Japanese Free Agent Round-Up: Kawakami, Takahashi, Saito
Patrick at NPB Tracker has an interesting update on some notable Japanese free agents.
- If the Braves are in fact interested in Kenshin Kawakami, they may have to beat an eventual three-year, $21MM offer from the Red Sox.
- Omar Minaya thinks Koji Uehara projects as a starter, and future negotiations will be based on that projection.
- The Mets are the frontrunners for signing Ken Takahashi.
- The Dodgers would’ve been willing to do a $2.5MM deal plus incentives for Takashi Saito, but he did not accept that.
NBP Tracker has the source links, which are in Japanese. Kudos to Patrick for keeping those of us that can’t read Japanese in the know.
Alex Walsh can be reached at alexander.walsh@gmail.com.
Rangers Working On Offer For Uehara?
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a Japanese report from Sanspo: the Rangers are preparing a three-year offer for pitcher Koji Uehara worth more than $10MM. Newman says the Rangers like Uehara as a reliever yet he wants to start. The Mets have also expressed interest (link in Japanese).
Orioles Rumors: Garland, Izturis, Ohman
8:07pm: Jerry Crasnick says Michael Barrett and Gregg Zaun could be options for the Orioles to help transition Matt Wieters to the bigs.
8:03pm: Andy MacPhail spoke of good progress toward signing a shortstop, presumably Izturis.
4:59pm: A small Garland update from Kubatko.
2:34pm: Roch Kubatko believes the Orioles are down to Izturis for shorstop, and two years $6.5MM would get it done.
8:50am: A few stray Orioles rumors from Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun:
- The O’s had recent talks with Jon Garland‘s agent. They’ll meet with the agents for Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami this week.
- Negotiations for free agent shortstop Cesar Izturis have picked up.
- The Orioles expressed interest in free agent lefty reliever Will Ohman.
Odds and Ends: Laird, Mitsui, Snyder
Links for Tuesday…
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald describes a casino alert regarding potential inside information due to the Winter Meetings.
- ESPN’s Keith Law isn’t thrilled with the Tigers’ acquisition of Gerald Laird.
- Michael S. Schmidt gives a peek at the Boras Book for Greg Maddux. One client for which exaggeration is unnecessary.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker says the Seibu Lions will post 35 year-old lefty reliever Koji Mitsui. Another southpaw option to consider; he’s not expected to cost much.
- Newman also says the Orioles may offer two-year, $10MM contracts to both Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D’Backs have had brief, preliminary talks on an extension for Chris Snyder and they’ll resume soon.
Odds and Ends: Teahen, Mastny, Clement
Sunday evening links…I will add to this post as needed.
- Dejan Kovacevic describes what it’s like for a reporter at the Winter Meetings.
- The Royals do not want to trade Mark Teahen. They’ve received inquiries on Teahen, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler. They mainly seem willing to move Guillen, which Jayson Stark reported earlier.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along nuggets on Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara. He says the Angels contacted Kawakami’s agent, while the Tigers and Giants have been in touch with Uehara’s.
- Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars acquired reliever Tom Mastny from the Indians.
- Free agent infielder Nick Punto admitted to LEN3 that it’d be hard to leave the Twins.
- John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates are "willing to take a flyer on free-agent local boy Matt Clement." Clement may also consider Cleveland if they’ll have him.
- Other teams are pulling ahead of the Rockies in the pursuit for free agent lefty Joe Beimel. Nothing against Beimel, but it seems that every year one free agent lefty reliever is elevated beyond his true value. It might be Beimel this year.
- Jon Paul Morosi discusses trading Dontrelle Willis.
- The Marlins figure to hang on to Dan Uggla.
- Roch Kubatko says Orioles exec Mike Flanagan won’t be attending the Meetings, sparking speculation about his future with the team.
Winter Meetings Previews
We’ve added a few new Winter Meetings preview to the collection…
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help. They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered. You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever. Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds. Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
- The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated. Neal summarizes the players on the radar. The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
- Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres. Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list. The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief. The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks. Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general. Miguel Montero is the top trade chip. They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer. If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters. Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short. Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return. Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip. As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07. Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt. The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida. The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey. Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye? The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
- The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement. The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop. They have interest in Adam Everett.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.
Orioles Rumors: Uehara, Kawakami, Millar, Tex
The latest on the Orioles…
- Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tell us the Orioles plan to meet with the agents for Japanese hurlers Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami at the Winter Meetings. Lefty reliever Ken Takahashi is also on the radar.
- The Sun reporters also spoke to free agent first baseman Kevin Millar, who desires a starting gig but is realistic about his chances. Millar is willing to come back to the Orioles as a part-time player if they’ll have him. He mentioned the Mariners by name as well.
- Steve Melewski of MASN Online debates the pros and cons of the Orioles signing Mark Teixeira.
Laird May Be Moving
The Texas Rangers have excess catching, and the Tigers, Reds, and Red Sox are all looking to benefit from that surplus.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com has the Tigers and Reds at the top of the list of teams interested in the oldest of Texas’ catchers, Gerald Laird. Laird is arbitration eligible, and therefore the most attractive option for a trade from the Rangers’ perspective. Joshua Roenicke of the Reds and Zach Miner from the Tigers are mentioned as potential trade bait in exchange for Laird.
Sullivan says the Red Sox are more interested in one of Texas’ younger catchers: either Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Taylor Teagarden. Clay Buchholz would not be included in any deal, but Michael Bowden and Justin Masterson may be available.
In a separate article that followed from a conference call with Texas GM Jon Daniels, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News points out that the Rangers are not in cost cutting mode. A Laird trade might give that appearance. Another note from Grant’s article – the Rangers aren’t in on Koji Uehara or Kenshin Kawakami.
Odds And Ends: Astros, Kawakami, Uehara, Giambi, Cabrera
It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon, but one gets the feeling there’s a major signing or trade lurking right around the corner. In the meantime, here are some odds and ends:
- Fox Sports’ Jeff Moore looks back at the top trades of the past three offseasons. His number one? Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia.
- The Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice says everyone knows Astros owner Dayton McLane has told GM Ed Wade "to keep the payroll at around $100 million," but "to keep the current team together would mean a $120-million payroll." Justice says McLane should ‘fess up about his financial shortcomings.
- SI’s John Donovan gives a shoutout to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, which is most writers’ go-to site for baseball contract info.
- NPB Tracker, a site that reads Japanese baseball articles and distills them into bite-size English nuggets, says the Rangers are interested in Kenshin Kawakami, while Koji Uehara is practicing throwing a Major League ball (which is slightly larger than the ball they use in Japan).
- DRays Bay wants the Rays to sign Jason Giambi.
- MASN’s Roch Kubatko says, "The Orioles still haven’t decided what to do with pitcher Daniel Cabrera, but they have until Dec. 12 to figure it out. That’s when they’ll need to tender him a contract and risk going to arbitration, or turn him loose and hope he doesn’t evolve into another Curt Schilling."
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.
Japanese Links
A few links today related to NPB and Japanese players…
- East Windup Chronicle looks at 2009 projections for Japanese players coming to MLB, in posts here and here.
- The Orioles have had "initial discussions" with three Japanese pitchers. There seems a good chance Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami are two of them.
- The Softbank Hawks signed Kameron Loe and Justin Germano for their rotation. Loe gets about $2MM over two years, while Germano gets about $525K over one.