Odds and Ends: Twins, Big Unit, Rockies
Links and tidbits for Wednesday. Remember to check back on this post for updates!
- Dave Cameron notes that the Elias rankings screwed over Damaso Marte by making him a Type A. See also: Doug Brocail, Bob Howry, Darren Oliver.
- Remember to check out the Previous Entries link at the bottom of the website, as stories get buried pretty quickly in times like these.
- Japanese outfielder Saburo Ohmura (link in Japanese) would be fine with a minor league deal.
- Roch Kubatko has info on what it might take to trade for Khalil Greene or Jack Wilson.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly confirmed the team’s interest in Junichi Tazawa. For what it’s worth, Coonelly wouldn’t rule out Derek Lowe when asked.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times offers his thoughts on the rumor mill.
- Official Elias rankings for the AL and NL.
- Ballplayers are in for a tax bump under the Obama administration. They’ll manage.
- The Twins are looking for righthanded pop.
- The D’Backs have just $3-5MM budgeted for Randy Johnson.
- The Hanshin Tigers are eyeing Nelson Cruz, Kevin Mench, and Jose Bautista. Only Mench is a free agent of the three.
- The Rockies are looking for a lefty reliever, according to Troy Renck and Keith Law. How about Jeremy Affeldt again?
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin doesn’t like his C.C. Sabathia offer being called window dressing.
NPB Rumors: Tazawa, Iwase, Iguchi
Some Japanese baseball-related rumors, courtesy of Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker:
- Seven teams have surfaced in Japanese media reports as suitors for free agent amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa: the Red Sox, Braves, Mariners, Pirates, Tigers, Cubs, and Phillies. David O’Brien of the AJC says the Braves are "legit players" for Tazawa. The Red Sox are seen as the frontrunner, according to Paul Hoynes. Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald agrees that Boston is in the lead, and adds the Marlins to the mix.
- Reliever Hitoki Iwase will remain in Japan. Shortstop Tomohiro Nioka is a free agent, but may not necessarily come to MLB.
- So Taguchi and Tadahito Iguchi may return to Japan for the ’09 season.
- Saburo Ohmura is a 32 centerfielder with an eye on MLB. Newman tells me he profiles as more of a fourth outfielder.
Odds And Ends: Miller, Ngoepe, Moss, Perez, Phillies
Here are some crumbs from the trade rumor loaf:
- Justin Miller, who spent the past two seasons working out of the Marlins bullpen, has reached agreement on a Minor League contract with the Giants.
- The Pirates signed an 18-year-old shortstop from South Africa, Mpho Ngoepe, a switch-hitting shortstop who made a cameo appearance in the recent Instructional League in Bradenton, Fla.
- The Mariners have signed center fielder Steve Moss to a minor league contact. Moss, 24, was a 2002 draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, taken right out of high school. Last year, he batted .299 for the Long Beach Armada and was, according to his manager, ex-Mariner Steve Yeager, the best center fielder in the league.
- Umpbump’s Paul Moro says teams should be wary of Oliver Perez, whose ERA has benefitted from the Mets’ above average defense.
- The team that wins the World Series always cashes in. Will the Phillies have more money to spend this offseason as a result of their championship? And if so, will they spend it on Japanese free-agent pitcher Junichi Tazawa, or on free agent Pat Burrell?
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.
Options Declined: Taguchi, Gordon, Counsell, Embree
Alright, time to lump today’s remaining options together in one post.
- The Pirates declined Jason Michaels‘ $2.6MM option. He could re-sign for less.
- The Phillies declined their options on So Taguchi ($1.25MM with a $150K buyout) and Tom Gordon ($4.5MM with a $1MM buyout). The moves may have been Pat Gillick’s last as GM.
- The Brewers declined Craig Counsell‘s $3.4MM option, paying a $400K buyout.
- The Athletics declined Alan Embree‘s $3MM option. As a Type B free agent, the A’s could offer him arbitration. Susan Slusser spoke to Embree, who didn’t mind having the option declined.
Pirates May Re-Sign Michaels, Mientkiewicz
According to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch, the Pirates would like to re-sign veteran role players Jason Michaels and Doug Mientkiewicz (Dejan Kovacevic reported this a few weeks ago).
Langosch says Michaels’ $2.6MM option will be declined, but he could re-sign for less to stay on as the team’s fourth outfielder. Michaels, 32, hit .224/.292/.360 in 321 plate appearances this year. There are better ways to spend a million bucks.
Mientkiewicz, 34, hit .277/.374/.379 in 334 plate appearances. He’s a fine defensive first baseman and even pitched in at third. He also provided spark to the Pirates’ clubhouse. Bringing him back makes sense at the right price.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Sabathia, McLouth, Fuentes
Here’s a look at the latest column from Ken Rosenthal.
- Rosenthal puts odds for various teams to sign C.C. Sabathia, with the Yankees, Angels and Red Sox on top.
- Rosenthal wonders whether the White Sox will consider trading Jermaine Dye for a starting pitcher, moving Carlos Quentin to right field, and acquiring an athletic center fielder somehow. The goal would be a more athletic club. The Sox will also look to add a second baseman, moving Alexei Ramirez to shortstop. I’m not sure if something as long-term as Orlando Hudson makes sense, though.
- The Pirates wouldn’t trade Nate McLouth for Robinson Cano, and won’t trade McLouth at all unless some team overpays.
- If the Orioles don’t reach an extension with Brian Roberts, he’ll go on the trading block.
- Rosenthal sees Brian Fuentes asking for Brad Lidge-type money, three years and at least $37.5MM. Pretty steep, but still half of K-Rod’s price.
- The Rangers "made a big offer" for Zack Greinke in July, and the Braves are also fans. But the Royals will need to be bowled over to move him.
Odds and Ends: Lowe, Redmond, Timlin
Linkage for Friday…
- River Ave. Blues discovered that Mike Mussina‘s wife may be a bigger factor than we thought in regard to his retirement decision.
- David O’Brien tosses out some names for the Braves to consider: Derek Lowe, Matt Cain, Roy Oswalt, and Josh Willingham. Everyone likes Lowe…Anthony McCarron says the Yankees and Mets should consider him. Those clubs could also enter a bidding war for C.C. Sabathia, says Bob Klapisch. Will C.C.’s postseason record diminish his contract? I don’t think so.
- Greg Couch doesn’t want Javier Vazquez pitching for the White Sox again. Maybe Ozzie is right, Vazquez is not a big-game pitcher. But why say that publicly?
- Joe Christensen seems certain the Twins will exercise Mike Redmond‘s $950K option.
- Chris Carpenter‘s shoulder injury is unprecedented among pitchers. Do the Cardinals need to add veteran rotation insurance? Speaking of unprecedented procedures…Takashi Saito had platelet-rich plasma injected into his elbow in July.
- Joe Starkey thinks the Pirates should…non-tender Adam LaRoche?
- Mike Timlin could retire.
- Huge E-Ticket Manny Ramirez feature from Bill Simmons, wherein Scott Boras is blamed for his Boston exit. Good read.
Odds and Ends: LaCava, Colletti, Andruw
Links for Wednesday…
- I did a Q&A with the Roselle Press. The article includes a sweet picture of me hacking the Internet.
- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald speculates on the new-look 2009 Marlins. If defense is a goal, they could look to acquire Adrian Beltre and try Jorge Cantu at first base. Randy Winn could improve the defense in right.
- John Fay runs through the Reds’ nine free agents. He believes Jerry Hairston Jr. wants to return.
- Brian Cashman wants to acquire a real first baseman, rather than have Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui spend time there.
- The Mariners received permission to interview Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, according to Geoff Baker.
- It’s still not known whether the Dodgers will bring GM Ned Colletti back for the final year of his contract. Interesting note from ESPN’s Buster Olney – the Andruw Jones signing was engineered by owner Frank McCourt rather than Colletti.
- Olney feels Brian Cashman is more likely to pursue Derek Lowe than Mark Teixeira.
- Will Joe Girardi’s presence discourage free agents from signing with the Yankees?
- McCovey Chronicles sees the Giants trading for a second or third baseman this winter. I tossed out a bunch of names in my Offseason Outlook.
- Pedro Alvarez clammed up when asked precisely what time he accepted the original deal from the Pirates.
- MetsBlog tries to figure out whether Ryan Church loves or hates New York.
- Oliver Perez predicts a tough offseason following the Mets’ final-day elimination. On the bright side, he stands to earn a ridiculous amount of money as a free agent.
Pirates May Dabble In Free Agency
Dejan Kovacevic spoke to Pirates GM Neal Huntington, who said the Pirates do plan to participate in free agency this winter. They’re looking for a power bat, a veteran starter, and a righthanded setup man.
We learned a couple of weeks ago that the Pirates might have $10-15MM to spend. The power bat might fit best in right field, where Steve Pearce is penciled in. Pearce slugged .579 this month, but just .417 in Triple A. Casey Blake could make sense, or maybe Wily Mo Pena if he declines his $2MM player option. There’s no obvious fit though.
Veteran starters such as Paul Byrd, Mike Hampton, Pedro Martinez, Odalis Perez, or Kenny Rogers could help tutor young Pirate pitchers. Randy Johnson could be an interesting signing as well. The righthanded setup man market includes Juan Cruz, Rudy Seanez, LaTroy Hawkins, Chan Ho Park, David Weathers, Bob Howry, and Kyle Farnsworth.
Week In Review: 9/21 – 9/27
Here’s your weekly look back at some of the biggest stories we’ve covered on MLBTR!
- The Pedro Alvarez drama may finally be behind us. The Pirates’ first-round pick agreed to terms with the organization on a new four-year, $6.355MM major league contract. Jim Callis and Dejan Kovacevic have some more insight to offer on the signing here. The contract was officially signed later in the week, and the grievance was resolved. Royals fans and Eric Hosmer are also both relieved that this is over I’m sure.
- The Blue Jays began talking extension with A.J. Burnett this week. Later on, we learned that the Jays would offer a two-year, $30MM extension onto the remaining two years of his contract, bringing the total remaining value to four years, $54MM. Burnett seemed pleasantly surprised with the amount of money the Jays were said to offer. He expected they’d offer less. You’re always going to be wondering just how many innings he can give you in a season, but in a world where Carlos Silva makes $12MM per season, if Burnett is healthy he’d be a steal at this price.
- Lots of question marks for another AL East team’s rotation, with the Yankees trying to figure out just what exactly Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina are planning for 2009. Pettitte has said that he’ll play for the Yankees or retire. Bringing Pettitte back only makes sense if he’s willing to take a much smaller contract. I think around $10MM would make sense; someone also suggested a $7-8MM deal with incentives. That seems fair as well. As for Mussina, he initially said that he didn’t think he’d pitch in 2009, but later at least discussed the possibility of pitching for 300 wins. His first preference would be to pitch for the Yankees again. Congrats to Moose on picking up win number 20 today, by the way. Another milestone in a great career.
- Erik Bedard’s injury and operation weren’t as serious as thought, and the Mariners now face more of a decision on bringing him back. If he’s healthy enough to pitch, I can’t see a reason not to bring him back. Maybe they can at least get a few months of the pitcher they initially thought they were getting, and get something in return in July.
- Curious about what it will take for your club to reel in that free agent you’re craving? Buster Olney took a look at the market earlier this week that might shed some light on the issue.
- One player who will be in that free agent pool is Orlando Cabrera. He openly criticized his teammates, saying that none of them wanted to win enough, and that "they were the problem," not him. Cabera’s hitting a very weak shortstop market; he should draw a lot of interest from numerous clubs. Interestingly, that article suggests Chicago’s biggest rival – Minnesota – as a possible landing place for Cabrera.
- Two players officially called it quits this week. Todd Jones retired, notching 319 saves in his career. Elsewhere, J.T. Snow signed a one-day contract with San Francisco, so he could officially retire as a Giant.
- Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series with entries for the Reds, Rockies, and Rangers.
- Has anyone seen Brad Penny recently? No? Apparently, neither have the Dodgers.