Odds & Ends: Bay, Byrd, Liriano, Duchscherer
Some links on the last day of a year we'll remember for Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols and the World Series Champion New York Yankees…
- Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother Brandon Laird, a prospect in the Yankees farm system, were arrested following a brawl at the Celtics-Suns NBA game in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the Associated Press. Gerald lives in Arizona during the offseason while Brandon played in the Arizona Fall League this past year.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via his newly minted Twitter account) that Chan Ho Park's name has come up in the Giants' front office.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com hears that Jason Bay was indeed interested in joining the Mets. The two sides didn't go longer than a day without talking once negotiations got started. An interesting note: Speier hears that the Mets never offered Bay a guaranteed five-year deal.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs considers Marlon Byrd an average player, but likes the Cubs' decision to sign him.
- Cameron tweets that the Mariners are "kicking the tires" on Francisco Liriano.
- Mike Lowell's thumb surgery was a success, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Lowell appears to be available, but health concerns may prevent the Red Sox from dealing the third baseman and some of his $12MM salary (the D'Backs face a similar challenge with Chris Snyder).
- Just because Lowell's still in Boston doesn't mean the Red Sox won't consider other third basemen. Adrian Beltre is one option and R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs doesn't think $10-15MM is an unfair asking price for the Scott Boras client.
- Justin Duchscherer tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he returned to the A's because he's comfortable in Oakland and appreciates the club's support through his struggles with depression. Slusser also has details on the incentives in the righty's contract.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues wants the Yankees to stay away from free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates' failure to sign Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano was one of the club's low points this year. As Kovacevic says, "not every signing can be an absolute steal."
D’Backs Rumors: Valverde, Byrnes, Snyder
A D'Backs official tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the team's payroll now sits at about $75MM. Piecoro gets the sense that the D'Backs have the flexibility to spend a little more, but not much. That means Jose Valverde could return to the D'Backs if his asking price drops (let's not rule that out; the market for Valverde isn't great right now).
Diamondbacks Notes: Johnson, Snyder, Bailey
Some Diamondbacks tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Steve Gilbert…
- The Diamondbacks have about $3MM left to spend and are expecting to hear back from Kelly Johnson in the next couple of days regarding their offer, according to Gilbert's MLB.com blog.
- The acquisition of Johnson could shift Tony Abreu into an infield utility role, making infielder Augie Ojeda expendable.
- While inking Johnson would put Arizona at their budget, trading Chris Snyder and the $4.75MM he is owed next season would give the D-Backs some more wiggle room. You may recall that they nearly dealt Snyder to the Blue Jays for Lyle Overbay, before Toronto's concern over his surgically-repaired back triggered them to call off the swap.
- Gilbert also reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Jeff Bailey to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. The 31-year-old hit .262/.362/.424 with 10 HRs in 63 games for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2009.
Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Matsui, Darvish
Kicking off a fresh Odds & Ends post for Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Ryota Igarashi received a one-year big league offer from an unknown team.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says Justin Duchscherer would like to pitch for the D'Backs, but a deal is not likely. He also notes that the D'Backs denied offering Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe learned that Gary Sheffield has four suitors currently, the Red Sox not among them.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle names the A's as a "possible suitor" for Hideki Matsui, which ESPN's Keith Law thinks would be pointless.
- Wezen-Ball gives us the history of the highest-paid player in baseball, from Nolan Ryan onward.
- Yu Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history (he's 23) to reach 300 million yen when he re-signed for 330 million, reports Kyodo News. That comes to about $3.75MM currently.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff notes that Rudy Seanez wants to pitch next year.
- ESPN's Mike Salk says the Mariners "specifically chose" Jack Wilson over J.J. Hardy.
Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers
Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…
- Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
- The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
- WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
- The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
- Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
- Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
- The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
- The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
- The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
D’Backs Search For Pitching
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic brings home a bunch of Diamondbacks hot stove buzz from the GM Meetings…
- The Diamondbacks would have to give up their second-round pick if they sign a Type A free agent who turned down arbitration. GM Josh Byrnes told Piecoro he'd consider it if the player came at a discount. You can check our free agent list to see all the types.
- Piecoro wouldn't be surprised to see Livan Hernandez return as the D'Backs' fifth starter. He wouldn't be the main rotation pickup; the bigger targets are probably Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis, and Brad Penny.
- Piecoro can't find a team that would be able to send the D'Backs a pitcher for catcher Chris Snyder. The Royals, Mets, Reds, Brewers, and Astros don't fit, in Piecoro's opinion, while the Blue Jays already nixed a deal. The Rays, Nationals, Mariners, and Giants may also be looking for a catcher, but they might not match up either.
- The D'Backs would like to bring back arbitration-eligible infielder Augie Ojeda.
Diamondbacks Will Consider Multi-Year Pitching Options
The Arizona Diamondbacks will consider making multi-year offers when they look at this year's pitching free agent class, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
Although Piecoro notes that GM Josh Byrnes has previously been reluctant to pursue free agent pitching, he writes that Byrnes could go that route this year. The free agent market looks particularly appealing given the Diamondbacks' relative lack of trade chips. Chris Snyder, who they've already discussed in at least one potential trade, has health questions and an unfavorable contract.
As for who the Diamondbacks might pursue, John Lackey is likely out of the question. Piecoro, however, suggests that a pitcher like Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, or perhaps a strong bullpen arm could be a possibility.
"Just looking at our payroll, we do have some flexibility going into 2011 and 2012," says Byrnes. "I don't think we'd do it just to do it, but if we felt like it was the right guy, we'd do a multiyear."
Mets Notes: Holliday, Barajas, Pineiro
Lots of newsbits swirling about the Big Apple's non-World Series winners…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Mets will meet with Scott Boras tonight to at least get an idea of what it will take to sign Matt Holliday.
- As reported earlier today, the Mets weren't interested in Jason Varitek but were considering Bengie Molina at catcher. Sherman (also via Twitter) added Rod Barajas and Chris Snyder to the New York catching "wish list."
- SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) reports the Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, but not at his reported demand of a three-year/$30MM contract.
- MLB.com's Barry Bloom figures that Gary Sheffield and Carlos Delgado are both done in New York after Mets GM Omar Minaya was very non-committal about the possibility of re-signing either of the two veteran sluggers.
- The Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott, however, thinks the Mets will at least "keep an eye" on Delgado's progress in winter ball (via Twitter).
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Halladay, Pettitte, Snyder
Here's some more links on a busy first day at the GM meetings…
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier writes that when Jed Hoyer took over as GM of the Padres, it only made it tougher for the Red Sox to pull off a deal for Adrian Gonzalez. “He knows all my tricks, and I know his,” said Theo Epstein of Hoyer.
- Meanwhile, WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports that Roy Halladay has identified the Red Sox as a team he'd be willing to accept a trade to. Doc has a full no-trade clause.
- Andy Pettitte has apparently told his Yankee teammates that he'd like to come back for one more year, though there's been no definitive word according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. GM Brian Cashman said he expects the team to be more "cautious than anxious" this offseason, and that he plans to go slow, even with their own free agents according to Joel Sherman of The NY Post.
- Mets' GM Omar Minaya "has told several of his friends in the industry that he badly wants to add a run-producing bat at either first base and/or left field," according to Sherman.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that Chris Snyder confirmed there has not been a setback in his rehab from back surgery. The Blue Jays nixed a potential Snyder for Lyle Overbay swap over the weekend over concerns about the catcher's back.
- The Orioles claimed righthander Armando Gabino off waivers from the Twins, according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune. Meanwhile, a team press release says the Rays claimed righty Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Reds.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report that Melvin Mora is working out at other positions to increase his versatility and up his value as a free agent.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs compared Jason Bay to Mike Cameron, and determines that the latter is a better value.
- Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts breaks down some Chad Billingsley rumors.
Blue Jays, D’Backs Discussed Snyder For Overbay
SUNDAY, 3:25pm: The Toronto Blue Jays called off the swap because of concerns about Snyder's surgically repaired back, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
2:16pm: In an update to last night's article, Gilbert reports that the deal has been put on hold, according to a Major League source.
SATURDAY, 7:44pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert cites a Major League source who says the two sides are "making progress" in their discussions.
12:31pm: Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that the two teams are discussing a Snyder for Lyle Overbay swap. He mentions that it's "unclear how far along the trade talks are."
10:05am: MLBTR has learned that the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks are in trade talks for catcher Chris Snyder.
Snyder would be a good fit for the Jays, who have catcher Rod Barajas eligible for free agency. The 28-year-old Snyder hit .200/.333/.352 for the D'Backs in a season marred by a back injury (he had surgery in September). Presumably the Blue Jays' doctors would have to check him out before a deal could be completed. The other issue would be money – Snyder is owed $11.25MM over the next two seasons. Snyder received the contract on the strength of his '08 season (.237/.348/.452) but has since lost the starting job to Miguel Montero.