Rangers Rumors: Blalock, Lamb, Padilla
Evan Grant has the latest Rangers hot stove buzz.
- 27 year-old third baseman Hank Blalock is getting a lot of play. Grant names the Cardinals, Phillies, Twins, and Dodgers as teams that have inquired. Jon Daniels says no team has made an impressive offer and he’s not inclined to trade Blalock. It would be a bit of a sell-low move.
- The Rangers met with Mike Lamb‘s agent yesterday afternoon; they’re the frontrunners for him. They have a full-time first base job for Lamb, who came up in the organization.
- Teams are interested in Vicente Padilla, but everyone wants the Johan thing to be finished before moving on pitching.
Lamb Too Pricey For Boston
According to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe, Mike Lamb is getting too pricey for the Red Sox and he’s likely to sign elsewhere as a regular. Lamb deserves to earn a decent buck; he earned $2.7MM in ’07 and quietly has solid stats compared to other free agents.
It was said yesterday that the Rangers are in the lead for Lamb, as they intend to give him the starting first base job.
Rangers Rumors: Patterson, Bradley, Bay
T.R. Sullivan recently filed his Rangers report at MLB.com.
- The Rangers will meet with Scott Boras soon to talk about Eric Gagne.
- Another topic for the Boras conversation: Corey Patterson.
- The Rangers like Milton Bradley, and have asked for his medical reports. Bradley’s agent said a few days ago that he would be ready for Opening Day.
- The Bucs’ asking prices for Jason Bay and Nate McLouth were deemed too high – Eric Hurley and Elvis Andrus were suggested.
- External first base options: Mike Lamb, Tony Clark, and Ben Broussard.
ESPN’s Latest: Sosa, Prior, Kuroda, Reyes
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:19pm: Ah, the truth comes out. Sammy Sosa‘s people approached the Royals, but they weren’t interested.
FROM 12-4-07 at 3:17pm:
ESPN has a huge team at the Meetings; here are some tidbits that haven’t appeared elsewhere on MLBTR.
- Enrique Rojas says the Royals have interest in Sammy Sosa. Could that indicate a Mark Teahen trade is in the works also? Teahen is expected to move to first base to accomodate Jose Guillen, which would push Billy Butler to DH. But Sammy can only DH.
- Buster Olney says the Rangers and Padres are in on Mark Prior.
- The Padres also like lefties Glendon Rusch and Shawn Estes, and may sign both after the Rule 5 as a means of adding starting depth.
- Jayson Stark says the Mariners made an offer to Hiroki Kuroda in the range of four years, $45MM.
- Jerry Crasnick says Anthony Reyes is generating a lot of interest. The Cards, by the way, are open to trading Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, or Jim Edmonds.
- The Rockies have gotten in touch with Marcus Giles‘ agent.
- The Astros aren’t interested in Jon Lieber, despite previous reports. They liked Matt Clement a bit among the injury guys but are over him now.
- Ryan Howard‘s agent and the Phillies will sit down soon to talk about a long-term deal.
Johan Santana Rumors: Tuesday
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:00pm: LENIII says that despite their public proclamations, the Yanks haven’t told the Twins they’re out on Johan. Neal recommends you go to bed anyway.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:28: A new team is in the mix for Johan, but barely. The Rangers talked to the Twins today about what it would take, but they’re not expected to pursue it much further.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:05pm: Talks are expected to re-open in about an hour, after the execs have dinner.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 8:21pm: Theo Epstein expects negotiations with the Twins to carry "well into the night." He says the Red Sox are being flexible, so it sounds like they’ll hammer something out.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 7:50pm: Not much to report here. Twins and Sox still haggling, per LENIII.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 7:09pm: Hank is sticking to his story, that the Yanks’ deadline for a Santana deal has passed.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 5:02pm: All the Santana-Angels stuff is bogus, according to GM Tony Reagins.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:28pm: Per Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus: Santana to Boston is "all but done" with Lester, Masterson, and Kalish in the package.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:25pm: Stark says the Angels and Twins continue to talk Santana, with many of the youngsters earmarked for Cabrera being mentioned. Seems the Halos have shifted gears from Cabrera to Johan even though they have no need for starters.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:14pm: Hey, it’s been a few minutes without a Johan update. A Red Sox source told Gordon Edes he’s not buying that the Yankees are out on Santana. I heard the exact same thing from my own Winter Meetings source – my guy says the Yanks fully expect to hear back from the Twins about a final offer later tonight.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:26pm: The Yankees, who rarely have kept their word lately, have closed the door on Johan talks.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:08pm: The Twins want to get this thing done by day’s end. 700 reporters just sighed in relief.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:51pm: Per Peter Gammons, this baby is getting closer and is now a 5-for-1 deal. The addition is outfielder Ryan Kalish.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:12pm: Phil Miller heard some speculation that the Twins could throw in another player on their side to make this thing work.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:04pm: According to Sean McAdam, the Twins will also meet with the Angels this afternoon to discuss Santana. The Twins would want Jered Weaver and Brandon Wood for starters. McAdam says the Red Sox and Twins haven’t spoken since this morning. Meanwhile Joe Christensen says there’s lobby buzz about the Red Sox/Twins deal becoming a 5-for-1.
Peter Abraham chimes in, saying the Yankees have made their final offer and the Twins would have to approach them now. That’s one way to frame it; Joel Sherman says it’s more that the Yankees just won’t get a chance to top Boston’s best offer. The Yankees left off pushing Hughes/Cabrera/Marquez/Alberto Gonzalez.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 1:15pm: ESPN Peter Gammons says the Twins are trying to decide between a 3-for-1 (Ellsbury/Lowrie/Masterson) or a 4-for-1 (Lester/Crisp/Lowrie/Masterson). No contract negotiations with the Red Sox and Santana’s agent have taken place yet.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 1:08pm: The Boston Globe has an update, basically saying negotiations are to resume this afternoon between the Red Sox and Twins. It’s still not known whether the Twins will take an Ellsbury package or the Lester one. Meanwhile WFAN’s Sweeny Murti expects the Red Sox to send Lester, Crisp, and two others for Johan.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Red Sox will enhance their offer one more time to get this thing done. It still won’t include both Lester and Ellsbury.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:13am: Not sure when this morning he wrote it, but George King still thinks the Yankees are the favorite for Johan. Peter Abraham quotes Hank as saying the Yanks are done talking to the Twins about Santana, for now.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:59am: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has an update. The Red Sox looked at Lester’s medical records and saw no issues. There are two different possible scenarios/packages of players still in play. None include Ellsbury and Lester/Buchholz. Masterson and/or Lowrie are expected to be in there one way or another.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 8:34am: LENIII is hearing the four players are Lester, Crisp, Lowrie, and Masterson – same as Gordon Edes said.
FROM 12-4-07 at 7:31am:
It was a long Monday with all the twists and turns you’d expect in the Johan Santana talks. Here’s the latest, which will surely be updated throughout the day.
The Red Sox and Twins called it a night around 2am CST, but Gordon Edes thinks the Red Sox are close and a deal could be announced this morning. The Twins looked at Jon Lester‘s medical records; the Red Sox reviewed Santana’s. The supposed deal right now is Coco Crisp, Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie, and Lester. Not bad but it would represent a concession by the Twins. If an agreement is reached, the Red Sox still need to pull off a contract extension.
Ed Price has a different take on Boston’s offer – his source says it’s Lester, Crisp, Ellsbury, and Lowrie. It would be odd to see two center fielders included, but there you go.
Meanwhile Mark Feinsand says the Yankees are moving on to Dan Haren. Brian Cashman will probably find equal if not bigger demands coming from Billy Beane.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Rolen, Haren, Prior, Hawkins
Ken Rosenthal has some new rumors for us.
- The Dodgers lead the chase for Scott Rolen, with the Angels also in the mix. The Giants’ Brian Sabean denied interest.
- The D’Backs view the Athletics’ requests for Dan Haren to be quite excessive.
- Talks between the Padres and Cubs for Mark Prior have cooled.
- The Rangers offered LaTroy Hawkins a one-year deal with a club option. As you know, he wants two years.
D’Backs Rumors: Haren, Kuroda, Carlos Gonzalez
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert has some trade rumors to digest this evening concerning the D’Backs.
- Arizona had discussions with the A’s about Dan Haren today. Many names were thrown about. Conor Jackson was not involved. The A’s asked about Max Scherzer and were told he’s not available. We learned earlier that Carlos Gonzalez‘s name came up.
- By the way, the D’Backs aren’t interested in Joe Blanton.
- Arizona is still around 3/30 on Hiroki Kuroda.
- The Rangers inquired about Carlos Gonzalez but wouldn’t consider parting with Eric Hurley for him.
- The Nats are indeed interested in Miguel Montero, as reported previously.
Brewers Considering Crede, Blalock, Feliz, LaRoche, Tejada
What, you thought the Brewers were dead set on Scott Rolen? Not so, according to Tom Haudricourt. They’re considering the following options at third base, mostly because the left field options are worse.
- Joe Crede – I can see this one happening, Doug Melvin and Kenny Williams get along. And Kenny really has nowhere to play Crede.
- Hank Blalock – Trading Blalock now is generally seen as selling low, so this seems unlikely.
- Pedro Feliz – I’m going to disagree with Haudricourt that Feliz is intriguing.
- Andy LaRoche – Now this one is intriguing, hitting the Dodgers up for LaRoche. I imagine Colletti may want to include LaRoche in other, bigger deals though.
- Miguel Tejada – He’s been discussed, but all the well-known warts make this unlikely.
ESPN’s Latest: Lamb, Bedard, Tejada, Loretta
ESPN’s Amy Nelson and Buster Olney recently checked in with a few new rumors.
- The Red Sox checked in on Mike Lamb – they’re looking for a corner infield backup. Lamb had good numbers in ’07 so he may prefer to look for a starting job. Meanwhile, Evan Grant says the Rangers are in the lead for Lamb. They’d give him that starting gig.
- The Orioles apparently have four teams already offering impressive packages for Erik Bedard.
- The Dodgers and O’s talked Miguel Tejada last night but they couldn’t find a match.
- The Mariners like Mark Loretta as a backup and challenger to Jose Lopez; they may offer around $2MM.
Cardinals Rumors: Rolen, Tejada, Edmonds
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:38am: Tom Haudricourt confirms that the Brewers will have access to Rolen’s medical records. That the Brewers will take a look indicates they are probably serious about Rolen.
FROM 12-4-07 at 12:14am:
Joe Strauss has a new one in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, presumably for the Tuesday morning edition.
- The Cards have already met twice with the Brewers to talk about Scott Rolen. They’re providing medical information to the Brewers, and appear flexible on the amount of salary they need to cover. Teams interested in Rolen can speak directly to the third baseman’s doctor and surgeon. Strauss confirms the Rangers and Giants as two other interested parties.
- The Rolen deal may hinge on Miguel Cabrera being traded first. The Cards poked their head in but wouldn’t part with Colby Rasmus.
- The Cards are likely to create a third base vacancy, so they’ve been talking to the Orioles about Miguel Tejada.
- As you know, the Cards met with the Padres to discuss Jim Edmonds. The Friars also have their eye on Anthony Reyes. Maybe the Cards can pry Kevin Kouzmanoff loose?
- Aside from the aforementioned Brewers, Orioles, and Padres, John Mozeliak also met with the Mariners today.