Rosenthal’s Latest: Feliz, Ellis, Lohse
Ken Rosenthal checks in with a new column of hot stove material.
- Rosenthal says some suitors are popping up for third baseman Pedro Feliz: the Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies, and Giants. Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed interest today in an MLB.com chat. Rosenthal admits that the Dodgers don’t seem like a great fit. He says Bill Hall would have to be traded to make room for Feliz, though Tom Haudricourt implied today that Hall would stay put. It was said Wednesday that the Giants’ talks with Feliz were stalling over his three-year demand.
- Rosenthal suggests Mark Ellis would be a nice fit for Colorado, though keep in mind that the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser told us that he was the best bet among veterans to remain with Oakland for 2008. The Rockies’ current plan is to go with Jayson Nix and keep Marcus Giles around as another option. I’d be surprised if either pans out.
- Instead of the four or even five-year demands we were hearing about for Kyle Lohse, Rosenthal says three years with a vesting option for the fourth would now be acceptable. He believes Lohse’s salary could near $12MM. Lohse recently said he’s down to about three suitors.
- Rosenthal still expects the A’s to sign a free agent outfielder, with possible target Mike Cameron headed to Milwaukee. Take a look at our newly updated free agent list to see who’s out there.
Ruben Amaro Jr. Chats Phillies
Phils assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. recently did a chat at MLB.com. I remember Frank Wren did one in mid-November; this is a cool trend.
- Amaro admits that the Phils are still considering upgrading at third base. They’ve had discussions about Pedro Feliz as one such option, while Morgan Ensberg is not on the radar.
- It’s unlikely that the Phillies re-sign Jose Mesa.
- Also unlikely would be a Bartolo Colon signing. On the other hand, discussions with Scott Boras about Kyle Lohse are ongoing.
Quotes From Kyle Lohse
I just joined Jeff Joyce on the MLB Home Plate show. It was a good time.
I was alerted to the station’s blog, which showcases some interesting quotes from players they’ve had on the show. Check out this entry from Kyle Lohse‘s appearance. Lohse says he’s down to about three clubs, and admits that the availability of Johan Santana and Erik Bedard has slowed things down for him.
Mets Pitching Plans
Many readers have written me asking what the Mets are going to do to upgrade their starting rotation. Matthew Cerrone as a man in the know, and he’s written a summary over at MetsBlog.
- Cerrone senses nothing much cooking on the Johan Santana front, yet the Mets remain "oddly confident."
- Cerrone believes the Mets will probably sign one rehabber – Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon. He says reviews on Colon in the Dominican Winter League have been positive. Omar Minaya knows Colon well, having traded the farm for him as GM of the Expos. Garcia may be ready to pitch around June. Coming off a frayed rotator cuff and labrum he may not contribute much in 2008.
- Bullpen wise, Cerrone says Octavio Dotel is on the radar, especially if Aaron Heilman is traded.
- There’s a lack of buzz with the Mets for Kyle Lohse, Livan Hernandez, and Joe Blanton currently.
Mets Still Like Jon Lieber
The New York Daily News reiterated the Mets’ interest in free agent starter Jon Lieber this morning. Liebs turns 38 in April. He’s probably just as good as Livan Hernandez, but less durable. The Mets’ interest in Lieber was previously reported by Jayson Stark on December 5th.
Other teams connected to Lieber – the Reds, Royals, Astros, and Rangers.
Peter Botte and Roger Rubin name Lieber as one of many free agent options for the Mets if they fail to trade for a frontline guy. Kyle Lohse, Freddy Garcia, and Bartolo Colon are candidates. Matthew Cerrone says the Mets have been watching Colon "quite closely as he pitches in the Dominican Winter League."
Phillies Out On Lohse
George King has a few quotes from Phillies’ assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. today. Basically, the Phils wouldn’t go past three years on Kyle Lohse, and have dropped out of the bidding for the Scott Boras client.
King indicates that this might put the Mets in the lead for Lohse, perhaps the best of a mediocre group of free agent starters. Ken Davidoff, however, wrote yesterday that the Mets "did not seem particularly interested" in Lohse at the current price. Tim Brown wrote on Monday that both the Phils and Mets had four-year offers out to Lohse.
Stark’s Latest: Prior, Lofton, Otsuka
ESPN’s Jayson Stark dishes some good rumorage in his latest column.
- Stark dug around to find all the Mark Prior suitors and came up with this list: Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals (11 teams). Let’s compare notes. MLBTR readers have seen the Yankees, Mets, Cards, Padres, Astros, Reds, and Nats linked to Prior already. So Stark has added the Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, and Giants. The idea of the Mariners runs contrary to this MLB.com article. Stark did not name the Rangers, who are said to be aggressively pursuing Prior. Prior is dead set on a one-year deal and would take a big league mound in May in the best case.
- The Phils are focused on Geoff Jenkins and Mike Cameron, offering two year deals to each. They might just take the first one to accept. Stark says Kenny Lofton could be an option if both decline. Lofton batted a career-best .335 for the Phils in ’05.
- Stark rattles off a laundry list of pitchers the Phillies are interested in: Akinori Otsuka, Byung-Hyun Kim, Roberto Hernandez, Kris Benson, John Parrish, Sidney Ponson, Chad Durbin, Kyle Lohse, and Jeremy Affeldt. Given Stark’s 21 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I imagine he has a connection or two. Most of those are new names besides Benson, Lohse, Ponson, and Affeldt.
- A source of Stark picks the Yankees as the favorite for Johan, but it should be noted that they’re having internal debates about pulling Phil Hughes off the table.
- For all the crazy Cubs fans we’ve got here: Stark says they’ve talked to the Orioles about both Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard, but couldn’t pull off a deal for both. They favor Roberts even though they need Bedard much more.
Phillies, Mets Made Offers To Lohse?
UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 11:14am: Todd Zolecki says there’s nothing to the report that the Phils made a four-year offer to Lohse. So, Zolecki and Davidoff do not agree with Tim Brown.
UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 9:24am: Ken Davidoff wrote this morning that the Mets "do not seem particularly interested" in Lohse, Carlos Silva, or Livan Hernandez at the current prices.
FROM 12-17-07 at 1:58pm:
Yahoo’s Tim Brown indicates that the Mets and Phillies both have offers out to free agent starter Kyle Lohse, though it’s not the lead of his story (hat tip to MetsBlog).
There hasn’t been a ton of buzz around Lohse yet. It seems that other aspects of the pitching market may have to settle first. Lohse could be a Plan B for the Mariners. He could be an option for St. Louis as well. It’s been said that Scott Boras, Lohse’s agent, may try to get five years for him. As Jerry Crasnick says, Boras is "willing to wait for teams to get desperate." You can check out Boras’ spin on Lohse here.
Mariners Targeting Blanton?
So far this winter, we haven’t heard much about the Mariners getting involved for Joe Blanton. However, Buster Olney says today that "it appears they are in the thick of the trade bidding" for the 27 year-old righty. Blanton has a career ERA of 4.10 with a below-average K/9 of 5.24 and better-than-average BB/9 of 2.37.
Olney believes Adam Jones would be required for Seattle to acquire Blanton. Along with Jones, Carlos Gonzalez, Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, and Travis Buck could be the makings of a solid, cheap offensive core for Oakland. Olney believes the Mets and Reds could be other clubs eyeing Blanton.
The Mariners are still scrambling for two starters after missing out on Hiroki Kuroda. According to Larry Stone, they’re still after Erik Bedard. Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse might also become targets if the bigger names fall through.
Cardinals Turn To Free Agent Market
The Cardinals want to add at least one starting pitcher. Once thought to be interested in Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse – the "premium" options – John Mozeliak is already digging through the bargain bin. Matthew Leach and Joe Strauss have the latest.
- Mozeliak has talked to Bartolo Colon‘s agent and the Cards will take a look at his medical records. It’s been suggested that Colon will not take a one-year deal.
- Livan Hernandez is under consideration, but Mozeliak says he’s "not yet" a fit.
- Josh Fogg is on the radar too.
- The Cardinals have marginal interest in Kris Benson, and they’ll attend his workout on the 17th.
- Interesting non-pitcher note from Mozeliak: the Cards have expressed interest in Aaron Rowand.