Phillies Interested In Cameron, Benson
ESPN’s Jayson Stark wrote recently that the Phillies have expressed interest in center fielder Mike Cameron, now that the Padres are out of the mix. Pat Gillick, who had Cameron back in Seattle, may have warmed to the idea of a two-year contract. Back on December 6th Todd Zolecki said the Phils didn’t even want to go that far. Stark says the White Sox and Rangers are other contenders for Cameron.
Also, both the Phillies and Padres remain on the trail of Geoff Jenkins, according to Zolecki. His choices have been narrowed down to those two clubs since Friday.
The Phils will be among many teams watching Kris Benson throw tomorrow. Benson is a popular bargain option; we’ve known that the Yankees, Cardinals, Royals, and Marlins may be watching on Monday as well. Nick Cafardo says ten teams will observe Benson, adding the Rockies and Dodgers as new ones. We’re still three short!
The Phils also could give a minor-league deal to Sidney Ponson. I’ll let you add your own punchline there.
Cameron, Padres Sever Ties
The Padres and Mike Cameron will go in different directions, according to his agent. It had been said previously that Cameron and the Padres agreed on two years but couldn’t meet on the amount of money.
Tom Krasovic notes that the Padres have already talked to the Cardinals about Jim Edmonds. They’ve also got an eye on free agent Kenny Lofton. Lofton may not be a defensive asset these days, but the 40 year-old still hits righties at an .800 OPS. Scott Hairston could play center when the Padres face a southpaw.
As for Cameron, the White Sox, Twins, Rangers, Brewers, Phillies, and Braves could be options. Ken Rosenthal adds the Cardinals, Reds, and Yankees as possibilities as well. Cameron is the best center field free agent left on the market.
Padres Rumors: Iguchi, Prior, Cameron
Padres rumor guru Tom Krasovic checks in with the latest.
- Why does Tadahito Iguchi love San Diego so much? He passed on far superior offers (and hitter’s parks) from the Rockies and Phillies. The Padres have definitely developed a competitive advantage over the years in that guys will make concessions to play there.
- Nine teams have expressed interest in Mark Prior, according to his agent. The Astros are confirmed. The Reds, Rangers, and Phillies are other possibilities. The Padres haven’t checked in yet but they are expected to.
- Talks are still ongoing between Mike Cameron and the Padres.
Padres Sign Tadahito Iguchi
UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 9:15am: Iguchi gets "nearly $4 million," according to Krasovic. It’s surprising he couldn’t do better elsewhere.
FROM 12-11-07 at 10:25pm:
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the Padres have signed second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to a one-year deal. This will give Matt Antonelli time to get a little more seasoning. The second base prospect will turn 23 in April; he has 49 games above A ball under his belt. The free agent market for second basemen is now pretty bleak, with David Eckstein perhaps the best choice.
Now that the Padres’ top offseason target Kosuke Fukudome is a Cub, the Padres will set their sights on other outfielders. Mike Cameron and Geoff Jenkins remain the top options, according to Krasovic.
Padres Rumors: Iguchi, Eckstein, Barrett, Bonds
Aside from the aforementioned Fukudome stuff, Tom Krasovic has some trade rumors to discuss in today’s article.
- It seems the Padres and Rockies are the main competitors for Tadahito Iguchi. The Pads wouldn’t mind getting Matt Antonelli more seasoning at Triple A. Meanwhile the Rockies are offering Iguchi two years. The Padres also like the idea of getting David Eckstein on a one-year deal, not something he’s expecting to go for.
- The Pirates still like Michael Barrett, but expect him to require little in the way of players.
- While the Padres recently met with Barry Bonds‘ agent, Jeff Borris, the team’s CEO said point-blank that they have no interest in him. It might’ve been a less interesting Borris client such as Jeff Cirillo, Tony Graffanino, or Jay Witasick.
- The Padres haven’t been in touch with Aaron Rowand’s people. They seem in agreement on two years for Mike Cameron, but they disagree on the dollars.
Padres May Learn Today About Fukudome Offer
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a new column up, chock full of Padres rumors. Let’s discuss.
- The Padres have a three-year offer out to Kosuke Fukudome that may make him the highest paid Padre ever, aside from Jake Peavy. Kevin Towers expects to get an answer today from Fukudome’s agent, Joe Urbon. Urbon basically said that geography would only come into play if offers from competing teams were similar. Towers admitted he sees the Cubs as the lead horse in this race.
- San Diego has a strong need for an outfielder or two, especially now that Milton Bradley went to the Rangers for an extra million bucks. There was some sentiment from Bradley that the Padres were glad they were outbid, maybe even planned it that way. It would seem more clever if they’d offered Bradley arbitration, though.
- Mike Cameron, Geoff Jenkins, and Jason Bay remain on Towers’ radar as alternatives to Fukudome. Krasovic recently suggested the Reds could jump in on Cameron if they trade Josh Hamilton.
Reds In On Cameron?
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Mike Cameron‘s agent tonight said he has a new suitor. Krasovic makes an educated guess that the Reds are that team. He cites Cameron’s desire to play for Dusty Baker, the possible defensive improvement, and the availability of Josh Hamilton as factors. It would be odd for the Reds to spend their remaining money on a position player though.
Cameron enjoyed his time in Cincinnati in 1999, hitting .256/.357/.469 as a 26 year-old before being included in the Griffey trade. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Reds brought back Cameron and Brett Tomko? And Antonio Perez is probably kicking around somewhere too.
Padres Near Deal With Milton Bradley
UPDAT, 12-6-07 at 12:11pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says the deal is worth $3.5-4MM.
FROM 12-6-07 at 11:24am:
According to MLB.com’s Jim Molony, the Padres are nearing a one-year deal with outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley is expected to be ready to play in April; hopefully he can stay healthy and give the Padres 400-500 good ABs. Bradley recently lost 15 pounds in an effort to reduce his injury risk.
Does this take the Padres out of the Kosuke Fukudome sweepstakes? Probably not – the Padres won’t sign both Fukudome and Mike Cameron, but Bradley probably came cheaply.
Phillies Rumors: Iguchi, Inge, Silva, Ensberg
Sounds like there’s a whole lot of ‘nothin’ going on with the Phillies.
- As you know, the Phils are out on Hiroki Kuroda.
- Yesterday the Phillies made an offer and a second improved offer to Tadahito Iguchi. Iguchi is looking for a three-year deal for around the $16.5MM Kaz Matsui received.
- Todd Zolecki says the Phils have "kicked around" Brandon Inge‘s name; he’s definitely available. The general sentiment is that the Tigers would have to eat some of the $19.1MM owed to Inge over the next three seasons. Plus, the Phillies already tried the defense-first idea at third base.
- Talks with Mike Cameron went nowhere, as the Phillies didn’t want to consider a multiyear deal. Aaron Rowand is also a long shot. Not a very exciting Meetings for Phillies fans.
- Scott Lauber checks in this morning and says Carlos Silva would like to return to the Phillies. The interest isn’t mutual, however, if Silva continues to ask for four or five years.
- Lauber suggests Morgan Ensberg is a strong non-tender candidate and someone the Phils should look at.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Bradley, Haren
Ken Rosenthal checks in with the latest buzz.
- The Astros might be "on the verge of a major deal." Rosenthal notes the availability of Chris Burke and Luke Scott plus the team’s interest in Damaso Marte. He also says some clubs are after Houston’s young pitching. Ed Wade spoke of two-way, three-way, and even four-way discussions before he hit the hay last night, but nothing seemed imminent.
- Rosenthal says the Padres might have a better chance of re-signing Milton Bradley than Mike Cameron. He also implies that the Friars could reach a one-year agreement with Michael Barrett and then shop him.
- Despite Hank’s proclamations, Rosenthal says the Yanks are "lurking" on Dan Haren. Sounds creepy.