Diamondbacks Rumors: Johnson, Winn, Valverde
Some D-Backs tidbits courtesy of Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic..
- The club is still waiting to hear back from Kelly Johnson on the offer they made to him last week – believed to be for about $2MM. Johnson's people told the D-Backs that he has better offers out there, but if all things were equal he'd prefer to play for them.
- Arizona continues to be interested in free agent Randy Winn, but it seems as though Winn is looking to be a starter. While the Diamondbacks can't guarantee him that, Piecoro says that he would likely get a fair amount of at-bats with them.
- The D-Backs remain interested in bringing back Jose Valverde, but at their price. A "scenario the Diamondbacks would consider" would be to offer him a one-year deal at a lower base salary than he is seeking (perhaps in the $5MM range) with a promise not to offer him arbitration after 2010. This way, Valverde could hit the open market unencumbered by draft pick compensation. Piecoro notes that he has "no idea" if Valverde would agree to that.
- While they don't feel as though adding a starting pitcher is a neccessity, Arizona will monitor righty Jose Contreras. The 38-year-old posted a 4.92 ERA with 7.2 K/9 for the White Sox and Rockies last season.
Odds & Ends: Treanor, Barton, Damon, Kelly Johnson
More links as the weekend draws closer…
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. The former Tiger struggled to stay healthy this year.
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Brian Barton to a minor league deal, according to Hernandez. The 27-year-old has hit just .268/.354/.392 in 179 big league plate appearances, all coming in 2008.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson has learned that the Nationals are not interested in Johnny Damon because they're trying to improve their defense.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that Damon has some interest in signing with the Braves. The outfielder would have to be willing to take a pay cut to join the club, in O'Brien's opinion.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs have made Kelly Johnson an offer. The details aren't clear, but Piecoro guesses it's a one-year deal worth $2MM.
- Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti said that any talks with Cincinnati are "all but dead," according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Yesterday we heard the two teams were exploring an Aaron Harang trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers, Giants and Royals have interest in Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners may be the favorites to sign Cust.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com hears that Jose Contreras is narrowing his options down and preparing to sign. His agent says "there are some interesting opportunities in the bullpen."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says that with his options dwindling, Miguel Tejada might have to slide over to third to be rewarded with a contract.
- Claudio Vargas' deal with the Brewers is worth $900K, says Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. The righty could also earn another $400K in incentives.
- O'Brien mentions that Adam LaRoche said there's been no contact from the Braves that he knows of. Earlier we learned that some teams were put off by LaRoche's asking price.
- Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres have named Jaron Madison scouting director. Madison spent the last two years working as the assistant scouting director in St. Louis.
- Venezuelan reporter Efrain Zavarce says that Kelvim Escobar has signed with…a Venezuelan Winter League team. He'll pitch in relief tomorrow, and the Rays will have someone in attendance.
Odds & Ends: Lowe, Bay, Gonzalez
News and notes from around the big leagues tonight…
- Derek Lowe tells MLB.com's Mark Bowman that he doesn't expect to be back in Atlanta in 2010 and feels rather disrespected by being put on the trade market just a year after signing with the Braves: "I would have never even considered going there if I knew that ultimately this was going to happen."
- The Providence Journal's Joe McDonald considers Theo Epstein's comments from the Mike Cameron press conference to be a virtual farewell to Jason Bay's time in Boston.
- As if the Mike Gonzalez and Garrett Atkins signings weren't enough, the Orioles also "made a pretty good run" at trading for Adrian Gonzalez at the winter meetings, tweets ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.
- Scott Merkin of MLB.com is reporting (via Twitter) that Jason Botts has been given an invitation to spring training by the White Sox. Botts played in Japan last season after posting a .230/.325/.344 line in 326 plate appearances with Texas from 2005 to 2008.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (via Twitter) quoted Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as saying "Right now, it doesn't look good," in regards to Chan Ho Park re-signing with Philadelphia.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark talks with Baseball America's John Manuel about how the Phillies' farm system looks in the wake of the big Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee deal.
- Jose Contreras wanted a three-year contract from the Rockies, but the club "didn't bite," reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Harding notes that Colorado may have to wait to see what happens with Rafael Betancourt's possible arbitration case before they can make a move toward signing relievers like Contreras or Joe Beimel.
- If the Nationals can't sign any relief help, they will move a willing Collin Balester into the bullpen, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Jake Westbrook seems fit after his stint Puerto Rican Winter League, reports MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. It was rumored that the Tribe would have been in the market for a veteran starter (maybe Carl Pavano) to anchor their staff had Westbrook suffered a setback from his Tommy John surgery in 2008.
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Lowell, Mariners
Links for Saturday…
- Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox made a big mistake by letting Alex Gonzalez go to Toronto. I can't say I'd be too upset if my team let a guy with a 78 career OPS+ go, no matter how good his defense was.
- ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes writes that even if the Red Sox eat a big chunk of Mike Lowell's contract, they'll still have trouble trading him because of all the third base options on the free agent market.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times wrote about all of the flexibility Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik has going into the winter meetings.
- Meanwhile, Larry Stone at The Seattle Times wouldn't be surprised to see Kevin Towers end up with the Mariners because of his relationship with Zduriencik.
- Lynn Henning of The Detroit News guesses that the Tigers will offer arbitration to Placido Polanco, Fernando Rodney, and Brandon Lyon before Tuesday's midnight deadline. Polanco is a Type-A free agent, Rodney and Lyon are both Type-B's.
- The sale is complete and the Ricketts family has assumed control of the Cubs, according to David Roeder of The Chicago Sun Times.
- The deadline for the sale of another team, the Rangers, passed more than a week ago, but owner Tom Hicks hasn't indicated what happened, or how many groups actually made a pitch, according to Barry Shlachter of The Star Telegram.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news that Jose Contreras has one less suitor in Japan. Meanwhile, Ryo Shinkawa writes that Hiroshima is looking into signing Giancarlo Alvarado, who pitched with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate last season, posting a 3.49 ERA.
- The best bet for the Red Sox to fill their need at shortstop might be to make a trade, says Tyler Hissey of MVN.com. Hissey suggests that Reid Brignac, Stephen Drew, and Yunel Escobar could be had via trade, but would cost the BoSox a pretty penny.
- Steve Melewski of MASN Sports says that the Orioles can find their next closer in-house. Recently, we learned that the O's are one of eight teams interested in free agent Billy Wagner.
Odds & Ends: Johnson, Cabrera, Mets, Contreras
Here's some discount links on Black Friday…
- ESPN's Keith Law notes that the Marlins have a history of moving players early, and says that they could land two big league ready players and two Double-A prospects for Josh Johnson.
- There's no evidence to suggest that the Red Sox have approached the Tigers about a trade for Miguel Cabrera according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
- Bob Klapisch of FoxSports.com writes that it'll take more than one offseason to get the Mets back on track.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe says that next week's arbitration deadline will have a big impact on the Red Sox, and wonders if GM Theo Epstein has a trade for a shortstop in mind.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says a marriage between the Diamondbacks and free agent Nick Johnson seems unlikely because the team has a little more than $10MM to spend and more pressing needs in the rotation.
- Jose Contreras met with officials from the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League, according to the AP (via NBCSports.com).
- SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that Jermaine Dye would like to go west, and suggests that he could be an alternative righty bat for the Rangers.
- Heyman also hears that the Blue Jays like Jesus Montero of the Yankees and Casey Kelly of the Red Sox, referring of course to a potential Roy Halladay trade.
- FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry takes a look at some free agents teams should avoid.
- R.J. Anderson at FanGraphs chimes on three recent moves: Dallas McPherson to the A's, Tug Hulett to the Red Sox, and Radhames Liz to the Padres.
Contreras Considering Move To Japan?
According to Japan's Nikkan Sports, via Patrick Newman's NPB Tracker, free agent right-hander Jose Contreras may be seriously considering a move to Japan.
Contreras is heading across the Pacific next week to set his 16-year-old son up in a Japanese high school exchange program. He might also be looking for a new employer, Contreras, 37, posted a 4.92 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a 106/53 K/BB ratio in 23 starts (131 2/3 innings) during the 2009 season. His fastball averaged 92 MPH, according to FanGraphs.
Japan's Sanspo ran a report last week claiming that Contreras reached out to the Hanshin Tigers, and a source with the team said (translation via NPB Tracker), "It seems like he wants to play in Japan. We’ve already decided against it, but it’s not 100%,” later adding, “(Contreras) seems like he would be quite inexpensive, so there will probably be other teams that show interest.” Contreras may or may not have the stuff to compete in Japan, but keep in mind the Yokohama BayStars rejected Sammy Sosa when he offered to sign in 2006 for a measly $500K. Of course, that was after he hit .221/.295/.376 for Baltimore.
Rockies Decline Option On Rafael Betancourt
The Rockies declined their $5.4MM club option on reliever Rafael Betancourt, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post he'll continue to negotiate with Betancourt.
Betancourt, 35 in April, found the NL to his liking after coming over in a trade with the Indians. He posted a 1.78 ERA with 29 strikeouts and five walks in 25.3 innings for the Rockies. Betancourt is a Type A free agent, and if he gets to December 1st unsigned it'll be interesting to see if the Rockies offer arbitration. Other teams would find Betancourt much less appealing with a draft pick cost attached. Troy Renck of the Denver Post feels that the Rockies will offer, as does Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies.
Saunders also mentions that the Rockies will "explore re-signing" Jose Contreras and Joe Beimel.
Tigers Join Aroldis Chapman Chase
9:42pm: MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers have confirmed interest in Chapman.
Tom Moore, Detroit's Director of International Scouting, said to Beck: "We're basically just at the interest level. Because of the nature, I think it's a situation where they're going to take the time to allow clubs to spend some time with the player and see who he is."
8:18pm: Add the Detroit Tigers to the list of teams in pursuit of Aroldis Chapman, according to a report by Melissa Segura in SI.com.
Segura writes that "several industry sources expect Chapman will command more than the $32 million the Yankees paid Cuban right-hander Jose Contreras in 2002."
Speaking of the Yankees, Chapman was a guest of the team for Game 6 of the ALCS, writes Jon Heyman.
And the Blue Jays new GM, Alex Anthopoulos, has concluded that it is "not realistic" to sign Chapman, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
"We don't have enough background and scouting looks to make a proper offer," Anthopoulos wrote in an e-mail. "Going forward, these will be the types of things we will be more proactive with. I think the way the Red Sox pursued [Daisuke Matsuzaka] is a great model. They were doing homework on him for years."
Rockies Notes: Marquis, Betancourt, Giambi
Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies examines Colorado's commitments for 2010, and the decisions they'll face regarding potential free agents and arbitration cases. Here are a few of his thoughts:
- Jason Marquis has said he wants to sign with the Mets and likely won't be back in Colorado.
- There's a good chance that lefty Alan Embree will retire.
- Jose Contreras is interested in returning in a middle relief capacity, but Matt Belisle is a younger option for the team in that role.
- The club would like to retain Rafael Betancourt, but his contract would have to be reworked. Betancourt has a $5.4MM club option for 2010.
- Behind the plate, Chris Iannetta will be back as the starter. Yorvit Torrealba could return as Ianetta's backup, but probably not for more than $1MM.
- The team may not have room for Jason Giambi, instead opting to use his roster spot on a right-handed hitter who can play both infield corners.
- Righty relievers Juan Rincon and Matt Herges could receive minor-league invites.
Rockies Rumors: Betancourt, Marquis, Hawpe
With the Rockies' 2009 season over, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post is already discussing 2010. Here's the latest:
- Look for GM Dan O'Dowd to receive a new contract soon. O'Dowd will then attempt to re-sign manager Jim Tracy.
- Rafael Betancourt has a steep $5.4MM club option for 2010. The reliever wants to return, and Renck finds it possible. He says catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who has a $4MM mutual option, is less certain to remain with the team.
- The Rockies are expected to let free agent starter Jason Marquis leave and replace him with Jeff Francis. Presumably the Rockies will not offer arbitration to Marquis, a probable Type B free agent. Jason Giambi, Jose Contreras, and Joe Beimel are possibilities to re-sign.
- Renck sees Garrett Atkins as a trade or non-tender candidate. It wouldn't make much sense for a team to acquire Atkins prior to the non-tender deadline in mid-December.
- Renck considers right fielder Brad Hawpe a trade candidate given the Rockies' outfield depth. Hawpe will earn $7.5MM in 2010, but he can void his $10MM option for 2011 if traded. During the last four seasons, Hawpe has posted OBPs of .381 or better and SLGs of .498 or better. The knock is that he can't hit lefties, but he did a tolerable job against them in 2008-09. The other knock against Hawpe is his subpar defense. He still might fit with the Cubs or Mets, in my opinion.