By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
In an e-mail to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune, White Sox GM Kenny Williams denied that there’s anything to yesterday’s rumor that the White Sox are talking with the Rangers about a deal that would send Michael Young to Chicago in exchange for Jermaine Dye and Aaron Poreda.
Williams wrote that he "would not waste time" debunking the rumor, implying that there’s nothing to it.
He also denied interest in former Sox starter Jon Garland, who’s now a free agent.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal.
By Tim Dierkes | at
A couple of Brewers rumors were denied by GM Doug Melvin today.
First up, Ken Rosenthal’s suggestion that the Brewers "are interested in Derek Lowe, but only at a modest price." Melvin said, "We’re not in on him." Next, Nick Cafardo’s rumor that the Brewers are "big on" Mark Mulder. Melvin: "I really haven’t contacted his guy."
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy says the Brewers are not particularly interested in Oliver Perez or Jon Garland, but could re-sign Ben Sheets.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The latest from Yahoo’s Tim Brown…
By Tim Dierkes | at
10:20pm: Newsday’s Ken Davidoff learned tonight that the Mets "do not intend to raise their three-year, $36MM offer to [Lowe] at this time." The Mets don’t feel that they have serious competition for Lowe, for some reason. Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf remain the alternatives.
8:28am: According to Kat O’Brien of Newsday, "negotiations are expected to heat up for righthander Derek Lowe" this week for the Mets, who reportedly offered three years and $36MM (though Scott Boras indicated yesterday the proposal was never made). Jon Heyman said recently that Lowe didn’t take this offer seriously; he’s aiming for a $16MM salary. Heyman named the Phillies, Braves, Red Sox, Brewers, and Angels as possible suitors, with the last three more on the speculative side.
Mark Bowman doesn’t believe the Braves are willing to top the Mets’ reported offer, though. In another article, Bowman suggested Jon Garland and Andy Pettitte are more likely options.
By Tim Dierkes | at
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest hot stove info on the Braves.
By Steve Adams | at
Regis Courtemanche of Metsblog.com has a guest blog up at Newsday, discussing the Mets’ backup plans should they fail to sign Derek Lowe.
The Mets have expressed interest in Oliver Perez, Randy Wolf, and Jon Garland. Courtemanche’s first choice is Wolf.
Wolf posted similar numbers to Perez last year, and Perez is represented by Scott Boras, and will be asking for more years and money than Wolf. Additionally, Wolf is represented by the same agent – Arn Tellem – as Francisco Rodriguez, and is already on good terms with Omar Minaya.
Is not giving Lowe the money he wants really worth the drop-off in quality you might get with any of the backup plans though? Courtemanche doesn’t think so, especially because not going after Lowe leads to the possibility of him landing with the Braves or Phillies, which would harm the Mets even further.
Courtemanche also wonders why there has been no interest shown in Ben Sheets:
His susceptibility to injury is probably why, most notably the shoulder problems he incurred in 2006. Nevertheless, Sheets is much better than any of the above mentioned alternatives since he allows fewer homers, earned runs, and walks. Plus, his five complete games were third in the majors behind Roy Halladay, and his former teammate, C.C. Sabathia. Worth a second look if you ask me.
By Tim Dierkes | at
David Lennon of Newsday talked to Mets GM Omar Minaya, who expects his pursuit of a starting pitcher to be drawn out. Minaya suggested it could be resolved by mid-January.
The Mets have a three-year, $36MM offer out to Derek Lowe and have made other offers as well. It’s been suggested the Mets will top out around three years and $40MM. In a report yesterday, Tony Massarotti said the Mets and Lowe discussed two proposals last week: a four-year deal and a three-year contract with a vesting option. Massarotti suggests the Mets entered the bidding with a weak offer because Lowe has no other suitor in the Northeast. If the Mets don’t improve the offer much, it’ll be a test of how much geography matters to Lowe. Though not in Lowe’s preferred geographic region, Gerry Fraley considers the Braves in the mix for him.
Oliver Perez is next in line for Omar Minaya, though Lennon believes his future is linked to Lowe’s. If neither Boras client can be signed, Randy Wolf and Jon Garland become the targets. Pedro Martinez remains a possibility as well. The plan is nice and all, but other teams need starting pitching too and may start signing these guys in the next few weeks.
By Tim Dierkes | at
4:28pm: A very Dodgers-centric day here at MLBTR. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports that in addition to Dunn, the Dodgers will soon open up talks with Bobby Abreu. They’d like to move Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre if they sign an outfielder.
Gurnick adds that pitching is Ned Colletti’s priority – the Dodgers are eyeing Jon Garland, Randy Wolf, and relief help.
1:46pm: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Dodgers contacted Adam Dunn’s agent over the holidays to express interest. If the Dodgers sign Dunn, Manny Ramirez could be in a really bad place. Other teams showing interest in Dunn: the Cubs, Nationals, Mariners, and Orioles. All five teams have surfaced in prior reports, with the Brewers also getting a mention while they were mulling a Mike Cameron trade.
There was a report nine days ago stating that the Cubs are Dunn’s first choice. Today Stark puts it this way: "The Cubs had believed to be his top choice before the Dodgers entered the mix."
By Tim Dierkes | at
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman, non-Teixeira department…
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