Odds and Ends: Perez, Torres, Beimel
Links for Friday, with an unplanned emphasis on relievers…
- The Tigers and Trevor Hoffman may be a match. Hoffman’s agent closed the door on the Padres.
- The Royals brought Mike Arbuckle aboard, formerly of the Phillies.
- The Nationals have interest in re-signing Aaron Boone and Odalis Perez. MLB.com’s Bill Ladson gives it a 50-50 chance. The Nats re-signed infielder Pete Orr, who could earn $600K.
- The Brewers picked up Salomon Torres‘ 2009 option, more of a procedural move than anything.
- The Marlins have an eye on minor league free agent Zach McClellan.
- Ken Davidoff makes contract and destination predictions for top free agents. K-Rod, Juan Cruz, and Russ Springer to the Cardinals for a combined $73MM?
- The Rockies have Joe Beimel and Jeremy Affeldt on the radar, among others.
- The New York Daily News has a cool free agent tracker.
Kevin Gregg Trade Reactions
The Cubs acquired one year of reliever Kevin Gregg for six of Jose Ceda yesterday. Chicago teams apparently went 0 for 2 yesterday, as the reactions favor the Marlins.
- Dave Cameron says swapping out Kerry Wood for Gregg in the pen loses the Cubs one to two wins.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo says Ceda resembles a young Lee Smith, and profiles as a future closer. Ken Rosenthal talked to an exec who drew an Armando Benitez comparison, in a good way.
- ESPN’s Keith Law calls the deal a "heist" for Florida.
- Paul Sullivan takes a look at Wood’s legacy in Chicago.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Swisher, Wood, Hermida
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.
Stark’s Latest: Abreu, Arroyo, Hudson
ESPN’s Jayson Stark is back with a look at needs and plans for all 30 teams. I highly recommend you read the article, but here are a few highlights. He’s also got a fresh blog post here.
- The Phillies are eyeing Doug Brocail and Russ Springer.
- The Mets like Bobby Abreu, but not his three year, $45MM asking price.
- The Reds are quietly listening on Bronson Arroyo, and the Rangers may be interested.
- Contrary to previous reports, Stark believes the Mets’ first order of business is getting a starting pitcher.
- Here’s a new one – the Marlins are interested in Orlando Hudson?
- The Astros may be trying to move money, and Stark implies trading Miguel Tejada or Jose Valverde could be one path.
- The Rockies have "actively explored" signing Jeremy Affeldt, who could also wind up back home with the Mariners. A few more interesting names for Seattle: Joe Crede (if Adrian Beltre is traded), Jason Giambi, and Ken Griffey Jr.
Cubs Acquire Gregg, Part Ways With Wood
4:12pm: Dave Cameron sees a net loss of 1-2 wins for the Cubs, swapping out Wood with Gregg.
2:18pm: GM Jim Hendry says the Cubs will part ways with lifetime Cub Kerry Wood. Replacing him with Gregg should save the team a good $6MM. The Cubs just couldn’t pony up a huge multiyear deal for Wood.
1:06pm: The Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer says the Marlins will receive relief prospect Jose Ceda in return. Seems pretty good for one year of Gregg.
12:57pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs acquired Kevin Gregg from the Marlins today. It seems that Gregg could become the Cubs’ setup man for Carlos Marmol if Kerry Wood departs.
Tigers Interested In Darren Oliver
Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press talked to Darren Oliver‘s agent, who said the Tigers and Angels are two of four teams interested in his client. Morosi says the Tigers have also contacted the agents for Trevor Hoffman, Brandon Lyon, David Weathers, and Arthur Rhodes while also expressing interest in Florida’s Kevin Gregg.
Oliver, 38, posted a 2.88 ERA in 72 innings. His strikeout rate wasn’t great, but he limited walks and home runs. He earned $2MM this year. As a Type A free agent, Oliver comes with the added tax of Detroit’s second-round pick in the June ’09 draft (assuming the Halos offer arbitration and he declines).
In other Tigers news, MLB.com’s Jason Beck says they’ve yet to contact Freddy Garcia‘s agent.
Cubs Focused On Lefthanded Bat
Gordon Wittenmyer talked to his sources and agrees with Lou Piniella’s indication that the Cubs are not serious about Jake Peavy. Wittenmyer believes San Diego sources were putting the Cubs rumors out there to drive up the price. He says the Cubs are focused on acquiring an athletic lefthanded hitter this winter.
Wittenmyer says Raul Ibanez, Jeremy Hermida, and Brian Roberts remain on the radar. The latest word on Hermida is that the Marlins will need to be "wowed" to move him.
Marlins, Pavano Have Mutual Interest
According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, Carl Pavano is open to returning to the Marlins. Capozzi says the Marlins are one of at least five teams interested in the 32 year-old righthander (the Rockies are believed to be another).
Pavano hopes to turn his career around with a healthy 2009. He’s worth a look if he’ll sign for $2-3MM plus incentives.
Odds and Ends: Holliday, Takahashi, Lincecum
Links for Wednesday…
- Richard Justice says the Astros should offer Andy Pettitte $7-8MM to come back.
- Joe Christensen doesn’t see Huston Street landing in Minnesota.
- Larry Beinfest dismissed a "cyberspace rumor" that the Marlins are planning a run at Manny Ramirez.
- Gordon Wittenmyer says the Cubs could fit both Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster into the payroll, and that the Peavy situation will be resolved first.
- Today is the deadline for MLB.com’s Free Agent Frenzy. You have until 4pm CST to submit your picks for 15 free agents. Here are my predictions from November 3rd…I would change the Furcal and Sheets ones for starters.
- Who had the Matt Holliday scoop? SI.com’s Jon Heyman broke the story, while Yahoo’s Tim Brown was the first to name the players involved.
- Holliday figures to be a three to six month rental for the A’s. Over at FanGraphs, Dave Cameron takes a closer look at Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Rockies received a "fair return" for Holliday.
- Athletics Nation suggests the A’s sign Derek Lowe.
- Ken Davidoff looks at the Yankees’ seesawing philosophy.
- Japanese southpaw Ken Takahashi intends to sign with an MLB club, and the Mets may be interested. Nikkan Sports says the Cubs, Padres, and Giants are also in on him.
- River Ave. Blues looks ahead to Derek Jeter‘s next contract.
- Andrew Baggarly reminds us that Tim Lincecum intends to go year to year.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney talked to one GM who expects "a whole lot of bargains" in late January, given the nation’s economy.
- Rany Jazayerli didn’t like the Royals’ acquisition of Mike Jacobs, but doesn’t think it’s the end of the world.
- Braves GM Frank Wren on Jeff Francoeur: "We haven’t talked about him at all. It’s not to say that we wouldn’t."
Gregg Next Marlin To Go?
According to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, the next likely trade candidate for the Marlins is reliever Kevin Gregg. Frisaro’s sources say Gregg "will almost certainly be dealt."
Gregg, 30, posted a 3.41 ERA in 68.2 innings this year. His strikeout rate declined and his walk rate increased to a dangerous 4.85 per nine innings. Gregg only really struggled in August, however, as he was bothered by a knee injury. He’ll earn more than $2.5MM in his last year before free agency.
Teams known to be looking for bullpen help include the Indians, Tigers, Twins, Rangers, Mets, Brewers, and Giants.