Athletics Rumors

Athletics Release Santiago Casilla

By Tim Dierkes | December 10, 2009 at 12:00pm CDT

The Athletics released reliever Santiago Casilla today to make room for Rule 5 pick Bobby Cassevah, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Casilla would've been non-tendered on Saturday anyway.

Casilla, 29, posted a 5.96 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 4.7 BB/9 in 48.3 relief innings this year. He was hindered by calf and knee injuries. He dealt with a sore elbow throughout the '08 season.

Overnight Links: Rodney, Lyon, Nationals, Weaver

By Mike Axisa | December 10, 2009 at 2:13am CDT

The Hot Stove never sleeps…

With Brandon Lyon headed to Houston, Steve Kornacki of MLive.com expects the Tigers to intensify their efforts to re-sign Fernando Rodney.
Speaking of Lyon, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs calls his signing by the Astros "the latest act in a joke that’s gone on far too long." Ouch.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals' agenda hasn't changed; they're looking for quality pitching and a backup infielder.
The Angels will be among the teams at Aroldis Chapman's workout next week, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times.
The Dodgers have interest in re-signing righty Jeff Weaver, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The 33-year-old Weaver had a 3.65 ERA in 79 innings for LA last season.
Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes that the Tigers have only $33MM committed to their 2011 payroll, and would have a big chunk of money to play around with next offseason even if they scale their payroll back a bit.
Bill Beane left the Winter Meetings late Wednesday afternoon according to MLB.com's Tom Singer, and is ready to get some serious work done. "You really do more productive work when you get back home, and can get on the phone away from the distractions," Beane said.
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro acknowledged that it's possible the team may move past Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre, says MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants could benefit from the Yankees' glut of outfielders.

Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Matsui, Darvish

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2009 at 11:42am CDT

Kicking off a fresh Odds & Ends post for Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Ryota Igarashi received a one-year big league offer from an unknown team.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says Justin Duchscherer would like to pitch for the D'Backs, but a deal is not likely. He also notes that the D'Backs denied offering Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe learned that Gary Sheffield has four suitors currently, the Red Sox not among them.
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle names the A's as a "possible suitor" for Hideki Matsui, which ESPN's Keith Law thinks would be pointless.
Wezen-Ball gives us the history of the highest-paid player in baseball, from Nolan Ryan onward.
Yu Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history (he's 23) to reach 300 million yen when he re-signed for 330 million, reports Kyodo News. That comes to about $3.75MM currently.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff notes that Rudy Seanez wants to pitch next year.
ESPN's Mike Salk says the Mariners "specifically chose" Jack Wilson over J.J. Hardy.

Overnight Links: Wolf, Crisp, Yankees, Halladay

By Luke Adams 2 | December 9, 2009 at 7:17am CDT

MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the winter meetings continues as we gear up for whatever Day Three may bring. In the meantime, let's check out some overnight links from around the majors….

In a pair of tweets, Buster Olney of ESPN.com passes on these notes: The Brewers expect a decision from Randy Wolf today, and the Red Sox have interest in Coco Crisp.
Of the expensive arms linked to the Orioles, Kevin Millwood makes the most sense, according to the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
The New York Post's Joel Sherman speculates about what Curtis Granderson's arrival could mean for the futures of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in New York.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News opines that the Yankees still need to make Damon a priority, even with Granderson on the roster.
John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Granderson trade will prompt the Red Sox to pursue Roy Halladay more actively.
The Angels are the front-runners to acquire Halladay, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck ranks the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers respectively as the other contenders.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers would like to sign or trade for a pair of starters this winter, they might be content to just add one.
Crisp could end up back in Kansas City next season, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Both parties are currently exploring their options.
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle details what would have to happen for Hideki Matsui to end up in Oakland.
In a separate piece, Shea explains why the Giants are re-thinking their approach to filling their opening behind the plate.
The Yankees' acquisition of Granderson has the Boston media even busier than usual. Rob Bradford of WEEI hears that the Tigers asked Boston for either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury in exchange for Granderson. The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman doesn't think the Red Sox will feel forced to strike back immediately, while Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Sox have no plans to replace their departed bullpen arms with pricey free agents. Speaking of pricey free agents though, John Tomase of the Boston Herald fully expects Boston to sign either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.

Beane On Free Agents

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2009 at 3:14am CDT

MLB.com's Tom Singer tells us that Billy Beane will focus primarily on short-term free agents this offseason as the club's key minor league players continue to develop:

Beane states that while a young third baseman or shortstop would be their first choice to acquire, they can look to free agents to fill the holes. Singer mentions Juan Uribe, Jamey Carroll, Ramon Martinez, Troy Glaus, Mark Loretta, and Fernando Tatis. Ramon Martinez… really? Interesting to see Beane mention a young third baseman after landing Brett Wallace earlier this year.
Beane explicitly states that the A's do not plan to be aggressive on the trade market, citing a desire to keep their young players.
Beane doesn't plan on holding out to see if the free agent pool expands after the non-tender deadline: "It never turns into the market that we anticipate. People expect more than what is usually delivered in terms of available players." Singer speculates that this is partly posturing though, so as not to cause any other GMs to second-guess their decision to non-tender someone.

Justin Duchscherer Declines Arbitration

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2009 at 4:14pm CDT

Pitcher Justin Duchscherer declined the A's arbitration offer, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Since he's a Type B free agent, the A's will get a supplemental pick if he signs elsewhere. Duchscherer, who missed all of 2009, has drawn interest from the Rockies, Red Sox, and Pirates already. There is still mutual interest for Duchscherer to return to the A's, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Cust Could Be Odd Man Out In Oakland

By Zachary Links | December 7, 2009 at 3:10pm CDT

MONDAY, 3:10pm: Don't look for Cust to land in Seattle, says Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

SUNDAY, 12:20pm: The A's acquisition of Jake Fox from the Cubs could spell the end of Jack Cust's time in Oakland, writes Carl Steward of the Mercury News. Cust, who is set to command between $4-5MM in arbitration, is a likely non-tender candidate.

However, Oakland GM Billy Beane may just find a taker for the soon-to-be 31-year-old slugger at the winter meetings. Both the Mets and Mariners could be interested. Beane also says that the club is more likely to sign a free agent during the meetings than make a trade.

How much could the A's get for Cust, considering that everyone knows the club is unlikely to tender him an offer?

A’s Offered Scutaro Three Years

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2009 at 6:01pm CDT

The A's offered Marco Scutaro three years and slightly more money than the Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. Oakland planned to use Scutaro at short, pushing Cliff Pennington into a utility role.

The Fox scribes say the A's are clearly "operating with a measure of financial flexibility," reminding us that Oakland assumed $1.7MM of Aaron Miles' salary when they acquired him from the Cubs yesterday. What do MLBTR's readers think about this, surprised the A's were willing to open their wallet like this?

Oakland Acquires Jake Fox And Aaron Miles

By Zachary Links | December 3, 2009 at 10:36pm CDT

10:36pm: Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com provides us with a look at the newest Cubs, Ronny Morla and Matt Spencer.

Mayo characterizes Morla as a "solid mid-range" prospect and notes that he has been able to maintain a 93-94 MPH fastball as a starter. He also speculates that he could increase his velocity into the mid-90s if he is moved to the bullpen.

Spencer, meanwhile, is a solid athlete, especially when considering he is 6'4, 225 lbs. He has the versatility to play first base but his strong arm makes him more intriguing as an outfielder. In fact, there was once talk of him being drafted as a pitcher during his time at Arizona State.

5:51pm: Oakland will receive $1MM from the Cubs to help offset Aaron Miles' $2.7MM contract, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times (via Twitter).

5:35pm: The other two players in the deal are Ronny Morla and Matt Spencer, tweets Brent S. Gambill of Sirius XM. The Cubs will also give the Athletics cash considerations as part of the deal.

5:18pm: The Cubs have traded Jake Fox and Aaron Miles to the A's for Jeff Gray and two minor-leaguers, according to ESPNChicago.com.

Fox is the more attractive of the two for Oakland, as he has performed quite well in the Cubs' minor league system over the last three years. The 27-year-old took it to another level in '09 when he posted a remarkable slash line of .409/.495/.841 in 45 games for Chicago's Triple-A affiliate. This led to a promotion in late May in which he recorded a .779 OPS with 11 HRs in 241 plate appearances.

Miles disappointed the Cubs with his 2009 performance after receiving a two-year deal worth $4.9MM. The second baseman recorded an atrocious .466 OPS in 74 games.

One wonders if the addition of Fox could mean that Jack Cust's time in Oakland is through, as he may not be tendered an offer.

Eight Teams Interested In Carroll

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 3, 2009 at 12:59pm CDT

There's no shortage of interest in Jamey Carroll this year. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Pirates, Reds and Indians all have interest in the 35-year-old utility man. We know the Marlins are interested, too.

Carroll hit .276/.355/.340 with the Indians last year, spending most of his time at second and third, and playing some outfield as well. UZR/150 suggests Carroll has been an above-average defender at second base over the course of the last five years.

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