NL Central Notes: Greinke, Cardinals, Rodriguez
All three of the National League's unsigned arbitration eligible players play in the NL Central, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Here are the latest links from the division…
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin joined Todd Hollandsworth and Jim Memolo on MLB Network Radio and said that he and Zack Greinke have had some conversations about the right-hander's future in Milwaukee. Greinke told Melvin that he likes pitching for the Brewers and wants them to remain competitive going forward. Greinke is one of the top starting pitchers scheduled to hit free agency after the 2012 season.
- The Cardinals are waiting to see if Roy Oswalt will sign on their terms and at their price, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said Wandy Rodriguez is "definitely an important part" of the team's plan at this point, Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner reports. Rodriguez has been involved his share of trade rumors in the past year, but Luhnow says the left-hander is an important part of Houston's roster.
- Jose Veras of the Brewers and Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones of the Pirates are the NL's remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players.
Red Sox Notes: Oswalt, Wakefield, Varitek, Ortiz
Last year this time considerable hype surrounded the Red Sox, who had just traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford. Gonzalez and Crawford are still around, but the hype has disappeared. Here’s the latest on the Red Sox as they prepare for Spring Training 2012…
- There's "no sense of progress" in talks between the Red Sox and Roy Oswalt, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports.
- The Red Sox still appear to be in the running for Oswalt, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote earlier today. The Red Sox could be an alternative if Oswalt can't work out a deal with the Cardinals or Rangers. The right-hander's back issues haven't scared the Red Sox away.
- GM Ben Cherington expects definitive resolution on free agents Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield by next week, Cafardo writes.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com examines David Ortiz’s upcoming arbitration case and explains that players such as Adam Dunn, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner could be relevant in a hearing. Agent Fern Cuza could also compare Ortiz to higher salaried position players like Prince Fielder. The hearing is scheduled to take place Monday, according to Cafardo.
Phillies Considered Oswalt; Deal Unlikely
The Phillies have called around to determine trade interest in Joe Blanton, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (all Twitter links). Moving Blanton and part of his $8.5MM salary would create payroll room for Roy Oswalt, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't expect to be able to free up money to sign the right-hander. Though the Phillies have had dialogue about bringing Oswalt back to Philadelphia, a deal seems unlikely.
We heard yesterday that there's no traction between the Red Sox and Oswalt, that the Reds haven't had serious talks with him, and that he doesn't want to play in Pittsburgh. Oswalt, the top free agent pitcher remaining, is likely to sign a one-year deal for 2012. I doubt teams would commit $8.5MM to Blanton, who pitched just 41 1/3 innings last year.
Roy Oswalt Rumors: Tuesday
The latest on free agent righty Roy Oswalt…
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies don't really have room for Oswalt, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports. "We have five, six starters, and our resources are about where we want to be right now," he said. "I think he wouldn't mind coming back, but I don't know that's feasible or a real possibility."
- Yesterday Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the Reds remain in talks with Oswalt. However, today Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, "It's all rumors. I'm sick and tired of it. We've had no serious talks. We've had no contact with the player."
- The Pirates inquired about Oswalt and were willing to jump into the bidding but were rebuffed, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- There's "no traction" in talks between Oswalt and the Red Sox, a big league source tells WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Latest On Roy Oswalt
10:45pm: The Reds continue talking to Oswalt, though he'd prefer to pitch for the Cardinals or Rangers, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. Cincinnati would have to clear payroll to add Oswalt and Homer Bailey would be the most likely candidate to be dealt.
9:33pm: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak acknowledges he’ll be ‘opportunistic’ about potential deals, but says he’s not expecting significant moves before Spring Training, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Though the Cardinals and Roy Oswalt had mutual interest in a deal, they couldn’t reach an agreement.
Oswalt was asking for a significant guarantee in terms of role and salary, but the Cardinals aren’t looking to add payroll. The Cardinals haven’t spoken to Oswalt’s agent in the past week or so, Goold writes. The Reds appear to be kicking the tires on the right-hander, but the Rangers aren’t likely to sign him.
Quick Hits: Ankiel, Kuo, Oswalt, Reds, Nationals
On this date in 1983, the Blue Jays traded Leon Roberts to the Royals for a minor leaguer by the name of Cecil Fielder. Fielder made his Major League debut in 1985 and played for the Blue Jays through 1989 before having his contract sold to the Hanshin Tigers. Fielder returned to MLB with the Detroit Tigers in 1990 where he made three All-Star appearances in his first four years with the club. Here's a look at tonight's links..
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) points out that the Mets had been eyeing Rick Ankiel, who signed with the Nats earlier today. The Mets are in search of a left-handed bat off of the bench and have also been linked to Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez, and Johnny Damon.
- Clubs that have been interested in Hong-Chih Kuo believe that he'll wind up signing with the Mariners, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Earlier today, agent Alan Chang told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that his client is close to deciding on a team.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that it would be tough to clear the payroll space necessary to sign Roy Oswalt. Fay writes that the only tradeable member of the Reds' rotation making significant money is Homer Bailey. Moving Bailey's $2.425MM contract to make room for one year of Oswalt would be risky, but the club has exhibited an all-in attitude recently.
- If GM Mike Rizzo doesn't add another center fielder, Rick Ankiel should have a decent opportunity to win a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day lineup and perhaps platoon with fellow veteran Mike Cameron in center field, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.
- Earlier this offseason, sources said there was a feeling within the organization that Ankiel might not be able to maintain the offensive productivity he showed in spurts last season if he's primarily coming off of the bench, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times.
Latest On Roy Oswalt
7:09pm: Rosenthal now hears that the Reds are not actively pursuing Oswalt, but they are kicking the tires on the right-hander (Twitter link).
1:53pm: Pitcher Roy Oswalt is without a contract two weeks before the start of spring workouts and a number of suitors remain in the mix for his services. Because the right-hander's top choices – St. Louis and Texas – are dealing with budget constraints, clubs such as the Reds continue to explore the possibility of signing him, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Walt Jocketty & Co. have spoken with Oswalt’s representatives recently and would probably need to move payroll and stretch their budget in order to afford him, according to a source. Signing the 34-year-old, the duo writes, would signal that the Reds are going all-in and looking to win before the potential departures of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips via free agency. Votto is signed through 2013 while Phillips is set to hit the open market next winter.
Oswalt and the Red Sox continue to have “mutual interest” in one another, according to one source with knowledge of the dialogue. He also remains interested in returning to the Phillies, according to sources, but they haven’t been aggressive in looking for starters.
Damon, Oswalt, Vazquez Only Remaining Top 50 FAs
We're still over a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting, but 47 of the players on Tim Dierkes' list of the top 50 free agents have already found homes for 2012. Only three (very notable) names remain, so let's check in to see how close each player is to finding his next team…
- Johnny Damon. The veteran is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $5MM per year, but with several other DH types (Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, etc.) on the market, Damon may have to lower his price in order to stand out amidst the crowd. The Yankees, Mets, Tigers, Rays, Orioles, and Athletics have all been linked to Damon at one point or another this winter, though most of those teams have already filled their designated hitter/bench needs. The Mets and other NL teams are unlikely options since Damon wouldn't be able to DH. My guess is that Damon will end up back with the Yankees on a $2MM contract, splitting DH duties with Andruw Jones and going for another World Series ring in the Bronx.
- Roy Oswalt. The Cardinals and Red Sox both made Oswalt offers in the area of one year/$5MM, but Oswalt is looking for $10MM in 2012. St. Louis is reportedly trying to deal Kyle McClellan to create payroll space for Oswalt but if Boston were to balk at the price, Oswalt may lose his leverage with the Cards. Oswalt prefers to pitch for a team close to his Mississippi home, which is why he has turned down the Blue Jays, Indians and Tigers. Oswalt's problem is that his two preferred choices (the Cardinals and Rangers) don't have a pressing need for starting pitching. The Rangers showed interest and team officials met with Oswalt earlier this week, but we heard earlier tonight that a deal was unlikely since Texas wants to use Matt Harrison as a starter and Oswalt doesn't want to pitch out of the bullpen. My prediction is that Oswalt will end up with the Cardinals, though for less than a $10MM salary.
- Javier Vazquez. Vazquez has said for months that he was likely to retire this offseason and said he'd have a final decision by December. While his deadline has come and gone with no official word, the right-hander is still expected to hang up his cleats after 14 years in the majors. The Marlins have added Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano and Wade LeBlanc this offseason so they've clearly moved on even if Vazquez did wish to return. Since Vazquez has expressed a preference to pitch on the east coast to be closer to his family in Puerto Rico, it limits his potential choices. The Red Sox, Orioles, and Mets have available spots in their rotations but the latter two aren't contenders and given how Vazquez struggled as a Yankee, he might not want to return to the AL East. It's probably safe to presume that Vazquez will retire as planned.
Rangers “Not Likely” To Sign Roy Oswalt
The Rangers aren't likely to sign free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt, a source tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The sticking point seems to be that the Rangers saw Oswalt as "a key piece of depth," whereas Oswalt wasn't interested in pitching out of the bullpen and wanted a $10MM contract. Texas also didn't want to move Matt Harrison out of the rotation to make room for Oswalt.
With Texas seemingly out of the picture and the Nationals agreeing to sign Edwin Jackson, Oswalt's market seems to be down to the Red Sox and Cardinals, as he has already turned down an offer from the Tigers and told the Indians and Blue Jays he's not interested in signing with either club. Boston and St. Louis have both made offers to Oswalt in the range of a one-year, $5MM contract, and the Cardinals are shopping Kyle McClellan to try and free up payroll.
Nationals Aggressively Shopping John Lannan
After beating John Lannan in an arbitration hearing this week, the Nationals are now aggressively shopping the left-hander according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The move would potentially clear $5MM in payroll, and Rosenthal says (on Twitter) they are targeting Edwin Jackson (not Roy Oswalt). Signing Jackson is contingent on trading Lannan, he adds. The Nationals would like to get a position player in a trade for Lannan, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets.
Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, and Jordan Zimmermann are locks for Washington's rotation, and Chien-Ming Wang is a safe bet as well given his $4MM salary. That leaves Lannan and Ross Detwiler for the final spot, though Detwiler is out of options. He could potentially shift to the bullpen if the team is able to move Lannan and sign someone like Oswalt or Jackson.
Lannan, 27, is the team's highest paid pitcher. He posted a 3.70 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings last year. It marked the third time in four seasons that he has started 30 games, pitched 180-plus innings and kept his ERA under 4.00. He will be under team contract as an arbitration-eligible player in 2013.