Cardinals Aren’t Talking To Ohman
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold, the Cardinals are not currently engaged in discussions with lefty reliever Will Ohman.
Ohman supposedly has four offers on the table, and there was some speculation that an NL Central team might be involved. If Goold is correct, an offer didn’t come from St. Louis. That leaves the Astros, Cubs, Pirates, Brewers and Reds as possible suitors.
The Mets, Phillies and Dodgers have already denied having serious interest. The A’s are known to be looking for some left-handed bullpen help, but reportedly have their sights on Dennys Reyes.
Dodgers Put Bullpen Search On Hold
Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that the Dodgers have put their search for a lefty reliever on hold because talks aren’t progressing with Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes and Jamey Wright.
The Dodgers have added some lower tier arms and for now GM Ned Colletti says he’s happy to let pitchers such as Carmen Cali, Stephen Randolph and Scott Strickland compete with Jeff Weaver and others.
Will Ohman May Sign Soon
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Will Ohman "has received three offers in the past 48 hours and four overall, according to a major-league source, and is expected to reach a decision Wednesday or Thursday."
Cameron Smith of the Washington Post has additional information today. He says Ohman received four offers from NL clubs in the past two days, the Phillies and Mets not among them. Cameron speculates that NL Central clubs may be involved.
Rosenthal On Lefty Relievers, Bobby Crosby
New information from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
The top free agent lefty relievers may sign this week. Will Ohman received three offers in recent days and four total; he could sign today or tomorrow. Back on February 5th, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick linked the Mets and Phillies to Ohman after talking to his agent. Rosenthal does not indicate which clubs made the offers, however. The Dodgers are in on Joe Beimel, who they declined to offer arbitration to in December. Dennys Reyes continues to draw interest from the Dodgers and A’s.
Rosenthal adds that the A’s want to save their money for Orlando Cabrera, who would replace Bobby Crosby at shortstop. The Padres would not have interest in Crosby.
Phillies Rumors: Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes
Cameron Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a reliever.
Will Ohman‘s agent Page Odle spoke of a "real good positive conversation" with the Phillies over the past week, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the dollars would have to be "extremely modest." Odle said Ohman is open to a one-year deal with a contender. The Mets are the other main suitor, but they are also in bargain mode.
Smith spoke to Dennys Reyes, who said his agent has been talking to the Dodgers and A’s. But Reyes did talk to the Phillies back in December. He is also focused on signing with a contender.
The Phils do have in-house options, plus Amaro suggested he could find a righthanded reliever with the ability to retire lefties.
Braves Out On Will Ohman?
According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves are no longer pursuing lefty reliever Will Ohman. The Braves made an early offer to Ohman and left it on the table for much of the winter. There have been varying reports on the Phillies’ interest; it seems they’d like to sign him cheaply. The Mets also have Ohman on the radar, if he’s a bargain.
Stark On Andruw, Swisher, Hudson, Pedro
The latest from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…
- Stark looks at all the factors influencing this year’s slow-moving free agent market, talking to all sorts of anonymous execs. It’s a good read.
- Among all the teams, the Phillies have added the most to their payroll this winter ($30MM+). Only ten teams raised payroll this year. The Phils are still looking at the same cast of righthanded bench bats, and are also looking to sign a reliever for one year. Names of interest: Joe Borowski, Rudy Seanez, Will Ohman, Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, and Randy Flores. Stark notes that Flores is out until June due to shoulder surgery.
- Andruw Jones is looking for a team that will give him playing time. One of Stark’s sources says Braves manager Bobby Cox is "lobbying harder for Jones than the rest of the baseball operation."
- The Braves are the top suitor for Nick Swisher, but their suggestion that the Yankees eat some of Swisher’s contract was shot down.
- Stark has heard that Angels owner Arte Moreno is ticked at Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira for the way they handled negotiations.
- Stark received conflicting answers on whether the Elias formulas "can be changed without a special negotiation." It figures that the players union would push to eliminate the Jason Varitek/Juan Cruz/Orlando Cabrera situations we saw this winter. The D’Backs may have interest in re-signing Cruz, but don’t look for a Cabrera-White Sox reunion.
- The Yankees and Mets have not pursued Orlando Hudson, despite Hudson’s statements of their interest. Stark sees a one-year deal with the Nationals or Dodgers in his future.
- One assistant GM doesn’t think the WBC will be a good gauge for Pedro Martinez‘s abilities, since he’ll be doing short stints.
- Stark has details on Eddie Guardado‘s contract, which has interesting provisions if he is to be traded.
Braves Rumors: Ohman, Outfield, Glavine
Check out the latest blog post from David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A few details:
- Will Ohman is unable to comment on the state of his negotiations, leading O’Brien to write, "it wouldn’t surprise me if [the Braves] sign Ohman soon." There is some debate over whether the Phillies are still in on Ohman, while the Mets may be looking to sign him at a bargain price.
- O’Brien hasn’t had any indications that an outfield acquisition is brewing for the Braves, but he admits that can change quickly. The possible targets are assumed to be Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, and Bobby Abreu.
- O’Brien believes Tom Glavine will pitch this year, and that the Braves will offer him a Major League contract. Ken Rosenthal examined the situation last night, suggesting that Glavine seeks $2-3MM guaranteed with a chance to earn $6MM or so.
Mets, Phillies Interested In Will Ohman
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Mets GM Omar Minaya contacted Will Ohman‘s agent Page Odle for the first time this winter. Crasnick says the Mets hope to jump in and get a bargain on the lefty reliever.
Additionally, Crasnick counters the Ken Rosenthal report that the Phillies decided not to pursue Ohman. The Phillies are still talking to Odle about Ohman, but don’t have much more than $1MM to spend unless they move a contract.
Phillies Bullpen Update
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes that the Phillies still have a few holes in their bullpen. The club has expressed interest in Joe Beimel, Will Ohman, and Randy Flores this offseason, but those guys are still seeking relatively expensive (and lengthy) contracts.
"They’re looking for the multiyear deals," GM Ruben Amaro said Wednesday. "It’s more an issue of length than dollars, I think."
Zolecki believes that the Phillies may ultimately decide to solve their bullpen issues from within. Chan Ho Park could make for a useful long reliever if he’s unable to crack the starting rotation. Kyle Kendrick and J.A. Happ might also have to settle for bullpen roles and should provide the Phillies with a couple of serviceable middle relievers until left-hander J.C. Romero returns from suspension.