Heyman On Figgins, Pineiro, Braves
SI's Jon Heyman reports from Chicago, where the GM Meetings are wrapping up…
- The Phillies are "intent on pursuing Chone Figgins hard," while the Mets are also fans of the Seth Levinson client. The Angels still hope to re-sign Figgins. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has more on the Mets' interest, explaining that moving Luis Castillo would make signing Figgins easier. Sherman thought another reasonable addition for the Mets might be Carlos Lee, but his idea was shot down by Ed Wade and a Mets official.
- Heyman senses mixed signals with the Mets and Matt Holliday – Omar Minaya loves the player, but the money required will be huge and the Mets might be better-served spreading it around.
- The Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, and Minaya met with his agent Arn Tellem.
- On Page 2 of the article, Heyman quotes a couple new Scott Boras gems.
- Braves GM Frank Wren admitted he'll field offers on his starting pitching excess. It appears inevitable that the Braves will trade one starter, Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- My Billy Wagner-Cubs idea should probably be put to bed, as Jim Hendry said he wouldn't spend a lot of money on a closer given Carlos Marmol's talent. Marmol himself is due a large arbitration raise.
Phillies Interested In Fernando Rodney
The Phillies are "showing preliminary interest" in free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that he's reached out to five or six free agents, so Rodney is presumably among those.
The FOX writers expect Rodney "to draw heavy interest from a large number of clubs," which comes as a surprise to me. I suppose it all just depends on Rodney's demands – will he take a one-year deal at less than $8MM, and is he open to a set-up role? Here in 2009 I imagine GMs aren't terribly impressed by 37 saves when they come with a 4.40 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 4.9 BB/9. To his credit, Rodney was one of few free agent relievers with a strong groundball rate (57.9%).
Rodney could benefit from being classified as a Type B free agent rather than Type A. But with relievers, the importance of those designations seems overblown because arbitration offers are far from certain. Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, LaTroy Hawkins, Rafael Betancourt, Kevin Gregg, John Grabow, Billy Wagner, Darren Oliver, Takashi Saito, and Octavio Dotel are Type A free agents, but only a handful will actually be offered arbitration.
Sherman On Lackey, Phillies, Giants
The latest from Joel Sherman of the New York Post…
- The Angels' willingness to let John Lackey leave without a serious offer raises a red flag for at least a few execs with other clubs. With Lackey being the best available free agent starter, it's easy to forget that his 2009 season did not begin until May 16th due to an elbow strain. In 2008, he began on May 14th because of a triceps strain.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also has a Lackey article, and it takes a different tone. Rosenthal says the Angels would still like to re-sign Lackey, adding that "Plan B could be a renewed effort to trade for Roy Halladay."
- Heyman assesses the Phillies and attempts to douse rumors about them eyeing Chone Figgins and Halladay. He does see the needs as third base, the rotation, and the back of the bullpen. Our own Mike Axisa wondered if my Jose Valverde prediction made sense, because Valverde might prefer to sign somewhere he'll surely close. Maybe a guy like Brandon Lyon fits better. David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News says GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has reached out to at least six free agents, and Murphy provides guesses. Two clubs made trade offers as well.
- A $90MM payroll might keep the Giants out of the Matt Holliday–Jason Bay bidding. Sherman suggests the Giants are not locked into a first base acquisition in the infield – Pablo Sandoval can play both corners, and Freddy Sanchez can even be considered at third base if the Giants pursue another second baseman. Sherman says the Giants are currently looking to re-sign Brad Penny and Bengie Molina. Since he made only six starts for the Giants, you have to look to 2007 as the last time Penny truly had success. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News believes the Giants will at least offer arbitration to Molina, which I imagine will hurt his market.
Odds & Ends: Giants, Phillies, Hernandez
Some news and notes from around the majors….
- Giants blogger Grant of The McCovey Chronicles notes the potential downsides for San Francisco if they were to sign Jason Bay, Jermaine Dye and/or Bengie Molina.
- With rumors again swirling that the Phillies will make a play for Roy Halladay, Scott Lauber of the News Journal looks at a Baseball America listing of Philadelphia's top prospects, with an eye towards which of these youngsters could head to Toronto in a trade.
- Speaking of Halladay, The Seattle Times' Larry Stone believes that if the Mariners do decide to move Felix Hernandez, they will do so without being as public as the Blue Jays were about dealing their ace last summer.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that the Royals outrighted pitchers Yasuhiko Yabuta and Lenny DiNardo to Triple-A Omaha, leaving them both eligible for free agency. Neither move was a surprise, particularly given that Kansas City already declined Yabuta's $4MM option for 2010.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles signed catcher Michel Hernandez. The 31-year-old Hernandez will get an invite to spring training to vie for the backup catcher's job. Hernandez has a .237/.286/.305 career line in 127 plate appearances with Tampa Bay and New York.
Phillies Seek A Third Baseman
4:57pm: The Phils are seriously considering Chone Figgins, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.
2:45pm: Here's the latest on the NL Champs' hunt for a third baseman:
- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Phils are interested in bringing Pedro Feliz back if he's up for a deal worth less than $5.5MM. The club turned down an option worth that much this week.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that other options are out there, even if he can't sign Feliz. "There are more third basemen available than there are third base positions to be filled," the GM said.
- Amaro Jr. expects to find a third baseman on the open market. He's open to offering multi-year deals and would consider signing Type A free agents, which is good news for Chone Figgins and Miguel Tejada.
- Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phils are more likely to pursue Mark DeRosa than Adrian Beltre.
Discussion: Phillies And Roy Halladay
Despite Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. describing his needs this winter as "Third base, bullpen, bench," many people within baseball think the Phillies will make a run at Roy Halladay, reports Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Salisbury quotes a rival front office member as saying, "Philadelphia is into winning now, and Halladay fits that."
Toronto's asking price this past July – pitchers Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ and outfielders Dominic Brown and Anthony Gose – was too high for Philadelphia. But with Halladay moving closer to free agency, will that price come down?
If you are the Phillies, do you trade a significant package to bring Halladay in? If you are the Blue Jays, what do you need to get this done?
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals
As the immortal Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe puts it, "Standing around an airport hotel lobby at night just in case Scott Boras walks by was not covered in journalism school." Meanwhile, you get to keep up with the latest rumors in the comfort of your own home!
- As expected, the Dodgers declined their $2.2MM option on Will Ohman.
- Randy Miller of the Bucks County Courier Times says that the Phillies "are expected to try and sign free agent Mark DeRosa." DeRosa went to University of Pennsylvania, so this would be a homecoming.
- Nationals' interim manager Jim Riggleman believes a decision on who will be the 2010 skipper in Washington could come as early as this week.
- Carl Pavano is unlikely to receive an overwhelming offer from the Twins during their exclusive signing window, says Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Halladay, Rangers
Here's some links to kick off the week…
- Bill Center of The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres haven't contacted John Boggs (Adrian Gonzalez's agent) to discuss a contract extension yet, mentioning that Gonzalez could be an $18-20MM player. FanGraphs valued Adrian's 2009 performance at $28.4MM, tenth best among position players.
- The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin looks at some potential suitors for Roy Halladay, saying that there are ten teams that meet the necessary criteria to make a deal work.
- Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe touches on two players figured to be tied to the Red Sox this winter: Gonzalez and Halladay.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes that the Rangers have plenty of trade fodder thanks to their pitching, and they may be willing to deal someone like Brandon McCarthy.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal looks at some third base options for the Phillies.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday ranks the ten best general managers, with Billy Beane taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press takes a look at the key free agents in the AL Central.
- MLBTR's own Cork Gaines analyzes how the Rays have fared in free agency during Andrew Friedman's tenure.
- J.C. Bradbury defends his stance that just because there are more available free agents at a given position, it doesn't mean their prices wil drop.
Phillies Decline Option On Pedro Feliz
Scott Lauber of Wilmington News Journal reports that the Phillies have decided not to pick up Pedro Feliz's $5.5MM option. While it remains possible for Feliz to return to the club, Lauber writes that it is unlikely.
In 625 plate appearances this past season, Feliz turned in a slash line of .266/.308/.386, which meant an OPS of .694 – his worst since 2002. Feliz's calling card is his defensive play at third but his UZR/150 of 5.0 – while still above average – was his worst posting since the stat was first monitored in 2002.
With a number of options available on the free-agent market and the trading block, who should the Phillies get to play third base?
Phillies Notes: Lidge, Happ, Feliz
After falling short in their quest to repeat as world champions, Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. are charged with the task of putting the organization in position to take the crown in 2010. Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the Insider Staff reviewed the Phillies' '09 campaign and discussed what might be in store for them this winter. An Insider subscription is required, but here are some highlights for those without:
- With $11.5MM committed to Brad Lidge in each of the next two seasons, the Phillies are likely to keep him penciled in as their fireman. However, the club could seek out a veteran set-up man who could step into the closer role if "Lights Out" gets lit up again.
- Using J.A. Happ as the centerpiece, the Phillies could have the goods necessary to snare Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays. Halladay, like Cliff Lee, will be a free agent after 2010. Therefore, the Phillies would have to make sure they can keep at least one of the two pitchers before making such a deal.
- If the Phillies choose not to pick up Pedro Feliz's 2010 option, "don't be surprised" if they pursue free agent Adrian Beltre. Olney recently wrote that the 30-year-old third baseman would be a "spectacular fit" for the club. Dan Uggla is also mentioned as someone who could fill the void. Uggla played a less-than-stellar second base this season but could find himself more comfortable at third.