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Twins Rumors: Potential Free Agents, Mauer

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We already know that the Twins weren't able to swing a deal with the Cubs for pitcher Rich Harden today, but the Minnesota rumors don't end there. Let's recap some miscellaneous items…

  • Twins GM Bill Smith said there will be no negotiations with potential free agents Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Joe Crede, and Mike Redmond until after the season, according to Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
  • After word got out that the team has the money to keep megastar Joe Mauer in Minnesota, R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs took a look at the math and says that "unless Mauer really loves the area and takes a team friendly deal, I’m not sure they can meet his market value, and maybe you could argue they shouldn’t given the risks associated with being a catcher."

One thing to remember is that the Twins have brand new Target Field set to open next year, and new stadiums are almost always a cash cow for at least the first few years.

Twins Have Enough Money To Re-Sign Mauer

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There will be a bidding frenzy for Joe Mauer if he hits the free agent market after next season, as anticipated. But the Twins are in a position to make him a strong offer, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press. Team president Dave St. Peter said the team has enough money to keep Mauer around after next year.

The Twins are in the middle of a pennant race thanks in large part to Mauer's season-long hot streak at the plate and strong defense. Mauer says he isn't thinking about his contract status, but he's no doubt boosting his value with his MVP-level play.

Crede: Retirement Rumors Are False

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Joe Crede tells MLB.com's Tyler Mason that in spite of some recent rumors suggesting he's considering retirement, he has no such intention.

"I know I have more years in me. I still love the game," Crede said. "I have no plans of retiring."

The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday that Crede might opt to retire after the season, but Crede says he has no idea how those rumors emerged. Crede has had back trouble throughout his career, but he's only 31 and he's managed 15 homers this year.

Brad Penny Rumors: Monday

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2:00pm: Heyman reports that Brad Penny went unclaimed and is now free to sign with any club. In his SI.com column, Heyman suggests the Giants are favorites to sign him

1:18pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Giants are the "strong favorites" to sign Penny if he clears waivers. Should the Giants sign Penny, they would pay him the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary and the Red Sox would cover everything else.

10:08am: Jon Heyman of SI.com notes that the Twins are interested in Brad Penny. Twins officials did not deny that the team may claim Penny on waivers, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. A number of other teams are also pursuing the big righty, but the Marlins and Giants are reportedly frontrunners. Penny could clear release waivers today, at which point he would become a free agent. Then, he'd be able to sign with the team of his choice. A team could still claim Penny off waivers, but they would have to take on his contract.

The Twins will use Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins out of the bullpen when they return from their respective injuries, so they could use Penny in their rotation.

Rich Harden Rumors: Monday

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1:24pm: Rosenthal reports that the Cubs held onto Harden, Heilman and the rest of their players.

12:38pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Cubs aren't likely to deal Harden. Many teams claimed the righty and it's likely that an NL team won the claim.

12:22pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Cubs are less motivated to move Harden now than they were last week. The team has started playing well and has an outside shot at the NL Wild Card.

11:29am: Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago hears that the Cubs will hold onto Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, who were claimed by the Twins and Giants, respectively. (Other teams may have claimed them as well).

10:37am: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune hears that the Twins have not yet requested Rich Harden's medical records from the Cubs. A trade seems unlikely, according to Christensen's source. 

Harden has been on the DL seven times since 2005, so the team would presumably want to examine the records before making a deal. However, Harden has been pitching well lately and the Twins are looking for starting pitching help, so they could consider dealing for him without looking at his medical records.

Rich Harden Rumors: Sunday

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8:26pm: Count Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune among those who believe a trade will get done by Monday's deadline:  "The guess here," Rogers writes, "is that Twins GM Bill Smith is going to wake up on Monday, consider how catchable the Detroit Tigers remain, and pay the price."  The Twinkies currently stand 65-65 — 4.5 games back of Detroit in the AL Central.

12:57pm: Joe Christensen says "doubts have emerged" about the Twins completing a trade with the Cubs for Rich Harden. Christensen quotes sources who say "the Cubs had yet to open a window for the Twins to negotiate a long-term deal with Harden." Twins officials have yet to confirm or deny that they were the team that claimed Harden.

Christensen notes the Twins would deal for Harden even without a long-term extension given Harden will be a Type A free agent.

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Twins, Mets

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Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Odds and ends post!!!

  • Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune writes that if White Sox GM Kenny Williams wants to make a move that could help his team, time is running out. Getting Jake Peavy back and healthy would be about as good of a pickup that a team could make this time of year.
  • The Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse says that Twins GM Bill Smith should have been operating like Cleveland's Mark Shapiro at this year's trade deadline, "looking to the future rather than the present."
  • Joel Sherman of The NY Post writes about the parallels between the current Mets club and the Orioles teams of the mid-to-late 90's. He also notes that the Amazin's should brace themselves for decreased ticket sales and a smaller payroll next year.
  • ESPN's Peter Gammons explains how teams took advantage of their payroll flexibility at the deadline.

Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:

  • When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
  • The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
  • The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
  • The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin’s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
  • The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
  • Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
  • Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
  • For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
  • The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
  • The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
  • Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
  • After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Penny, Harden, Lidge

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Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count Video up at FoxSports.com. Let's dive on in…

  • The outcome of this weekend's games could determine which team the recently released Brad Penny signs with. The Giants and Marlins are the two teams pursuing him the most, but the Giants are in a better position in the NL Wildcard standings.
  • The Yankees, Twins, and A's are also expressing interest in the righthander, but "what pitcher in his right mind would want to stay in the American League?"
  • The A's and Padres have even "floated the idea" of signing Penny beyond the rest of this season, but Penny's best bet might be to go to a team like the Giants and reestablish himself in a pennant race, then go back into the free agent pool this winter on a high note.
  • The Cubs are more open to dealing Rich Harden to the Twins than you might think. The Cubs could receive two high draft picks if they offer Harden arbitration after the season and he signs elsewhere, but that's a risky strategy. Given his injury history, the club might not want to take a $10MM or so hit if he accepts, even for only one year.
  • The bigger question with Harden may be how aggressive the Twins will be in trying to deal for him. Remember that stars Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan have said the team needs more to contend, with Morneau mentioning that the team needs to impress Joe Mauer since he's due to become a free agent after next season.
  • Yes, the Yankees were messing with the Red Sox when they claimed Chris Carter off waivers, but Boston's 40-man roster only has 38 players on it at the moment. Daisuke Matsuzaka will assume one of those spots when he comes off the 60-day DL, and the other is reserved for Paul Byrd.
  • People might need to relax when it comes to Brad Lidge's struggles. His recent blown save against the Pirates might be the result of overuse, as Lidge was pitching for the fourth straight day. He had done it twice before this season, but he entered game three of that stretch with a four-run lead. Manager Charlie Manuel may need to be more careful with how he uses his closer down the stretch.

Cubs Rumors: Harden, Heilman, Bradley

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SATURDAY, 4:02pm: Ken Rosenthal said during a segment on FOX Saturday Baseball that a deal between the Twins and Cubs for right-hander Rich Harden could indeed happen.

Rosenthal made a couple of valid points: First, Harden is an impending free agent and the Cubs could always re-sign him in the winter. Second, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been pining for help and would be more inclined to sign long-term deals if Minnesota management shows a desire to win this season.

FRIDAY, 4:12pm: ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Twins were in fact awarded the claim on Harden, and that the Giants were awarded the claim on Heilman.

9:03am: Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were claimed on waivers yesterday, but that doesn't mean the Cubs are about to trade either pitcher away. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Cubs hadn't even been contacted by the claiming teams as of late last night. Even if those teams do contact the Cubs, there's no guarantee that GM Jim Hendry would decide to deal either player.

The Cubs might be more open to moving Milton Bradley, but who would have interest? Wittenmyer considers the possibilities and concludes that the Blue Jays and Royals may be fits if the Cubs are willing to take on some of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's deal. It's been a disappointing season for Bradley, but he has still managed a .387 OBP.

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