Blue Jays Pursuing Aroldis Chapman
The Blue Jays are the latest team to enter the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.. They held a private workout for the Cuban left-hander in Florida yesterday morning and met with his representatives. The Hendricks brothers were in Florida, so Arangure Jr. wonders if Chapman may be close to signing with someone.
The Blue Jays were one of the many teams to watch Chapman work out in Houston last month. After the workout, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told fans on MLB.com that he was committed to adding amateur talent.
"We will be on top of every amateur player that is available," he said.
Chapman has plenty of suitors besides the Blue Jays, of course. The Yankees are eyeing him and the A's, Marlins, Orioles and Angels are among the other interested clubs. The Red Sox reportedly offered Chapman $15.5MM, but at least one person thinks that won't be nearly enough. One of Arangure Jr.'s sources says Chapman may be in position to command $20-25MM.
Odds & Ends: Byrd, Werth, Tigers, Brewers
Here's your first batch of links for 2010…
- Marlon Byrd signed with the Cubs partly because of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Jaramillo worked with Byrd in Texas.
- The Marlins are willing to spend on Aroldis Chapman because they don't anticipate handing big bucks over to their first round pick next year, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The Marlins have the 23rd overall pick in the draft.
- Jayson Werth is set to become a free agent after the 2010 season, and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says he isn't sure the Phillies could retain him if he goes looking for a deal similar to what the Mets gave Jason Bay.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com says he'd be surprised if the Tigers didn't trade for a veteran reliever on a short-term contract to fill in at the back of the bullpen.
- Don't discount the idea of Brewers' GM Doug Melvin making another move to bolster his pitching staff, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Such a move could come before the season, or ahead of the trade deadline.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock notes that Padres' GM Jed Hoyer has talked about finding players that fit Petco Park, which would be "an athletic one, has doubles-power, someone who can run … if it's an outfielder, someone who can go get a ball, someone who won't clog the bases."
- The Rangers will bring in "at least one and possibly two" veteran catchers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. He notes that the team has talked about Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba, but both are looking for two-year deals.
- In an interview with Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chipper Jones says that he's told team officials he'll only change positions if the team brings in "the right personnel." Chipper also reiterated that he's going year-to-year at this point of his career, and admits there's parts of being a ballplayer that he's sick of.
- Here's the current 2010 draft order based on the free agent signings that are official. At the moment, the Angels have five of the first 37 picks.
Angels Preparing Offer For Chapman?
Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles says that the Angels "appear to be lining up an offer" for Cuban southpaw Aroldis Chapman. The Halos might have an advantage over other clubs in the Chapman sweepstakes because of first baseman Kendry Morales, who has become a good friend of the lefthander.
"Selfishly, we're a nice fit. It's hard to come over here, and Kendry gives him some idea of the pitfalls of the adjustment," Angels scouting director Eddie Bane said. "It's a fit, but who knows? It depends on the price."
So far only two teams have made an offer to Chapman (the Red Sox and Marlins), and Bane said that he doesn't "see a team like Oakland or Kansas City or someone like that getting him." We just learned about the A's interest in Chapman two days ago.
Orioles Rumors: Bordick, Chapman, Waters
Mike Bordick signed a one-year deal to become a minor league coach with the Orioles, according to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The former Oriole says he wants to emphasize situational hitting and "small ball."
Baltimore's search for pitching has them interested in Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman. So far, team president Andy MacPhail says the O's have only spoken with the lefty's representatives in "generalities." The O's have yet to make the Hendricks Brothers a formal offer and have not heard from the agency recently. The Marlins, A's, Red Sox and Yankees are among the many teams interested in Chapman.
And Chris Waters is one left-hander who won't be signing with Baltimore. The Brewers agreed to a minor league deal with the former Oriole, who was designated for assignment last month by the Orioles. The 29-year-old has a 5.07 ERA in parts of two seasons with the O's.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Wallace, Chapman
A few notes as we head into the final day of 2009….
- ESPN.com's Insider news page passes on some Orlando Hudson-related speculation from Buster Olney on the Mike And Mike In The Morning radio show. Olney "wouldn't be surprised" if the Mariners got into the bidding for the veteran second baseman, adding that Hudson would "be a perfect fit in what they're doing" in Seattle.
- Andrew Stoeten of the Drunk Jays Fans blog runs down some of the highlights of Keith Law's appearance on Toronto's FAN 590 station this afternoon. Law opined on the type of free agents the Blue Jays should sign, said the Jays should focus on scouting and noted that if Brett Wallace wasn't going to be used at third base, "you can probably play him opening day."
- Chad Jennings of the LoHud.com Yankees blog says Aroldis Chapman "might be this winter’s most intriguing available player, period." He brought up Chapman with Yankees senior vice-president of baseball operations Mark Newman, who said the Cuban left-hander would start the year in Single-A or Double-A if he signed with New York. Newman was impressed by Chapman's workout session two weeks ago, but noted that Chapman is "not where (Stephen) Strasburg was."
- Mike Lowell underwent surgery today to repair the injured right thumb that prevented him from being dealt to Texas. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that Lowell had a 95-percent tear in his thumb's radial collateral ligament but is expected to be ready for spring training. This latest surgery will almost surely, as Newsday's Ken Davidoff surmised last week, put an end to the Lowell trade rumors unless Lowell proves himself to be healthy in Grapefruit League action.
Athletics Rumors: Chapman, Duchscherer, Beltre
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle brings us the latest A's buzz…
- The A's are "in the thick of the bidding" for Aroldis Chapman. We saw a tweet yesterday from MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the Marlins are also "firmly in the Chapman sweepstakes." ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. pointed out yesterday that Chapman stands to lose millions to taxes if he signs in 2010, and it's unlikely the paperwork could be done in time even if an agreement is reached in '09.
- Slusser says Justin Duchscherer had a physical yesterday and his signing should be announced this morning. His contract calls for a $2MM base with another $3.5MM in incentives.
- The Athletics' talks for Adrian Beltre "have not progressed much beyond the initial stages," writes Slusser. ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Saturday that the A's are "taking a serious look" at Beltre. We read details on Boston's interest from ESPN's Gordon Edes yesterday.
Odds & Ends: Bay, Guardado, Yankees, Marlins
Let's round up some lingering Tuesday links….
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox kept in touch with Jason Bay's representation right up until the outfielder agreed to terms with the Mets. Boston was a longshot destination for Bay though, with the Angels and Mariners also involved.
- Like Brian Bruney, Eddie Guardado hopes to close for the Nationals in 2010, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Doesn't seem too likely, with Bruney and Matt Capps on board, but Guardado could earn a setup role for the Nats.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs argues that even if they have the money to sign Matt Holliday, the Yankees don't need him. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer and Joseph Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues respond to Cameron's piece.
- The Florida Marlins haven't been aggressively signing their arbitration-eligible players so far this winter, but they should take care of it soon, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (via Twitter).
- Frisaro also tweets that the Marlins remain "firmly" entrenched in the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes.
Odds & Ends: Thome, Chapman, Mariners
Links for Tuesday, as we wait for the hot stove to reignite…
- MSG's Tina Cervasio tweeted that she saw Jim Thome at a Detroit area hotel, prompting ESPN's Jerry Crasnick to wonder (via Twitter) if there's a match with the Tigers.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. points out that Aroldis Chapman stands to lose millions of dollars due to taxes if he signs in 2010.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times looks at the Mariners' remaining trade bait.
- ESPN's Buster Olney feels that Scott Boras' reputation "will remain cemented" no matter how the rest of the offseason plays out. Olney also notes that other agents, such as the Levinson brothers, moved quickly to get many of their top clients signed.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald has a few free agent relief names for the Red Sox to consider.
Olney On Mets, Chapman, Duchscherer
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Mets would still like to sign Jason Bay, but are considering alternatives in case the left fielder's demands don't match their budget. Instead of signing Bay, the Mets could spread their resources and sign a number of the many available free agents. The Mets could obtain lots with the $15-22MM they have available, so Olney envisions some possible solutions. Here are a couple more hot stove notes:
- Aroldis Chapman should sign for more than the $15.67MM that Stephen Strasburg obtained, even though scouts aren't uniformly impressed with the Cuban lefty and wonder if he might end up as a reliever. Chapman is on the open market, while Strasburg could only negotiate with one team. Other clubs tell Olney that the Yankees didn't have much of a presence at Chapman's workout last week.
- Olney hears that the A's could bring Justin Duchscherer back. The right-hander may sign soon.
Odds & Ends: Gomes, Duchscherer, Chapman
Some links for your Tuesday…
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says we shouldn't expect Jonny Gomes to sign any time soon.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Giants are looking to add a catcher and a starter, along with a big bat. Matt Holliday and Jason Bay don't seem likely to sign in San Francisco.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees checked in on Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Harang before acquiring Javier Vazquez.
- The Mariners signed Mike Koplove to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The righty hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007.
- Stephen Strasburg signed a multi-year deal with Topps, according to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post.
- Harlan writes that the Nationals were hoping to sign Jon Garland, before turning to Jason Marquis.
- The Yankees were the only team to pay the luxury tax this season. Their $226MM payroll cost them nearly $26MM in luxury tax, according to the AP (via the Star Ledger).
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets that the Yanks' trade of Melky Cabrera does not mean the club is likely to bring Johnny Damon back.
- The Marlins are not in the mix for Matt Capps, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Marlins, coming off a year in which their $38MM payroll was the lowest in the game, don't have much to spend on relievers.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says outfielder Carlos Gonzalez should be the next Rockie to receive an extension. Saunders says there's no need to lock the 24-year-old up this offseason (Gonzalez won't likely be arbitration-eligible until after 2011).
- Marty Noble of MLB.com doesn't see indications that the Mets are all that interested in Joel Pineiro.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates have yet to make Justin Duchscherer an offer. The righty is now deciding which offer to accept, so we can safely say he won't be signing with the Pirates.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com expects Aroldis Chapman to sign where the money is (via Twitter).