Rosenthal On Fielder, Buchholz, Edmonds
The latest from Ken Rosenthal…
- Rosenthal suggests the Brewers trade Prince Fielder for "premium pitching" and then sign Adam Dunn to replace him. Which begs the question, why wouldn’t the team giving up this premium pitching just sign Dunn instead?
- Despite signing John Smoltz, the Red Sox still are not willing to trade Clay Buchholz for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Sox may be willing to move Michael Bowden or especially Daniel Bard for Salty.
- The Yankees’ interest in Mike Cameron "seems to be waning."
- Despite Jon Heyman’s report, the Phillies, Angels, and Brewers deny interest in Derek Lowe. Rosenthal says the market for Oliver Perez is even worse.
- Rosenthal suggests veterans such as Nomar Garciaparra, Frank Thomas, and Jim Edmonds could go the Kenny Lofton route. Lofton, a capable player, sat out the 2008 season when his salary demands weren’t met. As I mentioned yesterday, we’ll soon see which former stars are willing to play for a pittance (if you consider more than $500K a pittance).
- The Orioles have Edmonds on the radar as a first base candidate.
- Suitors for lefty reliever Dennys Reyes: the A’s, Mets, and Dodgers. The Tigers and Rangers are also known to be on the lookout for a southpaw in the pen.
Nationals Discouraged On Dunn, Hudson, Wolf
According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Nationals will not sign any major free agents this offseason.
The Nats have fallen short on offers to Mark Teixeira and Milton Bradley, and aren’t intrigued enough by Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson. Ladson claims the organization will instead focus on their minor league system and look to trade for some young players.
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post says the Nationals are not out on Dunn, Hudson, and Randy Wolf, but they are discouraged about their chances given the players’ demands. Harlan shoots down the idea of the Nats pursuing Derek Lowe. In another post, Harlan says the Nationals have not had any formal talks with Tom Glavine‘s agent.
Derek Lowe Rumors: Thursday
1:15pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets and Lowe remain far apart in negotiations. Heyman sees the Angels, Phillies, and Brewers as other suitors aside from the Braves.
11:40pm: Mark Bowman notes that the Braves’ meeting with Lowe was arranged before they lost Smoltz, but their interest has increased this week. Chipper Jones already made a pitch to Lowe.
10:45pm: Gordon Edes of Yahoo says the Braves have "zeroed in on Lowe" and have significant interest. An Edes source adds that the Red Sox topped Atlanta’s offer for Smoltz by "a couple million."
9:41am: Interesting line from Mike Puma of the New York Post: "Some believe the Nationals could be a suitor for Lowe."
8:45am: According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, Derek Lowe is scheduled to meet with the Braves today in Atlanta. The apparent loss of John Smoltz to Boston stings, but Lowe would be a huge addition.
I am with J.C. Bradbury on the Smoltz thing. While it will feel wrong to see him in any other uniform, $5.5MM guaranteed would’ve been risky for the Braves.
Mets Pursuing Redding, Wolf
THURSDAY: Mike Puma of the New York Post confirms Fitzpatrick’s Tuesday report that the Mets made an offer to Redding.
TUESDAY: Mike Fitzpatrick of the Associated Press reports the Mets have made an offer to Tim Redding and are readying one for Randy Wolf. The Mets need two starters and are also looking at Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez to fill out their rotation. No details on the offer to Redding. Fitzpatrick cites an unnamed source.
In 2008, Redding won ten games for a team that didn’t win 60, finishing with a 4.95 ERA and in 33 starts and 182 innings. In November he had foot surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Mets Meet With Boras
THURSDAY, 8:55am: MetsBlog sums up the reports about the team’s Boras meeting. Ken Davidoff says the Mets are confident they’ll sign Lowe or Perez.
WEDNESDAY, 7:41pm Anthony DiComo has sources that say the Mets spoke with Boras about all of his free agent clients. That list includes Perez and Ramirez, although DiComo says Manny remains a long shot.
4:23pm MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone has some info on the Mets’ recent meeting with Scott Boras. He believes the discussions focused on Derek Lowe (not Oliver Perez or Manny Ramirez) and ended on a positive note, though Boras will probably take more time.
Cerrone agrees with Joel Sherman that a three-year, $42MM deal with a fourth-year vesting option for Lowe is feasible.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Wednesday
10:37pm: Kevin Towers said tonight the Braves made a good offer for Peavy a few months ago, but it was unclear whether Peavy would approve a trade there. He also said a proposal from the Cubs "would fill several holes" on the Padres’ roster. Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod says a framework was in place with the Cubs at the Winter Meetings but they were "trying to fill out that framework" by acquiring some pieces.
Bruce Miles runs through the chances of the Cubs signing various free agent starters mentioned below.
3:32pm: Padres CEO Sandy Alderson doesn’t believe there have been new talks with the Cubs, though that is not exactly what Wittenmyer said below. Alderson said it’s likely Peavy will be with the Padres on Opening Day. He added that the Padres were never that close to a deal with the Braves and did not have an offer from the Cubs on which they could give a yes or no. Also, he doesn’t believe the team’s impending sale changes their position on Peavy.
10:03am: According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, "those close to Jim Hendry expect him to restart the Jake Peavy talks" now that the Cubs have unloaded salary with the Jason Marquis trade. Hendry admitted yesterday he hopes to add another pitcher before Opening Day.
Wittenmyer notes that the Cubs’ 2010 payroll was unaffected by the recent moves, so Hendry would need a nod from the new ownership group before taking on Peavy’s contract. The new ownership could be in place with just enough time for the Cubs to swing a Peavy deal, Wittenmyer believes.
As alternatives, Wittenmyer suggests Braden Looper and Tim Redding would fit better financially than Derek Lowe. Dave van Dyck wonders if Andy Pettitte could be a fit. Bob Klapisch says the Mets have considered Pettitte.
Gammons On Varitek, Teixeira
7:21pm Here is a link to the actual radio clip.
6:01pm Chad Finn of the Boston Globe recaps Peter Gammons’ appearance today on WEEI.
- Gammons believes the Red Sox would sign Jason Varitek if he offered his services for $2MM. Gammons still believes the Red Sox would prefer to take the draft picks and trade for a different catcher.
- Gammons says the player’s association was "strongly advising" agents to turn down arbitration offers, but that in the end it cost players like Varitek a lot of money.
- Gammons says a lot of players could be looking for jobs in the spring, noting that AJ Burnett’s agents did a great job considering the Yankees wanted Derek Lowe. As a result, Lowe (a Boras client) is now without a job.
- Gammons called Mark Teixeira Scott Boras’ "ultimate client" and that Teixeira is "very well-programmed."
- He notes that there was a lot of "testiness" between Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez in Texas and Gammons wonders how Teixeira will handle the high expectations that come with playing in New York.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Crede, Swisher, Astros
Links for Wednesday…
- RotoAuthority identifies a bunch of sleepers who had between 200-400 at-bats in 2008 in posts here and here.
- Joe Crede remains on the Rangers’ radar, but they have not made an offer.
- All kinds of interesting thoughts from Peter Gammons.
- Fred Claire contrasts Pat Burrell and Milton Bradley.
- Dave Sheinin says the Nationals inquired on Nick Swisher, but their offer did not impress the Yankees. Chico Harlan mentioned the same yesterday. Joel Sherman notes that the Mets and Braves had interest in Swisher before he was traded to the Yankees.
- In that post, Sherman also predicts the contracts for Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez.
- The Astros are mostly done, unless Drayton McLane pulls a surprise move.
- Murray Chass reflects on Carl Pohlad.
- Eric Stashin talked to Wayne Graczyk of the Japan Times about various Japanese pitchers.
Odds and Ends: Aurilia, Sweeney, Nady
Still more Tuesday links…
- The Giants and Rich Aurilia maintain mutual interest, though the Giants want to address the offense first.
- Mike Sweeney hopes to play this year, says MLB.com. Said Sweeney, "I want baseball to shut the door on me while I’m kicking and screaming." The Royals have not expressed interest.
- Much is being made of Mark Teixeira and his wife choosing the Yankees on December 12th.
- According to ESPN Radio’s Andrew Marchand, the Mets have a face-to-face meeting scheduled with Scott Boras to discuss Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe (hat tip to MetsBlog).
- John Fay guesses the Reds "have at least explored trading for Xavier Nady."
- Paul DePodesta on the Padres’ recent non-roster signings.
- Aging corner-type veterans aren’t doing well, according to Keith Law, Dave Cameron, and Tom Verducci.
Brewers Not In On Lowe, Mulder
A couple of Brewers rumors were denied by GM Doug Melvin today.
First up, Ken Rosenthal’s suggestion that the Brewers "are interested in Derek Lowe, but only at a modest price." Melvin said, "We’re not in on him." Next, Nick Cafardo’s rumor that the Brewers are "big on" Mark Mulder. Melvin: "I really haven’t contacted his guy."
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy says the Brewers are not particularly interested in Oliver Perez or Jon Garland, but could re-sign Ben Sheets.