Rosenthal’s Latest: Tex, Furcal, Johnson, Lofton
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly. However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so. It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th. There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.
- Rosenthal’s worst case scenario for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia goes to a West Coast team while A.J. Burnett re-signs with Toronto. The Jays truly are in the mix for Burnett. ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett expects to receive multiple five-year offers.
- The Orioles plan to make serious offers to Teixeira and Burnett. Still, both are considered long shots for Baltimore. Another note: the Orioles were one of the teams the Yankees outbid for Sergio Mitre.
- The Dodgers are considered "a good bet" to re-sign Rafael Furcal. The Giants have their eye on him if he hits the open market.
- About ten teams have inquired on Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson. We had a Cardinals rumor yesterday.
- The Rangers figure to trade one or two of their catchers, with Gerald Laird a strong candidate to be traded. The Red Sox and Marlins are looking for catching, though the Rangers are wary of Florida’s Scott Olsen.
- Rosenthal wonders if Brandon Webb could leave the D’Backs after the 2010 season.
- Kenny Lofton wants to play in 2009.
Giants Interested In Uribe?
MLB.com’s hot stove blog passes along a Chicago Tribune report that the Giants may be interested in free agent infielder Juan Uribe. "Club insiders" didn’t deny the interest when MLB.com asked.
The Giants could use Uribe at any of the infield positions. The 29 year-old hit just .247/.296/.386 in 353 plate appearances, however.
Giants Sign Josh Phelps
Nice move by the Giants today, as they signed first baseman Josh Phelps to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. Phelps, 30, hit .291/.373/.568 with 31 home runs in Triple A this year. He has an .815 OPS in his big league career, and could provide decent pop for the league minimum if given the opportunity.
Rangers Want Pitcher For Catcher
The Rangers are seeking to deal one of their three catchers – Gerald Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Max Ramirez – for pitching, says Evan Grant of the Dallas News. Grant notes that they would still have Taylor Teagarden, who they’re also open to dealing if "the return is great enough."
Grant discusses potential matches in the Giants, Red Sox, Brewers, Reds, and Tigers:
"San Francisco has pitching depth, and the Rangers love the Giants’ arms, but San Francisco has a more pressing need for a corner infielder than a catcher because Bengie Molina is signed for 2009. Getting a pitcher such as Matt Cain might require the Rangers to discuss trading Chris Davis. Boston, Milwaukee and Cincinnati, however, may be the best fits for a catcher-for-pitcher deal. Detroit also needs a catcher, but the Tigers’ system is quite thin at pitcher."
MLBTR discussed this on Friday, including Hank Blalock in the discussion as well as the Rangers’ interest in Scott Olsen.
Odds and Ends: Jacobs, Howard, Renteria
Links for Friday…
- The A’s claimed infielder Joe Dillon off waivers from the Brewers.
- Dave Cameron criticizes the Royals’ acquisition of Mike Jacobs. ESPN’s Keith Law also panned the move, suggesting Jacobs was a non-tender candidate for the Marlins.
- Peter Abraham breaks down the different types of hot stove stories and sources.
- Derrick Goold looks at Ryan Howard‘s arbitration case.
- MLB.com’s Chris Haft talked to various scouts about Matt Cain‘s trade value.
- Edgar Renteria hopes to remain in Detroit, saying "Next year, we are going to win everything."
- ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian names his top ten offseason storylines.
- Ken Davidoff says the Mets were interested in Brad Lidge last year, but the Astros’ asking price was too high.
- Joel Sherman debates the merits of a Luis Castillo–Andruw Jones swap while stressing that no such deal is actually being discussed.
- The 2008 Fielding Bible awards are out.
Odds and Ends: Myers, Crede, Giants
Links for Wednesday…
- The Brewers snagged infielder Casey McGehee off waivers from the Cubs. The Crew also designated Joe Dillon for assignment.
- The Reds signed 16 year-old lefty Ismael Guillon out of Venezuela.
- MLB.com’s Marty Noble discusses the Mets and impending free agents Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez. The Mets will entertain re-signing Perez at their price, but they’ll let Pedro leave. Any guesses on where he pitches next year?
- Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues would like the Yankees to sign free agent outfielder Juan Rivera. Brian Cashman traded Rivera, Randy Choate, and Nick Johnson to the Expos for Javier Vazquez back in 2003.
- Brett Myers never wants to pitch in Boston again.
- Two more free agent bargains from Dave Cameron: Joe Crede and Dave Ross. Crede would be a solid one-year signing for the Dodgers or Twins.
- South Side Sox doesn’t see the White Sox adding much else for second base. There goes my Ray Durham idea.
- El Lefty Malo examines the latest Giants rumors.
- J.C. Bradbury provides values for Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, and Garret Anderson.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Holliday, Griffey
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up; let’s take a look.
- "The prevailing opinion around baseball" is that C.C. Sabathia will sign with the Yankees, and C.C.’s friend Jimmy Rollins agrees.
- Matt Holliday "definitely intrigues" the Yankees. But they’d have to give up a lot to get him for one year, and they seem full at the outfield corners.
- Heyman, perhaps sensing a divide that does not exist, says Pat Gillick has relied on scouts rather than stats to make his decisions. Heyman also speaks of "a new hesitancy on the part of some to go for another young Ivy League stat man" at the general manager position.
- Heyman echoes the commonly held sentiment that the White Sox will not re-sign Ken Griffey Jr.
- The Mets are prioritizing catcher, bullpen, rotation, and outfield over second base. They’ve talked about Giants backstop Bengie Molina, owed $6MM in the last year of his deal.
- Heyman believes Boston’s chances of trading Mike Lowell are "practically nil" due to his hip surgery. His sources won’t rule out a run at Mark Teixeira though. In other Boston buzz, Heyman sees Coco Crisp on the trading block and a two-year offer for Jason Varitek.
Marlins Raise Payroll Limit To $40 Million
Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel talked an industry source who says Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has authorized a payroll of up to $40MM for 2009. This means they won’t be forced to trade any of their 16 arbitration-eligible players. Greg Cote first suggested this on September 30th, and Buster Olney reiterated it on October 15th.
However, Berardino confirms Olney’s note from Friday: Kevin Gregg, Mike Jacobs, and Scott Olsen are available. The Marlins discussed sending Jacobs to the Royals for righty Carlos Rosa, but the Fish are worried about Rosa’s August forearm soreness. A thought: why would the Royals consider trading pitching for Jacobs? Berardino names the Mariners and Blue Jays as other interested parties, and considers the Indians a fit. The Giants have also been named as a suitor.
Berardino wonders if the Rangers will pursue Olsen, perhaps offering a catcher. I don’t believe Olsen would succeed in Texas.
Expected to remain in Florida: Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, and Alfredo Amezaga. Berardino says the front office is divided on Jeremy Hermida‘s potential. Four teams have asked about Hermida. Josh Willingham may be available, but his back is worrisome.
Odds and Ends: Schilling, Manny, Mateo
Links for Thursday…
- If Curt Schilling does a half-season next year, he apparently will not model it after Roger Clemens‘ approach.
- Drunk Jays Fans discusses Ken Rosenthal’s recent chat with J.P. Ricciardi.
- Richard Justice says some GMs complained privately that Ed Wade didn’t do a good job letting teams know Brad Lidge was available last year.
- The Adam Dunn trade pushed the D’Backs a little over budget. They don’t have much to spend this winter. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic elaborates on the topic.
- Dave Cameron looks at some free agent landmines, led by Manny Ramirez.
- The Giants voided their $625K contract with Dominican righty Luis Mateo after finding bone chips in his elbow.
Odds and Ends: Bowden, Cain, Young
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today! 2pm CST.
- Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues looks at some under-the-radar free agents.
- MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy crunches the numbers and determines that it would be difficult to fit C.C. Sabathia into the Brewers’ payroll. I think they could retain Mike Cameron and sign Sabathia, but only if they’re willing to take payroll into the mid-$90MM range and forgo other improvements. Or, they could save $17-19MM by declining Cameron’s option and trading Fielder.
- Reds beat writer John Fay muses on the team’s offseason needs.
- Nationals GM Jim Bowden was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer this summer, but delayed surgery until after the season (a decision he regrets). He’s OK now and back to work.
- I get this question all the time: if the Yankees sign C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, do the Brewers or the Angels get the Yanks’ first-round pick? Baseball America’s Jim Callis explains that it’s determined by which player has the higher Elias rating. In this case it might be Tex by a hair, but the official rankings are not out yet.
- MLB.com’s Chris Haft heard the Twins covet Matt Cain and would be willing to trade Delmon Young for him. Haft does not believe the Giants would make the one-for-one swap.
- As of Monday night, the Mariners had not decided on their new GM. They are not supposed to make an announcement during the World Series, so today remains an option. It’s also been suggested they announce it tomorrow before the Series begins or get a waiver and do it on Friday (an off-day).