Rays Shopping Dioner Navarro
The Rays, who recently acquired Kelly Shoppach, are shopping catcher Dioner Navarro, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports. Navarro is a non-tender candidate, especially since the Rays have Shoppach around. It makes sense for the Rays to explore trade options if they expect to non-tender him this weekend.
The Giants, Mariners, Rockies, Mets and Blue Jays are among the teams with interest in adding a catcher, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Rays work out a deal with one of those clubs.
Four Teams Interested In Pudge?
3:32pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says not to expect any interest in Rodriguez from the Rays.
11:56am: Yesterday we heard that the Royals were interested in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, and today SI.com's Jon Heyman adds the Rangers, Giants, and Rays to the mix.
Texas could be looking to bring Pudge back for depth after Jarrod Saltalamacchia left winter ball with a shoulder injury, while the Giants and Royals are looking to replace the departed Bengie Molina and Miguel Olivo, respectively. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, currently has both Kelly Shoppach and Dioner Navarro under contract, however both are prime non-tender candidates if the Rays don't like price tags.
The 38-year-old catcher hit .249/.280/.384 last year, and is a Type-B free agent. If he signs elsewhere, the Rangers will receive a supplemental first round draft pick, somewhere around 50th overall.
Odds & Ends: Holliday, Phillies, Marquis, Navarro
Some Saturday morning links…
- Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post Dispatch says the Cardinals blew it by telling the fans and media that they'd make an aggressive attempt to re-sign Matt Holliday. How could they have blown it when there's still a chance he could come back?
- Both David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News and Scott Lauber of The News Journal looked at the Phillies' long-term payroll now that Placido Polanco is on board for the next three years.
- The Mets are among the teams on Jason Marquis' wish list, writes Ben Shpigel of The NY Times, and the team has reciprocated that interest. Shpigel adds that the Mets are trying to find a "sturdy starter" from a group that includes Marquis, Joel Pineiro, and Randy Wolf.
- The Rays have a week to decide whether they'll tender a contract to Dioner Navarro, and executive vice president Andrew Friedman "indicated this week he might need every hour until that deadline to make a decision," according to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune.
- In a highly recommended feature by Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union Tribune, former Padres' GM Kevin Towers indicated that he'd like to learn more about the AL, saying "I’d like to see how they do business, how you put an American League team together."
- Lynn Henning of The Detroit News says that the Tigers got nothing in return for Placido Polanco, but they could have if he hadn't played so well in the second half.
- With Chone Figgins on the verge of going to Seattle, the Angels may finally give Brandon Wood a chance to play, writes Bill Shaikin of The LA Times.
- ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes says that if Terry Francona has his way, Mike Lowell won't be moving to first. Lowell said he wouldn't rule out a move across the diamond earlier this week.
- The Orioles have been downplaying the posssibility of any major moves during the Winter Meetings, according to The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
Rays Rumors: Crawford, Upton, Zaun
Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights:
- The Rays are said to be interested in discussing a long-term extension with Carl Crawford. If the team does decide to move him, however, the Mets and Braves have expressed interest.
- The Rangers and White Sox are among the teams interested in acquiring B.J. Upton.
- Executive VP Andrew Friedman on his team's offseason targets: "We have a list of guys on other teams we have an interest in, and a list of free agents as well. And depending on how the market evolves on both fronts, it will go a long way toward shaping our thought process…. We feel like there are a lot of talented names out there."
- Smith notes that the Rays have a history of signing relievers who are coming off injuries or down years. He mentions Kevin Gregg and J.J. Putz as a couple of possibilities in that realm.
- The club could be open to bringing back Gregg Zaun and giving last season's catching platoon of Zaun and Dioner Navarro another try.
Rays Unlikely To Acquire Closer
The Rays don't find adding a closer realistic this offseason, executive VP Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Friedman's said the Rays are more likely to add two or three late-inning relievers who can handle high-leverage situations. The plan is sure to please the stat-head crowd.
J.P. Howell saved 17 games in 25 opportunities for the Rays this year, but the majority of his blown saves occurred before the ninth inning. I'm not sure which free agent relievers the Rays will target this offseason, but Kiko Calero seems like their type. Between free agents and trade candidates, the market for closers is deep this winter, but the Rays are right not to pay a premium for the closer tag (they did so with Troy Percival back in December of '07).
Additionally, manager Joe Maddon and Friedman said they expected catcher Dioner Navarro and DH Pat Burrell to rebound in 2010. Navarro is on our list of non-tender candidates, so we'll see whether the Rays cut him loose in mid-December.
Odds & Ends: Chen, Mets, White Sox
An action-packed set of links for Wednesday…
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report about MLB teams, the Cubs included, watching Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's last start. It's possible Chen will be a free agent after the season. The Taiwanese southpaw has a 1.45 ERA this year and would be in high demand.
- MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone does not believe the team will non-tender starter John Maine after the season. Maine, coming back from a shoulder injury, may start Sunday.
- SNY's Ted Berg says this is a terrible time to trade Jose Reyes.
- R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay sees a trade more likely than a non-tender for catcher Dioner Navarro.
- Over at FanGraphs, Anderson notes that Kiko Calero (10.8 K/9) is a "nice sleeper candidate" among free agent relievers. Calero's strikeout rate ranks behind only Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Rich Harden, and Octavio Dotel among free agent pitchers with at least 40 innings.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck the Magglio Ordonez vesting option situation "speaks for itself." 23 more plate appearances for Maggs, and the Tigers have him at $18MM for 2010.
- Among the topics in Mark Gonzales' Chicago Tribune White Sox mailbag: the Brandon Allen–Tony Pena swap and the possibility of the Sox pursuing Chone Figgins. In another article, Gonzales notes that Ozzie Guillen wants Freddy Garcia ($1MM club option) as his fifth starter next year.
- Jack Curry of the New York Times has the story on the Newark Bears, and independent league club that has chosen to stock its roster with recognizable former big leaguers trying to claw their way back to the Show.
- An AL scout told Tom Krasovic "Oakland got smoked" in the Scott Hairston trade. The Padres received pitchers Sean Gallagher, Ryan Webb, and Craig Italiano in the July 5th trade (Gallagher was named later).
- WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox announced the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major League deal beginning next year (it's worth $8.25MM).
Dioner Navarro Loses Arbitration Case
TUESDAY: ESPN reports that Navarro lost his case and will earn $2.1MM in ’09. No hard feelings, says his agent.
MONDAY: According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, the Rays and catcher Dioner Navarro went to a salary arbitration hearing on Monday.
Navarro asked for $2.5MM and the club offered $2.1MM back when figures were due. Three arbitrators will decide which number he recieves on Tuesday. Navarro is the second MLB player to have a hearing this year, following Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill, who won his hearing over the weekend.
Rays Reach Impasse With Dioner Navarro
2:22pm: A quote from Navarro’s agent Kendall Almerico, via Topkin:
"It appears that we have reached an impasse and that we will be going to arbitration on Monday. After that, I hope to resume negotiations on a long-term deal so Navi can play in Tampa for the rest of his career. But that may depend on how the Rays present their case and whether the Rays treat Navi respectfully at the hearing as Navi has instructed us to treat the Rays throughout this entire process."
11:04am: According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are still in talks with their two remaining arbitration-eligible players, Dioner Navarro and Willy Aybar.
The Rays are only $150K apart with Aybar, and the sides are discussing a possible two-year deal. Aybar, a Super Two player, is under team control through 2012.
Navarro faces a $400K gap with the Rays, and they’re also discussing multiyear possibilities. He’s under team control through 2011.
Rays Rumors: Navarro, Aybar
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are looking at multiyear deals for Dioner Navarro and Willy Aybar.
DRaysBay echoes Tampa Bay’s desire to lock up the two, which would allow the team to avoid arbitration hearings.
Navarro will have three arbitration years: ’09, ’10 and ’11; and Aybar will have four years: ’09, ’10, ’11 and ’12. The Rays, who don’t typically negotiate once arbitration figures have been submitted, appear to be willing to negotiate with these two.
Navarro Arbitration Hearing Date Is Set
The Tampa Tribune’s Marc Topkin reports that the Rays and catcher Dioner Navarro have an arbitration hearing date set for February 9.
Navarro’s representatives have requested $2.5MM and the Rays have offered him $2.1MM. An arbitrator will decide between one of the two figures and announce his decision a few days after the hearing. Navarro hit .295/.349/.407 last season with seven dingers and 54 RBI.