Padres Rumors

Odds & Ends: Reed Johnson, Laynce Nix, Counsell

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2009 at 5:30pm CDT

Links for Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

The Padres have been linked to Reed Johnson, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Reds are trying to re-sign Laynce Nix, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The Brewers hope to have a decision one way or another on Craig Counsell by week's end, says Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Also, the Brewers learned that reliever Mark DiFelice needs shoulder surgery, creating a stronger bullpen need (MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reporting).
The Marlins would listen on arbitration-eligible starter Anibal Sanchez, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal notes that Yanks GM Brian Cashman hitched a ride to Indianapolis with the Levinson brothers, so of course Jason Marquis came up.
Yahoo's Tim Brown has some petty sniping from Scott Boras' camp toward Whitey Herzog for his comments about Matt Holliday.
Victor Martinez's agent Alan Nero talked to WEEI's Alex Speier about the prospect of his client reaching free agency.
The Orioles will meet with the Hendricks brothers about Aroldis Chapman before the Winter Meetings end, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. is hearing Chapman might not get much more than $20MM. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that the Yankees have interest at $15MM or less.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun learned that Orioles outfielder Felix Pie is drawing strong trade interest.
Chien-Ming Wang will be ready by May 1st, his agent told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. It'd still be surprising to see Wang tendered a contract on Saturday.
Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to John Smoltz's agent Keith Grunewald about his client's interest in the Nationals.
Nationals manager Jim Riggleman suggested to WEEI's Alex Speier that the team would have to be overwhelmed to move Josh Willingham.
ESPN's Keith Law explains why the Meetings are in Indy and suggests improvements to avoid the cold weather and other issues.
The Cardinals expect Mark DeRosa to decline their arbitration offer today, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. DeRosa's agent will meet with Yankees GM Brian Cashman this week, tweets Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland assured John Tomase of the Boston Herald that his team is not having a fire sale.

Twitter Rumors: Doumit, Mahay, Wolf, Jenkins

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2009 at 4:09pm CDT

Collecting some tweets I couldn't quite turn into posts…

Four unknown teams are in on Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Nationals have interest in free agent catcher Brad Ausmus, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Red Sox have interest in free agent lefty Ron Mahay, says Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The 38-year-old posted a 4.29 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.3 innings for the Royals and Twins this year. Two years ago he was quite a hot commodity on the free agent market.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Brett Myers is seeking a two-year deal. The Rangers and other teams are interested at one year. Crasnick wrote a few days ago that the Astros are also interested, while Andrew Baggarly named the Giants as a suitor today.
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times shoots down Danny Knobler's rumor that the Pirates have interest in Juan Pierre. Nonetheless, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets of interest from the Pirates, White Sox, and a third team.
ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees want to resolve the Andy Pettitte/Johnny Damon situations before moving on to Hideki Matsui and other starting pitcher options.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune that the Sox are not in the market for a pure DH.
The Brewers are making a "strong run" at Randy Wolf, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Ruben Amaro Jr.'s comment that "those are guys we will probably count on" implies relievers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts by the Phillies (Andy Martino reporting).
Crasnick says Geoff Jenkins wants to make a comeback in 2010 and has been working out at first base and outfield in hopes of landing a bench role.
Crasnick says to expect the Cubs to tender a contract to Mike Fontenot on Saturday.
Bill Shanks quoting Braves manager Bobby Cox: "clubs are knocking on the door for Kelly Johnson." I imagine Johnson will be dealt by Saturday.
ESPN's Gordon Edes says that while Red Sox owner John Henry is a big fan of Miguel Cabrera from their Marlins days, the Red Sox "don't have the Major League-ready position players Detroit wants in return."
Crasnick expects Elmer Dessens to re-sign with the Mets, though the pitcher has talked to the Dodgers and Padres.
Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Braves want to move Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez, but not Kenshin Kawakami.
Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will meet with Chan Ho Park's agent today "and attempt to resolve their differences over Park's value." The Phils did not offer arbitration to Park, a Type B free agent. Park craves another shot at starting, which won't happen in Philly.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Phillies like Brandon Lyon, but aren't "willing to pay the price for him." Lyon is said to be seeking a multiyear deal. He is expected to turn down the Tigers' offer of arbitration today. The Yankees have been named as another suitor.
Crasnick says the Astros "have very little money to spend, unless Drayton McLane suddenly has a change of heart."

Padres Needs Continue To Grow

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2009 at 4:21am CDT

You can add catching to the list of San Diego needs now that the Mets have signed Henry Blanco, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

With the Mets inking the veteran backstop to a one-year deal last week, the Padres now find themselves without a complement to Nick Hundley behind the dish. The organization is currently split on whether or not Hundley is a starting or backup catcher, according to Center. San Diego had discussed re-signing Blanco, but Center now wonders if they'll instead explore the trade market for options.

He names Heath Bell and Kevin Kouzmanoff as the Padres main most desirable trade chips not named "Adrian Gonzalez." As Center points out, there are numerous late-inning relief options on the market. While that might normally hamper a reliever's trade value, you've got to imagine Bell as an exception. The National League saves leader will cost significantly less than most other available options, as he's arbitration eligible after earning just $1.255MM last season.

Kouzmanoff is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, and could appeal to any number of teams in search of a third baseman. The Twins, Orioles, and Astros could all use help at third base, to name a few teams.

The Padres find themselves in need of another catcher, a right-handed hitting center fielder, rotation help, and a backup middle infielder who can be a defensive asset. Can Jed Hoyer find a way to make this a reality while maintaining a reasonable payroll?

Odds & Ends: M’s, O’s, Closers, Molina, Willingham

By Zachary Links | December 6, 2009 at 4:29pm CDT

Let's take a look at some Sunday links:

A number of league officials have told the New York Post's Joel Sherman that they expect the Mariners and the Orioles to spend big this offseason. The M's have already started spending big, inking Chone Figgins earlier this week. Hearing that the Orioles are ready to spend big, however, comes as a surprise.
Peter Gammons agrees on the Mariners; he tweets that one executive says we should watch for Seattle to be in on both Jason Bay and John Lackey. The Mariners have money, and as Gammons says, "Jack Z loves to lay low and strike."
We know that there are plenty of capable closers available on the open market, but Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports reports that there are a handful available via trade as well. The Reds are hoping to move Francisco Cordero and the remainder of his hefty contract – two years, $25MM. San Diego believes that Heath Bell's value is at its absolute zenith and is looking to capitalize. The Pirates hope to find a new home for Matt Capps, who they labeled as their closer for 2010.
Jon Heyman wonders aloud if Bengie Molina is seeking a three-year pact, since the Mets are willing to give him two years and there is no deal in place yet (via Twitter).
Heyman also tweets that the Cubs and Rays are not close on a Milton Bradley-for-Pat Burrell swap. The possibility of including the Mets and Luis Castillo in a three-way trade is "not helping things."
The Mets are interested in Josh Willingham, according to William Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Don't expect the Padres to move Adrian Gonzalez in Indianapolis, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. However, if San Diego does make any moves at all, it will likely be via trade.
Jon Paul Morosi offers a high-level preview of each team's thoughts going into the Winter Meetings, broken down by National League and American League.
A few overseas updates courtesy of Patrick from NPB Tracker: The Hansin Tigers are nearing a deal with Randy Messenger, and have interest in Jason Bulger, should he be removed from the Angels' 40-man roster. Patrick also adds that Nelson Payano is likely to return to MLB-affiliated ball. The lefty last worked with the AA affiliates for Seattle and Atlanta in 2008.
Ken Davidoff tweets that once the Yankees non-tender Chien-Ming Wang, the Dodgers will have interest in the right-hander, as Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are both big fans.

Odds & Ends: Kendall, Uggla, Reds, Pedro

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2009 at 9:56pm CDT

You want links? Well we got 'em…

Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says that Jason Kendall was looking for $5MM to return to Milwaukee for another year. Yeah, good luck with that. No wonder why the Brewers went with Gregg Zaun.
Dan Uggla doesn't have any control over whether the Marlins trade him or not, but if they do, he hopes it happens sooner rather than later, according to Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.
When asked about the hot stove, Reds' manager Dusty Baker said "there's not much of anything going on," reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald says that Pedro Martinez wants to pitch a full season in 2010, instead of going on the Roger Clemens plan (pitching in the second half only) again.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says that the D-Backs' perfect world Winter Meetings scenario "involves them acquiring a cost-effective starting pitcher in a trade and then using their remaining payroll flexibility to upgrade other areas of the club."
According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, Padres' GM Jed Hoyer said that given his (and new assistant Jason McLeod's) experience with the Red Sox, they have a “level of comfort” in any potential trade with them, moreso than with any other team.
Re-signing Andy Pettitte is the Yankees' top priority, says George A. King III of The NY Post.
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says as many as three teams are interested in Milton Bradley, and Cubs' GM Jim Hendry will spend next week trying to find the best match.
Former Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi said that Roy Halladay wants to be traded, according to The Canadian Press. Ricciardi added that a "lot of these decisions are out of the general manager's hands as far as what ownership perceives as fan reaction and what the perception of the club (is) and the direction that they are going. I think any time you have a player of this magnitude, that's really an ownership call."
In addition to Justin Miller, the Dodgers also signed Prentice Redman to a minor league contract, according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert has the news of three players the Diamondbacks inked to minor league contracts: T.J. Beam, Drew Macias, and Carlos Corporan. All three received invites to Spring Training.
ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote about the five biggest plotlines going into the Winter Meetings next week, while Scott Miller of CBSSports.com has some pre-Winter Meetings chatter of his own.
Got a problem with how FanGraphs puts a dollar amount on a player's performance? If so, Dave Cameron clarifies some things.

Giants, Dodgers Pursuing Brad Ausmus

By Mike Axisa | December 3, 2009 at 1:12pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com report that the Dodgers and Giants are among the teams pursuing free agent catcher Brad Ausmus. Peter Mrowka, Ausmus' agent, said it's "possible" but "not likely" that his client will play for a team not based on the West Coast next year.

The 40-year-old Ausmus hit .295/.343/.368 in 36 games (107 plate appearances) with the Dodgers last year, his best offensive season since 1999. The FoxSports.com duo mention the Padres as another possible landing spot.

Odds & Ends: Jenks, Polanco, Tate, Marquis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 3, 2009 at 12:49pm CDT

Some links for Thursday…

John Manuel of Baseball America ranks all 30 MLB farm systems at SI.com. The Rangers, Rays and Giants top the list.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick lists nine potential free agent bargains.
Keith Law, Dave Cameron and Tyler Hissey don't like the Placido Polanco deal from the Phillies' standpoint.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have tentative interest in Xavier Nady and Ron Villone, who are both Scott Boras clients.
Sam Borden of the Journal News wonders how many long-term contracts the Yanks can take on.
The Yankees get the sense that Andy Pettitte isn't done yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
They aren't expected to consider an extension for Joe Girardi this offseason.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have begun preliminary talks with arbitration-eligible reliever Bobby Jenks.
Placido Polanco appears to be nearing a three-year deal with the Phillies, but the Astros have some interest in the Gold Glover, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Curtis Granderson tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that he doesn't let the trade talk get to him.
The Rockies have tentative plans to meet with Rafael Betancourt's representatives this coming Monday, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
As Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Donavan Tate, the Padres' third overall selection in the June draft, was injured in an ATV accident. He broke his jaw, but should be ready for Spring Training.
Jason Marquis had a falling out with the Rockies, so Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests he isn't likely to accept the team's offer of arbitration.
MLB.com's Matthew Leach explains why long-term deals are becoming less frequent in MLB.
Juan Castro passed his physical, so his deal with the Phils is now offiicial, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Odds & Ends: McLeod, Yankees, Wagner, Lyon

By Luke Adams 2 | December 2, 2009 at 9:40pm CDT

Let's check out some Wednesday evening links….

Red Sox scouting director Jason McLeod is leaving Boston to become the Padres' assistant GM under Jed Hoyer, according to Peter Gammons of ESPN (via Twitter). This news prompted a slew of baseball writers across Twitter to praise the move, including Keith Law, Amalie Benjamin, Ian Browne, and Kevin Goldstein.
Joe Girardi discusses the Yankees' 2010 roster in an article by MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Girardi's quotes aren't overly juicy, but he mentions that he likes having some flexibility at DH to periodically give players like Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Derek Jeter a rest.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com talks to Cubs GM Jim Hendry about the offseason and the upcoming winter meetings. Hendry opines that "it'll be a good offseason of trades" and that plenty will be made throughout the winter.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution passes on some quotes from Billy Wagner, following the lefty's signing with the Braves.
ESPN.com's Keith Law thinks Wagner's price was too high for Atlanta. Law also shares his opinions on some of the more notable arbitration decisions from around the majors.
In a piece for River Ave. Blues, MLBTR's Mike Axisa warns the Yankees against signing Brandon Lyon, arguing that he's a "fringe reliever" in the AL East. We heard yesterday that the Yanks are interested.
Speaking of Lyon, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies are also interested in the right-hander.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks that the Brewers are one of the teams Randy Wolf described as aggressively pursuing him in an earlier story.
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an interesting read about where revenue-sharing checks end up.

Multiple Teams Interested In Noah Lowry

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 1:45pm CDT

1:45pm: Aside from the Pirates and Rockies, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Dodgers, Padres, A's, Mariners, and Reds are interested in Lowry.

10:56am: The Pirates are interested in free agent lefty Noah Lowry, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As Kovacevic notes, the former Giant had forearm surgery in March of 2008, which the pitcher's agent later claimed was a misdiagnosis. In May of '09 Lowry had surgery to remove a rib to help with thoracic outlet syndrome. Earlier this month, Lowry's agent said his client is finally "completely healthy." Yesterday, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post noted the Rockies' interest in Lowry.

The first four spots in the Pirates' rotation appear set, with Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf, and Charlie Morton. Lowry could compete for the fifth starter job; the Bucs would have three lefties in the rotation if he won it. Lowry's best season came in 2005, when he made 33 starts with a 3.78 ERA. That campaign netted him a four-year, $9.25MM extension.

White Sox Rumors: Jenks, Gonzalez, Konerko, Pierzynski

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 11:34am CDT

MLB.com's Scott Merkin has a few White Sox hot stove notes…

GM Kenny Williams is not shopping closer Bobby Jenks and has not had any offseason trade talks about him. However, Williams will listen at the Winter Meetings.
Williams said he never heard of last month's rumor about three-way trade talks for Adrian Gonzalez involving the White Sox, Padres, and Angels. The rumor came from a source with no track record, and was quickly shot down, so it was never published on MLBTR. That doesn't mean we should rule out the possiblity of the White Sox being interest in Gonzalez, though.
Williams is not thinking about extensions for Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, who are signed through 2010.

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