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Holliday Derby Begins

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According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have made it known to rival executives that left fielder Matt Holliday is available.  Renck names the Red Sox, Phillies, Angels, Mets, Royals, and Nationals as potential suitors.  I still find the oft-mentioned Red Sox idea to be far-fetched.

The Rockies would prefer to move corner infielder Garrett Atkins, however.  The Angels, Twins, and Red Sox are cited as potential fits.  However, other teams are surely aware of Atkins’ defensive struggles at third base and questionable hitting away from Coors Field.  Renck says the Angels’ interest will depend on their ability to re-sign Mark Teixeira.

Starting pitching seems to be the Rockies’ target return for either player.  They’d be giving up one year of Holliday and two of Atkins, plus the likely draft pick compensation.

Heyman’s Latest: Manny, Holliday, Peavy

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new rumor-packed article up.

  • Heyman suggests the battle for the three elite free agents – Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and C.C. Sabathia – will mostly be fought by the New York and Los Angeles clubs.  Heyman talked to one GM who believes the country’s economic situation will not affect the big names but could be bad for the lower-tier guys.
  • Heyman’s potential Manny suitors: the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Phillies.  The Phillies’ interest will depend on whether Pat Burrell stays.  I’m not sure why the Orioles would be in the mix.
  • The Rockies are "very likely" to trade Matt Holliday. The Rox would be willing to sign Holliday for five years and $100MM, but that won’t cut it.  The team’s focus in a trade will be a young starter.  Heyman echoes a Ken Rosenthal thought from a few months ago: surprising small-market teams may enter the Holliday bidding.
  • Heyman has the Mets, Rangers, and Indians as teams looking at Brian Fuentes.  The Mets are the favorite to sign him in the three-year, $36MM range.
  • Jake Peavy has already turned down one American League team.  Heyman believes hes particularly opposed to the Rangers and has mixed feelings about the Yankees.  Peavy is reeling from the Padres’ decision to shop him. 
  • Heyman has unkind words for Luis Gonzalez, who may not be welcomed back to the D’Backs based on his "uneasy relationship" with Stephen Drew and Chris Young.
  • Heyman does not think MLB has any evidence against Nationals GM Jim Bowden in the scout skimming scandal.
  • Heyman gives Ruben Amaro a slight edge over Mike Arbuckle to replace Pat Gillick as Phillies GM.
  • George W. Bush as baseball’s next commissioner?  "Many have long believed" that Bush would like to be Bud Selig’s successor.

Ringolsby’s Latest: Fuentes, Atkins, Holliday

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Let’s take a look at the latest column from Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News.

  • Rockies "closer of the future" Casey Weathers will miss the ’09 season due to elbow surgery.  However, the Rox are still not likely to re-sign Brian Fuentes.  Joel Sherman expects Fuentes to sign for three years, $36-39MM.  Brad Lidge signed for three years, $37.5MM in July, but that was not on the open market.  The Mets will be in on Fuentes.
  • The Rockies are expected to trade one of Garrett Atkins or Matt Holliday this winter.  The Phillies will inquire on both (they tried to acquire Holliday this summer).  Ringolsby says the Red Sox have discussed Holliday internally and considers the Angels a match for Atkins.  The Red Sox, however, are set at the corners with Jason Bay and J.D. Drew.
  • Brothers Jayson and Laynce Nix are both free agents.  Jayson, 26, hit .303/.373/.591 in Triple A.  Laynce, 28, hit .284/.348/.539.  Jayson plays second base, Laynce plays outfield.

Dodgers To Offer Shorter Term, Higher Salary To Manny?

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to "people familiar with the Dodgers’ thinking" recently.  One such person told Heyman the Dodgers may offer Manny Ramirez a short term with a very high annual salary, perhaps something like $55MM for two years.  GM Ned Colletti has taken this approach in the past with free agents Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, and Andruw Jones.

Heyman’s sources say the Dodgers are "strongly disinclined" to give Manny five or six years.  Colletti himself noted the Dodgers don’t have six-year contracts.  However, "there are some who believe" Scott Boras won’t even sit down with a team offering four or fewer years.  I can see Boras eventually finding a team willing to give four years.

Heyman lists six other potential suitors for Manny: the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles, and Rangers.  Some of those suggestions are questionable though.

Odds and Ends: Dice-K, Varitek, Rolen

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Links for Monday…

  • Tim Brown and Peter Abraham offer their takes on the top free agents.
  • A note from Abraham – if Daisuke Matsuzaka finishes top three in the AL Cy Young vote, he’ll get an extra $2MM in each of the ’09 and ’10 seasons.
  • The Mariners could hire their new GM as soon as tomorrow.  Geoff Baker discussed the merits of the four candidates in two recent posts.
  • Jason Varitek was mum on his future last night.
  • Joe Frisaro has the Marlins’ 2009 payroll in the $30-35MM range.  They have 15 arbitration-eligible players.
  • I came across an interesting note about B.J. Upton.  Back in 2004, Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar wanted to sign Upton to an unprecedented eight or nine-year contract before he reached the Majors.  The new Rays regime eventually succeeded with a similar deal for Evan Longoria.
  • The Diamondbacks signed a Korean high school catcher named Kim Jae-yoon for $150K.
  • Jordan Bastian would be stunned if Scott Rolen exercises his right to opt out of his contract or demand a trade.
  • T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are not in the running for C.C. Sabathia.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman looks at how the Phillies were built.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday

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Time to collect today’s Manny Ramirez rumors.

  • Scott Boras tells Yahoo’s Tim Brown that Manny pays for himself.  Brown says the Giants are "believed to be considering" Manny; they similarly signed an aging Barry Bonds to a large extension back in ’02 (four years with an option).  Brown feels the American League is a better fit for Manny, though.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday talked to an NL exec who believes Manny will get four years.  He has a hard time figuring which team will seriously compete with the Dodgers for Ramirez.  If Boras succeeds in starting a bidding war, maybe he gets five years.
  • Peter Abraham says six years would be "madness," and sees the Dodgers going four years.  He predicts Ramirez re-signs with them after much drama.  Sounds reasonable.
  • The Phillies continue to be tossed around as a solid fit for Manny; Joel Sherman mentioned it yesterday.

Cafardo’s Latest: Lowe, Maddux, Peavy

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Here’s a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

  • Interestingly, the Red Sox are reportedly Derek Lowe’s preferred destination.  It’s unknown whether the Sox intend to add a starter this winter, but they may lose free agent Paul Byrd (and will have to decide on Tim Wakefield’s $4MM option).  Cafardo names a dozen other clubs interested in Lowe: the Yankees, Mets, Tigers, Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Angels, Braves, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, and Blue Jays.
  • Bill Mueller, 38 in March, admits he’d like to play again.  Medically, it’s a long shot because he’d need to regrow cartilage in his knees.
  • One of Greg Maddux’s teammates feels he’ll retire. Maddux could return to the Padres as a player/coach (specifically, he’d prefer a bench coach gig).
  • The Brewers as a sleeper for Jake Peavy?  They’re not on his list, but he’s named other midwest clubs.
  • Cafardo believes catchers Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez will be available this winter.  Makes sense, given the weak free agent market at the position.

Sherman’s Latest: Gonzalez, Guillen, Castillo, Martin

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Let’s take a little break from Peavy-mania and look at some other situations around the big leagues, courtesy of Joel Sherman.

  • Padres GM Kevin Towers can’t see any circumstances under which he’d trade first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.  He’s signed cheaply, and the Padres already have offensive problems.
  • Sherman knows that it will be extremely difficult for the Mets to move Luis Castillo this offseason, but offers one scenario that has been discussed before: Trade Castillo to the Royals for perennial hothead Jose Guillen. Guillen would bring the Mets a power bat and arm to put in left field, while Castillo would bring the Royals some much-needed OBP and a replacement for free agent Mark Grudzielanek. The difference would be the Royals saving $6MM over Castillo’s remaining three seasons, with the Mets taking on $6MM more, but only having two years of a bad contract. Personally, I think this move could make a lot of sense for both teams, although I’d prefer to have Guillen over Castillo. Also, the Mets apparently have no interest in an Eric Byrnes/Castillo swap.
  • The Phillies may be looking for a way to replace Pat Burrell cheaply in order to pursue a free agent starter. One proposed method would be to move Greg Dobbs to left field. Sherman notes that there wouldn’t be much difference in range between Burrell and Dobbs. Dobbs posted an .824 OPS this season in 226 ABs, but the alarming thing is that 217 of those ABs came against right-handed pitching. Dobbs was just 1 for 9 against lefties in 2008, and has just 52 career ABs against LHP, in which he’s posted a .579 OPS. A plattoon with Eric Brutnlett could work, but if I were a Philadelphia fan, I’d be hoping for an alternative solution. Sherman reminds us that the Phils were players for Manny Ramirez in July…
  • This one surprised me, but Sherman throws a new name as a possibility on the trade market: Russell Martin. Sherman cites rival executives in saying that the Dodgers aren’t "enamored with his makeup" and that with frontline catchers being hot commodities, the Dodgers could explore the market to see what Martin could bring in return. Personally, I think moving Martin would be a mistake, but I have to admit, Martin would indeed fetch a very nice return.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Manny, Mussina, Cano, Lowe

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Ken Rosenthal’s latest column at FOX Sports is jam-packed with rumors.

  • Manny Ramirez will generate plenty of interest on the free agent market; he wants at least four years.  There was a report earlier this month that Scott Boras expected to get five years.  The term will be a crucial factor.  Rosenthal names the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as three teams that may pursue Manny.
  • The Mariners’ rebuilding effort will likely be spearheaded by a first-time GM, not an ideal scenario in the opinion of some baseball people.
  • The Dodgers lost Shane Victorino twice in the Rule 5 draft.  Tony Jackson had more details on that history a few days ago.
  • Rosenthal talked to friends of Mike Mussina who remain convinced he will retire.  Buster Olney got a different vibe recently.
  • Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers’ interest in Robinson Cano is "sincere," but it’s unknown what they’d give up for him.
  • Derek Lowe’s teammates say he has little interest in playing for the Mets or Yankees.
  • Back in ’07, Blake DeWitt was considered a possible throw-in in a proposed Joe Blanton to the Dodgers deal.  Rumor was the A’s wanted three frontline prospects from the Dodgers, DeWitt not among them.

Odds and Ends: Hoyer, Denker, Manny

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Links for Monday…

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