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Latest On Joe Crede

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11:59pm: Neal spoke to Boras, who had this to say regarding the timing of a possible Crede contract:

"I anticipate, the way things are going right now, that you might have a solution on where Joe is going.  I can’t say a definite amount of time, but I think it’s a shorter than longer amount of time."

5:41pm: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News heard that the Giants don’t expect to sign Joe Crede.  The club believes he’ll wind up with the Twins instead.

And for those of you scoffing about the low-budget Twins outbidding the Giants for a player, just remember this: The more the Giants spend now, the less wiggle room they’ll have at midseason — when they expect much better values to be had, writes Baggarly.

La Velle E. Neal III wrote Friday that the Twins face a substantial gap in contract talks with Crede.  He’s still demanding $7MM guaranteed, plus nearly $4MM in incentives.  Keep in mind that he’s a Scott Boras client.

Twins Still Face Gap With Joe Crede

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La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports on the gap between the Twins and Joe Crede:

The Twins were present today in Arizona as Crede took batting practice. The Twins remain interested in his services, but indications are that Crede wants $7MM guaranteed – up to $11MM with incentives – and the Twins aren’t going there. Indications are that the Twins are willing to craft a deal that reaches $7-8MM with incentives. The incentives would occur right away, like getting $1MM or so for making the Opening Day roster.

It’s true that Crede is the only viable free agent third base option out there.  But if these demands are accurate, Scott Boras is just not being reasonable right now.

Twins, Young Agree To ‘Split’ Contract

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According to the Associated Press, via Yahoo! Sports, the Twins have agreed to terms on a one-year, $1.152MM split contract with outfielder Delmon Young.  I’ll let the AP explain this one:

Young gets a raise from the $700,000 he made last season, but his salary is technically being cut the maximum allowable 20 percent when the final prorated share of his initial $3.7 million signing bonus ($770,000) is factored in.

Since Tampa Bay gave him a $5.8 million, five-year deal after selecting him with the first overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft, the $1,152,000 figure was the least Young could have made in 2009 despite not being eligible for arbitration.

Young hit .290/.336/.405 with 10 dingers and 69 RBI last season, but might struggle to find playing time in a crowded outfield this year.  If he’s unable to stay in the majors, his salary gets bumped down to $864K.  Young, as most readers will recall, has been at the center of various trade rumors this offseason.

Heyman On Manny, Pudge, Cabrera, Howard

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The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says "most in the know seem to still believe [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt will bend on Manny Ramirez and go to three years."
  • The Nationals’ offer to Adam Dunn was on the table for weeks until he realized no team was going to beat or approach it.  There were rumors months ago that Dunn sought a $100MM deal heading into free agency.
  • The Astros and Marlins are looking at Ivan Rodriguez.  There’s even an El Nuevo Dia report suggesting the Astros offered $2.5MM+ to Pudge, but that seems out of their price range to me.  In today’s mailbag, MLB.com’s Alyson Footer opines that the Astros wouldn’t go to $3MM for a catcher.
  • The A’s "want to spend no more than $5MM, and probably closer to $3MM" for Orlando Cabrera.  He should take that if it’s offered.
  • The Angels had been eyeing Joe Crede but may be done after signing Bobby Abreu.  The Giants and Twins remain the likeliest suitors for Crede.
  • The Phillies hoped to lock up Ryan Howard beyond his arbitration years, and Ruben Amaro Jr. disputed the notion that he is after Teixeira money.

Crede Seeking $7MM

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Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Joe Crede is asking for $7MM, rather than the previously reported $5MM. Christensen reports the $7MM figure makes it less likely Crede will land with the Twins who are reluctant to commit even $5MM to a player who was limited to 97 games in 2008 and 47 in 2007. However, as it stands the Twins opening day payroll will be $60.15MM, down from $74MM last year. It’s safe to assume Crede’s agents know that.

The Giants recently made their offer to Crede for one year. Still no reports of an offer from Minnesota.

Twins CEO: “We’re Not Done”

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Twins CEO Jim Pohlad shared some thoughts with a group of reporters, including MLB.com’s Kelly Thesier, on Friday afternoon.  It sounds like the club still has a few transactions in mind.

"We’re not done. The season hasn’t started yet," Pohlad said. "Frequently, transactions do occur during Spring Training, so it still could happen. There is nothing from us saying, ’Don’t go get anyone. We’re done. Go into the season and keep your fingers crossed.’ … We still have room in our payroll, and if there are opportunities [to add a player], we’ll pursue them.

The Twins’ No. 1 target at this point seems to be third baseman Joe Crede.  They reached agreement with reliever Luis Ayala earlier today and have also been linked to Jarrod Washburn, though those talks have reportedly fallen through.

Twins, Luis Ayala Reach Agreement

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According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins reached an agreement with reliever Luis Ayala today on a one-year, $1.3MM deal.  He can earn another $575K in incentives.  If met, he’d exceed his ’08 salary of $1.7MM.  Ayala was ranked as a Type B free agent after the season, but the Mets did not offer him arbitration.

Ayala, 31, posted a 5.71 ERA in 75.6 innings for the Nationals and Mets last year.  He stuck out just 5.95 per nine innings, but showed good control with a 2.85 BB/9.  He showed an elevated groundball rate in his short stint with the Mets.  FanGraphs valued last year’s performance at $100K.

Odds and Ends: Hudson, Twins, Sisco, Dunn

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Links for Friday…

How’s Joe Crede Doing?

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4:53pm: Scott Boras told Christensen Crede is healthy and playing surface is not an issue.  He implied that Crede will sign somewhere within the next two weeks.

1:54pm: Joe Crede’s workout for scouts took place on January 28th, with the Giants and Twins the teams known to have attended.  SI.com’s Jon Heyman heard the workout was "impressive," while Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune said he "looked good."  La Velle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune heard on January 22nd that Crede "thinks he’s finally licked the back problems that have limited him to 144 games over the previous two seasons" after minor offseason surgery.

Christensen’s outlook today is less rosy – he’s heard Crede is at 75 percent.  The Twins won’t guarantee the $5MM Crede and Scott Boras desire at this point.  Christensen adds that Twins officials "seem about 90 percent certain there won’t be any notable changes to the roster before spring training."  That means a reliever signing is unlikely.

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