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Jason Bay

Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:

  • The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
  • Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
  • There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
  • The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
  • The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
  • At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.

Bay Rejects Boston’s Offer

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Jason Bay rejected a contract offer from the Red Sox worth close to $60MM over four years, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. We've heard for a while that Bay wants to test the free agent market, and so have the Red Sox.

"It's not a surprise that a player that's gone this far wants to see what's out there,'' GM Theo Epstein said.

Bay will hit the open market in 12 hours, along with John Lackey, Matt Holliday and the rest of this year's free agents. Heyman says the Red Sox are thought to have interest in Holliday as well as Bay.

Epstein told a group of reporters including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that there's no firm timetable for signing Bay.

"This part of the process is important to him, so he’ll see what it’s like, see what’s out there and ultimately make a decision,” Epstein said.

Francona Speaks About Red Sox Offseason Topics

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Red Sox manager Terry Francona was on WEEI's Dale & Holley earlier today (audio here, transcript courtesy of Alex Speier here), and spoke about a variety of Red Sox offseason topics. Let's round it all up…

  • The team is currently interviewing candidates for openings in their coaching staff. Bench coach Brad Mills has since moved on to take over as Astros' skipper.
  • Francona hopes the team re-signs Jason Bay, but he acknowledges that he's going to have other options. "You know we’re going to be a major player. We always are."
  • He also thinks Bay won't drag out his decision until mid January.
  • Francona says he has gone on free agent recruiting trips before, most notably to speak to John Smoltz and Mark Teixeira.
  • Whenever GM Theo Epstein talks to him, Francona always tells him to get a pitcher.
  • The team has met with John Lackey's agent, and Francona considers him "one of the best." He also notes that you're talking about a lot of years when committing to a player like that.
  • Francona acknowledged that Alex Gonzalez stabilized the shortstop position, but "you look at that .310 on-base percentage, for a full year, if that’s what you’re going to go with, you’ve got to recoup that somewhere else."

Francona also spoke about how they mix stats and scouting, and how they "try to look at both and make good decisions."

Cardinals: Bay Not A Priority

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has some interesting information concerning the Cardinals and their winter moves.

Matt Holliday is still tops on the agenda, of course, but though many observers figured Jason Bay would be Plan 1A, St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said that wasn't the case.

"We'll see how the market develops," Mozeliak told Strauss. "Is (Jason Bay) a possibility? Sure. But right now it's fair to say he's not one of our top priorities."

According to Strauss, a greater reliance on defensive metrics has redefined St. Louis' interest in Bay, who is a far worse defensive player than Holliday by nearly any statistical measure. Therefore, it isn't a surprise that the Cardinals are reluctant to top the four years and $64MM Strauss says is likely a starting point for bidding on Bay.

In addition to free agent options, the Cardinals retain interest in both Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham of the Nationals.

On the pitching side, Mozeliak has stayed in touch with the agent for John Smoltz, but Strauss says there are other options St. Louis will pursue first.

Odds & Ends: Morillo, Bay, Cabrera, Gonzalez

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Some links to read before the weekend draws to a close…

Cafardo On Cabrera, Penny, Upton

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In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the differing opinions on this year's free agent market and passes on some info from around the majors. The highlights:

  • One National League GM on the top players in this year's free agent class: "[Matt Holliday] won’t get what Mark Teixeira got. No chance. [John] Lackey may get A.J. Burnett money, but I’m not even sure anyone would go that high."
  • A separate source tells Cafardo that many teams will wait out the market this winter, potentially resulting in a few bargains for thrifty teams later in the offseason.
  • Cafardo wonders if the Detroit Tigers would entertain trade offers for Miguel Cabrera, who will make $20MM next season. If so, Cafardo thinks the Red Sox would get involved.
  • The Seattle Mariners believe they're very close to contending, which will mean hanging on to Felix Hernandez and pursuing players like Lackey and Jason Bay this offseason.
  • The San Francisco Giants are interested in bringing back Brad Penny.
  • Cafardo says it "isn't far-fetched" that the Rays could deal B.J. Upton. He suggests Upton's availability will depend on Carl Crawford's future with the team, or lack thereof.

Odds & Ends: Lackey, Bay, Matsui, Wilson

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Some links to start off your weekend…

  • Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are just doing their due diligence by touching base with John Lackey's agent, reminding us that they also spoke to CC Sabathia's and A.J. Burnett's representatives last offseason.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier breaks down Joe Urbon's pitch for his client, free agent outfielder Jason Bay.
  • Hideki Matsui acknowledged that he'd be disappointed if he didn't return to the Yankees, according to Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News. Godzilla says that his agent Arn Tellem is taking care of the situation, but he doesn't think the two sides have had any discussions yet.
  • ESPN's Rob Neyer says that Jack Wilson's defense is definitely worth the $10MM the Mariners gave him yesterday.
  • Steve Slowinski at DRays Bay goes back and evaluates the deal that brought Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist to Tampa in exchange for Aubrey Huff.
  • Edgardo Alfonzo still thinks he could be valuable utility player and has two or three years of baseball left, according to The NY Post's Kevin Kernan. The 36-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006.

Odds & Ends: Bonds, Bay, Astros, Mulder

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Another stash of links for the afternoon…

  • FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal says Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will have to be creative to keep the team competitive in both the short and long-term.
  • Contrary to a report last month, Yahoo's Tim Brown says former Mets executive Tony Bernazard is not working for Scott Boras.
  • Brown talked to Barry Bonds' agent Jeff Borris, who said he has not filed retirement papers because Bonds is "not retired – he was run out of the game."
  • WEEI's Alex Speier talked to Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon, who said "interest has been well distributed between the two leagues."
  • Astros GM Ed Wade spoke to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about his unsettled bullpen situation.
  • Dialogue has continued between the Brewers and Mark Mulder's agent Gregg Clifton, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a report indicating the Braves are interested in 36 year-old Japanese righty Hidetaka Kawagoe.

Mariners Rumors: Matsui, Lackey, Harden

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In his latest article, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times examines some names that have been linked to the Mariners, and speculates on how likely each player is to end up in Seattle. Let's take a look at some of his thoughts….

  • If Hideki Matsui were to leave New York, Stone doesn't expect the designated hitter to sign with the Mariners. Seattle would prefer a DH that could play the field occasionally, which Matsui probably can't do.
  • How aggressively the Mariners pursue John Lackey will depend on the market. If Lackey could be had at a reasonable price, Stone anticipates the team making "a big push."
  • Rich Harden heading back west to the AL West "has legs," according to Stone. He views Harden as a worthwhile gamble this winter, and one the Mariners could look into.
  • If the team's pursuit of Lackey, Harden, or other higher-profile pitching targets fell through, Doug Davis could be a cheaper option.
  • Among the free agents Stone doesn't see the Mariners being major players for: Jason Bay, Orlando Hudson, and Jarrod Washburn.
  • Stone also doesn't buy into the Lyle Overbay rumors.

Olney On Ausmus, Carroll, Prior, Penny

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A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Via Twitter, Olney's heard from other teams that the Reds would love to move closer Francisco Cordero.  Of course, closers are plentiful and Cordero is set to earn $25MM over the next two years.  I mentioned in our Reds Offseason Outlook that the team would have to eat half of that to make him mildly appealing.  Similarly, the Indians would definitely listen on Kerry Wood, who is set to earn $20MM over the next two years.
  • Olney believes other teams could join the Reds and Tigers in cost-cutting mode.  He says the teams with payroll space "will be in position to make some excellent deals."
  • Olney finds it unlikely that Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, or John Lackey will receive a $100MM contract.
  • Catcher Brad Ausmus on 2010: "I could end up playing if somebody wants me."
  • The A's are interested in free agent infielder Jamey Carroll. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets that the Dodgers and at least seven other teams are also interested in Carroll.
  • Mark Prior is throwing on flat ground and plans to audition for scouts.  Prior, 29, most recently had shoulder surgery in June.
  • The Giants are attempting to re-sign Brad Penny, who lost 12 pounds since the end of the season.
  • Olney wonders if the Royals will dump more players before the December 12th non-tender deadline.  I think Mike Jacobs, John Buck, and John Bale fit the bill.
  • Olney's heard that the Phillies "will be aggressive in signing a set-up man/closer safety net," with Brad Lidge having flexor tendon surgery.
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