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Rays Offer Arb To Zaun And Shouse, Not Springer

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10:31pm: Topkin tweets that the Rays declined to offer arbitration to Springer.

6:53pm: Tampa Bay has made arbitration offers to two of its three Type B free agents, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Topkin tweets that catcher Gregg Zaun and reliever Brian Shouse were given offers, while no decision has yet been made about pitcher Russ Springer.  Topkin notes that "it appears unlikely" the Rays will make an offer to the veteran right-hander.

The offers to Zaun and Shouse come as a bit of a surprise, though both players had decent years.  Shouse's innings were limited due to an elbow strain, but he continued to shut down lefties.

Rays Acquire Kelly Shoppach

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7:40pm: Topkin (via Twitter) reports that pitcher Jeff Bennett was designated for assignment to open up a spot for Shoppach on the 40-man roster.  Bennett posted a 9.95 ERA in 11 relief appearances with Tampa Bay last season.

1:42pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times tweets that the Rays have acquired Shoppach for a player to be named later. The deal has been confirmed by an Indians press release, which notes that the PTBNL must be named by December 20th.

1:33pm: The Rays are closing in on a deal with the Indians for catcher Kelly Shoppach, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.  Shoppach was a non-tender candidate for the Tribe after earning $1.95MM and slipping to .214/.335/.399 offensively.  If the Rays do acquire Shoppach, you have to wonder if they'll non-tender Dioner Navarro.

Shoppach, 30 in April, would make for an interesting pickup for the Rays given his .261/.348/.517 line from '08.

Odds & Ends: Ramirez, Halladay, Tigers

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Some links for Sunday….

Cafardo On Lowe, Red Sox, Millwood

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As usual, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe brings us a Sunday morning column with some info from around the league. Let's check out a few highlights….

  • Derek Lowe likes pitching for the Braves and would prefer to stay in Atlanta, but acknowledges that he doesn't have much control over the situation. "I understand this is a business and I know the Braves have some things they’d like to do," Lowe told Cafardo. "I hope I can be here because I really enjoy it."
  • Cafardo doesn't think that Roy Halladay will be a Red Sox next season. He can't see a trade happening "unless some sense of realism overtakes the Blue Jays" and they lower the asking price for their ace.
  • Boston's "ideal scenario" according to Cafardo is signing John Lackey and then dangling Clay Buchholz to acquire a bat. Ideal, maybe, but probably not likely.
  • Although the Marco Scutaro-to-Boston rumors have gained momentum since Toronto signed Alex Gonzalez, the Red Sox could still explore other options, such as dealing for Stephen Drew or signing Adam Everett.
  • Given Carl Crawford's strong leadership role in the Rays' clubhouse, Cafardo speculates that the team could eventually bite the bullet and pony up the money to extend Crawford's contract.
  • The Brewers have inquired about Kevin Millwood, but the Rangers haven't actively tried to move the righty.
  • The Giants, Rangers, and Orioles are among the teams who have Miguel Tejada on their radar.

Davidoff On Lowe, Johnson, Torrealba

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In a blog post, Newsday's Ken Davidoff announces that he'll be voting for Mark McGwire on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, and recaps some other items of note:

  • The Atlanta Braves plan to shop Derek Lowe more aggressively after John Lackey signs somewhere. They're hoping that at that point Lowe looks more appealing than the remaining "risky commodities" on the free agent market.
  • Nick Johnson is searching for a two-year deal.
  • Yorvit Torrealba's suitors include the Blue Jays, Rockies, and Giants. The Rays, Marlins, and Royals could also be in the mix, though they're less likely landing spots for the catcher.
  • Davidoff also warns to take talk of Bud Selig's impending retirement with a grain of salt, since there's nothing to stop Selig from changing his mind by 2012.

Odds & Ends: Scutaro, Astros, Messenger, Selig

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A few more Saturday evening links….

Blue Jays Rumors: Scutaro, Cabrera, Brignac

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Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail has the latest on the Blue Jays in the aftermath of this morning's signing:

  • The Blue Jays will offer Marco Scutaro salary arbitration. Blair hears indications that the shortstop may have a three-year deal coming his way.
  • The Jays made a serious run at Orlando Cabrera, but decided against a deal since it would have taken a commitment of about $12MM and two years. The Jays like Cabrera, but have concerns about the former Gold Glover's range and arm.
  • Cabrera's agent is telling teams that his client is ready to play second base. The Twins may have interest in re-signing Cabrera to play second.
  • The Jays spoke to the Rays about Reid Brignac, but felt Tampa was asking for too much.
  • Blair wonders if Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will try to trade Gonzalez at next summer's trade deadline if the shortstop starts the year well.

Passan On Arguelles, Bedard, Jackson

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Jeff Passan covers a few items in this piece for Yahoo Sports, headlined by 19-year-old Cuban pitcher Noel Arguelles.  The young left-hander impressed a number of agents and representatives from various teams at a workout last month in the Dominican Republic, and the four teams most interested in signing Arguelles are the Athletics, Mariners, Rays, and (who but?) the Yankees.  Passan predicted that Argulles' deal will be worth somewhere around $8.2MM to $10MM, which match the contracts given to Jose Iglesias and Dayan Viciedo last year by the Red Sox and White Sox, respectively.

In other news from Passan's column…

  • Passan says the Yankees are much more interested in Aroldis Chapman than they are in Arguelles, and that Chapman's recent agent switch to Randy and Alan Hendricks may help New York.  Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens are/were both represented by the Hendricks brothers.
  • The Royals are "going hard" to sign Erik Bedard to a short-term contract.  Passan thinks Bedard will sign with someone for an "incentive-loaded one-year deal" in an effort to prove that he's healthy and worthy of a more lucrative longer-term deal for 2011.
  • Detroit seem to be becoming more determined in their quest to trade pitcher Edwin Jackson.  An unnamed executive is quoted as saying, "It’s like they want to give him away, and I don’t really understand why."

Olney On Cabrera, Yankees, Cust, Rays

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In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney writes about the potential market for Miguel Cabrera, who is now apparently available in a trade. He notes the enormous financial commitment attached to Cabrera's All-World bat, and discusses the Red Sox, Angels, Mets, White Sox, Giants, Mariners, and Braves as potential landing spots.

Here's the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Olney tweets that the Astros' payroll will be cut from $107MM to the low $90MMs.
  • Olney says the Yankees will look to add two relievers in all likelihood, though it's unclear if they're willing to give up a first round pick for one of the Type-A bullpen arms. For what it's worth, GM Brian Cashman said the bullpen wasn't an area of "obvious need" yesterday.
  • Jack Cust could be in line for a $4.5MM payday through arbitration, which just might get him non-tendered. Given all the DH-types on the market, that might not be a good thing for Cust.  We learned yesterday that the Mets might be among the suitors for him.
  • Regarding a potential Milton Bradley to Tampa trade, Olney says the Rays "absolutely will not do it unless it's on their terms, which is that the Cubs might absorb enough money in the swap of Bradley and (Pat) Burrell to make it worthwhile for the Rays."
  • Olney also reiterates that it's extremely unlikely the Padres will move Adrian Gonzalez given his favorable contract.

Rays Rumors: Crawford, Upton, Zaun

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Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights:

  • The Rays are said to be interested in discussing a long-term extension with Carl Crawford. If the team does decide to move him, however, the Mets and Braves have expressed interest.
  • The Rangers and White Sox are among the teams interested in acquiring B.J. Upton.
  • Executive VP Andrew Friedman on his team's offseason targets: "We have a list of guys on other teams we have an interest in, and a list of free agents as well. And depending on how the market evolves on both fronts, it will go a long way toward shaping our thought process…. We feel like there are a lot of talented names out there."
  • Smith notes that the Rays have a history of signing relievers who are coming off injuries or down years. He mentions Kevin Gregg and J.J. Putz as a couple of possibilities in that realm.
  • The club could be open to bringing back Gregg Zaun and giving last season's catching platoon of Zaun and Dioner Navarro another try.
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