Reds Rumors: Baldelli, Rivera, Burrell
11:46pm: Amusing story from Joe McDonald:
A group of Cincinnati Reds personnel, including manager Dusty Baker, were playing roulette Tuesday night. A member of the contingent yelled "Put it on No. 5 for Rocco Baldelli" and now it appears the Reds are having talks with his agent.
McDonald adds that the Red Sox have apparently stepped back with their interest in Baldelli. Buster Olney wrote on Monday that he’d be shocked if Boston didn’t sign Baldelli.
9:24pm: According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds talked to the agents for Rocco Baldelli and Juan Rivera (the agents initiated). Pat Burrell‘s agents also want to meet. Fay says the Reds have at least $10MM to spend.
MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon adds that Moises Alou‘s agent contacted Walt Jocketty, but the Reds aren’t interested. Nor are they interested in Garrett Anderson. Sheldon adds that there’s been "no real activity towards reviving the Jermaine Dye deal."
White Sox, Reds Still Talking Dye
1:21pm: Danny Knobler believes the White Sox want to see whether they can move Dye for pitching before entering the free agent market.
WEDNESDAY, 12:23pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dye-Reds discussions continue at a moderate level, but for now the Sox expect Dye to be their Opening Day right fielder. A deal was close at one point, but Dye’s salary became an issue for the Reds. Rosenthal specualates that the Reds could now just try to get a bargain on Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell.
TUESDAY, 10:37pm: MLB.com’s Scott Merkin says the White Sox have not talked to the Braves since the Javier Vazquez deal. It’s been a quiet Winter Meetings for the Sox so far.
12:17pm: MetsBlog passes along a WFAN report from Sweeny Murti that the Braves are in serious discussions for Dye.
11:11am: From SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
A person familiar with the White Sox’s thinking said late Monday night, "The Jermaine Dye trades are dead … for tonight, anyway.”
Heyman says the Rays, Braves, and Reds were among ten teams to to express interest. He adds that Homer Bailey alone would not have been enough.
Royals Moving Closer To Signing Reliever
According to Bob Dutton, Dayton Moore admitted the Royals are moving closer to signing a reliever. Dutton believes their preference is Kyle Farnsworth.
Also, Moore shot down rumors involving Zack Greinke, David DeJesus, Mark Teahen, and Jermaine Dye.
Bailey-Dye Trade Report Shot Down
9:06pm: Ken Williams speaks. No Dye trade, but plenty of interest.
6:26pm: Dusty Baker spoke about the Dye trade talks today, saying he thought they were "kind of off because of economics and because everybody wants your young players."
MONDAY, 4:24pm: McCoy talks more about the rumor he originated. He said a reliable White Sox insider told him the Dye deal was in place and wonders if Ken Williams changed his mind.
SUNDAY, 10:06pm: Walt Jocketty on the report: "Wrong. It’s not even close." The Reds haven’t had talks with the Sox since before Thanksgiving.
9:32pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick adds that Dye and his agent "haven’t heard a word" about a trade. Reds assistant GM Bob Miller rejected the report, adding, "We haven’t talked to White Sox since we got here."
8:51pm: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says "a source familiar with the talks" rejected the report below. The Sox want more than just Bailey. Gonzales’ source adds that talks with the Mets for Bobby Jenks fell apart over Omar Minaya’s unwillingness to include Bobby Parnell.
7:46pm: According to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, a Major League source told him a Homer Bailey for Jermaine Dye trade "is done and will be announced this week."
It’d essentially be six years of Bailey for one of Dye (plus possible draft pick compensation), as Dye has a mutual option for 2010 at $12MM. Those almost never get fully exercised – if one side wants it, the other doesn’t. It would be interesting to see what the White Sox could do with Bailey given their recent success developing young pitchers.
Orlando Cabrera Declines Arb Offer
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Orlando Cabrera will decline Chicago’s offer of arbitration. Ken Williams can rest easy. Cabrera’s a Type A, so the Sox will score two draft picks if he signs elsewhere. There’s an extra tax of one draft pick for the team that signs him.
Stark’s Latest: Dye, Greinke, Teixeira
Jayson Stark’s Winter Meetings preview is up; let’s take a look.
- Stark sees "just about zero chance" the Padres trade Jake Peavy at the Meetings. The Cubs will need at least a few weeks to settle their ownership situation before they can make a trade and take on his contract. Plus, a Stark source says it makes sense for the Padres to wait until the top free agent starters are off the board.
- The Braves, Reds, Royals, Rays, and possibly Mets have shown interest in Jermaine Dye. Dye played for the Royals from 1997-2001 before he was traded for Neifi Perez. The White Sox are willing to trade Paul Konerko and Jim Thome too.
- The Mariners would listen on "pretty much anybody." But given the surplus of closers on the market, it seems unlikely that Jack Zduriencik will be bowled over with an offer for J.J. Putz.
- The Royals really don’t want to trade Zack Greinke, but they’ll at least discuss him. The price would be massive. It doesn’t look like they want to trade David DeJesus or Mark Teahen either, but Jose Guillen can be had.
- The Marlins have been pushing Jorge Cantu over Jeremy Hermida, though Hermida’s drawn plenty of interest. Nick Cafardo named the Rays, Reds, and Giants earlier today.
- The Angels figure to attach a two or three-day deadline to their eventual Mark Teixeira offer.
- Stark sees Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake as the two free agents most likely to sign this week. Most execs Stark surveyed see Teixeira and Manny Ramirez signing in January.
Cafardo’s Latest: Halladay, Hermida, Abreu
Time for a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Relievers on the Tigers’ radar: Trevor Hoffman, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes, and Joe Beimel.
- Blue Jays J.P. Ricciardi is frank: "We will not trade Roy Halladay."
- Marlins right fielder Jeremy Hermida is said to interest the Reds, Rays, and Giants. John Perrotto says the Rays have inquired on Hermida.
- Cafardo believes the Dodgers will turn to Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, or Jermaine Dye if they fail to re-sign Manny Ramirez.
- Cafardo likes the Angels and Brewers as dark horses for Jake Peavy.
- Cafardo says not to discount the possibility of the Nationals signing Ken Griffey Jr.
Winter Meetings Previews
We’ve added a few new Winter Meetings preview to the collection…
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help. They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered. You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever. Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds. Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
- The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated. Neal summarizes the players on the radar. The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
- Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres. Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list. The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief. The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks. Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general. Miguel Montero is the top trade chip. They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer. If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters. Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short. Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return. Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip. As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07. Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt. The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida. The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey. Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye? The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
- The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement. The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop. They have interest in Adam Everett.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.
Olney’s Latest: Winter Meetings
As we wait for arbitration decisions, Buster Olney offers his latest on the winter meetings:
- CC Sabathia, who will be sitting down with the Red Sox and Yankees today or tomorrow, may want to wait for Mark Teixeira to sign first. If the Angels don’t land Sabathia, they could be expected to compete with the Yankees $140MM offer.
- Francisco Rodriguez is not going to get the 5 year, $75MM originally anticipated by his agents and he may find it in his best interest to seek a 3 year deal, and re-enter free agency, perhaps in a better market, before he turns 30.
- Says Olney, "Look, [Jake] Peavy is going to be traded, and what will be left is a team looking at a long rebuilding process."
- The Nats are courting Adam Dunn as well as Teixeira, pointing out that Jim Bowden ran the Reds when they drafted Dunn. No word on Dunn’s interest in Washington.
- Sources say the White Sox moving Jermaine Dye is "overblown." He’ll cost $11.5MM next year with a $1MM buyout for 2010 and teams in need of a corner outfielder can target Dunn or Bobby Abreu rather than give up prospects to the White Sox.
- Orlando Cabrera has been made aware that Alexei Ramirez is the starting shortstop in 2009 and, for that reason, OC is expected to decline arbitration even in a depressed shortstop market.
- Olney reports that Rafael Furcal‘s final contract request was 4 years, $52MM. He wound up rejecting the offer of 4 years, $35-40MM.
Arbitration Decision Rumors
As you know, 24 free agents were offered arbitration – 15 Type As and 9 Type Bs. Their decisions will roll in throughout the day, but SI.com’s Jon Heyman spoils the ending – aside from perhaps a couple of middle relievers (Darren Oliver comes to mind), almost everyone will decline. Nonetheless, let’s gather up some rumors on the topic.
- Heyman analyzes six players: Jon Garland, Oliver Perez, Paul Byrd, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Varitek, and Ben Sheets. He doesn’t really see these guys accepting, but their names have at least been raised in baseball circles.
- Ken Rosenthal has sources saying Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Sheets, and Garland will decline. Tracy Ringolsby agrees on Fuentes.
- Brandon Lyon‘s agent Barry Meister admitted that he’ll consider accepting.