Garciaparra Pondering Retirement?
12:56pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has confirmed that his club is no longer interested in Garciaparra (courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Murphy):
"I would not view him as someone who will be with us," Amaro said. Murphy doesn’t expect the Phillies to add any more free agents before the start of the regular season.
9:47am: According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, free agent infielder Nomar Garciaparra is deciding between retirement and a one-year contract with the A’s.
The Phillies have apparently moved on. The A’s are also currently working on deals for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and left-hander Dennys Reyes, and Rosenthal heard from a source that the club could "increase their pursuits" of those two players "due to their uncertainty over Garciaparra."
Garciaparra, 35, hit .264/.326/.466 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 163 at-bats last season. It sounds like he needs to make a career decision fairly soon.
Heyman’s Latest: Cabrera, Pudge, Pedro, Halladay
Already linked to this article from Jon Heyman in the Manny piece, but it should have its own post as well, as the second half of it covers completely different material. Let’s take a look…
- Orlando Cabrera and the A’s still face a gap in the numbers. The A’s would like to sign him for $2MM-$3MM, but Cabrera is holding out for more. The hit his reputation took based on problems with his former White Sox teammates is unlikely to be helping matters.
- Heyman points out that the Dodgers did an excellent job of using Cabrera’s availability to drive down Orlando Hudson’s price tag.
- Heyman says Pudge Rodriguez’s reputation also took a hit toward the end of his tenure in Detroit. Could that be playing a factor in the lack of interest toward Pudge? Heyman names the Marlins and Astros as good fits. Pudge will use the WBC as an audition to try to prove he’s better than he was with the Yankees (.580 OPS through 33 games).
- Pedro Martinez will also use the WBC as an audition, but other than the Pirates, there’s not much of a market for him. That could change with a solid showing in March, however. The Indians made a run at Pedro early on, and the Dodgers could become a possibility.
- Heyman speculates that with Vernon Wells’ health issues and declining production, the stars may aligning for a Roy Halladay trade mid-season. Wells will miss the next month with a hamstring injury.
What’s everyone else think? Is Cabrera being stubborn or are the A’s? Where will Pudge and Pedro end up? Are Halladay’s Toronto days numbered?
Rosenthal On Cabrera, Cruz, Nady, Swisher
Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The A’s are offering more at-bats to Nomar Garciaparra than the Phillies. If the A’s sign Nomar, that wouldn’t stop them from adding Orlando Cabrera. However, Rosenthal’s source says Cabrera and the A’s "are not even close" in terms of his value.
- Nothing is close with the Juan Cruz situation; "New teams entered the mix after the sign-and-trade option became more realistic." Rosenthal says it’s still possible that a team will simply sign Cruz and give up a draft pick. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have made an offer to Cruz, but did not speak to his agent yesterday.
- Even with the Orlando Hudson signing, Blake DeWitt still has a role with the Dodgers pitching in at second base, third base, and even shortstop.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman "didn’t particularly like" any of the offers he’s received for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
- Rosenthal leaves the door slightly ajar for the Astros and Pudge: "the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly." Astros GM Ed Wade said on Wednesday: "We’re not signing Pudge. Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."
Oakland Hot Stove: Garciaparra, Cabrera, Reyes
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Oakland Athletics and Nomar Garciaparra are "in serious talks" about a bench spot for the team. Slusser notes that the Phillies are likely competing for Nomar’s services as well; I myself would also mention the Cubs as a team in need of a right-handed bench bat.
Additionally, Slusser points out that signing Garciaparra would not preclude the Athletics from also going after Orlando Cabrera. However, it seems as though the two parties continue to have difficulty in bridging the salary gap, despite Cabrera’s reducing his salary demands from $9MM to roughly $5.5MM at this point.
Also on the A’s radar are a pair of relievers: lefties Dennys Reyes and Andrew Sisco.
A’s Interested In Garciaparra
According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney the A’s are interested in Nomar Garciaparra. Olney suggests the A’s would like Nomar’s righthanded bat to provide balance in a lineup well-stocked with lefthanded hitters like Jason Giambi and Jack Cust.
Olney adds that the A’s have maintained interest in Orlando Cabrera, who will likely have to sign for Orlando Hudson money (up to $8MM) instead of Edgar Renteria money ($18MM).
Dodgers Eyeing Orlando Cabrera
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers have begun talks with free agent infielder Orlando Cabrera.
Cabrera, normally a shortstop, told the club that he’d be willing to make the move to second base. Gurnick writes that the Dodgers are "uncertain they can work a deal for second baseman Orlando Hudson," and believe Cabrera would be a viable fit. The 34-year-old hit .281/.334/.371 with eight home runs and 57 RBI last season for the White Sox. He also stole 19 bases. The White Sox would love it if the Dodgers signed Cabrera, as they’d be given L.A.’s #17 pick in the June draft as part of the compensation.
The A’s have also shown interest in Cabrera this offseason, but haven’t been pleased with his asking price.
More From The Sign-And-Trade Front
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle shares some thoughts from the A’s brass on this whole sign-and-trade fiasco:
I spoke to a member of the A’s front office who is doubtful that deals of this nature will be allowed to go through because they so clearly run counter to specific rules.
Slusser also writes that the A’s are not considering tyring such a deal with the White Sox for Type-A free agent Orlando Cabrera.
For one thing, the A’s would lose a second-round pick to Chicago rather than a first-round pick if they were to sign Cabrera, writes Slusser. And the source told me that losing a second-rounder is not something that would squash a deal. The A’s aren’t concerned with it at all. Cabrera’s wish for a $9 million-plus salary, though? That could kill things.
Rosenthal On Hudson, Pudge, Cabrera, Edmonds
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Orlando Hudson would like to play for the Royals, but currently they cannot afford him even at a likely salary under $5MM. They could free up most of the cash by releasing Mark Teahen, but Rosenthal’s source says the Royals are "unwilling to make such a move." Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals-Hudson idea in this blog post. The Dodgers are the only other known suitor, though the fit there is questionable in my opinion.
- The Mets aren’t serious about signing Ivan Rodriguez, though they have discussed it. The Mets already have $7.4MM committed to their current catching tandem. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post goes further, saying the Mets "aren’t interested" in Rodriguez.
- Currently the A’s are unwilling to meet Orlando Cabrera‘s asking price. They are willing to sacrifice their second-round pick for him if they get their price.
- Jim Edmonds is "attracting virtually no interest." Edmonds can still hit righties, so you’d think someone would make an offer.
Heyman On Manny, Pudge, Cabrera, Howard
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
- Heyman says "most in the know seem to still believe [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt will bend on Manny Ramirez and go to three years."
- The Nationals’ offer to Adam Dunn was on the table for weeks until he realized no team was going to beat or approach it. There were rumors months ago that Dunn sought a $100MM deal heading into free agency.
- The Astros and Marlins are looking at Ivan Rodriguez. There’s even an El Nuevo Dia report suggesting the Astros offered $2.5MM+ to Pudge, but that seems out of their price range to me. In today’s mailbag, MLB.com’s Alyson Footer opines that the Astros wouldn’t go to $3MM for a catcher.
- The A’s "want to spend no more than $5MM, and probably closer to $3MM" for Orlando Cabrera. He should take that if it’s offered.
- The Angels had been eyeing Joe Crede but may be done after signing Bobby Abreu. The Giants and Twins remain the likeliest suitors for Crede.
- The Phillies hoped to lock up Ryan Howard beyond his arbitration years, and Ruben Amaro Jr. disputed the notion that he is after Teixeira money.
Rosenthal On Lefty Relievers, Bobby Crosby
New information from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
The top free agent lefty relievers may sign this week. Will Ohman received three offers in recent days and four total; he could sign today or tomorrow. Back on February 5th, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick linked the Mets and Phillies to Ohman after talking to his agent. Rosenthal does not indicate which clubs made the offers, however. The Dodgers are in on Joe Beimel, who they declined to offer arbitration to in December. Dennys Reyes continues to draw interest from the Dodgers and A’s.
Rosenthal adds that the A’s want to save their money for Orlando Cabrera, who would replace Bobby Crosby at shortstop. The Padres would not have interest in Crosby.