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Padres Notes: Denorfia, Gonzalez, Payroll

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The San Diego Padres have signed Chris Denorfia to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. Denorfia, who will receive an invite to Spring Training, has posted respectable career numbers in the majors (.279/.356/.380), albeit in only 237 plate appearances. The 29-year-old outfielder spent the last two years with the Oakland A's organization.

Meanwhile, Brock also shares some information from Padres CEO Jeff Moorad regarding Adrian Gonzalez. Moorad says that "there's nothing active" or currently "on the table" involving the first baseman. The Red Sox have been linked to Gonzalez most frequently in trade rumors, but Moorad doesn't believe GMs Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have had any conversations since the Winter Meetings. Still, Moorad concedes the Padres would "be silly not to listen" on any Gonzalez offer that would "dramatically improve" the club. The catch there, of course, is that even a strong haul of prospects probably has no chance of dramatically improving the Padres for at least a year or two.

One more note from Moorad: After the Padres slashed payroll by nearly $30MM heading into 2009, the team may have a little more breathing room this winter. Moorad says Hoyer "has money to spend, not a lot, but money to spend." San Diego's 2009 salaries totaled around $43MM, while 2010 could potentially see them up closer to $50MM. This slight flexibility perhaps explains the club's decision to retain Kevin Correia, following rumors that the righty would be non-tendered.

Odds & Ends: Mike Gonzalez, Second Base, Penny

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Links for Thursday…

Olney On Holliday, Bay, DeRosa

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Hot stove nuggets from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Olney doesn't see Jacoby Ellsbury as a great fit for the Padres in a potential Adrian Gonzalez deal, in that Ellsbury will be arbitration-eligible a year from now and is represented by Scott Boras.
  • Olney heard the Red Sox would be interested in signing Matt Holliday at less than the current Cardinals offer.  Here's the question: what exactly did the Cardinals offer to Holliday in guaranteed money and years?  $15-16MM a year for up to eight years is pretty vague.  Is it just a five-year offer, as Olney suggested a few days ago?
  • Jose Valverde is in a bad place, writes Olney, as there's no clear suitor looking to spend $8-10MM for a closer and give up a draft pick.  If Valverde lingers on the market into February he could be a bargain.
  • Olney heard that the Mets' "five-year concept" for Jason Bay is heavily backloaded, so much that the true value is similar to Boston's rejected four-year, $60MM offer.
  • Righty Edgar Gonzalez might be Japan-bound.  He spent this year in the Oakland organization.
  • Mark DeRosa's asking price appears to have come down – Olney says it's in the three-year, $18MM range.  Still seems too pricey, but it's a step in the right direction.

Adrian Gonzalez Rumors: Wednesday

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8:00pm: Edes tweets that the Orioles "made a pretty good run" at Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings.  It seems clear that Gonzalez has the potential to spark quite a bidding war.

1:36pm: ESPN's Gordon Edes tweets that there's "nothing going on" on the Gonzalez front.  Edes doesn't expect the Red Sox to land Adrian Beltre or Matt Holliday either.  Larry Stone of the Seattle Times believes that if the Padres do make Gonzalez available, the Mariners "won't let the Red Sox get him without a fight."

11:36am: Interesting tweet from ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. – he has a source close to Gonzalez who believes the player will be traded to Boston within the next ten days.

9:13am: The Red Sox are "working hard" to obtain Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, write Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The writers caution that a deal is "not close, and might not happen at all."  Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote late last night that the two teams are not talking, but wondered if they'd re-engage.

Rosenthal and Morosi suggest the signings of John Lackey and Mike Cameron give the Red Sox flexibility to trade Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury, and the Padres would be tempted by the chance to acquire both for Gonzalez.  The Sox are reluctant to make that deal.  Still, getting Gonzalez at $10.25MM over two years would free up resources for other pursuits during that time.

Odds & Ends: Carroll, Crisp, Cameron, Hermida

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Links for Wednesday…

  • The Tigers signed lefty Brad Thomas out of Korea, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that they paid $1MM.
  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed our report of the Pirates' interest in Kelly Johnson, explaining that the Pirates view him as a corner outfield option.
  • FanGraphs' Dave Cameron wonders why teams seem to undervalue Cliff Lee.  In a related story, Lee's agent Darek Braunecker believes their position has been mischaracterized. 
  • ESPN's Buster Olney expects Jamey Carroll to choose between two-year offers from the A's and Dodgers, probably today (I mistakenly wrote the Angels earlier).
  • Mentioned first on Twitter: I've heard that Coco Crisp would prefer a one-year deal with the Padres or A's.
  • Boston's Mike Cameron signing was officially announced today.  Michael Silverman and John Tomase of the Boston Herald have details on the two-year, $15.5MM contract.  John Lackey's deal was also announced.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox told Jeremy Hermida they'd trade him if they re-signed Jason Bay.  Speier wonders if the Cameron signing will prompt a Hermida deal.
  • The Angels' one-year, $6.5MM deal with Hideki Matsui was also announced, as was John Buck's one-year, $2MM deal with Toronto and Ross Gload's two-year, $2.6MM deal with the Phillies.
  • The Royals put out word they've re-signed outfielder Shane Costa to a minor league deal.  Costa, 28, missed almost the entire '09 season with a leg injury.
  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets details on LaTroy Hawkins' two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Brewers.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker examines the reports about reliever Ryota Igarashi, who might be headed to the Red Sox or Mets.
  • The Mariners signed 19-year-old shortstop Pedro Okuda to a minor league deal, according to a team press release.  Okuda was born and raised in Brazil but attended high school in Japan.

Odds & Ends: Wang, Yankees, White Sox

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Some Sunday links…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) says that three AL teams and three NL teams have shown interest in Chien-Ming Wang.  However, the Dodgers are not one of those teams "yet."  Rosenthal notes that Wang is a favorite of Joe Torre and his staff.
  • In his running blog, Rosenthal says that Kevin Youkilis' versatility gives the Red Sox a number of options this winter.  Boston could sign Adrian Beltre to play third or, for a much lower price, Nick Johnson to play first.
  • Regardless of where Wang signs, we can safely assume that it will not be for a split contract.  The Yankees made the 29-year-old a minor-league offer that would become a major-league deal once his shoulder was healthy.  Wang's agent demanded guaranteed money, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
  • Earlier today, Buster Olney mentioned the Yanks as a possible destination for free agent outfielder Brian Giles.  Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger hears that the club is just doing its "due diligence" by checking in on the soon-to-be 39-year-old.
  • The White Sox have signed Freddie Bynum and T.J. Bohn to minor league deals, according to the FutureSox twitter page.
  • Kevin Correia's agent Barry Axelrod told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that the Brewers and Rays both showed interested in trading for his client.  While GM Jed Hoyer gave him no guarantees that the one-year deal won't be a sign-and-trade, Axelrod is confident that the 29-year-old will pitch for San Diego in 2010.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel spoke to Mike Rivera, who was non-tendered by the Brewers yesterday.  Rivera says he was caught off guard by the decision but was told by GM Doug Melvin that the organization might reach out to him again at some point.

Cafardo On Gonzalez, Rodney, Valverde

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In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo applauds the Yankees' offseason moves so far, but writes that they still have some major decisions ahead of them. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo:

  • According to a source, talks between the Red Sox and Padres about Adrian Gonzalez aren't progressing. Padres GM Jed Hoyer is asking for at least Clay Buchholz and either Casey Kelly or Ryan Westmoreland, and the Sox would prefer not to give up that much.
  • Cafardo likes Mike Cameron, but not Milton Bradley, as a fit in Boston.
  • An NL scout views Boof Bonser as a reliever with closing potential, rather than as a starter.
  • Before signing Brandon Lyon, the Astros were talking to Fernando Rodney as well. Apparently his asking price was near $30MM over three years. If that's true, he'll probably end up disappointed this winter.
  • Jose Valverde may be "pricing himself out of the market" as well. Teams like the Tigers and Orioles seem unwilling to commit $10MM+ annually to Valverde in a long-term deal.

Padres Avoid Arbitration With Kevin Correia

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The Padres have signed Kevin Correia to a one-year deal worth "$3.6MM or so", according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) who confirmed the initial tweet from Marty Caswell of XX 1090 Radio.  Brock tells MLBTR that the deal may be a "tad higher" than the $3.6MM figure.

This past season, the 29-year-old recorded a 3.91 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 198 innings for the Padres.  After spending six big league seasons with the Giants, San Diego inked the hurler to a one-year pact last winter with a base of $.75MM.

Discussion: Kevin Correia

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8:08 PM: MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter) is saying that the Padres are, in fact, going to try and deal Correia before Saturday's non-tender deadline rather than just let the pitcher leave.

7:09 PM: As reported last Monday, right-hander Kevin Correia will likely not be tendered a contract by the Padres before Saturday's non-tender deadline.  Correia was a bargain for the Padres last season, earning $1.1MM and posting a 3.91 ERA, 2.22 K/BB ratio and a team-leading 12 wins in 33 starts.  Numbers like that will earn Correia a significant raise — one that San Diego doesn't seem inclined to pay. 

Though it appears that Correia, a San Diego native, will be leaving his hometown, it could be argued that his local club is doing him a financial favor by letting him explore free agency.  There could even be a minor bidding war over the right-hander given the number of teams that have already been mentioned as possible suitors.  Ken Rosenthal listed the Brewers, Mets and Dodgers as potential destinations for Correia, and the LA Times' Jon Weisman echoed the Dodger possibility given Los Angeles' interest in pitching.  Evan P. Grant of the Dallas Morning News mentioned (via Twitter) the Rangers might also have an eye on Correia, though Texas already seems to have a number of young pitchers ready to start.  Plus, it may be a dicey proposition for a career NL West pitcher to move to not just the AL, but to a hitter-friendly stadium like Rangers Ballpark.

Correia was not an overly big beneficiary of PETCO Park last season (a 3.68 ERA and 1.25 WHIP at home, 4.18 ERA and 1.36 WHIP on the road), so there is reason to believe that his good showing in his first year as a full-time starter can extend outside San Diego's city limits.  What other teams do you think should make a play for Correia, and if your favorite team was the one signing the right-hander, what do you think a reasonable contract would be for his services?

Stark On Halladay, Bradley, Lackey, Gonzalez

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The Blue Jays are still demanding nearly as much for Roy Halladay as they were this summer, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Angels, Phillies and Yankees appear to be "the only realistic destinations" for Halladay at this point. The Angels would apparently want Halladay to sign an extension if they traded for him, but the Jays don't appear to be close to dealing their ace away. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • One GM would be shocked if the Angels don't sign Jason Bay or John Lackey. The Angels haven't shown any indications that they're ready to offer Lackey A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM).
  • The Yankees are focused on adding a free agent starter and determining whether Johnny Damon will return.
  • If the Cubs and Rays can figure out the money, Milton Bradley could still end up in Tampa Bay.
  • The Red Sox will have a hole at first or third if and when the Mike Lowell deal goes through, but you can count out Adrian Gonzalez. Stark says the Padres just have no motivation to move the hometown slugger.
  • The Red Sox are "clearly infatuated with" Adrian Beltre.
  • Dan Uggla, Francisco Cordero, Luis Castillo, Lyle Overbay, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Pierre, Jose Guillen and Eric Byrnes were all being shopped this week.
  • Stark notes that the market for starting pitchers hasn't been bad so far, pointing to Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte as examples.
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