Astros Decline To Offer Arb To Wolf, Brocail, Loretta
MLB.com’s Alyson Footer makes it official – the Astros did not offer arbitration to Type B free agents Randy Wolf and Mark Loretta or Type A free agent Doug Brocail. The Astros still hope to re-sign Brocail.
Just like the Cubs with Kerry Wood and the D’Backs with Adam Dunn, Wolf is a quality player who was not offered arbitration due to payroll concerns.
Richard Justice figures it may have come down to Wolf or Jose Valverde for the Astros, and they chose Valverde. Another note in Justice’s post – the Astros had their eye on Jose Ceda before he was traded to the Marlins.
Arb Offered To Orlando Cabrera, David Weathers
According to the AP, Orlando Cabrera (Type A) and David Weathers (Type B) were offered arbitration.
We await word on Type A/B free agents Mark Loretta, Randy Wolf, Doug Brocail, Juan Uribe, and Ken Griffey Jr., though the AP article implies none of the five received offers. Wolf would’ve been solid on a one-year deal; the Astros’ payroll must be really tight.
Astros Rumors: Wolf, Brocail, Ross
Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has the latest on the Astros:
- Astros GM Ed Wade said that he’s had to slow down negotiations with free agent lefty Randy Wolf because he’s unsure how much payroll he’s working with. Negotiations are on hold at least until next week, but the Astros would still like to sign Wolf to a multi-year deal.
- The Astros still hope to bring back reliever Doug Brocail, but they haven’t negotiated with his agent in over a week.
- Wade said he’ll try to address the team’s catching needs via trades or free agency. Houston is interested in free agent catcher David Ross.
- The Astros are also reportedly interested in converting free agent pitcher and former NCAA home run champion John Van Benschoten into a hitter.
Astros Slow Negotiations For Randy Wolf
According to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros slowed negotiations with free agent lefty Randy Wolf due to payroll concerns. The Astros made an offer earlier this month, but now GM Ed Wade says: "I told Arn that we still had interest but weren’t prepared to move forward at this time."
Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday
Links for Thursday…
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- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald wonders if Kerry Wood might accept an offer of arbitration from the Cubs.
- Hal Steinbrenner officially took over control of the Yankees from George.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire takes a look at Jeremy Affeldt‘s motivations in signing early with the Giants.
- Check out recent fan chats with Astros GM Ed Wade and agent Scott Boras. Wade still hopes to sign Randy Wolf and Doug Brocail and doesn’t seem keen on trading Jose Valverde. Some fans didn’t seem to realize that just holding payroll steady will pose problems for the Astros.
- Joe Posnanski discusses the Royals’ acquisition of Coco Crisp.
- Nick Cafardo wonders if the Crisp trade sets up other moves for the Red Sox. They’ll explore signing Rocco Baldelli, according to Amalie Benjamin.
- Sox Machine reflects on Nick Swisher‘s time with the White Sox.
- A’s owner Lew Wolff would prefer to keep Matt Holliday all year.
- Tom Haudricourt wonders if the Brewers will pursue David DeJesus if they trade Mike Cameron.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone lists which teams have been connected to the top free agent starting pitchers.
- Chad Finn wonders if the Red Sox are considering trading David Ortiz.
- Alan Schwarz has a nice article on Junichi Tazawa.
Stark’s Latest: Putz, Manny, Lackey, Ibanez
Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark does the math and finds 15 potentially available closers versus six clubs in the market for one. Should result in a few bargains or teams holding on to their surpluses.
- The Mets don’t seem willing to extend to four years for Francisco Rodriguez. Stark says J.J. Putz would become the Mets’ top closer target if he’s made available. MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone wrote a few days ago that the Mets are likely to trade for a reliever with closing experience before attempting to sign one.
- J.P. Ricciardi quote: "We won’t be involved with Manny." Ricciardi last month: "He’s on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report."
- Despite reports to the contrary, Stark talked to a rival executive who says Jake Peavy made it "onto [the Angels’] radar pretty hard." Stark speculates that Peavy could fit if the Halos sign Mark Teixeira.
- It seems likely that the Angels will put out an offer to Teixeira with a deadline, and then either sign him or move on.
- John Lackey‘s been telling friends he expects to have an extension with the Angels by Opening Day. Lackey indicated last month he’d wait to see the Halos’ offensive plans before re-signing.
- Stark suspects the Players Union might be OK with C.C. Sabathia turning down a larger offer from the Yankees if he still signed for more than Johan Santana‘s $23MM per year. I don’t really see why Sabathia would worry about the union in any regard.
- The Dodgers inquired on the asking price of Jason Varitek, with the idea of moving Russell Martin to third base in mind. They balked at Scott Boras’ demand for Tek, however.
- Curt Schilling is "more likely than ever" to attempt a late June or early July comeback.
- Tons of teams have expressed some degree of interest in Raul Ibanez: the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Nationals, Braves, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Angels, and Mariners. Some interesting new ones in there.
- The Phillies never made a two-year, $21MM offer to Pat Burrell. Will the Phils at least offer him arbitration? The rumored offer was questionable from Day 1, as Paul Hagen said Burrell "reportedly turned down a two-year, $22MM offer" but didn’t reference a specific report.
- Stark believes that the Brewers were not thrilled with the Yankees’ "overbid" for C.C. Sabathia, and therefore would prefer not to trade Mike Cameron to them. Dan Graziano wrote yesterday about the Yanks’ conversations for Cameron.
- Roy Oswalt wants the Astros to sign Ben Sheets, but the price tag may be too high. Stark has the following names on their radar: Randy Wolf, Mike Hampton, Freddy Garcia, Paul Byrd, and maybe Pedro Martinez. Is Drayton McLane willing to bring Andy Pettitte back? GM Ed Wade seemed interested in his chat yesterday, saying, "We’ll have to see what develops down the road."
Odds and Ends: Perez, Lowe, Garland, Swisher, Neshek
Some Tuesday evening links:
- Odalis Perez is waiting to sign a new contract this offseason, says MLB.com’s Bill Ladson after a conversation with Perez’ agent. Ladson also notes that Nats’ GM Jim Bowden has expressed interest in resigning the lefty starter. Perez did start 30 games last season with Washington.
- The Braves have a significant interest in Derek Lowe, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Beyond Lowe, Atlanta may look next at Jon Garland, Randy Wolf, or Oliver Perez. Bowman categorizes the members of this group as potentially "profitable gambles."
- Nick Swisher will play almost exclusively at first base for the Yankees–at least for now, says Ed Smith of the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
- Twins reliever Pat Neshek had successful Tommy John surgery this morning, and will soon begin rehab. He’s targeting Spring Training 2010 for his return, according to Kelly Thesier at MLB.com.
Wolf Will Test Market
THURSDAY: Wolf told KRIV-TV in Houston last night that he’s flattered by the Astros’ efforts, but he plans to test the market. His main goal is playing for a winning team, and he says his urge to play on the West Coast is overstated. Astros GM Ed Wade says he’ll look at alternatives starting Friday.
WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: The Astros also made an offer to reliever Doug Brocail. His agent says about a dozen teams have inquired, the Red Sox among them. The Astros would also like to re-sign Mark Loretta, but conversations have not yet begun.
1:46pm: According to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros made an offer to free agent lefty Randy Wolf. They’re hoping to get him signed before he hits the open market Friday.
Wolf, 32, tossed 190.1 innings of 4.30 ball for the Padres and Astros this year. According to Ken Rosenthal, at least six other teams have expressed in Wolf already. He could pull in a three-year deal north of $30MM.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hardy, Flowers, Wolf
Another day, another column from Ken Rosenthal.
- With multiple vacancies in the rotation and bullpen, the Brewers may need to see what kind of pitching Mike Cameron and/or J.J. Hardy can bring in return. GM Doug Melvin is not ready to shop Hardy. He’s received interest, but most teams have not given names (one team suggested swapping him for a pitcher Melvin termed, "a fifth starter.")
- The Padres have asked the Braves to substitute catcher Tyler Flowers for center fielder Gorkys Hernandez in their Jake Peavy offer. Dave O’Brien sees this as unlikely.
- If they can’t sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels are ready to shift gears to C.C. Sabathia, Francisco Rodriguez, or other players. The idea of a Manny Ramirez pursuit was "tabled rather quickly."
- The Cardinals plan to add one or two lefthanded relievers, probably free agents.
- In his quest for righthanded power, Reds GM Walt Jocketty inquired on Matt Holliday and Josh Willingham before they were traded. Purely speculative – Jermaine Dye could be a nice fit.
- At least half a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent starter Randy Wolf.
Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Zaun, Blanco
Links for Tuesday…
- Scott Bordow feels the D’Backs and Randy Johnson should meet at $5MM, which still seems light.
- David Murphy explains why the Phillies make more sense than the Mariners for Jamie Moyer, geographically.
- David Ortiz would like the Red Sox to add a 30 home run bat.
- Richard Justice wants the Astros to sign both Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte. He says the Cubs and Cardinals will be talking to Pettitte even though his heart is with the Yankees.
- El Lefty Malo recommends the Giants sign Derek Lowe. The Giants are at least considering the big-ticket free agents.
- Jeff Blair runs through a few options for the Blue Jays if A.J. Burnett leaves.
- Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun is not pleased with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.
- The D’Backs want Miguel Montero showcased as a catcher.
- Ken Davidoff has a list of nine intriguing (and older) free agents.
- Joel Sherman joins Buster Olney in saying Brian Giles vetoed a trade to the A’s in August, after the Red Sox won the claim and failed to make a deal. How is this possible?
- Geovany Soto expects Henry Blanco to re-sign with the Cubs.
- Tony Massarotti looks at possible trade partners for the Red Sox.