Russell Martin Available?
WEDNESDAY: ESPN’s Keith Law says Dodgers GM Ned Colletti was asked whether Martin is available and replied, "No."
TUESDAY: According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons:
Some Dodger officials have spread the word that Russell Martin will either be traded or moved to third base, with a Jason Varitek signing a possibility. Whether or not it actually happens will be interesting to see, but teams looking for catching, like the Red Sox, will do a headfirst dive to get in on Martin, who turns 26 in February.
Martin would have immense value on the trade market as one of the game’s best catchers. I imagine the Dodgers would ask for Clay Buchholz or Jed Lowrie from the Red Sox.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Tex, Furcal, Johnson, Lofton
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly. However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so. It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th. There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.
- Rosenthal’s worst case scenario for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia goes to a West Coast team while A.J. Burnett re-signs with Toronto. The Jays truly are in the mix for Burnett. ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett expects to receive multiple five-year offers.
- The Orioles plan to make serious offers to Teixeira and Burnett. Still, both are considered long shots for Baltimore. Another note: the Orioles were one of the teams the Yankees outbid for Sergio Mitre.
- The Dodgers are considered "a good bet" to re-sign Rafael Furcal. The Giants have their eye on him if he hits the open market.
- About ten teams have inquired on Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson. We had a Cardinals rumor yesterday.
- The Rangers figure to trade one or two of their catchers, with Gerald Laird a strong candidate to be traded. The Red Sox and Marlins are looking for catching, though the Rangers are wary of Florida’s Scott Olsen.
- Rosenthal wonders if Brandon Webb could leave the D’Backs after the 2010 season.
- Kenny Lofton wants to play in 2009.
Odds and Ends: El Duque, Tazawa, Ausmus
Links for Tuesday. Be sure to check back on Odds and Ends posts, as I update them throughout the day with minor links.
- The Jays may no longer have A.J. Burnett under contract, but they continued their claiming frenzy by adding pitcher Les Walrond.
- The A’s re-hired Jason Giambi‘s strength coach. Does it mean anything?
- The Cardinals remain intrigued by the idea of bringing Edgar Renteria back.
- The Dodgers bought out catcher Gary Bennett for $50K; he’s a free agent now.
- Mike Cameron thinks C.C. Sabathia has a good chance of re-signing with the Brewers. He says Sabathia could be a pioneer by taking less money to stay.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Orlando Hernandez is working out and intends to play next year. He did not pitch in the Majors at all this year due to foot injuries.
- Dylan Hernandez chatted with Scott Boras last week.
- The New York Daily News discusses Baseball Prospectus’ Nate Silver, whose political website is immensely popular.
- Patrick Newman points out that Junichi Tazawa will not be the first Japanese amateur to sign with an MLB team.
- Buster Olney says Brad Ausmus wants to play in 2009 if it’s close to his San Diego home. The Dodgers could be one possibility.
Indians Interested In Blake
According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indians have expressed interest in bringing third baseman Casey Blake back to Cleveland. Blake stands out in a weak free agent market at the hot corner. The Dodgers are also interested, but they may view other needs as a higher priority. At the least, they should offer him arbitration as a Type B free agent.
Blake’s agent anticipates offers ranging from one to three years. Blake brings the added benefit of versatility, as he can play first base and right field as well.
In other Indians news, agent Rick Thurman plans to meet with the Tribe to discuss his clients. He has Brian Fuentes, Trevor Hoffman, and Jason Isringhausen. The Indians almost signed Hoffman a few years ago.
Latest Dodgers Info
Alex Speier of WEEI has the latest Dodgers chatter, as GM Ned Colletti held court this evening. Ned wasn’t in a very revealing mood.
- Colletti reiterated that no offer has been made to Manny Ramirez. He hasn’t met with Scott Boras yet. Since the Dodgers have so many needs, Colletti would like to resolve the Manny situation quickly. In Jerry Crasnick’s survey of 15 executives, 10 chose the Dodgers as Manny’s destination. It’s unlikely that the Dodgers are able to sign Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia.
- Those other needs include shortstop, third base, the bullpen, and the rotation.
- Colletti was not sure whether Jeff Kent and/or Nomar Garciaparra will retire.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday
12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Towers still considers the Braves the best match for a Peavy trade. Cafardo says the Braves appear willing to trade shortstop Yunel Escobar. He adds that the Red Sox haven’t been ruled out but they’re far down the list.
9:35am: Padres GM Kevin Towers arrived early at the GM meetings, with trading Jake Peavy high on his to-do list. The latest from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune:
- Towers is "focused on three" teams. Krasovic believes these to be the Cubs, Dodgers, and Braves. He’s matched up with Jim Hendry and Ned Colletti before, and has known Frank Wren for many years. It is believed that Towers would charge the Dodgers a premium for being in their division. The Braves do not want to include top prospects such as Tommy Hanson and Jason Heyward.
- Towers isn’t opposed to a three-team deal, but he’s never done one. He’d prefer to make a normal direct trade.
- Towers wants quality over quantity, saying the right two or three players could get it done.
Andruw Wants To Return To Atlanta
Jennifer Brett of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to Dodgers outfielder Andruw Jones, who says he’d like to come back and play for the Braves again. It’s unclear from his quote whether Jones is campaigning to return to the Braves in 2009 or after that. It takes two to tango, however, and the Braves are probably looking for an outfielder who is not coming off a historically bad season. The Braves didn’t even offer Jones arbitration last year.
A few weeks ago, Jones said, "I’m an everyday guy or I need to move out." However, he hasn’t formally requested a trade from the Dodgers. The 31 year-old is set to earn a $15MM salary next year. He’ll also receive $2.1MM of his signing bonus in ’09 and another $5MM in ’10.
Odds and Ends: Jacobs, Howard, Renteria
Links for Friday…
- The A’s claimed infielder Joe Dillon off waivers from the Brewers.
- Dave Cameron criticizes the Royals’ acquisition of Mike Jacobs. ESPN’s Keith Law also panned the move, suggesting Jacobs was a non-tender candidate for the Marlins.
- Peter Abraham breaks down the different types of hot stove stories and sources.
- Derrick Goold looks at Ryan Howard‘s arbitration case.
- MLB.com’s Chris Haft talked to various scouts about Matt Cain‘s trade value.
- Edgar Renteria hopes to remain in Detroit, saying "Next year, we are going to win everything."
- ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian names his top ten offseason storylines.
- Ken Davidoff says the Mets were interested in Brad Lidge last year, but the Astros’ asking price was too high.
- Joel Sherman debates the merits of a Luis Castillo–Andruw Jones swap while stressing that no such deal is actually being discussed.
- The 2008 Fielding Bible awards are out.
Padres To Explore Peavy Deals With Cubs, Dodgers
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Padres intend to explore a possible Jake Peavy trade with the Cubs and Dodgers at next week’s GM meetings. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers would like to exhaust his possibilities with Peavy’s five preferred NL clubs before engaging others.
Rosenthal notes that the Cubs do not have the quality young pitching the Padres crave. They still have interest in Peavy, especially if they fail to re-sign Ryan Dempster.
The Dodgers aren’t keen on giving up Clayton Kershaw or James McDonald. Rosenthal believes the Dodgers have enough in-house pitching depth to buy out Brad Penny‘s 2009 option.
If Towers moves on to negotiate with the Yankees, Peavy will complicate matters by demanding his contract be supplemented.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Furcal, Peavy
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talked to the media yesterday; here’s the latest.
- Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News believes Colletti will pursue a competent backup catcher to allow more rest for Russell Martin. A decision is due on Gary Bennett‘s $900K option within seven days.
- So far this offseason, Colletti and Scott Boras have exchanged two voicemails. They’ll meet in person to discuss Manny Ramirez and other Boras clients (Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, Andruw Jones, maybe Joe Crede) at next week’s GM meetings. Colletti will not put the other team needs on hold to deal with Manny.
- Colletti has had preliminary talks with the agents for Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, and Nomar Garciaparra, while Jeff Kent is expected to retire.
- Colletti intends to acquire a top of the line starting pitcher, but Jake Peavy is unlikely (the Dodgers would have to pay extra due to the same-division factor). Free agents Lowe and C.C. Sabathia may be considered. The Dodgers have seven days to decide on Brad Penny‘s $9.25MM option versus the $2MM buyout.
- The Dodgers would love to have Takashi Saito back, but the situation with his elbow injury is unclear.
- Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones have expressed a desire to be traded through the media, but not formally to the Dodgers.