Aroldis Chapman

Odds & Ends: Balfour, Orioles, Chapman, Lowe

By Luke Adams 2 | December 13, 2009 at 2:14pm CDT

Rounding up the first batch of miscellaneous Sunday links….

The Rays agreed to terms with reliever Grant Balfour, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Balfour signed a one-year, $2.05MM deal, avoiding arbitration.
The Baltimore Orioles are still searching for a closer, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec suggests that Fernando Rodney and Kevin Gregg could be atop the O's list of targets.
MASN's Roch Kubatko runs down the Orioles' closing options too, adding new free agent Matt Capps to the mix.
Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reaction from GM Neal Huntington, who says that media reports of the 26-year-old being non-tendered hurt his trade value. Huntington also said that the Bucs would "love" to have him back in the bullpen – at the right price. Capps isn't on the Yankees radar, says Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).
John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers' closer search also continues. The team was looking at J.J. Putz, but backed off because of health questions, not money concerns.
Tuesday could be "Judgment Day" for Aroldis Chapman, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Chapman will throw a session with a slew of teams expected to be in attendance.
Within a piece which focuses on yesterday's non-tender decisions, ESPN.com's Buster Olney mentions that a handful of clubs are interested in Brian Giles, including the Yankees and Reds. It's still up in the air whether teams will be willing to offer Giles more than a minor league contract.
One interesting tidbit from the latest article by Newsday's Ken Davidoff: An AL West official tells Davidoff that he'd like to see Jered Weaver, rather than Joe Saunders, leaving the division in a potential Roy Halladay trade offer. I have to think Jays fans would agree. Both pitchers were selected 12th overall in their respective drafts: Saunders in 2002 and Weaver in 2004.
Speaking of the AL West, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports thinks it's the most intriguing division for hot stove news this winter.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter) says that the Angels are a possible destination for Derek Lowe if they cannot re-sign John Lackey. Other possibilities include the Mariners, Red Sox and Yanks. O'Brien also suggests the Mets, provided that the Braves are willing to trade within their division.

Odds & Ends: Boyer, Chapman, Non-Tenders, Cubs

By Tim Dierkes | December 11, 2009 at 4:35pm CDT

Links for Friday…

The D'Backs agreed to a one-year deal with arbitration-eligible righty Blaine Boyer, tweets MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. analyzes Aroldis Chapman's upcoming bullpen session – does it represent a loss of leverage? Arangure Jr. notes that Chapman received one offer so far – $15.5MM – from the Red Sox back when he was represented by Edwin Mejia.
SI's Jon Heyman names his winners and losers of the Winter Meetings.
Royals GM Dayton Moore expects a bigger non-tender group than years past, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald expects the Cubs to tender contracts to Mike Fontenot, Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Jeff Baker, and Angel Guzman, but not lefty Neal Cotts. Cotts is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and the Cubs could re-sign him to a minor league deal.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post criticizes the New York Times for letting his good friend Jack Curry go.
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs acquired righty Arismendy Mota from the Nationals for cash considerations. Mota was taken by the Nats from the White Sox with the first pick of the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 draft yesterday.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick believes that while the free agent dollars are flowing now, "the euphoria will fade after the New Year."
The Nationals officially announced their two-year deal for Ivan Rodriguez today.

Overnight Links: Rodney, Lyon, Nationals, Weaver

By Mike Axisa | December 10, 2009 at 2:13am CDT

The Hot Stove never sleeps…

With Brandon Lyon headed to Houston, Steve Kornacki of MLive.com expects the Tigers to intensify their efforts to re-sign Fernando Rodney.
Speaking of Lyon, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs calls his signing by the Astros "the latest act in a joke that’s gone on far too long." Ouch.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals' agenda hasn't changed; they're looking for quality pitching and a backup infielder.
The Angels will be among the teams at Aroldis Chapman's workout next week, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times.
The Dodgers have interest in re-signing righty Jeff Weaver, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The 33-year-old Weaver had a 3.65 ERA in 79 innings for LA last season.
Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes that the Tigers have only $33MM committed to their 2011 payroll, and would have a big chunk of money to play around with next offseason even if they scale their payroll back a bit.
Bill Beane left the Winter Meetings late Wednesday afternoon according to MLB.com's Tom Singer, and is ready to get some serious work done. "You really do more productive work when you get back home, and can get on the phone away from the distractions," Beane said.
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro acknowledged that it's possible the team may move past Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre, says MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants could benefit from the Yankees' glut of outfielders.

Odds & Ends: Livan, Cameron, Matsui, Mulder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 9, 2009 at 9:26pm CDT

Time for another round of links…

The Nats have "some" interest in Livan Hernandez, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Red Sox "appear interested" in Mike Cameron, according to Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal.
We know the Dodgers want pitching for Juan Pierre. Ned Colletti told SIRIUS XM radio that he'd accept a back-of-the-rotation pitcher, according to Diamond Leung.
Jon Greenberg of ESPN.com takes a look at the influence technology has on the Winter Meetings. Within the article, a Cubs exec calls Tim Dierkes his hero, so it's worth a read for that line alone.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman says the Curtis Granderson acquisition doesn't mean the Yankees can't bring back Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
Mike Scioscia told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com that the Angels would "definitely consider" Hideki Matsui.
Padres manager Bud Black expects Adrian Gonzalez to return to the Padres in 2010, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Brewers met with Mark Mulder's representation today. He's also drawing interest from the Royals, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros only offered LaTroy Hawkins a one-year deal, so he signed with the Brewers.
The Orioles will meet with Aroldis Chapman's agents, though they remain "a longshot" to acquire the Cuban pitcher, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
MLB.com's Lyle Spencer confirms that the Angels still have interest in Chapman.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox have not spoken with Justin Duchscherer's agents since they met Sunday night. Apparently 11 teams are interested in Duchscherer.
Keith Law of ESPN.com says it makes sense for the Yankees to keep bringing Andy Pettitte back on one-year deals. Law doesn't mind the Randy Wolf deal, either.
There may come a time when the Cardinals have to force Matt Holliday's hand, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Twitter Rumors: Lyon, Holliday, Counsell

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 9, 2009 at 7:34pm CDT

Looking for more rumblings and analysis? These tidbits are all 140 characters or less…

The Rangers are talking to Jason Kendall, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. The Royals have made the veteran backstop a two-year offer.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Brandon Lyon is asking for $9MM over two years. Speaking of Lyon, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says the Phillies are pursuing him and Fernando Rodney with equal interest.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Blue Jays expressed interest in Craig Stammen. However, the Nats aren't likely to trade him.
Yahoo's Steve Henson hears that the Yankees will be strong players for Matt Holliday.
The Brewers still have interest in Craig Counsell, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the two sides met and continue to talk. He expects them to reach a deal.
The Indians have no money to spend, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
Ruddy Lugo signed a minor league deal with the Tigers, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.
Arangure's colleague, Jayson Stark, has a similar update. The Dodgers could soon sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't consider Aroldis Chapman an option for the team's rotation next year, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. They'll still watch him throw in Houston, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
The Red Sox will be there too, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN.
MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that the Padres are considering some options in the Rule 5 draft.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Royals inquired on Brett Gardner after the Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson.
The Phillies asked Cliff Lee's agent to fly to Indianapolis this week to discuss an extension, according to Scott Lauber of the Journal News.
You can expect the D'Backs to pursue Bob Howry, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 8, 2009 at 7:26pm CDT

More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.

Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers

By Tim Dierkes | December 8, 2009 at 3:58pm CDT

Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…

Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Orioles Day One Recap

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2009 at 1:22am CDT

The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec takes a look back at Baltimore's first day of the Winter Meetings:

The O's targeted pitching heavily, inquiring on Kevin Millwood and attaining the medical record for former Baltimore ace Erik Bedard. The O's would want Texas to eat some of Millwood's $12MM salary. They won't go after Bedard (or any other pitcher) if they're not 100% for Opening Day.
Andy MacPhail will meet with Bedard's agent in the next couple of days.
The Orioles were interested in Rafael Soriano prior to his decision to accept arbitration from the Braves.
Kevin Gregg is an option for relief help, but Baltimore sees him as a 7th or 8th inning guy, not a closer.
Felix Pie has drawn a lot of inquiries, but MacPhail points out that none of Pie, Nolan Reimold, and Adam Jones have played a full, healthy season yet, and the depth is probably a good thing for the Orioles when taking that into consideration.
Lots of young O's pitching has come up, including Zach Britton and David Hernandez.
MacPhail met with Joe Urbon, agent for Mark Hendrickson. Zrebiec says it's only a matter of time before a deal is done.
There hasn't been much in the way of talks for Dan Uggla recently.
Baltimore won't be bidders for John Lackey, but they like Hank Blalock, Nick Johnson, and Carlos Delgado as options for first base. Luke Scott is not a full-time first base option. Pedro Feliz is their primary third base target.
Baltimore isn't in on talks for Edwin Jackson or Matt Lindstrom, but they did meet with the agent for Aroldis Chapman.
Baltimore may sign another catcher, but it's not a priority.

Odds & Ends: Colletti, Chapman, Duchscherer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2009 at 11:56pm CDT

Odds & Ends: Reed Johnson, Laynce Nix, Counsell

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2009 at 5:30pm CDT

Links for Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

The Padres have been linked to Reed Johnson, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Reds are trying to re-sign Laynce Nix, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The Brewers hope to have a decision one way or another on Craig Counsell by week's end, says Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Also, the Brewers learned that reliever Mark DiFelice needs shoulder surgery, creating a stronger bullpen need (MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reporting).
The Marlins would listen on arbitration-eligible starter Anibal Sanchez, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal notes that Yanks GM Brian Cashman hitched a ride to Indianapolis with the Levinson brothers, so of course Jason Marquis came up.
Yahoo's Tim Brown has some petty sniping from Scott Boras' camp toward Whitey Herzog for his comments about Matt Holliday.
Victor Martinez's agent Alan Nero talked to WEEI's Alex Speier about the prospect of his client reaching free agency.
The Orioles will meet with the Hendricks brothers about Aroldis Chapman before the Winter Meetings end, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. is hearing Chapman might not get much more than $20MM. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that the Yankees have interest at $15MM or less.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun learned that Orioles outfielder Felix Pie is drawing strong trade interest.
Chien-Ming Wang will be ready by May 1st, his agent told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. It'd still be surprising to see Wang tendered a contract on Saturday.
Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to John Smoltz's agent Keith Grunewald about his client's interest in the Nationals.
Nationals manager Jim Riggleman suggested to WEEI's Alex Speier that the team would have to be overwhelmed to move Josh Willingham.
ESPN's Keith Law explains why the Meetings are in Indy and suggests improvements to avoid the cold weather and other issues.
The Cardinals expect Mark DeRosa to decline their arbitration offer today, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. DeRosa's agent will meet with Yankees GM Brian Cashman this week, tweets Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland assured John Tomase of the Boston Herald that his team is not having a fire sale.

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