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Twitter Rumors: Doumit, Mahay, Wolf, Jenkins

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Collecting some tweets I couldn't quite turn into posts…

  • Four unknown teams are in on Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • The Nationals have interest in free agent catcher Brad Ausmus, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • The Red Sox have interest in free agent lefty Ron Mahay, says Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The 38-year-old posted a 4.29 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.3 innings for the Royals and Twins this year.  Two years ago he was quite a hot commodity on the free agent market.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Brett Myers is seeking a two-year deal.  The Rangers and other teams are interested at one year.  Crasnick wrote a few days ago that the Astros are also interested, while Andrew Baggarly named the Giants as a suitor today.
  • Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times shoots down Danny Knobler's rumor that the Pirates have interest in Juan Pierre.  Nonetheless, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets of interest from the Pirates, White Sox, and a third team.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees want to resolve the Andy Pettitte/Johnny Damon situations before moving on to Hideki Matsui and other starting pitcher options.
  • White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune that the Sox are not in the market for a pure DH.
  • The Brewers are making a "strong run" at Randy Wolf, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Ruben Amaro Jr.'s comment that "those are guys we will probably count on" implies relievers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts by the Phillies (Andy Martino reporting).
  • Crasnick says Geoff Jenkins wants to make a comeback in 2010 and has been working out at first base and outfield in hopes of landing a bench role.
  • Crasnick says to expect the Cubs to tender a contract to Mike Fontenot on Saturday.
  • Bill Shanks quoting Braves manager Bobby Cox: "clubs are knocking on the door for Kelly Johnson."  I imagine Johnson will be dealt by Saturday.
  • ESPN's Gordon Edes says that while Red Sox owner John Henry is a big fan of Miguel Cabrera from their Marlins days, the Red Sox "don't have the Major League-ready position players Detroit wants in return."
  • Crasnick expects Elmer Dessens to re-sign with the Mets, though the pitcher has talked to the Dodgers and Padres.
  • Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Braves want to move Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez, but not Kenshin Kawakami.
  • Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will meet with Chan Ho Park's agent today "and attempt to resolve their differences over Park's value."  The Phils did not offer arbitration to Park, a Type B free agent.  Park craves another shot at starting, which won't happen in Philly.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Phillies like Brandon Lyon, but aren't "willing to pay the price for him."  Lyon is said to be seeking a multiyear deal.  He is expected to turn down the Tigers' offer of arbitration today.  The Yankees have been named as another suitor.
  • Crasnick says the Astros "have very little money to spend, unless Drayton McLane suddenly has a change of heart."

Mets Step Up Pursuit For Willingham, Rivera

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The Mets have intensified their pursuit for left fielders Josh Willingham and Juan Rivera, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Given all their needs, the Mets like the idea of acquiring the more cost-effective Willingham or Rivera rather than signing Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.  ESPN's Buster Olney notes that while the Mets have made inquiries on corner outfield trade targets, they are not close to a deal.

Willingham might be tough to pry loose, based on comments from Nationals manager Jim Riggleman.  It's rumored that Rivera could be available as a way to clear a spot for the Angels to sign Jason Bay.

Five Teams Interested In Kevin Gregg?

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Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets the "early market" for free agent reliever Kevin Gregg: the Rays, Nationals, Tigers, and Rockies.  Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune says the Orioles are also interested.  I imagine Gregg will get a one-year deal for less than the $4.2MM he earned in 2009.  This year the 31-year-old improved his control a bit and whiffed more than a batter per inning, but allowed 13 home runs in 68.6 innings and lost the Cubs' closing job to Carlos Marmol.  The Cubs chose not to offer arbitration to Gregg, a Type A free agent.

With the Tigers and Rockies, the arbitration decisions of Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney, and Rafael Betancourt will be reached tonight, perhaps clearing the way for Gregg.  The Rays are looking to add reasonably-priced late-inning arms (they've already traded for Jesse Chavez).  The Nats have arbitration-eligible Mike MacDougal as the default closer currently, but may want another veteran option for 2009.  Van Dyck wonders if the Nats might non-tender MacDougal.

Cardinals Notes: Boras Meeting, Holliday Alternatives

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Joe Strauss from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses the Cardinals and their current situation with free agent Matt Holliday. Let's dive in:

  • The Cardinals are pushing for a meeting with Scott Boras at the Winter Meetings to discuss whether or not they have a legitimate chance to bring Holliday back to St. Louis.
  • If they were to retain Holliday, the club would be content to give David Freese his shot at third base and spend its leftover money on the rotation rather than infield help.
  • Re-signing Mark DeRosa is one alternative to Holliday in left, although the Cardinals understandably aren't fans of DeRosa's current asking price of three years and roughly $24MM.
  • The Cards had interest in bringing Chone Figgins aboard, prior to his agreement with the Mariners.
  • St. Louis continues to say that they don't have leverage to make trades after parting with a number of top prospects, but Strauss mentions that some teams looking to shed salary could make sense. He names Dan Uggla, Kevin Millwood, and (if he's made available) Brandon Inge as some candidates, though the Marlins are asking a lot in return for Uggla.
  • Strauss also mentions Adam Dunn, who's owed $12MM this season as a good fit, though the Nationals aren't intent on moving him. According to Strauss, several within the Cardinal organization were pushing for Dunn over Holliday last season before the deadline.
  • If the Cards are able to sign Holliday, backloading the contract as they typically do with large deals won't be beneficial as the expensive years will coincide with those of Albert Pujols, if and when he, too, gets a new contract.
  • Strauss names Vicente Padilla and Ben Sheets as possible free agent arms to target.
  • Interesting note on the Cardinals from Strauss; they haven't made a trade at the Winter Meetings since 2003 when they acquired Adam Wainwright, Jason Marquis, and Ray King.

Whatever comes of Holliday, team president Bill DeWitt plans to be active this offseason. Strauss quotes him, "If we don't spend on Holliday, we will spend on other players."

Minaya: No Pressure To Make Moves

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Ben Shpigel of the New York Times writes that Omar Minaya arrived in Indianapolis for the Winter Meetings and has said that he's not under any pressure to make moves, despite having issues to address at catcher, left field, the rotation, and the bullpen.

"I don't feel like I have to do something," Minaya is quoted as saying, and that includes signing Bengie Molina, as many expect the Mets to do. Shpigel backs up his tweet that we linked to earlier, stating that the Mets are more likely to make a trade at the meetings than sign a free agent.

Minaya feels that the Mets had more focused needs than last year, according to Shpigel. He quotes Omar:

“I remember coming here last year and we were trying to get Frankie Rodriguez… We knew that and we focused on that. Coming into the meetings we had meetings with the agent and we felt that we could get things done and address that last year. This year, it’s not as clear as it was last year. Last year we needed a closer and we ended up getting two closers. This year we have more parts that we have to fill in. Are we going to be able to fill all of them in here? I don’t know that."

The Mets would like to unload Luis Castillo in an effort to lure Orlando Hudson to New York, and they're very interested in Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham to fill their need for a slugging left fielder. Shpigel says that the Nats currently have a steep asking price though, as Willingham is in high demand.

If the Mets can't land Willingham, Shpigel suggests Marlon Byrd as a possibility, though he notes that the Mets are wary of the vast disparity between Byrd's home and road splits in 2009. Byrd hit a whopping .282/.336/.538 and clubbed 14 of his 20 home runs at home, but posted a much more pedestrian line of .285/.322/.419 away from Arlington.

Nationals Notes: Hardy, Needs

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The latest on the Nationals, courtesy of Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post…

  • The Nats discussed a deal for shortstop J.J. Hardy, before he was traded to the Twins.  However, with Ian Desmond and Cristian Guzman the projected starters, upgrading in the middle infield is not the top priority.
  • Manager Jim Riggleman says starting pitching comes first, with Sheinin suggesting trades are preferred over free agent signings. You can see our list of starting pitcher trade candidates here.
  • The Nationals also seek a catcher, more than just a backup type according to Riggleman.

Nationals Interested In John Smoltz

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The Nationals and John Smoltz have "sincere mutual interest," according to a source of Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Current Nats and former Braves president Stan Kasten is said to be a longtime fan.  However, Rosenthal says the Cardinals remain Smoltz's top choice.

Previously, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi linked the Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles to Smoltz, while ESPN's Jayson Stark named the Phillies.

Smoltz had his ups and downs this season, but his offseason popularity makes sense.  He's not coming off surgery this time, but his base salary will almost certainly be south of last year's $5.5MM.

Braves Expect Soriano & Gonzalez To Leave

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David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves fully expect relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez to turn down the team's arbitration offers and explore the market. The Braves, who surrendered a top pick when they signed Billy Wagner, stand to gain four picks if Soriano and Gonzalez sign elsewhere.

That seems likely, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. One GM told Heyman that the former Braves are "the two most sought-after relievers on the market," so their Type A status doesn't seem to be scaring teams away.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Orioles and Nationals are believed to have interest in the pair. 

However, one high-ranking executive tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Soriano would be "insane" to turn down arbitration, which could net him a deal worth about $8MM.

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Hernandez, Tigers

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Some news tidbits that aren't arbitration-related on this busy day in the majors…

  • Rays general manager and executive VP Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that the team has no plans to deal Carl Crawford, and said that the "mutual goal" of both Crawford and the Rays was to work out a long-term contract.
  • From Topkin's same post, he notes that Tampa Bay won't go after an established free agent closer this winter but relief pitching is still the club's top need.
  • Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi use the Marlins' negotiations with Josh Johnson as a springboard to speculate about how much it would cost Seattle to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • CBS Sports' Danny Knobler discusses how the Tigers aren't acting very desperate for a team that's allegedly having a fire sale.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that Ron Villone might be the only Nationals free agent who the team would want back in 2010.
  • Marc Carig of the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that if any free agents are curious about playing for the Yankees, Derek Jeter says they're welcome to call and ask him any questions they might have.  Jeter could save himself some time by simply mailing every prospective free agent a picture of his hand wearing five World Series rings.

Odds & Ends: Indians, Takahashi, Hernandez

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Some Sunday night links:

  • In his latest mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Indians are in the hunt for a first baseman that hits right-handed, in the event that Matt LaPorta isn't healthy by Opening Day.  
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news that the San Francisco Giants are "showing mild interest" in Hisanori Takahashi, via Twitter.  Earlier this week, the 34-year-old reliever made it known that he wants to make the jump to MLB.
  • Padres closer Heath Bell says that former GM Kevin Towers was never able to spend the way he wanted to and was "kind of a puppet", according to Kevin Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Bell also said that he hopes new GM Jed Hoyer has full rein over the club's baseball decisions.
  • According to a report from MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the odds of Livan Hernandez returning to the club are "less than 50-50."  Over the last three years, the 34-year-old pitcher has recorded an ERA of 5.45 whilst eating 568 innings for five different clubs.
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