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Derek Lowe Rumors: Monday

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10:20pm: Newsday’s Ken Davidoff learned tonight that the Mets "do not intend to raise their three-year, $36MM offer to [Lowe] at this time."  The Mets don’t feel that they have serious competition for Lowe, for some reason.  Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf remain the alternatives.

8:28am: According to Kat O’Brien of Newsday, "negotiations are expected to heat up for righthander Derek Lowe" this week for the Mets, who reportedly offered three years and $36MM (though Scott Boras indicated yesterday the proposal was never made).  Jon Heyman said recently that Lowe didn’t take this offer seriously; he’s aiming for a $16MM salary.  Heyman named the Phillies, Braves, Red Sox, Brewers, and Angels as possible suitors, with the last three more on the speculative side. 

Mark Bowman doesn’t believe the Braves are willing to top the Mets’ reported offer, though.  In another article, Bowman suggested Jon Garland and Andy Pettitte are more likely options.

Phillies’ Romero Suspended 50 Games

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TUESDAY, 11:17am: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says he’s not dead set on replacing Romero with another lefty reliever.  The team has interest in several free agent relievers.

MONDAY, 9:26pm: The Philadelphia Phillies might need to pick up some help for their bullpen after reliever J.C. Romero found out he has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball.  Fortunately they signed Scott Eyre at the beginning of the offseason.

Romero failed a drug test, though he denies doing anything illegal. The MLB Players Association had told players that the supplement Romero took was acceptable, ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons reports.

"I still cannot see where I did something wrong," Romero told Gammons. "There is nothing that should take away from the rings of my teammates. I didn’t cheat. I tried to follow the rules."

Gammons notes that Romero will lose $1.25MM.  You can read the rest of the drama at ESPN.

The left-handed Romero, 33 in June, was an impact player in the Phillies’ bullpen in 2008. He went 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 81 appearances (59.0 innings). The Phillies could possibly explore the market for his replacement.

Eight Phillies Eligible For Arbitration

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David Murphy notes the Phillies’ large group of arbitration-eligible players: Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Ryan Madson, Joe Blanton, Chad Durbin, and Greg Dobbs.  Scott Lauber suggests their combined salaries could double in 2009 – from $19MM to $38MM.

Murphy says there’s not much of a precedent for Hamels, who will easily top Chien Ming Wang’s $4MM from last year.  Ryan Howard also stands to tack millions on to last year’s $10MM award.  Negotiations for a long-term deal are not active for either player, but the Phils will probably at least discuss it with Hamels’ agent.  Between these two players, the Phillies may add $10MM to the payroll.  Most of the others will also receive raises exceeding $1MM.

Derek Lowe Rumors: Sunday

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3:41pm: Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that the Braves are interested in Lowe, but not his price tag. Bowman says the Braves are "keeping tabs on Lowe," but also states that the Braves would be reluctant to even make a larger offer than the three-year, $36MM deal that he rejected from the Mets.

11:44am: Jon Heyman reports the Braves, Phillies, and Red Sox and perhaps the Brewers and Angels are all expressing interest in Derek Lowe. Lowe is still looking for $16MM per year and rejected the Mets offer of 3 years, $36MM, his highest offer to date.

Buster Olney feels Lowe may have missed out on the big money when the Yankees signed A.J. Burnett for 5 years, $82.5MM over him; however, as Heyman points out, Lowe has been far more consistent and durable: "He’s won at least 12 games each of the past seven seasons and thrown at least 199 innings in six of those seven (he threw 182 innings the one year he didn’t reach 199."

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Mets are likely to increase their offer.

Lowe Rejected Offer, Wants $16MM Per Year

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Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog passes on some comments made tonight by Jon Heyman on the MLB Network’s Hot Stove Live.

  • According to Heyman, Derek Lowe rejected the Mets’ three year $36MM offer because he hopes to sign a deal worth $16MM per season.
  • The Phillies and Braves are the Mets’ biggest competitors for Lowe.
  • The Red Sox and a mystery team are also involved.

Later on in the show, Mets GM Omar Minaya confirmed interest in Lowe, Randy Wolf and others. Cerrone notes that Minaya did not mention Oliver Perez.

Odds and Ends: Bard, Cubs, Guardado

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Links for Friday (feels like a Monday)…

Lowe Unimpressed By Mets’ Offer

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Derek Lowe was "hardly overwhelmed" by the Mets’ three year $36MM offer, Mike Puma of the New York Post heard from a baseball source. Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe heard from a source of his own that Lowe’s "likely to continue shopping for a more desirable offer."

It’s uncertain who would make such an offer, since Massarotti writes that the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are not currently interested in Lowe.

As a result, the Mets could end up in what Puma calls a "protracted stare down" with Scott Boras and his client.

Four Teams Pursuing Redding

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According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies, Rangers, Mets, and Orioles have been the most aggressive suitors for free agent starter Tim Redding. Redding, 31 in February, posted a 4.95 ERA in 33 starts for the Nationals this year while earning $1MM.  They decided to non-tender him.

Other notes from Renck…the Rox have had productive talks with Glendon Rusch, and Ray King has drawn interest from the Phillies, Marlins, and Pirates.

Derrick Turnbow Derby

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We learned yesterday from Dejan Kovacevic that five teams are in serious talks for free agent reliever Derrick Turnbow.  One large-market team (not the Pirates) made a Major League offer.

Jon Paul Morosi talked to Turnbow’s agent Damon Lapa, who said the Tigers called him this week to reaffirm their interest.  The Tigers have Turnbow’s medical records (he dealt with a slight labrum tear this year).  Lapa expects his client to sign somewhere by the end of the year. 

According to Morosi, the Pirates, Marlins, Rays, Rangers, and Phillies have also shown interest in Turnbow.  The last three are new, while the Rockies and Giants have been linked to Turnbow in the past as well.

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