Twins Rumors

Padres Discussing Kouzmanoff

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 6:18pm CDT

618pm: Stark hears that the Padres offered Kouzmanoff up for Lewis and Frandsen. That doesn't match with the reports below, which suggest the Padres wanted more. Stark agrees with Nightengale that the Padres wanted more than Glen Perkins in return from the Twins.

WEDNESDAY, 5:21pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears that the Padres are aggressively trying to move Kouzmanoff. The Twins and Giants are interested.

TUESDAY, 5:39pm: The Twins offered Perkins for Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

4:50pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that Kouzmanoff has drawn interest from as many as eight teams. The Padres aren't interested in Lewis or Frandsen.

1:47pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets about an NL West trade discussion: the Giants are talking to the Padres about third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more than Fred Lewis and Kevin Frandsen. I'm guessing the Padres would prefer not to pay Kouzmanoff the $3-5MM he'll get through arbitration.

Meanwhile La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Padres would like to discuss Kouzmanoff with the Twins. He wonders if they'd be interested in Glen Perkins, who is available. Neal notes that Pedro Feliz's agents would like to talk to the Twins as well.

Twins Rumors: Third Base, Harden

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 2:34pm CDT

2:34pm: Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to DeRosa's agent Keith Grunewald, who said talks with the Twins have been nothing more than preliminary.

10:49am: Neal has more, questioning the Feliz and Uribe links. Also, Neal spoke to someone from Rich Harden's agency and came away thinking the Mariners are the favorite (the Twins have not been in contact recently).

9:28am: Let's take a look at the Twins' third base situation. Yesterday afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports said they're considering free agents Adrian Beltre, Pedro Feliz, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Uribe, though Beltre and DeRosa might be too pricey. He did not see Boston's Mike Lowell as a target. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. has the Astros and Orioles in on Feliz, in addition to the Twins.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote early this morning that the Twins are "very interested in DeRosa." A trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff is another possibility, while re-signing Joe Crede hasn't been ruled out.

Boof Bonser Designated For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 10:47am CDT

WEDNESDAY, 10:47am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins attempted to sign Bonser to a one-year deal recently, but were turned down. He's expected to be released.

TUESDAY, 1:32pm: The Twins designated pitcher Boof Bonser for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old Bonser had labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February. Bonser sports a 5.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 over 391.6 career innings spanning three seasons.

Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 8, 2009 at 10:36pm CDT

Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 8, 2009 at 7:26pm CDT

More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.

Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2009 at 3:58pm CDT

Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…

Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Overnight Links: Myers, Castillo, Verlander, Padres

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2009 at 4:56am CDT

As we gear up for another long night, here's some links to take a look at if you're still awake:

Paul Hagen questions the Phillies' logic when refusing to look at bringing Brett Myers back. The Phils are looking for an inexpensive fifth starter candidate; Myers fits the bill and brings plenty of upside. Do they feel he's just not worth the trouble anymore?
Ben Shpigel explains why, in spite of a resurgent season from Luis Castillo, and in spite of the Mets' feeling that his contract is better than that of Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Matthews Jr., they're still looking to move him.
Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press feels the Tigers must do whatever it takes to keep Justin Verlander in Detroit for as long as possible. Rosenberg makes the interesting point that with one more dominant season, Verlander could put the Tigers in a similar position that Johan Santana put the Twins, though he concedes that Verlander's not as good. At least not yet.
Corey Brock tells us that new Padres GM celebrated his 36th birthday by kicking off the Winter Meetings and fielding calls on about "half a dozen" of his players, including Heath Bell, who could be due as much as $5MM through arbitration. Still, Brock suggests the Padres would prefer to keep Bell.
The Phillies payroll for 2010 will likely be around $140MM, says David Murphy. He also quotes Ruben Amaro Jr., implying that Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians could look to trade Kerry Wood during the Winter Meetings, but then discusses why it might be smarter to wait until midseason.
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart feels that Jose Valverde's probable departure is probably for the best, given the economics of the situation.
Danny Knobler at CBS Sports explains why the Pirates would even bother showing interest in Juan Pierre, whom they were linked to last night.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times says White Sox GM Kenny Williams declined to comment on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and implies that Hideki Matsui may not be a fit for the South Siders, even if Carlos Quentin moves to right field. Scott Podsednik, however, may still fit.
Aaron Gleeman looks at what it means to the Twins to have Carl Pavano back for 2010. Gleeman says Pavano's a better fit than past veteran starters the Twins have tried, as well as a safer bet than signing Jarrod Washburn to multiple years.

Betancourt, Soriano, Pavano Accept Arbitration

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2009 at 12:56am CDT

The deadline for free agents to accept arbitration has come and gone, so let's recap them all here for one easy reference point:

Type-A Free Agents

Jason Bay declined arbitration from the Red Sox.
Rafael Betancourt accepted arbitration from the Rockies.
Chone Figgins declined arbitration from the Angels and is on the verge of signing with the Mariners.
Mike Gonzalez declined arbitration from the Braves.
Matt Holliday declined arbitration from the Cardinals.
John Lackey declined arbitration from the Angels.
Marco Scutaro declined arbitration from the Blue Jays and signed with the Red Sox.
Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration from the Braves.
Jose Valverde declined arbitration from the Astros.
Billy Wagner declined arbitration from the Red Sox and signed with the Braves.

Type-B Free Agents

Rod Barajas declined arbitration from the Blue Jays.
Adrian Beltre declined arbitration from the Mariners.
Marlon Byrd declined arbitration from the Rangers.
Mark DeRosa declined arbitration from the Cardinals.
Justin Duchscherer declined arbitration from the Athletics.
Brandon Lyon declined arbitration from the Tigers.
Jason Marquis declined arbitration from the Mets.
Carl Pavano was the lone Type B to accept arbitration.
Joel Pineiro declined arbitration from the Cardinals.
Fernando Rodney declined arbitration from the Tigers.
Ivan Rodriguez declined arbitration from the Rangers, and quickly after signed a two-year deal with Washington.
Brian Shouse declined arbitration from the Rays.
Gregg Zaun declined arbitration from the Rays and signed with the Brewers.

Carl Pavano Accepts Arbitration

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2009 at 10:48pm CDT

As expected, Carl Pavano accepted the Twins' offer of arbitration, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Carl Pavano To Accept Arbitration

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2009 at 6:32pm CDT

6:32pm: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune agrees – he says Pavano will accept arbitration tonight. Rosenthal says it's 99% certain.

11:33am: Rosenthal says Pavano is likely to accept the Twins' arbitration offer.

9:28am: Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell "pressed the Twins on multi-year contract possibilities in their Sunday night meeting," tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. We'll know by the end of the day whether Pavano will accept the Twins' arbitration offer, on which he was said to be undecided by Ken Rosenthal.

By tallying 199.3 innings and 33 starts between the Indians and Twins, Pavano ended up earning $4.35MM in 2009. Fair or not, after the Yankees debacle, any team giving Pavano multiple years is going to be the subject of some derision. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins "aren't too fired up" about giving Pavano two years.

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