Rangers Talk: Payroll, Byrd, Pudge
Rangers president Nolan Ryan talked to reporters today. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and has the story.
- Ryan said to expect payroll to remain in the same range next season, meaning around $68MM. By my calculations the Rangers have about $44MM committed before arbitration raises to Josh Hamilton, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Feldman, C.J. Wilson, and Frank Francisco. GM Jon Daniels should have around $15MM with which to work.
- Ryan doesn't plan on the Rangers signing a big-name free agent to a long-term deal. The team wants to re-sign Marlon Byrd and Ivan Rodriguez while adding a right-handed bat and multiple pitchers (veteran starter, left-handed reliever according to manager Ron Washington).
- Ryan doesn't believe the team's unsettled ownership situation "impacts us at all."
Rosenthal’s Latest: Jenks, Byrd, Wedge
FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new column up with a few interesting hot stove items. Let's dive in…
- If the White Sox are going to move Bobby Jenks, they'll probably do it early in the offseason. The market for closers this winter (both in free agency and via trade) is decently strong and GM Kenny Williams will want to be involved in all negotiations from the get-go.
- Or the White Sox could decide to hand the ninth-inning role to Matt Thornton and find a new setup man among the remaining free agent arms in January.
- Texas wants to re-sign Marlon Byrd, as we've heard before, but the outfielder's demands might not match the Rangers' available resources. Byrd posted career-highs in homers and RBI this season and probably won't be interested in taking any sort of discount.
Rosenthal also appeared on the MLB Network this evening for a chat about Eric Wedge, who was fired as Indians manager this morning. Rosenthal believes Wedge will garner interest from teams looking for a new skipper as soon as next season. "This is going to be a hot guy," said Rosenthal. "Someone is going to hire Eric Wedge on the rebound, and someone is going to get a great manager."
Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Bengie Molina, Marlon Byrd
Links for Wednesday…
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reports suggest the Rangers may be the top suitor for high school lefty Yusei Kikuchi. Newman adds a new team to the mix for Kikuchi based on comments from GM Ed Wade: the Astros.
- More from Newman, on what he calls "an interesting counter-point to the Kikuchi situation." Well-regarded Dominican righty Rafael DePaula, who has been suspended by MLB for misrepresenting his age, might head to Japan to begin his professional career.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News talked to Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, who hopes the team re-signs catcher Bengie Molina. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks Molina might be the best catcher in San Francisco Giants history. Molina has a .278/.302/.440 line in his three seasons with the team. He projects as a Type A free agent.
- Michael Young says the Rangers have to re-sign outfielder Marlon Byrd, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Byrd, 32, has a .280/.325/.479 line in 590 plate appearances and projects as a Type B free agent.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star adds Zack Greinke's recent New York-related quote to a list of Greinke gems.
Odds & Ends: Byrd, Livan, Marlins
A couple of links to help you start off your Saturday night…
- Rangers' manager Ron Washington wants to see the team bring back Marlon Byrd next year, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Bryd has said he wants to return to the team next year, but Sullivan says it's uncertain if Texas will be able to re-sign him, presumably because of their uncertain financial situation.
- According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, Livan Hernandez "believes he has six years left in his baseball career and wants those years to be with the Nationals." Livan's been a below league average pitcher for four years now, but if he can stick around for another six years, more power to him.
- Marlins' closer Leo Nunez figures to stick around next year, even though he'll earn a hefty raise in arbitration says Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. The bigger question might be what to do with ex-closer Matt Lindstrom, who will also be arbitration eligible for the first time. Lindstrom has a 5.79 ERA and has battled injuries this season.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Byrd
We link, you decide…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Mets might try to trade the incumbent Luis Castillo this offseason, and look at free agent-to-be Orlando Hudson. I feel like we've heard this before. Castillo still has two years and $12MM left on his deal, so good luck trying to move him.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has some quotes from Reds manager Dusty Baker about wanting "dudes that drive in some runs and hopefully don't strikeout so much." Scott Rolen, the Reds big trade deadline pickup, has hit just .278/.360/.380 for Cincy.
- Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News writes that outfielder Marlon Byrd is healthy and hitting again. It comes at a good time for Byrd, who will be a free agent after the season.
Odds And Ends: Selig, Hughes, Byrd, Santana
More links for the afternoon, as the Red Sox just keeping adding players…
- If you've ever wondered about the view from Bud Selig's office, what the commissioner eats for lunch or who his all-time favorite player is, check out Hal McCoy's piece in the Dayton Daily News.
- As effective as Phil Hughes has been out of the Yankees' 'pen, the Yanks will have a tough call when it's time to determine his role next season, as Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes.
- Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus doubts that teams will overpay Marlon Byrd by much this offseason. Byrd's about to turn 32, but his versatility and pop should attract interest, even if he doesn't see massive offers.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the Mets mishandled Johan Santana by continuing to trot him out there.
Rangers GM On Byrd, Pudge, Scheppers
Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in a chat hosted by the Dallas Morning News that he's focusing on this year because the Rangers haven't set their budget for 2010 yet. Here are the details and the rest of the rumors:
- Not surprisingly, the Rangers aren't looking to trade away any of their veterans before the end of the month.
- Ideally, Daniels would like to have Marlon Byrd back next year.
- The Rangers acquired Ivan Rodriguez to win now, but they're open to bringing him back for another year.
- Daniels estimates that 75% of all players appear on trade waivers at some point in August.
- Daniels gets the sense that there have been more waiver claims than usual this year, despite suggestions that more players would clear because of a general reluctance to spend.
- The GM would prefer not to see a worldwide draft, in part because he believes the Rangers have established a competitive advantage in Latin America.
- The Rangers are still talking with Tanner Scheppers and his agent. The Rangers have until next year's draft to sign Scheppers.
Byrd Hopes To Stay In Texas
Marlon Byrd will hit free agency for the first time after the season and, while he may not be in line for a Gary Matthews-esque contract, he's due for a raise from his $3MM salary. Byrd tells Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News that he wants Texas to be his "last stop," though he understands that GM Jon Daniels has to do what's best for the organization. Daniels raves about Byrd's play, but he works on a limited budget and already has Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Julio Borbon and David Murphy under team control for next year.
Regardless of the Rangers' interest in Byrd, he should be able to draw attention around the league. Byrd, who turns 32 on Sunday, plays above-average defense at every outfield position, according to UZR. He has never had particularly good control of the strike zone, but his 55 extra base hits this year include 38 doubles and 15 homers, so he's showing lots of power.
Odds And Ends: Lincecum, Byrd, Orioles, Cubs
More links from around the league…
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wonders if Tim Lincecum will sign a multi-year deal this offseason. He might make more going year-to-year, but a long-term deal could give him peace of mind.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers want to bring Marlon Byrd back after the season, but wonders if the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com says the Orioles have a lot more flexibility now that they've dealt Aubrey Huff.
- Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times doesn't doubt that the Cubs can win a World Series with Jim Hendry as GM, even though his moves have looked "disastrous" this season.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday Night
1:04pm: Rosenthal and Morosi report that the Blue Jays are asking for Holland, Justin Smoak and two other prospects.
11:47pm: Heyman reports that the Rangers had a "pretty decent chance" to acquire Halladay today. With just over 15 hours to go, the Rangers' chances appear to have decreased in recent hours, Heyman says.
10:52pm: Sources tell Grant that the Rangers have asked the Jays to pay a significant amount of Halladay's 2009 salary in a potential trade. Ryan confirmed that the team would need ownership approval to make a trade for Halladay.
9:59pm: Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Rangers are pursuing Roy Halladay, but says it's premature to predict whether a deal will happen.
Ryan confirmed to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers have had discussions with the Jays "for awhile and there have been names talked about."
9:27pm: Ricciardi is "not saying definitively" that Halladay will remain a Blue Jay, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. However, the GM says it's looking more and more like Halladay will stay put.
9:23pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that, as of an hour ago, the Jays had no active talks about Halladay. The Dodgers approached the Jays yesterday, but the two sides aren't in the process of exchanging names.
8:38pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian hears that there's "nothing to" the reports that the Rangers are going hard after Halladay.
8:30pm: Evan Grant of D Magazine hears that talks between the Blue Jays and Rangers remain "very serious."
8:17pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says "nothing seems hot" on the Halladay front, even though many executives would be surprised if the Jays' ace isn't playing for a different team by the weekend.
8:11pm: Sullivan hears indications that the Rangers are willing to take on the rest of Halladay's contract if they can agree on which players to send the Blue Jays. Vicente Padilla, Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock are free agents after the season, so the Rangers could create space for Halladay's $15.75MM salary by letting the trio of veterans walk after the season.
6:40pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear from a major league source who says the LA Times report below is "not accurate." However, FOX Sports hears that the Rangers have a legitimate chance of trading for Halladay.
6:22pm: So just how much do the Blue Jays want for Halladay? Marlins president David Samson told 790 The Ticket that J.P. Ricciardi wants "two left legs, a right arm and a left cerebellum" for Doc, according to the Miami Herald.
6:06pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan hears that the Rangers have "significant ongoing communications" with the Blue Jays. He also suggests that the Rangers won't let money prevent them from acquiring Halladay if they can do so for a reasonable price.
5:57pm: Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers and Blue Jays spent the afternoon "negotiating extensively" over Roy Halladay. Apparently talks aren't "dead" after all. The Dodgers would allow the Jays to get a "haul of prospects" but are trying to acquire Halladay without giving up Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley.
5:38pm: Here are the latest highlights from the incessant stream of Roy Halladay rumors. The Jays aren't talking actively with anyone. Not the Red Sox, not the Yankees, not the Rangers. The Dodgers acquired George Sherrill for a pair of minor leaguers, but they still have enough pieces to tempt the Jays. Like the Angels, they're focused on relievers now. GM J.P. Ricciardi says he has "nothing going on," but won't rule out a trade until the deadline is upon us. On to tonight's rumors:
- Ricciardi tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney what he told Jack Curry earlier today: talks are "dead," but the Jays would listen to offers for Doc.