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Pirates Pursuing Rocco Baldelli

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Pirates rumors from the tireless Dejan Kovacevic…

  • Kovacevic says the Pirates are in pursuit of free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.  The Bucs are serious about him, having spoken to his agents several times.  The Reds, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered other suitors.
  • The team’s interest in Ty Wigginton has dropped off.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz remains on the radar, but no offer has been made.
  • Nothing cooking on the Jack Wilson front; he’s likely to remain the Pirates’ shortstop.
  • The Pirates offered slightly more than the $2.6MM Daniel Cabrera signed for with the Nationals.  D-Cab wanted to remain in the area.  The Pirates may choose not to pursue any other free agent starters.
  • We knew extension talks with Nate McLouth had fizzled; turns out nothing is close with Paul Maholm either.  Pirates president Frank Coonelly described the disconnect at Ryan Doumit’s press conference.

Pirates Rumors: Eckstein, Wilson, Turnbow

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5:29pm: A handful of teams have expressed interest in Doug Mientkiewicz, reports Jenifer Langosch.  He expects to sign within a few weeks, and his agent will meet with the Pirates this week.

4:56pm: Kovacevic confirmed that the Pirates are in negotiations with Eckstein.  The Orioles and Padres are also said to be in on him.  As for Wilson: the Dodgers are said to be exasperated by the Pirates’ asking price.

12:10am: Let’s check in with Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel for the latest on the Pirates.

  • Kovacevic on Jack Wilson: the Tigers are out, the Dodgers are quiet lately, and the Twins are in.  Biertempfel says the Orioles continue to watch from afar.  Wilson’s contract is a sticking point for all suitors.
  • Kovacevic believes the Pirates have at least not ruled out the idea of pursuing Pedro Martinez.
  • Derrick Turnbow will throw for scouts in mid-January, so he probably won’t sign until then.  The Pirates and Giants are among eight teams that have expressed interest.
  • The Pirates seem likely to make a Rule 5 pick this year.
  • With Pirates target Mark Loretta signing with the Dodgers, Biertempfel wonders if the Bucs may pursue David Eckstein or Craig Counsell.

Pirates Get Last Crack At Mientkiewicz

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Dejan Kovacevic talked to free agent first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz recently.  Mientkiewicz seeks a starting job, even while admitting, "I’m everybody’s B and C plan.  If the two guys they want to sign get hit by a truck, then they think about me." 

The 34 year-old hit .277/.374/.379 in 334 plate appearances while playing an above average first base.  He earned $1.075MM.  The Pirates want him back, but in a utility/clubhouse leader type role.  Pirates president Frank Coonelly said today, "We are working hard to convince Doug that returning to the Pirates is an outstanding opportunity for him."  Out of gratitude to GM Neal Huntington for giving him a shot this year, Mientkiewicz will give the Pirates a call before he signs anywhere else. 

Kovacevic also has an update on the Jack Wilson trade talks.  He says the Bucs are focused on the Dodgers, seeking Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young.  Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier today that the Dodgers’ talks for Wilson "remain stalled," while John Perrotto said L.A. "backed off."

Odds and Ends: Griffey, Springer, Hoffman

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Links for Wednesday…

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Paulino, Byrd

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is back on the scene to get us up to speed with the latest Pirates rumors.  Let’s start with the team’s five veteran trade candidates:

  • Jack Wilson: The Tigers and Dodgers are said to be the main suitors.  The problem is that neither team wants to send the Pirates top prospects while paying all of the $7.85MM Wilson has coming.  Additionally, the Pirates do not view Dodgers shortstop prospect Chin-Lung Hu as a possible trade centerpiece.  The Bucs have spoken to at least two other clubs about Wilson, but Kovacevic rejects the previously reported three-team scenario.  It seems that some of the top free agent shortstops will need to sign to create a better market for Wilson.
  • Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche:  The Pirates have received "mere inquiries" on these two.
  • John Grabow, Ronny Paulino: Grabow is a free agent after ’09, so his trade value may never be higher.  The Pirates are apparently pushing Paulino, but don’t want to sell low on him.
  • Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.
  • On the free agent front, the Pirates have made contact with Paul Byrd.  However, GM Neal Huntington implied he’s not finding the starting pitching bargains he expected.  The Pirates haven’t made offers to Doug Mientkiewicz or Jason Michaels; those players are considering proposals from other teams.
  • Kovacevic adds: "The Pirates also had discussed acquiring a right-handed power bat for the outfield through free agency, but there has been no known movement on that front."  Just looking at who’s out there, I imagine this could be referring to Pat Burrell.  Still, that’s entirely speculative and he’s probably out of their price range.

Pirates May Re-Sign Michaels, Mientkiewicz

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According to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch, the Pirates would like to re-sign veteran role players Jason Michaels and Doug Mientkiewicz (Dejan Kovacevic reported this a few weeks ago).

Langosch says Michaels’ $2.6MM option will be declined, but he could re-sign for less to stay on as the team’s fourth outfielder.  Michaels, 32, hit .224/.292/.360 in 321 plate appearances this year.  There are better ways to spend a million bucks.

Mientkiewicz, 34, hit .277/.374/.379 in 334 plate appearances.  He’s a fine defensive first baseman and even pitched in at third.  He also provided spark to the Pirates’ clubhouse.  Bringing him back makes sense at the right price.

Odds And Ends: Mientkiewicz, Michaels, Greinke, Soria, Scheppers

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Some links for Saturday lunch, I’ll add some more as the day progresses:

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 (at) umpbump [dot] com.

Odds and Ends: Hart, Ellis, Mientkiewicz, Varitek

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Today’s random links…

Perrotto’s Latest: Waivers, Extensions, Garcia, Braves

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John Perrotto over at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up:

  • Perrotto lists off several people which he believes are the most likely to be made available if and when they clear waivers. While the list is comprised of a lot of the usual suspects this August (Greg Maddux, Jarrod Washburn, Paul Byrd, Randy Winn), Perrotto lists some other names that we haven’t seen as much: Francisco Cordero, Tyler Walker, Todd Jones, Jose Bautista, and Doug Mientkiewicz. Perrotto also says that he feels Aubrey Huff has the best chance to be traded of any impact bat available.
  • Perrotto states that the Rockies would like to sign both Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday long-term. If unsuccessful, they will both be on the trading block this offseason.
  • The Pirates would like to sign Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit long-term as well, buying out their arbitration years.
  • Perrotto lists the Yankees as the front-runners to sign Freddy Garcia. The Mets and Rays are also suitors for Garcia, though I personally don’t think Garcia makes sense for the Rays.
  • The Yankees have "little interest" in pursuing Manny Ramirez this offseason, despite possible reports that Manny would like to play for them.
  • The Twins would still like to add a late-inning reliever this season to boost their bullpen as the AL Central race winds down.
  • The Braves’ top priority this offseason is pursuing a front-line starter, Perrotto says. He lists possible candidates as: C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Ryan Dempster, Derek Lowe, and Jon Garland. Seems a bit odd to consider the last three "front-line," though Dempster has certainly been impressive this season.

Odds and Ends: Ponson, Inge, Papelbon

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Let’s round up some Monday morning links.

  • The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson.  Insert your own punchline in the comments.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O’s making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs.
  • Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town.  The Dodgers’ recently reported nibble hasn’t been publicly shot down, so that’s a plus.
  • South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the White Sox could desire for Joe Crede.
  • Jonathan Papelbon wants $900K in his last year before arbitration eligibility.  Ryan Howard set a scary precedent last year.  If Papelbon doesn’t get offered something close, he’d rather make a statement and be renewed near the minimum.
  • Buster Olney suggests Dan Johnson and Doug Mientkiewicz could be possibilities for the Mets in their quest for a backup first baseman.  Olney speculated on Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, and Kevin Millar the day before.
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