Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Zaun, Blanco
Links for Tuesday…
- Scott Bordow feels the D’Backs and Randy Johnson should meet at $5MM, which still seems light.
- David Murphy explains why the Phillies make more sense than the Mariners for Jamie Moyer, geographically.
- David Ortiz would like the Red Sox to add a 30 home run bat.
- Richard Justice wants the Astros to sign both Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte. He says the Cubs and Cardinals will be talking to Pettitte even though his heart is with the Yankees.
- El Lefty Malo recommends the Giants sign Derek Lowe. The Giants are at least considering the big-ticket free agents.
- Jeff Blair runs through a few options for the Blue Jays if A.J. Burnett leaves.
- Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun is not pleased with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.
- The D’Backs want Miguel Montero showcased as a catcher.
- Ken Davidoff has a list of nine intriguing (and older) free agents.
- Joel Sherman joins Buster Olney in saying Brian Giles vetoed a trade to the A’s in August, after the Red Sox won the claim and failed to make a deal. How is this possible?
- Geovany Soto expects Henry Blanco to re-sign with the Cubs.
- Tony Massarotti looks at possible trade partners for the Red Sox.
Odds and Ends: Tazawa, Young, Kouzmanoff
Links for Friday. As always, I’ll update this post with more stuff so refresh later if you’re interested.
- Nick Piecoro suggests catcher Miguel Montero could be the D’Backs’ best trade chip. Their needs will be second base and perhaps starting pitching.
- The Marlins’ top priority is improving their defense.
- Dave Cameron takes apart Scott Boras’ claim about Oliver Perez. If more of these client books leak out, Boras is going to have to hire Cameron to keep him quiet.
- White Sox GM Ken Williams talked about adding speed from within, though Williams is notoriously unpredictable.
- Two 19 year-old Indian men named Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel will try out in front of Major League scouts today after winning the Million Dollar Arm contest. The idea of the contest was to find raw talent among India’s huge population, kids who could hit 85mph consistently. The Red Sox and Indians are among the clubs in attendance.
- The Phillies may be interested in Junichi Tazawa, though Ruben Amaro’s "We know of him" comment isn’t exactly an endorsement. The Indians, Yankees, and D’Backs will pass on Tazawa, who could command $7MM.
- Also at NPB Tracker, a second Japanese club hopes to convince the Rangers to trade Nelson Cruz. Doesn’t make much sense for Texas.
- Amaro is figuring out his front office; Chuck LaMar has been promoted to assistant GM.
- Chris De Luca’s sources close to Bud Selig say there’s "zero chance" Bud and the owners let Mark Cuban buy the Cubs.
- Baseball America has the full list of 561 minor league free agents. See anyone you like?
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire looks at the notable waiver claims of the past few years.
- Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto says the Twins are reportedly willing to trade Delmon Young to the Padres for Kevin Kouzmanoff.
Nationals Rumors: Colon, Fukumori
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has a handful of Nationals rumors tonight.
- As you know, Damian Miller, Johnny Estrada, and Miguel Montero have been targeted at the catcher position.
- The Nats want to sign Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, but it appears he craves multiple years.
- As mentioned earlier, the Nats like Kazuo Fukumori. What we didn’t mention earlier was the idea that Fukumori could start. The notion seems questionable, as the 31 year-old hasn’t started a game since 2002.
- The Nationals have no interest in David Eckstein or Kenny Lofton, despite their desire for a leadoff hitter. They certainly don’t need an outfielder, anyway.
Odds and Ends: Peavy, Ellsbury, Montero, Fukumori
More random rumors to devour…
- The Braves are looking at adding Damian Miller as their backup catcher. The Nats are known to have interest and more playing time for Miller. The Padres are considering him as well; Miller will definitely play in ’08.
- Jake Peavy will get a three-year, $52MM extension with a $22MM option for 2013. Who knows how the Padres will feel about that option when they get there. Peavy will earn $15MM in 2010, $16MM in ’11, and $17MM in ’12. The ’13 option has a $4MM buyout attached.
- Jacoby Ellsbury signed on with the Scott Boras Corporation. I made an error earlier saying Jon Lester had as well.
- Pirates inked utility man Chris Gomez for a million bucks.
- The Nationals have their eye on Arizona’s Miguel Montero. They’re also one of the ten teams in on Kazuo Fukumori. Barry Svrluga tosses a new Japanese reliever into the mix: Katsuhiko Maekawa. Don’t know a thing about him yet.
- Larry LaRue tries to explain why the Mariners didn’t offer arbitration to Jose Guillen.
D’Backs Rumors: Haren, Kuroda, Carlos Gonzalez
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert has some trade rumors to digest this evening concerning the D’Backs.
- Arizona had discussions with the A’s about Dan Haren today. Many names were thrown about. Conor Jackson was not involved. The A’s asked about Max Scherzer and were told he’s not available. We learned earlier that Carlos Gonzalez‘s name came up.
- By the way, the D’Backs aren’t interested in Joe Blanton.
- Arizona is still around 3/30 on Hiroki Kuroda.
- The Rangers inquired about Carlos Gonzalez but wouldn’t consider parting with Eric Hurley for him.
- The Nats are indeed interested in Miguel Montero, as reported previously.
Mets Targeting Livan Hernandez?
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has some new Mets info for us today.
- Surprisingly, Shpigel believes the one free agent starter the Mets will seriously consider is Livan Hernandez. That is odd because I had read Livan wasn’t high on Omar Minaya’s list. We’ve seen the Mets connected to free agents Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, and Jason Jennings so far this offseason.
- As far as some unsung trade opportunities, my Mets guy says Ervin Santana, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, and Noah Lowry are being considered.
- According to Shpigel, the Mets hope to re-sign Ramon Castro as their backup catcher. I don’t see that happening, as he’ll probably be able to snag a starting job elsewhere. Options the Mets are considering to start at catcher include Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, and Paul Lo Duca. A source tells me the D’Backs’ Miguel Montero may also be on the radar.
- Shpigel says Luis Castillo might command a four-year deal. Say what? The Mets may yet re-sign Castillo but want to see what the trade market offers first. Shpigel names Orlando Hudson, while I’ve also heard Alberto Callaspo.