D’Backs Focused On Jon Garland
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks "seem to be focusing now on free agent hurler Jon Garland." Heyman says the D’Backs originally had their eye on Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, but now believe they might be able to afford a younger pitcher. The D’Backs struck out on Randy Johnson, Brad Penny, and Randy Wolf already.
Surprising to see no mention of Braden Looper, who was reportedly the next target.
Dodgers Are Lead Suitors For Wolf
According to Ken Rosenthal, major league sources say the Dodgers have the "inside track" on signing Randy Wolf. Such a deal would likely be for one or two years.
The Dodgers are talking with Jon Garland and Braden Looper as well as Wolf.
The Mets, who consider Wolf an alternative to Oliver Perez, are still talking with Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez as well as Garland and Perez.
Pirates Interested In Pedro
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are interested in Pedro Martinez. Though talks have "solely been exploratory," the Pirates could pursue Pedro if he’s willing to consider a deal worth less than the $7MM he’s apparently seeking.
The Marlins won’t pursue Pedro and neither will the Indians, but he is open to a new destination.
Kovacevic points out that Joe Kerrigan, Pittsburgh’s new pitching coach, worked with Pedro in Montreal.
Jon Garland Rejects Offer From D’Backs
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, starter Jon Garland rejected a contract offer from the Diamondbacks. The offer is unknown, but Piecoro believes the D’Backs have about $4MM left to spend this winter.
Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, and Jason Jennings are also on the radar. Piecoro figures Braden Looper would make sense based on his similarity to Garland.
Pedro Martinez Rumors
WEDNESDAY: Jon Heyman weighs in on Pedro Martinez. He says the Indians were considering an offer in the $7MM range but they’re out now that they’ve signed Carl Pavano. Heyman confirms that D’Backs are still in on Pedro.
MONDAY: Ben Shpigel of the New York Times snagged a few quotes from Omar Minaya, who spoke on the Tim Redding conference call today. Minaya said Pedro Martinez is still an option for the Mets, but they’re looking at other guys. The implication is that they’ll only consider Pedro if they fail to sign Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, or Randy Wolf. It’s probably time for Pedro to move on.
Could he stay in New York? River Ave. Blues discusses the possibility of Martinez signing with the Yankees. We know Pedro has narrowed his choices to two teams in each league, and may have rejected a $7MM offer from an AL club. The Diamondbacks could be another possibility, but the Marlins will pass.
Pedro Not A Fit For Marlins
2:35pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel also shoots down the rumor, stating that it looks like given their lack of interest in Carl Pavano, the Marlins don’t want to give a rotation spot to a pitcher attempting to rebound.
Rodriguez says that Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, and Chris Volstad are locks for the rotation, with Andrew Miller and Anibal Sanchez as the favorites for the other two spots. Ryan Tucker, Sean West, Frankie De La Cruz and Aaron Thompson are in the mix as well.
11:21am: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald shoots down the rumor that Pedro Martinez is a possible fit for the Marlins. Spencer heard from multiple sources that "nothing is afoot on that front." The Marlins either have a lack of interest or a lack of money.
Spencer did hear that Pedro’s interested in playing for the Marlins. One source even said they were his "first choice." However, no discussions have taken place between the Marlins and Martinez recently and none are planned.
Pedro Talking With Marlins
According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, Pedro Martinez is involved in an early form of negotiations with the Florida Marlins.
Rojas says, "The Marlins have spoken with Martinez’s agent." The parties may meet next week.
D’Backs Rotation Plans
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the D’Backs plan on going after many free agent starters in hopes that one of them will sign at an affordable rate. Arizona appears to have $4-5MM to spend on an arm.
The club has traditionally avoided incentive-based deals because they bring financial uncertainty, but Piecoro sees "indications the team might be willing to relax its policy." Piecoro names Ben Sheets, Pedro Martinez and Jason Jennings as possible fits for the club, but those pitchers are considered health risks, so incentive-based deals could work for them.
To Sheets’s credit, he did make 31 starts last year, so he’s likely to get much stronger offers than the other two.
Latest On Pedro Martinez
FRIDAY: From Mike Puma of the New York Post:
Martinez said he’s open to pitching just about anywhere in 2009, but the Mets are far and away his first choice.
THURSDAY: Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog does a nice job summing up reports on the Pedro Martinez situation.
Dylan Hernandez has said the Dodgers are not in on Pedro, but the righty has narrowed his choices to two teams in each league. The Mets are one known suitor – Omar Minaya will meet with Pedro next week. I’ve talked to many Pirates and White Sox fans who would like to see their team sign Martinez to a one-year deal, but the interest level of those teams is unknown.
Cerrone also relays a Tom Verducci report from the MLB Network saying Martinez recently rejected a one-year, $7MM offer from an AL team. He must really dislike that team, because he’s not going to get that kind of money elsewhere.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Andruw, Saito
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times has the latest on the Dodgers, as well as free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez.
- Nothing much to report with Manny Ramirez – there has been no new offer from the Dodgers yet but the two sides are still talking. That two-year $45MM offer Scott Boras dissed isn’t looking too bad anymore.
- Boras is "just looking for a situation" for Andruw Jones. I see. Boras had a meeting in November with Ned Colletti and Joe Torre and the three decided to rework the contract and get him out of L.A.
- Hernandez says Trevor Hoffman remains a possibility but the Dodgers haven’t heard back from Takashi Saito.
- The Dodgers are not pursuing Pedro, but he’s narrowed his choices to two teams in each league according to his agent.
- Diamond Leung tells us the Dodgers signed infielder Juan Castro to a minor league deal.