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Odds and Ends: Shelton, Laird, Baldelli

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Links for Monday – Winter Meetings, Day 1.

  • Check out the minor league signings for the week at Baseball America.  Hey, Jerome Williams to the A’s!  Also, Chris Shelton signed with the Mariners.
  • Funny quote from Scott Boras: "There can be a lot of late-night meetings where you’re in a room and people are falling asleep.  And you’ll have some late-night GMs who want you to drink. I’ll allow them to do it, but I won’t do it. I do have some interesting things written on napkins over the years."
  • Dave Cameron likes the Tigers’ acquisition of Gerald Laird.
  • Buster Olney talked to some agents who believe "the stated concern about the economy is providing a nice cover for Major League Baseball to roll back salaries."  Another note from Olney, he’d be "shocked" if Rocco Baldelli doesn’t sign with Boston.
  • Tony Massarotti makes five recommendations for the Red Sox.
  • David Murphy asks ten questions about the Phillies.

Red Sox Rumors: Sabathia, Youkilis, Tazawa

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Red Sox rumors and links abound this morning.

  • ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Red Sox will meet with C.C. Sabathia within the next few days.  It’s unknown whether they have serious interest.
  • Olney adds that the Sox hope to sign Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester long-term, in the wake of the Dustin Pedroia deal.  Peter Gammons suggested a deal for Youkilis could get done quickly.
  • Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says GM Theo Epstein has prioritized catching.  Epstein suggested more catchers may be available in trade than people think.
  • Benjamin says the Red Sox also want to add a right-handed hitting outfielder who can play center (such as Rocco Baldelli) and a corner infielder.  Trade talks with the Tigers for Julio Lugo have broken down.
  • Epstein indicated to Benjamin that certain free agent pitchers will "dominate for years to come," and that’s the type he’s interested in.  He also said an eight-to-ten year deal for a free agent is unlikely, but Benjamin says not to rule out Mark Teixeira.
  • Epstein said at a press conference yesterday that the team’s Junichi Tazawa signing was made possible in part by the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing a few years back.  Dice-K and Hideki Okajima could be reasons Tazawa turned down more money from the Rangers.  Tazawa may begin his career in Double A.
  • The Boston Herald’s Sean McAdam looks at the controversy caused by the Tazawa deal.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny

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6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat.  Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?

1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:

  • The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
  • Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape.  The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option.  How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup?  Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
  • Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
  • Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia.  Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
  • The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot. 
  • Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration.  He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept.  He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
  • Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration.  Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same.  I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
  • The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside.  They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
  • Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.

No Agreement Yet For Moyer

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12:01pm: David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News says everyone expects the Phils to re-sign Moyer.  He says not to read into the Lowe/Burnett inquiries; the team has inquired on more than 25 free agents.  MLB.com’s Ken Mandel names six of them: Doug Brocail, Russ Springer, Raul Ibanez, Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Nick Punto.

10:16am: According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are still talking to free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer but don’t have an agreement yet.  Moyer apparently wants a multiyear deal.  The Phils recently contacted Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett to hedge their bets. 

Cafardo’s Latest: Teixeira, Ramirez, Baldelli, Furcal

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has a new article up with a few Red Sox rumors, and one for Oakland:

  • Cafardo thinks Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez will not change jerseys this offseason because, while their teams might struggle to afford them, they can’t afford to lose them. Teixeira is the protection and future replacement for Vladimir Guerrero that they have been seeking for a long time. He doesn’t rule out the Yankees however.
  • Rocco Baldelli could be Coco Crisp’s replacement as Boston’s fourth outfielder.  Cafardo says Baldelli met with the Red Sox last week.
  • He continues to hit on the Julio Lugo for Dontrelle Willis or Nate Robertson deal, but now suggests Theo Epstein may also eat some of Lugo’s salary and deal him elsewhere.
  • The A’s are looking closely at Rafael Furcal.

Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday

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Links for Thursday…

Crisp-Ramirez Trade Reactions

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The Red Sox traded center fielder Coco Crisp to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez today; tip of the cap to Brian McRae for the scoop.  Let’s round up the reactions and consequences.

Odds & Ends: Padres, Baldelli, Hillenbrand

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Some linkage for your Sunday afternoon reading pleasure…

  • Buster Olney takes a look at the dark time that’s ahead for the Padres, likening it to the state the franchise was in when John Moores took over back in 1994.
  • Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal talked to Rocco Baldelli about his amazing comeback this season, and the next step in his career.
  • We already saw the main portion of this article from Nick Cafardo talked about today, but it’s worth highlighting that Cafardo sat down to talk with Shea Hillenbrand, who would like to make a comeback and feels he can still play. Hillenbrand says he’s learned a lot and hit .340 playing Independent Ball in 2008. He could be an interesting low-risk, high-reward player for a team in need of a DH or corner infielder. Cafardo also points out that for all of the talk about needing closers, George Sherrill is quietly available.

Red Sox Rumors: Crisp, Lugo, Burnett, Baldelli

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the latest on the Red Sox.

  • GM Theo Epstein says there’s one deal he might be able to do before the winter meetings, possibly involving Coco Crisp or Julio Lugo.  The free agent market for center fielders and shortstops is weak this year.
  • Cafardo doesn’t believe the Sox are in on C.C. Sabathia or A.J. Burnett, and he says they’re unsure about Derek Lowe.  However, Buster Olney says "there is an expectation within other quarters of the AL East that the Red Sox will get in on the Burnett bidding."  Cafardo does see Boston adding a starter of some kind, possibly a Japanese free agent.
  • Catchers on Epstein’s radar to varying degrees: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Jeff Clement, Bengie Molina, and Ivan Rodriguez.
  • Cafardo says the Red Sox are "more than intrigued" by Rocco Baldelli, who could fill their fourth outfielder role if and when Mark Kotsay leaves.
  • Tony Massarotti discusses Mark Teixeira in-depth at his blog.

Phillies Rumors: Baldelli, Hairston, Mench

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5:44pm: MLB.com’s Ken Mandel says the Phillies have Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Kevin Mench on the radar in the event they don’t re-sign Burrell.  The Phillies have long liked Baldelli, though the Rays hope to talk contract soon.  Reds GM Walt Jocketty recently met with Hairston’s agent, and feels he made progress.  And the Hanshin Tigers hope to lure Mench to Japan.

9:38am: Checkin’ in on the Phillies…

  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had an informal five-minute talk with Casey Close, who represents Ryan Howard and Joe Blanton.
  • Talks have not yet begun with free agents Pat Burrell, Jamie Moyer, and Scott Eyre.  Conversations will begin soon with Moyer and Eyre.
  • Curt Schilling would be open to returning to the Phillies if he pitches next year.  Amaro says he hasn’t even considered the possibility yet.  He would make a nice fifth starter if they can re-sign Moyer.
  • The Phillies control setup man Ryan Madson through 2009, but he’s represented by Scott Boras.  Boras compared Madson to Mariano Rivera circa 1996, so don’t look for an affordable long-term deal.
  • Amaro talked to at least 27 other GMs at the meetings.
  • No word yet from the Philly writers on Andrew Baggarly’s rumor that the Phils will listen on Jimmy Rollins.
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