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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Red Sox, Cruz, Angels, Jays, Braves

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On this date 14 years ago, Hideo Nomo signed with the Dodgers after "retiring" from professional baseball in Japan, becoming the first Japanese player in the big leagues in over 30 years. Nomo would go on to win 123 games in 12 big league seasons, including two no-hitters. Since then, at least 25 other pitchers have made the jump from Japan to the U.S. and Nomo is arguably still the best to make the move. With several big names still looking for their own big league contract, let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Fire Brand of the American League speculates on some in-season trade targets for the Red Sox.
  • MLB Notebook takes a look at the players most affected by the recent signings of Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn.
  • Jorge Says No! takes a look at the market for Juan Cruz.
  • The Sports Banter reflects on what they consider to be a "disappointing" offseason for the Angels.
  • UmpBump recaps the offseason for the Blue Jays and looks at their projected lineup.
  • Braves Blast rummages through the scraps of what is left for the Braves outfield now that most of the big names have signed elsewhere.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday

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9:26pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick suggests that the "signings this week of Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn will be the trigger to bring the Dodgers and Ramirez toward a middle ground." 

Gurnick also shares this quote from Giants president Larry Baer, implying that his club is sitting idle on the Manny front: "Nothing’s really changed from our perspective."

4:40pm: Ken Rosenthal offers thoughts on the Dodgers and Manny, as well as Hudson.

3:50pm: Not sure if this qualifies as news, but Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned that Ramirez cancelled a promotional appearance because he could sign a contract at any time.

8:48am: Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the latest on Manny Ramirez today.  Talks continue with the Dodgers, but there’s nothing new to report.

Some had speculated that Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn were the Dodgers’ backup plan, but Ned Colletti and Scott Boras are both claiming the signings don’t affect the Manny negotiations.

How many teams are in on Ramirez?  From Shaikin’s article:

Boras said the other day that he was negotiating with "several" teams for Ramirez. We asked him whether "several" could be defined as "more than two."  He chuckled.  "Two or more," he said.

Shaikin adds that Orlando Hudson "called the Dodgers, not the other way around."  Signing Hudson would mean shuffling around Blake DeWitt and/or Casey Blake.  Ken Davidoff of Newsday notes that the Dodgers have pretty much run out of ways to "reallocate their Manny resources."

Heyman On Manny, Pudge, Cabrera, Howard

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The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says "most in the know seem to still believe [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt will bend on Manny Ramirez and go to three years."
  • The Nationals’ offer to Adam Dunn was on the table for weeks until he realized no team was going to beat or approach it.  There were rumors months ago that Dunn sought a $100MM deal heading into free agency.
  • The Astros and Marlins are looking at Ivan Rodriguez.  There’s even an El Nuevo Dia report suggesting the Astros offered $2.5MM+ to Pudge, but that seems out of their price range to me.  In today’s mailbag, MLB.com’s Alyson Footer opines that the Astros wouldn’t go to $3MM for a catcher.
  • The A’s "want to spend no more than $5MM, and probably closer to $3MM" for Orlando Cabrera.  He should take that if it’s offered.
  • The Angels had been eyeing Joe Crede but may be done after signing Bobby Abreu.  The Giants and Twins remain the likeliest suitors for Crede.
  • The Phillies hoped to lock up Ryan Howard beyond his arbitration years, and Ruben Amaro Jr. disputed the notion that he is after Teixeira money.

Angels, Bobby Abreu Reach Agreement

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9:55pm: According to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times, incentives could raise the value of the contract above $6MM.

3:42pm: Crasnick says the Angels and Abreu have reached a preliminary agreement.  It’ll be a done deal once he passes his physical and the Angels remove Nick Green from the 40-man to make room.  Also:

The Braves have also expressed serious interest in Abreu, but sources said Atlanta’s budget is so tight that general manager Frank Wren would have to stretch to give him a $5MM salary.

11:44am: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the Angels and Abreu moved closer to a deal, but are still negotiating incentives that could be worth a million or two.

8:33am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Angels and Bobby Abreu reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth a little more than $5MM plus incentives.

Abreu, 35 in March, hit .296/.371/.471 in 684 plate appearances for the Yankees last year while playing poor defense.  He earned $16MM in ’08.  Many questioned Brian Cashman’s decision not to offer arbitration to Abreu, a Type A free agent.  The decision was wise, as Abreu ended up taking a 69% pay cut in base salary.  At the beginning of the offseason, most people expected him to get multiple years and at least $10MM per.  Abreu’s agent Peter Greenberg remarked to Larry Stone on January 30th:

"He might take a one-year deal so that he can — in his words — win the MVP and go out on the market again.  He’s definitely motivated. Not that he’s not usually, but he has extra motivation."

In Abreu, the Angels add some much-needed OBP to a team that ranked 11th in the AL last year in the crucial stat.

Fallout From Abreu And Dunn Deals

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Let’s look at the fallout from today’s big news. The Angels have reached an agreement with Bobby Abreu and the Nats have done the same with Adam Dunn, but, as many of our commenters have noted, other teams and players are affected by these deals. Here’s a breakdown:

  • The Dodgers lose a lot of leverage in their negotiations with Manny Ramirez. Dunn was their preferred alternative to Manny, and Abreu was another possibility. Unless GM Ned Colletti wants to trade for a bat or sign a much lesser hitter, he may have to give in to Manny and offer three years or an enhanced one or two year deal.
  • Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras must be smiling tonight. The two strongest suitors for Manny, the Dodgers and Giants, still need bats, but Manny’s the only top-notch outfielder left.
  • The Braves lose leverage. They’ve considered trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher, but with Dunn and Abreu off the board, and Manny out of reach, the Braves might have to give up more in a trade with the Yankees.
  • The Yankees, in turn, benefit from these two deals because they can demand more from the Braves. Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should hold onto Swisher and Nady.
  • Garret Anderson and Ken Griffey Jr. are now the best remaining alternatives to Manny, so they could both benefit from today’s deals.

Angels Closing In On Bobby Abreu

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8:55pm: Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times collected a few quotes from Abreu’s agent, Peter Greenberg:

"The Angels have expressed interest, and we’ve been talking to them — they’re definitely one of the more interesting situations for Bobby," said Greenberg.  "It’s a good city, a winning team, and he has some friends over there."

"We’d still like a multi-year deal, but if he doesn’t get what he wants, he’ll be fine with a one-year deal.  Then, he could re-establish his market value and hope for better luck next year. He might be faced with that."

8:35pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Angels "appear to be closing in on a deal" with Abreu.

7:44pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick heard from two baseball sources that the Angels are in serious talks toward a one-year agreement with Abreu.

7:09pm: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Angels waived right-hander Nick Green from the 40-man roster on Tuesday and believes the team "could be trying to create a spot for a free-agent hitter."

The Angels are thought to prefer Bobby Abreu over Adam Dunn.  "One GM pursuing Abreu said Tuesday that he was told Abreu was close to signing with an Amercian League team," writes Rosenthal.

Latest On Bobby Abreu

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4:54pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman lists five teams considering Abreu: the Angels, Braves, Pirates, Reds, and Mets.  The Pirates are a new one.

3:58pm: A source told Crasnick that the Angels have "strong interest" in Abreu.  The Braves remain in the mix.

10:33am: Here’s what ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick had to say regarding the market for Bobby Abreu yesterday:

While Seattle and Atlanta are monitoring Abreu’s status and staying in contact with his representatives, the Mets continue to maintain they’re not in the mix.

Meanwhile Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News wrote this morning:

A Mets official did not rule out signing free-agent outfielder Abreu, but indicated that any contract likely would have to be for one year at less than $4MM.

Other teams loosely linked to Abreu in recent days: the White Sox, Angels, and Dodgers.  Abreu is in line for a huge pay cut from last year’s $16MM.  The remarkably quiet market for Abreu and other corner outfielders this offseason is tied strongly to defense.  ESPN’s Peter Gammons talked to a GM who said a few days ago:

I still believe that one of the factors that has hurt some of the good offensive free agents this winter, like Manny Ramirez, Abreu and Adam Dunn, is the concern about how many runs they give back defensively. There is a great deal more appreciation for defense than there was a decade ago.

Astros Not Pursuing Dunn

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MONDAY: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talked to Astros GM Ed Wade, who said Dunn "was never an item of discussion for us."  The Astros are also not involved on Bobby Abreu.  The Astros don’t have money to spend and would use it on pitching if they did.

SUNDAY: According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Astros may be planning to offer Adam Dunn a one-year contract before camp begins. Rogers writes,

"Dunn, a 40-homer man for five straight seasons, would allow the Astros to move Hunter Pence to center field and Michael Bourn to the bench. That would mean a huge lift to run-production. Dunn has multi-year offers on the table, including one from Washington, but clearly isn’t crazy about them."

It remains to be seen whether Dunn would seriously consider a one-year deal or not. For a recap, here’s a write up on the market for the unsigned slugger.

Cafardo’s Latest: Manny, Sheets, Glavine

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shares some notes on Manny Ramirez and around the league. Let’s have a look, bullet-point style:

  • He cites an AL Exec who says, "I’ll be honest, I never thought Ramirez would walk away from… one year, $25 million. That’s better than the $20 million option he had torn up… If he has another great year, he gets another $25 million for one year? Or maybe a team then decides, ’OK, this guy has behaved himself for a while, continues to produce at a high level now, let’s commit for another two years to him.’ Unless a team like the Yankees comes in at the last minute and gets it done, I just don’t see where he’s going to make more than $25 million." Cafardo adds that "Brian Cashman insists it won’t happen."
  • A quote from Rich Hill on his being traded to the Orioles: "[Cubs general manager] Jim Hendry really took care of me. He wanted to create an opportunity for me that he told me probably didn’t exist in Chicago, so I’m grateful. I know Baltimore tried to deal for me last year and it didn’t work out, but this time they made it work." Hill also adds that he’s over his back injury and will rediscover his control.
  • Ben Sheets not signing anywhere until June hurts the Brewers two-fold: they may have to foot the bill for the surgery and won’t receive a first round draft pick for losing a Type-A free agent. Sheets has a torn flexor tendon, as revealed by an exam with the Texas Rangers. On the other hand, MLBTR has noted that in June, after his surgery, he won’t cost a draft pick to sign.
  • Andruw Jones on playing in Boston: "It’s too cold there. There’s too much stuff going on."
  • Bobby Abreu may have to settle for a one or two year deal at $3MM. Cafardo lists the Angels, Mets, Braves, Dodgers, and Mariners.
  • Expect an incentive-laden deal for one year between Tom Glavine and the Braves. As MLBTR has noted, their latest offer was between $1-2MM with no incentives.
  • Mark Mulder could be a useful back end starter and he’s almost ready to put himself on display to teams.
  • Shea Hillenbrand is 32 and receiving no interest. Cafardo wonders if he’s "being punished for past transgressions?"
  • Cubs, White Sox, and Dodgers are lined up for Orlando Hudson; however, the transfer of ownership may have temporarily tied the hands of Jim Hendry to do anything until Tom Ricketts takes over.
  • The A’s are continuously interested in Orlando Cabrera, Adam Dunn, and Abreu.
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