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Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Bradley, Figgins

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Here are some links to check out as the snow falls for the first time this season in New York:

  • Free agent Mark DeRosa is in a state of flux, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Cardinals, Braves, Yankees, Giants, and Red Sox are all possibilities, but each have higher priorities than the 34-year-old.  The Mets and Nationals are also interested in the right-handed batter, but he would prefer to play for a contender.  DeRosa may be waiting by the phone for a while if he is unwilling to lower his asking price.
  • More from Ken Rosenthal as he writes that despite interest from the Rangers, the Rays remain the frontrunners for Milton Bradley.
  • Considering their plans to reduce their hefty payroll, It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Yankees won't consider Matt Holliday or Jason Bay (per Buster Olney's blog).  However, Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues wisely point out that this time last year, it was said that the Yanks didn't have enough cash to land Mark Teixeira after signing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.
  • The Mariners' signing of Chone Figgins may indicate that the organization believes power is currently overrated, says ESPN's Keith Law.
  • In a footnote to his report of the Orioles re-signing Chad Moeller, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun writes that while the O's remain interested in righty reliever Ryota Igarashi and lefty Hisanori Takahashi, they aren't expected to be terribly aggressive in their pursuit.  Both players recently applied for international free agency.
  • On the heels of Phillies GM Ruben Amaro stating that the door is open for Pedro Martinez's return to the club, the 38-year-old reciprocated that sentiment to Scott Lauber of The News Journal.
  • Kevin Towers is leaning towards accepting an offer from his close friend – Yankees GM Brian Cashman, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel estimates that the Brewers will have about $12MM to spend on starting pitching after addressing the rest of their roster.  Since that probably puts them short of the capital needed to sign John Lackey, what do you think would be the best way to take care of their starting pitching needs on the open market?
  • The Pirates placed Luis Cruz on waivers to make space for their second pick in the Rule 5 draft, writes Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Beltre, Wolf, Callaspo, Rule 5 Draft

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On this date two years ago, the Tigers acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for six players including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. Only one of the other four players, Burke Badenhop has yet to see significant playing time at the big league level. With this year's winter meetings set to begin next week more big players could be on the move. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Jorge Says No! wonders if the smart move for Adrian Belte is to accept arbitration from the Mariners now that the Phillies no longer need a third baseman.
  • Around the Majors explains why the Dodgers made a mistake in not offering arbitration to Randy Wolf.
  • The Baseball Opinion looks back at how each team did with their '04 free agency compensation draft picks.
  • Royals Authority makes a case for trading Alberto Callaspo.
  • River Ave Blues wonders who could play left field for the Yankees if they don't land Johnny Damon, Matt Holliday or Mike Cameron.
  • UmpBump looks at what the Astros need this off-season.
  • MLB Notebook believes Justin Duchscherer would be a good fit for the Pirates.
  • Bucco Fans previews the right-handed pitchers in the upcoming Rule 5 draft with Aneury Rodriguez of the Rays listed as one of the top options overall.
  • DRaysBay looks at some relief pitchers that are available in the Rule 5 draft.
  • We Should Be GMs examines the free agent market for relief pitchers and who might be a good fit for the Phillies.
  • The Pinstriper looks back at what might have happened had the Yankees not re-signed Alex Rodriguez in '07.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Gregg Zaun Agrees To Deal With Brewers

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1:33pm: ESPN's Buster Olney has the contract details: a $1.9MM base in 2010, and a $2.25MM club option for '11 with a $250K buyout.

1:18pm: Zaun is close to a deal with the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the deal is signed, and worth $2.15MM guaranteed (with a 2011 option).  The free agent market didn't offer much, but Zaun was one of the better catchers out there.  The Rays will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.

10:03am: Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun spoke to Don Landry and Gord Stellick of The Fan 590 this morning, and revealed that he'll sign with a team "possibly by the end of the day."  Zaun confirmed that he'll be signing with the Brewers, Rockies, Rays, or Mariners.

My guess is the Mariners.  How about you?

Odds & Ends: Oeltjen, Hensley, Gload, Halladay

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Links for Friday, as team execs and media folk pack their bags for Monday's Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

  • The Brewers signed Trent Oeltjen to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  Oeltjen, 27 in February, hit .303/.362/.500 in his third Triple A tour, playing the outfield corners.
  • Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash spells out why his team won't be acquiring Roy Halladay, talking to McCalvy.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets six minor league free agents signed by the Marlins, including Jesse Foppert, Vinny Rottino, and Hector Luna.
  • The Pirates expressed "mild interest" in free agent pitcher Clay Hensley, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Hensley, 30, spent the year at Triple A in the Astros and Marlins organizations, posting a 3.56 ERA in 124 innings.
  • Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post feels there's "still a good chance [Ross] Gload returns [to the Marlins] with a two-year deal."
  • Darren Dreifort's five-year, $55MM deal tops Jeff Passan's list of the ten worst contracts of the 2000s for Yahoo.
  • Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues explains why the Yankees probably won't sign Rafael Soriano.
  • In his Winter Meetings preview for AOL FanHouse, Ed Price says there was some discussion about a Tigers-Diamondbacks trade involving Edwin Jackson and Max Scherzer.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney talked to rival executives who say the Tigers have not aggressively shopped Curtis Granderson.
  • Olney doesn't think the Mariners will pay up for Jason Bay.  He believes the Red Sox are "controlling the market" for Bay and Matt Holliday.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals are "increasingly weighing spreading what it would cost to retain Holliday over several players."  Bernie Miklasz of the P-D feels the Cards are "enacting their exit strategy from the Holliday sweepstakes."  I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals make their best offer soon - let's say $110MM over six years – and entirely move on if Scott Boras rejects it.
  • SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Nick Johnson is "drawing interest from the Giants, maybe Braves, and a half-dozen more."
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock talked to former Padres GM Kevin Towers, who will meet with the Mets, Yankees, Mariners, and Red Sox at the Winter Meetings.
  • ESPN's Keith Law isn't impressed with the Phillies' Placido Polanco signing.  My initial impression upon hearing about the signing is that no other team would've valued Polanco that highly.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that other teams have been more aggressive on Jamey Carroll than the Marlins.  Other Carroll suitors include the Rockies, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Pirates, Reds and Indians.

Angels Still In On John Lackey

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The Angels "remain heavily in the mix" for John Lackey, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says the Angels' renewed their efforts to re-sign Lackey at the behest of owner Arte Moreno, though GM Tony Reagins denied any change in the team's course.

Rosenthal lays out three other factors that might be motivating the Angels to consider re-upping Lackey: an unappealing asking price for Roy Halladay, uncertainty with Scott Kazmir, and the Mariners' interest in Lackey. 

If the Angels do allow Lackey to leave, they'll gain two draft picks as compensation.  A couple of big-market clubs might be out of the Lackey bidding – Gordon Edes recently wrote that Lackey is not a Red Sox target, and Bill Shaikin said the Dodgers won't be in pursuit.  The New York teams haven't been ruled out, while the Nationals and Brewers could be dark horses.

Asking Prices For Beltre, DeRosa

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Free agent infielders Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa had off-years offensively, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, both have steep asking prices.  Said Olney:

As teams have been checking in on the availability of infielders, they have found that the asking price for Beltre is no less than $10 million a year, and for DeRosa, it's a three-year deal for something in the range of $9 million a year.

Beltre is a relatively young 31 in April, his third base defense is top-notch, and he's represented by Scott Boras.  He did have shoulder surgery in June.  Still, his initial demands aren't entirely unexpected, and Olney didn't tell us how many years he's seeking.

DeRosa turns 35 in February, earned $5.5MM this year, and had wrist surgery in November.  But since he reportedly has at least a dozen suitors, why not start the bidding around $27MM?

Both players are Type B free agents, and the Mariners and Cardinals offered arbitration on Tuesday.  Beltre and DeRosa don't seem likely to accept.

Mariners Are Frontrunners For Figgins

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7:50pm: The M's are the "clear frontrunners" to sign Figgins, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi writes that it is likely that the switch-hitting third baseman will receive a four-year deal in excess of $30MM.

6:06pm: The Mariners are the latest team to join the chase for free agent Chone Figgins, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).  Heyman also notes that the Angels are "still trying."

Figgins, in all probability, would fill the club's void at third base where he turned in a UZR/150 of 18.8 in 2009.  Do you think the Mariners should pursue Figgins or find a different, and perhaps cheaper, solution at third?

Mariners Seek Righty Slugger

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Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is in search of a right-handed power bat, writes Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. 

In a conference call with reporters, Jack Z acknowledged the team's need for someone who hits righty, despite Safeco Field's friendliness towards lefties.  With their lineup already loaded with left-handed hitters, Zduriencik said that he would be interested in a righty, but declined to name names.

Who would make sense for the Mariners on the free agent market or via trade?

Mariners Pushing For Jason Bay

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The Mariners are making a "concerted push" for free agent left fielder Jason Bay, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. We've seen the Mariners linked to the Canadian before, but this is the first indication that they've intensified their pursuit.

The Mariners were an excellent defensive team last year, but appear willing to tolerate below-average defense from Bay as long as he hits. Bay would cost the Mariners their 18th overall pick in next year's draft.

This is the second time in as many days that we've seen the Mariners linked to a British Columbia native. The team is also interested in righty Rich Harden, according to FOX Sports.

Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, told WEEI.com earlier in the week that he expects his client to remain in contact with the Red Sox.

Giants Interested In Beltre, Uggla, Johnson

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The Giants would like to add offense and, as Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports point out, Pablo Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez are versatile enough to give GM Brian Sabean plenty of options. The FOX Sports duo reports that Adrian Beltre, Dan Uggla and Nick Johnson are all high on the team's wish list.

One source tells FOX Sports that the Giants and Marlins are in the midst of ongoing discussions about Uggla, a prime trade candidate. The Marlins are looking to obtain major league-ready players for the arbitration-eligible infielder. The Giants, not surprisingly, would only have interest in Johnson on a short-term deal.

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