Twitter Rumors: Capps, Felix, Harden, Pierre
A fresh batch of Twitter rumors, for those of you with extra-short attention spans…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch learned that the Pirates plan to tender a contract to Matt Capps.
- Stubborn Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he has no regrets about not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hernandez also notes that the Dodgers are considering Ronnie Belliard, Craig Counsell, Juan Uribe, and Jamey Carroll as second base options. The Reds also like Carroll, says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Rockies are open to re-signing Jason Marquis at a reduced number (less than the $9.875MM he made in '09).
- SI's Jon Heyman believes Felix Hernandez is seeking six years and $100MM, while the Mariners are thinking four years plus an option at less than $50MM. That phrasing makes a possible divide seem larger than it is, since those last two years of the deal would be the most expensive (more than $15MM per year). At any rate, Shannon Drayer and Mike Salk learned that no numbers have been exchanged on Felix yet.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants Mike Redmond to back up A.J. Pierzynski.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says the Rangers may have interest in arbitration-eligible D'Backs infielder Augie Ojeda. The Rangers added Joe Inglett off waivers, but were said to still be looking at utility infield candidates.
- Morosi tweets that Rich Harden is "willing to sign a one-year deal with a lot of incentives." Will he exceed Brad Penny's $7.5MM base salary? Morosi names the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mariners as the most serious suitors.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Tigers have interest in Juan Pierre, and are "looking for a third team to supply the pitcher L.A. needs." Odd, since the Tigers have more bad pitching contracts than anyone. The Tigers apparently prefer to unload Carlos Guillen.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates are not interested in bringing back Brian Giles.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Red Sox "have two or three teams they could trade Mike Lowell to right now" if they'd take a similar contract back. Looking at our Bad Contract Swap Meet I don't see any obvious matches for one year and $12MM.
- There's been some tire-kicking with the Phillies and Ron Mahay, writes Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Red Sox were linked to Mahay by Michael Silverman on Monday. Martino also says the Phillies met with John Smoltz's agent this morning, "but discussions remain informal."
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star characterizes the White Sox and Red Sox interest in Coco Crisp as "low-level," but says that's still more than the Royals have shown. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the White Sox would consider Crisp, Mike Cameron, and Marlon Byrd. ESPN's Mike Salk notes that the Mariners spoke to Byrd's agent.
- Dutton also has the Red Sox eyeing Ryan Shealy on a minor league deal.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports names the most asked-about Padres: Heath Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Adrian Gonzalez (in that order). He says the Padres are "not hearing anything compelling on Bell." MLB.com's Corey Brock says about eight teams inquired on Kouzmanoff. Surprised not to see Kevin Correia mentioned by Rosenthal. He'd be a great affordable option for a team like the Brewers. ESPN's Buster Olney heard from rival execs who expect the Padres to get second-line prospects for Kouzmanoff and Correia.
- The Mets appear to find a Luis Castillo deal unlikely, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees are shopping their #1 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, which they acquired for Brian Bruney. If they don't trade the pick, Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Yankees could use it on pitcher Arquimedes Caminero.
Overnight Links: Wolf, Crisp, Yankees, Halladay
MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the winter meetings continues as we gear up for whatever Day Three may bring. In the meantime, let's check out some overnight links from around the majors….
- In a pair of tweets, Buster Olney of ESPN.com passes on these notes: The Brewers expect a decision from Randy Wolf today, and the Red Sox have interest in Coco Crisp.
- Of the expensive arms linked to the Orioles, Kevin Millwood makes the most sense, according to the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman speculates about what Curtis Granderson's arrival could mean for the futures of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in New York.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News opines that the Yankees still need to make Damon a priority, even with Granderson on the roster.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Granderson trade will prompt the Red Sox to pursue Roy Halladay more actively.
- The Angels are the front-runners to acquire Halladay, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck ranks the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers respectively as the other contenders.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers would like to sign or trade for a pair of starters this winter, they might be content to just add one.
- Crisp could end up back in Kansas City next season, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Both parties are currently exploring their options.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle details what would have to happen for Hideki Matsui to end up in Oakland.
- In a separate piece, Shea explains why the Giants are re-thinking their approach to filling their opening behind the plate.
- The Yankees' acquisition of Granderson has the Boston media even busier than usual. Rob Bradford of WEEI hears that the Tigers asked Boston for either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury in exchange for Granderson. The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman doesn't think the Red Sox will feel forced to strike back immediately, while Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Sox have no plans to replace their departed bullpen arms with pricey free agents. Speaking of pricey free agents though, John Tomase of the Boston Herald fully expects Boston to sign either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde
More links for the evening…
- The Red Sox will find out tomorrow if their claim on Rays righty Ramon A. Ramirez went through, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. This isn't the same Ramon Ramirez that appeared in 70 games for Boston last year.
- Randy Johnson is still undecided about 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- The Rangers discussed Arthur Rhodes with the Reds today, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers are on the lookout for lefty relievers.
- The Rangers are considering Jason Kendall and Rod Barajas behind the plate, according to Sullivan. ESPN.com's Keith Law says this is a problem for the Rangers. He doesn't think much of any of the free agent catchers they're considering.
- Coco Crisp would be up for signing with the White Sox, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Talks between the Twins and Joe Crede are progressing slowly, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.
- The Mariners are keeping in touch with Rich Harden's agents, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Nats were interested in Jose Valverde, but they felt his asking price was too high, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that Scott Boras will meet with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik tonight. Adrian Beltre is one of Boras' clients, so they'll presumably discuss him.
- White Sox reliever Matt Thornton tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's recruiting J.J. Putz. Thornton says he and Putz have a long-standing "bromance" that dates back to their Seattle days.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz are too much to give up for Josh Johnson. Apparently, the Rangers offered the pair of top prospects up.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus likes the Ivan Rodriguez signing for the Nats, partly because Pudge could help develop Stephen Strasburg.
- By the way, the deal is pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Braves are interested in Xavier Nady, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets may be more inclined to pay top dollar for John Lackey now that they've seen the asking prices of some lesser starters.
- The Cardinals won't be involved with Lackey, but they have interest in signing a lefty bench bat, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Olney On Rafael Soriano, Crisp, Harden
Rumor nuggets from ESPN's Buster Olney, in his morning blog post…
- Olney writes of indications that Rafael Soriano will request a trade from the Braves, as GM Frank Wren suggested before the player accepted arbitration. J.C. Bradbury credits Soriano's agent Peter Greenberg for finding a way around draft pick compensation. MLB.com's Mark Bowman does not think it will be difficult to trade Soriano, though Joel Sherman tweets that the Yankees are not interested.
- Olney has about six teams seriously interested in center fielder Coco Crisp, with a $3-4MM price range being bandied about.
- The Red Sox "do not have serious interest in Rich Harden," Olney reports.
Cubs Will Shop For An Outfield Bat
The Cubs plan to search for a centerfielder according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, however the team must first unload Milton Bradley to see how much financial flexibility they'll have.
One agent who spoke to the team says that balancing out left and righthanded hitters in the lineup is not as much of a priority as last year. The Fox duo mention Curtis Granderson, Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel, Coco Crisp, Marlon Byrd, and Mike Cameron as potential targets.
White Sox Interested In Coco Crisp
The White Sox are showing interest in center fielder Coco Crisp, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune confirms it, with quotes from Crisp's agent Steve Comte. At this point, the talks are preliminary. The Sox have been linked to Crisp in many rumors over the years.
It's been suggested Alex Rios will play center field for the 2010 Sox, though he could certainly remain in right field if they sign Crisp. Crisp, 30, hit .228/.336/.378 in 215 plate appearances for the Royals this year; his season ended in June and he eventually had surgery on both shoulders. The Royals chose a $500K buyout over Crisp's $8MM option for 2010.
Royals Prefer Trades
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star dishes on the Royals…
- Dayton Moore…step away from the free agent market. The Royals are moving toward trades, with an eye on the long-term. Owner David Glass says the plan is to "turn over some of the club." Moore already made a nice move in flipping Mark Teahen for Josh Fields and Chris Getz.
- Dutton again mentions the talks between the Dodgers and Royals on a possible A.J. Ellis for Alberto Callaspo deal. Ellis, 29 in April, posted OBPs over .436 in Triple A for 2008-09.
- The Royals are probably stuck with Jose Guillen, but David DeJesus and Gil Meche could be trade chips. Dutton says the Royals prefer to keep Meche though.
- Dutton says the Royals are more likely to trade for a center fielder than to re-sign Coco Crisp.
- Via Twitter, Dutton says lefty Lenny DiNardo and reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta elected free agency.
Royals Decline Options On Crisp, Olivo, Yabuta
The Royals declined their 2010 options on Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta, according to a team press release.
On Crisp, the Royals chose his $500K buyout over his $8MM option. It's possible the Royals will offer Crisp an incentive-laden deal (he had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders this summer).
The Royals plan to go in a different direction than Olivo at catcher; they may also non-tender John Buck. Olivo had a $3.3MM mutual option. As for Yabuta, the press release says he can "elect free agency if he doesn’t sign a 2010 Major League contract with the Royals by November 16th." The Japanese reliever has been a $6MM bust; his $4MM club option was an obvious choice to decline.
Royals Facing Option Decisions
Now that the World Series has ended, the clock has started for clubs to make decisions about any player options for 2010. The Royals have three such decision to make, involving Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta.
Bob Dutton of The KC Star breaks down what we might see happen with those three…
- Decisions on Crisp's and Yabuta's options are due five days after the end of the World Series, Olivo's just three days.
- The team has shown "little inclination" to pick up Crisp's $8MM option, but his $500K buyout isn't exactly cheap. Crisp was limited to just 49 games last year due to a shoulder injury.
- Dutton notes that the Royals continue to "express interest in negotiating a new contract with Crisp that contains a low guarantee with significant performance bonuses."
- Olivo's $3.3MM option is mutual, meaning he can walk even if the team picks up their half. He's expected to push for a mutli-year deal, which would make the Royals look elsewhere.
- Yabuta has put up a 7.14 ERA in 51.2 IP in two years in KC, so the team figures to walk away from his $4MM option, instead paying him a $500K buyout.
Odds & Ends: Mariners, Riggleman, Crisp, ‘Stros
A few leftovers as the Phillies and Yankees do battle in Game 6…
- According to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, recently-defected Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz has impressed scouts in workouts the past two weeks. The Red Sox and Tigers are known to have some level of interest.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner thinks the M's should "kick the tires" on several undervalued starters this offseason. He lists Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson, among others, as possible targets.
- MASN's Byron Kerr spoke Wednesday with Jim Riggleman, who's hoping to be named the Nationals' permanent manager shortly after the World Series ends. He went 33-42 as Washington's interim skipper last season.
- According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals have shown "little inclination" that they plan to pick up Coco Crisp's 2010 option worth $8MM.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle lays out some advice for Astros owner Drayton McLane, including this nugget: "Give GM Ed Wade a five-year extension and give him the freedom to reshape the roster and the organization. If there's any doubt he knows what he's doing, check out the 2008-2009 Phillies. Ed Wade acquired the core of those teams."