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Overnight Links: Rodney, Lyon, Nationals, Weaver

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The Hot Stove never sleeps…

  • With Brandon Lyon headed to Houston, Steve Kornacki of MLive.com expects the Tigers to intensify their efforts to re-sign Fernando Rodney.
  • Speaking of Lyon, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs calls his signing by the Astros "the latest act in a joke that’s gone on far too long." Ouch.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that the Nationals' agenda hasn't changed; they're looking for quality pitching and a backup infielder.
  • The Angels will be among the teams at Aroldis Chapman's workout next week, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times.
  • The Dodgers have interest in re-signing righty Jeff Weaver, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. The 33-year-old Weaver had a 3.65 ERA in 79 innings for LA last season.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes that the Tigers have only $33MM committed to their 2011 payroll, and would have a big chunk of money to play around with next offseason even if they scale their payroll back a bit.
  • Bill Beane left the Winter Meetings late Wednesday afternoon according to MLB.com's Tom Singer, and is ready to get some serious work done. "You really do more productive work when you get back home, and can get on the phone away from the distractions," Beane said.
  • Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro acknowledged that it's possible the team may move past Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre, says MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
  • MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants could benefit from the Yankees' glut of outfielders.

Tigers, Four Others Interested In Podsednik

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Scott Podsednik has a new suitor, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Tigers, who just traded away their regular center fielder, join the White Sox, Cubs, Giants and Royals in the hunt for Podsednik's services. As Rosenthal says, Podsednik can play center or left and lead off. He could give the Tigers depth while Austin Jackson develops.

The 33-year-old Podsednik hit .304/.353/.412 last year in 587 plate appearances for the White Sox, splitting his time between left and center. He was slightly below average as an outfielder, according to UZR/150.

Giants Aren’t Interested In Beltre

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8:10pm: The Giants have Scott Podsednik on their radar, Baggarly reports. He's apparently one of the center fielders the club is considering.

7:11pm: The Giants don't have interest in Adrian Beltre, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Giants GM Brian Sabean told Shea that his club isn't interested in the free agent "at this time." In fact, Sabean says the Giants have "no need" to talk to Boras right now, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.

Instead, the Giants are focused on adding a first baseman on a short-term deal. Sabean didn't name names, but acknowledged that his list doesn't include any surprise candidates. That probably means the Giants would consider Nick Johnson, Adam LaRoche and Mark DeRosa, though DeRosa probably wouldn't man first. Baggarly hears that the Giants might consider offering DeRosa a third year; they'd offer Johnson a two-year deal.

On another note, Sabean said it's possible the Giants could sign a center fielder and move Aaron Rowand to one of the corners.

Padres Discussing Kouzmanoff

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618pm: Stark hears that the Padres offered Kouzmanoff up for Lewis and Frandsen. That doesn't match with the reports below, which suggest the Padres wanted more. Stark agrees with Nightengale that the Padres wanted more than Glen Perkins in return from the Twins.

WEDNESDAY, 5:21pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears that the Padres are aggressively trying to move Kouzmanoff. The Twins and Giants are interested.

TUESDAY, 5:39pm: The Twins offered Perkins for Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

4:50pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that Kouzmanoff has drawn interest from as many as eight teams. The Padres aren't interested in Lewis or Frandsen.

1:47pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets about an NL West trade discussion: the Giants are talking to the Padres about third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, but the Padres want more than Fred Lewis and Kevin Frandsen.  I'm guessing the Padres would prefer not to pay Kouzmanoff the $3-5MM he'll get through arbitration.

Meanwhile La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Padres would like to discuss Kouzmanoff with the Twins.  He wonders if they'd be interested in Glen Perkins, who is available.  Neal notes that Pedro Feliz's agents would like to talk to the Twins as well.

Boras Speaks

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We'll add some links from Scott Boras' lobby chat in this post, though from what I can tell he didn't say anything interesting.  We'll keep this a tweet-free post.

  • Boras busted out his famous books, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
  • Boras thinks Matt Holliday is a "different" kind of player than Jason Bay, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of course it's Boras' job to distinguish between Holliday and Bay, so we should expect comments like this.
  • EPSN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Boras compared Holliday's production to Mark Teixeira's.
  • The Rays haven't discussed a contract extension for Carlos Pena, who's entering the last year of his contract, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
  • WEEI's Rob Bradford has Boras talking about Matt Holliday and Adrian Beltre, where Boras compares Beltre's offensive ability to Jason Bay's.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has Boras saying five or six teams are interested in Beltre, including the Mariners.  Boras said some teams (many have speculated the Red Sox) would move their third baseman for Beltre. 
  • Baggarly quotes Boras as saying "There are teams that have interest [in Holliday] and don’t want to let anyone to truly know."  Boras assumes the Giants are interested in Holliday.
  • Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has Boras explaining why the Mets can afford Holliday.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has Boras saying that the Cardinals retaining Holliday is like keeping two players, since it will help them sign Albert Pujols.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun has Boras saying the Kevin Millwood trade is not done, but they're having discussions.

Seven Teams In On Nick Johnson

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WEDNESDAY, 2:53pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Giants and Mariners are still in on Johnson, but are neither is offering a second year.

MONDAY, 3:17pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert notes that it would be tough for the D'Backs to fit Johnson and a starter into the budget.

2:44pm: Seven teams are in on injury-prone on-base machine Nick Johnson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Mariners, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Yankees.  Stark says Johnson is high on Seattle's first base shopping list.  It's been said that Johnson, 31, is seeking a two-year deal.  Check out our discussion post on him here.

Market For Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd

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WEDNESDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi says the markets for Cameron and Marlon Byrd are running parallel, with the Braves, Angels, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants checking in on both.

TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thoughts on the market for free agent center fielder Mike Cameron.  He names the Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees as potential suitors Cameron, who turns 37 in January.  Rosenthal notes that Cameron would move from center to left field for the right team.

Regarding the Cubs, Rosenthal explains that they can pursue him if they free up "a good amount" in their Milton Bradley trade.  Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik could be other options if they save less.

Overnight Links: Wolf, Crisp, Yankees, Halladay

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MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the winter meetings continues as we gear up for whatever Day Three may bring. In the meantime, let's check out some overnight links from around the majors….

Cardinals Sign Brad Penny

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WEDNESDAY, 3:58am: Penny has passed his physical, according to an AP release, making the deal official.

TUESDAY, 10:11am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Penny will get the full $9MM if he reaches 204 innings.  Also, the Cardinals agreed not to offer arbitration if Penny is a Type A free agent (a clause I'm betting will be popular this year).

5:32am: ESPN's Keith Law calls the deal "an excellent move" for the Cardinals, citing Dave Duncan's track record with reclamation projects. He also opines that this deal will probably raise the asking price for names like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, and Justin Duchscherer.

MONDAY, 6:27pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a physical is scheduled for Tuesday, and Penny will get a one-year, $7.5MM deal with another $1.5MM in incentives.  Pretty big base salary.

5:45pm: Goold wrote earlier today that a "person with knowledge of the deal" says it could be worth $9MM if all incentives are reached.  Meanwhile, Baggarly has details on the Giants' failed negotiations to retain Penny.

3:14pm: Strauss tweets that the Giants have all but acknowledged Penny is gone, and the Cardinals just need to complete the physical (the money is in place).  Strauss believes the Cards are still in the market for more starting pitching and wonders if they're close to their breaking point with Matt Holliday.

2:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Cardinals are the frontrunner for Penny but the Giants and another team remain in talks for him.  Rosenthal feels that John Smoltz will have to go elsewhere if the Cards sign Penny.  Derrick Goold of the P-D weighs in, suggesting the Cards might be close to a deal.

1:19pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says Penny is close to a decision, and is in serious negotiations with the Cards.  The Giants are apparently still in the mix.

1:05pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that buzz says the Cardinals are "in heavy" on Penny.  Strauss adds that the Cardinals denied anything final with Penny, though Baggarly didn't suggest a deal was done.

12:48pm: The Cardinals are nearing a deal with Brad Penny, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  He says the Giants "don't expect to compete."  Penny, 31, made 30 starts between the Red Sox and Giants this year, posting a 4.88 ERA, 5.7 K/9, and 2.6 BB/9.  He's the hardest-throwing free agent starter, and would be interesting in St. Louis on a one-year deal.

Rockies Offer Torrealba Two-Year Deal

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5:58: Renck reports that the Rockies made a two-year offer worth $4.5-6MM. The two sides continue to talk and they could reach a deal tonight. Miguel Olivo is currently a fallback option for the Rockies.

5:08pm: The Rockies made progress with Torrealba this afternoon, according to Renck. The catcher is looking for a two year deal worth about $6MM, like the one Ivan Rodriguez signed.

3:36pm: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has multiple teams competing for free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba, with the Rockies a "slight favorite."  Torrealba hopes to re-sign with Colorado, but the Mets, Giants, Blue Jays, and Royals are other suitors.  Torrealba met with the Mets today, and his grievance from 2007 is apparently no longer an issue.

With Brian Schneider and Ivan Rodriguez surprisingly getting two-year deals, Torrealba has a case for the same.

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