Orlando Hudson’s Other Offers
Orlando Hudson agreed to a one-year $5MM deal with the Twins yesterday, but other teams were in it until the end. Here's a look at the offers the O-Dog turned down to play in Minnesota:
- The Nationals offered Hudson a $4MM deal that could have reached $5MM with incentives, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Indians offered Hudson $10MM over two years, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Indians, who have had a remarkably quiet offseason, wanted Hudson on a heavily-backloaded deal. Lots of money was tied up in the buyout of a third year option.
Odds & Ends: Jays, V-Mart, Jeter, Gonzalez
Links for Friday…
- Tim Dillard, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Don't expect the Twins to add much to their 2010 payroll. GM Bill Smith tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the team is nearing the "upper extremes" of what it can spend (Twitter link).
- The Blue Jays are no longer in on Carlos Delgado, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Twins had one of the best offseasons in baseball.
- Alex Anthopoulos doesn't expect to trade any of his relievers before the season starts, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. However, the Jays GM points out that things can change.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier compares Victor Martinez to similar catchers to hit free agency in recent years. Speier writes that after this season V-Mart could be in line for a four-year $40MM deal like the ones Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek signed. Some consider Martinez a first baseman going forward, which would make him a "completely different animal" in the eyes of interested teams.
- Those small market Twins will open the season with a payroll of about $96MM, writes Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- Derek Jeter hits free agency after the season and Hank Steinbrenner says we can "pretty much assume" what will happen at that point given Jeter's place in Yankee history (link from the Philadelphia Daily News).
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he hasn't ruled out signing Adrian Gonzalez long-term. That seems unlikely given the offers Gonzalez could demand as a free agent.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Adam Kennedy will be the Nats' everday second baseman, which likely leaves Cristian Guzman at short.
- Now the Nats will look for a veteran starter, tweets Ladson.
- Jesus Guzman cleared waivers and will receive an invitation to Giants Spring Training, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants designated the infielder for assignment in late January.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star tweets that Jarrod Washburn may be too expensive for the Royals.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that some within the Dodgers organization called Orlando Hudson "Slow-Dog" because they were surprised he wasn't faster. Some Dodgers officials believe Hudson's defensive reputation is better than it should be.
Slusser On Tomko, Kennedy, Nomar
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle addresses free agents Brett Tomko, Adam Kennedy, and Nomar Garciaparra in a new blog post.
- Tomko suffered a nerve injury on September 14th that caused his biceps to atrophy to the point of resembling lumpy gravy. The biceps is better now, but Tomko trying to pitch through forearm numbness. He hopes to be game-ready by the start of the season and spoke of a preference for the A's or Giants.
- Kennedy is talking to the Nationals and Indians, but continues to wait on Orlando Hudson's decision.
- Nomar is "widely expected" to retire. If he does, he'd bow out at age 36 with a career line of .313/.361/.521.
Brewers Claim Marco Estrada
The Brewers claimed pitcher Marco Estrada off waivers from the Nationals, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. In a corresponding move, Milwaukee designated Tim Dillard for assignment.
Estrada, 26, posted a 3.63 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 2.2 BB/9 in 136.3 Triple A innings last year. In their new Handbook, Baseball America had him ranked as the Nationals' #18 prospect. They praised his change-up, and suggested he could become a back-end starter despite being undersized. The Nats designated him for assignment recently to make room for Tyler Walker.
Dillard, 26, posted a 4.51 ERA, 3.9 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 147.6 Triple A innings last year. He'd spent the previous year as a reliever. He garnered a mention as the Brewers' #30 prospect in the '09 Handbook, when he profiled as a "resilient middle reliever." It seems clear that the Brewers upgraded going from Dillard to Estrada, and Dillard may be retained anyway if he's not claimed off waivers.
Nationals Monitoring Chien-Ming Wang
The Nationals are the latest team linked to free agent righty Chien-Ming Wang, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Wang, 30 in March, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right shoulder capsule on July 29th of last year. On January 28th, Wang's agent Alan Nero told ESPN's Jayson Stark that his client is expected to "make a major-league start sometime in the first two weeks of May." If we project Wang's return date as May 15th, that'd be 75% of a season.
Nero told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports a week ago that he's "anticipating a major-league offer with a substantial guarantee and substantial upside." About six clubs have been in on Wang this winter to some extent, including the Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Cardinals, and Mets. SI's Jon Heyman says an April showcase is possible.
Minor League Transactions: Mench, Perez, Cairo
A 25 homer hitter, a former first rounder and a 14-year veteran signed this week. Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the details on those transactions and more. Here are some highlights from January 25th-31st:
- The Nationals signed Kevin Mench. The 32-year-old didn't play in the majors last year, but he hit 25 homers as recently as 2005. He has a career .900 OPS against lefties.
- The Blue Jays signed Wade Townsend. The Rays released the 2005 first rounder last summer, but the Jays are giving him a chance.
- The Reds signed Miguel Cairo. The 14-year-veteran posted a .705 OPS for the Phillies last year in 47 plate appearances.
- The White Sox signed Daniel Cabrera. The 6'7'' right-hander led the American League in walks and earned runs allowed when he logged over 200 innings for the Orioles in 2007. He split time with the D'Backs and Nationals last year, struggling with both clubs.
- The Dodgers signed Timo Perez out of the Can-Am League. The 34-year-old surfaced as a rookie for the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series.
- The Phillies signed Freddy Guzman.
- The Mets signed Val Pascucci, who has 193 minor league homers to his name.
Odds & Ends: Mauer, Hairston, Buck, Benson
Links for Tuesday…
- We shouldn't expect a Joe Mauer extension soon, according to this tweet from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- The Padres avoided arbitration with Scott Hairston, signing the outfielder to a one-year deal worth $2.45MM, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes that the Tigers have moved into the non-denial stage regarding Johnny Damon (via Twitter).
- A's outfielder Travis Buck has a chip on his shoulder after watching the A's acquire multiple outfielders, reports CSNBayArea's Mychael Urban. But as ESPN's Rob Neyer points out, Buck hasn't done much recently with the bat.
- Free agent outfielder Darin Erstad told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick he'd love to play in 2010, but "there is nowhere to find at-bats."
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers "remain interested in Jeff Weaver, but their roster situation could prevent them from offering him a major-league deal."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports names the D'Backs, Cubs, Reds, and Nationals as teams monitoring free agent starter Kris Benson. Benson didn't pitch much in the last three seasons due to rotator cuff surgery.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. further explained his rationale behind the Cliff Lee trade, reports Scott Lauber of The News Journal. Amaro's reasoning didn't sway my opinion; none of the three prospects he received are in Keith Law's top 100 (though Ramirez is #101). The long-term value of Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies should not outweigh the extra 4-5 wins Lee would've provided in 2010. And did Amaro even shop Lee around for the best package?
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star is pessimistic on the Royals, who he says don't offer much beyond Zack Greinke, Billy Butler, and Joakim Soria.
- RotoAuthority looks at Boston's closer situation from a fantasy baseball point of view.
Orlando Hudson Rumors: Tuesday
3:00pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson talked to Adam Kennedy, who said the Nationals "basically let us know that they are kind of waiting on Orlando." Hudson earned about $7MM last year after incentives and seemingly isn't ready to accept the inevitable pay cut. He's not coming off an injury this time, but it may be difficult to top last year's $3.38MM guarantee.
9:04am: The Mariners "remain a long shot candidate" to sign free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi admits that some roster maneuvering would be necessary to accomodate Hudson, as the Ms already have Jose Lopez at second and a full slate of position players. I should add that whether Hudson is an upgrade over Lopez overall is an open question.
Morosi names the Nationals, Indians, and Twins as Hudson's other suitors. We learned yesterday that the Twins are serious, while the Rockies are out.
Lowry Audition Pushed Back
MONDAY, 4:13pm: Lowry's scheduled throwing session has been pushed back, according to the AP. His agent says the lefty has not had a setback; he just wants to throw a few more bullpen sessions before auditioning.
THURSDAY, 1:35pm: Scott Lauber of the News Journal tweets that the Phillies will be there.
WEDNESDAY, 4:29pm: The Rangers will watch Lowry throw, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
8:27am: Lefty Noah Lowry is set to throw for teams Tuesday, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The 29-year-old seeks a one-year contract after battling thoracic outlet syndrome the last few years. His last truly effective season was 2005.
Crasnick expects about 15 teams to attend the session, including the Reds, Red Sox, Cardinals, Braves, Astros, Dodgers, Mariners, Cubs, Nationals and Mets. Back in December, a Crasnick report linked the Padres, A's, Rockies, and Pirates to Lowry as well.
Orlando Hudson Rumors: Monday
3:53pm: The Rockies are out on Hudson as well as Felipe Lopez, writes Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Meanwhile, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said on Sirius XM's MLB Home Plate show today that GM Mike Rizzo "feels confident that we’re going to get [a Hudson deal] done," but other teams are interested and taking a lower-than-expected contract "might be a little bit of a hard pill to swallow" for the player.
11:15am: Ladson tweets that the Indians, Rockies, and another AL team – not the Twins – are in on Hudson, aside from the Nationals. He adds in another tweet that Hudson "appears unwilling to play for the Nats at a discount."
Still, Olney does believe (via Twitter) the Twins have shifted their focus from pitching to an infielder, perhaps given Nick Punto's recent surgery and Francisco Liriano's impresive winter ball stint.
9:25am: Let's try to decipher the latest rumors involving free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. MLB.com's Bill Ladson expects a decision this week (Twitter).
Yesterday, ESPN's Tim Kurkjian wrote the Nationals "appear to be getting closer to signing" Hudson. The deal "would be for $3 million with incentives that could easily reach $4 million for 2010." Kurkjian cautioned that Hudson had not signed off on Washington's offer. Also on Sunday, Ladson countered Kurkjian's report with two Tweets. Ladson said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo hadn't talked to Hudson's agent "in a couple of days," and if Hudson's price is coming down "that's news to Rizzo."
This morning, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Twins "appear to be serious in their pursuit of Hudson." On Saturday, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wondered if the Twins were "looking harder into acquiring Hudson" based on TwinsFest comments. Neal's colleague Joe Christensen doesn't believe the Twins would go to $3MM for Hudson.