Rangers Would Require Apology From Rogers
There was some speculation a few days ago that the "right circumstances" that would allow a Kenny Rogers-Rangers reunion would be an apology to management. Owner Tom Hicks erased any ambiguity on that front today, saying Rogers would have to apologize to the Rangers for them to entertain signing him. Evan Grant notes that made all sorts of apologies after his cameraman incident, but one to the Rangers was conspicuously absent.
Rogers, a Scott Boras client, wants a one-year, $10MM contract. The Tigers are still atop his list, but the Rangers, Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Mets could also enter the picture.
Regarding Torii Hunter, it turns out Hicks did not attend the Tuesday night dinner. It was just Jon Daniels; maybe Hicks doesn’t like Arby’s. Hunter has also met with the White Sox and Royals. Grant believes a contract offer from the Rangers could come next week.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Cordero, Livan, Jenkins
Somehow, I missed a Ken Rosenthal column. This thing is already 14 hours old. I’m slipping.
- A Mystery Team has already made a four-year offer to Francisco Cordero. We know the Brewers made an offer on Monday but Rosenthal may be referring to another club.
- Rosenthal suggests Scott Linebrink could be reunited with Bruce Bochy to become the Giants’ closer. It’s known that the Astros already have an offer out to Linebrink.
- Teams interested in Geoff Jenkins: the Cubs, Padres, Giants, Rangers, and Royals. Several of those are new to me.
- The Tigers’ payroll is expected to exceed $115MM. Time to head over to Cot’s and do some math. By my count the Tigers are around $105MM right now (includes some arbitration guesses). That leaves room for one starting pitcher signing, be it Kenny Rogers, Carlos Silva, or whoever.
- The Cardinals, Astros, and Mets have their eye on Livan Hernandez. Mets’ management is divided on signing him, since he’s a back-rotation guy.
- Rosenthal believes the Reds could shop Joey Votto or Josh Hamilton a year from now in hopes of acquiring starting pitching.
- Tony Clark is gaining in popularity as a cheap power source. He might be looking at two years, $4MM plus more playing time.
Rangers Rumors: Rogers, Gagne, Hunter
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan has some new info regarding the Rangers’ plans this offseason.
- Kenny Rogers has already had three separate stints with the Rangers, the last one ending with the cameraman incident. The Rangers would like to bring him back for a fourth tour, if the price is right. One emailer speculated that the team also wouldn’t mind an apology to management for the incident, also. Sullivan says the Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers, and Mets may also have Rogers on the radar. Seems like Ned Colletti is letting bygones be bygones with Scott Boras. UPDATE: Boras reiterated tonight that the Tigers are Rogers’ priority. He seemingly wants one year and $10MM.
- The Rangers have interest in another Boras client, Eric Gagne. I think I read this in ESPN Magazine recently – how about re-signing him and flipping him all over again at the ’08 deadline?
- Owner Tom Hicks and GM Jon Daniels had dinner with Torii Hunter tonight. I heard they had the roast beef. The Rangers will make an offer later this week, though they’ll have to top whatever the White Sox come up with.
- The Rangers also want to bring back Jamey Wright for the ‘pen.
Mets Targeting Livan Hernandez?
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has some new Mets info for us today.
- Surprisingly, Shpigel believes the one free agent starter the Mets will seriously consider is Livan Hernandez. That is odd because I had read Livan wasn’t high on Omar Minaya’s list. We’ve seen the Mets connected to free agents Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, and Jason Jennings so far this offseason.
- As far as some unsung trade opportunities, my Mets guy says Ervin Santana, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, and Noah Lowry are being considered.
- According to Shpigel, the Mets hope to re-sign Ramon Castro as their backup catcher. I don’t see that happening, as he’ll probably be able to snag a starting job elsewhere. Options the Mets are considering to start at catcher include Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, and Paul Lo Duca. A source tells me the D’Backs’ Miguel Montero may also be on the radar.
- Shpigel says Luis Castillo might command a four-year deal. Say what? The Mets may yet re-sign Castillo but want to see what the trade market offers first. Shpigel names Orlando Hudson, while I’ve also heard Alberto Callaspo.
Mariners Listening On Sexson
Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson hit a painful .205/.295/.399 last year. He’s got one more year on his contract at $14MM, and most feel that he can’t help but be better in 2008. Mariners GM Bill Bavasi recently acknowledged that some teams have inquired about Sexson.
According to the link above, one option could be swapping Sexson for another supposed bad contract, Vicente Padilla. Padilla makes $11MM in ’08, $12MM in ’09, and has a $12MM club option for 2010 with a $1.75MM buyout. So he has $24.75MM guaranteed left on his contract. Padilla had an injury-plagued year but at least came on strong in September. He’s fairly risky in general, but the fact that he’s crazy is an added burden. Still, I imagine he’s looking interesting to several teams.
Another place to send Sexson could be Kansas City. The Royals don’t have a bad contract to swap, so the Ms would have to eat money. I’m guessing the Royals would take a chance on Sexson if they only had to pay half his salary.
The Giants are one other team that has been linked to Sexson, and they do have the Ray Durham contract to swap. Durham makes $7.5MM in ’08 in the last year of his deal.
Odds and Ends: Garcia, Greene, DeJesus
With so many rumors, there’s a need for a daily Odds and Ends post to catch ’em all.
- Buster Olney talked to Freddy Garcia‘s agent. He’s looking at a June return from shoulder surgery.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro made an offer on Brad Lidge. The Astros didn’t even reply. They did hear back from the Marlins on their Miguel Cabrera inquiry. The price is seemingly too high for talks to continue. Peter Gammons says that before the Astros got Michael Bourn, the White Sox pushed for a Chad Qualls for Ryan Sweeney swap.
- Evan Grant notes that the Rangers have discussed trading shortstop Joaquin Arias to the Royals for Joey Gathright. They’ve also talked to the Brewers about Tony Gwynn Jr. GM Jon Daniels needs to have options if he can’t afford Torii Hunter or the other free agents. Grant adds that the Rangers have already been in touch with Kerry Wood.
- Jose Guillen declined his $5MM option with the Mariners – that’s no surprise. So far the Royals have expressed interest.
- Khalil Greene is under the Padres’ control through 2009, but his salary is going to jump significantly in arbitration for the ’08 and ’09 seasons. The Padres want to sign him to a multiyear deal, perhaps buying out one year of free agency. GM Kevin Towers is also posturing that he might use Scott Hairston as the regular center fielder next year, which seems a stretch. Also, Geoff Jenkins is on Towers’ radar.
- Ed Wade and the Astros have asked the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis. However the ‘Stros probably do not have the goods.’
- One way or another, the Marlins will ditch Miguel Olivo. They hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba aboard, which would take an offer better than two years, $6MM. The Mets, Brewers, and Blue Jays also like Torrealba. The Marlins are serious about upgrading behind the plate and will spend some money to do so.
- Jorge Posada seems set on testing the market, which never bodes well for the incumbent team.
- David DeJesus is a hot commodity as an affordable center fielder, but Dayton Moore expects to hang onto him. Maybe he’ll change his mind once some big names are off the board.
Rangers Rumors: Kinsler, Laird, Padilla
Here’s the latest hot stove buzz surrounding the Rangers.
- The team will try again to lock up second baseman Ian Kinsler long-term. It would be a five-year deal, buying out one year of free agency. Kinsler had an inconsistent 2007. He hit .298/.375/.667 with 9 HR in April and .256/.351/.393 thereafter. Nice to see him draw 62 walks though.
- Jon Daniels has had several teams ask him about Gerald Laird and Hank Blalock. He’s not likely to sell low on Blalock. But Laird is getting more costly and the Rangers want to use Jarrod Saltalamacchia full-time behind the plate. He’s only 28 – young in catcher years – and has a cannon for an arm. And while he didn’t hit much in ’07, he’s shown flashes of potential. The Red Sox have checked in on him.
- Daniels admitted publicly admitted that he’s open to trading Vicente Padilla. Might as well not hide it. This could be a fine buy-low opportunity for some team, if they can keep his attitude in check. The Cubs had interest last summer but don’t figure to re-open the discussion.
- The Rangers will look at Japanese options in Kosuke Fukudome and Hiroki Kuroda. They also like Mike Lamb and Ben Broussard. Those all seem like reasonable signings.
Heyman’s Latest: Cabrera, Blalock, Bonds
Rumor-man Jon Heyman has some good info from the GM meetings.
- Miguel Cabrera is officially available, as the Marlins have made calls to selected teams describing what they’d want in return. The main contenders for Cabrera are the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, and Angels. Also, Paul Hoynes suggested this morning that the Indians could be in the mix. You know the drill – it takes 2-3 top flight prospects, at least one of them a blue chip pitcher. Heyman even says Cabrera could be combined with Dontrelle Willis to create the mother of all blockbusters. This package will exceed the one Texas got for Mark Teixeira. Cabrera has two full years left before free agency.
- Heyman names 12 other trade candidates, most of which we’ve discussed before. He mentions under Hank Blalock that the Dodgers and Red Sox have called. Suddenly there are tons of third basemen available.
- Mariano Rivera received a three-year, $39MM offer from the Yankees, about what we expected. He hasn’t responded; he has all the leverage as the best free agent closer.
- The Rangers aren’t interested in Barry Bonds, according to Jon Daniels.
Odds and Ends: Glavine, Kent, Kuroda
Picking up some rumors and tidbits that haven’t been otherwise posted during this busy day…
- An Atlanta TV station states that Tom Glavine would take a lot less money to play for the Braves. Also, the Astros have reportedly been in touch with him.
- Joe Torre senses that Jeff Kent will return in 2008. The Dodgers certainly hope so; he led the team with 20 home runs in ’07.
- Trey Hillman took a parting shot at Japanese reporters (hat tip to JapanBall).
- Reliever Masafumi Hirai might come over to MLB. I’ll have to learn more about him.
- Hiroki Kuroda prefers to play on the West Coast because he doesn’t like cold weather. Hmmm, Chicago might not work for him. Kuroda has declared free agency, and the Mariners are interested. There is word here that the Rangers have scouted him as well.
- The Braves are interested in Masahide Kobayashi to close, while the Mariners like him as a middle reliever (link in Japanese).
- There will be no Mike Lowell + A-Rod combo in Boston.
- Luis Gonzalez would like to return to the Tigers, while the team is interested in Cliff Floyd and Shannon Stewart for left field. Ben Broussard may also be on the radar.
- The Rangers also like Broussard, and they’ve contacted Mike Lamb as well regarding their first base vacancy. Lamb could play third if they trade Hank Blalock. Jon Daniels also has Kerry Wood in his sights.
- The Rockies like Shawn Chacon, but only as a reliever.
- Derrick Goold breaks down the options for the Cardinals at shortstop.
- Don’t forget to make an entry in our Hot Stove Hysteria contest. The deadline is November 12th. If you feel the need to edit your entry, just post a new one. They’re time-stamped; your latest entry will be used. A new prize has been added: a fantasy draft kit from Big Dawg Baseball.
Rangers Rumors: DeJesus, Lamb, Millar
Evan Grant writes for the Dallas Morning News, but he posted this column at night. Go figure. He’s got some new info regarding the Rangers.
- As you know, the Rangers have had difficulty finding a long-term center fielder. That’s the main focus of this offseason. The team has already shown interest in Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand, the top center fielders available. Other free agents such as Andruw Jones and Mike Cameron appear to be in play as well. Grant’s trade candidates: Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, Mark Kotsay, and Carlos Beltran. We’ve speculated on DeJesus to Atlanta in the past. With DeJesus signed cheaply through 2011 and the market at the position robust this winter, it might make sense for Dayton Moore to wait a year to shop him aggressively.
- Grant adds that Jon Daniels is considering some affordable options for first base. They’ve already talked to Mike Lamb‘s agent and like Kevin Millar as well. Lamb came up through the Rangers’ system but was traded to the Yankees in ’04. Millar is under contract for ’08 but it’s in the $3-4MM range and the Orioles should be open to a trade. Grant says Ben Broussard could pique the Rangers’ interest if he’s non-tendered.
- Grant concludes with five Rangers whose names will be bandied about in trade talks: Gerald Laird, Vicente Padilla, Joaquin Arias, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Nelson Cruz. Salty’s not being shopped but Grant expects teams to ask. He proposes some kind of bad contract swap for Padilla – Jason Giambi, Richie Sexson, or Adam Eaton are named. I still think it’s funny the way Padilla crawled away from the brawl he started this year.