Cubs Rumors: Fukudome, Dempster, Wood
Let’s check in on the Cubs’ offseason plans.
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella says the Cubs will move Kosuke Fukudome to center field to platoon with Reed Johnson. This move implies Jim Edmonds won’t be back. Technically Edmonds could play right field, but he also needs a platoon partner.
- The Cubs figure to be in the market for a lefthanded hitting right fielder. Piniella expects the team to fill their holes via trade. Brian Giles, Randy Winn, and Jeremy Hermida could fit the bill.
- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reminds fans that Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have no-trade clauses, and does not believe either will be traded.
- Ken Rosenthal figures the Cubs will re-sign Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood. However, he wonders if a three-year offer from another team could entice Wood. Rosenthal says the Mets like Wood but can’t take on that kind of risk.
Odds and Ends: Myers, Crede, Giants
Links for Wednesday…
- The Brewers snagged infielder Casey McGehee off waivers from the Cubs. The Crew also designated Joe Dillon for assignment.
- The Reds signed 16 year-old lefty Ismael Guillon out of Venezuela.
- MLB.com’s Marty Noble discusses the Mets and impending free agents Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez. The Mets will entertain re-signing Perez at their price, but they’ll let Pedro leave. Any guesses on where he pitches next year?
- Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues would like the Yankees to sign free agent outfielder Juan Rivera. Brian Cashman traded Rivera, Randy Choate, and Nick Johnson to the Expos for Javier Vazquez back in 2003.
- Brett Myers never wants to pitch in Boston again.
- Two more free agent bargains from Dave Cameron: Joe Crede and Dave Ross. Crede would be a solid one-year signing for the Dodgers or Twins.
- South Side Sox doesn’t see the White Sox adding much else for second base. There goes my Ray Durham idea.
- El Lefty Malo examines the latest Giants rumors.
- J.C. Bradbury provides values for Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, and Garret Anderson.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Holliday, Griffey
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up; let’s take a look.
- "The prevailing opinion around baseball" is that C.C. Sabathia will sign with the Yankees, and C.C.’s friend Jimmy Rollins agrees.
- Matt Holliday "definitely intrigues" the Yankees. But they’d have to give up a lot to get him for one year, and they seem full at the outfield corners.
- Heyman, perhaps sensing a divide that does not exist, says Pat Gillick has relied on scouts rather than stats to make his decisions. Heyman also speaks of "a new hesitancy on the part of some to go for another young Ivy League stat man" at the general manager position.
- Heyman echoes the commonly held sentiment that the White Sox will not re-sign Ken Griffey Jr.
- The Mets are prioritizing catcher, bullpen, rotation, and outfield over second base. They’ve talked about Giants backstop Bengie Molina, owed $6MM in the last year of his deal.
- Heyman believes Boston’s chances of trading Mike Lowell are "practically nil" due to his hip surgery. His sources won’t rule out a run at Mark Teixeira though. In other Boston buzz, Heyman sees Coco Crisp on the trading block and a two-year offer for Jason Varitek.
Mets To Explore Trade For Closer
Ken Davidoff of Newsday has a new article up discussing possibilities for the Mets’ closer vacancy. He says the Mets will check in on free agents Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes, but remain wary of the price. I’m wondering if K-Rod will have to back off the five year demand if he wants to get multiple serious bidders. Davidoff says the Mets feel that they have the minor league depth to swing a trade for a closer rather than buy one.
Davidoff goes on to speculate that the Mets could look at J.J. Putz, Huston Street, George Sherrill, Joakim Soria, and Kevin Gregg. Gregg would be the easiest to acquire. Not sure why Soria is mentioned here. The Mets had several young players emerge this year who weren’t necessarily highly touted (Dan Murphy, for example). Davidoff says the Mets feel they have more such hidden gems to use as trade chips.
Davidoff also tosses out two more free agent possibilities: Jeremy Affeldt and Chad Cordero. Affeldt is starting to generate buzz as a more affordable closing candidate, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Indians get involved.
Odds and Ends: Hughes, Tigers, Affeldt
Links for Monday…
- I’m working on this year’s Top 50 Free Agents list, with predicted destinations. It’s always a tough puzzle to assemble. Anyone have educated guesses on where Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, Braden Looper, and Jon Garland might sign?
- MLB.com’s Mychael Urban believes Mark Mulder would like to return to the A’s, but the team may not be interested. Plus, Mulder isn’t even considering destinations until he is healthy.
- Japanese free agent pitcher Kenshin Kawakami hired American agent Tony Attanasio. The Red Sox may be interested.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post takes the Yankees to task for their unwillingness to include Phil Hughes in a Johan Santana package.
- Tigers officials are meeting in Detroit for four days to discuss trade possibilities.
- MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel explains why a Luis Castillo for Jose Guillen swap is unlikely.
- Dave Cameron considers Jeremy Affeldt a possible free agent bargain. He could be underrated, but not a bargain if he renews last year’s desire for a four or five-year deal.
Cafardo’s Latest: Hot Stove, Twins, Gordon, Pedro
Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe has a nice article up catching up on some Hot Stove news, with a few other odds and ends tied in. Let’s hit the highlights here:
- Cafardo seems to think the Yankees could entice C.C. Sabathia to pitch on the East Coast, and that the Angels would be crazy not to re-sign Mark Teixeira at whatever the cost. He also points out Joe Maddon’s connection to Francisco Rodriguez from his days as a coach with the Angels, and covers other top names such as Jake Peavy, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, Manny Ramirez, Pat Burrell, Matt Holliday, and Garrett Atkins.
- The Minnesota Twins were ranked as the #1 team in young talent by the 2009 Bill James Handbook. Minnesota had ten players in the top 150: Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Justin Morneau, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Carlos Gomez, Nick Blackburn, Jason Kubel, Denard Span, and Glen Perkins.
- The article includes a Q&A with Tom Gordon, who has high praise for the Phillies, particularly Brad Lidge. Gordon says that having avoided Tommy John Surgery, he feels he can continue his career, and would love to pitch in Philadelphia next year. Gordon will understand if his option is declined, but is emphatic in saying he’s "going to pitch somewhere." Plenty of teams need bullpen help, and even with his injury, I can’t imagine him having a hard time finding work.
- Cafardo likes the idea of either Rocco Baldelli or Gabe Kapler as a fourth outfielder for the Red Sox.
- Would Pedro Martinez consider an incentive-laden contract to be Boston’s fifth starter next season?
- Red Sox catching prospect Mark Wagner has shown improvement the Arizona Fall League. This only adds to the Jason Varitek dilemma that Boston is faced with.
Perrotto’s Latest: Red Sox, Mets, Burnett, Blalock
John Perrotto over at Baseball Prospectus has his weekly column up… let’s take a look at what he has to say:
- Couple of notes about the Red Sox: Perrotto expects Theo Epstein to re-sign Jason Varitek to a two-year deal in the $16MM range. This seems like drastically overpaying for what Varitek has become, in my opinion, but as Perrotto points out, there’s very little on the free agent market. Epstein will then look to trade for a young catcher who can become the starter in 2010 or 2011. Additionally, he’ll try to move Mike Lowell to open up a spot for either Mark Teixeira or Garrett Atkins, but that won’t be an easy task most likely. On a Manny-related note, Terry Francona said the last couple months of 2008 were the "most fun he’s ever had" in Boston, calling them "tremendous." He didn’t mention Manny specifically, but does he really have to?
- Perrotto says the Mets have decided to pass on Francisco Rodriguez, and will instead pursue Brian Fuentes, as well as Derek Lowe. The Red Sox may also make a strong pitch for Lowe.
- The Padres will likely take some gambles on rehabbing pitchers for 2009. Perrotto lists Mark Mulder, Matt Clement, and Mark Prior as candidates.
- Toronto’s interim president Paul Beeston is making A.J. Burnett the organization’s top priority, and Perrotto feels that Burnett wants to stay. Personally, I’m in the other camp and see Burnett opting out and cashing in on a big payday.
- The Rangers will almost certainly pick up Hank Blalock’s $6.2MM option for 2009.
Holliday Derby Begins
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have made it known to rival executives that left fielder Matt Holliday is available. Renck names the Red Sox, Phillies, Angels, Mets, Royals, and Nationals as potential suitors. I still find the oft-mentioned Red Sox idea to be far-fetched.
The Rockies would prefer to move corner infielder Garrett Atkins, however. The Angels, Twins, and Red Sox are cited as potential fits. However, other teams are surely aware of Atkins’ defensive struggles at third base and questionable hitting away from Coors Field. Renck says the Angels’ interest will depend on their ability to re-sign Mark Teixeira.
Starting pitching seems to be the Rockies’ target return for either player. They’d be giving up one year of Holliday and two of Atkins, plus the likely draft pick compensation.
Heyman’s Latest: Manny, Holliday, Peavy
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new rumor-packed article up.
- Heyman suggests the battle for the three elite free agents – Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and C.C. Sabathia – will mostly be fought by the New York and Los Angeles clubs. Heyman talked to one GM who believes the country’s economic situation will not affect the big names but could be bad for the lower-tier guys.
- Heyman’s potential Manny suitors: the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Phillies. The Phillies’ interest will depend on whether Pat Burrell stays. I’m not sure why the Orioles would be in the mix.
- The Rockies are "very likely" to trade Matt Holliday. The Rox would be willing to sign Holliday for five years and $100MM, but that won’t cut it. The team’s focus in a trade will be a young starter. Heyman echoes a Ken Rosenthal thought from a few months ago: surprising small-market teams may enter the Holliday bidding.
- Heyman has the Mets, Rangers, and Indians as teams looking at Brian Fuentes. The Mets are the favorite to sign him in the three-year, $36MM range.
- Jake Peavy has already turned down one American League team. Heyman believes hes particularly opposed to the Rangers and has mixed feelings about the Yankees. Peavy is reeling from the Padres’ decision to shop him.
- Heyman has unkind words for Luis Gonzalez, who may not be welcomed back to the D’Backs based on his "uneasy relationship" with Stephen Drew and Chris Young.
- Heyman does not think MLB has any evidence against Nationals GM Jim Bowden in the scout skimming scandal.
- Heyman gives Ruben Amaro a slight edge over Mike Arbuckle to replace Pat Gillick as Phillies GM.
- George W. Bush as baseball’s next commissioner? "Many have long believed" that Bush would like to be Bud Selig’s successor.
Mets Eyeing Lowe, Fuentes
Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to an NL executive who has spoken to Mets officials. That official says the Mets plan to pursue free agent pitchers Derek Lowe and Brian Fuentes this winter. Sherman believes they will check in on C.C. Sabathia and Francisco Rodriguez, but won’t be willing to match their prices.
Lowe and Fuentes would fill two of the Mets’ three offseason needs for roughly $30MM in ’09 salary. That could be all of the available money, unless the Mets backload the contracts, raise payroll, or shed salary via trades. Left field would be the team’s remaining question mark.