Rockies Rumors: Betancourt, Duchscherer, Hawkins, DeRosa
Tracy Ringolsby of FoxSports.com reports that the Rockies hope free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt accepts arbitration, even though he’s a Type-A free agent and would net them two draft picks if he went elsewhere. Colorado declined their $4.5MM option for Betancourt last month, and he’s since rejected their two year, $7MM offer.
The deadline for free agents to accept arbitration is Monday, and if Betancourt accepts, Colorado would get to keep him on a one year deal, though it might cost them somewhere in the neighborhood of $6M.
Meanwhile, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post adds that Justin Duchscherer and LaTroy Hawkins have become “top targets,” while the team has also expressed interest in Mark DeRosa.
Asking Prices For Beltre, DeRosa
Free agent infielders Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa had off-years offensively, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, both have steep asking prices. Said Olney:
As teams have been checking in on the availability of infielders, they have found that the asking price for Beltre is no less than $10 million a year, and for DeRosa, it's a three-year deal for something in the range of $9 million a year.
Beltre is a relatively young 31 in April, his third base defense is top-notch, and he's represented by Scott Boras. He did have shoulder surgery in June. Still, his initial demands aren't entirely unexpected, and Olney didn't tell us how many years he's seeking.
DeRosa turns 35 in February, earned $5.5MM this year, and had wrist surgery in November. But since he reportedly has at least a dozen suitors, why not start the bidding around $27MM?
Both players are Type B free agents, and the Mariners and Cardinals offered arbitration on Tuesday. Beltre and DeRosa don't seem likely to accept.
Red Sox Interested In DeRosa, Crosby
We learned yesterday that the Red Sox have expressed interest in infielders Marco Scutaro, Adam Kennedy, and Adam Everett already. Via Twitter, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald adds two more names to the list: Mark DeRosa and Bobby Crosby. Of these five free agent targets, only Scutaro would cost the Red Sox a draft pick.
Despite wrist surgery, DeRosa appears to have a slew of suitors. If he doesn't re-sign, the Cardinals will get a supplemental pick for their loss. The following 12 teams have been linked to DeRosa in reports: the Cardinals, Mets, Braves, Twins, Yankees, Mariners, Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers, Orioles, and Giants. The Red Sox bring the total to 13.
Crosby has been linked to the Rockies and Rangers as a possible utility infielder candidate.
Cards Offer Arb To Holliday, Pineiro, DeRosa, Decline On Glaus
The official St. Louis Cardinals Twitter feed breaks the news that Matt Holliday, Joel Pineiro and Mark DeRosa are all being offered arbitration by the Cardinals. Holliday is a Type A free agent, while Pineiro and DeRosa are Type Bs. The only ranked free agent not mentioned was Troy Glaus (a Type B), but MLB.com's Matthew Leach (via Twitter) reported that St. Louis didn't make an offer to the veteran third baseman.
The moves were expected, given that Holliday is arguably the jewel of this winter's free agent class and at least four clubs are seriously pursuing DeRosa.
Odds & Ends: Kuo, DeRosa, Dye, Blue Jays
With all the arbitration decisions flying around today, we haven't had time for an Odds & Ends until now.
- Diamond Leung tweeted last night that the Yankees "signed Taiwanese 18-year-old infielder Fu-Lin Kuo to six-figure bonus." Taiwan Baseball says Kuo received about $150K.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, and Giants as suitors for Mark DeRosa. ESPN's Buster Olney heard that a few teams are concerned with DeRosa's range at third base.
- Fungoes shows us "when the hot stove is the hottest," graphically. Looks about right to me…peaks in December, stays hot in January.
- A.J. Burnett talked to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about Roy Halladay potentially being traded.
- Juan Castro will take his physical Thursday according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer; if he passes, his one-year deal with the Phillies will be official.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about potential fits for Jermaine Dye, noting that the Yankees have discussed him internally. Crasnick says geography will not be a major factor for Dye.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted comments from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarding their search for a catcher. Anthopoulos is eyeing some potential non-tenders. Dioner Navarro and John Buck come to mind, with Kelly Shoppach going to the Rays.
- The market for Miguel Tejada should be decent now that he certainly will not cost a draft pick. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, and Astros are interested. Rangers?
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers officially announced their minor league deal with John Halama today.
- Nick Green's agent Tom O'Connell tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday his client is drawing "significant interest" on Major League contracts.
Potential Braves Targets
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sums up players on the Braves' radar as they attempt to augment their offense. Most of these names have already leaked out in stray rumors: Mark DeRosa, Josh Willingham, Mike Cameron, and Jermaine Dye. Carl Crawford is also on the Braves' wish list, as we learned yesterday from Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times. In a more speculative sense, O'Brien adds that Xavier Nady and Marlon Byrd "could be possibilities."
For the sake of argument, if it came down to these seven hitters, which would you prefer? Using Bill James projections and the wOBA stat, Willingham comes out on top offensively for 2010. We learned recently that the Braves face competition from the Cardinals for Willingham, though Atlanta may have concerns about the player's defense.
Elsewhere in the O'Brien article, Scott Boras extols the virtues of free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez. To hear Boras tell it, about half the teams in baseball are eyeing his new client. Gonzalez figures to come with a draft pick cost attached, as O'Brien expects the Braves to offer arbitration a week from now when that deadline arrives.
Odds & Ends: Atkins, Twins, Carlyle
Links for Friday, as the free agent market officially opens…
- As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out, the Angels' lack of interest in Matt Holliday bodes well for the Cardinals, but not for Scott Boras.
- Scott Boras tells FOX Sports that interest in Adrian Beltre and Mike Gonzalez is strong so far. The agent says he's fielded offers for eight players already.
- The Nippon Ham Fighters signed minor league free agent pitcher Buddy Carlyle, says NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars are working to sign Chris Bootcheck, Jose Castillo, and Terrmel Sledge.
- The Nats hired former Mariners manager John McLaren as a bench coach, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan ranks 131 free agents and provides capsules. We've also got SI's Jon Heyman and AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere with Top 50 lists.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the market for Mark DeRosa.
- ESPN's Buster Olney notes five arbitration-eligible players who could be traded, including Russell Martin and Kevin Correia.
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mariners and Tigers continue to discuss Edwin Jackson.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets a comment from Brewers GM Doug Melvin: the team will fill current needs before discussing a Prince Fielder extension.
- Garrett Atkins to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post: "I know that I will be on another team next year."
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune feels that free agents Carl Pavano, Jarrod Washburn, and Rich Harden are potential fits for the Twins.
- Christensen's colleague Sid Hartman wonders if catcher Mike Redmond "could wind up with a job in the [Twins] organization." However, Redmond told MLB.com's Kelly Thesier a month ago that he plans on playing in 2010.
- Paul Hagen's Phillies source shot down a story that Pat Gillick could be heading back to the Blue Jays.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has a Winter Meetings primer.
- Chico Harlan is moving on from the Washington Post's Nationals beat, once a replacement is found.
Phillies Notes: Free Agent Targets, Park, Eyre
Scott Lauber of The News Journal spoke to Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. today about some of the team's offseason plans. Here are a few of the highlights from Lauber's article:
- The Phillies' offseason wishlist: a third baseman, bullpen help, bench depth, and starting pitching depth.
- The team expects to have about $120MM committed in salaries and $20MM to spend to fill their needs.
- Amaro Jr. doesn't comment on specific free agents he's interested in, but Lauber suggests Mark DeRosa and Placido Polanco are still the club's top targets.
- The "greatest challenge" Amaro Jr. will face in attempting to sign free agents could be persuading players to assume lesser roles. That could mean convincing a closer such as Fernando Rodney to assume a setup role, or asking someone like Juan Uribe to come off the bench.
- Amaro Jr. expects relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre to test the free agent market. Eyre has said he'll only pitch for the Phillies, but the Phillies GM is skeptical about whether that's really true.
Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:
- The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
- Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
- There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
- The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
- At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.
Morning Links: Red Sox, Phillies, Rays
Plenty to absorb this morning, baseball fans:
- The Red Sox have asked the Braves for medical records of free agent relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, according to George King of the New York Post. WEEI.com also notes that catcher George Kottaras has been released.
- Chan Ho Park wants to be a starter, while the Phillies, most other teams, and the results on the field see him as a reliever. Todd Zolecki also writes about why he's not surprised that the Phillies are considered by many to be the front runners to land Mark DeRosa.
- DRaysBay.com evaluates whether the Rays should trade Carlos Pena.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic estimates that the Diamondbacks have about $14MM to spend this winter.
- Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets have hired Dave Jauss as bench coach.
- Kelly Thesier of MLB.com looks at the minor league free agents from the Twins.