Phillies Interested In Delmon Young?
7:05pm: LEN3 says the Twins would want more than Donald for Young, but it’s a moot point because the Phillies don’t want to trade Donald. The teams haven’t spoken lately and don’t have plans to meet in the near future.
Neal also says there’s nothing going on between the Twins and Giants.
4:20pm: LEN3 says the Twins do like Donald. Neal also believes the rumor about the Giants being interested in Young.
One other fresh note from Neal’s blog post – Dennys Reyes "might be on the Reds’ radar."
1:26pm: According to Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies have inquired on Twins outfielder Delmon Young. Hagen believes the Twins would want shortstop prospect Jason Donald in return.
Bartlett Only Available In Major Deal
According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Rays are telling inquiring teams that shortstop Jason Bartlett would only be available in a "major deal." Stark wonders if Jeremy Hermida would qualify. A bit of a tough match in that Hanley Ramirez is entrenched at short in Florida.
Stark is also hearing that the Rays would never take Delmon Young back.
Odds and Ends: Teahen, Mastny, Clement
Sunday evening links…I will add to this post as needed.
- Dejan Kovacevic describes what it’s like for a reporter at the Winter Meetings.
- The Royals do not want to trade Mark Teahen. They’ve received inquiries on Teahen, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler. They mainly seem willing to move Guillen, which Jayson Stark reported earlier.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along nuggets on Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara. He says the Angels contacted Kawakami’s agent, while the Tigers and Giants have been in touch with Uehara’s.
- Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars acquired reliever Tom Mastny from the Indians.
- Free agent infielder Nick Punto admitted to LEN3 that it’d be hard to leave the Twins.
- John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates are "willing to take a flyer on free-agent local boy Matt Clement." Clement may also consider Cleveland if they’ll have him.
- Other teams are pulling ahead of the Rockies in the pursuit for free agent lefty Joe Beimel. Nothing against Beimel, but it seems that every year one free agent lefty reliever is elevated beyond his true value. It might be Beimel this year.
- Jon Paul Morosi discusses trading Dontrelle Willis.
- The Marlins figure to hang on to Dan Uggla.
- Roch Kubatko says Orioles exec Mike Flanagan won’t be attending the Meetings, sparking speculation about his future with the team.
Dennys Reyes Declines Arb Offer
According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Type B free agent reliever Dennys Reyes declined the Twins’ offer of arbitration. They’ll get a supplemental pick if he signs elsewhere. He’s looking for a three-year deal for about $4MM per.
Winter Meetings Previews
We’ve added a few new Winter Meetings preview to the collection…
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help. They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered. You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever. Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds. Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
- The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated. Neal summarizes the players on the radar. The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
- Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres. Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list. The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief. The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks. Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general. Miguel Montero is the top trade chip. They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer. If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters. Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short. Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return. Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip. As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07. Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt. The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida. The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey. Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye? The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
- The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement. The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop. They have interest in Adam Everett.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Closers, Castillo, Cantu
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, let’s take a look at the highlights:
- Rosenthal doesn’t see Mark Teixeira signing with the Nationals, even for the rumored ten-year, $200MM contract. He’s got better options in the Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees. Scott Boras managed to get Alex Rodriguez a ten-year deal with a losing team in 2000 when he signed with the Rangers, but Rosenthal doesn’t forsee a repeat.
- The Indians are waiting on the Mets’ closer decision to make a decision of their own. Once New York signs or trades for a closer, the market will likely collapse. The Mets are preparing simultaneous offers to Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood.
- The Brewers could spend big money on a closer once they hear from Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. If the Brewers can somehow retain both, they won’t have money to spend on a closer and would likely have to trade Prince Fielder.
- The Mets are desperately trying to unload Luis Castillo so they can make a run at Orlando Hudson. They’re having no luck though, even in trying to swap him for another bad contract. The Rangers rejected a swap of Castillo for Vicente Padilla.
- Nationals GM Jim Bowden is interested in Willy Taveras. Doesn’t make any sense to me. The Nats already have Lastings Milledge, Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes, and Austin Kearns.
- The Rockies prefer to keep Garrett Atkins, but the Twins, Dodgers, Giants, and Phillies are all interested. Chase Utley has been a long-time supporter of bringing his former UCLA teammate to the Phils for a reunion.
- The Marlins are getting several inquiries on Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla. They don’t plan to trade either, though if the Giants were to offer Jonathan Sanchez for Cantu, the Marlins would jump at the chance.
- Jermaine Dye, Mike Cameron, Marcus Thames, and Marlon Byrd are all available via the trade market, for teams needing a right-handed hitting outfielder. Rosenthal still feels Cameron could still end up in pinstripes.
Thin Market for Furcal
3:07pm: There’s a great debate going on in the comments about whether the Twins could swoop in and make an offer to Furcal now that they’ve pulled out of negotiations with Casey Blake. I do wonder if word that the A’s and Furcal couldn’t come to terms precipitated the sudden split between the Twins and Blake. Certainly, Tim saw a good fit between the Twins and Furcal back in October, and Furcal is four years younger than Blake — but still, I think Furcal’s monetary demands are pretty steep. No official Twins-Furcal rumors yet, but if anything comes in in the next couple of hours I’ll update this post again.
As reported here yesterday, after shortstop Furcal rejected the A’s offer of 4 years, $35-40MM, the A’s in turn declined to go any further with Furcal.
2:13pm: Buster Olney says that the market for Rafael Furcal "never really developed; if you were to draw up a list of five players who have been hurt by the economic slowdown, Furcal might be somewhere near the top of the list." Olney breaks down how Furcal’s suitors all ended up looking elsewhere, and says the A’s biggest need is veteran starting pitching. Furcal is "the perfect player for some big-money contender to snag for a big-money, short-term deal, but such an offer may not emerge for some time."
Meanwhile, Athletics Nation agrees that "the only person who believes there is a big market for Rafael Furcal appears to be Furcal" and says A’s GM Billy Beane is now the one holding all the cards in that (apparently bilateral) negotiation.
Chris Haft at MLB.com lists Oakland’s other options at short.
Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro.
Twins No Longer Talking With Blake
According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins have broken off talks with free agent Casey Blake. Neal heard from a source that discussions ended when the Twins, who preferred a two-year deal with an option, wouldn’t offer a guaranteed three-year contract.
The Twins have varying levels of interest in Adrian Beltre, Garrett Atkins, Jason Donald and Jack Wilson. Neal writes that Minnesota balked earlier this year when the Rockies requested Kevin Slowey and Denard Span in exchange for Atkins.
Since shortstops are disappearing fast, Neal’s source says the Twins felt pressure to improve their infield and didn’t want to negotiate for too long with Blake.
Neal heard that the Twins have received calls about Delmon Young, but aren’t in a hurry to trade him for infield help, regardless of how well he fits into their outfield.
There’s a chance the Twins could restart talks with Blake, but for now the Dodgers are the frontrunner for his services, according to Neal.
Phillies, Mets Interested In Punto
According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Phillies and Mets have expressed interest in free agent infielder Nick Punto. The Twins are also in contact.
Punto, 31, hit .284/.344/.382 in 377 plate appearances this year. He seems to play an above average shortstop, according to the plus/minus system. Punto is also capable of playing the other infield positions. He earned $2.4MM in ’08.
Rockies Doing Homework On Delmon Young
Yesterday in the Rocky Mountain News, Tracy Ringolsby wondered if Twins outfielder Delmon Young would be a good fit for the Rockies. Today Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune goes one step further, saying Rox GM Dan O’Dowd has been doing his homework on Young. Young, by the way, is not bothered by Ron Gardenhire’s recent comments.
Christensen says that in general, the Rockies’ demands of the Twins have been excessive. For example, La Velle E. Neal III suggested they wanted Kevin Slowey, Denard Span, and another prospect for Garrett Atkins. That asking price almost sounds too outlandish to be true.