2008-09 MLB Hot Stove
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Rosenthal's Latest: Boras Seeking Teixeira-Varitek Package Deal?
By Sarah Green [December 6 at 3:56pm CST]
Halfway through his column on free agents expected to decline arbitration, Rosenthal buries this interesting nugget:
By Sarah Green [December 6 at 3:56pm CST]
Halfway through his column on free agents expected to decline arbitration, Rosenthal buries this interesting nugget:
Some rival agents...believe that Boras might be offering [Jason] Varitek in a "package deal" with the catcher's friend and fellow Georgia Tech alum, free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox are pursuing Teixeira, and the Nationals are among the other teams that might have interest in both players.
It's not the first time that Boras has been accused of packaging his players, and it's not the first time those rumors have concerned the Red Sox: when Boston signed J.D. Drew, there was a raft of unsubstantiated talk that Drew had been packaged with Daisuke Matsuaka -- in whom the Red Sox had already sunk $51.1MM for negotiating rights.
Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Rays, Orioles
By Sarah Green [December 6 at 2:50pm CST]
A few more links to add to what Coley posted earlier (if I find more links later this afternoon, I'll just update this post):
By Sarah Green [December 6 at 2:50pm CST]
A few more links to add to what Coley posted earlier (if I find more links later this afternoon, I'll just update this post):
- An assertion that Boston is unlikely to get into a bidding war for any free agent pitcher--that refers mostly to Derek Lowe, AJ Burnett, and CC Sabathia--is buried in this Boston.com slideshow. It reflects the sentiments heard elsewhere.
- From Bill Chastain of MLB.com, the Rays are starting MLB's first baseball academy in Brazil. East Windup Chronicle has a good analysis of the move. Though it won't pay off for years, getting in first will give the Rays a head start in scooping up top talent.
- Bill Ordine and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun debate how aggressive the Orioles need to be at the winter meetings in Vegas.
- MLB sources confirm to Ken Rosenthal that several much-discussed free agents are unlikely to accept arbitration, including Jason Varitek, for whom arbitration had been mentioned as a possible solution earlier today. (Key roadblock there: Varitek's agent Scott Boras.) This also contradicts an earlier report from Rosenthal, which suggested Varitek might accept arbitration.
Mets Turned Down Marquis For Heilman
By Tim Dierkes [December 6 at 10:45pm CST]
According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Cubs offered Jason Marquis and salary relief to the Mets for reliever Aaron Heilman. The Mets declined. It's been suggested the Cubs are willing to eat as much as $4MM of Marquis' $9.875MM.
Graziano seems to believe the Mets are targeting a Marquis-like free agent starter, Jon Garland.
By Tim Dierkes [December 6 at 10:45pm CST]
According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Cubs offered Jason Marquis and salary relief to the Mets for reliever Aaron Heilman. The Mets declined. It's been suggested the Cubs are willing to eat as much as $4MM of Marquis' $9.875MM.
Graziano seems to believe the Mets are targeting a Marquis-like free agent starter, Jon Garland.
Garrett Anderson A Fit For Rays?
By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 12:15am CST]
Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times passes along quotes from Rays manager Joe Maddon, who is fond of Garrett Anderson. Maddon knows GA from his days as an Angels coach. Whether the Rays are actually interested in his services remains to be seen.
By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 12:15am CST]
Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times passes along quotes from Rays manager Joe Maddon, who is fond of Garrett Anderson. Maddon knows GA from his days as an Angels coach. Whether the Rays are actually interested in his services remains to be seen.
Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Pedro, Turnbow
By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 12:10am CST]
Let's check in with Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel for the latest on the Pirates.
By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 12:10am CST]
Let's check in with Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel for the latest on the Pirates.
- Kovacevic on Jack Wilson: the Tigers are out, the Dodgers are quiet lately, and the Twins are in. Biertempfel says the Orioles continue to watch from afar. Wilson's contract is a sticking point for all suitors.
- Kovacevic believes the Pirates have at least not ruled out the idea of pursuing Pedro Martinez.
- Derrick Turnbow will throw for scouts in mid-January, so he probably won't sign until then. The Pirates and Giants are among eight teams that have expressed interest.
- The Pirates seem likely to make a Rule 5 pick this year.
- With Pirates target Mark Loretta signing with the Dodgers, Biertempfel wonders if the Bucs may pursue David Eckstein or Craig Counsell.
Mets Bullpen Rumors: Monday
By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 11:56pm CST]
11:56pm: Rodriguez's agent Paul Kinzer on whether the rumored two-year, $25MM offer with a third-year option is true: "Absolutely not." It will require three guaranteed years at least to sign K-Rod.
8:43pm: K-Rod gave some quotes to the media, nothing interesting.
7:14pm: [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3755677&type=blogEntry"]ESPN.com- Mets meet with Fuentes[/ame] the Mets finished their meet with Fuentes; Hoffman is up next. Wood is not in Vegas. Stark adds that the Mets discussed concepts but did not make a formal offer to K-Rod.
6:45pm: Sherman now says the Mets' offer was for $25MM over two years plus a third year option.
6:03pm: Rodriguez's agent Paul Kinzer told Sherman he'll try to be creative with this contract. Sherman asked whether that could mean an opt-out clause, and Kinzer responded in the affirmative. Sherman says the Mets' offer is in the range of three years, $33MM; no talk of the vesting option Heyman mentioned.
5:26pm: Jon Heyman says the Mets offered K-Rod a two-year deal worth about $12MM per with a third-year vesting option. Doesn't sound like something he'll jump at.
2:14pm: Joel Sherman rejects Graziano's report. Sherman says the Mets have not talked to the Jays about B.J. Ryan.
1:39pm: Gerry Fraley learned from a team official that the Mets made a three-year offer to K-Rod, but they don't expect him to take it immediately.
12:06pm: Joel Sherman has details on the Mets' talks for Huston Street. Omar Minaya called the Rox a few weeks ago suggesting Aaron Heilman and Pedro Feliciano for Street. The Rockies took the weekend to think about it, but when they called back Minaya had changed his mind.
In another article, Sherman says Omar Minaya's approach toward free agent closers is Boras-like. He believes the Mets' offer to K-Rod last night was three years with an option.
11:16am: Jon Heyman and Ken Davidoff/David Lennon agree that the Mets are meeting with Fuentes and Hoffman shortly. And Heyman believes the Mets' offer to K-Rod last night was for three years.
10:33am: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger says the Mets and Blue Jays had discussions about B.J. Ryan. However, the Jays want Fernando Martinez and the Mets don't want to trade the young outfield prospect.
7:50am: According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Omar Minaya and other Mets officials dined at a steakhouse with Francisco Rodriguez for over four hours Sunday night. Lennon believes the early presence of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon implies that negotiations with K-Rod may have reached a critical stage.
SI.com's Jon Heyman wrote earlier yesterday evening that the Mets were expected to make an offer to Rodriguez at the meeting. Maybe three years with a vesting option.
The Mets also plan to meet with Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman today, with Kerry Wood also on the radar. Ken Davidoff looks at the options and says, "It's gotta be K-Rod." The Rangers like Wood as well, by the way
By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 11:56pm CST]
11:56pm: Rodriguez's agent Paul Kinzer on whether the rumored two-year, $25MM offer with a third-year option is true: "Absolutely not." It will require three guaranteed years at least to sign K-Rod.
8:43pm: K-Rod gave some quotes to the media, nothing interesting.
7:14pm: [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3755677&type=blogEntry"]ESPN.com- Mets meet with Fuentes[/ame] the Mets finished their meet with Fuentes; Hoffman is up next. Wood is not in Vegas. Stark adds that the Mets discussed concepts but did not make a formal offer to K-Rod.
6:45pm: Sherman now says the Mets' offer was for $25MM over two years plus a third year option.
6:03pm: Rodriguez's agent Paul Kinzer told Sherman he'll try to be creative with this contract. Sherman asked whether that could mean an opt-out clause, and Kinzer responded in the affirmative. Sherman says the Mets' offer is in the range of three years, $33MM; no talk of the vesting option Heyman mentioned.
5:26pm: Jon Heyman says the Mets offered K-Rod a two-year deal worth about $12MM per with a third-year vesting option. Doesn't sound like something he'll jump at.
2:14pm: Joel Sherman rejects Graziano's report. Sherman says the Mets have not talked to the Jays about B.J. Ryan.
1:39pm: Gerry Fraley learned from a team official that the Mets made a three-year offer to K-Rod, but they don't expect him to take it immediately.
12:06pm: Joel Sherman has details on the Mets' talks for Huston Street. Omar Minaya called the Rox a few weeks ago suggesting Aaron Heilman and Pedro Feliciano for Street. The Rockies took the weekend to think about it, but when they called back Minaya had changed his mind.
In another article, Sherman says Omar Minaya's approach toward free agent closers is Boras-like. He believes the Mets' offer to K-Rod last night was three years with an option.
11:16am: Jon Heyman and Ken Davidoff/David Lennon agree that the Mets are meeting with Fuentes and Hoffman shortly. And Heyman believes the Mets' offer to K-Rod last night was for three years.
10:33am: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger says the Mets and Blue Jays had discussions about B.J. Ryan. However, the Jays want Fernando Martinez and the Mets don't want to trade the young outfield prospect.
7:50am: According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Omar Minaya and other Mets officials dined at a steakhouse with Francisco Rodriguez for over four hours Sunday night. Lennon believes the early presence of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon implies that negotiations with K-Rod may have reached a critical stage.
SI.com's Jon Heyman wrote earlier yesterday evening that the Mets were expected to make an offer to Rodriguez at the meeting. Maybe three years with a vesting option.
The Mets also plan to meet with Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman today, with Kerry Wood also on the radar. Ken Davidoff looks at the options and says, "It's gotta be K-Rod." The Rangers like Wood as well, by the way
Dodgers GM says Sabathia wants to be in L.A.
[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3755609"]GM: CC Sabathia says he would like to be on Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame]
I said all along there is two things that may influence Sabathia's destination come contract time:
1) The possibility of playing close to home (Cali)
2) The possibility to be able to swing the bat on an NL team.
The Yankees' six-year, $140 million offer to Sabathia has been on the table now for nearly four weeks. Not only has Sabathia not said yes, he has been sending messages to the three interested West Coast teams -- the Dodgers, Giants and Angels -- that he would like to play in California.
This all makes perfect sense now.......
[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3755609"]GM: CC Sabathia says he would like to be on Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame]
I said all along there is two things that may influence Sabathia's destination come contract time:
1) The possibility of playing close to home (Cali)
2) The possibility to be able to swing the bat on an NL team.
The Yankees' six-year, $140 million offer to Sabathia has been on the table now for nearly four weeks. Not only has Sabathia not said yes, he has been sending messages to the three interested West Coast teams -- the Dodgers, Giants and Angels -- that he would like to play in California.
This all makes perfect sense now.......
Tribe, Kerry Woods Talk
Las Vegas- The Indians met twice with Pat Rooney, agent for closer Kerry Wood, as the winter meetings opened Monday at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.
The Indians have been looking for a closer since the end of last season. Wood, with a long history of injuries, was 34-for-40 in save situations with a 3.26 ERA in 65 games for the Chicago Cubs last season. It was his first season as a closer.
Tribe, Kerry Wood's agent talk - Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball News - cleveland.com
Las Vegas- The Indians met twice with Pat Rooney, agent for closer Kerry Wood, as the winter meetings opened Monday at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.
The Indians have been looking for a closer since the end of last season. Wood, with a long history of injuries, was 34-for-40 in save situations with a 3.26 ERA in 65 games for the Chicago Cubs last season. It was his first season as a closer.
Tribe, Kerry Wood's agent talk - Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball News - cleveland.com
Dodgers agree with Blake, Loretta
The [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=lad"]Moved Permanently[/ame] are expected to announce the signings of [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4149"]Casey Blake Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame] and [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3343"]Mark Loretta Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame] on Tuesday.
Blake has agreed to a three-year deal worth slightly more than $17.1 million. It's believed the [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=min"]Moved Permanently[/ame] had offered him a two-year contract in the neighborhood of $14 million. Loretta has agreed to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
He figures to be the Dodgers' primary backup at all four infield positions. Blake, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Cleveland Indians just before the trade deadline, batted .250 in 211 plate appearances for the Dodgers and .274 overall last season. He's a career .264 hitter with 128 home runs and 447 RBIs in 10 major league seasons.
Loretta hit .280 in 261 at-bats for the [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=hou"]Moved Permanently[/ame] last season with four homers and 38 RBIs. He appeared at four infield positions and hit .330 against left-handers.
A 13-year veteran and two-time All-Star, Loretta was not offered arbitration by the Astros, so the Dodgers won't have to surrender any draft picks to sign him.
The [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=lad"]Moved Permanently[/ame] are expected to announce the signings of [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4149"]Casey Blake Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame] and [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3343"]Mark Loretta Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame] on Tuesday.
Blake has agreed to a three-year deal worth slightly more than $17.1 million. It's believed the [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=min"]Moved Permanently[/ame] had offered him a two-year contract in the neighborhood of $14 million. Loretta has agreed to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
He figures to be the Dodgers' primary backup at all four infield positions. Blake, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Cleveland Indians just before the trade deadline, batted .250 in 211 plate appearances for the Dodgers and .274 overall last season. He's a career .264 hitter with 128 home runs and 447 RBIs in 10 major league seasons.
Loretta hit .280 in 261 at-bats for the [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=hou"]Moved Permanently[/ame] last season with four homers and 38 RBIs. He appeared at four infield positions and hit .330 against left-handers.
A 13-year veteran and two-time All-Star, Loretta was not offered arbitration by the Astros, so the Dodgers won't have to surrender any draft picks to sign him.
Updated: Tribe Close to Deal with Wood
Indians close to deal with closer Wood | indians.com: News
LAS VEGAS -- The Indians appear to be close to signing closer Kerry Wood to a two-year contract, MLB.com has learned.
The offer to Wood might include an option for a third year, though that could not immediately be confirmed. But a source said the deal is gaining momentum and could be completed quickly.
The Indians met with Pat Rooney, the agent for Wood, at the Bellagio on Monday and stepped up their efforts to land the 31-year-old right-hander.
Wood went 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA and 34 saves in 65 appearances for the Cubs last season. He struck out 84 batters and walked 18 in 66 1/3 innings. Wood has a long history of arm troubles that subsided when the Cubs moved him to the bullpen permanently in 2007.
If the Indians sign Wood, they would move youngster Jensen Lewis, who saved 13 games down the stretch in '08, back to a setup role.
Indians close to deal with closer Wood | indians.com: News
LAS VEGAS -- The Indians appear to be close to signing closer Kerry Wood to a two-year contract, MLB.com has learned.
The offer to Wood might include an option for a third year, though that could not immediately be confirmed. But a source said the deal is gaining momentum and could be completed quickly.
The Indians met with Pat Rooney, the agent for Wood, at the Bellagio on Monday and stepped up their efforts to land the 31-year-old right-hander.
Wood went 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA and 34 saves in 65 appearances for the Cubs last season. He struck out 84 batters and walked 18 in 66 1/3 innings. Wood has a long history of arm troubles that subsided when the Cubs moved him to the bullpen permanently in 2007.
If the Indians sign Wood, they would move youngster Jensen Lewis, who saved 13 games down the stretch in '08, back to a setup role.
Hasn't the move to the bullpen been easier on Wood's arm and his tendency for injuries?
From a mid-market standpoint, this might make sense for us. Of the closers we're looking at, Wood's considerable younger than Trevor Hoffman and considerably cheaper than K-Rod.
We need help for the bullpen, and Wood had 34 saves last year. Wood also has a cannon for an arm; as in 84 K in 66 innings cannon.
Good point, I don't know, I just don't trust him. I mean this guy amazing when he first came up and then he got hurt. [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=3821"]Kerry Wood Stats, News, Photos - Cleveland Indians - ESPN[/ame] Your points are well taken but I would be timid because he did get hurt. If he was injured 6 or 7 yrs. ago, I maybe would have taken a chance but he's only been back for a yr. or so. How do I know he won't break down again?
I agree. His injuries are a concern, but this is why he's also the cheapest option. When healthy though, he can pitch with the best of them. High risk, high reward I guess.
No...ever since they...the Cubs...got rid of the "arm killer" Dusty Baker, the Cubs ALLOWED for Wood to heal properly and have not rushed him and he responded with a good year from the bullpen.
