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Alex Rodriguez

Padres Rumors: Crisp, Pie, Andruw, Eckstein

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Tom Krasovic continues to set the standard for Padres inside information.  Today’s column is especially delicious for rumor junkies, with tons of new material to chew on.

  • Kevin Towers expects to fill his center field vacancy via trade.  He may first want to wait to see if Mike Cameron accepts the team’s upcoming offer of arbitration.  Cameron is a Type B free agent.  Remember that he will be limited to 137 games in ’07. 
  • As for trade candidates, Coco Crisp is on the radar but the Padres smartly won’t part with Chase Headley. 
  • Krasovic notes that Bud Black’s connection with Angels manager Mike Scioscia could play a role now that Trader Bill Stoneman isn’t the GM.  Reggie Willits or Nathan Haynes might be in play for the Padres.
  • The Padres really seem to like Felix Pie, and could re-open talks that would include Khalil Greene.  They’ve asked about Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Brewers in the past.  And it does sound like the Royals are willing to talk about David DeJesus.
  • Sounds like the Padres will offer Andruw Jones $14-16MM on a one-year contract.  Scott Boras hasn’t seemed open to this with Jones, but time will tell.
  • The Tigers will have competition from the Padres for Geoff Jenkins.  Krasovic envisions a Jenkins/Scott Hairston platoon in left and expects the Friars to make an offer.
  • Two starters will be acquired even after Greg Maddux is retained.  Rehabbing former Mark Prior and Matt Clement would both like to play in San Diego.  There has to be some sort of cosmic rule about having three ex-Cubs in the rotation.  That is not recommended.  Plus the Padres were on Curt Schilling’s list.  And don’t forget the team’s previous trade interest in Josh Towers, who seems likely to be non-tendered and could be solid in PETCO.
  • The Padres could pursue David Eckstein as a second baseman and leadoff man.  But that would seemingly block Matt Antonelli for longer than necessary.  Plus such a switch wouldn’t be in Eckstein’s best interests financially.
  • Towers likes Jason Kendall, perhaps as a backup, but faces opposition in the organization.
  • In another article, Towers lends credence to the theory that the Marlins could sign Alex Rodriguez. 

Cafardo’s Latest: Drew, Pettitte, Lincecum

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo works his way through all the teams in anticipation of Monday’s GM meetings.  Here are some of the rumors we haven’t seen much before.

  • The Rays want a defensive-minded shortstop and veteran starter.  Maybe they’ll make a play for Cesar Izturis or Omar Vizquel.  A rehab guy like Freddy Garcia or Randy Wolf could be interesting.
  • The Indians are looking for a power bat for left field.  Haven’t seen them mentioned with Barry Bonds at all, could that work?
  • Cafardo proposes the idea of the Cubs acquiring J.D. Drew as their OBP-minded right field acquisition.  Drew has a limited no-trade clause allowing him to block two unknown teams.  I imagine the Red Sox would have to eat some salary.
  • Cafardo also speculates that Andy Pettitte could follow Joe Torre to L.A.  Pettitte has previously talked about a Yankees or retirement stance.
  • The idea of the Giants trading Tim Lincecum seemed crazy at first, right?  Cafardo says they may be willing to do so for a "stud outfielder."  How about Delmon Young? 
  • Scott Boras is already busting out mystery teams with A-Rod, who apparently would love to play for the Red Sox.

Cubs Rumors: Wood, Schilling

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a Cubs update for us this morning.

Let’s start with Kerry Wood, who would garner plenty of interest on the open market.  Despite rumors that Wood might look elsewhere for a chance to start, he’s likely to stay with the Cubs as a starter.

The Cubs are on Curt Schilling’s list, and they’ll be in the mix for him if his price is reasonable.  I take that to mean not much more than $12-13MM.  A cheaper option might be Hiroki Kuroda, though that could take a three-year commitment.  So, perhaps a larger cash outlay. 

The Cubs will probably pass on Alex Rodriguez, though he would’ve been a nice fit at shortstop in my opinion. 

Options: the Cubs exercised Daryle Ward’s for $1.2MM.  They passed on Steve Trachsel’s $4.75MM option, which is a relief since there had been rumors of exercising it.  Cliff Floyd is probably gone as well.

$350MM Just To Meet With A-Rod

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Buster Olney has the scoop: Scott Boras told the Yankees that just to get in the door with Alex Rodriguez, they’d have to extend his current contract to reach $350MM over ten years.

It sounds like Boras placed a premium on the Yankees getting exclusive negotiating rights with his superstar.  Or maybe Rodriguez truly had no desire to return and they set the bar incredibly high for that reason.  It’s fair now to say that the Yankees’ decision not to have further talks with Rodriguez was much more financial than emotional.

I can almost see the final result being a ten-year, $350MM deal, but as a starting point for negotiation?  That seems unreasonable.  We’re still trying to stomach the idea of a $30MM player.  But it was heroic of A-Rod to save us from a dull October (MLBTR’s own Nat Boyle was sort of quoted in this article!)

Olney also has a source indicating that the Dodgers will probably pass on Rodriguez.

A-Rod In Florida?

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On the face of it, the Marlins would seem the least likely suitor for Alex Rodriguez.  This team is balking at paying its superstar third baseman $11MM.  A-Rod’s salary would be equal to the entire team’s 2007 payroll. 

However, there is a small glimmer of a chance that the Marlins sign Rodriguez.  He’s a Miami native.  His star power could help Jeffrey Loria get a stadium (theoretically).  And the team’s president of baseball operations and former GM, Larry Beinfest, wouldn’t rule it out when asked.  Clark Spencer notes that the Marlins have been creative with contracts; what about a one-year, $40MM offer?

It’s still extremely unlikely.  Signing A-Rod would require trading Miguel Cabrera or moving he or Hanley Ramirez to different positions.  Also, Joe Capozzi’s team source denied interest even if Beinfest didn’t.  Fun to think about, but this isn’t happening.

Giants Rumors: A-Rod, Vizquel, Feliz

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Brian Sabean acknowledged today that he’ll kick the tires on Alex Rodriguez but admitted that it could hamstring the team financially.  That’s right – he’s considering tying up half of the Giants’ payroll in two players.  Signing with the Giants would be A-Rod embracing his mercenary reputation – the team has no chance of competing next year.

Additionally, Sabean mentioned that the Giants hope to re-sign Omar Vizquel and Pedro Feliz for the left side of their infield.  Discussions have begun with Vizquel regarding a one-year pact with a vesting option.  It’s a very solid defensive tandem, but neither can hit much these days.  They don’t make much sense for a rebuilding team, unless the angle is to build confidence for the young pitchers.

Sabean also implies that he’ll seek to upgrade the Giants by shopping Noah Lowry or Jonathan Sanchez.  Shopping Lowry for a solid controllable position player actually seems reasonable.

One other tidbit is that Ned Colletti admitted that the Dodgers are also considering A-Rod, though signing him is just one of many scenarios.

Latest Alex Rodriguez Rumors

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Ah, your daily dose of Alex Rodriguez rumors.  What would you do without it?

  • Rob Bradford asked Red Sox captain Jason Varitek whether Alex Rodriguez would fit in with the Red Sox clubhouse.  Varitek, you may recall, had a little face-shoving scuffle with A-Rod back in 2004.  Varitek said he had no idea whether Rodriguez would fit in with the current team, but that he knows Mike Lowell does.  It’s pretty obvious where Varitek’s allegiance lies given the "Re-sign Lowell" sign and all.
  • Gwen Knapp doesn’t see the Dodgers getting A-Rod for a couple of reasons.  First, of course, there’s the price.  Second, there’s a possibly shaky relationship with Scott Boras given last year’s unexpected opt-out by J.D. Drew.
  • Mark Feinsand disagrees – his L.A. source says the Dodgers will make a push for him.  The expected hiring of Joe Torre will basically be a non-factor in Rodriguez’s decision.  Plan B for the Dodgers might be to sign Torii Hunter or Andruw Jones.  That leaves Juan Pierre in left field or traded.  Hey, it was a dumb signing at the time.
  • Feinsand also has a source indicating that Rodriguez is hoping the Yankees will entertain the possibility of bringing him back.  The Yankees, of course, are scarred by the Texas money lost and have pledged repeatedly that they will not be involved.  We’ve seen this a million times – teams love fresh faces.  Say A-Rod had played out his Texas contract to this point – do you think the Yankees would be in the mix for him then?  If the Yankees don’t want A-Rod because he’s simply too expensive, that’s reasonable.  But if they simply feel scorned by the opt-out, that’s emotion.
  • Omar Minaya said on a conference call yesterday that he planned on discussing the team’s interest in A-Rod with David Wright, since Wright would have to move to second base to accomodate him.
  • A new team is going after A-Rod aggressively.

Padres Rumors: Maddux, Cabrera, Barrett, Bradley

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As usual, Tom Krasovic has the scoop with the Padres.

  • The Padres expect Greg Maddux back, at a salary near the $10MM he earned in ’07.  One way it could happen – Mad Dog declines his $8.75MM player option and the Padres exercise their $11MM club option.  Otherwise they’ll just tear it up and figure something out.
  • The Padres will pass on available third basemen Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera.  It sounds like a Padres team source is indicating the Marlins plan to shop Cabrera aggressively.  As if this offseason wasn’t going to be crazy enough, here’s another marquee player on the market.  The Padres have some depth at third base, so they’ll sit out.
  • Apparently the Elias rankings have leaked out somewhere, though I haven’t seen the list yet.  Michael Barrett and Milton Bradley both earned Type A designation, though it won’t matter if the Padres don’t offer arbitration to either.  With either player there’s a decent chance he would accept the offer.  Barrett maybe not, as he might be able to find a two-year deal elsewhere.  Still, it’d be risky.  Unfortunately Mike Cameron and Doug Brocail got the Type B designation (not that that makes sense).  Cameron will probably get offered arbitration; it would’ve been nice to get the Braves’ 18th overall pick.

Rosenthal’s Latest: A-Rod, Glaus, Cordero

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Ken Rosenthal’s work is a must for any rumor junkie.  Here are some highlights from his latest column.

  • Rosenthal gives his take on possible A-Rod destinations, discussing the Mets, Tigers, and Dodgers in depth.  He tosses out an idea I hadn’t seen before – moving David Wright to left field and declining Moises Alou’s option.  MetsBlog discusses Scott Boras’ sales pitch to the Mets. 
  • The Cards want to hire Chris Antonetti, but the Indians don’t want to let him go.  Rosenthal says they may have to pay him GM money and/or promise him the post in the future.
  • Rosenthal has a new I hadn’t mentioned for the Yankees’ third base vacancy, though I believe several commenters did.  That name is Troy Glaus, about whom the Yanks inquired last summer.  There are complications aplenty with Glaus: foot problems, $12.75MM owed to him in ’08 and an $11.25MM player option for ’09, a full no-trade clause, and a steroid connection.  Sounds like Jason Giambi Part II.
  • Francisco Cordero would be priced out of the Brewers’ range if he demands a four or five year deal worth $9-11MM annually.  I assume he will, though the Brewers could afford it.

Angels Talk To Boras About A-Rod

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Angels’ GM Tony Reagins has already spoken to Scott Boras about Alex Rodriguez.  Of course, they can’t talk dollars and cents until November 13th.

Mike DiGiovanna notes in the above-linked article that the Angels are not phased at all by Rodriguez’s purported ego.  In contrast, the Red Sox are said to be concerned with clubhouse chemistry and Rodriguez’s recent postseason performance. 

It’s all about the money for the Angels – owner Arte Moreno would have to be willing to take a short-term loss to bring A-Rod aboard.  But even if Moreno bleeds $15-20MM a year because of Rodriguez, he still comes out ahead in the long run.  Right now he’s up roughly a quarter billion bucks given the value of the Angels. Another fact to consider, per Buster Olney, is that each team will get roughly $30MM+ from the successful MLB.com.

DioGiovanna also suggests that Moreno’s talk about not paying any player $20MM is just posturing, part of the negotiation process.  I agree – if Moreno was really that opposed to it, why not just declare the Angels out of the Rodriguez sweepstakes right now?  Instead they’re meeting with Boras.  They’re interested.

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