Odds & Ends: Royals, Red Sox, Astros
Here are some Duraflame logs for the Hot Stove…
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reviews the Kansas City offseason, and let's just say he makes "Old Dogs" look like it got raves from the critics by comparison.
- MLB.com's Ian Browne answers questions about the Red Sox, ranging from where contract talks stand with Josh Beckett (spring training is critical) to whether David Ortiz could be traded (not without his consent).
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that despite the apparent signing of Brett Myers, the Astros still prefer to develop pitchers themselves.
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman addresses whether the Braves have improved their offense, or if position player moves are still to come, in his latest Inbox column.
Odds & Ends: Maddux, Valverde, Davis, Felix
Links for Monday…
- Press release: Greg Maddux has joined the Cubs as an assistant to GM Jim Hendry. He'll work with the coaching staffs as well as baseball operations. Click here for the official story.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Diamondbacks' interest in Jose Valverde has cooled. The Tigers made an offer, the magnitude of which is unknown.
- Morosi says the Indians are not engaged in trade talks for Jhonny Peralta.
- ESPN's Keith Law praises the Reds for adding a pitcher with huge upside in Aroldis Chapman. He also points out that MLB's current draft setup "screws American-born players."
- David Coleman of The Crawfish Boxes says the Astros drew a line when they designated Julio Lugo for assignment in '03 following domestic violence charges, making their Brett Myers signing seem hypocritical.
- Free agent lefty Doug Davis is interested in joining the Nationals, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson, but Davis was told the Nats are more focused on adding a second baseman. Davis acknowledged, "Things are kind of going slow for me because I'm fifth or sixth down the line [when it comes to] starting pitching."
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times talks about the Mariners' need to sign Felix Hernandez long-term before the season begins.
- Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles evaluates the Giants' Aubrey Huff signing.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller discusses new defensive stats with experts and team officials.
Odds & Ends: Padres, Greene, Dye, Giants
Here are some links to close out the week…
- The Padres are one of several teams to request Noah Lowry's medical records, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. In a tweet, Brock notes that the team isn't likely to bring Khalil Greene back, and instead will likely wait for an out-of-options player in Spring Training.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News tweets that Rangers are "still pushing" on Jermaine Dye, and team officials met with him last week.
- Grant at McCovey Chronicles ranks the ten biggest "future free agent mistakes" for Giants' fans.
- Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel mentions that Brewers' GM Doug Melvin and his staff are traveling to Phoenix next week to meet with Mark Mulder and decide if it makes sense to offer him a minor league deal with incentives. Haudricourt previously said we should "expect a signing," and earlier this week we learned that Milwaukee may not have enough payroll room left to add another starter.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart looks at the Astros' rotation now that Brett Myers is on board.
- Meanwhile, Alyson Footer of MLB.com tweets that Houston officially announced their deal with Josh Banks, and has renewed the contracts of pre-arbitration eligible players J.R. Towles and Chris Johnson.
- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com has some more details on Bobby Howry's contract with Arizona. Howry can void the $3MM club option for 2011 if he's traded during the upcoming season.
- Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski said his team "did not really pursue" Scott Podsednik, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Scotty Pods had been connected to Detroit earlier this offseason.
Twins Looking To Upgrade Infield, Rotation
The Minnesota Twins are interested in bolstering their infield and their starting rotation, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. For now, they seem to be adopting a wait-and-see approach, in hopes that the asking prices for some free agents will drop. Here are the highlights from Morosi's update:
- According to a source, Jarrod Washburn, Jon Garland, Doug Davis, and Brett Myers are among the Twins' pitching targets.
- Garland, who is hoping to sign a multi-year deal, may be out of the Twins' price range.
- The Twins are interested in Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre, but may not be able to afford them either. Their more realistic infield options include Miguel Tejada and Juan Uribe.
- The Indians could move Jhonny Peralta, but the Twins "haven't actively pursued a trade" for him yet.
Rangers Tuesday Recap
Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas rounds up some Texas Rangers-related rumors from the second day of the winter meetings. We've heard one or two of these already, but let's check out the highlights of Durrett's recap….
- The Rangers are looking to bolster their bullpen, and names of interest include J.J. Putz, Matt Lindstrom, and Brett Myers. Ramon Ramirez and Chris Ray are also on their radar.
- As FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi indicated earlier today, no Kevin Millwood trade appears imminent. A few teams are interested, but the Rangers will pull the trigger only on "the right deal." Presumably the "right" return is more about money than talent.
- If the club is able to move Millwood, they'd look to fill the hole in their rotation with another veteran starter. Ben Sheets and Rich Harden are potential options, with the Rangers hoping to meet with Sheets' agent this week.
- Dealing Millwood would also allow Texas to free up some money to pursue a right-handed bat. Perhaps Vladimir Guerrero or Jermaine Dye.
- The team is looking for a catcher as well. Durrett names Jason Kendall, Rod Barajas, Jose Molina, and Yorvit Torrealba as targets.
- Durrett and others heard earlier that the Rangers offered top prospects Neftali Feliz and Justin Smoak to Florida in exchange for Josh Johnson. Another official denies that Texas made that proposal, but suggests that the team does have interest in Johnson.
Overnight Links: Myers, Castillo, Verlander, Padres
As we gear up for another long night, here's some links to take a look at if you're still awake:
- Paul Hagen questions the Phillies' logic when refusing to look at bringing Brett Myers back. The Phils are looking for an inexpensive fifth starter candidate; Myers fits the bill and brings plenty of upside. Do they feel he's just not worth the trouble anymore?
- Ben Shpigel explains why, in spite of a resurgent season from Luis Castillo, and in spite of the Mets' feeling that his contract is better than that of Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Matthews Jr., they're still looking to move him.
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press feels the Tigers must do whatever it takes to keep Justin Verlander in Detroit for as long as possible. Rosenberg makes the interesting point that with one more dominant season, Verlander could put the Tigers in a similar position that Johan Santana put the Twins, though he concedes that Verlander's not as good. At least not yet.
- Corey Brock tells us that new Padres GM celebrated his 36th birthday by kicking off the Winter Meetings and fielding calls on about "half a dozen" of his players, including Heath Bell, who could be due as much as $5MM through arbitration. Still, Brock suggests the Padres would prefer to keep Bell.
- The Phillies payroll for 2010 will likely be around $140MM, says David Murphy. He also quotes Ruben Amaro Jr., implying that Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians could look to trade Kerry Wood during the Winter Meetings, but then discusses why it might be smarter to wait until midseason.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart feels that Jose Valverde's probable departure is probably for the best, given the economics of the situation.
- Danny Knobler at CBS Sports explains why the Pirates would even bother showing interest in Juan Pierre, whom they were linked to last night.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times says White Sox GM Kenny Williams declined to comment on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and implies that Hideki Matsui may not be a fit for the South Siders, even if Carlos Quentin moves to right field. Scott Podsednik, however, may still fit.
- Aaron Gleeman looks at what it means to the Twins to have Carl Pavano back for 2010. Gleeman says Pavano's a better fit than past veteran starters the Twins have tried, as well as a safer bet than signing Jarrod Washburn to multiple years.
Twitter Rumors: Doumit, Mahay, Wolf, Jenkins
Collecting some tweets I couldn't quite turn into posts…
- Four unknown teams are in on Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Nationals have interest in free agent catcher Brad Ausmus, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Red Sox have interest in free agent lefty Ron Mahay, says Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The 38-year-old posted a 4.29 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.3 innings for the Royals and Twins this year. Two years ago he was quite a hot commodity on the free agent market.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Brett Myers is seeking a two-year deal. The Rangers and other teams are interested at one year. Crasnick wrote a few days ago that the Astros are also interested, while Andrew Baggarly named the Giants as a suitor today.
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times shoots down Danny Knobler's rumor that the Pirates have interest in Juan Pierre. Nonetheless, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets of interest from the Pirates, White Sox, and a third team.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees want to resolve the Andy Pettitte/Johnny Damon situations before moving on to Hideki Matsui and other starting pitcher options.
- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune that the Sox are not in the market for a pure DH.
- The Brewers are making a "strong run" at Randy Wolf, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Ruben Amaro Jr.'s comment that "those are guys we will probably count on" implies relievers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts by the Phillies (Andy Martino reporting).
- Crasnick says Geoff Jenkins wants to make a comeback in 2010 and has been working out at first base and outfield in hopes of landing a bench role.
- Crasnick says to expect the Cubs to tender a contract to Mike Fontenot on Saturday.
- Bill Shanks quoting Braves manager Bobby Cox: "clubs are knocking on the door for Kelly Johnson." I imagine Johnson will be dealt by Saturday.
- ESPN's Gordon Edes says that while Red Sox owner John Henry is a big fan of Miguel Cabrera from their Marlins days, the Red Sox "don't have the Major League-ready position players Detroit wants in return."
- Crasnick expects Elmer Dessens to re-sign with the Mets, though the pitcher has talked to the Dodgers and Padres.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Braves want to move Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez, but not Kenshin Kawakami.
- Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will meet with Chan Ho Park's agent today "and attempt to resolve their differences over Park's value." The Phils did not offer arbitration to Park, a Type B free agent. Park craves another shot at starting, which won't happen in Philly.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Phillies like Brandon Lyon, but aren't "willing to pay the price for him." Lyon is said to be seeking a multiyear deal. He is expected to turn down the Tigers' offer of arbitration today. The Yankees have been named as another suitor.
- Crasnick says the Astros "have very little money to spend, unless Drayton McLane suddenly has a change of heart."
Rangers, Astros Eyeing Brett Myers
The Rangers and Astros have interest in free agent righty Brett Myers, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Myers, 29, posted a 4.84 ERA in 70.6 innings this year, working around hip surgery. We learned last month that the Phillies won't be re-signing Myers, who is open to starting or relieving in 2010.
For the Astros, using Myers in the rotation would probably mean bumping Felipe Paulino. The Astros' rotation actually isn't too bad, but added depth would be nice. The Astros could use back-end bullpen help as well, with the statuses of Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins up in the air.
Crasnick names Myers and J.J. Putz as pitchers on the Rangers' radar; they're apparently hoping to sign a pitcher to an incentive-based deal. The Rangers have good rotation depth, so Myers might fit better in the bullpen.
Mets Looking At Starters Besides Lackey
The Mets are busy crafting a Plan B in the event that they do not win the John Lackey sweepstakes, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They would love to sign the market's top starter, but if they don't, they want to add from a group that includes Joel Pineiro, Randy Wolf, Ben Sheets, and Jason Marquis. According to a source, that group does not include Rich Harden.
Rosenthal and Morosi were told that the Metropolitans believe that Sheets has more upside than other hurlers coming back from injury, such as Kelvim Escobar, Erik Bedard, Mark Mulder, and Brett Myers.
Like many other clubs, the Mets are still unsure who the best consolation prize would be. Who in your estimation would be the next best thing for the Amazins?
Phillies Notes: Myers, Stairs, Eyre, Park
4:32pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki tweets more info on the Phillies. He says that if Matt Stairs returns, it would be a minor league deal. The team will wait to see how Scott Eyre's elbow surgery turns out. And they've contacted Chan Ho Park's agent about a possible new contract.
1:33pm: Pitcher Brett Myers was told today by Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. that the team will not pursue a new contract with him, according to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Myers told Salisbury he's open to starting or relieving with his new club.
Myers, 29, posted a 4.84 ERA in 70.6 innings this year. The Phillies' Opening Day starter missed time with hip surgery and a back strain. He could be an interesting buy-low opportunity for many teams.