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The Mark Prior Derby

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Let’s do a recap on the Mark Prior Derby, which is getting more confusing each day.  Jerry Crasnick has added some good info this afternoon.  Prior wants a one-year deal and hopes to be on a big league mound before the end of May.

  • Yankees – They’ll probably pass, per Hank Steinbrenner.
  • Red Sox – Named only by Jayson Stark.
  • White Sox – Named only by Stark.
  • Mariners – Named by Stark, denied by Jim Street.
  • Mets – Named by Stark, Crasnick, Ken Rosenthal, Ed Price
  • Cardinals – Named by Stark, Crasnick, Rosenthal, Matthew Leach
  • Padres – Named by many, made an offer according to Crasnick. Prior went to USC but would have to take less money to play in San Diego
  • Astros – Named by many, made an offer according to Alyson Footer
  • Giants – Named only by Stark
  • Reds – Named by Stark, Crasnick. Prior previously played under Dusty Baker
  • Nationals – Named by Stark, Crasnick, Bill Ladson
  • Rangers – Named by Crasnick but not Stark, aggressively pursuing according to Rosenthal
  • Marlins – Named only by Crasnick
  • Indians – Named only by Crasnick

One more and we’re at half of all baseball teams linked at some point.  The Phillies and Pirates are not interested, and it’s probably safe to count the Cubs out.

Odds and Ends: Barrett, Koufax, Santana

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A few notes from this evening…

  • Michael Barrett and the Padres avoided arbitration, arriving at a $3.5MM deal.  A little less than I expected given his $4.6MM salary in ’07.  If some team acquires Barrett on the cheap he could bounce back if he’s comfortable.  Wasn’t long ago he was one of the better-hitting catchers in the game.  Is there even a slight chance he wouldn’t embarrass himself back at the hot corner?
  • Great ShysterBall post in reference to Curt Schilling’s attempt to call out Roger Clemens.
  • Sandy Koufax did not do steroids.
  • Derrick Goold looks at how David Eckstein ended up leaving the Cardinals despite his desire to stay.
  • LENIII says it’s possible nothing has happened on the Johan Santana front since the Meetings ended.  Neal also names Kris Benson as a pitcher on the Twins’ radar.  They were one of many teams watching his recent session.  Plus they were eyeing Glendon Rusch before he signed with the Padres.

Stark’s Latest: Prior, Lofton, Otsuka

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark dishes some good rumorage in his latest column.

  • Stark dug around to find all the Mark Prior suitors and came up with this list: Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals (11 teams).  Let’s compare notes.  MLBTR readers have seen the Yankees, Mets, Cards, Padres, Astros, Reds, and Nats linked to Prior already.  So Stark has added the Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, and Giants.  The idea of the Mariners runs contrary to this MLB.com article.  Stark did not name the Rangers, who are said to be aggressively pursuing Prior.  Prior is dead set on a one-year deal and would take a big league mound in May in the best case.
  • The Phils are focused on Geoff Jenkins and Mike Cameron, offering two year deals to each.  They might just take the first one to accept.  Stark says Kenny Lofton could be an option if both decline.  Lofton batted a career-best .335 for the Phils in ’05.
  • Stark rattles off a laundry list of pitchers the Phillies are interested in: Akinori Otsuka, Byung-Hyun Kim, Roberto Hernandez, Kris Benson, John Parrish, Sidney Ponson, Chad Durbin, Kyle Lohse, and Jeremy Affeldt.  Given Stark’s 21 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I imagine he has a connection or two.  Most of those are new names besides Benson, Lohse, Ponson, and Affeldt.
  • A source of Stark picks the Yankees as the favorite for Johan, but it should be noted that they’re having internal debates about pulling Phil Hughes off the table.
  • For all the crazy Cubs fans we’ve got here: Stark says they’ve talked to the Orioles about both Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard, but couldn’t pull off a deal for both.  They favor Roberts even though they need Bedard much more.

Odds and Ends: Giles, Chacon, Durbin

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Here are today’s random rumor tidbits.

  • The Rox are interested in Marcus Giles for their second base opening.  Giles was awful last year, they should just try something internal.  Other Rockies notes: contracts with Kip Wells and Luis Vizcaino aren’t quite finalized, and they may ink Victor Zambrano to a minor league deal.  UPDATE: Wells, plus Mark Redman, are done deals.
  • The Pirates still have their eye on Shawn Chacon and Chad Durbin.  That”ll put butts in the seats.  Also, Jake of Bucco Blog weighs in on a new Pirates hire.
  • Speaking of Durbin, did he comment on this blog and suggest he’s headed to the NL?  I’m not sure.
  • Drays Bay talked to Gerry Hunsicker.  Seth Speaks talked to Pat Neshek.
  • New prize added to our Hot Stove Hysteria contest – three months free of Scout.com access.
  • Things are mostly quiet with the Brewers, but this Tom Haudricourt blog post notes tepid discussions for Scott Rolen, Hank Blalock, and Andre Ethier.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Prior, Bedard, Haren

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The rumor mill is picking up today, thanks in no short part to Ken Rosenthal.  Check out his latest column.

  • Rosenthal believes the Padres are Mark Prior’s first choice, but as usual they won’t pay as much as other teams.  Both Texas clubs are in the lead for Prior currently.  Rosenthal also names the Cards, Mets, and Yankees are suitors, as we knew.  The Pirates, by the way, have not inquired.
  • Talks for Erik Bedard have slowed down, because the Orioles aren’t impressed with the offers.  The Mariners, Reds, and Mets are the top contenders.  Rosenthal indicates that the Reds may be overvaluing Homer Bailey, compared to the perception of other clubs.
  • Interesting late-game suitors for Dan Haren: the Rockies and Braves.  You wonder, then, whether they’ll also inquire on Bedard. 
  • Rosenthal notes that the Chris Burke acquisition could be a sign that the D’Backs won’t re-sign Orlando Hudson.  Burke will have to show something first though.
  • The Orioles don’t seem likely to flip Luke Scott; they like his style.  The guy could hit 30 bombs this year, in the opinion of Ron Shandler and Co.
  • The Twins are up to 39 on their 40 man roster, so they’ll have to be creative to take back four players in a Johan Santana deal.  It could mean including a player with Johan.

Mark Prior Rumors: Astros, Cardinals

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More info coming in on Mark Prior, who’s starting to seem like a hot commodity.  I can see how teams find him tantalizing, though a decent half-season from him is probably the upside.

The Astros have an offer out to Prior; throwing out tons of early offers seems to be Ed Wade’s style this winter.  Wade says the expectation is for Prior to be ready by late May; you can easily push that back a month if you want to be realistic.  The ’Stros will also watch Kris Benson throw.  That means only two of the ten clubs interested in Benson remain unknown.

Another NL Central team may have an eye on Prior.  MLB.com’s Matthew Leach says Prior is on the Cardinals’ radar.  You might think the Cardinals already have enough injury risk in the rotation.  But as Larry Borowsky notes, the Edmonds trade may have left the team with enough money for one innings eating starter and one wild card like Prior.

By the way, it doesn’t appear the Mariners are interested in Prior.

Padres Acquire Jim Edmonds

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UPDATE, 12-15-07 at 3:18pm: Krasovic has learned that the Cards sent $2MM over to the Padres in the Edmonds deal.  Kevin Towers apparently pushed for more salary relief but settled there.

FROM 12-14-07 at 10:32pm:

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have agreed to trade minor league third baseman David Freese to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds.  The Cards will also send more than a million in cash to offset some Edmonds’ $8MM salary. 

Freese is mildly interesting for a prospect who’ll be 25 in April.  He’s yet to reach Double A but he did draw 69 walks this year.  Baseball America says there’s a chance he’s moved off third eventually (and notes that he’s done some catching in an instructional league).

Edmonds is an OK one-year play for the Padres.  He dipped to a .325 OBP and .403 SLG last year as a 37 year-old, and only got into 117 games due to back/leg/groin/hamstring/shoulder/toe injuries.  It still might make sense to let Scott Hairston handle the lefties.  Edmonds seemingly waived his no-trade clause to go to San Diego.   

Joe Strauss says the Cards will first consider internal options in center.  Top prospect Colby Rasmus is 21 and hasn’t seen Triple A yet.  Rick Ankiel is also a possibility.  Guys like Mike Cameron, Kenny Lofton, Corey Patterson, Nate McLouth, or Coco Crisp could be external options.

Viva El Birdos weighs in on this deal; check it out.

Cameron, Padres Sever Ties

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The Padres and Mike Cameron will go in different directions, according to his agent.  It had been said previously that Cameron and the Padres agreed on two years but couldn’t meet on the amount of money.

Tom Krasovic notes that the Padres have already talked to the Cardinals about Jim Edmonds.  They’ve also got an eye on free agent Kenny Lofton.  Lofton may not be a defensive asset these days, but the 40 year-old still hits righties at an .800 OPS.  Scott Hairston could play center when the Padres face a southpaw.

As for Cameron, the White Sox, Twins, Rangers, Brewers, Phillies, and Braves could be options.  Ken Rosenthal adds the Cardinals, Reds, and Yankees as possibilities as well.  Cameron is the best center field free agent left on the market.

Today’s Non-tenders: Towers, Prior, Everett, Durbin

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Tim’s out for the night, so we’ve got a fresh post started for the non-tenders.  MLB.com has a running list as well.

These guys are the officials as of now:

  • As expected, the Marlins non-tendered catcher Miguel Olivo.  Johnny Estrada was another casualty; these two make up the market for starting catchers.
  • The Blue Jays non-tendered Josh Towers, a surprising move.  Some NL team could offer him two years and get league average work out of him.
  • Mark Prior has been non-tendered.  Honestly if I were the Cubs, I would’ve tossed the $3.5MM his way just to see.
  • Aaron Miles is now a free agent.
  • The A’s cut Kiko Calero loose.
  • The Padres have non-tendered four: Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, and pitchers Jack Cassell and Ryan Ketchner. RotoWorld speculates that the latter two, not arbitration eligible, could be offered minor league deals.
  • The Royals cut the cord on Emil Brown.  He turns 33 soon; he hit an ugly .257/.300/.347 in 2007.  Brown earned $3.45MM in ’07.
  • The Tigers non-tendered Chad Durbin, toss him into the free agent pool.  Guess those trade talks with the Bucs didn’t work out.
  • The Twins have let go Jason Tyner.
  • The Nats have cut bait with Nook Logan and LHP Michael O’Connor.
  • The Dodgers wave goodbye to Mark Hendrickson.
  • The White Sox have non-tendered Andy Gonzalez and LHP Heath Phillips. Joe Crede sticks with the Pale Hose for now.
  • Adam Everett has lost his job with the Astros. It’d be kind of funny if the Orioles signed him.
  • Per RotoWorld, the Angels have non-tendered Dallas McPherson. He’s full of potential, but he’s never come through. He’s only 27, though, so he could still catch on somewhere. Unless, RotoWorld notes, he has an agreement in place with the Angels.
  • The Braves have non-tendered Willie Harris, though he had already been DFA’d.

–Joe and Tim

Odds And Ends: Nats, Dodgers, Cardinals

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Couple of small signings and rumors on non-tender night:

  • The Nats have agreed with John Patterson, Ryan Wagner, and Luis Ayala to one-year deals. Wagner is coming off labrum surgery, and is expected to compete for a spot in the bullpen in Spring Training. Ayala tossed 42 decent innings after coming back from Tommy John surgery in June. After showing flashes of his potential in 2005, Patterson has hardly worked out over the past two years, but will get another shot this spring.
  • The Dodgers have signed 11 players to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training: RHP Tanyon Sturtze, RHP Mike Koplove, RHP Brian Falkenborg, RHP Rick
    Asadoorian    , RHP Fernando Desgue, RHP Greg Jones, LHP Brian Shackelford,
    OF John-Ford Griffin, 1B John Lindsey, IF Angel Chavez and C Danny
    Ardoin    . The addition of Sturtze, coupled with the presence of Scott Proctor, gives Joe Torre two of his favorite abuse cases over the past few years.
  • The Cardinals have signed former Athletic Ron Flores to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. He throws left-handed, hence will probably get a shot for the next three or four years, even if his performance is spotty. C Mark Johnson, RHP Hugo Castellanos and 3B Rico Washington have also been signed and extended an invite.

–Joe

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