Twins Rumors

Quinlan Drawing Preliminary Interest

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 20, 2009 at 2:04pm CDT

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

By Tim Dierkes | November 20, 2009 at 1:20pm CDT

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

As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out, the Angels' lack of interest in Matt Holliday bodes well for the Cardinals, but not for Scott Boras.
Scott Boras tells FOX Sports that interest in Adrian Beltre and Mike Gonzalez is strong so far. The agent says he's fielded offers for eight players already.
The Nippon Ham Fighters signed minor league free agent pitcher Buddy Carlyle, says NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars are working to sign Chris Bootcheck, Jose Castillo, and Terrmel Sledge.
The Nats hired former Mariners manager John McLaren as a bench coach, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan ranks 131 free agents and provides capsules. We've also got SI's Jon Heyman and AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere with Top 50 lists.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the market for Mark DeRosa.
ESPN's Buster Olney notes five arbitration-eligible players who could be traded, including Russell Martin and Kevin Correia.
SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mariners and Tigers continue to discuss Edwin Jackson.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets a comment from Brewers GM Doug Melvin: the team will fill current needs before discussing a Prince Fielder extension.
Garrett Atkins to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post: "I know that I will be on another team next year."
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune feels that free agents Carl Pavano, Jarrod Washburn, and Rich Harden are potential fits for the Twins.
Christensen's colleague Sid Hartman wonders if catcher Mike Redmond "could wind up with a job in the [Twins] organization." However, Redmond told MLB.com's Kelly Thesier a month ago that he plans on playing in 2010.
Paul Hagen's Phillies source shot down a story that Pat Gillick could be heading back to the Blue Jays.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has a Winter Meetings primer.
Chico Harlan is moving on from the Washington Post's Nationals beat, once a replacement is found.

Twins And Brewers On Washburn’s Radar

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2009 at 1:30pm CDT

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

By Howard Megdal | November 18, 2009 at 10:38am CDT

Plenty to absorb this morning, baseball fans:

The Red Sox have asked the Braves for medical records of free agent relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, according to George King of the New York Post. WEEI.com also notes that catcher George Kottaras has been released.
Chan Ho Park wants to be a starter, while the Phillies, most other teams, and the results on the field see him as a reliever. Todd Zolecki also writes about why he's not surprised that the Phillies are considered by many to be the front runners to land Mark DeRosa.
DRaysBay.com evaluates whether the Rays should trade Carlos Pena.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic estimates that the Diamondbacks have about $14MM to spend this winter.
Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets have hired Dave Jauss as bench coach.
Kelly Thesier of MLB.com looks at the minor league free agents from the Twins.

Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Smoltz, Indians

By Mark Polishuk | November 17, 2009 at 9:12pm CDT

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.

Odds & Ends: Morillo, Bay, Cabrera, Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 15, 2009 at 9:07pm CDT

Some links to read before the weekend draws to a close…

Juan Morillo, who pitched briefly for the Twins this year, has signed with a Japanese team, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors argues that Jason Bay fits best in the American League because of his suspect defense. Bay is a productive hitter, but questions about his ability to play the field may limit his appeal to NL clubs. His agent insists that Bay plays solid defense, but advanced metrics suggest that's not the case.
Here, Hissey argues that the Yankees should consider signing Mike Cameron for a year until Austin Jackson is ready.
Steve Kornacki of MLive.com reminds us that the Miguel Cabrera trade talk is just speculation at this point. It's fun to wonder about, though.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney doesn't think the Padres will face pressure to deal Adrian Gonzalez until next summer, so he doesn't expect them to be in a rush to deal their superstar. Instead, they'll wait to be overwhelmed.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic predicts where some big-name free agents will sign. He has the Yankees signing Matt Holliday.

Odds & Ends: Duke, Hardy, Mets, Angels

By Zachary Links | November 14, 2009 at 11:02pm CDT

Some Saturday evening links…

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write that the Brewers asked the Pirates for Zach Duke or Paul Maholm in exchange for J.J. Hardy. Pittsburgh hoped to land the shortstop in exchange for closer Matt Capps or catcher Ryan Doumit. When the Pirates refused to budge, the Brewers pulled the trigger on the deal with Minnesota for Carlos Gomez.
Also noted is that the Mets are considering former Indians skipper Eric Wedge as a candidate for their bench coach vacancy. The position could be a stepping stone to the head job as Jerry Manuel is in the final year of his contract. Bob Melvin and former Orioles bench coach Dave Jauss are also in the mix.
After recently signing GM Tony Reagins to a new contract, the Angels have made a few front office changes, reports Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer implores the Reds not to trade Bronson Arroyo or Brandon Phillips to clear payroll.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun suggests that Dan Uggla would make a good fit for the Orioles. Based on conversations that Schmuck has had with beat writer Jeff Zrebiec, it doesn't seem as though the O's front office agrees.
Marquis Grissom will not return as the Nationals' first base coach, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Figgins, Halladay, Uggla

By Cork Gaines | November 13, 2009 at 12:50pm CDT

On this date 31 years ago, Red Sox free agent pitcher Luis Tiant signed a two-year, $875K contract with the Yankees. After eight seasons and 122 wins with Boston, Tiant would go 21-17 with the Yankees before finishing his career with the Pirates and Angels. With this year's free agents looking for new homes, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

UmpBump attempts to determine how much Chone Figgins is worth.
The Phrontiersman warns that giving up Cole Hamels is too much for Roy Halladay.
We Should Be GMs analyzes the Phillies roster and suggests some names to fill the holes.
Camden Crazies looks at what Dan Uggla would mean for the O's and what he might cost.
Twins Overlook looks back at the Johan Santana trade and compares the pieces that are left and what the Twins could have gotten from the Red Sox or Yankees.
Nick's Twins Blog thinks Adrian Beltre is the missing piece to the Twins infield.
Dock of the Rays likes the idea of swapping Pat Burrell for Milton Bradley and wonders if throwing in Andy Sonnanstine can entice the Cubs to add more money.
Feeling Dodgers Blue says L.A. needs two pitchers and breaks down the pros and cons of the available talent.
Dodgers Rumors feels Brandon Phillips would fit nicely at second base for the Dodgers.
Blogging Mets breaks down the Mets' needs and is not very optimistic.
The Pinstriper projects the Yankees 25-man roster for next season.

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: Bellorin, Chapman, Cardinals

By Tim Dierkes | November 13, 2009 at 11:25am CDT

Links for Friday…

Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse takes at Yankees prospects who could draw attention in trade talks.
The Royals signed catcher Edwin Bellorin to a minor league deal, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Bellorin, 28 in February, hit .277/.308/.351 in 216 plate appearances in his fourth Triple A stint.
David Waldstein of the New York Times profiles new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
Ronald Blum of the AP chatted with Aroldis Chapman, who doesn't mind beginning his pro career in the minors.
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince expects a quiet offseason for the Indians, though he wonders if they could bring back Omar Vizquel.
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reiterates that Joe Crede and Jarrod Washburn are on the Twins' radar.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes the Cardinals will be involved with more than just Joel Pineiro among our Top 50 Free Agents, and he names many candidates.
Click here to watch our mention as ESPN SportsNation's Site of the Day yesterday.

Twins’ Extension Talks For Joe Mauer Have Not Begun

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2009 at 8:49am CDT

THURSDAY, 8:48am: Mauer told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that contract talks "haven't really started."

WEDNESDAY, 2:00pm: The Twins have begun extension talks with Joe Mauer's agent Ron Shapiro, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That hardly qualifies as news, but I'm guessing Twins fans on this site crave every detail.

Mauer, 27 in April, hit .365/.444/.587 in 606 plate appearances this year. He'll earn $12.5MM in 2010, the last year of an extension signed in February of '07.

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