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Aroldis Chapman

Kurkjian’s Latest: Yankees, Dodgers, Chapman

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Tim Kurkjian runs through some of the top storylines to watch this offseason for his latest article on ESPN.com.  Here's a breakdown of some of the topics discussed…

  • Kurkjian believes the Yankees will let Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk this winter and will "consider" free agents Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.
  • Kurkjian also thinks Holliday is "perfect for Fenway Park," and someone who will be pursued if the Red Sox aren't able to reach an agreement with Bay.
  • The McCourts' divorce could have a serious impact on the way Los Angeles does business this offseason.  As Kurkjian writes, "The Dodgers need to acquire at least one topflight starting pitcher, but there is already speculation that they will not have enough money to re-sign left-hander Randy Wolf."
  • The Cubs won't be able to trade Milton Bradley without picking up most of the two years, $20MM left on his contact.
  • The Yanks are likely to re-sign Andy Pettitte for at least one year.
  • Kurkjian spoke to one MLB general manager who thinks Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman has "a ways to go before he's ready to pitch in the major leagues, phyiscally and emotionally."
  • The Angels are expected to be aggressive in trying to re-sign Chone Figgins, but he'll have plenty of other suitors.  Kurkjian lists the White Sox and Orioles as possibilities.  We've heard the Cubs might also have interest.

Marlins Interested In Aroldis Chapman

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MLBTR has learned of a surprising suitor for free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman: the Marlins.  They intend to submit an offer and hope to meet Chapman this month.  Offers began rolling in for Chapman last week.

Here's our Chapman review from last week.  Since then we've learned more about the Angels, White Sox, Orioles, Cubs, and Braves.

Braves Interested In Chapman?

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10:07pm: In an e-mail to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Braves GM Frank Wren denied having any plans to meet with Chapman.

7:37pm: The Atlanta Braves have joined the list of suitors after Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, writes Melissa Segura of SI.com.  While an exact date, time and location has not been decided on yet, the two parties are "expected to schedule formal conversations in the coming weeks."

Segura identifies the Orioles, Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Mets, Athletics and Cardinals as other clubs also believed to be interested in the 21-year-old.  Our review of the Chapman sweepstakes cites information that indicates Detroit, Seattle and San Francisco also have some level of interest in signing the lefty.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Bradley, Rays, Twins

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Links for Monday…

Rogers On Chapman, Vazquez, Valentine, Gonzalez

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Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune looks at a few hot stove topics from around the league in his latest article. Here are some of his thoughts:

  • He speculates that the Seattle Mariners' interest in Aroldis Chapman stems from their desire to still have a front-line starter if they eventually decide to move Felix Hernandez.
  • Rogers is skeptical that the two Chicago teams have the resources to compete seriously in the Chapman sweepstakes. Be sure to check out MLBTR's complete Chapman review.
  • With Tim Hudson on the verge of re-signing with the Braves, Ken Rosenthal indicated that Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe could be shopped for a bat. Rogers suggests it'll be Vazquez that's put on the trading block.
  • Bobby Valentine could be out of the mix for a major-league managerial spot this season, as the Washington Nationals look likely to give Jim Riggleman their full-time gig.
  • Rogers thinks it's "wishful thinking" to expect new Padres GM Jed Hoyer to deal Adrian Gonzalez to Hoyer's former employer, the Boston Red Sox.

The Orioles And Aroldis Chapman

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Free agent left-hander Aroldis Chapman is quickly racking up face time with MLB clubs, meeting with several different teams in the past few days and drumming up interest all over the league.  On Friday, he chatted with Orioles international scouting director John Stockstill in New York about the possibility of beginning his professional career in Baltimore.

Are the Orioles to be taken seriously as possible suitors for Chapman?  It depends on who you ask.  Stockstill said Friday, after his meeting in NYC with the highly touted 21-year-old, that there is some mutual interest.  "He's willing and interested to come and visit Baltimore," Stockstill said, while also telling MASN's Roch Kubatko, "I think we have an offer in mind."

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the club is truly prepared to buck up, especially if the price is in the $40-$60MM range.  As Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun points out, the O's passed on Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano earlier this month, and he signed with the Twins for only $3.15MM.  "If they would balk at Sano at that price," Schmuck writes, "what makes anybody think they'll be a real player at $40 million for Chapman?"

"I'm sure a lot of people would like to see the Orioles boldly go where they haven't gone before and pony up the big money it will take to sign Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman," Schmuck continues, "but I wouldn't hold your breath."

Angels Yet To Call On Aroldis Chapman

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The Angels have been linked to free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman via scouting director Eddie Bane.  Given Chapman's friendship with Kendry Morales and interest in Southern California, the Halos could be a decent fit.  However, our source says the team has yet to call to express interest.

Chapman is also friendly with Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox.  We reported Chicago's interest on October 22nd, but we've since learned that their involvement has been limited.

Chapman visited with the Red Sox on Wednesday.  A meeting with the Orioles will take place today.  He's yet to throw for teams, so the process still appears to be in the early stages.  You can check out our review of all his suitors here.  One other new piece of information – Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported yesterday that the Indians have no interest.

Aroldis Chapman And The Red Sox

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Aroldis Chapman's agent told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his client was impressed with the Red Sox after visiting with the team yesterday. Edwin Mejia, who represents the 21-year-old lefty, said the visit with Red Sox executives and an unknown player was a "very good" one. But the Red Sox are far from the only team interested.

"I'd say ten teams have said they want to meet with us," Mejia told the Globe. "It's no secret who he is and what he can do."

Tim recently counted 12 teams with some interest, so Mejia may be getting more calls in the near future. ESPN.com's Peter Gammons believes the Red Sox may have an advantage over other bidders for Chapman; they signed shortstop Jose Iglesias, a former teammate of Chapman's, to an $8.5MM deal this summer.

Aroldis Chapman Review

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With all the information swirling around about free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, I thought a summary would be helpful.  Chapman has been declared a free agent and can sign at any time, though a deal is unlikely before the conclusion of the World Series.  One GM told Yahoo's Tim Brown in July, "I'm sure all 30 teams will be interested to some degree."  Nonetheless, let's look at specific suitors.

  • Red Sox:  They've been a top suitor from the start.  Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says Chapman was scheduled to throw a bullpen at Fenway today but it was cancelled due to inclement weather.  ESPN's Peter Gammons believes Boston's signing of former Chapman teammate Jose Iglesias may impact the pitcher's decision.
  • Yankees: They've also been a top suitor from the start.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. said Chapman met with GM Brian Cashman and other Yanks officials at the October 25th playoff game and "had good conversations."  Several reporters see Chapman as another Yankees-Red Sox battle. 
  • Mariners: Add them to the list – our source says they'd like to meet with Chapman in the next week.
  • Cardinals: A scheduled October 26th meeting was cancelled due to the Tony La Russa announcement.  The meeting is expected to be rescheduled.
  • Orioles: They've maintained interest and are pushing for a meeting soon.  In September, president Andy MacPhail admitted interest to MASN's Roch Kubatko, but added, "If some of the big boys are going to go after him, like the Red Sox did with Dice-K, that's not a risk that I would be willing to take."
  • Mets: They met with Chapman on October 23rd.  The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch said the Mets were out after being told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign.  I'm not so sure the Mets and Chapman actually discussed dollar figures.
  • Tigers: They've confirmed interest.
  • Angels:  Scouting director Eddie Bane admitted interest in July, but noted that Chapman's breaking pitches are not yet effective in talking to Mark Saxon of the OC Register.  Bane more recently told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times that he'd need to see Chapman throw against live hitters before investing.  Chapman has mentioned L.A. as a place he'd like to visit.
  • White Sox:  Our source said they've expressed interest.
  • Cubs: Our source said they've expressed interest.
  • Athletics:  Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman."  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed Oakland's interest but says they haven't met with him.
  • Giants:  Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman."
  • Dodgers: They aren't likely to be serious suitors, according to one of Arangure Jr.'s sources.
  • Blue Jays:  We named the Jays as an interested club, but GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that signing Chapman is "not realistic."
  • Astros: Owner Drayton McLane seemingly considers Chapman too pricey, based on his comments to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Padres, Orioles, Coste

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Here's a few links to help you through another baseball-less night…

  • Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus tweets that Aroldis Chapman will throw a bullpen at Fenway tomorrow.
  • ESPN's Keith Law says that firing VP of scouting and player development Grady Fuson was a good move by new GM Jed Hoyer and the Padres. He notes that San Diego's drafts have been among the worst in the game over the last few years, although they did change course last year.
  • Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says the Orioles need a power hitter at one of the corner infield spots, and mentions that players like Adrian Beltre, Troy Glaus, or Carlos Delgado could represent a decent stop gap.
  • Chris Coste became a free agent after being outrighted by the Astros, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
  • Phil Wood of MASNsports.com has news on a few front office hirings by the Nationals.
  • The Phillies added Brett Myers to their World Series roster according to David Murphy of The Philadephia Daily News. The 29-year-old righthander could earn himself a few extra bucks in free agency with a big series.
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