Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Halladay, Rangers
Here's some links to kick off the week…
- Bill Center of The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres haven't contacted John Boggs (Adrian Gonzalez's agent) to discuss a contract extension yet, mentioning that Gonzalez could be an $18-20MM player. FanGraphs valued Adrian's 2009 performance at $28.4MM, tenth best among position players.
- The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin looks at some potential suitors for Roy Halladay, saying that there are ten teams that meet the necessary criteria to make a deal work.
- Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe touches on two players figured to be tied to the Red Sox this winter: Gonzalez and Halladay.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes that the Rangers have plenty of trade fodder thanks to their pitching, and they may be willing to deal someone like Brandon McCarthy.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal looks at some third base options for the Phillies.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday ranks the ten best general managers, with Billy Beane taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press takes a look at the key free agents in the AL Central.
- MLBTR's own Cork Gaines analyzes how the Rays have fared in free agency during Andrew Friedman's tenure.
- J.C. Bradbury defends his stance that just because there are more available free agents at a given position, it doesn't mean their prices wil drop.
Cafardo On Gonzalez, Nady, Mulder
Nick Cafardo's latest column for the Boston Globe is a lengthy one, and is full of hot stove discussion and speculation. Let's take a look….
- After Ken Rosenthal expressed skepticism about Boston's ability to acquire Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, Cafardo declares that it's the one move the Red Sox have to make to keep up with the Yankees. Although he presents a lengthy argument for why it could work, he never specifically addresses what players the Sox could send to San Diego, which was the sticking point for Rosenthal.
- Xavier Nady would like to return to the Yankees, but doesn't know if they'll want him back. "I know I can go out there and be a productive starting player for someone," Nady says. As Cafardo points out though, after Nady's injury-plagued 2009, many teams would probably prefer to sign him as a fourth outfielder.
- Cafardo thinks the Los Angeles Dodgers should consider signing Pedro Martinez to a half-year deal in 2010, and that Philadelphia could be a good fit for Billy Wagner.
- The Jeremy Hermida acquisition raises questions about Rocco Baldelli's future as a Red Sox. Baldelli says he enjoyed Boston and would love to return, but that the team hasn't informed him of their plans yet.
- "It would be an upset" if Mark Mulder signed anywhere but Milwaukee.
- One baseball official tells Cafardo that the New York Yankees might be a bit reluctant to re-sign Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui because "they’re afraid of sticking with a guy too long. They’d rather get rid of a guy a year sooner, ahead of his decline, than a year later."
Rosenthal On Gonzalez, Beckett, De La Rosa
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up today, in which he discusses a variety of topics from around the league. Let's recap a few of the highlights….
- Although the Boston Red Sox have been the team most frequently linked to Adrian Gonzalez, it's unclear whether they have the pieces to work out a trade. Rosenthal suggests the Padres will want some major-league talent in return, and quotes one baseball executive who says he can't imagine how the Sox get a deal done.
- Rosenthal says the Padres should be more inclined to move closer Heath Bell than Gonzalez.
- When Josh Beckett discusses a contract extension with the Red Sox, Rosenthal advises him to point to the deal A.J. Burnett signed last winter as a starting point, since Beckett's track record is even stronger than Burnett's. He thinks if the Red Sox were to balk at a long-term commitment, plenty of other teams would be interested.
- A source indicates that when Jorge De La Rosa hits free agency in a year, he would like a contract similar to Oliver Perez's three-year, $36MM deal. It's hard to see him demanding that much unless he has a breakout year in 2010, but his impending raise could prompt the Rockies to field trade offers for the lefty.
- Ken Griffey Jr. will likely decide in a couple weeks whether he wants to keep playing.
- According to Rosenthal, "some who know [Matt] Holliday say he would prefer not to play in New York."
- We heard from Troy Renck yesterday that the Rockies were talking to Rafael Betancourt about an extension. Rosenthal reports that Betancourt apparently turned down a two-year deal worth up to about $7MM.
- Rosenthal opines that Garrett Atkins is unlikely to be traded because of his price tag, and will almost certainly be non-tendered.
Edgar Gonzalez: Free Agent
According to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, infielder Edgar Gonzalez intends to opt for free agency once the World Series ends.
“I think this is the end of my run here,” Gonzalez said Wednesday after the Padres dropped him from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to Triple-A Portland. “I love San Diego. And the Padres gave me an opportunity that I'm thankful for. But my future is probably elsewhere.”
Gonzalez, 31, batted .216/.278/.373 with four homers and 18 RBI in 169 plate appearances this season with the Padres. He is a .255/.312/.381 career hitter and made $407K in '09. Oh, and he's also Adrian Gonzalez's brother.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Bradley, Rays, Twins
Links for Monday…
- Offers have begun rolling in for Aroldis Chapman, says ESPN's Keith Law. Also, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs talked to Chapman's agent but he "doesn't fit in their budget."
- ESPN's Peter Gammons tweets that Red Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen declined Jed Hoyer's offer to become the Padres' assistant GM.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers "refused to rule out the possibility of Milton Bradley coming back to Texas." Sullivan wasn't willing to allow the possibility a month ago, when he wrote, "The Rangers are not interested in Bradley. Sources have made that clear. He is not coming back. So stop it." Back in September, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Bradley "pushed himself way down the wish list with his comments, and probably pushed himself off it completely."
- R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay reflects on the Matt Garza–Delmon Young trade.
- Aaron Gleeman runs through free agent second baseman options for the Twins. Also check out our free agent and trade candidates posts for second base.
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times talked to former Rays GM Chuck LaMar about the trade that sent Chad Gaudin to the Blue Jays for Kevin Cash.
Odds & Ends: Giants, Bay, Rockies, Padres
Here are a few Sunday links to browse, as a huge sports day in Philadelphia begins….
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if the "desperate-for-pop" San Francisco Giants will try to top the Boston Red Sox rumored four-year offer to Jason Bay (we heard some speculation about this yesterday too). If not, Shea names Garrett Atkins as a cheaper potential target for the Giants.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman discusses Bay and Matt Holliday in his latest column. Heyman points out that although Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, refers to him as the market's "most complete" player, Urbon keeps tying Bay's value to Holliday's. Scott Boras is avoiding doing the same thing for his client, instead comparing Holliday to the $180MM man, Mark Teixeira.
- Within the same column, Heyman mentions progress being made on contracts for Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy, suggesting something could be announced after the World Series.
- New San Diego GM Jed Hoyer has reportedly offered Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen the Padres' assistant GM position, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Baseball Prospectus's John Perrotto reports (via Twitter) that there's no chance Pittsburgh Pirates prospects Pedro Alvarez and Brad Lincoln will be called up to the majors before at least June of next year.
- DRays Bay looks ahead to this winter's free agent reliever market. If you missed it, check out MLBTR's analysis of the market for closers, as well as for both lefty and righty relievers.
- Casey Kelly and the Red Sox have to decide soon whether the 20-year-old prospect will continue his career as a pitcher or shortstop, according to Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald. Given Kelly's minor league numbers to date, it seems like a no-brainer that the team will want to move him back to the mound.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com tries to sort out the Baltimore Orioles' 40-man roster.
Rogers On Chapman, Vazquez, Valentine, Gonzalez
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune looks at a few hot stove topics from around the league in his latest article. Here are some of his thoughts:
- He speculates that the Seattle Mariners' interest in Aroldis Chapman stems from their desire to still have a front-line starter if they eventually decide to move Felix Hernandez.
- Rogers is skeptical that the two Chicago teams have the resources to compete seriously in the Chapman sweepstakes. Be sure to check out MLBTR's complete Chapman review.
- With Tim Hudson on the verge of re-signing with the Braves, Ken Rosenthal indicated that Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe could be shopped for a bat. Rogers suggests it'll be Vazquez that's put on the trading block.
- Bobby Valentine could be out of the mix for a major-league managerial spot this season, as the Washington Nationals look likely to give Jim Riggleman their full-time gig.
- Rogers thinks it's "wishful thinking" to expect new Padres GM Jed Hoyer to deal Adrian Gonzalez to Hoyer's former employer, the Boston Red Sox.
Odds & Ends: Hawkins, Uribe, Hill, Hazen
Here's a few links to end the night…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros GM Ed Wade said the team "is talking with LaTroy Hawkins, who wanted to see who the manager was going to be first." Hawkins will be a free agent this offseason for the fourth time in as many years.
- Juan Uribe has informed the Giants that he plans to test the market, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News.
- MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko reports that the Orioles outrighted three players off their 40-man roster, including southpaw Rich Hill. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says the Indians outrighted three players as well.
- Tom Krasovic reports that Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen interviewed for a front office position with the Padres. Hazen has held the position with Boston since 2006, and used to play in San Diego's minor league system.
- Here's this week's edition of Baseball America's minor league transactions. Lots of new names hitting the free agent pool, including Jack Taschner and Edgar Gonzalez.
Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Astros, Smoltz, Hermida
Some links to read for Thursday morning…
- The AP reports (via the Miami Herald) that the Seibu Lions won the rights to negotiate with top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi.
- Another top young pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, hit 100 mph repeatedly in his third AFL start, according to ESPN.com's Jason Grey.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says fans and media members need to hold Astros owner Drayton McLane accountable, and says it wasn't GM Ed Wade's fault that managerial candidate Manny Acta signed with the Indians.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Cardinals still have interest in bringing John Smoltz back next year, perhaps as the team's fourth starter. The club seems likely to find a fifth starter within the organization.
- The Pirates and Reds will swap A ball affiliates next year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer offered contracts to all of the organization's scouts and player development personnel, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs expects Tim Hudson to be worth the extension he's expected to sign.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro lists the Blue Jays, Mariners, Rays and Mets as possible destinations for Jeremy Hermida. The Marlins may trade the outfielder, who should hit free agency after 2011.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Byrnes, Orioles
Links for Wednesday…
- Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times doesn't expect much to change with the Cubs under the Ricketts family. He says to expect a payroll around $143MM. That might leave GM Jim Hendry with around $8MM to work with.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic believes Eric Byrnes' time with the Diamondbacks might be nearing an end. They may attempt to trade him before releasing him.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wouldn't be surprised to see the Reds release center fielder Willy Taveras, who is still owed $4MM.
- Sox Machine reader Chris Pummer makes the case for the White Sox offering arbitration to reliever Octavio Dotel. Dotel projects as a Type A free agent, though he's right on the fringe.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun believes Andy MacPhail "will have to pull a huge rabbit out of his hat" to make the Orioles competitive in 2010.
- As expected, new Padres GM Jed Hoyer reassigned scouting director Bill Gayton according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- WEEI has a live online chat scheduled with Jason Bay tomorrow.
- Diamondbacks prospect Jarrod Parker blogged about his upcoming Tommy John surgery.