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Jose Valverde

Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde

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More links for the evening…

Overnight Links: Myers, Castillo, Verlander, Padres

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As we gear up for another long night, here's some links to take a look at if you're still awake:

  • Paul Hagen questions the Phillies' logic when refusing to look at bringing Brett Myers back. The Phils are looking for an inexpensive fifth starter candidate; Myers fits the bill and brings plenty of upside. Do they feel he's just not worth the trouble anymore?
  • Ben Shpigel explains why, in spite of a resurgent season from Luis Castillo, and in spite of the Mets' feeling that his contract is better than that of Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Matthews Jr., they're still looking to move him.
  • Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press feels the Tigers must do whatever it takes to keep Justin Verlander in Detroit for as long as possible. Rosenberg makes the interesting point that with one more dominant season, Verlander could put the Tigers in a similar position that Johan Santana put the Twins, though he concedes that Verlander's not as good. At least not yet.
  • Corey Brock tells us that new Padres GM celebrated his 36th birthday by kicking off the Winter Meetings and fielding calls on about "half a dozen" of his players, including Heath Bell, who could be due as much as $5MM through arbitration. Still, Brock suggests the Padres would prefer to keep Bell.
  • The Phillies payroll for 2010 will likely be around $140MM, says David Murphy. He also quotes Ruben Amaro Jr., implying that Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts.
  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians could look to trade Kerry Wood during the Winter Meetings, but then discusses why it might be smarter to wait until midseason.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart feels that Jose Valverde's probable departure is probably for the best, given the economics of the situation. 
  • Danny Knobler at CBS Sports explains why the Pirates would even bother showing interest in Juan Pierre, whom they were linked to last night.
  • Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times says White Sox GM Kenny Williams declined to comment on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and implies that Hideki Matsui may not be a fit for the South Siders, even if Carlos Quentin moves to right field. Scott Podsednik, however, may still fit.
  • Aaron Gleeman looks at what it means to the Twins to have Carl Pavano back for 2010. Gleeman says Pavano's a better fit than past veteran starters the Twins have tried, as well as a safer bet than signing Jarrod Washburn to multiple years.

Jose Valverde Turns Down Arbitration

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Jose Valverde turned down the Astros' offer of arbitration, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Valverde, a Type A free agent, remains on the open market. If the Astros don't sign him, they'll receive two high draft picks – one from the team that signs Valverde and one supplementary rounder.

Heyman On Mariners, Valverde, Damon

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A look at the latest column from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Aside from Jason Bay and John Lackey, Heyman names Marlon Byrd, Rich Harden, Randy Wolf, and Joel Pineiro as Mariners targets.  That's the first I've heard of Byrd, Wolf, or a Pineiro reunion.  Heyman names the Cubs and Braves as other Byrd suitors.
  • Heyman says "execs expect" Jose Valverde to remain in Houston, whether through accepting arbitration today or just re-signing later.
  • Heyman expects the Yankees to offer about two years and $20MM to Johnny Damon, and otherwise move on to Mike Cameron, Jermaine Dye, Curtis Granderson, or possibly Byrd.

Valverde May Accept Arbitration

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Ken Rosenthal reports that Astros closer Jose Valverde may accept arbitration from the Astros, which could result in $10MM or more for the Type-A free agent.

Valverde was offered arbitration last week with the hopes that he would seek a multi-year deal elsewhere and net the Astros two high draft picks. However, as Rosenthal explains, there are numerous late-inning options on the free agent market and several more available via trade.

Valverde may feel that a one-year deal with Houston is his best bet for 2010. While this would solve the Astros' need for a closer, it could also cripple the team financially — bad news when you've already got limited payroll flexibility in the first place.

After missing over six weeks with a calf injury, Valverde finished the season going a perfect 17 of 17 in save chances after the All-Star Break, with a tidy 1.64 ERA, so it's certainly feasible that other teams will have interest in him. And hey, any guy who's tough enough to finish a game and pick up a save after taking a liner off his face should grab your attention.

Who might Valverde end up with if he rejects arbitration, and at what price?

Orioles Offseason Gameplan

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The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec looks at five key questions for the Orioles as they head into this year's Winter Meetings. He's also got some quotes from Andy MacPhail talking about the Orioles' views on this year's free agent market. Let's go over some highlights:

  • MacPhail states that the O's will be less active at the Winter Meetings than they were in 2008, when they signed Cesar Izturis, traded Ramon Hernandez, and offered a $140MM contract to Mark Teixeira. He does, however, state that when the offseason is said and done, Baltimore will likely have been more active than it was overall last year.
  • Don't expect a major move from Baltimore this week. They don't have a free agent target singled out and will likely wait to see how the market takes shape as time progresses.
  • While they'd like to add an impact hitter, the Orioles are unlikely to pursue names like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, and MacPhail isn't big on the idea of trading his top prospects for short-term fixes. So far, the O's aren't thought to be bidders for veteran outfield/DH types like Jermaine Dye, Hideki Matsui, and Vladimir Guerrero.
  • Luke Scott is likely Baltimore's biggest trade chip. Moving Scott would allow Nolan Reimold to DH while recovering from surgery, and improve defense by getting Felix Pie more at-bats in left field.
  • Ty Wigginton is also mentioned as a trade chip. Zrebiec says the Orioles would have to be overwhelmed by an offer to move Jeremy Guthrie, and have a way to secure two veteran arms to replace him as well.
  • MacPhail would prefer not to sign a closer that will cost their second-round pick, such as Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, or Rafael Soriano. Zrebiec mentions Kevin Gregg as a possibility.
  • The Orioles have had talks with John Lackey's agent, but aren't expected to be serious bidders for the former Halos ace. They'll look at names like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, and Erik Bedard instead.
  • After Radhames Liz was claimed by the Padres, Baltimore found themselves with an open spot on its 40-man roster. MacPhail would prefer to give a homegrown player a shot rather than make a Rule 5 selection, unless he's convinced that the Rule 5 Draft offers something that their minor league clubs currently don't have.

Astros Rumors: Pitching Targets, Valverde, Tejada

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Houston Astros Senior Director of Digital Media Alyson Footer invited her Twitter followers to participate in a Q&A with Astros GM Ed Wade. The exchange resulted in too many tweets to individually link them all, but check out her Twitter account for some quotes from the conversation. Here are a few points of interest:

  • If the team cannot retain Jose Valverde and/or LaTroy Hawkins, Wade notes that there are other back-of-the-bullpen options out there. He says the club would prefer to have Valverde return as their closer, but mentions Fernando Rodney, Kevin Gregg, Rafael Soriano, and Mike Gonzalez as potential alternatives.
  • The Astros will "proceed with caution" when it comes to pursuing pitchers like Ben Sheets, who have questionable injury histories. Wade pointed to Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz as cautionary tales.
  • Wade doesn't expect to have a whole lot of money to commit to any starting pitching additions, given the other holes the team needs to fill.
  • The GM singles out Randy Wolf as one starter who is "probably not realistic" due to his expected price tag.
  • As much as the team would like to bring back Miguel Tejada, the market for the veteran will dictate whether they'll be able to afford it.
  • The team might acquire a stopgap behind the plate, but would prefer if one of their in-house options could step up and earn the starting job.

Astros Offer Arb To Valverde, Not Tejada, Hawkins, Brocail

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The Astros offered arbitration only to Jose Valverde (A) and not Miguel Tejada (A), LaTroy Hawkins (A), or Doug Brocail (B), according to the team's Senior Director of Digital Media Alyson Footer. 

Interesting relief choices; I'd predicted no arbitration offers to Valverde or Hawkins.  That said, an offer to Valverde always made sense.  He does not seem likely to accept arbitration and take a one-year deal.  The Astros are known to have an offer on the table to Hawkins, so maybe they didn't want to complicate the picture by offering arbitration.

You might consider Valverde the loser here and Hawkins the winner, as Valverde will now come with a draft pick cost attached.

Odds & Ends: Matsui, Cardinals, Arb Offers

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Links for Monday…

Valverde Could Return To Astros

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The agent for Jose Valverde says there's mutual interest between the Astros and their free agent closer, according to MLB.com. 

The Astros have communicated to Jose their desire to bring him back," Gene Mato explained. "He really enjoyed his time there and is open to the idea of returning." 

Valverde wants to explore free agency, so the Astros are just one of his options. As a Type A free agent, he'll cost a top draft pick if the Astros offer arbitration. That's not a sure thing, since the reliever could cost about $10MM next year, but rival GMs tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the Astros should offer arbitration. 

Astros GM Ed Wade said in September that he'd "love" to bring Valverde back. The righty saved 25 games and allowed just 40 hits in 54.0 innings this season, striking out 56.

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