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Phillies Interested In Hisanori Takahashi

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The Phillies are showing interest in Hisanori Takahashi, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Philadelphia declined J.C. Romero's option a few weeks ago, so they're in the market for a left-handed reliever.

The Mets were unable to work out a new contract with Takahashi despite numerous deadline extensions earlier this month, and they were contractually obligated to release him. The 35-year-old is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth upwards of $15MM coming off his first season in MLB. In 122 innings with New York, he struck out 8.4 men per nine innings and walked 3.2, resulting in a 3.61 ERA. Takahashi made a dozen starts and 41 relief appearances, filling in as closer when Francisco Rodriguez was injured late in the season.

Tim Dierkes examined Takahashi's free agent stock in-depth back in September.

Poll: Are The Phillies Really Intent On Re-Signing Werth?

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For some time now, the general consensus has been that Jayson Werth would be moving on in 2011 as the Phillies are not willing to dole out the money and years necessary to retain him.  On Wednesday, a Phillies source told ESPN's Jayson Stark that there was "no chance" of the right fielder remaining in Philadelphia. 

GM Ruben Amaro now says that he needs an answer from the 31-year-old quickly, a request that seems unlikely to be fulfilled by a Scott Boras client.  Amaro wouldn't confirm or deny that the club has made Werth an offer but SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) hears that they are making a big push to keep him aboard.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Phillies' push to re-sign Werth is nothing more than a public relations move.  The club, he says, wants to be able to say that they made the slugger a big offer and tried their best to hang on to him.  Is the "big push" to keep the right-handed bopper nothing more than a PR ploy?  We want to know your take on the situation.

Are the Phillies really intent on keeping Werth?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Phillies Want Quick Answer From Werth

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8:48pm: The Phillies are "making [a] big push to keep Werth," tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.

7:13pm: Ruben Amaro is hoping to know soon if Jayson Werth is willing to return to the Phillies, reports Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  "I don't think it's something we're going to let go on for a while," Amaro said. "Hopefully we'll find out if he's a viable option to bring back in a short period of time. Regardless of what happens with Jayson, there are things we need to do."

ESPN's Jayson Stark heard from an unnamed Phillies source that there was "no chance" of Werth remaining a Phillie in 2011.  Amaro denied being the source himself and said that the statement wasn't true, though he didn't confirm or deny if the club had already made Werth an offer.  An early offer probably wouldn't make much difference since any high-profile Scott Boras client will thoroughly test the market before considering re-signing with his previous club. 

The general consensus is that Werth will be playing elsewhere next season.  To wit, in MLBTR's own free agency predictions list, none of our five writers believe Werth will re-sign with Philadelphia.

Phillies Sign Eddie Bonine, Erik Kratz

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The Phillies signed right-handed reliever Eddie Bonine and catcher Erik Kratz to minor league deals, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). 

Bonine posted a 4.63 ERA in 68 innings for the Tigers last year with 3.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. The Tigers made a push to bring The 29-year-old back on a minor league deal before the Phillies made a better offer, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). Both teams expressed interest in Bonine after he became a free agent last week.

Kratz, 30, made his big league debut with the 2010 Pirates after spending nine seasons in the minor leagues. He has a .252/.325/.434 minor league line, but he hit just .118/.167/.118 in 36 big league plate appearances.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cox, Crawford, DeJesus

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Two years ago today the Athletics acquired Matt Holliday from the Rockies in exchange for Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith. Holliday hit .286/.378/.454 in exactly 400 plate appearances with Oakland before being dealt to the Cardinals for a package led by Brett Wallace at the 2009 trade deadline.

Street has battled injuries but has been solid when on the mound for Colorado, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 109 innings. Smith has appeared in just eight games for the Rox (all starts), putting up a 6.23 ERA. The real get was CarGo, who will certainly be in the MVP mix after a .336/.376/.598 season with 34 doubles, 34 homers, 26 stolen bases, and a batting title.

The hot stove league will certainly bring us more blockbuster trades, but for now you'll have to settle for this long collection of links, the best the blogosphere had to offer this week…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dye Drawing Interest, Intends To Play Again

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Jermaine Dye wants to play again and he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Rays, Rockies and Phillies have contacted him about potential deals. The 36-year-old didn't play in 2010, but he hit 27 homers and posted a .250/.340/.453 line for the 2009 White Sox.

Dye drew interest last offseason, but told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he didn't like the offers he saw. "I'm not going to a bad team, and I'm not playing for $1.5MM," Dye said in April. Later in the year, he told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he stayed in shape and hoped to find a job in 2011.

Dye still has some power, so if he lowers his demands and teams are willing to stash him at DH or overlook his poor fielding, he could find a job this offseason. This time, Dye, who is representing himself, says money isn't important as long as he finds a major league deal. He is open to playing first or outfield and wants to sign with a contender.

Phillies Sign Pete Orr

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The Phillies signed utility man Pete Orr, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Orr, 31, last appeared in the majors with the Nationals in 2009. In five seasons for the Braves and Nationals, he has a career .260/.287/.335 line. The Canadian has just 555 big league plate appearances, but he has played at second, third, short and in both corner outfield positions.

Orr spent the 2010 season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he batted .264/.326/.436 in 536 plate appearances. He hit 12 homers, stole 25 bases and played second, third, short and all three outfield positions.

Stark On Greinke, Jeter, Phillies, Uggla

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It's looking more and more likely that MLB will add a second wild card team to each league, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. He also has the latest rumblings from around the league; here they are:

  • Clubs that have spoken to the Royals say Kansas City would only accept a bunch of front-line players for Zack Greinke. One of those players must be a pitcher with a Greinke-like ceiling, so GM Dayton Moore expects a lot for his ace.
  • Clubs that have checked in with the Royals believe Greinke would veto a deal to any major market East Coast team. However, one official says the pitcher “would at least think about the L.A. clubs.”
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently suggested that the Yankees make Derek Jeter a Yankee for life with a 25-year contract that would keep him involved in the organization once his playing days end, but Stark hears that Jeter’s next deal will be “a baseball contract. Period.”
  • A Phillies source summed up the chances of Jayson Werth returning to Philadelphia concisely: "No chance. None. Zero.
  • "The Phillies are working aggressively to re-sign Jose Contreras, according to Stark.
  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Stark that he has been working the phones this week. "We've made contact with 40 free agents, predominantly bullpen guys." He said. "Left-handed relief is a priority for us."
  • Teams that have contacted the Marlins about Dan Uggla see definite signs that if extension talks don’t go anywhere, the second baseman could soon become trade bait.

Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee

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1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.

11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.

As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee.  He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM.  I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested.  While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so.  At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.

Tigers, Phillies Interested In Eddie Bonine

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Having just hit free agency for the first time, Eddie Bonine is drawing interest from the Tigers and Phillies, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Both clubs would be interested in bringing Bonine on board on a minor league deal, according to Morosi. The right-hander became a free agent earlier this week, after being outrighted by the Tigers.

Bonine, 29, has seen big league playing time in each of the last three seasons in Detroit. He received his most significant action in 2010, appearing in 47 games and posting a 4.63 ERA. The righty doesn't have dominant stuff, recording just 26 strikeouts in 68 innings in 2010, but he has exhibited good control throughout his career (2.7 BB/9).

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