Odds & Ends: Webb, Mitsui, Burnett
Some links for the afternoon…
- Nick Piecoro looks at the Brandon Webb situation. The D’Backs ace is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.
- NPB Tracker says Koji Mitsui may require a Major League deal to come to the States.
- Ted Berg interviewed Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman takes a look at Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Ken Takahashi, and Mitsui. They’ve all been linked to the Mets.
- George A. King III from the NY Post looks at whether or not A.J. Burnett will be able to handle the Yankee spotlight.
- Tim did an interview with Kevin Seefried from 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba, covering many topics related to the AL East.
- RotoAuthority analyzes some of the most undervalued players in Fantasy Baseball coming into the 2008 season.
Odds and Ends: Redding, Turnbow, Looper
Links for Saturday…
- RotoAuthority looks at projections for Chris Davis. 35 home runs next year?
- Bill Madden suggests Paul Kinzer screwed up in both the Rafael Furcal and Francisco Rodriguez negotiations.
- More details on Dan Johnson – the Rays are selling him to a Japanese team for $100,000-500,000.
- Tim Redding‘s agent says "the Mets are very much in the mix" for the righty.
- Juan C. Rodriguez confirms the Marlins’ interest in Derrick Turnbow, but says they aren’t going after Ray King.
- The Rockies could pursue Braden Looper.
- The Orioles have expressed interest in Phillies catcher Chris Coste.
- New National Josh Willingham likes the Marlins’ young talent.
- New Phillie Raul Ibanez likes the chances that the Mariners will have a better offense in 2009.
- The AP has details on the perks in the C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett deals.
- Ken Davidoff looks at the impact Mark Teixeira‘s decision will have on six teams. Amazing how one deal will shape so many teams’ plans.
- Buster Olney writes that many players are going to make much less than expected in 2009, including Manny Ramirez. In that same blog post, Olney notes that his colleague Jerry Crasnick says the Angels’ signing of Juan Rivera takes them out of the market for Manny.
- The D’Backs’ discussions for Tony Clark are progressing.
Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Tejada, Teixeira
A few random notes from around the MLBiverse…
- The Cardinals signed infielder Joe Thurston and catcher Justin Knoedler to minor league deals with spring training invites. Thurston appeared in four games for the Red Sox in ’08, while Knoedler last appeared in the majors with the Giants in ’06.
- Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays are not one of the teams that have offered a contract to Daniel Cabrera. The Jays are interested, but want to see Cabrera pitch in the Dominican Winter League before making an offer…Cabrera’s agent says eleven teams have shown interest and Cabrera has received two contract offers.
- Jon Heyman is reporting that the FBI is still investigating Miguel Tejada, which will hinder any attempts to trade the shortstop…We previously heard that the Astros were trying hard to move Tejada but had yet to find any suitors.
- Mike Bauman believes the Red Sox offer to Mark Teixeira could be a direct reaction to the recent signings of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett by the Yankees. Bauman says the Red Sox "cannot sit idly by and watch the Yanks make dramatic, if incredibly expensive, improvements."
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Astros, Saito, Yankees
Links for Monday night…
- Astros GM Ed Wade is "kicking the tires" on players to share time with Geoff Blum at third next year. It seems unlikely that they can afford Ty Wigginton.
- The Marlins haven’t yet inquired on Takashi Saito, a recent non-tender.
- It’s "very unlikely" though "not impossible" that Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez becomes a Yankee according to Tyler Kepner. He also thinks that the longer Andy Pettitte waits, the lower the chances are of a return to the Yankees.
- Adam Everett thinks the Tigers are a great fit for him. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Everett’s in line to get most of the starts at shortstop.
- Felipe Lopez could be a positive for the D’Backs in spite of his questionable effort and unspectacular defense, writes Keith Law.
- Rob Neyer thinks that the Yankees "pretty obviously overpaid" for A.J. Burnett.
- Here’s a video clip of Bronx Banter authors and Anthony McCarron debating the pros and cons of the Burnett signing.
- Sarah D. Morris weighs in on the Dodgers’ offseason moves.
- Tony Massarotti ranks the five worst current pitching contracts.
Braves Not Interested In Lowe, Peavy?
According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, the Braves aren’t interested in available starters Jake Peavy and Derek Lowe. The market for Lowe seems to be shrinking, as Scott Boras sticks to demands for four or five years at $16.5MM per (similar to A.J. Burnett‘s deal). Knobler says there’s still bad blood between the Braves and Padres over the Peavy talks.
It sounds like the Braves have turned to Kenshin Kawakami to complement their Javier Vazquez acquistion.
Odds and Ends: Nelson, Atkins, Taveras
After a hectic Winter Meetings, it’s been a slow weekend. Today’s links…
- A 3.35 ERA for Phil Hughes next year? Bill James and Co. think so.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to Mark Mulder‘s agent, Gregg Clifton. Clifton said, "He’s ready to go for any team right out of the chute." Clifton shot down talk that Mulder would not be ready in April.
- The Rays have contacted the agents for Joe Nelson and Scott Proctor.
- Keith Law likes A.J. Burnett‘s upside, but notes the risks. Peter Abraham compares the Burnett and Johan Santana deals.
- Law is in favor of the Indians’ Kerry Wood signing.
- Scott Ostler’s baseball source says people are scratching their heads about the Giants’ Edgar Renteria contract.
- Bruce Jenkins says the Rockies would trade Garrett Atkins for Jonathan Sanchez.
- Troy Renck says Willy Taveras has received interest from the Reds, Nationals, and White Sox.
- Drayton McLane says there are a lot of reasons for Astros fans to be optimistic.
- The Yankees like Andy Pettitte over Ben Sheets.
Braves Interested In Kawakami
Having lost out on A.J. Burnett, the Atlanta Braves are shifting their attention to a different candidate to fill out their starting rotation–33-year old Japanese veteran Kenshin Kawakami.
Dave O’Brien at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Braves are serious contenders for Kawakami’s services. While teams like the Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Orioles are also in on Kawakami, "the Braves are particularly motivated to improve their rotation," O’Brien says.
Failing to sign Burnett is certainly one motivating factor, but O’Brien also mentions the increasing chance that John Smoltz does not return to the Braves in 2009.
Alex Walsh can be reached at alexander.walsh@gmail.com
Yankees Sign A.J. Burnett
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Yankees reached a preliminary agreement with A.J. Burnett on a five-year, $82.5MM deal ($16.5MM per year on average). The deal is pending a physical, and some final terms must be hammered out. The Blue Jays will receive the Yankees’ second-round pick in next year’s draft, plus a supplemental pick.
That’s $243.5MM spent by the Yankees on starting pitching, unless C.C. Sabathia opts out. The Braves will have to figure out a Plan B.
A.J. Burnett Rumors: Friday
2:45pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says both teams have guaranteed five years. The Yankees are offering "just beyond" $80MM and the Braves at least that amount. Sherman believes those to be the best and final offers and expects Burnett to choose sometime between today and Monday.
11:54am: Burnett is in "decision-making" mode, according to his agent.
9:05am: Kat O’Brien and Ken Davidoff of Newsday talked to Hal Steinbrenner, who said he’s optimistic about the Yankees signing A.J. Burnett. They have a five-year, $80MM offer on the table. It seems possible the Braves may have matched it, but it’s not confirmed.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Tigers, Braves, Red Sox, Pirates
Today is free agent Orlando Hudson’s 31st birthday and the 29th birthday of Garrett Atkins, the subject of many recent trade rumors.
Also, on this date 10 years ago, Kevin Brown became the first player to sign a contract worth at least $100MM, when he signed a seven-year/$105MM contract with the Dodgers. The deal came when Brown was 34, one season after going 18-7 with a 2.38 ERA. Brown’s first two seasons with the Dodgers (18-9, 3.00 and 13-6, 2.58) were solid, but he would only make 29 starts in years three and four combined. Since then, two pitchers have signed deals for at least six years. Mike Hampton and Barry Zito. That doesn’t bode well for C.C. Sabathia, but it’s a small sample size…With the winter meetings now wrapped up, let’s take a look at what is being said in the Blogosphere…
- Take 75 North feels the Tigers are going to regret acquiring Edwin Jackson and lament the loss of Matt Joyce.
- The Detroit Tigers Weblog does not get the Edwin Jackson/Matt Joyce deal noting that at least Joyce has shown signs of being a very good player.
- When Sid Slid weighs the merits of acquiring Jake Peavy or A.J. Burnett and sees Burnett as the better option.
- Infield Chatter warns the Red Sox about signing Mark Teixeira, feeling Theo Epstein should be more concerned with acquiring a pitcher and noting the Red Sox have Lars Anderson waiting in the minors.
- Pirate Revolution feels the Pirates need to move Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson and John Grabow to unblock the paths of younger players.
- DraftInfo has a Q&A with Max Stassi, a high school catcher that is projected to be selected in the first round.
- Fire Brand of the American League takes a look at the impact C.C. Sabathia will have on the AL East.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.