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Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers

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They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…

  • David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
  • With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.

Odds & Ends: Chen, Mets, White Sox

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An action-packed set of links for Wednesday…

  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report about MLB teams, the Cubs included, watching Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's last start.  It's possible Chen will be a free agent after the season.  The Taiwanese southpaw has a 1.45 ERA this year and would be in high demand.
  • MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone does not believe the team will non-tender starter John Maine after the season.  Maine, coming back from a shoulder injury, may start Sunday.
  • SNY's Ted Berg says this is a terrible time to trade Jose Reyes.
  • R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay sees a trade more likely than a non-tender for catcher Dioner Navarro.
  • Over at FanGraphs, Anderson notes that Kiko Calero (10.8 K/9) is a "nice sleeper candidate" among free agent relievers.  Calero's strikeout rate ranks behind only Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Rich Harden, and Octavio Dotel among free agent pitchers with at least 40 innings.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck the Magglio Ordonez vesting option situation "speaks for itself."  23 more plate appearances for Maggs, and the Tigers have him at $18MM for 2010.
  • Among the topics in Mark Gonzales' Chicago Tribune White Sox mailbag: the Brandon Allen–Tony Pena swap and the possibility of the Sox pursuing Chone Figgins.  In another article, Gonzales notes that Ozzie Guillen wants Freddy Garcia ($1MM club option) as his fifth starter next year.
  • Jack Curry of the New York Times has the story on the Newark Bears, and independent league club that has chosen to stock its roster with recognizable former big leaguers trying to claw their way back to the Show.
  • An AL scout told Tom Krasovic "Oakland got smoked" in the Scott Hairston trade.  The Padres received pitchers Sean Gallagher, Ryan Webb, and Craig Italiano in the July 5th trade (Gallagher was named later).
  • WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox announced the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major League deal beginning next year (it's worth $8.25MM).

Gammons’ Latest: Iglesias, Magglio, Valentine

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In his latest blog post at ESPN, Peter Gammons writes that the NL West has quietly become very competitive thanks to three California pitcher's parks that make it such a pitching dominated division. Through the help of scouts and team executives, he points out all the great young talent in the division, highlighted by the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Pablo Sandoval, Troy Tulowitzki, and Mark Reynolds.

Here's a roundup of Gammons' rumors…

  • Gammons jokes that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti "could be arrested for shoplifting," because in the last two seasons he's acquired Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, George Sherrill, Jon Garland, Jim Thome, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ronnie Belliard, and Vicente Padilla while paying them approximately $2.7MM combined.
  • The Red Sox will get their first look at Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who they signed for $8.5MM back in July, in the Arizona Fall League. Gammons spoke to an NL GM who said he would have given Iglesias $12MM if his team could afford it, because "Our scouts say he's the best defensive shortstop they've ever seen."
  • If you're interested, you can see the full Arizona Fall League rosters here.
  • Jim Leyland was never told anything about benching Magglio Ordonez so his $18MM option in 2010 wouldn't vest. "He's going to make it," Leyland says. "So anyone who said otherwise has egg on his face. Dave Dombrowski has never even mentioned the vesting option." Ordonez needs just 35 more plate appearances this season to lock in the option.
  • Bobby Valentine's name was mentioned by Nationals' ownership during every interview they hosted while searching for a permanent GM, so he might be in the mix for their managerial job.

Odds And Ends: Twins, Iglesias, Rockies

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More links to read through as the second half gets underway…

  • Which AL teams have the easiest route to the playoffs? ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Twins have a favorable schedule from here on.
  • Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus has the details on the Jose Iglesias deal. The Red Sox awarded the slick-fielding shortstop a $3MM bonus and will pay the remainder of his $8.25MM deal over the next four years.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Rockies need to fortify their bullpen before the end of the month. 
  • Tune in to The Big 1070 at 3:25 CST and Team 1380 in St. Louis at 6:20 CST, as I'll be talking trades on both stations.

Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Francoeur, Halladay, Angels

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We managed to find some rumors in between all of the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter coverage this morning. Congrats to Jonathan, hopefully Juan Uribe will be buying him a very big and expensive steak dinner. Or ten. On to the links…

  • ESPN's Keith Law doesn't like the Yuniesky Betancourt trade for the Royals, saying he might be the worst everyday player in the big leagues.
  • David Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to send a message by acquiring Jeff Francoeur, but it's "more like a gentle poke than a full-blown shake-up."
  • SI's Jon Heyman tweets that he'd include the struggling Joba Chamberlain in a package for Roy Halladay "no problem."
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure writes that the Angels efforts on the international market stalled this year after the firing of international scouting supervisor Clay Daniels, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his part in the bonus-skimming scandal. Arangure also has notes on several other big name international signees, including Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who received $8.2MM from the Red Sox.
  • MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on 940 ESPN Radio at 10am CST this morning talking rumors. Click the link to give a listen.

Red Sox Agree To Terms With Cuban SS

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The Red Sox have agreed to sign Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a deal worth over $8MM, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. We heard that the Red Sox were close to signing the defensive phenom a week ago, but it looks like the agreement is complete, though an official announcement isn't expected until later in the month.

Iglesias, 19, has drawn comparisons to Ozzie Smith for his glove-work and while scouts don't love his hitting, he should bat will enough to become a major league regular, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus.

Red Sox In Serious Talks With Cuban SS

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The Red Sox are in serious talks to sign Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias for about $8MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. No deal is complete, but Heyman's sources are optimistic that the sides will agree. Iglesias, who is listed as 19, defected from Cuba last year. Scouts rave about Iglesias' defense, comparing him to defensive whiz Ozzie Smith. In spite of his "deluxe" hands and arm, some question how much he'll hit. 

However, Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus wrote last month that most scouts believe Iglesias will hit enough to be a major league regular. While his hitting "leaves a bit to be desired," McDaniel confirms that Iglesias has unusually impressive defensive skills.

It's also worth noting that as recently as a couple weeks ago the Yankees were mentioned constantly as a possible suitor for the young infielder.

Arguellez, Iglesias Declared Free Agents

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SUNDAY, 4:52pm: Baseball Prospectus' Kiley McDaniel explains the situation at greater length.  The two Cubans are free to sign with any club, but not before thorough background checks are administered.

FRIDAY, 5:02pm: According to John Manuel of Baseball America, Cuban defectors Noel Arguellez and Jose Iglesias have been declared free agents by Major League Baseball after clearing the unblocking process. Both players defected while in Canada last July for the World Junior Championships.

Arguellez is a 19-yr old lefthanded pitcher that Manuel says has drawn Francisco Liriano comparisons. Iglesias, also 19, is said to be a shortstop in the Orlando Cabrera mold. Jamie Torrez, the agent for both players, says he has been contacted by several teams already, but did not speculate on any bonus demands.

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