been telling friends he expects to have an extension by Opening Day. That came after Lackey’s confirmation he’d wait to see the Angels’ offensive plans before re-signing.
- The Braves paid $60MM for Derek Lowe, though no one else made a comparable offer. This is a testament to Scott Boras (and perhaps the Braves’ desperation), though Boras has more challenging work ahead in Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek.
- The Red Sox have shown interest in Adam Dunn, one rival exec tells Rosenthal. Rosenthal considers the possibility a longshot – "a square peg in a round hole." The Sox could always make a midseason deal if their offense isn’t cutting it.
- A Rangers official put Michael Young‘s chances of being with the team on Opening Day at at least 90%. The Rangers aren’t interested in moving Ian Kinsler to left field and Young to second base.
- Rosenthal believes Xavier Nady is likely to garner Type A status when he becomes a free agent after the ’09 season, but half of the equation (his 2009 stats) is missing.
- Jason Isringhausen is considering four teams, and he’d have a shot to close for those clubs. The Dodgers aren’t terribly interested, while the Cardinals and Tigers are possibilities.
- Should the Mets sign Andy Pettitte as well as Randy Wolf or Oliver Perez? One rival exec suggested the idea.
- The Astros apparently made a three-year, $28.5MM offer to Wolf before pulling it back. Looks like he’ll be settling for less.
- Rosenthal says a Rangers trade for Jermaine Dye is "not happening." They’ll go with Hank Blalock‘s left-handed offense rather than sign an aging veteran. Blalock is headed into a contract year.
- If Todd Helton has a healthy spring, the Rockies could shop Garrett Atkins.
- The Red Sox and D’Backs are not close to a deal involving catcher Miguel Montero. Arizona will need to add a capable backup catcher if they do find a deal for Montero.
Four Clubs Interested In Kris Benson
Roch Kubatko talked to starter Kris Benson, who said his shoulder hasn’t felt this good since 2000. Benson had rotator cuff surgery almost two years ago. Benson says the Cardinals and Dodgers have expressed the most interest, with the D’Backs and Rangers also in the mix.
Heyman On Young, Pettitte, Dye, Cordero
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
- It’s more likely that Michael Young will give in and move to third base than be traded. Heyman runs through six (long shot) "potential contenders." Most were addressed here, but Heyman adds the Yankees.
- Yankees people believe there is less than a 50% chance of the team re-signing Andy Pettitte. He could instead retire or sign with the Dodgers or Astros.
- Heyman suggests Bobby Abreu or Garret Anderson for the Reds, noting that Abreu is probably too expensive.
- The White Sox want "top pitching prospects" for Jermaine Dye, not necessarily big league-ready ones.
- The Dodgers were among 12 teams who watched Chad Cordero throw on Friday. The Mets, Twins, Brewers, Rangers, Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Nationals are among the other known attendees.
Red Sox Sign Takashi Saito
TUESDAY, 12:30pm: Dylan Hernandez says Saito’s deal could be worth as much as $15MM over two years, although he is guaranteed just $1.5MM.
SATURDAY, 2:23pm: It appears the Dodgers weren’t ready to offer the contract terms needed to bring Takashi Saito back. As Tony Jackson reports: "[the Dodgers] weren’t about to give him anything close to this much money."
8:41am: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox have signed Takashi Saito to a one-year contract with a club option for 2010. The deal’s worth between $1.5 and $2.5MM in 2009, but Saito could earn up to $7MM if he pitches well, according to Rosenthal’s sources.
Saito passed his physical yesterday.
Dodgers Sign Guillermo Mota
TUESDAY: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says the Dodgers agreed to terms with Mota on a one-year deal.
MONDAY: According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers are very close to a deal that would bring free agent reliever Guillermo Mota back to Los Angeles. Mota, 35, posted a 4.11 ERA in 57 innings for the Brewers in ’08 after coming over from the Mets in a deal for Johnny Estrada. Mota still throws hard, but control and home runs allowed remain a problem.
Jones Has Interest In Returning To Atlanta
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andruw Jones has interest in returning to the Atlanta Braves, MyFoxAtlanta.com reports.
In a video on the TV station’s Web site, Jones is shown working out with current Braves Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.
“It would be nice to kind of finish my career here,” Jones told the station from an Atlanta batting cage.
The station also interviews McCann, who said Jones, 31, looks great.
Reporter Buck Lanford notes that the Dodgers are supposed to trade or release Jones by Thursday.
Odds and Ends: Andruw, Manny, Hudson
Links for Monday…
- David Chase lists the signs a pitcher may be primed for a breakout.
- The Dodgers considered trying to void Andruw Jones‘ contract, but waived possible action as part of their new agreement.
- Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng on the Manny Ramirez talks.
- Michael Silverman explains why the Red Sox are not inclined to deal with Scott Boras.
- Dave Sheinin talked to one exec who predicted a one-year deal for Orlando Hudson.
- The Tigers signed Taiwanese lefty Fu-Te Ni.
- The alleged Japanese interest in Eric Hinske may have come from the SoftBank Hawks, in November.
- Pitcher win (and dollar) values are now up at FanGraphs. Cliff Lee was worth $20.2MM in 2008.