Odds & Ends: Garland, Tigers, Manny, Astros
Links for Saturday, exactly six years after the Pirates traded Jason Kendall to the Athletics for Mark Redman, Arthur Rhodes, and cash…
- The Rockies offered Jon Garland a similar deal to the one he agreed upon with the Dodgers, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is willing to spend in order to make Detroit a winner again, writes Peter Gammons for MLB.com.
- The Yankees have signed right-hander Brian Anderson and left-hander Andy Sisco to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Anderson was recently cut by the Royals and is new to pitching after playing the outfield his entire career. Sisco threw 66.2 innings for the Giants Double-A affiliate this year after having Tommy John surgery in 2008.
- ESPN's Buster Olney asked several talent evaluators for their opinion of Manny Ramirez (Insider req'd). Most see him as a designated hitter (unsurprisingly) that is good offensively but no longer elite. One compared him to a healthy Nick Johnson, meaning good average, great OBP, some power. Almost everyone Olney polled suggested an incentive-laden deal, which is what Scott Boras is seeking.
- Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle says the Astros need to make a big move in free agency if Drayton McLane really hopes to sell the team for $800MM. He throws the names of Carl Pavano, Jorge de la Rosa, Jeff Francis, Rafael Soriano, and Dan Wheeler out there as possibilities.
- Jonathan Albaladejo finalized a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants that will pay him $950K according to the AP (via ESPN New York). The Yankees released Albaladejo at his request earlier this month.
Odds & Ends: Gordon, Anderson, Phillies, Park
Links for Wednesday, the second day of the GM Meetings, as Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black take home Manager of the Year honors…
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says he'd like to add starting pitching depth, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
- The Rockies, Blue Jays, and Athletics are among the teams that have shown interest in Alex Gordon according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "I surely don't want [a trade] to happen, but it's part of baseball and it could happen," said Gordon.
- Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star reports that outfielder turned pitcher Brian Anderson has opted for free agency after being designated for assignment by the Royals.
- David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Phillies GM Ruben Amaro reiterated that he has not been given a firm payroll by ownership. Their payroll has increased steadily over the last several years, peaking at approximately $138MM last season.
- The Pirates and reliever Chan Ho Park have mutual interest in a new contract, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, but Langosch believes the Bucs would only do a minor league deal. Park posted a 3.49 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 for the Pirates this year after coming over from the Yankees. Jeremy Bonderman is also on the Pirates' radar, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Sox asked the Marlins for a particular player as compensation for talking to manager Ozzie Guillen. Reinsdorf told Wittenmyer the player was not Mike Stanton; the Sun-Times writer speculates it may have been Logan Morrison.
- As you might expect, the Rays are not in a big rush to trade B.J. Upton given the loss of Carl Crawford, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal feels the Rays will also be reluctant to trade a starting pitcher right now, but would be willing to part with shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Brian Bannister Becomes A Free Agent
Brian Bannister is officially a free agent, according to the Royals. Kansas City reinstated Jason Kendall and David DeJesus from the 60-day DL and made room by outrighting Bannister to Triple-A and designating right-hander Brian Anderson for assignment. Bannister refused his assignment and became a free agent.
Bannister, 29, pitched to a 6.34 ERA in 127 2/3 innings last year. His walk rate rose to 3.5 BB/9 and his strikeout rate dropped to 5.4 K/9, so it's not surprising that the Royals let him go. If they had offered arbitration, Bannister would have made something like $2.3MM, his 2010 salary. When Mike Axisa identified Bannister as a non-tender candidate last month, 71% of MLBTR readers correctly predicted that the Royals would cut him loose.
Anderson, a longtime outfielder in the major leagues, started making the transition to the mound this year. He logged 17 1/3 innings across three levels in the Royals system, striking out 17 and walking 5.
Brian Anderson Will Try Pitching
After failing to make the team, Brian Anderson told the Royals today that he wants to try pitching, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Anderson signed a $700K Major League deal with the Royals in December. Though Anderson pitched at the University of Arizona, the switch comes as a surprise. Baseball America noted in their '05 Handbook that Anderson threw in the low 90s as a college reliever.
Royals Sign Brian Anderson
The Royals signed outfielder Brian Anderson to a one-year, Major League deal worth $700K. He can earn another $100K in incentives. MLB.com's Scott Merkin broke the news yesterday, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added contract details. Anderson was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for Mark Kotsay and cash on July 28th, and non-tendered on December 12th.
Anderson, 28 in March, has a career line of .227/.290/.370 in 883 plate appearances, mostly with the White Sox. He's mainly played center field in his career, and the Royals probably represented his best opportunity for big league playing time. The Royals will have the chance to retain Anderson beyond 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Merkin notes that the Cubs, Nationals, and Reds had also expressed interest in Anderson.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Podsednik, Duchscherer
Links for Monday…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals still have money left to sign Matt Capps, assuming he wants to go there. Morosi expects Capps to decide on his next team this week.
- In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that the Tigers are only interested in Scott Podsednik if it's a one-year deal. Detroit has no interest in Rick Ankiel.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Justin Duchscherer has received contract offers from three unnamed teams, and he expects to decide on his 2010 home within a week.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Royals are interested in free agent outfielder Brian Anderson on a minor league deal.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney retaining starting jobs in the wake of the impending Coco Crisp signing. Slusser suggests a possible reduced role or trade for Scott Hairston. FanGraphs' Dave Cameron doesn't understand the move, noting that Davis and Sweeney are similar to Crisp. Crisp's physical will take place tomorrow, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Matthew Carruth of Lookout Landing explains that Mariners fans fully understand the dangers of Milton Bradley. The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reflects on Carlos Silva's time with the club.
- Patrick Newman joins FanGraphs with a look at Japanese baseball imports and exports for 2010. Speaking of which, new Met Ryota Igarashi would like to be Francisco Rodriguez's set-up man.
Red Sox Will Tender Contract To Kotchman
On July 22nd, the Red Sox made a surprising acquisition in first baseman Adam LaRoche. Odder still, they shipped LaRoche to the Braves eleven days later for Casey Kotchman. Perhaps the Sox simply felt two potential seasons of Kotchman had more value than one potential supplemental pick gained if they offered arbitration to LaRoche and he signed elsewhere.
We learned today that the Red Sox will not cut the arbitration-eligible Kotchman loose on Saturday, as WEEI's Alex Speier says they fully intend to tender him a contract. Kotchman probably won't sign for much more than $3MM for 2010. The Sox seem intent on moving Mike Lowell, so Kotchman would be the default starter at first base (with Kevin Youkilis moving to third) unless Adrian Beltre or another corner infielder is acquired.
Speier relays a suggestion from Red Sox GM Theo Epstein that the Red Sox have one non-tender candidate for Saturday. Speier believes it to be outfielder Brian Anderson, who made our list. Other outfielders who, in our estimation, might be non-tendered tomorrow: Jack Cust, Jonny Gomes, Gabe Gross, Ryan Langerhans, Jeremy Reed, and Cory Sullivan.
Odds & Ends: Anderson, Rangers, Brew Crew
Another batch of links, served fresh…
- According to WEEI's Rob Bradford, the Red Sox have called up Brian Anderson and plan to start him in right field tonight against the Rangers. The former White Sox outfielder was acquired in late July for Mark Kotsay.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports the Rangers are "actively looking for catching help on the trade market" with starting backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia headed for the disabled list. Arizona's Chris Snyder seems like a good fit, but that's just speculation on our part.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he's optimistic a deal will be reached with supplemental first-round pick Kentrail Davis by Monday's deadline. Davis is an outfielder from the University of Tennessee.
- Check MLBTR out on Twitter for quick updates and a little more conversation. And, if you're so inclined, hit up your boy Drew Silva.
Red Sox Acquire Brian Anderson For Mark Kotsay
2:08pm: MLB.com's Noah Coslov says the White Sox received Mark Kotsay and cash from the Red Sox for Anderson. A Red Sox press release says Anderson will be assigned to Triple A Pawtucket. The 27 year-old voiced his desire for a trade last Thursday to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. He has a .225/.288/.364 line in 862 career plate appearances (and here's a look at his glovework; the biggest sample is 966 innings in '06).
Kotsay was designated for assignment by Boston on Friday. The 33 year-old hit .257/.291/.324 in 79 plate appearances for the Red Sox; he'd re-signed in January for $1.5MM plus incentives. He was hobbled by calf and back injuries.
1:59pm: The Red Sox acquired Brian Anderson from the White Sox, according to David Lefort of the Boston Globe. It's unclear what the Red Sox gave up or where they'll assign Anderson, who had been playing in the minors for the White Sox.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Brian Anderson Asks White Sox For Trade
3:47pm: Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says Anderson "isn't going anywhere." The club has tried to trade him recently with no success.
1:21pm: Brian Anderson wants the White Sox to trade him, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The 27-year-old outfielder explained to GM Kenny Williams why he believes he'd do better with another organization.