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Brown On Red Sox, Reynolds, Beckham

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Agent Scott Boras tells Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the changes to the offseason schedule mean he’s fielding offers for his clients earlier than usual. Here are the rest of Brown’s rumors:

  • The Astros appear to be close to re-signing Geoff Blum.
  • The Red Sox will determine how available Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder are before they start serious negotiations with top free agents. It sounds like the Padres and Brewers will at least listen to offers for their respective first basemen.
  • The D’Backs are “shopping” Mark Reynolds and looking for relievers and contact hitters.
  • Rival teams believe the White Sox will listen to offers for Gordon Beckham.
  • Gary Matthews Jr. hopes to continue playing, according to Brown.

 

Washburn Undecided About 2011

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Veteran lefty Jarrod Washburn sat out the 2010 season, but he told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he's undecided on 2011.  Noting that he's been contacted by a couple of teams this week, Washburn explained, "I will not say I am 100 percent retired because a great opportunity might present itself."

Morosi adds that a great opportunity translates as close to Washburn's Wisconsin home.  The Brewers or Twins might be his top choices, and both teams should be in the hunt for starting pitching.  One point in Milwaukee's favor is their hiring of Ron Roenicke, who worked with Washburn during his Angels days.

Washburn, 36, is a candidate to provide 175 innings of 4.50 ball in 2011.  His asking price is an unknown; he's represented by Scott Boras. 

Athletics Win Hisashi Iwakuma Bid?

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SUNDAY, 10:00pm: Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura tweeted about the Athletics winning the bidding, it appears.

SUNDAY, 8:55am: NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes on a pair of Japanese reports suggesting that Rakuten will accept the top bid for Iwakuma, which could be higher than $16MM (Twitter links).

SATURDAY, 1:48pm: Rosenthal writes that the A's "are believed to have made a strong push" for Iwakuma. He speculates that if the Brewers are willing to part with Casey McGehee, they could potentially match up for a trade with Oakland given their need for pitching. 

1:07pm: Rosenthal says that the Athletics also bid on Iwakuma (Twitter link) with the idea trading one of the excess starters for a bat if they landed him. The FoxSports.com scribe adds that the Rangers may have bid too low.

12:11pm: FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers may be the high bidder for Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma. Last night we heard that the Mariners were the favorite to land him. In a second tweet, Rosenthal says that Texas definitely submitted a bid, but there's no guarantee that the Rakuten Golden Eagles will accept the high bid. They were seeking $16MM-17MM in the posting process.

The Rangers had tremendous success bringing Colby Lewis over from Japan last year, so it makes sense that they'd explore that avenue again. Iwakuma is widely considered to be the second best starting pitcher in Japan behind Yu Darvish. 

The bidding closed last night, and reports out of Japan indicated that Seattle submitted a bid of $13MM. Iwakuma was also said to prefer the West Coast.

Brewers Notes: Bush, Capuano, Counsell, Dillard

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The Brewers introduced new manager Ron Roenicke at a press conference on Thursday, and GM Doug Melvin spoke to the media about the upcoming free agent period afterwards. Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel fills us in on the details…

  • Melvin told right-hander Dave Bush that "he should test the market." Bush didn't take it as a sign that the team will not attempt to re-sign him however, he told Haudricourt that Melvin encouraged him to explore the market since it's his first time as a free agent.
  • Melvin indicated that he had calls into the agents for Chris Capuano and Craig Counsell, and that it's possible he'll make them offers before other teams can jump in.
  • There has been no indication that the team will try to bring Trevor Hoffman, Doug Davis, and/or Gregg Zaun back. The Brewers recently declined the club options for all three players.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that Milwaukee has re-signed right-hander Tim Dillard to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The 27 year old spent the season in Triple-A working on a new sidearm delivery. 

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gonzalez, Pirates, Elias

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On this date way back in 1976, the Mariners and Blue Jays each selected 30 players in the expansion draft. Seattle drafted outfielder Ruppert Jones from the Royals with the first pick, then Toronto grabbed the versatile Bob Bailor from the Orioles with the second pick. The full results of the expansion draft can be found here.

We had to do some expanding of our own this week – get ready for what I'm certain is the largest BBWI in MLBTR history…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Brewers Hire Ron Roenicke As Manager

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The Brewers officially announced the hiring of Ron Roenicke to a two-year deal with a club option for 2013, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported the hiring Tuesday and it didn't take long for people in baseball to praise the former Angels coach. Rays manager Joe Maddon told Haudricourt that he sees parallels between Roenicke and himself.

"I think he’ll be a very good manager." Maddon said. "He’s conversant, he listens. He’s got all these really good qualities that’s going to make him a good manager. Guys like Ron need to be found out."

Bobby Valentine, Bob Melvin, and Joey Cora were also reportedly candidates for the job. Roenicke has served as a coach with the Angels for eleven years, managing in the minor leagues before that. He spent eight seasons playing outfield in the Majors for the Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Giants, Phillies, and Reds.

NL Central Notes: Sandberg, Rasmus, Pirates, Arroyo

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Here are some news items from the National League's middle division…

  • Ryne Sandberg has turned down an offer to return as the Cubs' Triple-A manager, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, and Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports that Sandberg won't be with the organization at all in 2011.  Sandberg was heavily rumored to take over managing the Cubs after Lou Piniella's retirement, but Chicago instead gave the job to interim manager Mike Quade.
  • A roundtable of Cardinals writers collected by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed the Colby Rasmus trade rumors and the majority don't like the idea.  Comments range from "there would be no logic behind a trade" to "trading Rasmus would be incredibly stupid unless it’s an offer that’s so ridiculously good that it cannot be rejected."
  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's manager search and other topics in a chat with fans on MLB.com.
  • Steven Jackson, Brandon Moss and Justin Thomas can all become minor league free agents after being outrighted to Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  Sean Gallagher, who was also outrighted, can declare free agency on Saturday but Langosch says the Pirates will try to sign the pitcher to a contract before then.
  • Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the Reds want to work out a contract extension with Bronson Arroyo before Opening Day.  "I don't want to go into the season negotiating," Sheldon said.  "We'll try to [get it done] before the start of the season."   
  • Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times praises Milwaukee's hire of Ron Roenicke as manager.
  • Former Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson has interviewed for the hitting coach job in Houston, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Puerto Rican Links: Beltran, Delgado, Listach

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'Tis the season for Puerto Rican players to head back to the island for winter ball and home cooking. Links are in Spanish…

  • At the opening of a baseball academy yesterday, Carlos Beltran told Fernando Ribas Reyes of El Nuevo Dia that the Mets have invited the center fielder to meet with new GM Sandy Alderson. Beltran was non-committal about his approach, saying, "It doesn't matter what I think. The organization is going to do what they think is best for them. The way I can control it is to have a good year. If I do, I know there will be teams interested in me. For my part, I'd like to play in New York a few years more."
  • In a separate piece, Carlos Delgado told Reyes he hasn't been approached by any major league teams so far this offseason. Delgado insisted he has no preferences about where he plays, and admited that he has had a few doubts about his ability to return to the majors.
  • Pat Listach, former Nationals third base coach and recent candidate for the Brewers managerial opening, told Junior Lugo Marrero at Periodico La Perla that making the jump from base coach to manager remains one of his goals. At the moment, Listach is managing the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico, and he described his style as that of "an aggressive manager who likes the hit and run and moving players around the bases." In the shorter term, Listach will be joining the Cubs as bench coach, reported Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com two days ago.

Bonser Elects Free Agency; Brewers Claim James

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The A’s lost one right-hander to free agency and another one to a waiver claim, according to the team. Boof Bonser elected free agency after the A’s outrighted him to Triple-A, and the team lost Justin James when the Brewers claimed him on waivers. The A’s also outrighted outfielder Matt Carson to Triple-A, but Carson agreed to terms on a contract with the team.

Bonser logged 25 innings with the A's and Red Sox this year. The 29-year-old posted a 6.12 ERA, but his strikeout (6.1 K/9) and walk (2.9 BB/9) rates weren't bad.

James, also 29, made his big league debut with the A's in 2010. He pitched just 4.0 innings in the majors, but logged 39.1 impressive frames in the upper minors. James posted a 1.83 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Brewers Decline Options For Zaun, Hoffman, Davis

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The Brewers declined their 2011 options for Gregg Zaun, Trevor Hoffman and Doug Davis, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Milwaukee paid a total of $2MM in buyouts. Zaun got $250K instead of a $2.25MM salary; Hoffman got $750K instead of a $7MM salary and Davis got $1MM instead of a $6.5MM salary. All three moves were expected.

Zaun, who tore the labrum in his right shoulder this summer, has said he would like to play in 2011, but it probably won't be in Milwaukee. The Brewers have Jonathan Lucroy, George Kottaras and Mike Rivera behind the plate. Davis made just eight starts in 2010 because of injuries.

Hoffman picked up his 600th career save this year, but struggled early in the season, lost the closer's job to John Axford and pitched to a 5.89 ERA overall. In the highly unlikely event that the Brewers offer arbitration and Hoffman turns it down to sign elsewhere, the team would obtain a compensatory pick in next year's draft for losing a Type B free agent.

 

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