Odds & Ends: Beckham, Taschner, Red Sox
Links for Wednesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- The White Sox sent last year's first-round pick Gordon Beckham to Double A to play shortstop, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle talked to Astros GM Ed Wade about the difference between guaranteed and non-guaranteed contracts.
- El Lefty Malo expects the Giants to trade lefty Jack Taschner and go after free agent Will Ohman. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News dismissed an internet rumor about Taschner and the Tigers. Not sure where that came from.
- Alex Speier of WEEI projects Boston's Opening Day payroll to be under $120MM, its lowest since '03. Speier suggests this could allow midseason financial flexibility.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post asks whether the Nationals will try to avoid an eventual Super Two status for Jordan Zimmermann.
- Bart Given says Shawn Hill made the right decision in signing with San Diego.
- Oil Can Boyd hopes to pitch in Ottawa in the Cam-Am Baseball League.
- The Royals Authority 2009 Annual is on sale now – check it out.
Padres Looking For Relievers
According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney the Padres are aggressively looking for relief help. They could fill as many as four bullpen spots with pitchers they pick up through trades or waivers.
Stark On Cameron, Ohman, Jenkins
ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new blog post up.
- The Astros plan to give Chris Johnson a chance to win the third base job, but Stark says Juan Uribe, Jose Bautista, and Jeff Baker "could still show up on their shopping list in the next two weeks."
- Stark heard "rumblings the Yankees are poking around again on Mike Cameron's availability." Back in December, the Yanks and Brewers were pretty close on a deal.
- Eric Milton is looking decent and appears to be the frontrunner for the Dodgers' fifth starter job (given Pedro Martinez's asking price).
- Will Ohman seeks a one-year, $1.75MM deal with easily-reachable incentives for another million. He also prefers the West Coast, and Stark believes the Padres and Giants are more likely than the Dodgers. Like the Dodgers, the Phillies and Marlins have interest at a lesser price. Stark has also heard the Phils connected to Giants lefty Jack Taschner.
- Shawn Camp, Geoff Geary, John Buck, and Geoff Jenkins are currently available. The Phillies would eat almost all of the $8MM owed to Jenkins.
Padres Hoping For Will Ohman?
What’s up with free agent lefty Will Ohman? According to Dan Hayes of the North County Times, the Padres are hoping Ohman drops down to the $1MM range. You may recall that the Cardinals recently signed Dennys Reyes for $3MM over two years. The Padres see Ohman as more than a lefty specialist though.
At any rate, Padres GM Kevin Towers told Hayes, "There could be new faces coming in over the next couple of weeks."
Rosenthal On Pedro, A-Rod, Beimel, Ohman
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- One executive tells Rosenthal Pedro Martinez seeks a contract similar to the one John Smoltz received (a $5.5MM base plus $5.5MM incentives). Rosenthal’s speculative candidates for Pedro include the Dodgers, Marlins, Indians, and Mets. He says the A’s, Orioles, Nationals, and Brewers are out.
- Rosenthal does not expect a major acquisition by the Yankees to cover for Alex Rodriguez. He adds that the Yanks will not collect insurance on A-Rod’s salary.
- In addition to Orlando Cabrera, Manny Ramirez has a clause in his contract prohibiting his team from offering arbitration if he’s a Type A free agent after the season. Orlando Hudson and Bobby Abreu do not have such clauses.
- Two GMs told Rosenthal Joe Beimel wants a one-year, $2.5MM deal, but the pitcher’s agent Joe Sroba says they have’t gotten that specific. Sroba says new teams are in the mix for Beimel and he’s waiting for one to be "aggressive and sincere in their pursuit."
- The White Sox and Dodgers are two teams in on free agent lefty Will Ohman.
Dodgers Still Interested In Beimel, Ohman
Tony Jackson reports that the Dodgers still have some interest in lefties Joe Beimel and Will Ohman, if and when their asking price comes down.
Beimel and Ohman are both looking for salaries in the $2MM-$3MM range, but the Dodgers don’t want to pay that for someone who will be called on to retire one or two batters per outing.
Jackson points out that the recent Dennys Reyes signing by the Cardinals will likely have to lower the prices for Ohman and Beimel. Reyes signed a two-year deal worth $3MM after holding lefties to a .202 average last year, while Ohman held them to a .200 average. Beimel was a very distant third – lefties hit .278 off him in 2008. All three players are 31 years of age.
Phillies Not In On Will Ohman
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki talked to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who still does not expect to sign a free agent lefty reliever. Amaro’s quote: "I don’t think that one is going to happen."
Zolecki’s source said the Phillies are not on Will Ohman. Presumably Joe Beimel is out of their price range (less than $1MM) as well. The Marlins are known to have a standing offer to Ohman, and the Padres are another possibility. Ohman lost a suitor when the Cardinals signed Dennys Reyes.
Padres Seek Bullpen Help
MLB.com’s Corey Brock talked to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who said he’s "actively looking" for relief help. Towers is uncertain how his bullpen will shake out beyond Heath Bell in the ninth, and would like to add someone who can miss bats. Towers doesn’t have much to spend on the free agent market, so a trade may be more likely.
Brock finds Joe Beimel unlikely, but notes that the Padres have expressed interest in Will Ohman. On the trade front, Towers specifically mentioned pitchers who are out of options.
Cardinals Exploring Lefty Relief Options
THURSDAY: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks about the Cardinals’ pursuit of a lefty reliever:
Internal support exists for pursuing Beimel, but [GM John] Mozeliak recently denied making contact with Beimel’s agent, Joe Sroba.
Speaking of Beimel, Pirates president Frank Coonelly commented on him during an MLB.com chat yesterday:
He is someone who we have considered this offseason and have had discussions with his representative. To date, Joe has not been receptive to the type of contract we have discussed.
WEDNESDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Cardinals are "exploring the remaining lefties on the free agent market." So far this offseason they’ve imported Trever Miller, Royce Ring, Charlie Manning, and Ian Ostlund. Perhaps they’re attracted to the possibility of a bargain, with three solid southpaws remaining on the market.
Rosenthal notes that Dennys Reyes‘ agent Casey Close is telling teams his client is close to a decision. Furthermore, he won’t be signing with Oakland. The A’s could move on to Joe Beimel. Rosenthal adds that the Cardinals are interested in Reyes as well as Will Ohman.
Odalis Perez Likes The Marlins
According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, free agent lefty Odalis Perez would love to play for the Marlins. However, they have not contacted his agent. Perez might sign for less than a million bucks again, but he wants a Major League deal. Perez told Yahoo’s David Brown he has nine or ten interested teams after he forced his release by refusing to show up to camp for the Nationals. He’ll pitch in the WBC for the Dominican Republic.
Berardino adds that the Marlins have a standing offer to southpaw reliever Will Ohman.