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Twins, Mariners Are Atop Washburn’s “Wish List”

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With the likes of Ben Sheets and Jon Garland now signed, FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi provided an update on Jarrod Washburn, one of the few high-profile arms left on the rapidly-dwindling free agent pitching market.  Morosi quotes one source who said that Washburn only wants to play in “a limited number of places,” and another source who says he "would be surprised" if the lefty went anywhere besides Minnesota or Seattle. 

The Twins have made one attempt to sign Washburn: an offer worth roughly $5MM that was rejected earlier this month.  Given Minnesota's signing of Carl Pavano to serve as the veteran anchor of their rotation, Washburn would've been a luxury that the Twins may feel that they can live without. 

As for the Mariners, we've heard some whispers that they might be interested in bringing Washburn back to the city where he pitched from 2006 to last year's trade deadline.  The M's have already spent a lot of money this offseason, but Washburn might be enticed to return to a familiar situation for a contract akin to the one he turned down from Minnesota.  Then again, Washburn is a Scott Boras client, so a bargain could be hard to come by.

Another source tells Morosi that six teams "have inquired" about Washburn.  Aside from Minnesota and Seattle, we've heard Washburn linked to such suitors as Milwaukee (who are probably out of the running after signing Randy Wolf and Doug Davis), Kansas City and the Mets.  Morosi also points out that the Cubs could join the Washburn sweepstakes in the wake of missing out on Sheets.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Turnbow, Delgado, Nady

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Links for Tuesday…

  • Orlando Hudson is "making progress on signing with a team," tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson, however Hudson declined to name the team. In separate tweet, Ladson says a source told him that the Nationals top Hudson's wish list.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Diamondbacks and Rockies are pursuing Derrick Turnbow, who could sign soon.
  • MLBTR's resident translator Nick Collias passes along this report from Esteban Rivera of the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora, in which Carlos Delgado says that the Mets, Orioles, and Royals "have seen him [play] on the island." Omar Minaya said there is still a mutual interest in bringing Delgado back to New York, tweets ESPN's Jorge Arangure
  • The final offer Scott Boras presented the Yankees with for Xavier Nady was worth $5MM, tweets Joel Sherman of The New York Post. He adds that the Yanks would have considered him at the price he signed for today, and that they'll only do a minor league deal for Rocco Baldelli (via Twitter).
  • Now that Ben Sheets has signed with the A's, Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com tweets that the Mets' next target appears to be John Smoltz. A source tells him they haven't aggressively pursued Jon Garland. 
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart mentions that the Astros and Wandy Rodriguez are set to go an arbitration hearing on February 17th. Wandy filed for $7MM, the team $5MM.
  • Meanwhile, Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle breaks down the Astros' offseason in a video.
  • Rick Ankiel said that the Nationals, Marlins, and Yankees were in it until the end, reports Doug Tucker of The Brownsville Herald.
  • Cody Ross' arbitration hearing has been scheduled for February 15th, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ross is seeking a $4.45MM salary in 2010, but the Marlins are countering with $4.2MM.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about baseball's internal discussions on how to fix the draft, including some notes about what was discussed at the recent general managers meeting (sub. req'd).
  • In a mailbag, MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says the Twins payroll appears to be right around $90MM, and they don't seem willing to spend much more than that.    
  • Meanwhile, Lyle Spencer of MLB.com writes in his mailbag that the Angels "appear to have stretched the salary budget to its limit," so don't expect any more major moves.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday lists what he thinks are the best run organizations in baseball (sub. req'd). There's 15 of them, however ten are from the AL while just five come from the NL. 
  • John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer looks at the list of remaining free agents, and sees only one fit for the Reds: Orlando Cabrera. He's probably too expensive for them at this point, however. 
  • MLB.com's Marty Noble says in a mailbag that he doesn't believe the Mets' current roster and the Opening Day roster will be the same, but he's not sure where the club can turn to improve.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Angels, Rangers

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Lots to get to as Monday starts to wind down:

  • Frankie Piliere of AOL Fanhouse weighs in with his top 100 prospects of 2010. The Top 25 can be found here, while 26-100 are available here.
  • In addition to weighing in on Jim Thome, MLB.com's Kelly Thesier reports that the Twins would likely be looking to begin any contract extension with Joe Mauer in 2011, rather than re-work his 2010 deal.
  • MLB.com's Lyle Spencer doesn't think the Angels are doing anything else significant this offseason.
  • T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com says that the Rangers haven't ruled Ben Sheets out completely, but that the player movement is likely finished in Arlington as well.
  • Add MLB.com's Marty Noble to the list of people who don't understand why the Mets acquired Gary Matthews Jr.
  • Michael DiRocco of the Florida Times-Union reports that Texas Rangers' draft pick and Florida wide receiver Riley Cooper, practicing this week at the Senior Bowl, has chosen football over baseball.
  • The Royals announced infielder Mario Lisson was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Rick Ankiel.

Mets Rumors: Catcher, Smoltz, Sheets, Delgado

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Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has the latest on the Mets.

  • The Mets are said to be 50-50 on whether to use internal catching options or sign Yorvit Torrealba or Rod Barajas.  The current favorite to start is Omir Santos, projected to hit .247/.296/.359 by CHONE.
  • The Mets are "very likely to add one more starting pitcher," writes Rubin.  John Smoltz, Ben Sheets, and Jon Garland are the names under discussion.  The Smoltz talks are described as "active dialogue."  We learned earlier today that the A's appear to be a top competitor for Sheets, while SI's Jon Heyman believes the Rangers and Mariners are also in the mix.  Heyman tweets that the Mets "don't appear to be the frontrunner for Sheets at the moment."
  • Rubin considers a Carlos Delgado re-signing to be "not overly likely" due to concerns about Delgado playing first base.  Instead, the Mets could bring Fernando Tatis back.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Rangers, Lee, Matthews

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Saturday linkage…

  • White Sox GM Ken Williams said that the club proposed a long-term deal to Bobby Jenks before signing him to a one-year contract, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
  • Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski admitted that they were "probably too liberal in giving long-term contracts to players," tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. However, Dombrowski did say they want to sign Justin Verlander, presumably long-term (via Beck's Twitter).
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets that there's a strong chance the sale of the Rangers could be completed today.
  • At his introductory press conference, Cliff Lee said he was hoping to be wowed by Seattle and the Mariners, and if he is, he would be open to re-signing there according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. When asked about his next contract, Lee joked "I want a 10-year deal for about 200 billion. Nah, I don't know."  
  • Tom Gage of The Detroit News writes that the Tigers have five lefty relievers on their roster, so don't be surprised if one of them gets traded. Bobby Seay might be the most vulnerable of the five (despite being the most established) because he'll make $2.475MM in 2010 and lefties hit him better than righties last year.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to several people in the game about the Mets picking up Gary Matthews Jr., and the general thought is that he "can't hit for average, can't hit for power, his defense ranks statistically among the worst outfielders in the majors, and, to top it off, rival scouts have been reporting that in recent years he has been a clubhouse negative."
  • Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald has some quotes from Red Sox principal owner John Henry about the team's offseason.
  • Free agent reliever Oscar Villarreal will throw for teams next Friday, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He last pitched in the majors back in 2008 with the Astros.

Angels Sign Joel Pineiro To Two-Year Deal

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Joel Pineiro officially signed a two-year deal with the Angels worth about $16MM today.  The Cardinals will receive a supplemental first round pick as compensation for losing the Type-B free agent.  The 31-year-old Pineiro probably won't match the departed John Lackey, but he was the best available free agent starter.

Pineiro will apparently receive just $1MM more than Jason Marquis despite having a much better 2009 season.  Pineiro pitched like an ace, with a 3.49 ERA in 214 innings for the Cardinals.  His 60.5% groundball rate and 1.1 walks per nine innings were both MLB bests.  Cards pitching coach Dave Duncan deserves credit for the former, as Duncan convinced Pineiro in February to try a sinker.  The walk rate may be more difficult to repeat.

The Mets and Dodgers were also known to be pursuing Pineiro.  They'll now have to turn to Jon Garland, Jarrod Washburn, and Braden Looper for bulk innings.  Ben Sheets, Erik Bedard, John Smoltz, and Chien-Ming Wang provide the post-injury upside.  Pedro Martinez sits somewhere in-between.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday first tweeted Pineiro's Angels preference, while SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Buster Olney followed with tweets of the agreement.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Molina, Zduriencik, White Sox

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Friday Night Lights Links…

  • Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said that they're finished signing "impact" free agents according to a tweet from MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. He did not, however, rule out a trade with payroll implications.
  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says (via Twitter) that Bengie Molina passed up an extra $1MM in salary for 2010 from the Mets for a familiarity of San Francisco.
  • David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus sat down for a must read interview with Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik. Best of all, it's not behind their subscriber wall.
  • An interesting quote by White Sox GM Kenny Williams at SoxFest today, courtesy of a tweet from Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune: "There's always one more move to be made."

Odds & Ends: Tatis, Astros, Ludwick, A’s

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Some links for Friday…

  • Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that the Nationals have put Josh Willingham on the market once again.  If they move the soon-to-be 31-year-old, it could clear the way for Adam Dunn to be moved to the outfield.  Willingham recently avoided arbitration with the Nats, agreeing to a one-year, $4.6MM pact.
  • Mike Puma of the New York Post hears that the Mets could bring Fernando Tatis back if they don't re-sign Carlos Delgado. However, the Mets have not contacted Tatis' agent.
  • The Astros appear unwilling to talk multi-year deals with arbitration-eligible players Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Tim Byrdak, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
  • The Cards and Ryan Ludwick avoided arbitration and agreed on a one-year $5.45MM deal for 2010, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • A's prospect Grant Desme is retiring from baseball to "pursue the priesthood," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Baseball America ranked Desme the club's eighth-best prospect this offseason.
  • Craig Brown of Royals Authority doesn't see why the Royals signed Scott Podsednik if they were going to add Rick Ankiel, too.
  • Tyler Hissey ranks the remaining free agents. Check out our comprehensive free agent list right here.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Mariners have been working on possible deals involving Jose Lopez.
  • Olney says Jim Thome is talking with a few teams.
  • Could the Brewers lock Prince Fielder up to a deal that keeps the first baseman in Milwaukee after the 2011 season? MLB.com's Adam McCalvy asked Brewers GM Doug Melvin if the club might extend Fielder soon and Melvin said: "I don't know the answer to that."
  • Meanwhile, another big left-handed slugger is just looking for a job. Jim Thome remains available, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he's happy to rotate players in and out of the DH spot this year.
  • The Pirates, who are likely done making major moves this offseason, project to have an Opening Day payroll of $35.65MM, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog tweets that the Mets are close to making a deal.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says he's going to "tweak and add" before the season starts, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

Giants Re-Sign Bengie Molina To One-Year Deal

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Bengie Molina rejected a $5MM offer from the Mets and chose instead to take a one-year $4.5MM deal to return to San Francisco. The move, which is now official, increases the likelihood that top prospect Buster Posey will start the season back in the minors.

Molina returns to the Bay Area despite reports that GM Brian Sabean said he believed the backstop had received a multi-year offer elsewhere. Molina, whose brother Jose is still a free agent, earned $16MM as part of the three year deal he signed with San Francisco back in 2007. He hit .278/.302/.440 with 55 homers while with the Giants. 

Now, the Giants have reached their payroll limit, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.

Dennis O'Donnell of CBS 5 Sports first reported the deal and SI.com's Jon Heyman added that Molina turned down a superior offer from the Mets.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Mets To Acquire Gary Matthews Jr.

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The Mets will acquire Gary Matthews Jr. and cash from the Angels for Brian Stokes. Matthews, who receives $500K for being traded, is set to make $11MM in 2010 and $12MM in 2011. The Angels will pick up all but $2MM of the $23.5MM remaining on the deal.

Matthews joined the Angels before the 2007 season, signing a $50MM deal. He leaves without much fanfare, as he's coming off a season in which he combined poor defense with a .250/.336/.361 line. That's far from the .866 OPS he posted in his 2006 walk year.

The 30-year-old Stokes allowed 72 hits and 38 walks in 70.1 innings last year, striking out 45 for a 3.97 ERA.

Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the deal. Heyman, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick followed up with details, all via Twitter.

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