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Odds & Ends: Dye, Pettitte, Bay, Yankees, Mauer

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Some links to start the day…

  • Yesterday we heard that Jermaine Dye was open to playing first base, and Jack Moore at FanGraphs determines that unless he takes a massive paycut, Dye's still not worth taking the spot of a prospect. 
  • Andy Pettitte isn't expected to make his decision about a 2010 return anytime soon, according to Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News.
  • FoxSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby runs down the ten biggest free agency blunders. I have to disagree that the Dodgers are better off with Juan Pierre in left instead of Manny Ramirez, what about you?
  • Cathal Kelly of The Toronto Star says there is a "school of thought" that the Blue Jays could be a surprise suitor for Jason Bay, who is Canadian. The move could ease some fan anger should they trade Roy Halladay.
  • After last year's spending spree, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said  "We're not going to spend as much this year," according to The NY Post's Dan Martin. Maybe he means they can afford only one nine-figure contract instead of two this offseason.
  • Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press notes that playing on the East Coast could result in enormous endorsement opportunities for Joe Mauer, something he'd have to consider before agreeing to an extension with the Twins.
  • A's majority owner John Fisher and minority owner Lew Wolff reinforced their desire to build a new ballpark in downtown San Jose, reports Joe Stiglich of The Contra Costa Times.  
  • The Boston Herald provides a nice little primer for the AL East hot stove.

Twins Hope To Have Mauer Deal Done By Christmas

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There are indications from the Twins that they hope to have a contract extension with AL MVP Joe Mauer done by Christmas, according to The Star Tribune's Joe Christensen. The team has met with Mauer's agent and realizes an extension needs to happen soon, but Mauer didn't seem too concerned about it during a teleconference yesterday, saying "it will take care of itself when it needs to."

Teammate Justin Morneau said he didn't think it was a question of money, but "whether or not he feels we can win every day with the talent we have." The Twins move into Target Field next season, and new ballparks have historically led to increased revenue, at least in the first few years.

Odds & Ends: Towers, Randy Johnson, Arroyo

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Links for Monday…

Joe Mauer Named AL MVP

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Twins catcher Joe Mauer was named the American League MVP today, according to a team press release.  Mauer was a near-unanimous pick for first place, with Miguel Cabrera getting one vote (from Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News).  Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter placed second and third in the voting; Cabrera fourth.  The AP's report notes that Mauer gets $100K for the win and Cabrera $200K for his fourth-place finish.

The BBWAA's site has the full voting.  Hey, there's Placido Polanco!

Cafardo On Lackey, Sheffield, Pavano

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In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights….

  • The fate of John Lackey could potentially affect the offseason plans of each of the AL East powers. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have interest, and Cafardo suggests that landing Lackey would allow the Red Sox to turn around and move Clay Buchholz in a deal for a coveted bat, like Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Cafardo relays this quote from an AL GM: "The Red Sox could be the major player this offseason if certain things fall together for them. They still have enough chips in their farm system to make something big happen."
  • The Yankees, meanwhile, appear willing to part with Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in the hunt for Roy Halladay, though they'd like to hang on to Austin Jackson.
  • Gary Sheffield will return in 2010 and has softened his stance on DHing since his Tigers days. He now says he'd accept a DH role, though he'd still like to play in the field occasionally. Cafardo names a handful of teams that could find a spot for Sheffield, noting that the 41-year-old would love to return to Atlanta or play in his hometown of Tampa Bay.
  • The Twins and Brewers are "very interested" in Carl Pavano.
  • The Brewers could also be players for John Smoltz, though the Cardinals would like to bring him back.

Quinlan Drawing Preliminary Interest

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Robb Quinlan's representatives say the utility man has drawn interest from two National League teams and one American League team, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. The Phillies are known to be looking for bench help and Spencer suggests the Twins could be a fit, too. We heard earlier in the week that Quinlan will not be back in Anaheim next year.

The 32-year-old hit .243/.275/.339 last year, spending some time at all four corner positions. He posted an .836 OPS as recently as 2006, but teams may be wary of Quinlan's questionable defense and fading contact skills. He has a reputation as a solid clubhouse presence and it wouldn't be fair to draw sweeping conclusions from a year of part time play, but his numbers weren't good last year.

Odds & Ends: Atkins, Twins, Carlyle

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Links for Friday, as the free agent market officially opens…

Twins And Brewers On Washburn’s Radar

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Free agent lefty Jarrod Washburn hasn't made much of a secret of his desire to play near his Webster, Wisconsin home, and he told FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi that both the Twins and Brewers are on his radar.

"The Twins and Brewers are both on the radar for me," Washburn said. "The thought of playing close to home has always appealed to me, and I think both of those teams would be good fits for me.

"I don't know yet if either of those teams have mutual interest, but we will see."

Obviously, those two teams fit Washburn's geographical desires. Both are said to be seeking veteran starters this offseason as well. Washburn also feels there's "mutual interest" in a return to the Mariners, noting that he enjoyed his time in Seattle and his family loved it there.

He also mentioned that his surgically repaired knee feels good.

"The surgery on the knee wasn't real extensive," Washburn told FOXSports.com in a Wednesday e-mail. "Dr. (Lewis) Yocum said he didn't have to do too much in there — just a little cleaning up.

"It feels great now, almost like I didn't even have a surgery. So, I don't see it being a problem for me in the future."

The Tigers acquired the 35-year-old from Seattle at the trade deadline, only to see him pitch to a 7.33 ERA in eight starts. Washburn has already received word from Detroit that they will not attempt to re-sign him.

Morning Links: Red Sox, Phillies, Rays

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Plenty to absorb this morning, baseball fans:

Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Smoltz, Indians

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Some news and notes from around the majors….

  • It was previously reported that eight teams were interested in veteran utilityman Mark DeRosa.  According to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, you can add the Mets, Braves and Twins to the list, as well as DeRosa's most recent team, the Cardinals.  With so many interested parties, DeRosa's agent Keith Grunewald believes his client should have no problem getting his desired multi-year contract.
  • In that same article, Hernandez notes that the Dodgers talked to Grunewald about both DeRosa and another of the agent's clients, pitcher John Smoltz.  The Dodgers were previously cited as one of seven clubs looking at Smoltz, with Los Angeles being one of the teams looking at the veteran right-hander as a starter.
  • Speaking of Smoltz, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter) says the Astros aren't interested in the future Hall-of-Famer.
  • Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com breaks down what Cleveland might do with the back-end of their 40-man roster and with some of their top minor-league prospects.
  • Tracy Ringolsby, in a response to a reader's e-mail, doesn't believe the Rockies will pursue a free-agent infielder given the team's satisfaction with Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes.  Ringolsby also thinks that the return of Jeff Francis from injury will preclude Colorado from chasing a free-agent starter.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak all but confirmed that Troy Glaus won't be back in St. Louis next season, says MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  Leach also notes that Mozeliak was non-committal about Jason LaRue returning as the Cards' backup catcher in 2010.
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