Sabean Speaks: Manny, Dunn, Abreu
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News posted highlights from a press conference with Giants GM Brian Sabean:
- Sabean said he does not see Manny Ramirez as a "silver bullet to save the day." He would rather add reinforcements at the trade deadline.
- The Giants are not interested in Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu, even at deflated prices. Sabean said that signing Abreu would force a logjam in the outfield, and he does not want to create a situation in which he would have to trade a player.
- Sabean said that he has discussed trades with some clubs this week. The players discussed were entering the final years of their contracts. Sabean argued that it was not a case of the Giants being unwilling to take on a contract saying, "Those players come at a cost of talent."
The Corner Outfield-DH Market
There are still many jobless players who could contribute as a corner outfielder or a DH, so it’s a good time to take stock of the market. Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are the big names, but Garret Anderson, Andruw Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr. want jobs and Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher could be available through trades.
Here’s a look at the teams who have reportedly had interest in this type of player, starting in the AL:
- White Sox: They thought about Abreu and Dye’s been involved in rumors all offseason, much to the frustration of Kenny Williams. Dye will earn $11.5MM in 2009.
- Angels: They aren’t interested in Dye, but they could be interested in Abreu or Dunn at the right price. Don’t look for them to make a play for Manny though; GM Tony Reagins said it won’t happen. Garret Anderson won’t be back.
- Mariners: The Ms could sign Griffey, but they prefer Abreu and Anderson.
- Braves: They are the top suitor for Swisher and they have some interest in bringing back Jones. Atlanta has about $5-9MM to spend, so they could change plans and pursue Dunn or Abreu if they’re willing to accept a deal worth under $10MM. Don’t rule out a Nady trade, either.
- Nationals: The Nats have offered Dunn a contract, which he’s been sitting on for a while. They’re also monitoring the Manny market.
- Mets: Abreu and Ramirez won’t sign with the Mets this offseason. If Griffey’s willing to sign at a major discount, he could sign with the Mets, but indications are he wants $5-6MM.
- Dodgers: The Dodgers have targeted Manny Ramirez all offseason, and he’s rejected two contract offers from them. The first was for $45MM over two years with a club option; the second was for $25MM over one year. Dunn appears to like the Dodgers, and Abreu’s an option, too.
- Giants: The Giants are also courting Manny, but some have said they just want to prevent the Dodgers from getting a deal. Abreu could also fit in San Francisco.
- Reds: Yet another team that could pursue Abreu, the Reds spoke with Luis Gonzalez’s agent ealier in the winter. Adam Dunn won’t return to Cincinnati this offseason.
Angels Interested In Abreu, Dunn
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, major league sources say the Angels have spoken to Bobby Abreu‘s agent and have expressed interest in Adam Dunn. When Rosenthal asked Angels GM Tony Reagins about the club’s interest in the two players, Reagins said "If something makes sense for us, we’d look at it."
After losing Mark Teixeira to the Yankees, the Angels could use high OBP players like Dunn and Abreu, especially on one year deals. Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera and Torii Hunter are the current Angels outfielders, and Gary Matthews Jr. is slotted in as DH.
Reagins has said the Angels will not be in on Manny Ramirez.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Braves Howard, Mets, Nomar, Sheets
On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, several players in the twilight of their career are still looking for contracts of their own. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- River Ave. Blues says a one-year deal for Manny Ramirez in L.A. would open the door to Manny being Manny in pinstripes next year.
- Feeling Dodger Blue takes a look at options for the Dodgers other than Manny.
- Braves Blast sees Bobby Abreu as a better fit for the Braves than Adam Dunn and a better option than trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
- The Phrontiersman argues for trading Ryan Howard.
- UmpBump continues their "Hot Offseason Action" series, this time looking at the Red Sox, their offseason moves and how the roster might look on opening day.
- Mets Geek breaks down the Mets offseason.
- The ‘Ropolitans say the Mets’ bullpen still needs work and wonders why they don’t go after one of the remaining big-name relievers on the market.
- Detroit Tigers Thoughts notes that if Orlando Hudson wants to sign a one-year deal after the June draft, he is more likely to lose his type-A free agent status next season if he signs with an NL club this season.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels that Nomar Garciaparra would make a nice backup shortstop for the Cubs.
- More Hardball puts together an All-Star squad of players still available on the free agent market.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at which teams might be interested in signing Ben Sheets for the second half.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday
9:05pm: Jayson Stark has been told that the Angels will not pursue Ramirez. GM Tony Reagins put it plainly to ESPN.com:
"I can make this very brief and very clear. We are not in on Manny — and will not be."
9:01pm: According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angles Times, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti wrote in an e-mail that he "hasn’t had any conversations today" with Scott Boras. This is fun, isn’t it?
2:33pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark talked to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who dismissed the idea of signing Manny.
2:13pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman learned from Ned Colletti that the Dodgers do not have a "drop-dead date" on the Manny negotiations. Heyman says that Joe Torre prefers Bobby Abreu to Adam Dunn, in terms of a backup plan.
8:47am: Your daily dose of Manny Ramirez: Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers’ one-year, $25MM offer contained some deferred money, but Scott Boras didn’t seem put off by that aspect of the offer. He still rejected it quickly though. Rosenthal says Boras is holding out for more years especially since players such as Rafael Furcal, Derek Lowe, and Raul Ibanez received at least three.
According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti sent out a text message to reporters about his Wednesday talks with Boras:
Colletti wrote that the two sides restated their respective positions — Ramirez has been asking for at least a four-year deal and the Dodgers are interested in something shorter. The sides agreed to maintain communication over the next few days.
Hernandez received a clarification from Boras, who expects Manny to be signed by the time Spring Training games begin (Feb. 25) rather than when camp begins (Feb. 14).
White Sox-Bobby Abreu Rumor
Yesterday ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick wrote that the White Sox "floated the possibility of a one-year $8MM contract" for Bobby Abreu this week, and that flotation caused talks to stall. One obstacle in the Sox signing Abreu is Jermaine Dye and the $11.5MM he has coming. It makes little sense for a team to give up prospects for Dye when they could just sign Abreu or Adam Dunn for a similar amount.
Today Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed that no official offer was made to Abreu, and heard from a Sox source who called the rumor "BS" and suggested Abreu’s agent Peter Greenberg "is trying to drum up interest for his player."
Griffey Wants $5-6MM?
According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, free agent outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is "believed to be looking for a one-year deal in the $5 million to $6 million base salary range, would pay for himself with the boost in attendance he would provide." I’m skeptical on both fronts – that Griffey expects that kind of base salary and that he’d drive that much extra revenue. UPDATE: Just realized that ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick had this same info in his January 27th article.
Griffey seems to be the Mariners’ backup plan, as they’re currently trying to move money to pay for Bobby Abreu or perhaps Garret Anderson (the Twins have "lost their appetite" for Jarrod Washburn trade, says Joe Christensen). Trading for an outfielder is another viable option for Seattle, and if it’s for an affordable player they might not have to unload salary. Griffey’s agent Brian Goldberg admitted that his client is the fallback option for several teams.
Griffey is open to playing anywhere, but his friend Harold Reynolds said, "I know he’d love to be back [in Seattle]." Reynolds added: "I think they need to do it. He’s such an icon to the game of baseball. He’s going to play one more year, maybe two at the most. He needs to retire as a Mariner. He’s still got something left. I think he’d be fantastic for that team."
Mets Not In On Manny, Abreu
3:41pm: MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone has info from Omar Minaya, obtained at the Oliver Perez press conference:
Minaya told reporters there will be no big moves after this, saying all of his big priorities have been met, while noting offense was not the team’s problem last season.
TUESDAY, 10:51am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman basically agrees with Sherman:
According to one person familiar with their thinking, the Mets’ chances to acquire those two ultra-accomplished hitters are slim (Abreu) and practically none (Ramirez).
MONDAY: According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets "definitely are not in for Manny Ramirez or even Bobby Abreu despite his falling dollar requests." The Mets are only seeking cheap bench bats and maybe a lefty reliever, says Sherman.
Many readers have been pressing me to post something about these Tony Paige WFAN comments, but all signs are pointing to the Mets passing on Manny.
White Sox Make Offer To Bobby Abreu?
2:33pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the White Sox "floated the possibility" of one year and $8MM to Abreu’s agent Peter Greenberg, and then talks stalled. The Sox haven’t made progress in trading Dye, which would be necessary to sign Abreu.
Sox GM Ken Williams on Abreu, with another odd blog-related barb for good measure:
"He is a great player and can help any club. But I just have stopped responding to every blogger’s post."
2:09pm: The Daily Herald’s Scot Gregor talked to a White Sox source who "dismissed the rumor."
9:25am: According to Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News, the White Sox offered a one-year, $8MM deal to free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu. If the Sox are able to sign Abreu, you’d have to think Jermaine Dye or Jim Thome would be traded.
Abreu has also been linked recently to the Braves, Mariners, Dodgers, and Giants.
Manny Turns Down Dodgers’ One-Year Offer
1:33am: Ramirez has turned down the Dodgers’ one-year offer, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports. The Dodgers have confirmed it.
Hernandez lists the Mets, Giants and Nationals as teams that are monitoring Ramirez’ market.
The Dodgers could find themselves in a bind if Ramirez receives a multi-year offer from another club. If Ramirez is offered what he considers a fair deal, sources close to him say that he wouldn’t grant the Dodgers a chance to match it, forcing the Dodgers to go into Spring Training without their only star attraction and reliable run producer.
Hernandez believes the Dodgers could possibly pursue free agent outfielders Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu if they don’t re-sign Ramirez.
9:11pm Monday: ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports that Ramirez and agent Scott Boras were given a 48-hour deadline to either accept or reject the offer.
7:40pm Monday: According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Dodgers have made another offer to Manny Ramirez. This time it’s a one-year deal worth $25MM.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed that the offer was made last night. "We are still trying to sign Manny, and we hope that this will make him happy,” Colletti said. The team’s first offer was two years, $45 million with a club option for 2011. As Jackson notes, these are the only known offers extended to Ramirez since he filed for free agency last fall.