Odds & Ends: Orioles, Brewers, Green, Sellers, Astros, Byrd, Vizquel, A’s
Some more links as the weekend begins…
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun notes that the Orioles didn't make any contract offers on the first day of free agency.
- Nick Green doesn't expect to back with the Red Sox, according to Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Marlins, Royals, Tigers and Reds are currently baseball's most active sellers.
- The Astros signed minor league free agent Jose Valdez, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- The Brewers agreed to sign Santo Aybar, according to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. The 16-year-old shortstop has to pass an age investigation for the deal to go through.
- Marlon Byrd repeated to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he wants to return to the Rangers in 2010. He's looking for a multi-year deal "at the right numbers." The Rangers have interest in re-signing the outfielder.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen knows the White Sox are talking to Omar Vizquel. Guillen didn't confirm anything other than his intention to continue wearing number 13.
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford breaks down the suitors for Jason Bay, starting with the Red Sox, Angels and Mets.
- John Sickels of Minor League Ball spoke with A's GM Billy Beane, who says his club's currently rebuilding. Check out the entire interview for more on the team's direction.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Brewers are "kicking the tires" on every available pitcher.
Latest Milton Bradley Scenario
1:36pm: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat hears from a Cubs official that there's nothing to the rumored three way deal between the Cubs, Rangers and Mets. However, four to six teams are interested in Bradley to varying degrees.
10:58am: The latest Milton Bradley trade scenario comes courtesy of Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, who considers Bradley going to the Rangers, Kevin Millwood to the Mets, and Luis Castillo to the Cubs.
We talked to a source familiar with the situation who said that this deal is not being discussed. Backing that up, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan talked to a Rangers official who said it's "not happening." So for our purposes it's more of a discussion piece.
Does this satisfy the needs of all three teams? The Rangers add a bat and trade from an area of depth, the Mets free up second base for other pursuits and get a veteran for the rotation, and the Cubs unload Bradley while getting a piece they can use. The money: Bradley is owed $21MM over two years, Millwood $12MM over one, and Castillo $12MM over two.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wood, Sheets, Bradley, Wagner
On this date two years ago, Mike Lowell re-signed with the Red Sox for three-years, $37.5MM. In this first two years of the deal, Lowell has taken in $25.5MM, and according to his WAR has been worth $19.9MM. In '10, Lowell will be 36 as he enters the final year of his deal. Today is the first day of free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Howard Megdal and Chris Pummer of The Perpetual Post debate the Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe signings of a year ago.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham looks which teams might be interested in trading for Kerry Wood.
- Jorge Says No! look at which teams might be a good fit for Ben Sheets, with eight teams that could be in the hunt.
- The Sports Banter ranks the top free agents.
- MetsCitiBlog doesn't see the Mets signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, and feels they should set their sights on Adrian Gonzalez.
- UmpBump is running a series on what each team needs this off-season. Here is the Giants.
- Bleacher Nation wonders why the Braves aren't rumored to be in on the Milton Bradley sweepstakes.
- Baseball Time In Arlington thinks there should be plenty of money in the budget to bring back Bradley.
- 10 Scoreless projects the Twins' roster for next season.
- MLB Notebook looks at what it would take for the Mariners to compete next season.
- The Pinstriper makes some free agent predictions, with Billy Wagner ending up with the Rays.
- River Ave Blues breaks down what Hideki Matsui is worth to the Yankees.
- Sox and Pinstripes discusses the ramifications of a salary cap in baseball from the point of view of a Yankees fan.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Rockies Notes: Atkins, Barmes
The Colorado Rockies will keep Garrett Atkins on their 40-man roster for now, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Not releasing Atkins yet will give the Rockies a few more weeks to attempt to trade him, before the non-tender date of December 12th (coincidentally, Atkins' 30th birthday).
Renck mentions that interested teams, such as the Rangers and Orioles, have been reluctant to deal for the corner infielder, since the Rockies will almost certainly be forced to part ways with him anyway. Atkins is in his final year of arbitration, and made $7.05MM in 2009. After losing his starting role last season, Atkins isn't worth nearly that much to Colorado. This move, however, suggests the club is still hoping to salvage some return, rather than letting him go for nothing.
In the same piece, Renck mentions that the Rockies have started discussing a multi-year contract with Clint Barmes. The Rockies are hoping to sign Barmes, who earned about $1.6MM last year, to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year.
Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:
- The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
- Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
- There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
- The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
- At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.
Rangers Likely To Let Byrd Walk
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the possibility of free-agent outfielder Marlon Byrd returning to the Rangers is "growing dim."
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and Byrd's agent, Sam Levinson, spoke during the GM meetings in Chicago. But negotiations still haven't moved in a positive direction.
"We've had a decent amount of conversation," Daniels told MLB.com. "I expect them to test the market. Based on what they're looking for…we're not in a position to do that right now. We expect them to talk to other clubs and see what's out there. We're going to be looking at alternatives."
Byrd, 32, hit .283/.329/.479 this past season with 20 homers and 89 RBI in 599 plate appearances. He also played an excellent corner outfield. Tim discussed his free agent credentials in depth about three weeks ago.
Odds & Ends: Mulder, Matsui, Smoltz, Rangers
Some afternoon linkage…
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt tweets that "it would be a huge upset if Mark Mulder doesn't try his comeback attempt in the Brewers' spring camp."
- Meanwhile, Brewers' GM Doug Melvin said the George Kottaras pickup was all about depth, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- NPB Tracker passes along a report that says the Yankees stand to lose at least $15MM in revenue if Hideki Matsui leaves as a free agent.
- The Tigers aren't one of the teams that have expressed interest in John Smoltz, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Yesterday we learned that at least seven teams are interested in the righthander.
- Tom Hicks is trying to put together a group of local businessmen that would allow him to maintain major ownership of the team, says ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett. The deadline to submit a bid for the team is Friday, so if you have a couple hundred million bucks burning a hole in your pocket…
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball reports that the Nationals have named Davey Johnson Senior Advisor to GM Mike Rizzo.
- ESPN's Howard Bryant writes about a salary cap, and how baseball doesn't need one.
- Last, but certainly not least, everyone welcome FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal to Twitter!
Possible Destinations For Omar Vizquel, Nick Johnson
You could hardly think of two more dissimilar players than Omar Vizquel and Nick Johnson, but Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times took a look at where these two free agents may end up playing in 2010.
First, Vizquel. Brunell thinks that Vizquel's desire to play for a higher-profile club than Texas may stem from the fact that playing for a big-market team may improve Vizquel's chances of being voted into the Hall of Fame when his career is over. There's also the fact that the 42-year-old shortstop would no doubt love to get another chance at a World Series title after coming so close with Cleveland in 1995 and 1997.
With these factors in mind, Brunell feels that Philadelphia is the ideal destination for Vizquel, as he can serve as a backup to Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and whomever the Phillies get to play third base. Vizquel's presence as a late-inning defensive replacement would also mean that the Phils could focus their third baseman search on finding a solid hitter, not necessarily a top gloveman.
As for Johnson, Brunell points to Arizona as a good landing spot for the first baseman. The Diamondbacks' .324 team OBP last season (22nd in MLB) would get a big boost from Johnson's career .402 OBP (.426 in 2009). In signing Johnson to a one or two-year contract, Brunell argues, the D-Backs would buy some more development time for prospect Brandon Allen, whose presence would also serve as cover in case Johnson's well-documented injury history again becomes a problem.
One flaw in Brunell's argument is that he doesn't account for Conor Jackson, who may avoid being non-tendered by the Snakes if he shows in winter ball that he is fully recovered from Valley Fever. If Jackson is back, then he would provide a cheaper alternative at first base than Johnson while still providing solid production — Jackson posted a .292/.371/.451 line in his three full seasons with Arizona from 2006 to 2008.
What do you fans think? If you're a Phillies or Diamondbacks supporter, are you on board with the idea of Vizquel or Johnson in the fold? Or are there some other teams who would be better fits for these two players?
Several Teams Interested In Smoltz
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com report that several teams have expressed interest in free agent righty John Smoltz, who is open to starting or relieving. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles are the among the teams interested in the future Hall of Famer, and some teams inquired about him as a closer.
The 42-year-old Smoltz put up a 4.26 ERA in seven starts with St. Louis after his eight start cameo with Boston. His fastball generally sat in the low-90's, though he did strike out 73 batters in 78 total innings.
Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell
A batch of links to kick off the work week…
- Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today. Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season.
- Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors. One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell. He'd like a multiyear deal.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
- Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
- ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
- Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
- Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
- Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer. In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
- Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.