Johan Santana Rumors
UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 7:30pm: Jon Heyman chimes in on the Santana talks. If the Red Sox continue to keep Ellsbury out of the deal, the Yankees may have the best offer with Hughes, Cabrera, and another pitcher. The inclusion of Ellsbury would swing it toward the Sox. It appears the two rivals are battling going head to head on this one.
FROM 11-28-07 at 11:15am:
Let’s review the Johan Santana situation, because there’s been plenty flying around the last couple of days.
- Yankees: Jon Heyman said yesterday the Twins would want Melky Cabrera plus one of Hughes/Chamberlain/Kennedy. LaVelle E. Neal III confirmed the Yankees as one of three teams that have actually had trade talks with the Twins about Santana. It’s been suggested that Santana would be open to signing a long-term deal in New York. Aaron Gleeman analyzes Yankees/Santana scenarios here. Also, Lisa Kennelly and Ed Price are saying Chamberlain and Robinson Cano are untouchable in these talks. So think Melky and Hughes. By the way, the Yankees let Aaron Rowand‘s agent know that they’ll be interested if they trade the Melkman.
- Red Sox: The Sox are another of those teams confirmed to have had trade talks about Santana with the Twins. Heyman said it would take Buchholz or Lester plus Ellsbury. The Sox want to substitiute Crisp for Ellsbury. UPDATE: Neal says Jed Lowrie, Brandon Moss, and perhaps Kevin Youkilis have been discussed as well.
- Angels: The third team confirmed to have had trade talks for Santana. He’s not atop the Halos’ list though. I suggested earlier that a package of Brandon Wood, Reggie Willits, and Nick Adenhart would work for the Twins, but seems too steep for one year of Santana.
- Mets: The Mets have had talks with the Twins as well, according to Buster Olney. It’s known that the Mets don’t want to include Jose Reyes or David Wright in a deal. Makes sense. Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey, and Kevin Mulvey are the other names being tossed around. But John Harper’s source isn’t so sure Reyes it out of the question, as that might be the only way the Mets can get Santana.
- Mariners: Larry LaRue says the Twins would want Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow, and Jeff Clement.
- Dodgers: Though they’ve been linked to Santana, he doesn’t seem to be on the frontburner.
- Cubs: Long shot and first I’ve heard of it, but George King and Joel Sherman suggest the possibility. Felix Pie would have to be involved. Hard to see the Cubs signing Santana to a record-setting extension given their ownership situation.
Heyman On Santana
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the latest on the Johan Santana trade talks.
- The Twins want Melky Cabrera plus one of Chamberlain/Hughes/Kennedy from the Yankees. If the Yanks can surrender Kennedy rather than Hughes or Joba, they’ve done a nice job. Sounds like they would consider giving up Hughes though.
- The Twins want one of Clay Buchholz or Jon Lester plus Jacoby Ellsbury. Lester seems to be the only one of the three the Red Sox would part with, while they’d also be fine with sending Coco Crisp over.
- Heyman names the Mets, Dodgers, Angels, and Mariners as interested parties. First I’ve heard of the Ms or Halos being in the mix. Regarding the Dodgers, check out an interview with Ned Colletti. For what it’s worth, he doesn’t seem anxious to deal 3-5 kids for a guy like Santana or Miguel Cabrera.
More Odds and Ends: Kuroda, Pena, Wolf, Percival, Molina
Tim sent me a couple of items, so let’s create another bullet list:
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi and manager John McLaren have met with Hiroki Kuroda yesterday. There is no report of an offer, but it’s believed that four years and $45 million are expected. Kuroda hopes to make his decision on the 29th.
- Impacto Deportivo, the same site that had first news of the Mets deal with Luis Castillo, reports that Carlos Pena has rejected a three-year, $30 million deal from the Rays. Pena, however, calls the report "a straight lie."
- Randy Wolf is generating interest from the Padres, Phillies, and Astros. Ken Rosenthal notes that the market for high-risk, moderate-reward pitchers is strong, since the rest of the market isn’t very appealing. This includes Bartolo Colon, Jason Jennings, Freddy Garcia, Jon Lieber, Matt Clement, and Kris Benson.
- The Brewers are in on Troy Percival after losing Francisco Cordero to the Reds. As has been said since the signing, this could also mean that Derrick Turnbow gets another shot in the closer’s role.
- The Mets inquired about Bengie Molina at the GM meetings, and even though they have acquired Johnny Estrada, they could rekindle talks at the Winter Meetings. Rosenthal notes that the Giants might not want to trade Molina, since they lose considerable leverage because of the $12 million owed to him over the next two years.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Ms Sending Bavasi To Japan For Kuroda?
While talks are in the preliminary stages, the Mariners may send GM Bill Bavasi to Tokyo to negotiate with free agent Hiroki Kuroda. He is apparently the team’s top priority, and the Mariners have advantages in geography, their home park, and their current Japanese personnel.
Word from Larry LaRue is that Kuroda is after a three or four year contract at $11MM annually. I think he can get it, as the list of suitors is long and growing. LaRue names the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs, and Phillies as other serious contenders. We also know the Tigers, Royals, and Mets are in on him. That’s eight teams publicly known to have interest.
Still not buying the reports of Kuroda having a 96mph heater. I will bet you an order of Arby’s Loaded Potato Bites that he tops out at 93.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Bonds, Broussard, Hunter, Rowand, More
We missed an installment from good ol’ Kenny Rosenthal yesterday. He’s back today in full force (unlike another great rumor source, Buster Olney, who posted nothing really new in his blog today).
- The A’s, once considered the best bet for Barry Bonds, are no longer interested in the indicted slugger. Rosenthal thinks it’s likely that Bond’s trial will start after Opening Day, causing him to miss time regardless of the verdict. And then there’s the whole prison issue.
- The Rangers spoke to the Mariners at the GM meetings regarding the availability of Ben Broussard. Talks didn’t really go anywhere, since Broussard is a non-tender candidate. The Mariners might not be too keen on offering Broussard a raise over the $3.55 million he made last year, in which he managed just 264 plate appearances.
- Teams, including the Dodgers, might be more interested in Aaron Rowand over Torii Hunter because of one year and $30 million. Rowand is seeking five years, $60 million, while Hunter wants six and $90 mil. Hunter is far more proven a commodity, though, and is more athletic than Rowand. The negative in Hunter’s corner is that he’s two years older than Rowand.
- He mentions that the Cubs are interested in Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui, both switch hitters, to play second base next year. The Astros and Mets are also in on Castillo, while the Rockies would like to re-sign Kaz — though they have a number of internal candidates, including Ian Stewart.
- The Padres are considering offering arbitration to Mike Cameron and Mike Barrett. Barrett seems like a no-brainer. He’s a Type A free agent, and would probably be worth a one-year deal. He could be pricey, though, as Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are making $13 million or more. Cameron also makes sense. The Padres still need a center fielder for 2008, and they’d do well to sign Cam to a one-year deal should he accept arbitration. Otherwise, the supplemental pick would be nice.
- Reggie Sanders will consider retirement if he can’t land a deal with the Dodgers, Giants, or Padres. Sanders missed most of the 2007 season with hamstring problems.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Law: Top 10 Trade Candidates
Keith Law, a favorite here at MLBTR and at home home, River Ave. Blues, has posted an article on 10 potential trade candidates off-season. It seems that if anything big does go down this off-season, it will be in the form of a trade, since the FA market is particularly weak. So who does Law have in mind?
The most surprising name on the list is the Blue Jays’ Adam Lind. Law believes that with the next year’s financial commitments to Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay, and now Matt Stairs, there is no obvious spot for Lind, and he’ll have to win a job in Spring Training — which he could most certainly do. It seems a bit foolish to trade a 24-year-old because of a couple of short-term financial commitments, most notably in the case of Stairs, who will be making a paltry $1 million in 2009. J.P. Ricciardi has done stranger things, though.
Another strange name is Ben Broussard, who figures to at least have a shot at being non-tendered. Law notes his favorable platoon splits against righties and figures he can help a team fill out a position. But since the Mariners already have Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro under contract, and are looking to get Adam Jones some more playing time, there doesn’t seem a logical spot for Broussard.
Law also brings up David DeJesus and Coco Crisp, often mentioned around these parts, as well as Andy LaRoche and, despite the trade of Jacques Jones, Matt Murton.
As a Yanks fan, I have to be at least a little curious at the inclusion of Cliff Lee. With Andy Pettitte’s career at the most a year from ending, and with the further possibility that he’s thrown his last pitch, the Yanks are going to need a lefty starter. Might as well inquire on Lee, as his not-so-stellar 2007 has significantly decreased his value.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.
Rangers Rumors: Rogers, Gagne, Hunter
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan has some new info regarding the Rangers’ plans this offseason.
- Kenny Rogers has already had three separate stints with the Rangers, the last one ending with the cameraman incident. The Rangers would like to bring him back for a fourth tour, if the price is right. One emailer speculated that the team also wouldn’t mind an apology to management for the incident, also. Sullivan says the Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Mets may also have Rogers on the radar. Seems like Ned Colletti is letting bygones be bygones with Scott Boras. UPDATE: Boras reiterated tonight that the Tigers are Rogers’ priority. He seemingly wants one year and $10MM.
- The Rangers have interest in another Boras client, Eric Gagne. I think I read this in ESPN Magazine recently – how about re-signing him and flipping him all over again at the ’08 deadline?
- Owner Tom Hicks and GM Jon Daniels had dinner with Torii Hunter tonight. I heard they had the roast beef. The Rangers will make an offer later this week, though they’ll have to top whatever the White Sox come up with.
- The Rangers also want to bring back Jamey Wright for the ‘pen.
Mariners Searching For Starters
John Hickey has an update on the Mariners’ starting pitching targets. The options look grim.
As far as trade targets, there’s always Johan Santana and Dontrelle Willis. The Mariners have long had their eye on Dontrelle, so maybe they’d offer a Wladimir Balentien/Jeff Clement package.
Carlos Silva might be on the radar, but Hickey says the vibe is that he could get north of $12MM per season. A better deal might be Hiroki Kuroda, who is estimated to earn $7-9MM annually by Hickey. The Mariners may have the edge on Kuroda because of their location and Japanese catcher. I keep reading that Kuroda throws in the mid-90s…forgive me if I’m skeptical.
Hickey notes that Bartolo Colon might also be on the radar, and implies that they could pick up Carl Pavano on a whim if he’s released.
Mariners Listening On Sexson
Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson hit a painful .205/.295/.399 last year. He’s got one more year on his contract at $14MM, and most feel that he can’t help but be better in 2008. Mariners GM Bill Bavasi recently acknowledged that some teams have inquired about Sexson.
According to the link above, one option could be swapping Sexson for another supposed bad contract, Vicente Padilla. Padilla makes $11MM in ’08, $12MM in ’09, and has a $12MM club option for 2010 with a $1.75MM buyout. So he has $24.75MM guaranteed left on his contract. Padilla had an injury-plagued year but at least came on strong in September. He’s fairly risky in general, but the fact that he’s crazy is an added burden. Still, I imagine he’s looking interesting to several teams.
Another place to send Sexson could be Kansas City. The Royals don’t have a bad contract to swap, so the Ms would have to eat money. I’m guessing the Royals would take a chance on Sexson if they only had to pay half his salary.
The Giants are one other team that has been linked to Sexson, and they do have the Ray Durham contract to swap. Durham makes $7.5MM in ’08 in the last year of his deal.
Odds and Ends: Glavine, Kent, Kuroda
Picking up some rumors and tidbits that haven’t been otherwise posted during this busy day…
- An Atlanta TV station states that Tom Glavine would take a lot less money to play for the Braves. Also, the Astros have reportedly been in touch with him.
- Joe Torre senses that Jeff Kent will return in 2008. The Dodgers certainly hope so; he led the team with 20 home runs in ’07.
- Trey Hillman took a parting shot at Japanese reporters (hat tip to JapanBall).
- Reliever Masafumi Hirai might come over to MLB. I’ll have to learn more about him.
- Hiroki Kuroda prefers to play on the West Coast because he doesn’t like cold weather. Hmmm, Chicago might not work for him. Kuroda has declared free agency, and the Mariners are interested. There is word here that the Rangers have scouted him as well.
- The Braves are interested in Masahide Kobayashi to close, while the Mariners like him as a middle reliever (link in Japanese).
- There will be no Mike Lowell + A-Rod combo in Boston.
- Luis Gonzalez would like to return to the Tigers, while the team is interested in Cliff Floyd and Shannon Stewart for left field. Ben Broussard may also be on the radar.
- The Rangers also like Broussard, and they’ve contacted Mike Lamb as well regarding their first base vacancy. Lamb could play third if they trade Hank Blalock. Jon Daniels also has Kerry Wood in his sights.
- The Rockies like Shawn Chacon, but only as a reliever.
- Derrick Goold breaks down the options for the Cardinals at shortstop.
- Don’t forget to make an entry in our Hot Stove Hysteria contest. The deadline is November 12th. If you feel the need to edit your entry, just post a new one. They’re time-stamped; your latest entry will be used. A new prize has been added: a fantasy draft kit from Big Dawg Baseball.