Angels and Dodgers Battling For Miguel Cabrera
UPDATE, 11-15-07: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Angels are in the lead now, and trade talk for Cabrera is picking up with A-Rod on the verge of signing. Frisaro says a deal could be done by Thanksgiving, in contrast to Joe Capozzi’s suggestion that this would happen at the Winter Meetings. The L.A. Times explained several Dodgers/Angels scenarios on Wednesday; that’s also worth a read.
FROM 11-13-07:
Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Dodgers and Angels are leading the pack in the Miguel Cabrera derby. Four other clubs are said to be in the mix. The Marlins will continue to field offers and hope to trade Cabrera at the Winter Meetings in a few weeks.
Both the Dodgers and Angels are also in the mix for Alex Rodriguez. Scott Boras must love Cabrera messing up his market. A friend of Tommy Lasorda’s told me today that Lasorda puts the Dodgers’ chances of signing A-Rod around 25%.
From the Angels, the Marlins want Howie Kendrick, Nick Adenhart, another pitcher, and an outfielder. Now that’s a tall order! Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders could be in the mix. Maybe the Marlins like Terry Evans, Nathan Haynes, or Reggie Willits as well.
The Dodgers are being asked to pony up four of Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Andy LaRoche, James Loney, and Matt Kemp. Capozzi suggests the Dodgers would probably only include one of the pitchers. Even so, a Kershaw/LaRoche/Loney/Kemp package is insane for one player. That has to be well over $100MM of value – a bit less than 20 team-controlled seasons. Three of the five would still make for a sweet bounty. The team acquiring Cabrera would probably be compelled to lock him in past 2009.
An educated guess at the other four teams in the mix for Cabrera: White Sox, Red Sox, Yankees, and Giants. I’ll guess that the Indians have bowed out.
Odds and Ends: Kendrick, Uggla, Haren
Another random collection of rumorage…
- The Braves have "many millions more" to spend on players this winter. One emailer suggested that maybe the Braves will offer arbitration to Andruw Jones and he’ll accept.
- Corey Patterson and the Nationals have mutual interest. Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan considers him a possible bargain, noting that he is only 28.
- We figured the Padres and Matt Clement had mutual interest. Now it’s official. Clement wants a one-year deal with incentives.
- Tracy Ringolsby confirms that Yorvit Torrealba wants a three-year deal. He says the Rockies are at two years, $7MM, the Marlins are in the same range, and the Mets are at two years, $9MM. UPDATE: The Denver Post says Torrealba will have a decision Thursday.
- Interesting Miguel Cabrera stuff from the L.A. Times. Howie Kendrick is not considered untouchable, but the Marlins might have to include Dan Uggla. Basically if the Marlins are to get four players back, they’ll have to add Uggla or Dontrelle Willis to the deal.
- Our friends at Gotham Baseball say if the Mets were to acquire Dan Haren, the package would start with Billy Beane favorite John Maine. Mark Healey figures Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman would have to go also.
- Ken Rosenthal thinks a one-year, $8MM offer from Atlanta would be enough to secure Tom Glavine.
- The D’Backs’ main trading chip is outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. It appears that the team explored what they could get for Conor Jackson and decided to keep him.
Marlins Interested In Torrealba, Barrett, Maroth
Joe Capozzi checks in with a look at the Marlins’ approach toward free agency this winter.
It sounds like the Fish are willing to spend a few bucks to upgrade on Miguel Olivo in the catcher spot. Do they go for the defensive-minded Yorvit Torrealba, or the typically offensive-minded Michael Barrett? So far the Marlins are leaning toward Torrealba, but would have to beat the Rockies’ two-year, $6MM offer. And the Mets’ level of interest probably just increased with Jorge Posada staying with the Yankees.
Barrett has a Jeffrey Loria connection, but might seek a two-year deal for $8MM or so. The Padres might roll the dice and offer him arbitration. If they do he declines then the price for another team to sign him increases signficantly – a first or second round draft pick. The Marlins #6 overall pick is protected, as is the Devil Rays’ #1 overall pick. In contrast, teams like the Brewers, Blue Jays, Mets, and Rockies risk losing first round picks if they sign Type A free agents who declined arbitration. Another way to lose those picks would be to sign Type A guys before December 2nd.
Capozzi says the Fish could also look at Paul Lo Duca, Damian Miller, or Rod Barajas if the first two choices fall through.
The Marlins will surf the bargain bin for one veteran starter, and they’re currently targeting Mike Maroth. I like it. He’s an Orlando native who could bounce back and win ten games in ’08. Capozzi also says the Marlins are in touch with Aaron Boone‘s agent, but will have competition from the Nationals.
Odds and Ends: Hot Stove Hysteria
Anyone else ready for the Winter Meetings? It’s going to be a crazy four days. I’ll be blogging all of it nonstop. Here are some links to consider in the meantime.
- Play MLBTR’s Hot Stove Hysteria contest! Right now the prizes in my holding include a Carlos Zambrano biography and a Big Dawg Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. If your company would like to join in on the sponsorship of the contest, email me. The deadline to enter in the contest is midnight CST tonight. If you’ve already entered but want to change yours, just make another comment with the updated list. (Please don’t email me your entry – put it in the comments of the Hot Stove Hysteria post linked above).
- U.S.S Mariner gives its take on some of the early hot stove moves.
- Yorvit Torrealba plans to test the market, with the Marlins, Mets, Brewers, and Devil Rays as possible suitors. Torrealba will give the Rockies the chance to match any offer though.
- Phil Rogers thinks Johnny Estrada might be non-tendered.
Mariners Searching For Starters
John Hickey has an update on the Mariners’ starting pitching targets. The options look grim.
As far as trade targets, there’s always Johan Santana and Dontrelle Willis. The Mariners have long had their eye on Dontrelle, so maybe they’d offer a Wladimir Balentien/Jeff Clement package.
Carlos Silva might be on the radar, but Hickey says the vibe is that he could get north of $12MM per season. A better deal might be Hiroki Kuroda, who is estimated to earn $7-9MM annually by Hickey. The Mariners may have the edge on Kuroda because of their location and Japanese catcher. I keep reading that Kuroda throws in the mid-90s…forgive me if I’m skeptical.
Hickey notes that Bartolo Colon might also be on the radar, and implies that they could pick up Carl Pavano on a whim if he’s released.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Cabrera, Haren, Barrett
Rumor guru Ken Rosenthal checks in with a new column this afternoon.
- The White Sox are legitimately in the mix for Miguel Cabrera, but many stars would have to align for it to get done. Suitors with better prospects would have to balk, and the Sox would have to part with Josh Fields and Gio Gonzalez. Kenny Williams might even have to cash Jon Garland in and turn around and flip that prospect in a Cabrera deal. Regardless, it’s clear that Williams is once again thinking big.
- Let’s face it: the Twins aren’t retaining free agents Torii Hunter or Carlos Silva. You gotta know when to fold ’em – maybe it’s best to punt 2008 and trade both Johan Santana and Joe Nathan now. Rosenthal says that philosophy is gaining some steam in the organization. Both Santana and Nathan are only under contract for one year, but both are signed well below market prices. That means that any mildly competitive team could entertain the notion of acquiring one of them for a big boost. Baseball Prospectus values Santana at $25MM and 8.1 wins next year (he earns $13.25MM). They put Nathan at $15MM and 6 wins (he earns $6MM).
- The A’s are another team that could take one step back in order to take two steps forward. Billy Beane has Joe Blanton and Dan Haren, two solid young pitchers each under team control for three seasons. That’s a big advantage over the other frontline names who might be available. Santana and A.J. Burnett have one year. Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard have two. Haren for three years is huge. Blanton is under team control but Haren is actually under contract.
- The Rays have gotten in touch with Michael Barrett‘s people. Will Barrett’s Type A status become an issue? Only if the Padres dare offer him arbitration. If I had to guess I’d say they won’t offer, but it’s a close call. Troy E. Renck recently mentioned Barrett has drawn interest from six clubs, perhaps including the Rockies and Marlins. I’m sure the Rockies would not give up their #25 overall pick to the Padres just to sign Barrett. The Marlins’ sixth overall pick next year is protected.
Tigers Inquire About Willis
Scott Boras and Kenny Rogers threw a wrench in the Tigers’ plans by suggesting The Gambler will test the open market. It’s already been noted that the Tigers have expressed interest in Carlos Silva as a fallback.
Also on the radar: Dontrelle Willis. Dave Dombrowski recently called the Marlins to inquire. Dombrowski, of course, previously worked for the Fish. Jon Paul Morosi notes that the Tigers asked about Willis two years ago as well. I imagine the asking price was much higher then. With Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez now with the Braves, it may be hard to find a match anyway.
The vibe seems to be that the Marlins would prefer to trade Miguel Cabrera and keep Willis.
Contract Window For Miguel Cabrera?
MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Miguel Cabrera trade talks are heating up. As you know, Cabrera is under team control for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He might become more enticing if the acquiring team can talk to his agent prior to completion of a trade, with a long-term contract in mind. As far as I can tell Cabrera is represented by Arn Tellem and Fernando Cuza currently.
Frisaro says the Angels and Dodgers are in the lead for Cabrera. The Yankees, White Sox, Indians, and Tigers are also in the mix. However this Paul Hoynes article seems to indicate the Indians are fading on Cabrera. And I think it’s questionable whether the White Sox have the goods. Frisaro doesn’t include the Red Sox, which jives with Michael Silverman’s info today. Peter Gammons says the Red Sox could get Hank Blalock in a Coco Crisp deal but aren’t ready to do that right now.
It’s known that the Marlins want Howie Kendrick from the Angels; Ken Rosenthal first reported that yesterday. Maicer Izturis would also be thrown in there, but I imagine Nick Adenhart would be required as well. If such a deal were reached, Dan Uggla would move to third base to accomodate Kendrick. There’s also speculation that the Marlins could trade Uggla if they get Kendrick.
Frisaro expects Dontrelle Willis to stay put this winter.
Odds and Ends: Garcia, Greene, DeJesus
With so many rumors, there’s a need for a daily Odds and Ends post to catch ’em all.
- Buster Olney talked to Freddy Garcia‘s agent. He’s looking at a June return from shoulder surgery.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro made an offer on Brad Lidge. The Astros didn’t even reply. They did hear back from the Marlins on their Miguel Cabrera inquiry. The price is seemingly too high for talks to continue. Peter Gammons says that before the Astros got Michael Bourn, the White Sox pushed for a Chad Qualls for Ryan Sweeney swap.
- Evan Grant notes that the Rangers have discussed trading shortstop Joaquin Arias to the Royals for Joey Gathright. They’ve also talked to the Brewers about Tony Gwynn Jr. GM Jon Daniels needs to have options if he can’t afford Torii Hunter or the other free agents. Grant adds that the Rangers have already been in touch with Kerry Wood.
- Jose Guillen declined his $5MM option with the Mariners – that’s no surprise. So far the Royals have expressed interest.
- Khalil Greene is under the Padres’ control through 2009, but his salary is going to jump significantly in arbitration for the ’08 and ’09 seasons. The Padres want to sign him to a multiyear deal, perhaps buying out one year of free agency. GM Kevin Towers is also posturing that he might use Scott Hairston as the regular center fielder next year, which seems a stretch. Also, Geoff Jenkins is on Towers’ radar.
- Ed Wade and the Astros have asked the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis. However the ‘Stros probably do not have the goods.’
- One way or another, the Marlins will ditch Miguel Olivo. They hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba aboard, which would take an offer better than two years, $6MM. The Mets, Brewers, and Blue Jays also like Torrealba. The Marlins are serious about upgrading behind the plate and will spend some money to do so.
- Jorge Posada seems set on testing the market, which never bodes well for the incumbent team.
- David DeJesus is a hot commodity as an affordable center fielder, but Dayton Moore expects to hang onto him. Maybe he’ll change his mind once some big names are off the board.
More On Mike Lowell
Michael Silverman has a little detail on Boston’s three-year offer to Mike Lowell: it’s between $12-15MM per season. It’s all guaranteed, and it doesn’t seem to be a "take it or leave it" offer, but they won’t add a fourth year. So it’s for $45MM on the high end. If you agree with Jon Heyman’s 4/52 prediction, Lowell would be leaving a minimum of $7MM on the table.
Silverman adds that the Red Sox won’t go nuts trying to replace Lowell with a big name if things don’t work out. They figure that if Kevin Youkilis can win a Gold Glove at first, he might be adequate at third base. They peeked their head in on Miguel Cabrera and balked at the price of Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. Joe Crede might be someone for the Sox to consider.
The Yankees, Angels, and Phillies will be in on Lowell if he can’t come to an agreement with Boston. However, Phils GM Pat Gillick has stated his focus is pitching rather than third base.