Odds and Ends: Livan, Bartlett, Willis, Webb
Random pieces of rumorage…
- The Mets have expressed interest in Livan Hernandez, though he appears to be their Plan C or D.
- Jim Bowden and the Nats will be active in the trade market, perhaps finally pulling the trigger on deals for Chad Cordero and/or Jon Rauch.
- The Rays and Twins have had discussions about shortstop Jason Bartlett. Would a 1 for 1 trade for Rocco Baldelli make sense? Buster Olney believes the Rays should consider trading for the Nats’ Cristian Guzman.
- Update on the Rockies’ reliever situation. They’re probably going to pass on Ron Mahay and Jeremy Affeldt, while they should hear Matt Herges‘ decision today. Ron Villone is also in their sights.
- The D’Backs will no longer look at annual payroll. Instead, they have a three-year budget to spend. This may allow for a higher payroll in 2008 than 2009. Jack Magruder guesses the number is around $230-240MM for 2008-10.
- Speaking of Arizona, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic believes some kind of Carlos Gonzalez for Dontrelle Willis swap could make sense. Another D’Back note – they offered an extension to Brandon Webb for 2011-13, but he turned down their offer.
- The Scott Linebrink signing is done, and he gets some kind of no-trade protection.
Stark’s Latest: Santana, Hamilton, Snell
Ah, a new Rumblings and Grumblings from Jayson Stark. Let’s dig in.
- It sounds like the Yankees would discuss Phil Hughes and the Red Sox might part with one of Ellsbury/Lester/Buchholz to acquire Johan Santana. The acquiring team would need an extension window though. The Mets are in on Santana big-time and would have to give up Carlos Gomez and then some. If the Twins do trade Santana, they would probably hang onto Matt Garza. But otherwise Garza could be traded for a young hitter, as we’ve been hearing.
- The Fish want four 0-3 players for Miguel Cabrera, pretty much the names we’ve been tossing around here at MLBTR for a while.
- The Marlins would ask for two 0-3 guys for Dontrelle Willis, but aren’t inclined to trade him unless they’re blown away. Stark names the Mets, Mariners, and D’Backs as suitors. So think Gomez, Adam Jones, or Carlos Gonzalez.
- The Orioles and Cardinals don’t want to eat any money on Miguel Tejada and Scott Rolen, respectively. The Cards were asking for too much from the Yanks for Rolen – one of their top three young pitchers (you know the trio).
- The Reds are willing to trade Ryan Freel or Josh Hamilton to clear space for Jay Bruce.
- Ian Snell could be available. It’s not the first time his name has appeared in the rumor mill. Hell, Snell for Hamilton kind of makes sense.
Odds and Ends: Kendrick, Uggla, Haren
Another random collection of rumorage…
- The Braves have "many millions more" to spend on players this winter. One emailer suggested that maybe the Braves will offer arbitration to Andruw Jones and he’ll accept.
- Corey Patterson and the Nationals have mutual interest. Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan considers him a possible bargain, noting that he is only 28.
- We figured the Padres and Matt Clement had mutual interest. Now it’s official. Clement wants a one-year deal with incentives.
- Tracy Ringolsby confirms that Yorvit Torrealba wants a three-year deal. He says the Rockies are at two years, $7MM, the Marlins are in the same range, and the Mets are at two years, $9MM. UPDATE: The Denver Post says Torrealba will have a decision Thursday.
- Interesting Miguel Cabrera stuff from the L.A. Times. Howie Kendrick is not considered untouchable, but the Marlins might have to include Dan Uggla. Basically if the Marlins are to get four players back, they’ll have to add Uggla or Dontrelle Willis to the deal.
- Our friends at Gotham Baseball say if the Mets were to acquire Dan Haren, the package would start with Billy Beane favorite John Maine. Mark Healey figures Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman would have to go also.
- Ken Rosenthal thinks a one-year, $8MM offer from Atlanta would be enough to secure Tom Glavine.
- The D’Backs’ main trading chip is outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. It appears that the team explored what they could get for Conor Jackson and decided to keep him.
Mariners Searching For Starters
John Hickey has an update on the Mariners’ starting pitching targets. The options look grim.
As far as trade targets, there’s always Johan Santana and Dontrelle Willis. The Mariners have long had their eye on Dontrelle, so maybe they’d offer a Wladimir Balentien/Jeff Clement package.
Carlos Silva might be on the radar, but Hickey says the vibe is that he could get north of $12MM per season. A better deal might be Hiroki Kuroda, who is estimated to earn $7-9MM annually by Hickey. The Mariners may have the edge on Kuroda because of their location and Japanese catcher. I keep reading that Kuroda throws in the mid-90s…forgive me if I’m skeptical.
Hickey notes that Bartolo Colon might also be on the radar, and implies that they could pick up Carl Pavano on a whim if he’s released.
Tigers Inquire About Willis
Scott Boras and Kenny Rogers threw a wrench in the Tigers’ plans by suggesting The Gambler will test the open market. It’s already been noted that the Tigers have expressed interest in Carlos Silva as a fallback.
Also on the radar: Dontrelle Willis. Dave Dombrowski recently called the Marlins to inquire. Dombrowski, of course, previously worked for the Fish. Jon Paul Morosi notes that the Tigers asked about Willis two years ago as well. I imagine the asking price was much higher then. With Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez now with the Braves, it may be hard to find a match anyway.
The vibe seems to be that the Marlins would prefer to trade Miguel Cabrera and keep Willis.
Contract Window For Miguel Cabrera?
MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Miguel Cabrera trade talks are heating up. As you know, Cabrera is under team control for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He might become more enticing if the acquiring team can talk to his agent prior to completion of a trade, with a long-term contract in mind. As far as I can tell Cabrera is represented by Arn Tellem and Fernando Cuza currently.
Frisaro says the Angels and Dodgers are in the lead for Cabrera. The Yankees, White Sox, Indians, and Tigers are also in the mix. However this Paul Hoynes article seems to indicate the Indians are fading on Cabrera. And I think it’s questionable whether the White Sox have the goods. Frisaro doesn’t include the Red Sox, which jives with Michael Silverman’s info today. Peter Gammons says the Red Sox could get Hank Blalock in a Coco Crisp deal but aren’t ready to do that right now.
It’s known that the Marlins want Howie Kendrick from the Angels; Ken Rosenthal first reported that yesterday. Maicer Izturis would also be thrown in there, but I imagine Nick Adenhart would be required as well. If such a deal were reached, Dan Uggla would move to third base to accomodate Kendrick. There’s also speculation that the Marlins could trade Uggla if they get Kendrick.
Frisaro expects Dontrelle Willis to stay put this winter.
Odds and Ends: Garcia, Greene, DeJesus
With so many rumors, there’s a need for a daily Odds and Ends post to catch ’em all.
- Buster Olney talked to Freddy Garcia‘s agent. He’s looking at a June return from shoulder surgery.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro made an offer on Brad Lidge. The Astros didn’t even reply. They did hear back from the Marlins on their Miguel Cabrera inquiry. The price is seemingly too high for talks to continue. Peter Gammons says that before the Astros got Michael Bourn, the White Sox pushed for a Chad Qualls for Ryan Sweeney swap.
- Evan Grant notes that the Rangers have discussed trading shortstop Joaquin Arias to the Royals for Joey Gathright. They’ve also talked to the Brewers about Tony Gwynn Jr. GM Jon Daniels needs to have options if he can’t afford Torii Hunter or the other free agents. Grant adds that the Rangers have already been in touch with Kerry Wood.
- Jose Guillen declined his $5MM option with the Mariners – that’s no surprise. So far the Royals have expressed interest.
- Khalil Greene is under the Padres’ control through 2009, but his salary is going to jump significantly in arbitration for the ’08 and ’09 seasons. The Padres want to sign him to a multiyear deal, perhaps buying out one year of free agency. GM Kevin Towers is also posturing that he might use Scott Hairston as the regular center fielder next year, which seems a stretch. Also, Geoff Jenkins is on Towers’ radar.
- Ed Wade and the Astros have asked the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis. However the ‘Stros probably do not have the goods.’
- One way or another, the Marlins will ditch Miguel Olivo. They hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba aboard, which would take an offer better than two years, $6MM. The Mets, Brewers, and Blue Jays also like Torrealba. The Marlins are serious about upgrading behind the plate and will spend some money to do so.
- Jorge Posada seems set on testing the market, which never bodes well for the incumbent team.
- David DeJesus is a hot commodity as an affordable center fielder, but Dayton Moore expects to hang onto him. Maybe he’ll change his mind once some big names are off the board.
Miguel Cabrera Trade Rumors
For up for auction: two years of Miguel Cabrera. Who’s going to place a bid? The latest buzz from Joe Capozzi is that the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox are all after him. A deal could happen at the Winter Meetings from December 3-6. The needs for the Marlins are starting pitching, third base, catcher, and center field. They want three players.
- Dodgers: Capozzi’s source says they’re "making a big push" for Cabrera, after calling about him last summer. This could even involve a package deal with Dontrelle Willis. The names being thrown around: Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Elbert, and Jonathan Meloan. I can’t see the Dodgers trading Billingsley; he’s integral to the 2008 team. Dodgers side note: Bill Shaikin names Kosuke Fukudome as someone the Dodgers are monitoring.
- Angels: Capozzi says Cabrera could be the Angels’ alternative if they fail to sign Alex Rodriguez. Bill Shaikin speculates on Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, and Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis/Hank Conger. I’d make that deal. However, Ken Rosenthal says Howie Kendrick would be a requirement.
- Giants: Cabrera could be their new Face of the Franchise, but it’s tough to see this happening without Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain.
- Yankees: Joe Girardi managed him with the Marlins and speaks highly of him. The Yanks have already touched base about Cabrera with the Fish. It sounds like the Yankees will trade Melky Cabrera, but are very reluctant to trade Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, or Ian Kennedy. I could see them relenting on Kennedy. Capozzi mentions their second tier of prospects – Alan Horne, Humberto Sanchez, Ross Ohlendorf, and Jose Tabata. Nah.
- Red Sox: Any big name, the Yankees and Red Sox have to at least check in. If the Sox somehow don’t retain Mike Lowell, they could move on to Cabrera. The price is said to be Jacoby Ellsbury plus Jon Lester or Clay Buchholz. I don’t see the Red Sox doing it.
- White Sox: Ozzie Guillen is friends with Cabrera and sure, the White Sox love him. Any package would have to start with Josh Fields, but I’m still not sure they have the goods even if they add Lance Broadway and Gio Gonzalez to the package.
- Indians: Capozzi doesn’t mention them, but Paul Hoynes says they’ll inquire. The Tribe has some expendable guys but a deal might have to start with Adam Miller.
Latest Mets Rumors: A-Rod, Silva, Blanton
Plenty of action around the Mets lately; Omar Minaya has his work cut out for him. Hat tip to MetsBlog for several of the links.
- The sensational storyline here is that Minaya will meet with Scott Boras to discuss Alex Rodriguez. However, Boras and Minaya might spend more time discussing Kyle Lohse and Eric Gagne than A-Rod – the Mets’ focus is pitching.
- Newsday’s Ken Davidoff reminds us of past trade talks regarding Joe Blanton, Jose Contreras, and Jon Garland. Those talks may be re-opened, though Davidoff notes that the White Sox aren’t enamored of Lastings Milledge. Additionally, the Mets will meet with Carlos Silva‘s people this week.
- Buster Olney discusses the Mets’ pursuit for pitching today in his blog. They need a horse, somebody who can chew up innings. Aside from the aforementioned Silva and Blanton, Olney names Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren, Scott Kazmir, and Dontrelle Willis as possible targets (though Marc Lancaster considers the declaration of Kazmir’s availability to be "dubious at best." Meanwhile one exec thinks the Rays would only make him available if "his arm is about to blow.") Olney’s guess is that the Mets will acquire Blanton. The Mets have some combination of Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, and Aaron Heilman to offer. There are pros and cons to dealing each.
- There are other concerns besides pitching: second base and catcher. Besides the forthcoming monster offer to Jorge Posada, the Mets are considering Paul Lo Duca and Yorvit Torrealba as fallbacks. Ramon Castro is looking for a two-year deal, and hopes it’s with the Mets. However, the Rockies have their eye on him.
- Pedro Martinez expects to pitch beyond 2008. Whether that will be for the Mets or someone else, who knows.
- Marlon Anderson‘s two-year deal will be announced today, according to Adam Rubin. The Mets will pass on Jose Valentin and Brian Lawrence‘s options.
Marlins Will Listen On Willis
According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are available. We had heard previously that trade availability was limited to Cabrera, but Willis can definitely be discussed as well.
Rodriguez notes that trading a hitter of Cabrera’s age and accomplishment is unprecedented. Good point. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him stay put, given the enormous value of young starters like Phil Hughes and Clay Buchholz. It might be easier for the Marlins to reach an accord on a Willis trade.