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Rosenthal’s Latest: Hendry, Burnett, Laird

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Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has a new column up.

  • Rosenthal fills us in on Jim Hendry’s contract status: Hendry controls his own fate with an option for ’09.  If the new Cubs ownership doesn’t want to extend him beyond that, he could elect free agency this winter.  Click here to download a spreadsheet of Hendry’s trade history.
  • Teams with third basemen to trade this winter are at an advantage due to the weak free agent market.  Names like Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Hank Blalock could generate interest.  Blalock is a huge question mark though, and the Rangers still have to decide on his $6.2MM option.  Jorge Cantu, Adrian Beltre, and Kevin Kouzmanoff are other names to watch in my opinion.
  • Rosenthal talked to a rival executive who sees the Red Sox making a "major push" for A.J. Burnett if he opts out.  He can hindle the rigors of pitching in the AL East, and will also draw interest from the Yankees.
  • The Rangers may shop Gerald Laird this winter.  Laird, 29 in November, is under team control through 2010.  The Reds could be a nice match.
  • Marlins infielder Chris Coghlan can play second or third base, giving the Fish flexibility on whether they want to trade Cantu, Mike Jacobs, or Dan Uggla this winter.

Odds and Ends: Eaton, Tazawa, Royals, Jays

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Today’s links…

  • SI.com’s Tom Verducci ranks the five best midseason deals of the past 25 years.
  • Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should stick with Robinson Cano.
  • Pat Gillick says there’s a slight chance the Phils acquire a reliever this month.  He was not able to acquire Kyle Farnsworth in August.
  • MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan doesn’t put much stock in the rumor that Nolan Ryan will clean house in Texas.
  • Phillies GM Pat Gillick admitted signing Adam Eaton was a mistake.  Many MLBTR readers thought so when the signing was finalized in November of ’06.
  • The Red Sox hope to sign a Japanese amateur pitcher named Junichi Tazawa, which may not go over well with Nippon Professional Baseball.
  • Gil Meche, Joakim Soria, and Zack Greinke are pretty much off-limits.  Most other Royals are fair game in trade discussions.  GM Dayton Moore intends to make changes this winter, and may also dive back into the free agent market.
  • The Blue Jays have $15MM to spend, with needs at shortstop, first base/DH, and catcher.  GM J.P. Ricciardi would prefer to fill those holes internally.  Shysterball wonders why Ricciardi is talking about next year.
  • Michael Rosenberg says Ivan Rodriguez is all about the money.

Gammons’ Latest: Martin, Dunn, Quentin

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Here’s the latest blog post from ESPN’s Peter Gammons…

  • Takashi Saito is mentioned as a free agent this winter, but I believe it’s a situation where he can only re-sign, return to Japan, or retire.
  • Gammons heard talk that Russell Martin could be switched permanently to third base.  In that scenario, the Dodgers would sign a pitching-oriented catcher such as Jason Varitek.  Would that be a good move?
  • Adam Dunn knows it’s cliche, but he intends to prioritize winning over money when he hits free agency.
  • The D’Backs were asking a lot for Carlos Quentin last winter, with the White Sox, Red Sox, and Indians interested.  Josh Byrnes was not able to get Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie, or Cliff Lee.  Arizona ended up getting Chris Carter from Chicago and flipping him to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal.  Carter mashed 39 home runs in A ball this year.  You can’t say the Diamondbacks gave Quentin away for nothing, since they acquired a crucial component for the Haren trade.
  • A year ago, Yankees GM Brian Cashman asked Joe Torre and his coaches their opinion on a Robinson Cano for Orlando Hudson swap.  Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa were heavily in favor of keeping Cano.

Sherman’s Latest: Yankees’ Off-Season Plans

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Earlier this week Hank Steinbrenner promised changes this off-season for the Yankees. Today Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates on what those changes could look like…

  • Sources tell Sherman that Steinbrenner wants to make CC Sabathia the highest paid pitcher ever.
  • Sherman thinks Shane Victorino would be a nice fit for the Yankees in center field.
  • Some Yankees officials are toying with the idea of trading some of their young pitching if the Yankees do land Sabathia and another veteran such as AJ Burnett. Sherman thinks a player like Phil Hughes could be used to land a young center fielder or first baseman such as Joey Votto of the Reds.
  • Sherman feels giving Mark Teixeira a 10-year deal would be a mistake.
  • Sherman also wonders if Robinson Cano should be dangled this off-season in an attempt to land a starting pitcher like Zach Greinke, Chad Billingsley or Matt Cain.
  • Sherman thinks the Yankees should offer Bobby Abreu arbitration in hopes of landing two draft picks, and says if Abreu accepts the arbitration it would not be a terrible thing, but would force somebody else to be moved.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Hank Promises Changes

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WEDNESDAY: More on this topic…Hank named Sabathia and Burnett as pitchers of interest.  It’s not surprising to hear those two will be on the Yankees’ radar.

THURSDAY, 3:26pm: Also of note, Ken Davidoff talked to Brian Cashman about nine-figure free agent deals.

8:47am: Not exactly news, but we’ll mention it anyway.  Hank Steinbrenner on 2009:

"There is going to be a lot going on this offseason.  I promise you that."

Previously, Hank mentioned the Yankees’ likely pursuit of veteran pitching.  It would make sense to bring Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte back on reasonable one-year deals if possible, and then break the bank on a third, younger free agent like C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, or A.J. Burnett.  Expect the Yanks to be aggressive in their pursuit of Sabathia.  Some good pitchers will be coming over from Japan, but I’m guessing the Yankees will pass.

The infield remains locked in, with Jorge Posada probably needing some time at DH.  Hideki Matsui may as well, so bringing in a legitimate full-time first baseman makes sense.  If the Yankees can’t get Mark Teixeira, they’ll probably have to turn to the trade market (or consider Adam Dunn as a first baseman).  The trade market may offer Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Adam LaRoche, Mike Jacobs, Todd Helton, and Nick Johnson.

It would not be surprising to see the Yankees let Damaso Marte go and spend some bucks on the bullpen.  Many of the top free agent relievers (Brian Fuentes, Francisco Rodriguez) prefer to close however.  A trade might be ideal here as well (Ron Mahay, Heath Bell, John Grabow, Kevin Gregg).

Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Lamb, Ibanez, Blake

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Hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark’s latest…

  • Stark sees the Mets picking up Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option for ’09, taking them out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.  He sees the Yankees in the mix for Tex.  Will Teixeira top the $140MM the Rangers offered him?
  • The Yanks will also pursue a top flight starting pitcher, with C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets as Plans A and B.
  • Stark does not see the Braves diving into megadeals for Sabathia, Sheets, or A.J. Burnett.  They’ll have payroll room, but could pursue trades or mid-tier free agents.
  • Stark says friends of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz indicate they both want another go at it in ’09.  They’re hoping the Braves will offer low-base incentivized deals.  If the Braves spurn Glavine, I wonder if he’ll sign with the Nationals.
  • Mike Lamb and the Phillies have mutual interest.  A trade might make more sense than awaiting his release, so that he’d be eligible for the postseason roster.
  • A friend of Raul Ibanez says the Mariners are unlikely to convince him to re-sign.  They’ll snag a couple of draft picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere.  The prospect of losing a draft pick makes Ibanez less attractive to other teams though.
  • The Dodgers are considering re-signing Casey Blake and moving Blake DeWitt to second base.

Will Yanks Make Any Trades?

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post discusses the Yankees’ trade prospects in a blog post today.  The Yankees have a 3-5% chance of making the playoffs this year, according to Baseball Prospectus.

Sherman suggests Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and Carl Pavano as players with a slight chance of being dealt.  No-trade clauses would present an obstacle for most of these players, however.

As Sherman notes, Abreu is locked in as a Type A free agent.  For the Yankees to receive draft picks for him this winter, they’d have to offer him arbitration and have him decline and sign elsewhere.  Many Yankees fans made a strong case to me yesterday that the team will offer arbitration, because another year of Abreu at $16MM+ would be an acceptable risk.  It’s a good point, since Abreu is having a better season than he did in ’07.

A pitching-starved team could take on Pavano if he approves it, but he is still owed over $4MM.  The Yanks would have to assume pretty much all of that.

Odds and Ends: Ricciardi, Guardado, Alvarez

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Let’s round ’em up…

Kenny Rogers, Others Placed On Waivers

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TUESDAY: Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press says Rogers and other Tigers were placed on waivers Friday.  So we’ll know today who cleared and who was claimed.  Rogers could make sense for a contender like the Mets.  Buster Olney doesn’t seem him getting that far – he guesses the Yankees or Red Sox.

MONDAY: According to Tom Gage of The Detroit News, it may be the end of the line for Tigers lefty Kenny Rogers.  The 43 year-old has a 5.09 ERA in 161 innings, and his walk rate continues to climb after last year’s jump.  He’s owed another $1.58MM this year, plus up to $2MM more in deferred bonus money.  Paul Byrd and Greg Maddux cleared waivers; Rogers probably would as well.  Even if the Tigers don’t move him this month, they don’t seem likely to re-sign him next year.

Baseball Prospectus assigns the Tigers playoff chances at less than 0.2%.  It’s time to focus on 2009.  Peter Gammons suggested the Tigers might trim payroll from the current $137MM range to $100MM.  Problem is, they’ve already got more than $101MM tied up in current players and will be looking for help at shortstop and in the rotation.

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