Odds and Ends: Maddux, Beltre, Cordero
Links for Monday…
- RotoAuthority discusses possible lineup position changes for star players.
- Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions.
- Greg Maddux has joined the Padres as a Spring Training instructor, says MLB.com’s Corey Brock.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News learned that Adrian Beltre enjoys hitting in AT&T Park and would be excited to play for the Giants. Baggarly wonders if the Giants could attempt to acquire Beltre this summer. The third baseman and Scott Boras client will be a free agent after the season.
- Shawn Estes, currently in camp with the Dodgers, will retire if he can’t make a Major League roster according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
- A Mets official told Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that the team is unlikely to sign free agent reliever Chad Cordero.
- Jake Peavy talked more about the failed attempts to trade him during the winter (Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
- The Mariners added catcher Jason Phillips on a minor league deal, according to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
Three Teams Targeting Pudge
According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Ivan Rodriguez said he plans to sign with either the Marlins, Astros or Mets.
- The Astros denied having interest in the 37-year-old catcher on Saturday, but maybe that has changed. They’re not comfortable with handing the reigns to J.R. Towles after he hit .137/.250/.253 in 146 at-bats last year, and Humberto Quintero isn’t a guy you want starting every day.
- The Marlins are only willing to offer Pudge the league minimum, which might not do enough to woo the free agent. Jon Heyman suggested in late January that the Fish are the best fit, but their tight budget is obviously going to be an issue.
- The Mets could be the darkhorse here. They haven’t been vocal with their interest in Pudge this offseason, but he would work well in a platoon with Brian Schneider. Of course, the Mets would probably then want to move Ramon Castro.
Rodriguez hit .276/.319/.394 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 115 games last season for the Tigers and Yankees. He also stole 10 bases.
Pedro Not Expected Back With Mets
When the Mets agreed to terms with Livan Hernandez early Saturday morning, many experts and MLBTR readers suggested that it meant Pedro Martinez would not be back with the club in ’09.
Mets GM Omar Minaya basically confirmed that theory Saturday evening. The Associated Press, via The Newark Star-Ledger, gathered the quote:
"I think we are pretty much set and we’re going to go forward with the guys that we have," Minaya said.
So, MLBTR community, where does Pedro land next?
Mets To Sign Livan Hernandez
According to Christian Red of the New York Daily News, the Mets have agreed to sign Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal worth $1MM plus incentives. Hernandez can earn another $1MM in performance bonuses according to Red’s source.
Red points out that this signing is "another indicator that free agent Pedro Martinez will likely wear another uniform this season." Regis Courtemanche of MetsBlog writes that Omar Minaya said this morning the Mets’ rotation is set without Pedro, but Newsday’s David Lennon doesn’t rule out a Pedro return.
Mets Sign Ramon Martinez
According to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, the Mets signed infielder Ramon Martinez to a minor league deal. Martinez, 36, spent most of ’08 in Triple A for the Mets and Dodgers.
Will Ohman May Sign Soon
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Will Ohman "has received three offers in the past 48 hours and four overall, according to a major-league source, and is expected to reach a decision Wednesday or Thursday."
Cameron Smith of the Washington Post has additional information today. He says Ohman received four offers from NL clubs in the past two days, the Phillies and Mets not among them. Cameron speculates that NL Central clubs may be involved.
Mets Ink Valentin To Minor League Deal
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets have signed infielder Jose Valentin to a minor league contract.
Valentin will be invited to spring training and can earn $800K if he makes the squad. He should provide adequate backup to Luis Castillo this season and could get a good amount of at-bats if Castillo continues to struggle. Valentin was the Mets’ starting second baseman in 2006, when he hit .271 and 18 home runs.
Latest On Bobby Abreu
4:54pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman lists five teams considering Abreu: the Angels, Braves, Pirates, Reds, and Mets. The Pirates are a new one.
3:58pm: A source told Crasnick that the Angels have "strong interest" in Abreu. The Braves remain in the mix.
10:33am: Here’s what ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick had to say regarding the market for Bobby Abreu yesterday:
While Seattle and Atlanta are monitoring Abreu’s status and staying in contact with his representatives, the Mets continue to maintain they’re not in the mix.
Meanwhile Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News wrote this morning:
A Mets official did not rule out signing free-agent outfielder Abreu, but indicated that any contract likely would have to be for one year at less than $4MM.
Other teams loosely linked to Abreu in recent days: the White Sox, Angels, and Dodgers. Abreu is in line for a huge pay cut from last year’s $16MM. The remarkably quiet market for Abreu and other corner outfielders this offseason is tied strongly to defense. ESPN’s Peter Gammons talked to a GM who said a few days ago:
I still believe that one of the factors that has hurt some of the good offensive free agents this winter, like Manny Ramirez, Abreu and Adam Dunn, is the concern about how many runs they give back defensively. There is a great deal more appreciation for defense than there was a decade ago.
Phillies Rumors: Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes
Cameron Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a reliever.
Will Ohman‘s agent Page Odle spoke of a "real good positive conversation" with the Phillies over the past week, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the dollars would have to be "extremely modest." Odle said Ohman is open to a one-year deal with a contender. The Mets are the other main suitor, but they are also in bargain mode.
Smith spoke to Dennys Reyes, who said his agent has been talking to the Dodgers and A’s. But Reyes did talk to the Phillies back in December. He is also focused on signing with a contender.
The Phils do have in-house options, plus Amaro suggested he could find a righthanded reliever with the ability to retire lefties.
Perrotto’s Latest: Angels, Mets, Mariners
John Perrotto’s Sunday column is up, now called On The Beat (like his Wednesday articles) instead of Every Given Sunday.
According to the article, the Angels plan to use Kendry Morales at first base, and a combination of Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews, Jr., and Reggie Willits in left field and designated hitter. Perrotto quotes GM Tony Reagins: "In our situation, you get to the point where you have young players with talent who have been given some chances at the major league level, but have not had the opportunity to play every day. We feel it’s time to allow those players that opportunity."
Perrotto reports the Angels had a fixed dollar figure that included the money they did not wind up spending on Mark Teixeira; however, not signing Teixeira does not mean they feel the need to spend the money without improving the ballclub. They still appear to be a team in the prime position to sign Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, or Bobby Abreu.
And a couple notes from around the Majors:
- The Mariners have "mild" interest in Garrett Anderson to play left-field.
- The Mets are trying to trade catcher Ramon Castro. They would rather spend less to have Robinson Cancel as Brian Schneider‘s backup.