Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins
Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
- The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
- The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.
Brewers Will Listen On Lorenzo Cain
5:52pm: There's some tension between the Braves and Brewers, since Atlanta initially heard that Cain was available and are now hearing he isn't a trade chip, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Crasnick he has to be open to deals for any player, though.
2:27pm: The Brewers don't want to and aren't looking to move Cain but will listen, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
12:06pm: Our hunch was correct; MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that the Braves are among the teams showing interest in Cain.
9:28am: The Brewers are dangling center fielder Lorenzo Cain with the aim of adding another starting pitcher, reports Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
Cain, 25 in April, is expected to compete for the Brewers' starting center field job next year with Carlos Gomez and Chris Dickerson. He did a nice job in 158 big league plate appearances this year and had a .402 OBP in 380 minor league PAs. Pure speculation, but maybe the Braves could match up if they're not keen on trying Nate McLouth or Jordan Schafer in center next year.
The Brewers already sent one of their best prospects packing yesterday for pitching, shipping Brett Lawrie to Toronto for two years of Shaun Marcum.
Brewers Notes: Marcum, Prince, Greinke
The Brewers have one of the biggest trade chips in baseball and they actively pursued another one. Here are the details:
- Alex Anthopoulos and Doug Melvin both said Shaun Marcum's desire for an extension figured into the trade that sent the right-hander to Milwaukee, according to Yahoo's Steve Henson (on Twitter). The Blue Jays weren't going to offer him an extension, but that's something the Brewers are open to.
- The Brewers' top trade chip, Prince Fielder, is even more likely to stay put now that the team has acquired Marcum, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Royals' top trade chip, Zack Greinke, intrigues the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The team made two passes at Greinke before pursuing Marcum.
Brewers Acquire Shaun Marcum
The Brewers and Blue Jays officially announced a trade that will send two players a little closer to home. The Blue Jays will send Kansas City native Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee in exchange for Canadian prospect Brett Lawrie. It's the second deal the teams have made within the past week, after Toronto acquired Carlos Villanueva for a player to be named later on Friday.
Marcum, who turns 29 next Tuesday, turned in a 3.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 across 25 starts in 2008 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. After missing the 2009 major league season, he came back strong in 2010, posting a 3.64 ERA with 7.6 K/0 and 2.0 BB/9. The hurler is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, so he's under the Brewers' control through 2012. Last year, the hurler avoided arbitration with the Blue Jays when he agreed to a one-year, $850K deal.
Lawrie, 21, turned in a strong 2010 in Double-A Huntsville, hitting .285/.346/.451 with eight homers in 135 games. Baseball America ranked Brett Lawrie as Milwaukee's second-best prospect in their 2010 handbook. The 16th pick in the 2008 draft, Lawrie is said to be an aggressive hitter with good pop. While he was praised for his strong hands and quick bat, Baseball America writes that he needs to dedicate himself to defense if he wants to become a second baseman in the mold of Jeff Kent. Some scouts believe the soon-to-be 21-year-old is destined for an outfield corner.
The Brewers were long known to be prioritizing starting pitching this winter, after their rotation posted a 4.65 ERA (15th in NL) in 2010. With their acquisition of Marcum, they were able to improve the rotation without moving Prince Fielder, who will likely still be available in the right deal. In a pair of tweets, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains that part of the reason the Brewers were willing to part with a top prospect for Marcum is their belief that a long-term deal with the right-hander is a possibility.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel was the first to report that the two sides had agreed to a deal. The Brewers have announced the trade (on Twitter).
Prince Fielder Rumors: Monday
We heard earlier today that the Brewers are likely to hold onto Prince Fielder, but that won't stop other teams from expressing interest in the former home run champ. Here are the details on Prince, with more updates to come throughout the evening:
- The Brewers are having internal meetings to discuss Fielder, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Brewers approached the Dodgers about their potential interest in Fielder, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti shot down the Fielder-Loney-Broxton rumor, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Brewers and Dodgers have not spoken at the meetings (Twitter link).
- The Dodgers have zero interest in Fielder, according to Yahoo's Steve Henson (on Twitter).
- The Dodgers are discussing a possible three-player deal that would send Fielder to Los Angeles for James Loney and Jonathan Broxton, according to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Dodgers appear willing to listen to offers for Broxton and the Brewers are one of three teams that have inquired on Loney.
Nationals, Cubs, Brewers Inquired On James Loney
12:22pm: A Dodgers source tells Yahoo's Steve Henson Loney will not be traded because he'd be too expensive to replace on the open market (Twitter link). Rosenthal now agrees that Loney will not be traded.
11:39am: The Nationals, Cubs, and Brewers have inquired on Dodgers first baseman James Loney, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Loney is available, says Rosenthal. Rosenthal notes that the Brewers would only want him in the unlikely event of a Prince Fielder trade. The Cubs and Nationals appear to be focused on Carlos Pena, says Rosenthal.
Loney was tendered a contract on December 2nd, so he'll earn $4.5-5MM in 2011 after a disappointing '10 season. The Dodgers' asking price doesn't appear to be reasonable, as MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that they wanted Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann from Washington.
Six Teams Interested In Koji Uehara
The Orioles, Mariners, Twins, Red Sox, Brewers, and Cardinals are interested in free agent reliever Koji Uehara, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun learned from an unnamed Japanese reporter. Uehara would like to return to the Orioles, but they're unlikely to give him a multiyear deal. If he finds such an offer, he'll sign elsewhere.
Uehara, 36 in April, was dominant out of the Orioles' pen this year in 44 innings but has had an injury-plagued couple of seasons in the U.S.
White Sox Rumors: Fielder, Dunn, Konerko
Here's the latest on Kenny Williams' search for power bats, as the White Sox announce their deal with Adam Dunn:
- The White Sox discussed Prince Fielder with the Brewers before completing the Dunn deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal explains how the shortage of available pitching could make it difficult for the Brewers to acquire high caliber young arms in a potential Fielder trade.
- Dunn says he'll DH or play any position, according to Scott Reifert of the White Sox (on Twitter).
- Williams says A.J. Pierzynski and Dunn will accept deferred payment on their new deals to help the White Sox make Paul Konerko a strong offer, Reifert notes on Twitter. Konerko is meeting with the White Sox on Monday, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Blue Jays Acquire Carlos Villanueva
The Blue Jays have acquired Carlos Villanueva from the Brewers for a player to be named later, according to the team's Twitter page. The 27-year-old right-hander posted 11.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings of relief last year. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen after starting games in each of his first four big league seasons.
Arbitration eligible for the second time, Villanueva will get a raise from the $950K salary he earned in 2010.
Defense independent pitching stats suggest Villanueva's 4.61 ERA was inflated in 2010. That suggests his ERA could dip with a similar performance in 2011, but moving to the homer-friendly Rogers Centre could be challenging for Villanueva, who allowed more fly balls than ground balls last year. Villanueva has handled both lefties and righties successfully throughout his career.
Odds & Ends: Hampton, Prince, Berkman, Miner
Links on an intensely busy Monday for the Rockies…
- Mike Hampton's agent Mark Rodgers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic he's had "extremely productive conversations" about a 2011 contract with the Diamondbacks. Hampton made 14 relief appearances at Triple-A and in the Majors this year after signing with Arizona in August.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he hasn't yet decided whether to trade Prince Fielder or hold onto him. At this point, the Brewers intend to keep their options open with the Scott Boras client.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he'll be hesitant to sign Type A free agents who turned down offers of arbitration. Keep track of all arbitration decisions right here.
- Lance Berkman will meet with the A's tomorrow, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They're one of his many suitors, though they'd have to convince him to DH regularly.
- There's mutual interest between the Tigers and Zach Miner, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The Tigers designated Miner for assignment earlier today.
- The Indians announced that they re-signed catcher Luke Carlin to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. The 29-year-old has played for the Padres, D'Backs and Indians since 2008.
- The Braves also signed a catcher to a minor league deal, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Longtime minor leaguer J.C. Boscan signed with the Braves, who also added Brent Clevlen and Wilkin Ramirez.