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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Oil Can, Halladay, Mets

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On this date 21 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles traded Ray Knight to the Tigers, only one year after signing the World Series hero as a free agent. The O’s received Mark Thurmond, who would go 1-8 in 1988 with an 85 ERA+. Knight would only play 105 games for the Tigers before retiring. With spring training now in full swing, several veteran free agents are still without contracts or guaranteed jobs and may be on the verge of retirement. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • More Hardball puts together a 25-man roster of veteran players in camps on minor league deals.
  • 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba spoke with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch about a number of topics including what the will happen once the current contracts for Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter expire.
  • Sully Baseball makes a case for a team, any team, signing Oil Can Boyd.
  • The Phrontiersman takes a look at the possibility of the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay at some point during the season.
  • Megamets argues for the Mets adding Dennys Reyes, over the other available lefty relievers.
  • The Sports Banter puts together their own list of off-season winners.
  • Midwest Sports Fans project the Twins opening day roster.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Garciaparra Pondering Retirement?

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12:56pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has confirmed that his club is no longer interested in Garciaparra (courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Murphy):

"I would not view him as someone who will be with us," Amaro said.  Murphy doesn’t expect the Phillies to add any more free agents before the start of the regular season.

9:47am: According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, free agent infielder Nomar Garciaparra is deciding between retirement and a one-year contract with the A’s.

The Phillies have apparently moved on.  The A’s are also currently working on deals for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and left-hander Dennys Reyes, and Rosenthal heard from a source that the club could "increase their pursuits" of those two players "due to their uncertainty over Garciaparra."

Garciaparra, 35, hit .264/.326/.466 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 163 at-bats last season.  It sounds like he needs to make a career decision fairly soon.

Phillies Release Adam Eaton

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According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies have released right-hander Adam Eaton.

Eaion went 14-18 with a 6.10 ERA over 49 starts after inking a three-year, $24.5MM contract before the 2007 season.  He would’ve struggled to crack the starting rotation this season, but the Phils are still on the hook for the more than $8.5MM remaining on his current deal.

Lefties May Be Lowering Contract Expectations

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FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the agents for left-handers Joe Beimel and Will Ohman are prepared to offer more flexibility in contract negotiations with clubs.

"I would suggest any team holding back on some last-minute interest step forward and express it," Beimel’s agent, Jeff Sroba said Wednesday.  "Not that anything is imminent, but we are offering flexibility."  Beimel, who turns 32 in April, has drawn interest primarily from the Dodgers this offseason.  He went 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA for Los Angeles last season.

Ohman, 31, has deals on the table from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, but is reportedly hoping the Phillies, Dodgers or Mets will come calling.  He finished 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA last year for the Braves.  "We’re offering flexibility, too," said Ohman’s agent, Page Odle. "We’re hoping one of the playoff teams will want that shutdown lefty."

Dennys Reyes is another left-handed reliever without a job.  He went 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Twins last season.

Phillies Still Eyeing Free Agents

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Contrary to some previous reports, the Phillies are still keeping an eye on several free agents.  Todd Zolecki has the news over at MLB.com.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was asked if his club is still interested in Nomar Garciaparra.  "If I were to handicap this thing," Amaro responded, "I would say less than 50 percent."  It probably depends on the A’s interest.  Phillies officials said last week that they have no desire to enter a bidding war with another team.

Amaro also said talks are "still open" with the representatives for left-handers Joe Beimel and Will Ohman.  "But nothing has changed there," added the general manager.  Both relievers are holding out for bigger and better offers.  As Zolecki writes,

Amaro said a few days ago that those relievers would have to accept a very modest salary to join the Phillies. That likely means a contract worth less than $1 million.

Phillies Set Franchise Payroll Record

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According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies are looking at an Opening Day 25-man roster payroll of $132.5MM, a franchise record.

The Phils can expect an increase in merchandise and ticket sales after their 2008 World Series win, but the club might not have much of a budget for in-season acquisitions.  Ryan Howard will command the highest salary from the Phillies in ’09 at $15MM.  Brett Myers is second at $12MM.

Nomar Garciaparra To Decide Soon

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According to ESPN’s Buster Olney:

It’s expected that Nomar Garciaparra will make his decision by mid-week on whether he wants to play in Oakland, or in Philadelphia, or if he’d prefer to walk away from the game.

Garciaparra, 35, hit .264/.326/.466 in 181 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year while playing first base, shortstop, and third base and earning $8.5MM.  Ken Rosenthal wrote about Nomar yesterday, saying the Phillies are pessimistic about signing him because the A’s are offering an opportunity for more at-bats.

Rosenthal On Cabrera, Cruz, Nady, Swisher

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Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • The A’s are offering more at-bats to Nomar Garciaparra than the Phillies.  If the A’s sign Nomar, that wouldn’t stop them from adding Orlando Cabrera.  However, Rosenthal’s source says Cabrera and the A’s "are not even close" in terms of his value.
  • Nothing is close with the Juan Cruz situation; "New teams entered the mix after the sign-and-trade option became more realistic."  Rosenthal says it’s still possible that a team will simply sign Cruz and give up a draft pick.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have made an offer to Cruz, but did not speak to his agent yesterday.
  • Even with the Orlando Hudson signing, Blake DeWitt still has a role with the Dodgers pitching in at second base, third base, and even shortstop.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman "didn’t particularly like" any of the offers he’s received for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
  • Rosenthal leaves the door slightly ajar for the Astros and Pudge: "the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly."  Astros GM Ed Wade said on Wednesday: "We’re not signing Pudge.  Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

Phillies Likely To Pass On Free Agents

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Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes that the Phillies are likely to pass on signing an additional right-handed bat or a lefty reliever.

The Phillies have been linked to Nomar Garciaparra, Will Ohman, and Joe Beimel, but now appear likely to pass on all of them. General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says he does not want to get into a bidding war with the Athletics over Garciaparra, who are rumored to have interest as well.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote earlier today that Nomar "has offers from the A’s and Phillies he’s weighing."

Amaro states that the Phillies will not be making anything more than "extremely modest" offers to Ohman or Beimel. While it’s unclear as to what "modest" is in Amaro’s opinion, Zolecki speculates that it would have to be less than $1MM.

Bargain Lefty For Phillies?

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According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

There are indications that the Phillies might toss out an all-purpose offer to Will Ohman, Joe Beimel and Dennys Reyes and sign whichever reliever takes it first.  A baseball source said it’s unlikely the Phils will offer anything more than a one-year deal in the $750Kto $1MM range.

It’s easy to see why Brian Shouse jumped at $1.55MM from the Rays a week ago.  The agents for Darren Oliver and Damaso Marte deserve credit for securing their clients salaries in the $3-4MM range.

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