Pirates Rumors

Marlins Interested In Ronny Paulino

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2008 at 12:59pm CDT

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "the Marlins are looking for a catcher, and they still like Ronny Paulino." To date, the offers for Paulino have been weak since he spent much of ’08 in the minors.

Kovacevic adds that the Pirates signed pitcher Brian Slocum to a minor league deal.

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Millar, Bautista

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2008 at 12:26am CDT

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette checks in from Vegas with the latest Pirates rumors.

At some point during the Meetings, the Pirates and Tigers will meet to discuss Jack Wilson. It has been suggested that the Tigers are backing off on Wilson; they worked out Adam Everett last week. The Dodgers are also in the mix, with recent discussions involving the possible restructuring of Wilson’s contract.
Other trade candidates: John Grabow, Ronny Paulino, Freddy Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche.
The Pirates’ "power bat" addition could be Kevin Millar, muses Kovacevic.
Reliever Denny Bautista is a non-tender candidate. We’ll add him to the list.
The Pirates have not yet made extension offers to Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, or Paul Maholm.

Odds and Ends: Teahen, Mastny, Clement

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2008 at 12:03am CDT

Sunday evening links…I will add to this post as needed.

Dejan Kovacevic describes what it’s like for a reporter at the Winter Meetings.
The Royals do not want to trade Mark Teahen. They’ve received inquiries on Teahen, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler. They mainly seem willing to move Guillen, which Jayson Stark reported earlier.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along nuggets on Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara. He says the Angels contacted Kawakami’s agent, while the Tigers and Giants have been in touch with Uehara’s.
Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars acquired reliever Tom Mastny from the Indians.
Free agent infielder Nick Punto admitted to LEN3 that it’d be hard to leave the Twins.
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates are "willing to take a flyer on free-agent local boy Matt Clement." Clement may also consider Cleveland if they’ll have him.
Other teams are pulling ahead of the Rockies in the pursuit for free agent lefty Joe Beimel. Nothing against Beimel, but it seems that every year one free agent lefty reliever is elevated beyond his true value. It might be Beimel this year.
Jon Paul Morosi discusses trading Dontrelle Willis.
The Marlins figure to hang on to Dan Uggla.
Roch Kubatko says Orioles exec Mike Flanagan won’t be attending the Meetings, sparking speculation about his future with the team.

Perrotto’s Latest: Peavy, Giles, Wilson, Putz

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2008 at 11:00am CDT

MONDAY: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times found no indications the Rays have talked with the Padres and Cubs about getting in on the Peavy talks to acquire Giles.

SUNDAY: The latest from Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto:

Perrotto speaks of a "wild rumor" – the Rays could be the third team in a Jake Peavy-Cubs trade, with Tampa Bay acquiring Brian Giles. Would he waive his no-trade clause to play there? One way or another, Kevin Towers wants five players back for Peavy.
The Tigers are backing off Jack Wilson, as they consider Adam Everett his equal. They’d like to use Jeff Larish in a trade for Michigan native J.J. Putz if possible.

Odds and Ends: Michaels, Greene, Prior

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 6, 2008 at 10:36am CDT

Links for Saturday…

Jason Michaels is confused by the lack of interest from the Pirates, who have said they want him back.
Khalil Greene says he’s frustrated to have let the Padres down and Tim Sullivan writes that it wasn’t for lack of intensity. The Padres still won’t be dropping their grievance against Greene.
Buster Olney expects Mark Prior to sign a minor-league deal with the Padres.
Jason Beck writes that the Tigers could afford to trade either Jeff Larish or Matt Joyce in a deal for Jack Wilson. Detroit has other weaknesses to address though, so Beck thinks they could hold onto their trade chips and sign a player like Adam Everett.
Arbitration could work for both Jason Varitek and the Red Sox, suggests Sean McAdam.
Tony Massarotti has five reasons to keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen.
The Angels signed South Korean righty Pil Joon Jang to a minor league contract.
Jay Jaffe plays Yankees GM at Baseball Prospectus.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo ranks the best Rule 5 Draft selections since 1990.
Tom Verducci looks back at the career Greg Maddux had.

Pirates Eyeing Joyce, Larish For Wilson

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2008 at 12:10am CDT

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are eyeing Tigers players Jeff Larish and Matt Joyce as part of a potential Jack Wilson deal. They could get one of the two as well as a pitching prospect. The $7.85MM owed to Wilson remains an issue; it’s not known how much the Bucs are willing to pick up.

The Tigers have other options, as they plan to meet with Adam Everett’s agent next week.

Kovacevic adds that the Pirates removed Jason Davis and Raul Chavez from the 40-man roster today, creating two spots for future moves.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Tigers, Red Sox, Angels, Pirates

By Cork Gaines | December 5, 2008 at 12:27pm CDT

Today is free agent Cliff Floyd’s birthday. He is 36 years young. His knees are not. Also, on this date 18 years ago, the San Diego Padres sent Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, in one of the biggest trades ever featuring young, proven talent. Got one that can top that? Let’s hear it in the comments…With little action so far this year, the Hot Stove Season is ugly, Don Mossi ugly. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the blogosphere…

Mets Geek takes a look at three recent rumored deals that may be sitting on Omar Minaya’s desk and ponders whether or not the Mets should make each trade.
The Detroit Tigers Weblog breaks down what a Jack Wilson trade would mean for the Tigers.
Fire Brand of the American League feels that with the recent additions to the bullpen, the Red Sox may be better suited to insert Justin Masterson into the rotation, rather than sign a high-priced free agent.
Ump Bump suggests that the Angels could get more bang for the buck if they sign Adam Dunn over Mark Teixeira.
The ’Burgh Blues picks through the scraps and identifies eight players they would like to see the Pirates invite to Spring Training, including Richie Sexson, Sidney Ponson, Mark Prior and Matt Clement.
MLB Notebook takes a look at the big guns in the free agent market and feels that the Yankees are no longer in a position to set the pace. Rather, they argue that the Angels now control the market.
East Windup Chronicle feels that some are underestimating the amount of potential Major League talent playing in Japan, noting the number is "at least 30" and considerably more if they had the opportunity to start in the minors out of high school.
Bernies Crew likes the Jorge Julio signing by the Brewers, noting the move gives the team much needed flexibility and depth in the bullpen.

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

Rosenthal’s Latest: Byrd, Putz, Wilson

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2008 at 8:55am CDT

Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new column…

Free agent starters C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are in no hurry to sign. Makes sense; they’re obviously special compared to the other starters on the market.
Nationals owner Ted Lerner "has spent extensive time" with Scott Boras, presumably in regard to Mark Teixeira.
The Cubs want to acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before worrying about Jake Peavy. Rosenthal says the trade market is bleak, suggesting free agents such as Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley might make sense. As we’ve said, there is no perfect fit for the Cubs’ right field vacancy (unless Brian Giles will waive his no-trade clause).
Paul Byrd is "virtually certain" to decline Boston’s offer of arbitration. He aims to pitch near his Atlanta home – the Braves, Marlins, or Rays could work for him.
A Rosenthal source pegged Jon Garland’s chance of accepting arbitration at less than 50-50. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently indicated it was 75-25 he’d decline. Buster Olney says "some executives are stunned" that Garland will seemingly not accept.
Rosenthal spoke to officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz. The Ms haven’t decided yet whether to make him available, contrary to a previous report. Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn’t consider his club in rebuild mode.
The Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria: "widely panned in industry circles." Joel Sherman found the same consensus. This differs from the web, where Keith Law and Dave Cameron liked it.
Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Jack Wilson; those talks broke down earlier in the offseason. Who to believe? He says the Tigers are making a "more serious push."
Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald is a popular trade target, but the Phils might need him to fill in for Chase Utley at the start of the season.

Jack Wilson Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | December 4, 2008 at 11:35pm CDT

11:35pm: One more dose of Wilson rumors before we close up shop for the evening.

Dejan Kovacevic does not agree with Jackson’s report. Kovacevic says the Dodgers and Pirates began a fresh round of talks for Wilson on Saturday. What’s more, Wilson is open to renegotiating his contract to facilitate a trade to the Dodgers. The Dodgers might be willing to give Wilson $12MM over 2009-10.

Talks have been going on with the Tigers for over a month, and Detroit made a fresh offer Wednesday night that caught the Pirates’ attention. The Bucs may have an eye on Tigers first base prospect Jeff Larish.

7:42pm: Tony Jackson at the Daily News says the Dodgers haven’t talked to the Pirates in months, and "are NOT in pursuit of Jack Wilson." This directly contradicts today’s report from the Associated Press.

5:02pm: MLB.com’s Jason Beck is getting mixed signals on the chances of a Wilson-to-Detroit deal.

3:52pm: The AP has more on the Wilson trade talks. They say the Dodgers have been in extensive talks for Wilson this week, but want the Pirates to pick up "a substantial share of his salary." Meanwhile the Tigers would need the Bucs to absorb most of the contract. The report suggests the Tigers have moved on to free agent Adam Everett.

2:30pm: Jenifer Langosch talked to Wilson, who said he’s open to revising his no-trade list. He doesn’t seem likely to veto a trade. Meanwhile, Graziano still trusts his source.

12:41pm: Jon Paul Morosi’s source says the Tigers’ talks for Wilson have become "more active and meaningful" recently.

12:14pm: Dejan Kovacevic talked to Pirates president Frank Coonelly, who said Wilson has not been traded. The Tigers apparently made an interesting offer last night for Wilson, but the Dodgers remain in the mix. Wilson would have to approve a trade to the Tigers, and he and his agent haven’t been informed of anything.

11:15am: According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Tigers acquired shortstop Jack Wilson from the Pirates today. We’ll update the post as more info comes in.

Wilson, 31 later this month, hit .272/.312/.348 in 330 plate appearances this year while playing his typical excellent defense. He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has an $8.4MM club option for ’10 with a $600K buyout.

Perrotto’s Latest: Dye, Jenks, Werth, Madson

By Tim Dierkes | December 4, 2008 at 8:25am CDT

THURSDAY: David Lennon of Newsday talked to a source who said there’s "nothing there" in regard to the rumor of a Dye and Jenks to the Mets blockbuster. Joel Sherman talked to a few Mets officials who called the rumor nonsense. Sherman says Martinez is "all but untouchable."

WEDNESDAY: Let’s dig into the latest column from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.

Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster. The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others.
Regarding the Orioles’ possible involvement in a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, Perrotto says Baltimore seeks Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie from Chicago.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken to outfielder Jayson Werth and setup man Ryan Madson about contract extensions. Madson might be a tough one as he’s represented by Scott Boras (who recently compared him to Mariano Rivera). Both players are under team control for one more season.
The Red Sox are considering free agents Willie Bloomquist, Jay Payton, and Mark Loretta as possible bench additions. A return to Boston seems to be Payton’s preference.
Perrotto believes the only player seriously considering accepting arbitration is Darren Oliver. Oliver’s already seen the Reds drop out of the mix due to the draft pick price.
Perrotto says the Tigers and Orioles are showing interest in Jack Wilson, while the Dodgers have backed off.

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