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Vladimir Guerrero

Vlad Looking For A Two-Year Deal

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Vladimir Guerrero is looking for a two-year deal this offseason, but would consider returning to Anaheim on a one-year contract if the market doesn't develop as well as he hopes (MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reporting). Signing a one-year deal could give Vlad the chance to re-establish his value, much like Bobby Abreu did this past season.

The Rangers and Orioles are among the teams that have been connected to Guerrero this offseason. The White Sox and Mariners could be fits, too, but a two-year deal seems ambitious. Vlad's defense has deteriorated and there are enough options – Gary Sheffield, Carlos Delgado, Jim Thome, Hideki Matsui – that he won't have much leverage.

Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers

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Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…

  • Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target.  MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
  • The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer.  Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance.  Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre. 
  • The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season.  Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
  • Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings.  My opinion: hurting.  The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive.  Of course, we're not helping.
  • Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
  • The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon.  We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer.  Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
  • The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though.  The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui.  Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
  • Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
  • The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Angels Rumors: Bay, Matsui, Lackey, Halladay

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The Angels will consider Jason Bay, Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero as they look to add offense, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Here are the details and the rest of his rumors:

  • Talks with Bay are just starting, but GM Tony Reagins says he finds the free agent "appealing."
  • Matsui and Guerrero are both options, too, though they profile as DHs. Bay played the field every day last year.
  • Reagins said the Angels have had "reasonably productive" conversations with John Lackey.
  • Could Roy Halladay end up replacing Lackey atop the team's rotation? The Angels will pursue the Blue Jays ace.

Rays, Reds Interested In Nelson Cruz

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The Rays and Reds are among the teams that have contacted the Rangers about outfielder Nelson Cruz, according to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. We first heard that teams were contacting Texas about Cruz late last month.

Given Cruz's immense production (.260/.332/.524 with 33 homers) at a bargain basement price ($408K in 2009 according to Cot's), the team doesn't have much incentive to move him.  Cruz is under team control through 2013.  In fact, Texas has reportedly been on the look out for righty hitting middle-of-the-order bat, such as Jermaine Dye.

Morosi adds that the Rangers have considered such free agent options as Dye, Jim Thome, and Vladimir Guerrero, however their spending ability may be limited.

Orioles Offseason Gameplan

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The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec looks at five key questions for the Orioles as they head into this year's Winter Meetings. He's also got some quotes from Andy MacPhail talking about the Orioles' views on this year's free agent market. Let's go over some highlights:

  • MacPhail states that the O's will be less active at the Winter Meetings than they were in 2008, when they signed Cesar Izturis, traded Ramon Hernandez, and offered a $140MM contract to Mark Teixeira. He does, however, state that when the offseason is said and done, Baltimore will likely have been more active than it was overall last year.
  • Don't expect a major move from Baltimore this week. They don't have a free agent target singled out and will likely wait to see how the market takes shape as time progresses.
  • While they'd like to add an impact hitter, the Orioles are unlikely to pursue names like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, and MacPhail isn't big on the idea of trading his top prospects for short-term fixes. So far, the O's aren't thought to be bidders for veteran outfield/DH types like Jermaine Dye, Hideki Matsui, and Vladimir Guerrero.
  • Luke Scott is likely Baltimore's biggest trade chip. Moving Scott would allow Nolan Reimold to DH while recovering from surgery, and improve defense by getting Felix Pie more at-bats in left field.
  • Ty Wigginton is also mentioned as a trade chip. Zrebiec says the Orioles would have to be overwhelmed by an offer to move Jeremy Guthrie, and have a way to secure two veteran arms to replace him as well.
  • MacPhail would prefer not to sign a closer that will cost their second-round pick, such as Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, or Rafael Soriano. Zrebiec mentions Kevin Gregg as a possibility.
  • The Orioles have had talks with John Lackey's agent, but aren't expected to be serious bidders for the former Halos ace. They'll look at names like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, and Erik Bedard instead.
  • After Radhames Liz was claimed by the Padres, Baltimore found themselves with an open spot on its 40-man roster. MacPhail would prefer to give a homegrown player a shot rather than make a Rule 5 selection, unless he's convinced that the Rule 5 Draft offers something that their minor league clubs currently don't have.

Marlins Rumors: Pinto, Lindstrom, Nunez

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MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a few Marlins rumblings…

  • The Marlins are prepared to pay Cody Ross and Jorge Cantu in 2010, although both players will receive raises through arbitration.
  • Frisaro feels that two of Renyel Pinto, Matt Lindstrom, and Leo Nunez will be traded.  All three relievers are eligible for arbitration for the first time.
  • Frisaro feels that Vladimir Guerrero is not a fit for the Marlins, given his inability to play the field.

Angels Offer Arb To Only Figgins, Lackey

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Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Angels offered arbitration to just two of their ranked free agents — Type As Chone Figgins and John Lackey.  Los Angeles' other Type A free agent, veteran reliever Darren Oliver, as well as Type B Vladimir Guerrero and unranked free agents Kelvim Escobar and Robb Quinlan did not receive offers from the club.

Though L.A. could have received two draft picks as compensation for Oliver had he turned down arbitration and signed with another club, there's also a chance that teams would be scared off by the prospect of losing a draft pick in order to sign a 39-year-old setup man.  The Angels didn't want to run the risk of Oliver accepting the offer and possibly earning a healthy raise given his career-best 2.71 ERA and 8 K/9 in 2009.

Angels Won’t Pursue Holliday; Bay Is An Option

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2:45pm: Moreno estimates that he has $12MM to spend on improving the club, according to FOX Sports. That could be enough to sign Bay if the left fielder agrees to sign a back-loaded deal.

1:16pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that Matt Holliday is not an option for the Angels.

"He is not going to be an Angel," Moreno said. "We are not looking at Holliday at all."

Jason Bay, on the other hand, is a player "you have to look at," Moreno said. The Angels still have interest in bringing back John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero, but Moreno told the LA Times that the Angels won't be able to bring both Figgins and Lackey back.

As for Guerrero, Moreno hinted that he won't be back without saying so explicitly.

Marlins Notes: Meyer, Uggla, Guerrero

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MLB.com's Joe Frisaro answers some burning questions from fans about the team from Miami. Among his responses:

  • Look for Dan Meyer to remain with the team, but not to close games.
  • Defying conventional wisdom, Frisaro is not convinced both Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla will be traded.
  • He believes the Marlins are "a year or so away from making this kind of big-splash signing" in response to a fan wondering if Florida will ink Vladimir Guerrero.

The entire inbox is worth scrolling.

Angels Notes: Guerrero, Lackey, Oliver

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MLB.com's Lyle Spencer answered a pile of fans' questions about the Angels' free agents, possible new signings and trade options.  Here are some of the highlights…

  • Spencer "has his doubts" that Los Angeles will re-sign any of its big three free agents (Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey).  He thinks the other three AL West teams would be smart to sign Guerrero given that the outfielder is "a prideful man who would have something to prove to his former employer." 
  • If the Angels do dip into the free-agent market, it would be for a starting pitcher.  Spencer lists Randy Wolf and former Angel Jon Garland as possible targets, and also says the Halos could wait until midseason to pick up another arm a la their trade for Scott Kazmir last season.
  • The Angels would "love to keep" free agent reliever Darren Oliver.  Spencer thinks Oliver's Type A status will give L.A. the edge in re-signing him since other teams won't want to give up a first-round draft pick for a 38-year-old setup man.
  • Spencer would re-sign Kelvim Escobar to "an incentives-laden contract" because he thinks the right-hander could have a big season if healthy.
  • Utilityman Robb Quinlan will likely not be back in Anaheim, and seems to be a better fit in the National League.
  • Spencer shoots down two suggested trades that would send Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, respectively, to Los Angeles.  He doesn't think San Diego will move Gonzalez for attendance reasons, and thinks Tampa Bay might ask for too much in return for Crawford.
  • However, a fan-suggested trade of Brandon Wood for Jeremy Guthrie might be mutually beneficial for both the Halos and Orioles.  Spencer also calls a proposed Milton Bradley-for-Gary Matthews Jr. swap "an intriguing suggestion," but notes that Matthews still provides more benefit to Los Angeles than Bradley would.
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