Odds & Ends: Mauer, Strasburg, Towers, Washburn
Thursday linkage…
- Just a reminder that MLBTR has a mobile site: http://www.mlbtraderumors.mobi.
- Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune wonders if the Twins will be forced to trade Joe Mauer if they're unable to sign him to an extension. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says any talk about a trade involving the reigning AL MVP is premature..
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson interviewed Stephen Strasburg, and they discussed everything from how he's getting used to pitching every five days to how he deals with all attention.
- Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse says Kevin Towers will be announced as a member of the Yankees' front office on Tuesday.
- Free agent Jarrod Washburn told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports "the odds are probably not great" of him returning to Seattle this year. Morosi's article explores the Mariners' question marks this year. Click here for MLBTR's Offseason In Review of the club.
- The Yankees have spent the most time scouting Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria, says George King of the New York Post. The recently-unblocked 19-year-old is drawing interest from the Angels, Blue Jays, and Cubs.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the Indians should keep closer Kerry Wood, and explore their long shot at contending in the AL Central.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark talked to impending free agents Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth about working alongside their possible future replacements, Desmond Jennings and Domonic Brown.
- Marlins pitcher Hayden Penn has a relaxed attitude this time toward being out of options and on the roster bubble, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Check out MLBTR's full list of out of options players here.
Odds & Ends: Fielder, Wood, Stairs, Duncan
A wrap-up of items from Wednesday…
- We've heard that the Brewers have begun to explore the possibility of extending Prince Fielder's contract, but ESPN's Keith Law thinks "it makes no sense for the Brewers to keep Fielder" given that the team doesn't look like a contender this season or next. Law also describes Fielder as, "the type of player who doesn't age well."
- Kerry Wood isn't bothered by trade rumors linking him to Minnesota to fill the Joe Nathan void, reports Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. Castrovince adds that it's "hard to imagine" the Twins acquiring Wood given the veteran closer's $10.5MM salary in 2010 (plus an $11MM option for 2011 that vests if Wood finishes 55 games this year).
- Speaking of Wood, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer argues that the Tribe shouldn't deal Wood to a division rival until the Indians know what kind of a team they have this season. If they contend, then they could keep Wood for a pennant race. If they don't contend, Wood will still have trade value at midseason.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times talks to Matt Stairs, who is enjoying his role in the Padres camp as "the grandfather of the team." Stairs said he won't go to the minors if he doesn't make San Diego's opening day roster, and he might just return to his job as a hitting coach for the University of Maine's baseball team.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that Chris Duncan doesn't blame the Cardinals for dealing him to Boston last summer.
- Anthony Ranaudo, thought by some to be the top pitcher available in June's Amateur Draft, may fall down the draft board after battling elbow problems, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that despite Stephen Strasburg's strong outing on Tuesday, "it's not going to change my plans" about how Strasburg will be brought along. Strasburg may well start the season in the minors, but ESPN's Buster Olney thinks it could be a brief stay: "You get the feeling that his time in the minors may be as short as it was for Tim Lincecum." Lincecum, for the record, has made only 13 lifetime appearances in the minors and made just four minor league starts in 2007 before being called up to San Francisco.
Odds & Ends: Prospects, Livan, Cardinals, Damon
Some links for Wednesday night…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo released his list of the top 50 prospects in the game. Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg rank one-two.
- Livan Hernandez sent a contract proposal to Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo back in December, but he never received a response according to a tweet from MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak confirmed that any pickups from here on out would be on the offensive side of the roster.
- Scott Boras said that "The Yankees never even made an offer to me regarding Johnny Damon during the entire process," according to a tweet from Tyler Kepner of The New York Times. In a second tweet, Kepner says Boras indicated that the two-year, $14MM offer the team reportedly made was conditional on whether or not Nick Johnson would sign.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure reports that 17-year-old righty Rafael DePaula is back on the market after being suspended for a year by MLB after lying about his age. His agent hopes to have him signed within the next 15-20 days, and Arangure mentions that both the Yankees and Red Sox are interested.
- Pirate relievers Anthony Claggett and Steven Jackson both cleared waivers according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, and have been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. Claggett was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Octavio Dotel, Jackson for Ryan Church.
- Astros' GM Ed Wade said that signing Wandy Rodriguez to a long-term deal would become a "front-burner discussion for us" if he repeats his 2009 success in 2010, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Wandy had a 3.02 ERA with an 8.4 K/9 in 205.2 innings last season.
- Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com says that the Braves have discussed Johnny Damon recently, but came up with three reasons why he wasn't a fit.
- David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News lays out the Phillies' payroll commitments for the next four years. As of right now, the team stands to shed almost $70MM off the books following the 2011 season.
Odds & Ends: Byrdak, Rangers, Storen
Sunday night links..
- The Astros have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6MM with pitcher Tim Byrdak, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The dollar figure is the midpoint between Houston's offer and Byrdak's submission. The agreement leaves Wandy Rodriguez as the team's last remaining arbitration eligible player.
- Boston's international scouting efforts are starting to yield some results, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Of the twelve minor leaguers at this year's rookie development program, six of them were foreign-born.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) hears that Chuck Greenberg's group will pay $570MM for the Texas Rangers, though he notes that is unconfirmed.
- While all eyes are on Stephen Strasburg in Washington, right-hander Drew Storen is trying to make the Opening Day roster, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The Nationals used their other first-round selection, tenth overall, to select Storen in the 2009 draft.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Wallace, Chapman
A few notes as we head into the final day of 2009….
- ESPN.com's Insider news page passes on some Orlando Hudson-related speculation from Buster Olney on the Mike And Mike In The Morning radio show. Olney "wouldn't be surprised" if the Mariners got into the bidding for the veteran second baseman, adding that Hudson would "be a perfect fit in what they're doing" in Seattle.
- Andrew Stoeten of the Drunk Jays Fans blog runs down some of the highlights of Keith Law's appearance on Toronto's FAN 590 station this afternoon. Law opined on the type of free agents the Blue Jays should sign, said the Jays should focus on scouting and noted that if Brett Wallace wasn't going to be used at third base, "you can probably play him opening day."
- Chad Jennings of the LoHud.com Yankees blog says Aroldis Chapman "might be this winter’s most intriguing available player, period." He brought up Chapman with Yankees senior vice-president of baseball operations Mark Newman, who said the Cuban left-hander would start the year in Single-A or Double-A if he signed with New York. Newman was impressed by Chapman's workout session two weeks ago, but noted that Chapman is "not where (Stephen) Strasburg was."
- Mike Lowell underwent surgery today to repair the injured right thumb that prevented him from being dealt to Texas. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that Lowell had a 95-percent tear in his thumb's radial collateral ligament but is expected to be ready for spring training. This latest surgery will almost surely, as Newsday's Ken Davidoff surmised last week, put an end to the Lowell trade rumors unless Lowell proves himself to be healthy in Grapefruit League action.
Odds & Ends: Gomes, Duchscherer, Chapman
Some links for your Tuesday…
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says we shouldn't expect Jonny Gomes to sign any time soon.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Giants are looking to add a catcher and a starter, along with a big bat. Matt Holliday and Jason Bay don't seem likely to sign in San Francisco.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees checked in on Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Harang before acquiring Javier Vazquez.
- The Mariners signed Mike Koplove to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The righty hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007.
- Stephen Strasburg signed a multi-year deal with Topps, according to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post.
- Harlan writes that the Nationals were hoping to sign Jon Garland, before turning to Jason Marquis.
- The Yankees were the only team to pay the luxury tax this season. Their $226MM payroll cost them nearly $26MM in luxury tax, according to the AP (via the Star Ledger).
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets that the Yanks' trade of Melky Cabrera does not mean the club is likely to bring Johnny Damon back.
- The Marlins are not in the mix for Matt Capps, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Marlins, coming off a year in which their $38MM payroll was the lowest in the game, don't have much to spend on relievers.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says outfielder Carlos Gonzalez should be the next Rockie to receive an extension. Saunders says there's no need to lock the 24-year-old up this offseason (Gonzalez won't likely be arbitration-eligible until after 2011).
- Marty Noble of MLB.com doesn't see indications that the Mets are all that interested in Joel Pineiro.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates have yet to make Justin Duchscherer an offer. The righty is now deciding which offer to accept, so we can safely say he won't be signing with the Pirates.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com expects Aroldis Chapman to sign where the money is (via Twitter).
Nationals Targeting Lackey, Not Everett
Add Washington to the list of clubs vying for the services of free-agent starter John Lackey. Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that the Nats are interested in Lackey for the obvious boost he would provide to their National League-worst 5.00 team ERA, but also to serve as a mentor for their young starting corps of Stephen Strasburg, Ross Detwiler and John Lannan.
If nothing else, Washington's pursuit of Lackey is another sign to the rest of baseball (and to other prospective free agents) that the Nats aren't willing to stand pat after posting the worst record in the majors in each of the last two seasons. The Nationals made a strong push for Mark Teixeira last winter before signing Adam Dunn to a two-year/$20MM deal in February. Bringing Lackey into the fold might also help sell some tickets in Washington, as attendance at Nationals Park dropped by over 500K from 2008 to 2009.
Ladson also said that, contrary to a previous report, Washington isn't interested in signing Adam Everett. The defensive specialist's .648 career OPS is apparently the big turn-off for the club, who would prefer to sign someone with more pop if they decide to sign a shortstop at all.
Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Astros, Smoltz, Hermida
Some links to read for Thursday morning…
- The AP reports (via the Miami Herald) that the Seibu Lions won the rights to negotiate with top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi.
- Another top young pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, hit 100 mph repeatedly in his third AFL start, according to ESPN.com's Jason Grey.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says fans and media members need to hold Astros owner Drayton McLane accountable, and says it wasn't GM Ed Wade's fault that managerial candidate Manny Acta signed with the Indians.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Cardinals still have interest in bringing John Smoltz back next year, perhaps as the team's fourth starter. The club seems likely to find a fifth starter within the organization.
- The Pirates and Reds will swap A ball affiliates next year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer offered contracts to all of the organization's scouts and player development personnel, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs expects Tim Hudson to be worth the extension he's expected to sign.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro lists the Blue Jays, Mariners, Rays and Mets as possible destinations for Jeremy Hermida. The Marlins may trade the outfielder, who should hit free agency after 2011.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Astros, Reds
A few more items before the Angels and Yankees get underway in a cold and rainy New York City…
- Dave Perkin of Baseball America dissects Stephen Strasburg's impressive Arizona Fall League debut. The 21-year-old right-hander, who signed a record rookie deal in August, threw 3 1/3 innings and induced eight groundball outs against the Scottsdale Scorpions on Friday evening.
- Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin found time between NLCS games to interview Saturday for the Astros' managing vacancy. He later addressed the media, including MLB.com's Alyson Footer. "I think I have a wealth of experience after 40 years in baseball to draw on," said Mackanin. "…There's a good core of people [in Houston]."
- According to C. Trent Rosecrans of CNATI.com, the Reds have named Bryan Price as their new pitching coach. Dick Pole's contract was not renewed after the Cincinnati pitching staff posted a 4.18 ERA in the 2009 regular season.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Kikuchi, Rangers
Here's some links to check out while you hope the weather doesn't interfere with Game Two of the ALCS tonight…
- Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com has the details on Stephen Strasburg's Arizona Fall League debut last night. ESPN's Keith Law also filled us in on some of the more impressive prospects playing out in the desert this year.
- According to Kyodo News, Yusei Kikuchi "said on Saturday all 12 Japanese baseball clubs would be appealing, if he decides to play in Japan." Never a bad thing to keep your options open.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale says the Rangers will ask for one final bid next month, and "are expected to be sold for about $525 to $550 million."
- Courtesy of Baseball America's latest minor league transactions, you can add about two-dozen players to the free agent pool. Among the notables: Billy Traber, Tony Graffanino, Adam Eaton, and Wilfredo Ledezma.