Padres Rumors

Four Clubs Offer Minor League Deal To Takahashi

By Tim Dierkes | February 7, 2010 at 9:01pm CDT

9:01pm: The Pirates have emerged as a destination for Takahashi, according to a report from Sanspo passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The report also notes that the Dodgers are targeting other pitchers and the Mets were "moving towards an MLB contract," but couldn't agree on money.

Meanwhile, Takahashi was set to throw for teams today in Arizona, according to an article from Sponichi passed along by Newman.

2:32pm: Japaneseballplayers.com reports that Takahashi has turned down the Mets' offer as well. NPB Tracker tweets that Takahashi prefers to play on the West coast.

SUNDAY, 11:01pm: Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Takahashi has turned down the Orioles' offer of a minor league deal, but that doesn't mean the two sides can't work something out down the road.

SATURDAY, 4:53pm: Takahashi is being considered by the Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, Pirates, and Padres tweets Jon Heyman of SI. Heyman also writes that Takahashi will pick his team soon.

Meanwhile, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports (via Twitter) that the Giants are assuming that Takahashi will sign elsewhere.

FRIDAY, 7:19pm: NPB Tracker passes along a report (via Twitter) from the Japanese publication Sponichi Annex saying that the Giants and Dodgers are in the lead for Takahashi's services, however Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the the Giants are still waiting to hear back about their minor league offer.

THURSDAY, 2:38pm: Free agent lefty Hisanori Takahashi has minor league offers from the Red Sox, Giants, Padres, and Dodgers, according to a Sports Hochi report passed along on Twitter by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman.

Last week, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote that Takahashi seeks a big league deal and has drawn interest from the Orioles, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Giants. Takahashi, 35 in April, profiles as a flyball/command pitcher who can fill a swingman role.

Odds & Ends: Kielty, Ruiz, Gillick, Santos

By Mike Axisa | February 6, 2010 at 1:45pm CDT

Saturday morning links…

Arangure (via Twitter) writes that the A's have agreed to terms with Michael Feliz, a right-hander from the Dominican Republic. The deal, which is still pending a physical and an age investigation, will provide Feliz with an $800K bonus. The Dominican Prospect League website says that the 6'4, 200-pound hurler is 16-years-old.
Tim tweets that Bobby Kielty is converting to pitching, and that his slider is actually pretty good. The 33-year-old last played in the big leagues back in 2007, when he was still an outfielder of course.
ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the Blue Jays, Rockies, and Rangers are the teams most interested in Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz. Ruiz was recently cleared to sign by the Office of Foreign Asset Control.
Pat Gillick has returned to the Phillies as a senior advisor to president Dave Montgomery, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun. Gillick was the team's GM from 2006-2008.
ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to several talent evaluators, none of whom think Omir Santos is equipped to be a number one catcher. If the season started today, Santos would likely be behind the plate for the Mets.

Odds & Ends: Jays, V-Mart, Jeter, Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 5, 2010 at 1:29pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Tim Dillard, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter).
Don't expect the Twins to add much to their 2010 payroll. GM Bill Smith tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the team is nearing the "upper extremes" of what it can spend (Twitter link).
The Blue Jays are no longer in on Carlos Delgado, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Twins had one of the best offseasons in baseball.
Alex Anthopoulos doesn't expect to trade any of his relievers before the season starts, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. However, the Jays GM points out that things can change.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier compares Victor Martinez to similar catchers to hit free agency in recent years. Speier writes that after this season V-Mart could be in line for a four-year $40MM deal like the ones Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek signed. Some consider Martinez a first baseman going forward, which would make him a "completely different animal" in the eyes of interested teams.
Those small market Twins will open the season with a payroll of about $96MM, writes Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Derek Jeter hits free agency after the season and Hank Steinbrenner says we can "pretty much assume" what will happen at that point given Jeter's place in Yankee history (link from the Philadelphia Daily News).
Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he hasn't ruled out signing Adrian Gonzalez long-term. That seems unlikely given the offers Gonzalez could demand as a free agent.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Adam Kennedy will be the Nats' everday second baseman, which likely leaves Cristian Guzman at short.
Now the Nats will look for a veteran starter, tweets Ladson.
Jesus Guzman cleared waivers and will receive an invitation to Giants Spring Training, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants designated the infielder for assignment in late January.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star tweets that Jarrod Washburn may be too expensive for the Royals.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that some within the Dodgers organization called Orlando Hudson "Slow-Dog" because they were surprised he wasn't faster. Some Dodgers officials believe Hudson's defensive reputation is better than it should be.

Blue Jays Sign Kevin Gregg

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2010 at 11:27am CDT

The Blue Jays officially signed Kevin Gregg to a one-year $2.75MM deal that includes a pair of club options. The Blue Jays will have ten days after the 2010 World Series to choose between three options:

Allow Gregg to become a free agent
Pick up a $4.5MM option for 2011
Pick up an $8.75MM option for 2011-12

Gregg spent much of 2009 closing for the Cubs, and he managed to trim his walk rate and increase his strikeouts. However, he allowed a disastrous 13 home runs in 68.6 innings. Gregg, who was drawn to Toronto because of the chance to close games, will compete with Scott Downs and Jason Frasor for Toronto's closing job. The Blue Jays have a number of relievers competing for jobs, so some have speculated that the club could deal Downs or Frasor, both free agents after the season.

Agent Dan Horwits told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that the Rockies, Padres and Marlins were all interested in Gregg.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the sides were close to a deal. Jon Heyman of SI.com and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted details.

Odds & Ends: Garciaparra, Jackson, Barajas, Branyan

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2010 at 5:30pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Nomar Garciaparra told Lou Merloni of WEEI.com that he would like to play in 2010, if the right situation presents itself. Garciaparra played in 65 games for the A's last season, hitting .281/.314/.388 with 3 homers.
RotoAuthority discusses the fantasy prospects of Rangers starter Colby Lewis.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says that while an arbitration hearing is likely for Edwin Jackson and the Diamondbacks, "the team has broached the idea of a two-year deal."
Piecoro also says the D'Backs are considering bringing recently-designated lefty Dana Eveland back.
Talking to agents who dealt with the Mets this winter, Murray Chass believes the team was incapable of multitasking. On a related note, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes the team remains interested in free agent catcher Rod Barajas.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Russell Branyan was seeking a three-year deal in the $20-30MM range earlier this offseason. At this point I'd say he's looking at a one-year deal at maybe $3MM.
Unlike CEO Jeff Moorad, Padres GM Jed Hoyer said all the right things regarding Adrian Gonzalez (Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reporting).
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins are in a position of strength in that they don't need Orlando Hudson or Jarrod Washburn. He doesn't feel they'd still be willing to offer $5MM to Washburn. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that if the Mariners re-sign Erik Bedard, as has been rumored, they probably wouldn't sign Washburn.
Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the grievance has been settled regarding the Ramirez Provision, involving forced charity donations as part of contracts.

Moorad Finds Adrian Gonzalez Extension Unlikely

By Tim Dierkes | February 3, 2010 at 2:36pm CDT

Padres CEO Jeff Moorad stated the obvious yesterday regarding first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune has the quote:

"While I’d be thrilled to have him part of the organization for the long term, the early signals indicate his cost will be greater than our ability to pay."

Gonzalez's agent John Boggs agreed, and explained that he expects a trade:

"The feeling we're getting is more than likely (the Padres) are going to have to trade Adrian because (they) can't afford him."

These quotes are far from groundbreaking, so consider this your official Gonzalez Trade Prediction post. Tell us the acquiring team and players given up. Keep in mind that at $10.25MM over the next two years, any team willing to surrender the right players could acquire Gonzalez. Given their first base incumbents, though, the Cardinals, Brewers, Phillies, Reds, Yankees, and Twins appear unlikely.

Rays Claim Mike Ekstrom

By Tim Dierkes | February 3, 2010 at 1:01pm CDT

The Rays claimed reliever Mike Ekstrom off waivers from the Padres, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. He'd been designated for assignment a week ago to make room for Jon Garland.

Ekstrom, 26, was done in by hits and home runs allowed in an 18.3-inning big league stint last year. At Triple A, he had a 1.73 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 62.3 innings.

Odds & Ends: Mauer, Hairston, Buck, Benson

By Tim Dierkes | February 2, 2010 at 5:10pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

We shouldn't expect a Joe Mauer extension soon, according to this tweet from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
The Padres avoided arbitration with Scott Hairston, signing the outfielder to a one-year deal worth $2.45MM, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes that the Tigers have moved into the non-denial stage regarding Johnny Damon (via Twitter).
A's outfielder Travis Buck has a chip on his shoulder after watching the A's acquire multiple outfielders, reports CSNBayArea's Mychael Urban. But as ESPN's Rob Neyer points out, Buck hasn't done much recently with the bat.
Free agent outfielder Darin Erstad told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick he'd love to play in 2010, but "there is nowhere to find at-bats."
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers "remain interested in Jeff Weaver, but their roster situation could prevent them from offering him a major-league deal."
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports names the D'Backs, Cubs, Reds, and Nationals as teams monitoring free agent starter Kris Benson. Benson didn't pitch much in the last three seasons due to rotator cuff surgery.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. further explained his rationale behind the Cliff Lee trade, reports Scott Lauber of The News Journal. Amaro's reasoning didn't sway my opinion; none of the three prospects he received are in Keith Law's top 100 (though Ramirez is #101). The long-term value of Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies should not outweigh the extra 4-5 wins Lee would've provided in 2010. And did Amaro even shop Lee around for the best package?
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star is pessimistic on the Royals, who he says don't offer much beyond Zack Greinke, Billy Butler, and Joakim Soria.
RotoAuthority looks at Boston's closer situation from a fantasy baseball point of view.

Kevin Gregg Narrowing Choices

By Howard Megdal | February 2, 2010 at 8:16am CDT

TUESDAY, 8:16am: Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel offers a different take – he says not to look for a Gregg-Marlins reunion. Instead, the righty is close to signing with the Rockies or Blue Jays. According to this tweet from Yahoo's Tim Brown, the Padres are also in the mix.

MONDAY, 9:26pm: According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, Kevin Gregg has narrowed his choices down to the Rockies and Marlins.

"I am not overly optimistic, but we have a chance," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd told Renck Monday. "Our job would be as a setup guy." For Gregg, the chance to be second in line to Huston Street isn't as promising as the chance to be behind Leo Nunez, Renck figures. After signing Melvin Mora, the Rockies had about $2MM to offer for Gregg.

Yorvit Torrealba Has Padres Offer

By Tim Dierkes | February 1, 2010 at 4:30pm CDT

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba "has a one-year offer from the Padres in hand," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney adds that Torrealba "would like to engage the Mets, but to this point the Mets have indicated they don't have any money available to make something happen." Previous reports had indicated the Mets were turning to Torrealba after missing out on Bengie Molina, despite Torrealba's grievance against them. With question marks at catcher and in the rotation, Mets fans have to hope the team isn't out of money.

That said, the free agent catching market is bleak: Torrealba, Rod Barajas, and Jose Molina are the most notable names.

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