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Aroldis Chapman

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Indians, Mulder, Royals

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More links for Friday…

Odds & Ends: Chapman, DeRosa, Lackey, Hinske

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Roch Kubatko of MASN.com doesn't expect the Orioles to win the bidding for free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, but the club doesn't have a policy against signing Cuban defectors, according to a high-ranking Orioles official.
  • Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors takes a look at this year's class of free agent second basemen. Players like Mark DeRosa and Freddy Sanchez have value, but Hissey doesn't see a true star among the group. 
  • MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs aren't going to sign DeRosa just because he's popular. Jeff Baker is currently the frontrunner to start at second base next year.
  • Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog thinks John Lackey, who turns 31 today, would be a fantastic pitcher for Citi Field.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for a Canadian scout and, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, have received permission from the Phillies to interview a member of their front office for the job.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker compiles a list of players who could spend next season in Japan, including Kenji Johjima and Eric Hinske. 
  • Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle points out that most of baseball's best-respected managers improved in their second or third stints.
  • Felix Perez, the Cuban outfielder who was suspended for lying to the Yankees about his age, has been reinstated, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.

Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Drew, Bard

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Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show this morning; let's take a look.

  • Epstein admitted the Red Sox need a contingency plan in case Jason Bay leaves, but he still believes "[Bay] wants to be here, and we want to keep him and take a shot."
  • Epstein says J.D. Drew has been worth "a tick more than $14MM per year," due to his offense, defense, and baserunning.  FanGraphs has the best-known public player valuation system, and they say Drew has averaged $14.93MM in regular season value over 2007-09.
  • The Red Sox GM was not trying to send a message through the media when he said DH David Ortiz needed to be a force in 2010.
  • Epstein considers reliever Daniel Bard a "work in progress," and implies thrusting him into the closer role in 2010 wouldn't be beneficial long-term for Bard.
  • In other Red Sox news, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the team has "expressed interest in meeting with [Aroldis Chapman] and watching him throw, although it is premature to categorize their interest as anything beyond preliminary."

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Cardinals, Astros

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Here are some links to take you through the end of your workday, instead of, you know, working.

  • The Yankees aren't satisfied to simply win the 2009 World Series. They are concurrently planning to take 2010 as well, with Jon Heyman reporting that they are atop Matt Holliday's preferred list of teams, and Lohud.com's Chad Jennings writing that the Yankees should be meeting with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman soon, though GM Brian Cashman wouldn't confirm it.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Jason LaRue would be a good fit for the Cardinals in 2010, and breaks down the other catching candidates as well.
  • Manny Acta had his second interview for the Astros' managing job, while Bobby Valentine and Bob Melvin are candidates to take Acta's former position as skipper for Washington.
  • Tim Wakefield had successful back surgery for the Red Sox, who have a number of 2010 contract options to consider, include Wakefield's. Alex Speier of WEEI.com runs it down nicely.
  • The Rays hired Derek Shelton as their new hitting coach. Shelton had been the hitting coach for Cleveland.
  • Former Mets' first base coach Tom Nieto is the new manager for Rochester, Minnesota's Triple-A farm team, among other minor-league hires.

Aroldis Chapman In New York

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Aroldis Chapman's agent Edwin Mejia changed his mind – he won't make MLB teams come to Andorra to see his client.  Instead, according to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., Chapman is set to arrive in New York today to visit with several GMs.

Arangure Jr. still sees the hard-throwing 21-year-old lefty getting a contract in the $40-60MM range.  He considers the Yankees and Red Sox top suitors for Chapman, with the A's and Giants in the mix.  The Angels, Mets, and Orioles are also interested, based on previous reports.  The Dodgers are not viewed as a serious suitor, according to one Arangure Jr. source.

Click here to read Keith Law's scouting report on Chapman for ESPN.

Orioles Have Interest In Kikuchi & Chapman

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The Orioles have some interest in the world's most coveted amateur lefthanders. Director of international scouting John Stockstill tells Roch Kubatko of MASN.com that the club has some interest in Yusei Kikuchi, a top Japanese amateur. But Kikuchi's not the only big name the O's would consider.

"We're looking at all of them," Stockstill says. "It's the same thing with (Aroldis) Chapman and anyone else."

Stockstill says he isn't sure how interested the Orioles are at this point. Kikuchi will still have plenty of suitors to choose from if the O's decide not to pursue him. The Giants, Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Rangers, Mariners and Indians are expected to start meeting with the 18-year-old lefty this week.

Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman

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Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign.  At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs.  However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through.  Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player.  As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying for 8 or less DH openings with 11 or so others.

SI.com's Jon Heyman touches on that situation and much more in today's offering.  Here's a look at some of his rumors:

  • Those close to Matsui say his first choice is to stay with the Yanks.  However, the Yankees may have to let him walk as the DH spot will be needed for Jorge Posada and others.
  • Heyman mentions Ken Rosenthal's report that John Farrell will not be able to take a managerial job in 2010 because of a clause in his contract with the BoSox.  Heyman then adds, "Sometimes those clauses can be negotiated away."
  • The Padres are one of the "rare" teams that have a level of interest in Milton Bradley.  Sources indicate that it is a "long shot" that he will wind up in Texas.
  • Heyman addresses some of the lesser-heralded free agents in the upcoming class and estimates how much they will receive in their new deals.  Here are his guesses: Mark DeRosa, $24MM over three years; Nick Johnson, $16MM over two years; Adam LaRoche, $25MM over three years; Joel Pineiro, $15MM over two years.
  • The White Sox will not pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM option in all likelihood.  This should come as no surprise considering the 35-year-old's dismal second half.  Since August 1st, Dye has registered an OPS of .576.
  • One GM told Heyman that he holds Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish in higher regard than highly-touted Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Indians, Dye, Cubs

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Let's take a look at the wire…

  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times talked to Angels scouting director Eddie Bane about his level of interest in Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.  Bane once again stated that he is intrigued by the 21-year-old lefty, but must see him face live batting before considering making an offer.
  • A clause in Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell's contract prevents him from accepting an outside managerial position until after the 2010 season, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Farrell, who served as Cleveland's farm director before joining the BoSox, was expected to be a candidate to manage the Indians if Eric Wedge is not brought back.
  • More from Ken Rosenthal as he reports that the Brewers are "seemingly on the verge" of retaining Ken Macha and are considering hiring pitching coach Rick Peterson. Macha and Peterson were on the Oakland staff together from 1999-2003.  Peterson served under Macha in 2003, his first year as the A's skipper.
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that Ozzie Guillen hopes "it's not the end" for him and Jermaine Dye, as 2010 marks a mutual option year.  Dye wants to return but the White Sox are unlikely to pick up the 35-year-old's $12MM option.
  • Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Lou Piniella doesn't expect the Cubs roster to change too much.  "Last year we had about 10 changes here," Piniella said. "If we have half that, that's a nice number. Some changes [last year] were out of necessity. I see us being selective in what we do."
  • Toronto's Jose Bautista is improving his stock heading into arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes in his blog that Brian Sabean denied telling season-ticket holders that he would "undoubtedly" look to pick up Freddy Sanchez's option, but said that the Giants want to hang on to him.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers

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They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…

  • David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
  • With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.

Aroldis Chapman Declared A Free Agent

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According to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., Cuban southpaw Aroldis Chapman has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. Chapman established residency in the small European country of Andorra earlier this week, the first step towards becoming a free agent. We've seen plenty of speculation about which teams could be interested in his services and how much they'd likely have to pay for it, but now teams are free to actually pursue him.

Let the bidding begin.

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