Rosenthal On Garza, Turner, Madson, Lee
The Cubs have traded Sean Marshall, Carlos Zambrano and Andrew Cashner in recent weeks. Could Matt Garza be next? Ken Rosenthal of FOX breaks down the market for Garza and offers more rumors from around the league:
- Cubs execs Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are alarmed by the lack of minor league talent in their own system, so trading Garza might appeal to them. The Yankees, one possible suitor for the right-hander, have had concerns about Garza’s ability to handle New York in the past, Rosenthal reports.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has said he’s not looking to trade Jacob Turner, but Rosenthal hears the young right-hander is available in the right deal.
- A contender like the Cardinals could make a surprise play for Ryan Madson, but the market for the free agent closer currently looks thin. Agent Scott Boras may wait until Spring Training to find a deal, as he has done in the past.
- Free agent first baseman Derrek Lee expects to land a full-time job, Rosenthal reports. I examined the first base market yesterday.
- The Mariners, who added Hisashi Iwakuma yesterday, are open to signing a veteran at the right price, Rosenthal tweets.
Olney On Fielder, Zambrano, Rays, Garza
There’s been lots of buzz about a possible deal between Prince Fielder and the Nationals this week, so ESPN.com’s Buster Olney asked some talent evaluators about the impact the free agent first baseman would have in Washington. One evaluator says adding Fielder would make the Nationals “an immediate threat in the NL East” and another guesses Fielder would boost the organization's revenues. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors, starting in the NL East:
- Some Marlins people aren’t convinced Carlos Zambrano’s stuff is good enough for him to be a frontline pitcher again, Olney writes. However, the Miami front office believes he’s worth the risk at $2.5MM.
- Olney wonders if the Rays have interest in Daniel Murphy of the Mets. The Rays need a first baseman and the 26-year-old posted a .320/.362/.448 line in 423 plate appearances last year while playing first, second, third and left field.
- Many talent evaluators consider Matt Garza a middle-of-the-rotation starter, which may contribute to the gap between the Cubs’ asking price and what rival teams have been offering in trade talks, Olney writes.
NL Central Notes: Garza, Cubs, Cespedes, Astros
Today, we learned that even though there's mutual interest between the Cardinals and free agent Roy Oswalt, it seems that the club might be looking at the veteran in a relief role. The Cards already have five starters in the fold, but it's unknown whether Oswalt would open to pitching out of the bullpen. Here's more from the NL Central..
- A contending team can land Cubs right-hander Matt Garza if they're willing to part with three prospects from a team's "A" list, a Major League source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays are among the teams known to be interested, but none have upped their offers to this point.
- The Pirates have been tracking Yoenis Cespedes for a number of years, GM Neal Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Bucs are expected to be among the bidders for the outfielder but are not considered to be a frontrunner.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is "open for business" when it comes to trades, but it appears that Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and Carlos Lee will remain with the club when Spring Training starts, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- The Astros have hired Sig Mejdal as the club’s director of decision sciences, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. The addition of Mejdal should help the club to apply statistical analysis to all areas of the organization. Houston has also brought Stephanie Wilka aboard as the coordinator of amateur scouting. Wilka previously worked for the Dodgers and Red Sox.
Tigers Not Looking To Trade Jacob Turner
The Tigers are not looking to trade top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, GM Dave Dombrowski told Lynn Henning of the Detroit News. Dombrowski said he did not offer Turner for Matt Garza. The GM admitted to actively pursuing Gio Gonzalez, but added, "I don't think there is another call we've made in pursuing another starting pitcher." There are no ongoing trade talks for starting pitching, Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck. Instead, the Tigers are open to adding a swingman type of pitcher.
Four days ago, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the Tigers "have quietly pursued starting pitchers throughout the offseason" and were involved on Garza. The following day, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Tigers "have made it known to other teams that they are willing to trade Jacob Turner in a deal for the right pitcher." Dombrowski told Henning, "There's been a lot of things written in recent weeks that have been totally incorrect," speculating that rumors came "probably from a strategic point of bargaining."
Boras Seeks Five Years For Edwin Jackson
8:16pm: At the beginning of the offseason, the asking price for Jackson was in the Lackey/Burnett range ($82.5MM), tweets ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. The Yankees haven’t had talks with Boras about Jackson, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network. No talks are expected unless his asking price drops.
TUESDAY, 2:53pm: Jackson seeks $15-17MM per year, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Boras' promotional book on Jackson compares him to C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, John Lackey, A.J. Burnett, and Derek Lowe. All of those pitchers received at least $14.5MM per year, averaging $15.6MM. Of course, Wilson and Buehrle just signed and the other three contracts were regrettable. The Yankees will continue dialogue with Jackson, writes Heyman. The process is starting to remind Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues of the Yankees' signing of Rafael Soriano last year.
MONDAY, 11:21am: Edwin Jackson's asking price is approximately $60MM over five years, writes ESPNNewYork's Wallace Matthews. The Yankees like the free agent righty, "but not at that price," writes Matthews. Matthews' colleague Buster Olney tweeted the same, saying that unless the Yankees' budget grows, there's no room for Jackson.
Ultimately I expect Jackson to settle for something closer to four years and $44MM, which wouldn't be an awful price for a 28-year-old innings eater with a touch of upside.
Additionally, Matthews writes that the Cubs' asking price for Matt Garza is "out of the question" for the Yankees. He says the Cubs want at least two and possibly all three of Yankees top prospects Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos, and Dellin Betances. The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Marlins have also been connected to Garza in recent days.
Matt Garza Rumors: Tuesday
The Cubs' asking price for Matt Garza is "out of the question" for the Yankees, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com wrote yesterday. The Cubs want at least two of Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances from the Yankees, one of many teams with interest in the right-hander. Here are the latest rumors on Garza:
- The Yankees weren't willing to meet the Athletics' asking price for Gio Gonzalez, and they preferred Gonzalez to Garza, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Sherman says the Yankees are "essentially not in" on Garza.
- The Yankees are actively seeking rotation help, but don't like Garza at his current price, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com hears that the Cubs’ asking price is "tremendously high" and that "interested parties" are seeing how high the bidding will go (Twitter link).
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Garza would be worth a position player prospect in the #11-50 range or a couple of prospects from the back end of the top 100 in MLB. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein are evidently hoping for more.
Heyman On Garza, Jackson, Varitek
The Yankees and Red Sox have approached the offseason with uncharacteristic restraint — at least so far. Freddy Garcia ($4MM deal with the Yankees) and Nick Punto ($3MM deal with the Red Sox) represent their most extravagant open market expenditures of the winter (though the Yankees did lock C.C. Sabathia up to an extension). Here’s the latest on the longtime American League rivals from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:
- The Yankees “desperately seek” a number two starter, according to Heyman. Edwin Jackson and Matt Garza may be more likely targets than Hiroki Kuroda, Jair Jurrjens, Wandy Rodriguez, Gavin Floyd and Roy Oswalt. The Yankees like Jackson’s arm, potential and durability, though they wonder about his consistency. However, they would like to keep new contracts to one or two years and Jackson seeks a five-year deal in the $60MM range.
- The Yankees also like Garza, who can be retained through 2013 via arbitration.
- The Red Sox are still considering a new contract for Jason Varitek, Heyman reports. The Red Sox value his contributions and haven’t ruled out a reunion, despite the presence of catchers Kelly Shoppach, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on the roster. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," GM Ben Cherington told reporters last month.
Blue Jays Unlikely To Acquire Matt Garza
The Blue Jays continue exploring ways of improving their rotation, but they’re unlikely to acquire Matt Garza from the Cubs, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Garza is under team control through 2013 and the Blue Jays are wary of trading top prospects for a relatively short-term addition. There doesn't appear to be a leading suitor for the right-hander at the moment, but the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox and Marlins appear to be in the mix to acquire him.
The Blue Jays don’t appear to be especially interested in free agent right-handers Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt and they’re unlikely to pursue Edwin Jackson, Rosenthal reports. Agent Scott Boras seeks a five-year deal for Jackson, but Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has avoided major free agent expenditures since his hiring more than two years ago.
Toronto’s projected rotation includes Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil and Henderson Alvarez. Dustin McGowan, Carlos Villanueva and Aaron Laffey are others who could compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training. The Blue Jays expect to consider prospects Kyle Drabek, Drew Hutchison, Deck McGuire and Chad Jenkins for promotions in 2012, Rosenthal writes.
No Leader In Garza Trade Talks
Matt Garza trade discussions have heated up over the past few days, but there's not yet any favorite to obtain the Cubs right-hander, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who adds that the Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox and Marlins are all in the mix.
With the Cubs thought to be seeking young pitchers to replenish their farm system, the Yankees, Blue Jays and Tigers may ultimately hold an edge in pursuing Garza, Heyman speculates, as those clubs have pitching prospects and may be willing to spare them.
The Red Sox previously cited Garza as a compensation target for losing former GM Theo Epstein to the Cubs, according to Heyman, although it's not known whether they would pursue Garza as part of that compensation deal or separately.
Marlins Have Serious Interest In Matt Garza
5:17pm: The Cubs are talking to a number of teams about Garza, but no deal is imminent, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
3:25pm: The Marlins have serious interest in Cubs pitcher Matt Garza, Major League sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Marlins' interest was sparked after they failed to land left-hander Gio Gonzalez from the Athletics.
The two sides are not close to a deal and the Cubs continue to speak to other clubs, including the Tigers, according to sources. The Yankees have also expressed interest in Garza, but the asking price for the 28-year-old is a stumbling block for the Bombers. The Red Sox and Blue Jays are also in on the pitcher but talks have slowed with both teams.
Rosenthal writes that the Tigers might have the upper hand if they are willing to include right-hander Jacob Turner in a deal. Rival executives say the Cubs are desperate for young starting pitching. Meanwhile, the Marlins have more position players to offer.
Marlins' Class-A outfielder Christian Yelich is likely on the Cubs' wish list and was among the players the Athletics were targeting in a possible deal for Gonzalez. Rival clubs say Matt Dominguez, Gaby Sanchez, Chris Coghlan, and Jose Ceda are among the other players Miami is willing to part with.