Curtis Granderson Becomes Available
The Tigers are letting teams know center fielder Curtis Granderson is available, according to an NL executive who talked to the New York Post's Joel Sherman. Sherman believes the Yankees would have interest.
Sherman qualifies the rumor, saying Granderson nor Edwin Jackson are players the Tigers truly want to trade. Sherman notes that Jackson appeals to both New York teams.
While we named Granderson in our center fielder trade market post, we didn't think he was really available. One thing I learned writing that post is that Granderson's 2009 batting line was misleading, and he's well worth the $25.75MM owed to him over the next three seasons. The Tigers could restock the cupboards with a Granderson trade. Pure speculation, but might the Cubs be interested in the Illinois native? Way back in March of '07, Granderson talked to us about the possibility of playing in Chicago.
Freddy Guzman, Josh Towers Elect Free Agency
Freddy Guzman and Josh Towers were outrighted by the Yankees and elected free agency, according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Towers would've been arbitration-eligible.
Guzman, 29 in January, hit .223/.272/.294 in 381 plate appearances for four Triple A teams this year. Towers, 33 in February, posted a 3.05 ERA in 103.3 Triple A innings for two clubs.
Anthopoulos Would Deal Within Division
Same-division dealing won't be a big factor for new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Said Anthopoulos:
That will never be a stumbling block, if we get the return that we feel, no matter what player it is. We're trying to worry about the Toronto Blue Jays and what makes us a better team.
A comment like that tends to fuel the fire regarding rumors that the Red Sox or Yankees will have interest in Roy Halladay. Indeed, SI's Jon Heyman just tweeted that the Yanks plan to inquire.
Yankees May Let Chien-Ming Wang Leave
The Yankees "will be very cautious" with pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees always preferred to go year-to-year with Wang, so this is nothing new. Wang is certain to be non-tendered, but the Yankees may be reluctant to do any kind of deal. From Sherman:
I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.
Wang, 30 in March, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his shoulder capsule back in July. He hopes to throw a rehab game by April or May.
Yankees Notes: Mitre, Gaudin, Wang
While there is no shortage of talk about the Yankees re-signing their own free agents or making a splash for the likes of John Lackey, the World Series champions also have some decisions to make about the back-end of their rotation. Joel Sherman of the New York Post took a look at what the Yankees might do with some of the extra pitchers on the staff…
- New York would like to bring back Sergio Mitre even if they don't pick up his $1.25MM option. Sherman reports that the team likes Mitre's versatility as either a starter or reliever, and the Yankees feel he will improve on his poor 2009 numbers when he is another season removed from Tommy John surgery.
- The Yankees also "intend" to re-sign Chad Gaudin, who shared the fifth spot in the New York rotation with Mitre last season.
- In addition to Mitre, Gaudin and a healthy Ian Kennedy, the Yankees haven't given up on any of the young starters they moved to the bullpen last year. Sherman says the Yankees will ask Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes "to come to spring ready to be starters."
- Sherman doesn't expect the Yankees to tender a contract to Chien-Ming Wang, but noted that New York might be able to re-sign him to a cheaper, incentive-laden contract since Wang's marketing deals in Taiwan may suffer if he pitches for anyone besides the high-profile Yankees.
- Sherman (via Twitter) reported that Alan Nero, Wang's agent, said that Wang was given the green light by Dr. James Andrews to start throwing by December 15 and that Wang may be able to pitch again by as early as the middle of April. In a follow-up tweet, Sherman noted that Yankee doctors have yet to examine Wang themselves.
Odds & Ends: Smoltz, Holliday, Varitek, Tejada
Let's round up a few more links in a busy day of rumors….
- John Smoltz wants to pitch next year, according to this tweet from ESPN.com's Peter Gammons.
- The Mets will ask the Blue Jays about the price for Roy Halladay, as they did this summer, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
- As Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports, Andy Pettitte isn't likely to return to the Astros.
- We knew Matt Capps could be a trade chip for the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates offered Capps to the Milwaukee Brewers for J.J. Hardy.
- Many expect Matt Holliday to end up in New York in 2010, but both the Mets and Yankees are downplaying their interest in the outfielder, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Sherman also writes that if Jason Varitek doesn't exercise his player option, the Mets could be interested in the 37-year-old.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban agrees with Tim: Miguel Tejada fits in Oakland.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star notes (via Twitter) that the Royals' payroll reached $82MM this past season.
Yankees Could Keep Pettitte, Damon, Matsui
2:15pm: Just because the Yankees would prefer to keep Damon on a one-year deal doesn't mean that's possible. Speaking to Jon Heyman, Scott Boras compared Damon to Jorge Posada, who got a four-year deal and Derek Jeter, who is expected to receive one, too.
11:49am: Lohud.com's Chad Jennings notes that the October and November performances by Pettitte, Damon, and Matsui won't affect the team's decisions on whether to bring the players back. The quote from Cashman: “What they were when they went into October, that’s what they still are regardless of how well or how poorly they played in October."
11:10am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News also reports that the Yankees have interest in retaining both Damon and Matsui on one-year deals. In another article, Feinsand writes that the Yankees are "intrigued" by John Lackey.
9:20am: After months of talk that the Yankees would only keep one of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the World Champions will try to re-sign both players, plus Andy Pettitte. The Yankees are more intent on retaining their own free agents than they are on acquiring Matt Holliday, Jason Bay or John Lackey.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman would prefer to bring all three back on one-year deals to minimize risk. Teams might be reluctant to sign Damon – a Type A free agent – if the Yanks offer arbitration, because they'd lose a draft pick. The Yankees would have to be prepared to pay Damon $15MM or so if they offer arbitration, so they may try to work out a deal in the $10MM range instead.
Heyman On Bradley, Gonzalez, Halladay
Jon Heyman has the latest on Milton Bradley, Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, and plenty of other big names in his new column. Let's check out some of the highlights….
- Although Texas and Tampa Bay seem like the most likely destinations for Bradley, one GM says the outfielder needs to play in a small market like Kansas City or San Diego.
- If the Rangers were to acquire Bradley, they would probably want the Cubs to pick up about $16MM of the remaining $21MM on his contract.
- People around baseball figure that Halladay is more likely than Gonzalez to be traded this winter. But a rival GM wouldn't be surprised to see both players get traded, since "sometimes new GMs like to put their stamp on a team."
- If the Boston Red Sox are in the Halladay hunt again, don't expect them to give up as much as they would have this summer. One executive believes they offered too much.
- Should the New York Yankees offer John Lackey a deal similar to the one they gave A.J. Burnett last winter, a competing GM thinks it would be enough to land Lackey, given teams' increasing reluctance to hand out long-term contracts.
- The New York Mets are a little wary of Lackey's "alleged arm issues" but could be interested in second-tier free agent starters like Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.
- Chone Figgins is a top priority for the Angels early in the offseason. They could attempt to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero later in the winter, but he's not a priority for now.
- The Philadelphia Phillies would like to lock up Cliff Lee to a long-term extension that costs them less than $100MM.
Sherman On Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees
Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests, as Adam Rubin did earlier today, that the New York Mets may not be able to sign Matt Holliday or Jason Bay because of payroll restrictions. A Mets official tells Sherman that, if that is the case, the team's Plan B involves trying to "sprinkle power at a variety of positions" rather than adding one elite hitter.
One scenario Sherman outlines for the Mets is adding a catcher like Bengie Molina, an outfielder such as Jermaine Dye or Mark DeRosa, and then moving Luis Castillo to clear second base for someone with more power.
It sounds like the Giants and Mets will be the main competitors for Molina's services. The Giants would like to bring him back, and will look to spend more on their offense this winter, though a "team insider" says that Bay's and Holliday's price tags might be out of San Francisco's range as well.
In another article, Sherman writes that the St. Louis Cardinals don't anticipate Holliday signing anywhere until after Christmas. The team also fears that the New York Yankees could get involved in the bidding. If the Yankees were to retain Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, as has been rumored, you'd have to think the Cardinals would like their chances of bringing back Holliday a lot more.
However, Damon apparently won't do the Yankees any favors by giving them a hometown discount. In one last article, Sherman outlines Scott Boras's case for Damon earning a long-term deal and big money.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Felix, Jays, Valentine
Some links for Tuesday morning…
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com says there are concerns about Aroldis Chapman's makeup.
- One GM asked Joel Sherman of the New York Post why Felix Hernandez would consider signing long-term with the Mariners when the Yankees could conceivably offer $200MM in two winters when he's a free agent.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Bobby Valentine and Jim Riggleman are the two finalists for the Nats' managerial job.
- The Blue Jays claimed Mike McCoy from the Rockies off waivers, according to the Jays' Twitter.
- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was named executive of the year, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.
- Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times suggests that free agent pitcher Jason Marquis may be out of the Dodgers' price range (via Twitter).
- Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe asks himself if the Red Sox are preparing to spend big this offseason.