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Torii Hunter

Rosenthal’s Latest: Bonds, Broussard, Hunter, Rowand, More

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We missed an installment from good ol’ Kenny Rosenthal yesterday. He’s back today in full force (unlike another great rumor source, Buster Olney, who posted nothing really new in his blog today).

  • The A’s, once considered the best bet for Barry Bonds, are no longer interested in the indicted slugger. Rosenthal thinks it’s likely that Bond’s trial will start after Opening Day, causing him to miss time regardless of the verdict. And then there’s the whole prison issue.
  • The Rangers spoke to the Mariners at the GM meetings regarding the availability of Ben Broussard. Talks didn’t really go anywhere, since Broussard is a non-tender candidate. The Mariners might not be too keen on offering Broussard a raise over the $3.55 million he made last year, in which he managed just 264 plate appearances.
  • Teams, including the Dodgers, might be more interested in Aaron Rowand over Torii Hunter because of one year and $30 million. Rowand is seeking five years, $60 million, while Hunter wants six and $90 mil. Hunter is far more proven a commodity, though, and is more athletic than Rowand. The negative in Hunter’s corner is that he’s two years older than Rowand.
  • He mentions that the Cubs are interested in Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui, both switch hitters, to play second base next year. The Astros and Mets are also in on Castillo, while the Rockies would like to re-sign Kaz — though they have a number of internal candidates, including Ian Stewart.
  • The Padres are considering offering arbitration to Mike Cameron and Mike Barrett. Barrett seems like a no-brainer. He’s a Type A free agent, and would probably be worth a one-year deal. He could be pricey, though, as Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are making $13 million or more. Cameron also makes sense. The Padres still need a center fielder for 2008, and they’d do well to sign Cam to a one-year deal should he accept arbitration. Otherwise, the supplemental pick would be nice.
  • Reggie Sanders will consider retirement if he can’t land a deal with the Dodgers, Giants, or Padres. Sanders missed most of the 2007 season with hamstring problems.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Odds and Ends: Kuroda, Hunter, Crede

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What’d I miss recently?  Here are some odds and ends.

  • The Tigers have expressed interest in Hiroki Kuroda.  They join the Phillies, Mariners, Dodgers, Royals, Rangers, Cubs, and Mets in that pursuit.
  • 10 teams are interested in Aaron Rowand!  That’s almost 1/3 of all baseball teams!
  • Torii Hunter is after a seven-year deal.  Most feel he’s saying that because he wants six.  Clever!
  • The Twins are taking a look at Tony Clark as a cheap DH option.  He’s supposedly looking for something like two years, $4MM and more playing time.  This would be a very Twins-like signing. 
  • T.R. Sullivan has a Rangers update.  Apparently Jon Daniels is checking in on big names like Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, and Miguel Cabrera.  More realistically Daniels may go out to Japan for players such as Kosuke Fukudome and Hiroki Kuroda (we knew that already).  We also knew the Rangers had Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne on their radar.  Sullivan speculates that Scott Linebrink and LaTroy Hawkins could also be in the mix.
  • Barry Rozner expects Joe Crede to be traded. It seems like Crede is a Plan B or C for a lot of teams and Kenny Williams may have to wait til a few dominoes fall first. 

Dodgers Pursuing Aaron Rowand

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Buster Olney’s blog today had some good rumors to digest.

  • Olney writes that the Dodgers are making a "heavy play" for Aaron Rowand.  Apparently they love the idea of adding a good character guy to the clubhouse.  They’d be paying $25MM for Rowand and Juan Pierre in their outfield for the next several years.
  • The Phillies are making a "big play" for Mike Lowell.  This certainly doesn’t jive with the speculation that the Phils only have $10MM to spend and it’s going toward pitching.  By the way, Ruben Amaro Jr. ruled out the possibility of signing Torii Hunter.
  • Olney has an exec source who believes Hunter will sign with the Rangers for six years and $90MM.
  • Olney doesn’t see Kenny Rogers apologizing to the Rangers anytime soon.
  • Mike Cameron has a better chance of re-signing with the Padres, now that his 2008 season will be reduced by 15% in playing time.
  • Six teams are in on Matt Clement, but he’s still expected to land in San Diego.  The Royals are probably one of the six.
  • Speculation is growing that the Braves might consider bringing Andruw Jones back.

Rangers Would Require Apology From Rogers

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There was some speculation a few days ago that the "right circumstances" that would allow a Kenny Rogers-Rangers reunion would be an apology to management.  Owner Tom Hicks erased any ambiguity on that front today, saying Rogers would have to apologize to the Rangers for them to entertain signing him.  Evan Grant notes that made all sorts of apologies after his cameraman incident, but one to the Rangers was conspicuously absent.

Rogers, a Scott Boras client, wants a one-year, $10MM contract.  The Tigers are still atop his list, but the Rangers, Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Mets could also enter the picture.

Regarding Torii Hunter, it turns out Hicks did not attend the Tuesday night dinner.  It was just Jon Daniels; maybe Hicks doesn’t like Arby’s.  Hunter has also met with the White Sox and Royals.  Grant believes a contract offer from the Rangers could come next week.

Rangers Rumors: Rogers, Gagne, Hunter

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MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan has some new info regarding the Rangers’ plans this offseason.

  • Kenny Rogers has already had three separate stints with the Rangers, the last one ending with the cameraman incident. The Rangers would like to bring him back for a fourth tour, if the price is right.  One emailer speculated that the team also wouldn’t mind an apology to management for the incident, also.  Sullivan says the Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Mets may also have Rogers on the radar.  Seems like Ned Colletti is letting bygones be bygones with Scott Boras.  UPDATE: Boras reiterated tonight that the Tigers are Rogers’ priority.  He seemingly wants one year and $10MM.
  • The Rangers have interest in another Boras client, Eric Gagne.  I think I read this in ESPN Magazine recently – how about re-signing him and flipping him all over again at the ’08 deadline?
  • Owner Tom Hicks and GM Jon Daniels had dinner with Torii Hunter tonight.  I heard they had the roast beef.  The Rangers will make an offer later this week, though they’ll have to top whatever the White Sox come up with.
  • The Rangers also want to bring back Jamey Wright for the ’pen.

Hunter Meets With White Sox

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It’s not exactly news that the White Sox met with Torii Hunter last night, since Joe Cowley noted way back on November 1st that they’d get together.  Of course the two sides were not allowed to discuss a contract.

Joe Christenen’s article says Hunter is intensely studying teams to determine their long-term competitiveness.  He’s digging into their farm systems and contract obligations.  Christenen believes the Sox would need to unload Jon Garland’s $12MM salary to fit Hunter in for 2008.

Royals’ Interest In Torii Hunter Intensifies

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The Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton reports that the Royals’ interest in free agent center fielder Torii Hunter has intensified.  Dutton first mentioned the club having an eye on Hunter six days ago.

Despite Dayton Moore’s public indifference toward Jose Guillen’s steroid history, Dutton says that is one reason the Royals are moving toward Hunter.  They can definitely afford him, even if they have to pay a premium for being a year or two off from contending.  Signing Hunter could open the door to a David DeJesus trade.  Dutton’s sources present a contrast of opinion, with one calling Hunter a top priority and another considering him a long shot.

Moore surprised the baseball world by outbidding many teams for Gil Meche’s services a year ago.  That deal looks solid 20% through, and may have added some legitimacy for Kansas City when entertaining free agents.

Twins Willing To Trade Garza

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Terry Ryan hung on to his fine corral of young pitchers, and it’s hard to find fault with that.  However, new GM Bill Smith is open to dealing one of them for a high impact young hitter.

Specifically, Joe Christensen says the Twins are willing to move 24 year-old Matt Garza, who posted a 3.69 ERA this year.  The price would be huge – the names the Twins have in mind are Delmon Young, B.J. Upton, and Carlos Gomez.  Upton, a favorite of theirs, seems like the least available of the three.  Marc Topkin agrees that a Young-Garza rumor has been floating around.

If the Twins want to make a lesser deal, teams have also been asking about Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker.  But those two aren’t chopped liver, and Rocco Baldelli doesn’t seem like enough.  The Padres want in on the young pitchers, but aren’t willing to give up third baseman Chase Headley. 

There’s also word in Christensen’s article that the Twins haven’t heard back from Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva regarding their weak offers.  A more legitimate effort will be made to re-sign Johan Santana.

Latest Braves Rumors: Glavine, DeJesus, Dotel

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Here’s a look at the recent dealings and rumors surrounding the Braves.

  • Frank Wren publicly admitted that the Braves would like to add Tom Glavine to their rotation for 2008.  They’re hoping for a hometown discount, which he may be amenable to based on this report.  At the minimum, the Braves will have competition from the Nationals, Cardinals, Astros, and possibly the Mets.
  • Wren also stated that the Braves will look outside the organization for their center fielder.  David O’Brien (linked above) indicates that the Braves won’t make offers to Torii Hunter, Aaron Rowand, or Mike Cameron due to the size of the likely commitments.  Since Cameron would seemingly only take two years, it’s surprising the Braves will pass.  O’Brien says David DeJesus is a reasonable option even though he’s signed for three years, since he’s cheap and trade-able.  A Coco Crisp acquisition would use similar logic.
  • Unless he comes at a discount, it sounds like the Braves will pass on Todd Jones.  Jones had expressed interest in pitching for his hometown team, but Wren stated yesterday that he will not pursue a free agent closer.  There had been speculation yesterday that the Braves were interested in Japanese closer Masahide Kobayashi.  They could still add him as a set-up man.
  • Though the Braves declined his $5.5MM option, Octavio Dotel could still be in the picture.  Most likely, he’ll seek more money and the opportunity to close elsewhere.  It was a mutual option so Dotel would’ve declined it on his end anyway. 

Royals Interested In Guillen, Jenkins, Hunter

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I was waiting for someone to name a few players of interest to the Royals, and Bob Dutton came through tonight with some names.

Specifically, the team is after a run-producer, ideally a right-handed hitter.  That puts Jose Guillen atop their list.  Dayton Moore might need to go a little north of three years, $30MM to get him.

Failing that, the left-handed hitting Geoff Jenkins is on the radar.  He’d probably go for a one-year, $6-7MM contract in my estimation.

Dutton notes that the Royals have interest in Torii Hunter, but he’s likely to be priced out of their range.

Dutton also hints that Sammy Sosa could be a consideration for the Royals, as he does have pop if nothing else.  They are one of a handful of teams with an open DH spot. 

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