Heyman On Yankees, Park, Lincecum
Jon Heyman of SI.com expects the Yankees to reach resolution with Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter without much fanfare after the season. Heyman imagines a three or four year deal for Jeter at $20-25MM per season. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he's confident in Curtis Granderson's defense. "We still have him as a plus defender," Cashman said.
- The Yankees could add Chan Ho Park, who the Cubs and Rays are eyeing, too.
- If the Rays add Park, they would likely be done and Russell Branyan could be out of luck. A Rays person tells Heyman the club has enough money for one signing only.
- The Giants never offered Tim Lincecum anything more than a three-year deal. Heyman hears that the club offered Lincecum $36MM, not $37MM, as we heard earlier.
Russell Branyan Down To Indians, Rays
Free agent slugger Russell Branyan is down to the Indians and Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The FOX writer says the Red Sox are "no longer a factor."
Yesterday, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi made the Boston connection. The Rays' interest was characterized as "mild," with the Tribe considered the frontrunner. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets agreement that the Indians are the favorite. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince said the Indians made a Major League offer.
Branyan Has Offer From Indians
2:53pm: Castrovince hears (via Twitter) that the Indians offered Branyan a major league deal.
10:19am: The Indians have an offer out to Branyan, though it's not clear whether it is for a major league deal, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. The club could platoon Branyan with Matt LaPorta, who has been cleared to resume baseball activities after undergoing surgeries on his left hip and left big toe.
7:59am: The Rays and Red Sox are in the mix for Russell Branyan, but neither one of those clubs has progressed as far as the Indians, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Rays have "mild interest" in the 30-homer man and the Red Sox are keeping tabs on him even though they don't appear to have room for the slugger unless they trade Mike Lowell.
Marlins Notes: Blalock, Delgado, Branyan
Some Marlins tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Joe Frisaro..
- Hank Blalock may be an option for the Marlins as they seek a left-handed bat off the bench, tweets Frisaro. Up until this point, the Indians were the only known suitor for the 29-year-old's services.
- Frisaro also reports (via Twitter) that Florida has no interest in signing Carlos Delgado and still has no interest in Russell Branyan. Yesterday we learned that the Marlins spoke to Delgado's agent, though the veteran slugger is said to be seeking more money and playing time. There were rumblings of Florida's interest in Branyan, but Frisaro learned last week that the club has not spoken to him.
Disappointing Offseason For Russell Branyan
Russell Branyan ranked second among all free agents this offseason with 31 home runs in 2009. The slugger, represented by Dan Lozano, entered free agency seeking a three-year deal in the $20-30MM range according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Branyan rejected a one-year offer with a club option to return to the Mariners, and they moved on to Casey Kotchman and Ryan Garko.
Rumors of the Marlins' interest in Branyan were shot down, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that the Blue Jays and Indians are considering him. A back problem hampered Branyan in the second half last year, but he says he feels great now. Rosenthal reported that Branyan has been working out with Dan Uggla and Khalil Greene at Vanderbilt.
Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Jackson, Blalock, Bedard
Some Tuesday night links…
- Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that neither Tim Lincecum nor the Giants have budged in their negotiations, and his arbitration hearing is set for Friday.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson still haven't made any progress towards an agreement. Their arbitration hearing is now just eight days away.
- In addition to having interest in Russell Branyan and Jermaine Dye, the Indians are also talking to Hank Blalock, reports Rosenthal. He adds that the Blue Jays are also in on Branyan.
- In a pair of tweets, Rosenthal passes along the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract. They lefty could bring in $500K each for 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 starts, plus $600K for every 25 innings after 75.
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com report that Damon hasn't moved off his demand of a two-year deal. Good luck with that, Johnny.
- Morosi and Rosenthal also report that the Rangers and Mets appear to be "hamstrung by complications at the ownership level," meaning they're approaching their payroll limits.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said the team has some interest in bringing Willy Taveras back on a minor league deal. Oakland released Taveras today.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (via Peter Schmuck) spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who indicated that the team has not had recent talks with the agents for Jarrod Washburn or Chien-Ming Wang. The O's were linked to both pitchers earlier today.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" that the Padres will sign Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi. Several teams reportedly offered the southpaw a minor league contract.
Indians Notes: Dye, Gomes, Payroll
Some Indians tidbits courtesy of The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto..
- The Indians are keeping an eye on Jermaine Dye, who recently turned down a $3.3MM offer from the Cubs before they moved on to Xavier Nady. Cleveland would like to add a right-handed bat, and Dye fits the job description. However, with a UZR/150 lower that -21.0 in each of the past four seasons, the 36-year-old is a defensive liability.
- Jonny Gomes is another righty slugger on the open market who could land with the Tribe. The 29-year-old is coming off of a banner year with the Reds, though he posted a -23.4 UZR/150 in the outfield. As we've heard before, the club is also talking to Russell Branyan.
- The Indians are expected to have the lowest payroll in the Central Division at about $65MM. It appears that the only club in the American League with a lower payroll will be the Oakland A's.
Marlins Interested In Russell Branyan
FRIDAY, 5:22pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that he was told the team "never even spoke with him," meaning Branyan. So that's the end of that.
TUESDAY, 9:19pm: Two sources tell the Miami Herald that the Marlins have not made Branyan an offer. The Marlins have some interest in Branyan, but the Herald's sources say the club has not yet made an offer. They have merely contacted the first baseman's agent.
1:32pm: The Marlins offered a one-year deal to free agent first baseman Russell Branyan, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. The offer contains a "low base and lots of incentives," and Branyan would have to pass rookies Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison on the depth chart for a starting job.
Branyan's options are dwindling, as the Orioles added Miguel Tejada, the Mariners acquired Casey Kotchman, and the Mets don't appear to be interested. One possibility could be a return to Cleveland, as Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer recently hinted. Why the lack of interest in a 31-home run free agent slugger? Branyan is 34 now, and most of his '09 production came in the first half. Back troubles ended his season on August 28th.
Olney On Verlander, Branyan, Bedard
ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that Orlando Hudson would likely benefit from hitting in front of Joe Mauer. Those hitting before Mauer saw lots of fastballs last year and Hudson hits the heater well. Here are Olney's rumors:
- An AL scout calls the Justin Verlander deal a "solid sign for the club." An NL GM calls Verlander a "top-of-the-rotation type, long term." An NL scout says it's a "great signing" for the Tigers if the righty stays healthy.
- Despite concerns about Russell Branyan's back, one current coach says the slugger looks good in workouts.
- Some within the industry believe Erik Bedard could miss months of the upcoming season. The lefty is close to signing with the Mariners.
Odds & Ends: Garciaparra, Jackson, Barajas, Branyan
Links for Thursday…
- Nomar Garciaparra told Lou Merloni of WEEI.com that he would like to play in 2010, if the right situation presents itself. Garciaparra played in 65 games for the A's last season, hitting .281/.314/.388 with 3 homers.
- RotoAuthority discusses the fantasy prospects of Rangers starter Colby Lewis.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says that while an arbitration hearing is likely for Edwin Jackson and the Diamondbacks, "the team has broached the idea of a two-year deal."
- Piecoro also says the D'Backs are considering bringing recently-designated lefty Dana Eveland back.
- Talking to agents who dealt with the Mets this winter, Murray Chass believes the team was incapable of multitasking. On a related note, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes the team remains interested in free agent catcher Rod Barajas.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Russell Branyan was seeking a three-year deal in the $20-30MM range earlier this offseason. At this point I'd say he's looking at a one-year deal at maybe $3MM.
- Unlike CEO Jeff Moorad, Padres GM Jed Hoyer said all the right things regarding Adrian Gonzalez (Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reporting).
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins are in a position of strength in that they don't need Orlando Hudson or Jarrod Washburn. He doesn't feel they'd still be willing to offer $5MM to Washburn. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that if the Mariners re-sign Erik Bedard, as has been rumored, they probably wouldn't sign Washburn.
- Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the grievance has been settled regarding the Ramirez Provision, involving forced charity donations as part of contracts.