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Odds & Ends: Nationals, Podsednik, Duchscherer

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Links for Monday…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals still have money left to sign Matt Capps, assuming he wants to go there. Morosi expects Capps to decide on his next team this week.
  • In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that the Tigers are only interested in Scott Podsednik if it's a one-year deal. Detroit has no interest in Rick Ankiel.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Justin Duchscherer has received contract offers from three unnamed teams, and he expects to decide on his 2010 home within a week.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Royals are interested in free agent outfielder Brian Anderson on a minor league deal.
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney retaining starting jobs in the wake of the impending Coco Crisp signing.  Slusser suggests a possible reduced role or trade for Scott Hairston.  FanGraphs' Dave Cameron doesn't understand the move, noting that Davis and Sweeney are similar to Crisp.  Crisp's physical will take place tomorrow, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. 
  • Matthew Carruth of Lookout Landing explains that Mariners fans fully understand the dangers of Milton Bradley.  The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reflects on Carlos Silva's time with the club.
  • Patrick Newman joins FanGraphs with a look at Japanese baseball imports and exports for 2010.  Speaking of which, new Met Ryota Igarashi would like to be Francisco Rodriguez's set-up man.

Mets’ Molina Strategy Linked To Bay

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Ken Davidoff of Newsday (subscription required) reminds us that the Mets made offers to Jason Bay (four years and about $65MM) and Bengie Molina (two years and about $10MM) on December 10th.  After talking to a Mets official, Davidoff explains the team's strategy:

If the team fails to secure Bay, it will strongly consider raising its offer to Molina. But if Bay signs, the Mets will hold a harder line with Molina.

MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone doesn't see why the two would be related, and I agree.  Is it a payroll thing?  Or do the Mets simply hold Molina in higher regard than the other 29 teams?

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says both players are holding out for an extra year, and the Mets might start considering other options if the stalemate continues.

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Bradley, Hamels

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Let's have a look at some miscellaneous Sunday links….

  • The Tigers purchased the contract of catcher Andy Bouchie from the Long Beach Armada. Bouchie, 24, was a seventh round pick by the Brewers after his junior season at Oral Roberts University, but was released due to catching depth in the Milwaukee system. He hit .290 with 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games in the Golden Baseball League this year.
  • Jon Paul Morosi explains why the Padres should wait until July 31 to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Larry Stone offers some optimism for Seattle fans with concerns about newly-acquired Milton Bradley in a nice article, reminding us that Bradley has had non-problematic stops over the course of his career. Stone quotes Eddie Guardado, Bud Black, and Ken Macha, all of whom support Bradley.
  • Scott Lauber writes that amidst the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pandemonium, it's easy to forget about Cole Hamels, but the Phillies haven't. They still see Hamels as a top-of-the-rotation arm and are confident in his ability to rebound from a forgettable 2009.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that Oakland's potential deal with Coco Crisp reflects the value the A's place on defense.
  • In his usual lengthy Sunday column, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo focuses primarily on the Red Sox' moves, past, present, and future. He provides at least one interesting hot stove note though: Mark DeRosa's asking price has come down, and Cafardo wonders if the Mets could sign the infielder and play him at first base.
  • Cafardo also mentions that, while plenty of teams are interested in Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees hope to match any final offer the right-hander receives.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff can't see any other teams taking a chance on Mike Lowell unless he exhibits good health in Spring Training.
  • In a separate article, Davidoff examines the next move for Johnny Damon. Davidoff lists the Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Mets as possible destinations, but concedes there are roadblocks in each case.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the remaining names on the closing market, concluding that there are too many arms and not enough teams in need of a closer.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says there's nothing wrong with any of the Orioles' recent signings, but that they aren't the big splashes fans may have hoped to see.

Jason Bay Rumors: Sunday

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Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that Jason Bay can thank his agent, Joe Urbon, for pricing him out of a good situation in Boston. With no obvious bidders remaining for Bay besides the New York Mets, Madden says that Urbon returned to the Red Sox to see if they would revisit negotiations with Bay. The Sox, however, having signed Mike Cameron, no longer appear interested.

Madden thinks that Bay's reluctance to accept the Mets' four-year, $64MM offer suggests the outfielder is wary of playing in Citi Field for a team that "even with him, looks to be no better than a third-place club." Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees that Citi Field could be a factor, as the Mets pursue Bay and other free agents. Davidoff points out that, statistically, the park doesn't seem all that bad for hitters, but it's hard to shake that perception.

Capps To Select Finalists Soon

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SATURDAY, 7:13pm: Capps confirmed to ESPN Radio Chicago today that he has had preliminary discussions with the Cubs about joining the club.

THURSDAY, 6:26pm: The Washington Nationals are one of Capps' finalists, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Of all the interested teams, Washington should provide one of the clearest paths to a closing role for Capps.

4:51pm: The Pirates non-tendered reliever Matt Capps Saturday night, and roughly half the teams in baseball have inquired.  Pirates GM Neal Huntington explained the non-tender decision in an MLB.com chat today:

Despite wanting to retain Matt and making an aggressive offer that we believed would be at or near his free-agent value prior to the tender deadline, we felt that the risk of an arbitration award at a substantially higher amount was not a good business decision for us…Obviously, we would have preferred to get something of value in trade for Matt, but given his track record beginning in the second half of 2008, his trade value was limited throughout the summer and again this offseason.

Capps may be able to find a two-year deal.  While he'd like to close, his agent Paul Kinzer told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he'd accept a set-up role with a contender.  The following teams have been linked to Capps: the D'Backs, Cubs, Orioles, Rangers, Rockies, Marlins, Nationals, Mets, Tigers, and Yankees (we're still about six teams short, five if you count the Pirates).  Kinzer told Rosenthal Capps "plans to select five or six finalists by the weekend, then make his decision."

Molina Key To Catching Market

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A "person in the industry" tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that once Bengie Molina signs with a club, the rest of catchers on the open market are going to be scooped up quickly. 

While the Mets are known to be pursuing Molina, the two sides are not close, according to one source.  As a result, free agent catchers Rod Barajas, Jose Molina, and Yorvit Torrealba are still waiting by the phone.  Torrealba is drawing interest from the Mariners, Rockies, Rangers, Mets, and Giants.

Reportedly, Molina is seeking a three-year deal worth roughly $20MM.  Do you think he will continue to hold out for that type of money, or will he ease up on his demands and sign with a team relatively soon?

Mets Sign Clint Everts, Elmer Dessens

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The Mets announced the signing of righty Clint Everts according to the Twitter account of the Reynolds Sports Agency. The 25-year-old pitched in the minors for the Nationals this year, splitting time across three levels. He allowed 49 hits and 26 walks in 60.0 innings, striking out 68 for an ERA of 1.65.

And we first heard about the Mets' involvement with Elmer Dessens weeks ago, but the club officially announced that signing today, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Heyman On Bay, Molina, M’s, Dodgers

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The Mariners are "not a serious player" for Jason Bay, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Braves and Giants don't appear to be engaged with Bay and the Angels aren't focused on him now, so the Mets are the lone known suitor for the left fielder. They're keeping in touch with Scott Boras, who represents Matt Holliday, but they may be willing to offer Bay a deal in the five-year $75MM range. They're hoping to hear back from him today. 

Ideally, the Mets would like to sign Bay and Bengie Molina, who still wants a three-year deal worth about $20MM, or roughly twice as much as the team is presently willing to commit. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • The Angels have more interest in Javier Vazquez than Derek Lowe, according to one source.
  • The Mariners are interested in locking up Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez. 
  • The Red Sox would like to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. If they can't pull a trade for Gonzalez off, they would like to sign Adrian Beltre. However, that could put them over the luxury tax. 
  • The Dodgers are interested in Ronnie Belliard and Felipe Lopez. 

New York Rumors: Sheets, Bay, Molina

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After reporting earlier tonight that Nick Johnson and the Yankees are on the verge of an agreement, Newsday's Ken Davidoff looks at what that means for the Yankees, and brings us some Mets tidbits as well….

  • Davidoff acknowledges skepticism about the Yanks entering the season with Melky Cabrera manning left field every day, but points out that the team will be getting above-average production from enough other positions to make it work. As Davidoff speculated earlier tonight, it looks likely that the signing of Johnson will signal the end of Johnny Damon's stint as a Yankee.
  • A starting pitcher is the Yankees' next priority. Although they have interest in Ben Sheets, they probably won't get involved in a bidding war over the righty.
  • The Mets, meanwhile, are hoping Jason Bay responds to their contract offer tomorrow, either with an acceptance or, more realistically, with a counter-proposal. The team's current offer is $65MM over four years. It sounds like they'd be willing to add a fifth year, at a slightly lesser annual salary. SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders, via Twitter, who else could be in on the Bay bidding.
  • The Mets' pursuit of Bengie Molina could still take some time. Davidoff indicates that, with other catchers still in play, the club can afford to wait for Molina's demands to lower a little.
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