Odds & Ends: Cabrera, Johnson, Halladay
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some links to check out…
- Darren Rovell of CNBC hears that the Yankees will receive World Series shares or $367K.
- Miguel Cabrera may have to DH by the time he's 30, though he remains one of the ten or so best hitters in the league, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com.
- The Blue Jays looked into Orlando Cabrera before signing Alex Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. O-Cab is using Jack Wilson's two-year $10MM deal as a starting point.
- The Marlins have options with Josh Johnson, even though they're not negotiating with the pitcher now, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. They could trade him after the 2010 season or at the 2011 trade deadline, collect compensation picks for him or re-open extension talks.
- Former MLB catcher Sal Fasano will manage the Blue Jays' Class A Lansing affiliate, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says Shelley Duncan is a hard worker who deserves a shot with an MLB club. The slugger became a free agent yesterday.
- Peter Gammons of ESPN.com wonders (via Twitter) whether it's worth giving up three prospects for Roy Halladay, especially since he'll be in a position to demand close to $20MM per year if he signs an extension.
- Check out the game's best and worst baserunners since 2005 over at ACTA Sports. Bengie Molina and Grady Sizemore figure prominently in John Dewan's rankings.
The Price Tag For Roy Halladay
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Red Sox would "almost certainly" have to part with prospect Casey Kelly and pitcher Clay Buchholz to acquire Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays. That would be an immense price to pay for a year of Halladay, and Olney says it "makes no sense" for the Red Sox to hand over that kind of talent, especially since it will take a considerable amount to lock Halladay up long-term.
One executive called the Halladay trade talks "Santana 2," in reference to the Johan Santana trade talks two offseasons ago. The Yankees and Red Sox held onto their prospects then, and their decisions look wise today.
But don't expect the Blue Jays to lower the asking price for their ace. One person who was involved in last summer's trade talks tells Olney that the Jays will continue to ask for top prospects, even if it means they don't make a deal.
"It'll probably be easier for them, as an organization, to just keep him and let him walk," the talent evaluator said.
If they do trade Halladay, they'll likely ask for shortstop prospects, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. It doesn't sound like the Jays are close to dealing Doc and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects trade talks to develop slowly.
Red Sox Making Push For Halladay
3:05pm: Not so fast, says John Tomase of The Boston Herald. He writes that a team source "made it clear today the Red Sox recognize that swinging any deal for Halladay will likely be a lengthy process." The Winter Meetings are just 11 days away.
Meanwhile, both Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com and Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston put their two cents in about a potential Halladay-to-Boston deal.
8:17am: The Boston Red Sox are aggressively pursuing Roy Halladay, hoping to get a trade worked out before the winter meetings, according to Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
The Daily News report cites an unnamed source that claims the Sox are "putting on a full-court press" in the negotiations for Halladay. Since new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is willing to trade Toronto's ace within the division, the Red Sox and Yankees are considered frontrunners in the Halladay sweepstakes, with the Angels and Dodgers also in the mix. For either AL East powerhouse, acquiring the right-hander would not only bolster their rotation, but would keep him away from a division rival.
Feinsand and Madden suggest that the Sox would have to give up at least Clay Buchholz and Casey Kelly in order to get a deal done with the Jays.
Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Gonzalez, Damon
Let's check out some Wednesday morning links….
- With rumors of Tim Lincecum's arbitration filing abound, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs determines that the two-time defending NL Cy Young Award winner could realistically get about $12-14MM this year. Cameron notes that Lincecum's success isn't unprecedented; Roger Clemens took the baseball world by storm in a similar fashion over two decades ago.
- Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes there will be a time for the Padres to trade Adrian Gonzalez, but that it hasn't come yet.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports examines some of the more intriguing arbitration decisions around the majors.
- Johnny Damon isn't stressing too much over his future, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
- Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News thinks Chone Figgins would look good atop the Phillies' lineup.
- Aiming to quell the concerns of Tigers fans, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press points out a few reasons why the Miguel Cabrera trade rumors are lacking in substance.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford breaks down why Roy Halladay should be a priority for the Red Sox. In another article, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes that we should soon find out how badly the Jays and Red Sox want to get a deal done.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball provides an interesting read on the dissent between baseball's management and labor.
Olney On Halladay, Wagner, Bay
In his ESPN.com column today, Buster Olney notes that many teams are waiting to get involved in the free agent market, meaning there might not be many moves made in the next couple weeks. Here are a few other highlights from Olney's blog:
- One executive tells Olney that the Blue Jays' chances of moving Roy Halladay are no better than 50/50. Another source suggests that the Jays could have had three top prospects for Halladay last summer, whereas now they could probably only land one star prospect and a second with some major-league potential.
- Billy Wagner's Type A status could make him undesirable to clubs not wanting to give up any draft picks to sign him. However, Wagner could make himself more attractive by lowering his contract demands. If a team thought they were getting a potentially elite closer at a discount, they'd be more willing to part with a draft pick.
- Olney hears from a pair of execs that the Red Sox will continue to take the Jason Bay negotiations slowly, and that the team would ultimately prefer to sign Matt Holliday.
- The Padres likely won't want to pay Kevin Correia a raise through arbitration. The team will try to work out a "moderate-sized deal" with him, and if they can't do it, the right-hander could be non-tendered.
- Olney reiterates what he wrote in yesterday's blog: it doesn't seem like Adrian Gonzalez is going anywhere.
- Randy Wolf has received plenty of interest from teams looking at starting pitching.
Odds & Ends: Dye, Pettitte, Bay, Yankees, Mauer
Some links to start the day…
- Yesterday we heard that Jermaine Dye was open to playing first base, and Jack Moore at FanGraphs determines that unless he takes a massive paycut, Dye's still not worth taking the spot of a prospect.
- Andy Pettitte isn't expected to make his decision about a 2010 return anytime soon, according to Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News.
- FoxSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby runs down the ten biggest free agency blunders. I have to disagree that the Dodgers are better off with Juan Pierre in left instead of Manny Ramirez, what about you?
- Cathal Kelly of The Toronto Star says there is a "school of thought" that the Blue Jays could be a surprise suitor for Jason Bay, who is Canadian. The move could ease some fan anger should they trade Roy Halladay.
- After last year's spending spree, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said "We're not going to spend as much this year," according to The NY Post's Dan Martin. Maybe he means they can afford only one nine-figure contract instead of two this offseason.
- Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press notes that playing on the East Coast could result in enormous endorsement opportunities for Joe Mauer, something he'd have to consider before agreeing to an extension with the Twins.
- A's majority owner John Fisher and minority owner Lew Wolff reinforced their desire to build a new ballpark in downtown San Jose, reports Joe Stiglich of The Contra Costa Times.
- The Boston Herald provides a nice little primer for the AL East hot stove.
Angels Resume Pursuit Of Roy Halladay
The Angels have gotten back into the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, according to Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times. We know the Halos were hard after the former Cy Young Award winner at the trade deadline, but Giovanna says the talks broke down when the Halos refused to include Erick Aybar in the deal. They eventually moved on and acquired Scott Kazmir.
With J.P. Ricciardi out of the picture, DiGiovanna notes that new GM Alex Anthopoulos may be willing to do a deal without Aybar. We've already heard that Anthopoulos may consider granting a team a window to negotiate a contract extension with Halladay before a trade, as long as it improves the return. The Angels might lose incumbent ace John Lackey to free agency, and a deal for Doc is expected to cost them one of their better young pitchers – Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, or Ervin Santana.
DiGiovanna also reiterates what we heard last night, that it's a "long shot" that the Dodgers will trade for Halladay.
Dodgers “Long Shot” To Land Halladay
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers are a "long shot" to land Roy Halladay, while Los Angeles GM Ned Colletti indicated an unwillingness to add Chad Billingsley into any Halladay deal.
It doesn't take much of a leap to think the former is a result of the latter.
Colletti refused to discuss Halladay specifically, but said of his desire to improve the pitching staff, "We would like to improve our pitching, especially starting pitching. I don't believe we can subtract from it in order to improve it."
The Dodgers have plenty of prospects for a potential Halladay deal, but adding Billingsley, an established arm, would give them a leg up on other teams who would have the financial flexibility to sign Halladay long-term.
Hernandez also writes that Colletti has been in contact with Brad Ausmus, but hasn't had discussions about Brandon Phillips or Dan Uggla.
Cubs Unlikely To Land Halladay
Although the Cubs would "love" to pull off a deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they are unlikely to do so as they lack the necessary room in payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Cubbies have a combined $42.375MM committed to pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster. They would have a hard time finding a taker for Alfonso Soriano as he is owed $18MM per year for the next five years. Same goes for Kosuke Fukudome, who is due to make $26.5MM over the next two seasons. Aramis Ramirez is a hefty contract that could be moved, but as Rosenthal and Morosi point out, he's probably too valuable for the Cubs to trade.
Derrek Lee will make $13MM in the final year of his contract and could be a match for the Braves, however Atlanta would likely need to find a taker for a big contract (i.e. Derek Lowe) first.
Therefore, it appears that GM Jim Hendry's winter plans will center around finding a new home for Milton Bradley and acquiring a new center fielder. Interestingly, the post floats the possibility of a three-way deal involving Bradley to net Mets second baseman Luis Castillo.
It seems as though Hendry has quite a few obstacles in his way if he hopes to swing a deal for Doc. Would you be willing to make all of the moves necessary to create the space needed for such a trade? What would it take for the Cubs to pry Halladay from the Blue Jays? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Cafardo On Lackey, Sheffield, Pavano
In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights….
- The fate of John Lackey could potentially affect the offseason plans of each of the AL East powers. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have interest, and Cafardo suggests that landing Lackey would allow the Red Sox to turn around and move Clay Buchholz in a deal for a coveted bat, like Adrian Gonzalez.
- Cafardo relays this quote from an AL GM: "The Red Sox could be the major player this offseason if certain things fall together for them. They still have enough chips in their farm system to make something big happen."
- The Yankees, meanwhile, appear willing to part with Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in the hunt for Roy Halladay, though they'd like to hang on to Austin Jackson.
- Gary Sheffield will return in 2010 and has softened his stance on DHing since his Tigers days. He now says he'd accept a DH role, though he'd still like to play in the field occasionally. Cafardo names a handful of teams that could find a spot for Sheffield, noting that the 41-year-old would love to return to Atlanta or play in his hometown of Tampa Bay.
- The Twins and Brewers are "very interested" in Carl Pavano.
- The Brewers could also be players for John Smoltz, though the Cardinals would like to bring him back.