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Olney On Wagner, DeRosa, Betancourt, Wolf

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The free agent rankings are out, so ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down the winners and losers. Here are the details from his latest blog post:

  • Billy Wagner is a Type A free agent, so teams will have to surrender a draft pick to sign him if the Red Sox offer arbitration, as expected. This hurts Wagner's value, since he's coming back from Tommy John surgery and teams will hesitate to give up a top pick for an injury risk.
  • Olney wouldn't be surprised to see Mark DeRosa field two and three year offers. The versatile 34-year-old is a Type B free agent, so teams won't have to give up a top pick to sign him.
  • Rafael Betancourt, a Type A free agent, has less leverage with the Rockies than he would have had as a Type B free agent, because few teams would be willing to surrender a top pick to sign the reliever. 
  • Randy Wolf's status as a Type A free agent could chase away some suitors.
  • Other GMs believe the Astros should offer Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins arbitration.
  • If the Giants offer Bengie Molina arbitration, the market for him would diminish.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals

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As the immortal Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe puts it, "Standing around an airport hotel lobby at night just in case Scott Boras walks by was not covered in journalism school." Meanwhile, you get to keep up with the latest rumors in the comfort of your own home!

Cardinals Not Expecting Much At GM Meetings

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Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is lowering expectations for this week even though his team has plenty of issues to address this offseason, according to Joe Strauss The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

"I'd say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, a central mover during last November's weeklong meeting at Dana Point, Calif. "My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business." 

Mozeliak also said he believes that rookie David Freese should get first crack at the third base job next year, although the team publicly remains interested in Mark DeRosa. He also indicated the team plans to promote a young pitcher to fill one of the rotation spots vacated by John Smoltz and Joel Pineiro, while seeking a "short-term veteran" for the other.

Strauss mentions that if the team believes it can retain Matt Holliday for $17MM annually, they're likely to be disappointed because Scott Boras "is believed committed to finding a far more lucrative deal for Holliday than the eight-year, $136 million deal left fielder Alfonso Soriano accepted to sign with the Chicago Cubs in November 2006."

Cardinals Notes: Holliday, DeRosa, Smoltz

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Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest on the Cardinals…

  • Goold feels that the Cardinals "will keep tabs on the Jason Bay sweepstakes even while focusing on Matt Holliday."  Like most Scott Boras clients, Holliday figures to reach the open market.  The Cards have yet to make a formal extension offer; Holliday was one of 79 free agents to file yesterday.  In another article, Goold had a nice look at eight potential Holliday suitors.
  • Goold says Mark DeRosa "expressed a wish to test the open market," and the Cardinals beat writer expects the Cubs to make an offer.  I'm not sure – the Cubs are limited on funds, seemingly happy with Jeff Baker at second base, and probably seeking a left-handed bat to replace Milton Bradley.
  • Though the Cardinals have maintained dialogue with John Smoltz, the veteran pitcher expects to sign later in the offseason.

Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Mateo, Mets, Cubs

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A few links to click through before the Phillies and Yankees do battle in Game 1 of the World Series…

Odds & Ends: Chapman, DeRosa, Lackey, Hinske

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Roch Kubatko of MASN.com doesn't expect the Orioles to win the bidding for free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, but the club doesn't have a policy against signing Cuban defectors, according to a high-ranking Orioles official.
  • Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors takes a look at this year's class of free agent second basemen. Players like Mark DeRosa and Freddy Sanchez have value, but Hissey doesn't see a true star among the group. 
  • MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs aren't going to sign DeRosa just because he's popular. Jeff Baker is currently the frontrunner to start at second base next year.
  • Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog thinks John Lackey, who turns 31 today, would be a fantastic pitcher for Citi Field.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for a Canadian scout and, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, have received permission from the Phillies to interview a member of their front office for the job.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker compiles a list of players who could spend next season in Japan, including Kenji Johjima and Eric Hinske. 
  • Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle points out that most of baseball's best-respected managers improved in their second or third stints.
  • Felix Perez, the Cuban outfielder who was suspended for lying to the Yankees about his age, has been reinstated, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com.

Nationals Notes: Storen, Dunn, Desmond

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MLB.com's Bill Ladson answered a few questions from fans about the D.C. nine today and here are a few of the more relevant details….

  • Ladson "could see" Drew Storen making the Nationals as the team's set-up man, in just the right-hander's second year of pro ball.  Storen had a 1.95 ERA and an eye-popping 11.9 K/9 in 28 appearances for Washington's Single-A, Single-A advanced and Double-A teams last season after being taken 10th overall in the 2009 June Entry Draft.
  • Whatever Washington's rebuilding plans entail, they won't involve dealing Adam Dunn.
  • Ian Desmond and Justin Maxwell have yet to entirely prove themselves to Nationals management and "must have a great Spring Training" for either of them to even make the Opening Day roster, let alone get playing time.
  • Ladson thinks the Nats might at least inquire about Pedro Martinez if the future Hall-of-Famer becomes available in the off-season, but the price tag will likely be too high for Washington's taste.
  • Mark DeRosa's versatility is what would attract the Nationals most if they made a play for the veteran free agent.

Freese Is Cardinals’ First Choice For Third Base

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According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Freese should get first crack at the Cardinals' third base job next season.

Freese was impressive in his 225 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis, posting an .894 OPS, and hit well in a very small major-league sample as well (.837 OPS in 34 plate appearances).

Should Freese excel, it would be a welcome change from 2009 for the Cardinals, when eight different players held down the hot corner.

"I think we would like to give him a shot to play every day," St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said. "If we need to ramp up the offense in another way, we have plenty of time. But given what he accomplished this year, I definitely think (Freese) deserves that chance."

The decision to give Freese first crack at the third base job complicates any efforts to sign free agent Mark DeRosa, who wants an every day job in 2010.

Strauss added that the Cardinals have little interest in any other free agent third basemen.

Discussion: Mike Lowell

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Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal broke down the options for the Red Sox in regards to veteran Mike Lowell headed into the 2010 season.  Lowell posted a .290/.337/.474 line in 484 plate appearances with Boston last season and stayed off of the disabled list following hip surgery last fall.

Lowell has one year left on his Boston deal that will pay him $12MM in 2010, a price tag high enough to scare off any potential trade suitors unless the Sox were willing to cover some of the cost.  There's also the added complication of Lowell's no-trade clause in his contract.  Barbarisi suggests that Lowell might agree to be dealt to a National League team where he could play every day, but given Lowell's health history, it might be hard to find a club willing to take a 36-year-old with a lengthy injury history as an everyday third baseman without the safety net of the DH position.  Lowell himself admitted to Barbarisi that he tired from playing almost every day in the first half of the season, but then also said that he wished he could have played more in August and September when Kevin Youkilis took a big chunk of the playing time at third base.

One intriguing possible trade partner could be St. Louis.  Midseason pickup Mark DeRosa is a free agent and will soon be undergoing wrist surgery, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  This leaves the Cardinals with a hole at third base should top prospect David Freese (a .931 OPS in Triple-A, Double-A and Rookie League ball last season and an .837 OPS in 34 plate appearances with St. Louis) not be ready to take over the everyday role next season.  Lowell could keep the seat warm for Freese if Boston pays part of Lowell's contract, a condition that the Cards would likely insist upon given that they will explore re-signing Matt Holliday and signing Albert Pujols to an extension this off-season.

What do you think?  Should the Red Sox think about moving the 2007 World Series MVP, or should they keep Lowell around to provide depth to the Victor Martinez–Casey Kotchman-Youkilis triad that mans the catcher, first base and third base spots?

Rosenthal On Pujols, Holliday, DeRosa

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes a look at what lies in store for the St. Louis Cardinals this winter. A few of his thoughts:

  • Despite the Cardinals' desire to sign Albert Pujols to a lengthy extension this winter, a reliable source tells Rosenthal that there is virtually no chance a deal happens so quickly.
  • Rosenthal speculates that the Cardinals' chances of retaining Pujols past 2011 aren't great. The first baseman will likely use Alex Rodriguez's $275MM contract as a benchmark, and might want to sign with a club "that would operate with fewer financial restrictions than the Cardinals."
  • Rosenthal suggests attempting to re-sign Matt Holliday, but not exceeding about $90MM over five years to do it. The thinking is that the Cards likely can't afford to commit over $100MM to Holliday and over $200MM to Pujols.
  • An alternative to signing Holliday would be pursuing Jason Bay or bargain-hunting for this offseason's Bobby Abreu.
  • St. Louis should make re-signing Mark DeRosa a priority.

Want to share your own thoughts on the Cardinals' potential offseason moves? Jump into the MLBTR discussion.

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