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Odds & Ends: Myers, Lackey, Hardy, Holliday

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Here's some Thursday links…

  • Brett Myers said it would be "upsetting" to leave Philadelphia, according to FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. It would make sense for Myers to market himself as a starter this offseason, but Morosi points out that the Phillies already have five starters returning in 2010.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com doesn't see the Orioles opening their wallet for John Lackey. He points out that Jeremy Guthrie's numbers are on par wth Lackey's over the last few years.
  • Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press says it wouldn't be surprising to see the Twins pursue J.J. Hardy if Orlando Cabrera departs via free agency. He says Glen Perkins "would seem a likely bet to be included if there were an offer to the Brewers."
  • Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog.com wonders if Matt Holliday is worth $17MM per season for six years.
  • Tom Singer of MLB.com previews this year's free agent class.

Twins Notes: Mauer, Morneau, Valencia

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MLB.com's Kelly Thesier answered a few e-mails from fans in regard to what Minnesota might have up its sleeve in the offseason, and here are some of the most notable bits of news from the piece… 

  • Thesier said that though talks between the Twins and Joe Mauer about a contract extension  haven't yet begun, "don't take Mauer's patience to mean that the catcher isn't interested in signing an extension."  Thesier also noted a possible good omen for Minnesota fans — Mauer's agent, Ron Shapiro, also represented single-franchise stars Kirby Puckett and Cal Ripken Jr.
  • Justin Morneau should be recovered from minor wrist surgery in four weeks' time, and looks to start rehabbing his injured back by the middle of November.
  • Top prospect Danny Valencia will need a big performance in spring training to win the third base job, given that the 25-year-old didn't even receive a call-up last September.
  • Money may be the only thing that prevents Minnesota from re-signing Orlando Cabrera, since the Twins "appreciated" his contribution to their AL Central crown.

Odds & Ends: Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays

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With baseball dark until Wednesday, let MLBTradeRumors.com light the way for you…

  • Rob Neyer has a must-read piece about the Astros refusing to give Manny Acta a three-year contract offer. As Neyer writes, "If you think it's silly to give a manager a three-year contract but don't mind throwing $100 million of your ill-gotten gains at Carlos Lee, you probably need to have your head examined (though of course something similar might be said of half the owners in the majors)."
  • MLB.com A's beat reporter Mychael Urban explains why Oakland dealt Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi and Orlando Cabrera– but kept Nomar Garciaparra around.
  • Toronto added a pair of senior baseball men, both named Mel, to the front office.

Orlando Cabrera Wants To Return To Minnesota

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Orlando Cabrera tells the Pioneer Press that he wants to remain in Minnesota. He'll be a Type A free agent after the season, but the Twins can't offer him arbitration, so he won't cost any team a draft pick.

We took a close look at Cabrera's market value this morning. His .284/.316/.389 line and questionable defense will limit his value. However, MLB.com's Scott Merkin points to Cabrera's positive clubhouse presence and no one can deny his durability (Cabrera has played in at least 140 games every year since 2000). Still, it would be a surprise to see the Twins dole out a base salary worth more than the $4MM he signed for this spring.

The Market For Orlando Cabrera

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Orlando Cabrera didn't sign with the A's until Spring Training had begun, partly because teams were reluctant to give up a top pick for him. It doesn't look like this winter will be much easier for the shortstop, in spite of some clever negotating by his agent.

Cabrera projects to be a Type A free agent, but agent Dan Lozano added a clause in his client's contract that prevents the Twins from offering arbitration. This gives Cabrera leverage because teams won't have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him.

However, Cabrera had a pedestrian year at the plate, appears to be declining defensively and is far from the only shortstop out there. The soon-to-be 35-year-old hit .284/.316/.389 with twice as many strikeouts as walks for the A's and Twins. Those numbers wouldn't be bad for a strong defensive shortstop, but the former Gold Golver made 25 errors and posted a UZR/150 of -9.9.

The market for shortstops includes Miguel Tejada, who probably won't cost a draft pick, and Marco Scutaro, who probably will. Jack Wilson, Adam Everett, Alex Gonzalez and others could be on the market, too. So will any team be prepared to match the $4MM base salary Cabrera signed for last winter?

The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, Twins, Mariners, Nationals and Astros could all be looking for help at short this offseason (the Red Sox had some interest this summer). But with many free agents on the market and the possibility that the Rays and Brewers will make shortstops available via trade, Cabrera and his agent have another challenging winter ahead.

Rosenthal On Pavano, A’s, Jays, Astros

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As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out, closers Brian Fuentes and Ryan Franklin seem just as shaky as Brad Lidge these days. Rosenthal also covers some hot-stove themed issues. Here are the highlights: 

  • Carl Pavano, who will earn close to $4MM this year if enough incentives kick in, could sign a one-year deal worth $5-7MM this offseason, according to an MLB executive.
  • Cliff Pennington's emergence suggests there's very little chance the A's bring shortstop Orlando Cabrera back after the season.
  • Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays wanted pitcher-shortstop Casey Kelly more than any of the prospects the Red Sox apparently offered for Roy Halladay.
  • Rosenthal hears that the Astros are likely to hire an experienced manager to permanently replace Cecil Cooper. Former Astro Jeff Bagwell would be a tempting choice, and he would probably consider the job if the Astros were interested, but the team appears more likely to pursue skippers with significant MLB experience.
  • The Indians have lost 17 of their last 20 games under Eric Wedge, who will not likely be out of work for long if he gets fired.

Rosenthal On Junior, Twins, Cardinals

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears the Mariners will not reject Ken Griffey Jr. if he decides to return next season. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • Junior will decide whether he wants to return for another season after this one ends.
  • GM Jack Zduriencik says the Mariners will wait to hear from Griffey before proceeding with the rest of their offseason plans.
  • One source tells Rosenthal that the team would bring Griffey back if the 13-time All-Star wants to return. A second source suggests Griffey may be willing to take on a reduced role for a reduced salary.
  • Rosenthal suggests the Twins will need to add a veteran starter this offseason. He mentions Randy Wolf as a possible target for the club.
  • Orlando Cabrera and Joe Crede are free agents, so the team will likely have to re-structure the left side of its infield.
  • Rosenthal wonders how Cardinals pitchers will fare if highly-regarded pitching coach Dave Duncan moves on next year. 

Heyman On Holliday, Red Sox, Pedro, Bradley

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman covers numerous examples of National League GMs mining the American League scrap heap.
  • Heyman agrees with Jayson Stark's note yesterday, that the Yankees will allow Derek Jeter to enter his walk year unsigned and worry about it after the 2010 season.
  • The Cardinals will try hard to retain Matt Holliday, but Heyman believes the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox could be in the mix for the slugger.
  • Heyman discusses future shortstop possibilities for the Red Sox – they could retain Alex Gonzalez or go after Marco Scutaro.  He says they "don't seem anxious" to bring Orlando Cabrera back.
  • Pedro Martinez is looking good, and Heyman says only the Phillies and Rangers had real interest.  The Cubs and Brewers were on the fringes.
  • Heyman talked to two GMs about the Cubs and Milton Bradley.  One thought the Cubs could unload him by eating half his remaining $21MM; another thought they'd need to assume almost all the money.  I am not a Bradley apologist; he's certainly been a distraction.  But how would subtracting a .394 OBP make the Cubs' middling offense better?

Twins Rumors: Potential Free Agents, Mauer

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We already know that the Twins weren't able to swing a deal with the Cubs for pitcher Rich Harden today, but the Minnesota rumors don't end there. Let's recap some miscellaneous items…

  • Twins GM Bill Smith said there will be no negotiations with potential free agents Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Joe Crede, and Mike Redmond until after the season, according to Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
  • After word got out that the team has the money to keep megastar Joe Mauer in Minnesota, R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs took a look at the math and says that "unless Mauer really loves the area and takes a team friendly deal, I’m not sure they can meet his market value, and maybe you could argue they shouldn’t given the risks associated with being a catcher."

One thing to remember is that the Twins have brand new Target Field set to open next year, and new stadiums are almost always a cash cow for at least the first few years.

Odds & Ends: Rizzo, A’s, Draft, Williams

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Some tidbits from around the league on Thursday evening…

  • ESPN's Peter Gammons outlines the methods Nationals GM Mike Rizzo used to land Stephen Strasburg. He also discusses the long road Rizzo has ahead of him. 
  • MLB.com's Mychael Urban writes that the Athletics are enjoying success despite trading Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera.
  • Dave Cameron at Fangraphs argues that the draft should be "abolished" and offers a creative suggestion for how to replace it.
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin talks to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is happy with the team he has constructed. In fact, Williams says that he "would love to bring back this whole darn team." 
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