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Pirates Will Tender Contracts To Key Arbitration Eligible Players

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates plan on tendering contracts to their three key arbitration eligible players: closer Matt Capps, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, and starter Zach Duke. Jeff Karstens may also qualify as a Super Two.

Capps earned $2.3MM this season, the second year of the two year, $3.05MM contract he signed last April. With three more years of arbitration ahead of him, Capps may have been a non-tender candidate after posting a 5.68 ERA and sky-high homerun rate (1.7 HR/9 IP) in 2009.

"I don't see a situation in which we non-tender Capps unless we get completely unrealistic financial demands," [GM Neal] Huntington said. "From the standpoint of our belief in his ability, that's absolutely there."

Duke and Cedeno, on the other hand, earned $2.2MM and $822K this season, respectively. Duke was an All Star for the first time in 2009, although Cedeno hasn't hit much after coming over in the Jack Wilson deal. The team could approach Duke about a long-term extension, similar to the three year, $14.5MM deal they gave Paul Maholm earlier this year.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Soria, Red Sox, Pirates, Verlander, Felix

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On this date five years ago, Carlos Delgado hit his 300th career home run. He would go on to hit three more home runs that game to become just the 15th big leaguer to hit four in one game. Now in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract, Delgado has a season average of .298 with four homers and 23 RBI in the 26 games he played before his hip surgery. Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are open to bringing him back next year. However, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets will not offer Delgado arbitration. With one week remaining before the off-season starts for most teams, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • MLB Notebook looks at where Brandon Webb could end up if the D'Backs decline his option.
  • Royals Authority wonders if the Phillies would be a good trade partner to land Joakim Soria.
  • The Bottom Line writes that the Red Sox either have to re-sign Jason Bay or pick up Matt Holliday.
  • Bucco Fans says the Pirates have money to spend this off-season and speculates on where that money might be spent.
  • Jorge Says No! speculates on what it might take to sign Justin Verlander to an extension.
  • Prospect Insider looks at what it might take to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • Blogging Mets lists Omar Minaya's worst moves.
  • Sports: A Game Of Inches compares Jonny Gomes to Adam Dunn. Gomes will be arbitration-eligible after the season.

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

Odds & Ends: Harden, Pirates, Corpas, Astros

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets should pursue Rich Harden when the righty becomes a free agent this winter. Instead, Sherman would like to see the Mets sign someone with a more consistent history.
  • The Pirates want manager John Russell and his coaching staff to lead the club again next year, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington both sound confident in the skipper despite the club's 95-loss season.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to shop Manny Corpas aggressively this offseason.
  • The Astros are just beginning to search for a permanent manager, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says we shouldn't rule out current third base coach Al Pedrique.
  • It's possible that Roy Halladay will make his final home start for the Blue Jays tonight. As MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out, Halladay is an offseason trade candidate.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Rangers weren't impressed to hear that Milton Bradley sat out to make sure his stats looked good before signing with the Cubs as a free agent.

Pirates Claim Anthony Claggett

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The Pirates claimed pitcher Anthony Claggett off waivers from the Yankees, according to a press release.  The Yanks had designated him for assignment ten days ago.  Claggett, a 25-year-old righty, was acquired by the Yanks from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield deal in November of '06.  Upon reaching Triple A this year, Claggett's strikeout rate took a large drop to 4.7 per nine innings.

Odds & Ends: Webb, Griffey, Hoffman

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Links for Monday…

Pirates Eyeing Rick Ankiel, Possibly John Grabow

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The Pirates have money to spend in free agency and a desire to be more aggressive than last year, GM Neal Huntington told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Huntington admitted that former Pirates may be of interest, leading Kovacevic to speculate that lefty reliever John Grabow could be a target.  Kovacevic also learned that outfielder Rick Ankiel is on the Pirates' radar.

A few weeks ago, we discovered that the Pirates will have less than $30MM committed heading into 2010 after beginning this season with a $48.7MM payroll.

Grabow may re-sign with the Cubs before reaching free agency.  But if not, it's pointless for a team like the Pirates to spend even a few million on a walk-happy 32-year-old lefty reliever.  The situation would only be compounded if the Cubs offer arbitration to Grabow, who projects as a Type A free agent.

Kovacevic suggests Ankiel's "superb athleticism is a potentially fine fit for PNC Park's spacious left field," and I agree.  It's been a brutal year (.234/.286/.390), but Ankiel has suffered through groin and shoulder injuries.  He'd be intriguing on a one-year deal in the $3MM range.  Plus, such a signing would prove the Pirates can deal with Scott Boras despite last year's Pedro Alvarez drama (Chris Bootcheck's minor league deal notwithstanding).

Odds & Ends: Chipper, Ordonez, Schultz

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Links for Wednesday…

Odds & Ends: Morneau, Nats, Pirates

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Some links for Tuesday…

  • Justin Morneau will miss the rest of the season because of a stress fracture in his lower back, according to ESPN.com's Jim Caple.
  • Ian Desmond, who could figure into the Nationals' middle infield plans next year, has taken some good-natured heat from his teammates for wearing these around, writes Chico Harlan of the Washington Post. Desmond has reached base in nine of his 14 major league plate appearances, but the Nats may look for a free agent shortstop after the season.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz tells Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates have made the right decisions this year, as difficult as some of them have been for the fans.
  • Neither Kevin Millwood nor Rangers manager Ron Washington is expressing concern over Millwood's 2010 option, according to Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News. Millwood, who is less than 5.0 innings away from guaranteeing himself a $12MM payday next year, could start as soon as Friday.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Schneider, Claggett

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A few links to start the evening off…

  • When asked if the Pirates might pursue a free agent this winter to address their lack of power, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette said the team has indicated "that they will wait until they see which of the current players might take a step forward, then identifying needs." That sounds like a "no," or at least a "probably not."
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson said he would not be surprised if Brian Schneider returned to the Nationals as a backup catcher next year, but he would have to take a big paycut. Schneider has already said he doesn't expect to return to the Mets next year, and after making $4.9MM this year, he should be prepared to take a big paycut wherever he goes.
  • The Yankees designated reliever Anthony Claggett for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Freddy Guzman, reports Peter Abraham of The Journal News. Claggett was originally acquired in the deal that sent Gary Sheffield to Detroit, and got annihilated in his brief callup (33.75 ERA & 5.62 WHIP in 2.2 IP) this year.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Fielder, Nationals

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Links for Monday…

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