D’Backs Rumors: Kelly Johnson, Randy Winn
The latest on the D'Backs from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic…
- The D'Backs are interested in free agent second baseman Kelly Johnson. Piecoro says signing Johnson could prompt the team to trade Augie Ojeda, who recently agreed to a $850K contract.
- Piecoro is "hearing Randy Winn's name as a possibility" for Arizona. The 35-year-old hit just .262/.318/.353 for the Giants this year, but continued to excel defensively at the outfield corners. In November, Winn's agent Craig Landis said his client is looking for an everyday job.
- Piecoro says the D'Backs are likely to sell righty Tony Barnette's rights to the Yakult Swallows.
- Piecoro writes of indications the D'Backs are not interested in Chien-Ming Wang, as they'd prefer not to bring in another health risk.
Odds & Ends: Wang, Yankees, White Sox
Some Sunday links…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) says that three AL teams and three NL teams have shown interest in Chien-Ming Wang. However, the Dodgers are not one of those teams "yet." Rosenthal notes that Wang is a favorite of Joe Torre and his staff.
- In his running blog, Rosenthal says that Kevin Youkilis' versatility gives the Red Sox a number of options this winter. Boston could sign Adrian Beltre to play third or, for a much lower price, Nick Johnson to play first.
- Regardless of where Wang signs, we can safely assume that it will not be for a split contract. The Yankees made the 29-year-old a minor-league offer that would become a major-league deal once his shoulder was healthy. Wang's agent demanded guaranteed money, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
- Earlier today, Buster Olney mentioned the Yanks as a possible destination for free agent outfielder Brian Giles. Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger hears that the club is just doing its "due diligence" by checking in on the soon-to-be 39-year-old.
- The White Sox have signed Freddie Bynum and T.J. Bohn to minor league deals, according to the FutureSox twitter page.
- Kevin Correia's agent Barry Axelrod told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that the Brewers and Rays both showed interested in trading for his client. While GM Jed Hoyer gave him no guarantees that the one-year deal won't be a sign-and-trade, Axelrod is confident that the 29-year-old will pitch for San Diego in 2010.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel spoke to Mike Rivera, who was non-tendered by the Brewers yesterday. Rivera says he was caught off guard by the decision but was told by GM Doug Melvin that the organization might reach out to him again at some point.
Non-Tender Reactions: Buck, Wang, Capps, Cust
Yesterday, MLBTR recapped some of the more interesting names not to receive contracts at baseball's non-tender deadline. Those players, along with the rest of the non-tender list, have inspired plenty of discussion and speculation. Let's check out some links….
- ESPNDallas's Richard Durrett and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan are in agreement: John Buck should be of interest to the Rangers.
- MLB.com's Bryan Hoch wonders if the Dodgers have some interest in Chien-Ming Wang. The Cardinals could also be interested, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Pirates' decision to non-tender Matt Capps shocked Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who has some reaction quotes from the right-hander. Capps makes sense for the Rays, writes Tommy Rancel at DRays Bay. Meanwhile, the Cubs are interested, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney was less surprised about the Capps decision, and gives his opinion on a few of the other big moves.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that, despite not tendering him a contract, the Athletics could still potentially retain Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer, however, says that the A's handled Cust well, avoiding paying a higher price for declining numbers.
- Chad Jennings of LoHud.com lists some new free agents that might intrigue the Yankees, while Scott Lauber of the News Journal mentions some possible options for the Phillies.
Non-Tendered Players
The deadline for teams to offer contract to their players with less than six years of service time is midnight ET tonight, so let's keep track off all the non-tenders here in one post. Make sure you check back in, we'll be updating this post throughout the day.
- Rough day for Jose Arredondo. First it was announced that he would have surgery and miss 2010. Then right at the deadline, the Angels decided against tendering him an offer. Matt Brown and Dustin Moseley were given their walking papers as well.
- The Giants non-tendered Ryan Garko.
- Clay Condrey has been non-tendered by the Phillies.
- Josh Whitesell, though not arbitration-eligible, was non-tendered.
- The Indians non-tendered Adam Miller, Anthony Reyes, and Jose Veras.
- The Pirates made Matt Capps and Phil Dumatrait walk the plank.
- Raul Chavez is the only player not brought back by Toronto.
- The Royals have non-tendered John Buck and Josh Anderson.
- Mark Worrell and Jackson Quezada have been non-tendered by the Padres.
- Shawn Riggans was not offered a contract by Tampa Bay.
- Rays have non-tendered Gabe Gross.
- Seattle has non-tendered outfielder Ryan Langerhans.
- Milwaukee will non-tender Mark DiFelice and Mike Rivera.
- The Metropolitans have non-tendered Cory Sullivan, Tim Redding, Jeremy Reed, and Lance Broadway.
- The BoSox did not tender an offer to outfielder Brian Anderson.
- Oakland has parted ways with Jack Cust.
- The Nationals announced that they will not tender a contract to Mike MacDougal.
- Let's welcome D.J. Carrasco to the list.
- The Orioles bid Brian Bass farewell.
- The Cubs will non-tender Neal Cotts.
- Jonny Gomes has been non-tendered by the Reds.
- Raise your hand if you're an arbitration-eligible Marlin who has been tendered an offer. Not so fast, Alfredo Amezaga.
- Scott Olsen will not be invited back by the Nats.
- The Yankees non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang.
- The Braves gave Kelly Johnson and Ryan Church their walking papers.
- Garrett Atkins has been cut loose.
- Seth McClung tweeted a classy goodbye to the Brewers organization this morning, noting it was not his choice to leave.
Yankees Non-Tender Chien-Ming Wang
10:04pm: The Yankees have confirmed that Wang has been non-tendered, writes Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). However, GM Brian Cashman says that he hopes the club's relationship with Wang can continue (also, via Twitter).
3:34pm: The Yankees have yet to confirm this, tweets Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.
1:55pm: The Yankees have non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
The right-hander was clearly less than 100% to start the year and had season-ending shoulder surgery in July. Wang's last truly healthy season was in 2007, when he turned in an ERA of 3.70 over 199.1 innings of work.
What teams do you expect to show interest in the 29-year-old?
Odds & Ends: Reed Johnson, Laynce Nix, Counsell
Links for Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- The Padres have been linked to Reed Johnson, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- The Reds are trying to re-sign Laynce Nix, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Brewers hope to have a decision one way or another on Craig Counsell by week's end, says Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Also, the Brewers learned that reliever Mark DiFelice needs shoulder surgery, creating a stronger bullpen need (MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reporting).
- The Marlins would listen on arbitration-eligible starter Anibal Sanchez, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal notes that Yanks GM Brian Cashman hitched a ride to Indianapolis with the Levinson brothers, so of course Jason Marquis came up.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown has some petty sniping from Scott Boras' camp toward Whitey Herzog for his comments about Matt Holliday.
- Victor Martinez's agent Alan Nero talked to WEEI's Alex Speier about the prospect of his client reaching free agency.
- The Orioles will meet with the Hendricks brothers about Aroldis Chapman before the Winter Meetings end, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. is hearing Chapman might not get much more than $20MM. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that the Yankees have interest at $15MM or less.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun learned that Orioles outfielder Felix Pie is drawing strong trade interest.
- Chien-Ming Wang will be ready by May 1st, his agent told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. It'd still be surprising to see Wang tendered a contract on Saturday.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to John Smoltz's agent Keith Grunewald about his client's interest in the Nationals.
- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman suggested to WEEI's Alex Speier that the team would have to be overwhelmed to move Josh Willingham.
- ESPN's Keith Law explains why the Meetings are in Indy and suggests improvements to avoid the cold weather and other issues.
- The Cardinals expect Mark DeRosa to decline their arbitration offer today, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. DeRosa's agent will meet with Yankees GM Brian Cashman this week, tweets Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland assured John Tomase of the Boston Herald that his team is not having a fire sale.
Odds & Ends: M’s, O’s, Closers, Molina, Willingham
Let's take a look at some Sunday links:
- A number of league officials have told the New York Post's Joel Sherman that they expect the Mariners and the Orioles to spend big this offseason. The M's have already started spending big, inking Chone Figgins earlier this week. Hearing that the Orioles are ready to spend big, however, comes as a surprise.
- Peter Gammons agrees on the Mariners; he tweets that one executive says we should watch for Seattle to be in on both Jason Bay and John Lackey. The Mariners have money, and as Gammons says, "Jack Z loves to lay low and strike."
- We know that there are plenty of capable closers available on the open market, but Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports reports that there are a handful available via trade as well. The Reds are hoping to move Francisco Cordero and the remainder of his hefty contract – two years, $25MM. San Diego believes that Heath Bell's value is at its absolute zenith and is looking to capitalize. The Pirates hope to find a new home for Matt Capps, who they labeled as their closer for 2010.
- Jon Heyman wonders aloud if Bengie Molina is seeking a three-year pact, since the Mets are willing to give him two years and there is no deal in place yet (via Twitter).
- Heyman also tweets that the Cubs and Rays are not close on a Milton Bradley-for-Pat Burrell swap. The possibility of including the Mets and Luis Castillo in a three-way trade is "not helping things."
- The Mets are interested in Josh Willingham, according to William Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- Don't expect the Padres to move Adrian Gonzalez in Indianapolis, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. However, if San Diego does make any moves at all, it will likely be via trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi offers a high-level preview of each team's thoughts going into the Winter Meetings, broken down by National League and American League.
- A few overseas updates courtesy of Patrick from NPB Tracker: The Hansin Tigers are nearing a deal with Randy Messenger, and have interest in Jason Bulger, should he be removed from the Angels' 40-man roster. Patrick also adds that Nelson Payano is likely to return to MLB-affiliated ball. The lefty last worked with the AA affiliates for Seattle and Atlanta in 2008.
- Ken Davidoff tweets that once the Yankees non-tender Chien-Ming Wang, the Dodgers will have interest in the right-hander, as Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are both big fans.
Chien-Ming Wang Open To Dodgers
Chien-Ming Wang appears open to pitching for the Dodgers if the Yankees cut him loose, according to a Taiwanese report passed along by Diamond Leung. Reporters brought up the Dodgers idea and Wang replied, "Not bad" and talked about his comfort pitching for Joe Torre. Whether the Dodgers are interested, we don't know.
Wang is nearly certain to be non-tendered by the Yankees after having surgery in July to repair a torn ligament in his shoulder capsule. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote earlier this month that the Yankees might not even offer an incentive-based contract after non-tendering Wang.
Chamberlain Still Unsure Of 2010 Role
We've heard a lot about the "Joba Rules" ever since Joba Chamberlain was first called up to the Yankees in 2007. Going into next season, however, the "Rules" are up in the air since nobody seems to even know what the game will be for the young right-hander in 2010. Chamberlain told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo that the Yankees have yet to inform him if he will be a starter or a reliever next season.
Chamberlain doesn't seem bothered by the lack of information, saying "it helps me just to know that I've been put in a lot of situations and it's going to help me in the long run." In fact, Chamberlain also said that he hopes Andy Pettitte (a man he regards as a good friend and mentor) comes back for another season in New York, even though Pettitte's return might squeeze Chamberlain out of a rotation spot.
DiComo notes that should Pettitte re-sign with the Yankees, he would be the No. 3 starter behind C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. This leaves the final two spots in the New York rotation open, to be contested between the likes of Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves and possibly Chien-Ming Wang (as reported last week by the New York Post's Joel Sherman). This competition could end up being for just one rotation spot should the Yankees sign a free agent pitcher like John Lackey.
Chamberlain posted a 4.75 ERA in 31 starts for New York last season, but was hit hard in the second half of the season — the Nebraskan had a 7.67 ERA in August and September. He was moved to the bullpen for the Yankees' playoff run and recorded a 2.84 ERA in 10 relief appearances, plus a win in Game 4 of the World Series.
Interestingly, DiComo said that Hughes is "more of a lock to start than Chamberlain" in spite of the fact that Hughes flourished coming out of the bullpen in 2009. Hughes had a 5.45 ERA in seven starts last season, but a 1.40 ERA in 44 relief appearances as he gradually became Mariano Rivera's primary set-up man.
What do you think, Yankees fans? Who would you be more comfortable with as a starter in 2010 if you could pick only one: Chamberlain or Hughes? For what role do you think each pitcher is ideally suited?
Yankees May Let Chien-Ming Wang Leave
The Yankees "will be very cautious" with pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees always preferred to go year-to-year with Wang, so this is nothing new. Wang is certain to be non-tendered, but the Yankees may be reluctant to do any kind of deal. From Sherman:
I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.
Wang, 30 in March, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his shoulder capsule back in July. He hopes to throw a rehab game by April or May.