The Twins offered arbitration to Type B free agent Carl Pavano, tweets La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The move was expected after Pavano tallied a 5.10 ERA with 147 strikeouts and 39 walks in 199.3 innings for the Indians and Twins this year. He earned $4.35MM in total.
Twins Rumors
Rogers On Mauer, Pujols, Vizquel
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Twins are "getting serious" about a Joe Mauer extension. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier in the week that the Twins hope to sign Mauer to an extension by Christmas. As Rogers points out, Mauer's agent, Ron Shapiro, represented Cal Ripken Jr. and Kirby Puckett, so there's hope for Twins fans who dread Mauer's impending free agency. Here are the rest of Rogers' rumors:
- Albert Pujols' representatives told the Cardinals not to worry about a potential extension until they take care of the team's other needs. Pujols is under control through 2011, a year longer than Mauer.
- The White Sox may ask Omar Vizquel to mentor 20-year-old shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Like Vizquel, Escobar is a Venezuelan switch-hitter with a good glove and little power. But White Sox farm director Buddy Bell cautions against making Vizquel comparisons just yet.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Revenue Sharing, Bullington, Halladay, Mauer
On this date 18 years ago, Eddie Murray signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Mets, the third of six teams he would play for in 21 seasons. In those two years, he would hit 43 home runs and post seasons of 115 and 111 OPS+. A week into this year's free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- The Biz of Baseball looks at revenue sharing in baseball and why baseball no longer releases revenue sharing figures.
- DC Sports Plus evaluates the list of minor league free agent pitchers and who might get shots to stick with a big league club in the Spring.
- Royals Authority looks at what the signing of Bryan Bullington could mean for the Royals and whether he can contribute as a big league relief pitcher.
- River Ave Blues speculates on what the Yankees and Red Sox would have to give up to land Roy Halladay.
- MLB Notebook examines why the Tigers are looking to trade Edwin Jackson.
- UmpBump breaks down the Padres off-season needs and what San Diego needs to bring back should Adrian Gonzalez be traded.
- Jorge Says No! speculates on an extension that could work for both the Twins and Joe Mauer.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds & Ends: Jackson, Cabrera, Guillen, Bedard
It's a slow night for rumors on the eve of Thanksgiving, but here's a roundup of a handful of interesting evening links:
- FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Tigers have been more aggressive attempting to deal Edwin Jackson than Curtis Granderson. Jackson, for his part, says the trade rumors don't bother him.
- Morosi also reports (via Twitter) that Daniel Cabrera is in search of a 40-man roster spot on some team this winter.
- In the most recent post on the FOX Sports blog by Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, the pair discusses Miguel Cabrera's future. One executive suggests that Cabrera's availability (or lack thereof) will depend on whether or not the Tigers believe his off-field issues at the end of the season were a one-time lapse in judgment.
- Jose Guillen wants to stay in Kansas City and play in the field next year, according to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com. We mentioned Guillen as a possible trade candidate when evaluating the market for right fielders, and he's been the subject of rumors in the past week.
- Following up on a story about the Royals "going hard" after Erik Bedard, Kaegel talks to Kansas City assistant GM J.J. Picollo. Picollo indicates that Bedard's left-handedness is intriguing, but that it's "probably an overstatement" to say the club is in hot pursuit of the 30-year-old.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart passes along news of some minor organizational moves by the Astros.
- One item of note in Kelly Thesier's Twins mailbag on MLB.com: When Minnesota prospect Miguel Angel Sano begins playing in the States, he'll be using the surname Jean, rather than Sano (which is his mother's maiden name).
- Larry Dobrow of CBS Sports looks ahead to the Athletics' offseason and makes some suggestions for the team going forward.
Twins May Target Rich Harden
Free agent starter Rich Harden was a major topic of discussion in MLB.com's Kelly Thesier's mailbag piece today, where it was confirmed that Minnesota has had interest in acquiring the Canadian right-hander in the past and may look to do so again this winter.
Thesier reports that the Twins put in a claim on Harden last August before the Cubs pulled the pitcher back off of waivers. Minnesota ended up trading for Carl Pavano on August 7 to bolster their pitching staff en route to their successful chase of the AL Central title.
Though Minnesota has a number of young pitchers both in their rotation and their minor league system, Thesier argues this actually gives the Twins more incentive to sign Harden, given that the team feels they have the depth to fill the void should the injury-plagued Harden again find himself on the disabled list. Harden posted a 4.09 ERA and 10.9 K/9 rate with Chicago last season and is very used to pitching to the bigger bats of the American League after spending the first five and a half years of his career in Oakland. It has been speculated that Harden will sign an incentives-laden short-term contract since his injury history will prevent teams from offering longer-term deals, and such a one or two-year contract might appeal to the budget-conscious Twins.
Thesier's mailbag also covers such topics as the possibility of the Twins re-signing Pavano, re-signing Orlando Cabrera to play second or third base, an interest in free agent starter Jarrod Washburn and the status of the dispute between the club and starter Glen Perkins, so it's well worth the read.
Odds & Ends: Dye, Pettitte, Bay, Yankees, Mauer
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
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
Links for Monday…
- Former GM Kevin Towers will attend the Winter Meetings and meet with three or four teams about possible employment, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Towers prefers the American League.
- Randy Johnson is undecided about pitching in 2010, say Rosenthal and Morosi.
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman tells readers in his latest mailbag that he wouldn't be surprised to see the Braves trade Jordan Schafer.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues speculates on what the Yankees would have to give up for Josh Johnson.
- ESPN's Buster Olney compares a potential Joe Mauer extension to Todd Helton's contract, in that it'd make up such a large percentage of the Twins' payroll.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discovered that a handful of teams have avoided four-year commitments to pitchers in recent years.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos talked to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports about the team's strategy to beef up scouting.
- For someone who hasn't been paying attention to the hot stove, Bronson Arroyo has a reasonable take on the Reds' direction and recent Scott Rolen/Ramon Hernandez commitments (MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reporting).
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick discusses the role of advanced defensive metrics in player acquisitions.
- MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone notes that a very similar report surfaced in three different media outlets within a span of a few hours.
Joe Mauer Named AL MVP
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
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.
