Odds and Ends: El Duque, Tazawa, Ausmus
Links for Tuesday. Be sure to check back on Odds and Ends posts, as I update them throughout the day with minor links.
- The Jays may no longer have A.J. Burnett under contract, but they continued their claiming frenzy by adding pitcher Les Walrond.
- The A’s re-hired Jason Giambi‘s strength coach. Does it mean anything?
- The Cardinals remain intrigued by the idea of bringing Edgar Renteria back.
- The Dodgers bought out catcher Gary Bennett for $50K; he’s a free agent now.
- Mike Cameron thinks C.C. Sabathia has a good chance of re-signing with the Brewers. He says Sabathia could be a pioneer by taking less money to stay.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Orlando Hernandez is working out and intends to play next year. He did not pitch in the Majors at all this year due to foot injuries.
- Dylan Hernandez chatted with Scott Boras last week.
- The New York Daily News discusses Baseball Prospectus’ Nate Silver, whose political website is immensely popular.
- Patrick Newman points out that Junichi Tazawa will not be the first Japanese amateur to sign with an MLB team.
- Buster Olney says Brad Ausmus wants to play in 2009 if it’s close to his San Diego home. The Dodgers could be one possibility.
Latest Yankees Info
Peter Abraham was in on the Brian Cashman briefing; his blog posts can be found here and here.
- Option decisions are due on Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano, and Damaso Marte by November 14th. The only uncertainty is with Marte’s $6MM option. George King reported yesterday that the Yankees are unlikely to exercise it. Abraham says Cashman indicated that Marte could be signed to a new contract if the option is declined. I imagine it’d take multiple years to entice him.
- There have been no conversations between the Yankees and Bobby Abreu‘s agents. Abreu is looking for a three-year deal, so he’ll probably be cashed in for draft picks.
- Center field is not considered a priority; the Yanks like their in-house options.
- Cashman wants to acquire two starters; right now he considers Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain his rotation.
- Eric Milton and Victor Zambrano are free agents again.
Yankees Rumors: Mussina, Giambi, Teixeira
George King of the New York Post has a handful of Yankees rumors this morning.
- Mike Mussina‘s agent, Arn Tellem, will travel to his client’s Pennsylvania home this week to talk about the pitcher’s future. The general vibe is that Moose will retire, but he may file for free agency after the World Series to keep his options open. I imagine the Yankees would like to resolve this quickly. Currently, GM Brian Cashman is not counting on Mussina.
- Tellem told King that Jason Giambi would like to stay in New York if they’ll have him. While it may not be the ideal solution, 30 home run bats are rare and it’s worth considering.
- King says the Yankees "haven’t been wild" so far about chasing Mark Teixeira. Tex hasn’t even filed for free agency yet, so there’s still plenty of time to get wild.
- The Yankees are counting on a healthy Jorge Posada behind the dish in ’09.
A’s Chatter: Ellis, Giambi
A few notes from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:
- Mark Ellis‘s deal is for two years with a third year option; it could be worth close to $20MM. He came at a discount due to his shoulder injury this year. He would’ve been a bargain regardless; the market continues to undervalue defense in some ways. Tom Tango goes as far as to say the players union should be having a fit over Ellis’ new deal.
- Just like he was open to Barry Bonds, third baseman Eric Chavez would like to see the A’s sign Jason Giambi. Speaking of Bonds – John Shea doesn’t buy the idea that he’d play for the minimum.
Heyman’s Latest: Yankees Offseason Plans
The latest column by Jon Heyman of SI.com is full of all kinds of Yankees notes:
- They will pursue a top-of-the-rotation starter, and yes, C.C. Sabathia is one of them, but the list also includes A.J. Burnett, Jake Peavy, Derek Lowe, and possibly Ben Sheets. As we wrote yesterday, Peavy’s agent said he’d need "a lot of convincing" to approve a deal to the American League.
- According to Heyman the goal is for the Bombers to "secure more than one of them."
- The Yankees have targeted Mark Teixeira but may also take a look at Manny Ramirez (Heyman has mentioned the Manny to the Yankees possibility before, as has Ken Rosenthal).
- Interest in Teixeira almost certainly means that Jason Giambi is not returning in 2009.
- Center field is another position the Yankees hope to fill, but they may go the trade route and Heyman mentions Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy as possible bait.
- If Mike Mussina decides to pitch again in 2009, the Yankees would want him back. A couple of weeks ago, Buster Olney wrote about a "growing sense" that Mussina would be returning for another season.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Holliday, Teixeira, Mussina
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- MetsBlog recognizes that Francisco Rodriguez will improve the team and appease fans, but is not sure he is worth a four or five-year deal.
- Mets Geek projects the Mets ’09 roster and looks at some options from outside the organization with Pat Burrell and Derek Lowe being the biggest offseason targets.
- Was Watching says bringing back Brian Cashman was a mistake.
- River Ave. Blues assesses the Matt Holliday market and feels that Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano for Holliday "doesn’t make much sense."
- Sox and Pinstripes provides an in-depth preview of the upcoming offseasons for the Yankees and Red Sox and wonders if Theo Epstein can convince the Rockies to take J.D. Drew and a top prospect for Matt Holliday.
- iYankees notes that Brian Cashman wants to make the Yankees’ OBP a priority this winter and feels Mark Teixeira fits the bill.
- Oriole Post does not want to see Mike Mussina return to the O’s and would prefer they "stay the course" with young players.
- C70 At The Bat takes a look at the Cardinals’ decision to sign Kyle Lohse and what it could mean for the offseason ahead.
- Viva el Birdos projects the Cardinals ’09 roster and payroll.
- McCovey Chronicles reacts to some quotes from Brian Sabean and what they mean for the Giants’ offseason.
- Newberg Report thinks the price for the Rangers to acquire Jake Peavy would be too high, even if he’d waive his no-trade clause to go there.
- Athletics Nation sees no point in signing Jason Giambi.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Olney’s Latest: Yankees, Cashman, Giambi
A few hot stove notes from ESPN’s Buster Olney…
- Olney heard the Yankees’ 2009 payroll will be in the $180MM range, down $29MM or so from this year.
- The Yankees didn’t need to negotiate dollars with Brian Cashman…it was just a matter of whether he wanted to come back.
- Olney can see Jason Giambi returning to the A’s "if the money can be worked out." Does two years, $20MM sound right? A Giambi signing would either push Daric Barton to the bench or Jack Cust to left field.
Will Yanks Re-Sign Giambi?
According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:
The Yankees have not ruled out a return from Jason Giambi in 2009, and general manager Brian Cashman has already reached out to Giambi to gauge his interest in playing in New York for another season. Giambi said that Cashman told him he would need to figure out his own situation first.
Giambi is finishing up a seven-year, $120MM contract signed in 2001. He has a $22MM option for ’09 with a $5MM buyout. Getting Giambi at one-year, $17MM isn’t that bad, but the Yankees are still expected to take the buyout. They can probably get him back for less, and Giambi would love to stay. However, he has his eye on a multiyear deal and the Yankees probably won’t do that.
Giambi, 38 in January, hit .251/.377/.513 in 551 plate appearances. His defensive numbers at first base grade out poorly, and time will have to be spent at DH. Possible fits: the Angels or Rangers. However, the Rangers may focus on pitching even if Milton Bradley departs. If the Angels lose Mark Teixeira and Garret Anderson, they might have room for Giambi. They reportedly had interest in Giambi in May of last year.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Roberts, Cain
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- One "Yankees person" believes it will take "crazy money" to convince C.C. Sabathia to pitch in New York and in the American League.
- The following three names are being bandied about in the Yankees’ clubhouse for center field next year: Nate McLouth, David DeJesus, and Matt Kemp. DeJesus seems the most reasonable target, though Robinson Cano could be part of a package for Kemp. DeJesus, it should be noted, played a poor center field this year according to the plus/minus system.
- Heyman doesn’t see the Yankees re-signing Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu due to defensive concerns.
- Heyman says the Brewers’ efforts to acquire Brian Roberts were more under the radar than the Cubs’. GM Doug Melvin admitted Roberts’ name came up last spring, as the Orioles "were wanting to get [the Brewers] involved."
- Heyman speculation…could the Giants send Matt Cain and another player to Milwaukee for Prince Fielder, and then sign Sabathia? Or could the Rockies jump into the bidding for C.C.?
Perrotto’s Latest: GMs, Angels, Offseason Moves
John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up, let’s take a look at what he has to say:
- Perrotto believes that there’s a good chance that the only GM change baseball will see this offseason may be the one we already know about, as Pat Gillick has already announced his retirement. Perrotto cites Assitant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as a likely replacement. The most likely other change is in Seattle, and cites Dodgers’ Assistant GM Kim Ng as a possible replacement, which would make her the first female general manager in the game’s history. Perrotto believes Cashman and the Yankees will work something out, though notes that if Cashman leaves, he will ascend to the top of both the Mariners’ and Phillies’ lists.
- Angels’ owner Arte Moreno says that the 2009 club will not exceed the current $123MM payroll. This leaves the Angels with hard decisions on Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Garrett Anderson, Juan Rivera, and Jon Garland. Of all those options, I see Teixeira as the top priority, as well as the most likely to return. Garland and Rivera seem like certainties to be gone, with Garland being one of the more appealing starters on the free agent market.
- The Robinson Cano trade rumors continue, as Perrotto expects the Yankees to make a run at Orlando Hudson. Giving up on Cano seems like a mistake to me, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the expectations he set when he nearly won a batting title in 2006. The Yankees are also not likely to re-sign Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu.
- The Tigers feel they have a good chance at re-signing Freddy Garcia for 2009. Garcia could potentially be a nice rebound candidate in a rotation that desperately needs help. Perrotto mentions that Detroit has considered Derek Lowe as a possibility, but I don’t see how that could work with the Tigers trying to cut payroll at the same time. One thing seems certain: Kenny Rogers will not be pitching for Detroit in 2009.
- The White Sox have removed the nameplate from Joe Crede’s locker. Doesn’t seem like he’ll be back in 2009, not that that’s necessarily a new revelation.
- The Royals/Jeff Francouer rumors continue in Perrotto’s column. It’s been written all over the site, but doesn’t it seem like the Royals should actually be pursuing people who have a career OBP that isn’t lower than several good hitters’ career average?
- The Giants are willing to trade Matt Cain for a solid power hitter in return. Again, I think keeping a rotation headed by Cain and Tim Lincecum for the next few years is a far better option than trading Cain.
- The Pirates have said that the only guarantee for their rotation next season is Paul Maholm. It’s been a rough season for Ian Snell, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot as well, unless they’re not positive he’ll still be with the club.
- The Mariners will likely non-tender Erik Bedard, completing the downward spiral on what has been one of the worst trades in recent history. Bedard will have shoulder surgery and likely miss a good portion of 2009.
- Speaking of disappointing moves: Both Greg Maddux and Kosuke Fukudome are in danger of being left off their respective teams’ postseason rosters.