Boras Speaks
We'll add some links from Scott Boras' lobby chat in this post, though from what I can tell he didn't say anything interesting. We'll keep this a tweet-free post.
- Boras busted out his famous books, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- Boras thinks Matt Holliday is a "different" kind of player than Jason Bay, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of course it's Boras' job to distinguish between Holliday and Bay, so we should expect comments like this.
- EPSN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Boras compared Holliday's production to Mark Teixeira's.
- The Rays haven't discussed a contract extension for Carlos Pena, who's entering the last year of his contract, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford has Boras talking about Matt Holliday and Adrian Beltre, where Boras compares Beltre's offensive ability to Jason Bay's.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has Boras saying five or six teams are interested in Beltre, including the Mariners. Boras said some teams (many have speculated the Red Sox) would move their third baseman for Beltre.
- Baggarly quotes Boras as saying "There are teams that have interest [in Holliday] and don’t want to let anyone to truly know." Boras assumes the Giants are interested in Holliday.
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has Boras explaining why the Mets can afford Holliday.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has Boras saying that the Cardinals retaining Holliday is like keeping two players, since it will help them sign Albert Pujols.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun has Boras saying the Kevin Millwood trade is not done, but they're having discussions.
Seven Teams In On Nick Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Giants and Mariners are still in on Johnson, but are neither is offering a second year.
MONDAY, 3:17pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert notes that it would be tough for the D'Backs to fit Johnson and a starter into the budget.
2:44pm: Seven teams are in on injury-prone on-base machine Nick Johnson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Mariners, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Yankees. Stark says Johnson is high on Seattle's first base shopping list. It's been said that Johnson, 31, is seeking a two-year deal. Check out our discussion post on him here.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Joel Pineiro
Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets of six early suitors for free agent righty Joel Pineiro, who is perhaps now the best free agent starter available aside from John Lackey. Brown names the Yankees, Mets, Nationals, Cubs, Orioles, and Angels as interested teams. ESPN's Jayson Stark says Pineiro wants more than $10MM a year.
Pineiro had a fine 2009 season, using a sinker to get tons of groundballs and walking very few. But while he's a couple years younger than Randy Wolf, I can't see Pineiro getting a four-year deal. I think he'll be hard-pressed to get three. And regarding the Cubs' interest, I'd be surprised if they found the cash. The Yankees also seem unlikely.
Randy Wolf To Sign With Brewers
11:46am: Haudricourt writes that there is a fourth-year club option and the value of the deal is "just under $30MM." Rosenthal says the final number is $29.75MM.
11:22am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Brewers will agree with Wolf today on a three-year deal worth just under $30MM. Ken Rosenthal says an agreement has been reached. ESPN's Buster Olney agrees with Haudricourt's figure: $27MM.
WEDNESDAY, 9:22am: Haudricourt says the Brewers have a meeting with Tellem today, and they expect a response on Wolf. If they sign him, they'll next look for a set-up man, possibly Kevin Gregg. If they don't get Wolf, Jon Garland is Plan B.
11:39pm: Now, Haudricourt says the Brewers offered $27MM over three years. They are hoping for a response tomorrow.
2:46pm: Haudricourt believes the Brewers offered Wolf three years and $31MM. He should probably sign that.
9:32am: The Mets will meet with Wolf's agent Arn Tellem today, says Haudricourt, suggesting the Brewers' offer is being shopped around.
TUESDAY, 8:37am: ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Brewers offered Wolf more than Tim Hudson's three-year, $28MM deal, but a half-dozen other teams remain in the mix. Heyman tweets that the Mets aren't giving up, but hope two years will be enough.
MONDAY, 11:06pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Brewers are "on [the] verge" of signing Wolf to a three-year pact.
10:02pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Brewers did offer Wolf a third year. The Brewers are the "frontrunner" for Wolf's services and a deal could apparently go down within days.
9:34pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel hears that it will take a three year offer to lure Wolf to Milwaukee. The Brewers appear willing to offer the lefty a third year. The Dodgers didn't offer him arbitration, so at least he won't cost a draft pick. Still, the deal's far from a certainty at this point.
9:22pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Brewers are closing in on a three-year deal with Wolf. Price writes that he's "trying to confirm" the rumor, so it's definitely not a sure thing. Stay tuned.
7:21pm: A source close to Wolf calls this rumor "nonsense," according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.
6:41pm: A Randy Wolf signing may be imminent, if you believe the word of "one high-ranking club executive" who spoke to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. We learned today that the Mets plan to meet with Wolf's agent, and the Brewers are making a "strong run" at the lefty. Wolf was also linked to the Mariners for the first time, by SI's Jon Heyman.
Market For Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd
WEDNESDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi says the markets for Cameron and Marlon Byrd are running parallel, with the Braves, Angels, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants checking in on both.
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thoughts on the market for free agent center fielder Mike Cameron. He names the Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees as potential suitors Cameron, who turns 37 in January. Rosenthal notes that Cameron would move from center to left field for the right team.
Regarding the Cubs, Rosenthal explains that they can pursue him if they free up "a good amount" in their Milton Bradley trade. Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik could be other options if they save less.
Mets Focused On Five Starting Pitchers
The New York Mets have targeted five free agent starting pitchers, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman: John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland, and Doug Davis.
The Mets have yet to make any offers to free agent starters, but have met with Lackey's representation and are having an internal debate on whether to "go all-in" for the right-hander. With the club feeling that they're unlikely to invest heavily in a catcher or left fielder, some of the team's brass think they should spend their money on the best pitcher available, rather than saving it for other positions.
Of the five pitchers Sherman mentions, the Mets are only willing to offer more than three years to Lackey, and no more than two years to Marquis, Garland, and Davis.
Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde
More links for the evening…
- The Red Sox will find out tomorrow if their claim on Rays righty Ramon A. Ramirez went through, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. This isn't the same Ramon Ramirez that appeared in 70 games for Boston last year.
- Randy Johnson is still undecided about 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- The Rangers discussed Arthur Rhodes with the Reds today, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers are on the lookout for lefty relievers.
- The Rangers are considering Jason Kendall and Rod Barajas behind the plate, according to Sullivan. ESPN.com's Keith Law says this is a problem for the Rangers. He doesn't think much of any of the free agent catchers they're considering.
- Coco Crisp would be up for signing with the White Sox, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Talks between the Twins and Joe Crede are progressing slowly, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.
- The Mariners are keeping in touch with Rich Harden's agents, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Nats were interested in Jose Valverde, but they felt his asking price was too high, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that Scott Boras will meet with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik tonight. Adrian Beltre is one of Boras' clients, so they'll presumably discuss him.
- White Sox reliever Matt Thornton tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's recruiting J.J. Putz. Thornton says he and Putz have a long-standing "bromance" that dates back to their Seattle days.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz are too much to give up for Josh Johnson. Apparently, the Rangers offered the pair of top prospects up.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus likes the Ivan Rodriguez signing for the Nats, partly because Pudge could help develop Stephen Strasburg.
- By the way, the deal is pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Braves are interested in Xavier Nady, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets may be more inclined to pay top dollar for John Lackey now that they've seen the asking prices of some lesser starters.
- The Cardinals won't be involved with Lackey, but they have interest in signing a lefty bench bat, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Gload Choosing Between Phils, Braves, Marlins
Ross Gload should soon sign a two-year deal with an NL East team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The only question is: which team will he choose? The Phillies, Braves and Marlins are all interested in the 33-year-old utilityman. The Marlins turned down a $2.6MM option for Gload's 2010 services earlier in the offseason.
He hit .261/.329/.400 in 259 plate appearances with the Marlins this year, playing a combination of first base, left field and right field. He even pitched a scoreless frame against the Rays this May, inducing a double play ball off of Dioner Navarro.
Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui
More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
- It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
- John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
- The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
- Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Rockies Offer Torrealba Two-Year Deal
5:58: Renck reports that the Rockies made a two-year offer worth $4.5-6MM. The two sides continue to talk and they could reach a deal tonight. Miguel Olivo is currently a fallback option for the Rockies.
5:08pm: The Rockies made progress with Torrealba this afternoon, according to Renck. The catcher is looking for a two year deal worth about $6MM, like the one Ivan Rodriguez signed.
3:36pm: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has multiple teams competing for free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba, with the Rockies a "slight favorite." Torrealba hopes to re-sign with Colorado, but the Mets, Giants, Blue Jays, and Royals are other suitors. Torrealba met with the Mets today, and his grievance from 2007 is apparently no longer an issue.
With Brian Schneider and Ivan Rodriguez surprisingly getting two-year deals, Torrealba has a case for the same.