Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Braves Howard, Mets, Nomar, Sheets
On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, several players in the twilight of their career are still looking for contracts of their own. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- River Ave. Blues says a one-year deal for Manny Ramirez in L.A. would open the door to Manny being Manny in pinstripes next year.
- Feeling Dodger Blue takes a look at options for the Dodgers other than Manny.
- Braves Blast sees Bobby Abreu as a better fit for the Braves than Adam Dunn and a better option than trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
- The Phrontiersman argues for trading Ryan Howard.
- UmpBump continues their "Hot Offseason Action" series, this time looking at the Red Sox, their offseason moves and how the roster might look on opening day.
- Mets Geek breaks down the Mets offseason.
- The ‘Ropolitans say the Mets’ bullpen still needs work and wonders why they don’t go after one of the remaining big-name relievers on the market.
- Detroit Tigers Thoughts notes that if Orlando Hudson wants to sign a one-year deal after the June draft, he is more likely to lose his type-A free agent status next season if he signs with an NL club this season.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels that Nomar Garciaparra would make a nice backup shortstop for the Cubs.
- More Hardball puts together an All-Star squad of players still available on the free agent market.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at which teams might be interested in signing Ben Sheets for the second half.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Phillies Still Eyeing Nomar Garciaparra
Scott Lauber of the Wilmington News Journal spoke with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Thursday afternoon. Amaro reaffirmed the club’s interest in Nomar Garciaparra, but said he doesn’t expect an answer from the free agent infielder until spring training begins.
Garciaparra is supposedly considering retirement due to health issues. "Nomar has been great through the whole process, but he doesn’t want to put our team in a position to bring on a player who may not be prepared to perform at his accustomed level," Amaro said. "But if we can bring Nomar in and give him an opportunity to be in camp, if he feels like he’s healthy enough to do that, it gives us more depth."
Amaro said he’s "not sure" if Nomar would be willing to accept a minor league contract if he does decide to play this year.
Phillies, Giants Considering Rich Aurilia
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick spoke to Rich Aurilia‘s agent Barry Axelrod, who said the Orioles’ Ty Wigginton signing might move things along for his client. The Giants and Phillies had been interested in Wiggy and maintain interest in Aurilia. Ken Davidoff of Newsday would like to see the Mets get in on him.
Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier today that the Phillies also continue to monitor Nomar Garciaparra, who is "trying to decide whether he is physically sound enough to play next season."
Rosenthal On Peavy, Ohman, Looper
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Jeff Moorad’s acquistion of the Padres does not affect the likelihood of a Jake Peavy trade, according to Rosenthal’s source. There have been no recent conversations with the Cubs about Peavy.
- The Phillies had been confident of signing Ty Wigginton before the Orioles offered two years. The Phils are still mulling Nomar Garciaparra and Rich Aurilia, with the Giants also in on Aurilia. The Phillies are out on Will Ohman.
- Braden Looper is receiving interest from Baltimore, but he prefers the NL. The Brewers are not optimistic about signing Looper despite a recent conversation with one of his agents (Tom Haudricourt believes the Brewers are "laying in the weeds" for when the right pitcher comes along). Looper is Plan B behind Randy Wolf for the Dodgers, and not a candidate to return to the Cardinals (who are apparently out of money). One other team known to have interest in Looper is the Pirates.
Stark On Greinke, Manny, Dunn, Swisher
The latest from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…
- The Cubs’ ownership situation is not close to the finish line, which is one reason the team won’t be acquiring Jake Peavy anytime soon.
- One source of Stark’s suggested Zack Greinke nearly left his current agent John Courtright of SFX for Scott Boras, a whisper I’d heard as well. But now Greinke is happy with his contract and agent.
- Free agents such as Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez could reasonably wait until March to sign. Not a bad thing for this website!
- Adam Dunn would like Manny to sign earlier, as he’s waiting to see what the Dodgers (his preferred team) do. The Nationals have been Dunn’s most aggressive suitor, the Orioles have mild interest, and the Braves have backed off.
- Stark questions the idea of talks for Manny heating up lately, since the Mets, Yankees, and Angels are out and the Giants are only conditionally interested.
- When Alex Rodriguez was a free agent last winter, Joe Torre advised the Dodgers against signing him.
- The Phillies would like to move Geoff Jenkins for a right-handed hitting outfielder, but Jenkins is paid too much. Jay Payton and Emil Brown are not on the Phillies’ radar; they still like Nomar Garciaparra.
- The Yankees are apparently "softening to the idea of trading Nick Swisher," with the Braves the top suitor.
Heyman’s Latest: Pedro, Alou, Pudge
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
- Some baseball people believe Omar Minaya will bring Pedro Martinez back to New York once Oliver Perez signs. Minaya loves Pedro and Pedro may prefer to return to the Mets
- The Phillies have about $3MM left to spend; Heyman wonders whether Moises Alou would sign for that kind of money.
- The Phillies have also considered Rich Aurilia and Nomar Garciaparra, but Aurilia may simply return to the Giants if they have room for him.
- Heyman says Ivan Rodriguez makes the most sense for the Marlins, but adds that they have little money to spend.
- Jeff Moorad’s attempt to buy the Padres will almost certainly go through.
- Heyman makes one clarification about Milton Bradley‘s deal after viewing the contract. It’s a two year $20MM deal with an option for a third year that kicks in if Bradley spends fewer than 75 days on the DL this year.
Rosenthal On Manny, Garcia, Greinke
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column…
- Rosenthal speculates that the Giants may not be the right fit for Manny Ramirez, given a challenging ballpark and questionable supporting cast of hitters. Rosenthal suggests a contract that might work for Manny and the Dodgers: two years with a third-year player option, with no-trade protection covering only the first two years.
- Many remaining free agents – Adam Dunn for example – may prefer a one-year deal because it will increase their options and allow them to re-enter the market after the season.
- The White Sox found the price for Freddy Garcia to be too high ($1.5MM plus $6.5MM in incentives). Rosenthal deems Oliver Perez a bad fit for the Sox in part because he’s a flyball pitcher. Also there’s the whole Scott Boras thing.
- Among the right-handed hitters the Phillies are mulling, Rosenthal feels that Nomar Garciaparra and Rich Aurilia make the most sense.
- The Angels may go to Spring Training with their current club.
- Zack Greinke received "very minor" no-trade protection in the first two years of his new deal, with seemingly no protection when his salary shoots up to $13.5MM in 2011.
Phillies Still Eyeing Right-Handed Bats
8:18pm: Philadelphia’s search for a right-handed bat continues. Alden Gonzalez adds an update on MLB.com.
Names the Phillies have been linked to in that regard include Nomar Garciaparra, Ty Wigginton, Moises Alou, Rich Aurilia, Mark Grudzielanek and Kevin Millar, Gonzalez wrote.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Gonzalez that the addition does “not necessarily” need to be an infielder, though a little insurance while Pedro Feliz and Chase Utley recover from offseason surgeries wouldn’t hurt.
“We’re looking for a guy that has a bit of that versatility that’s needed in the National League,” Amaro told Gonzalez.
Jan. 23: Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a right-handed bench bat. Names of interest: Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou, Mark Grudzielanek, Rich Aurilia, and Kevin Millar.
Salisbury says Garciaparra is the team’s first choice, but Ruben Amaro Jr. remarked, "We can’t be held hostage by Nomar, though he’d be a guy we’d like to bring in." Salisbury’s source says the Phils are going "pretty hard" after Alou, who will attempt to re-establish his health in the World Baseball Classic. Two issues there: Alou’s playing time expectations may be too high, and he reportedly prefers the AL where he can DH.
Dodgers Rumors: Wolf, Garland, Looper
Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News has a variety of Dodgers rumors for us:
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said he would like to add "a starter, a reliever or both" as well as a versatile bench player.
- Jackson writes that the club’s believed to have refined its search for a starter to three pitchers: Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Braden Looper. Yahoo’s Tim Brown wrote that the Dodgers had interest in these three earlier in the week.
- The Dodgers are also believed to be looking at Juan Cruz, a Type A free agent. Signing Cruz would require giving up a draft pick, so Jackson says he’s less likely to join the Dodgers. Ken Rosenthal suggested the Dodgers had interest earlier in the week.
- The club could bring Nomar Garciaparra back, but he has another suitor now that the Phillies are also interested.
Phillies Interested In Garciaparra
Ken Rosenthal and Jim Salisbury have both heard from major league sources that the Phillies are interested in Nomar Garciaparra as a bench player.
Salisbury writes that the Phillies haven’t yet made an offer, but could if Nomar seems interested.
Both Rosenthal and Salisbury hear that the Phillies have some interest in Gabe Kapler.