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Fernando Tatis

Odds & Ends: Tatis, Astros, Ludwick, A’s

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Some links for Friday…

  • Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that the Nationals have put Josh Willingham on the market once again.  If they move the soon-to-be 31-year-old, it could clear the way for Adam Dunn to be moved to the outfield.  Willingham recently avoided arbitration with the Nats, agreeing to a one-year, $4.6MM pact.
  • Mike Puma of the New York Post hears that the Mets could bring Fernando Tatis back if they don't re-sign Carlos Delgado. However, the Mets have not contacted Tatis' agent.
  • The Astros appear unwilling to talk multi-year deals with arbitration-eligible players Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Tim Byrdak, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
  • The Cards and Ryan Ludwick avoided arbitration and agreed on a one-year $5.45MM deal for 2010, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • A's prospect Grant Desme is retiring from baseball to "pursue the priesthood," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Baseball America ranked Desme the club's eighth-best prospect this offseason.
  • Craig Brown of Royals Authority doesn't see why the Royals signed Scott Podsednik if they were going to add Rick Ankiel, too.
  • Tyler Hissey ranks the remaining free agents. Check out our comprehensive free agent list right here.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Mariners have been working on possible deals involving Jose Lopez.
  • Olney says Jim Thome is talking with a few teams.
  • Could the Brewers lock Prince Fielder up to a deal that keeps the first baseman in Milwaukee after the 2011 season? MLB.com's Adam McCalvy asked Brewers GM Doug Melvin if the club might extend Fielder soon and Melvin said: "I don't know the answer to that."
  • Meanwhile, another big left-handed slugger is just looking for a job. Jim Thome remains available, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he's happy to rotate players in and out of the DH spot this year.
  • The Pirates, who are likely done making major moves this offseason, project to have an Opening Day payroll of $35.65MM, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog tweets that the Mets are close to making a deal.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says he's going to "tweak and add" before the season starts, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Beltran, Guzman

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Some links on this Wednesday evening…

  • Yorvit Torrealba could end up with the Giants, according to Chris Haft of MLB.com.  However, Torrealba may prefer to wait until after the weekend to sign with any club as his Venezuelan Winter League team is still active in the postseason.
  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that in addition to Matt Kemp, the Dodgers are talking about multiyear deals with Jonathan Broxton and Andre Ethier. 
  • Carlos Beltran will have to refrain from baseball activities for twelve weeks after having his knee scoped, according to a Mets press release passed along by MetsBlog.  The story was first reported by the New York Post's Joel Sherman (via Twitter).  If all goes well with his rehabilitation, the center fielder should only miss a small amount of games to start the year.
  • Free agent lefty Doug Davis is attracting interest from four teams, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The Twins, Brewers, Mets, and Nationals are all interested in the 34-year-old, who posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.7 K/9 over the last three years in Arizona.
  • Fernando Tatis' agent told Thomas Harding of MLB.com that the Rockies had preliminary discussions with his client earlier this week.  About a week ago, we heard that the Rockies were eyeing the 35-year-old for a bench role.  Also, two major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Mariners are interested as well.
  • Former Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow will audition for at least 16 teams on Friday in Phoenix, according to a report from ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.  The 31-year-old demanded his release from the Rangers back in May.
  • If the Nats are able to sign Orlando Hudson or Adam Kennedy to play second base, Cristian Guzman and his $8MM salary are unlikely to be moved elsewhere, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  Guzman would remain at shortstop, where his agent insists that he is still valuable despite shoulder surgery.
  • Pittsburgh's signing of Ryan Church could pay huge dividends for the club, says ESPN's Rob Neyer.  If Church is healthy and generates interest from other clubs, the Pirates will be able to move him for a more valuable commodity.

Rosenthal On Bell, Tejada, Holliday, Ankiel

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Three or four teams are interested in Padres closer Heath Bell, but the team isn't really looking to move him.  Rosenthal sees Bell getting just $3-4MM in his second arbitration year; that seems light to me.
  • Rosenthal reminds us that the Rockies are eyeing Robb Quinlan and Fernando Tatis as bench candidates.  He wonders, though, if the Rockies, Cardinals, A's, and Cubs could find starting infielders at bargain prices as the offseason wears on.  Rosenthal says Miguel Tejada is looking for two years and $16MM; I can't think of a team that would come close to that.
  • The Cardinals believed Scott Boras might've taken Matt Holliday elsewhere on a one-year deal, though a rival executive believes that was unlikely.
  • The Pirates' interest in Rick Ankiel is obvious – Frank Coonelly has said as much in multiple chats with fans.  A couple of Rosenthal sources were divided on the Bucs' chances of signing Ankiel, who would play right field for them.  The only other known suitor is the Royals.

Beane On Free Agents

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MLB.com's Tom Singer tells us that Billy Beane will focus primarily on short-term free agents this offseason as the club's key minor league players continue to develop:

  • Beane states that while a young third baseman or shortstop would be their first choice to acquire, they can look to free agents to fill the holes. Singer mentions Juan Uribe, Jamey Carroll, Ramon Martinez, Troy Glaus, Mark Loretta, and Fernando Tatis. Ramon Martinez… really? Interesting to see Beane mention a young third baseman after landing Brett Wallace earlier this year.
  • Beane explicitly states that the A's do not plan to be aggressive on the trade market, citing a desire to keep their young players.
  • Beane doesn't plan on holding out to see if the free agent pool expands after the non-tender deadline: "It never turns into the market that we anticipate. People expect more than what is usually delivered in terms of available players." Singer speculates that this is partly posturing though, so as not to cause any other GMs to second-guess their decision to non-tender someone.

Rockies Make Multiyear Offers To Street, Barmes Iannetta

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The Rockies have made multiyear offers to arbitration-eligible players Huston Street, Clint Barmes, and Chris Iannetta, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  The details:

  • The Street negotiations are early, but the Rockies made a three-year offer.  That'd buy out one arbitration year and two free agent years.
  • Renck believes Barmes was offered "two years, with a club option for free agency."  That is, Barmes is already under team control for 2010 and 2011.
  • Iannetta's offer would "carry him to at least free agency."  Iannetta has three years of team control left.  That the Rockies are entertaining a multiyear deal is a vote of confidence despite their pursuit of various veteran free agent backstops.  The agents for Iannetta and Barmes have made counteroffers.
  • Renck says the Rockies will turn to LaTroy Hawkins (again) if Rafael Betancourt turns down their offer of arbitration tonight.  They're backing off on Justin Duchscherer.
  • Utility man targets include Fernando Tatis, Bobby Crosby, Jamey Carroll, and Nick Green.

Mets Do Not Offer Arb To Any Free Agents

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Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (via Twitter) reports that, as, expected, the Mets will not offer arbitration to any of their remaining free agents — Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield, Fernando Tatis, or Elmer Dessens.  Delgado and Tatis are Type B free agents, while Sheffield and Dessens are unranked. 

Hubbuch also tweets that New York is interested in re-signing Delgado to a one-year deal to keep first base occupied while prospect Ike Davis continues to develop.

Discussion: Fernando Tatis

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In 2008, after disappearing from the Major Leagues for some time, Fernando Tatis hooked on with the Mets.  Tatis was a pleasant surprise for the orange and blue, posting .297/.369/.484 in 92 games.  After the season, the Metropolitans rewarded Tatis with a one-year, $1.7MM deal. 

The Dominican utilityman did not perform at quite the same level in '09.  In 379 plate appearances, Tatis recorded a less impressive slash line of .282/.339/.438.  Defensively, he showed that he is still sharp – whether it be in left field, first base or third base.

Tatis, who turns 35 on New Year's Day, will most likely be taking a pay cut on his next deal.  Tatis could be a good fit for the Rangers, who are in need of a right-handed bat.  The Mets may also be interested in retaining him for the right price, as he looked strong down the final stretch of the season (.854 OPS in August-October).

How much would you pay for the versatile veteran?  Should the Mets make a push for him or look elsewhere?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Rangers Mulling Third Base Acquisition

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In the wake of Michael Young's hamstring injury, the Rangers are "considering trade options at third base" according to Evan Grant of D Magazine in a Wednesday article.  Young is aiming to return two weeks from now, so it'd be a short-term upgrade over the current Omar Vizquel/Esteban German combo.  And if the Rangers do overcome their 3.5 game defecit in the AL West, the September acquisition would not be playoff-eligible.

Grant speculates on three potential acquisitions: Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Fernando Tatis.  The problem is that the first two are being well-compensated for their lousy seasons, while Tatis hasn't played third base much in recent years.  ESPN's Buster Olney finds a deal unlikely, but feels that Jamey Carroll might be a nice fit.  One more idea: would a Troy Glaus trade be worth exploring?

Odds & Ends: Nady, Doumit, Boyer

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Links for Tuesday…

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Varitek, Burnett, Teixeira

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Let’s take a look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…

  • River Ave. Blues debates Ben Sheets versus A.J. Burnett and wonders if Sheets will be the better bargain in the end.
  • Detroit Tiger Thoughts shows that Jason Varitek is not a good fit with the Tigers, even in a platoon situation.
  • Fire Brand of the American League lays down several reasons why the Red Sox should avoid signing Teixeira.
  • Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke? sees no downside to the Pirates’ signing of Indian imports Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh.
  • The ’Burgh Blues feels Eric Hinske is an economical fit for the Bucs.
  • Amazin’ Avenue does not see Raul Ibanez as an upgrade for the Mets, suggesting he may not be any better than Fernando Tatis.
  • The Baseball Opinion breaks down what the acquisition of Tyler Lumsden means for the Royals and Astros.
  • Batter’s Box takes a look a recent J.P. Ricciardi quote and the current state of the economy and wonders if the Jays are going to reduce their payroll.
  • Royals Review lists the ten best free agent signings in Royals history, topped by David Cone. Amazingly, four of the signings occurred in the last five seasons.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

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