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Ivan Rodriguez

Ivan Rodriguez Rumors: Thursday

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10:54am: WEEI’s Alex Speier spoke to Rodriguez, who said:

"My agent and I, the conversation we had is (regarding) Houston and Florida. There have been rumors about the Mets, also. But as of right now, there’s nothing firm. Nothing has happened. We’re still waiting."

Pudge spoke highly of the Mets and didn’t rule out the idea of being a backup on a one-year deal.

9:23am: In a column last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports weighed in on free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Rosenthal says the Marlins and Mets remain interested in Rodriguez, but in either case he’d have to earn his playing time.  Pudge wants to enter a situation where he’ll get to play five days a week.  The Marlins and Mets aren’t ready to push aside John Baker or Brian Schneider to guarantee that.  Also, the Mets would have to move backup Ramon Castro to be able to sign Rodriguez.  Rodriguez seems more concerned with playing time than money.  He’ll attempt to raise his stock in the WBC.

Rosenthal says the Astros will pass over "concern that Rodriguez would be a poor teammate."

Mets Interested In Ivan Rodriguez?

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According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets "remain very interested" in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez.  The Mets are unsure about Ramon Castro as a complement to Brian Schneider.  MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone notes Bart Hubbuch’s report from February 16th, indicating the Mets are not interested in Pudge.

Lennon says a strong showing by Rodriguez in the WBC could cause their pursuit to "heat up quickly."  Many believe the Marlins are still a strong possibility for him.

Odds & Ends: Contraction, Pudge, German, Jays

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Links for Monday…

Heyman’s Latest: Cabrera, Pudge, Pedro, Halladay

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Already linked to this article from Jon Heyman in the Manny piece, but it should have its own post as well, as the second half of it covers completely different material. Let’s take a look…

  • Orlando Cabrera and the A’s still face a gap in the numbers. The A’s would like to sign him for $2MM-$3MM, but Cabrera is holding out for more. The hit his reputation took based on problems with his former White Sox teammates is unlikely to be helping matters.
  • Heyman points out that the Dodgers did an excellent job of using Cabrera’s availability to drive down Orlando Hudson’s price tag.
  • Heyman says Pudge Rodriguez’s reputation also took a hit toward the end of his tenure in Detroit. Could that be playing a factor in the lack of interest toward Pudge? Heyman names the Marlins and Astros as good fits. Pudge will use the WBC as an audition to try to prove he’s better than he was with the Yankees (.580 OPS through 33 games).
  • Pedro Martinez will also use the WBC as an audition, but other than the Pirates, there’s not much of a market for him. That could change with a solid showing in March, however. The Indians made a run at Pedro early on, and the Dodgers could become a possibility.
  • Heyman speculates that with Vernon Wells’ health issues and declining production, the stars may aligning for a Roy Halladay trade mid-season. Wells will miss the next month with a hamstring injury.

What’s everyone else think? Is Cabrera being stubborn or are the A’s? Where will Pudge and Pedro end up? Are Halladay’s Toronto days numbered?

Rosenthal On Cabrera, Cruz, Nady, Swisher

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Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • The A’s are offering more at-bats to Nomar Garciaparra than the Phillies.  If the A’s sign Nomar, that wouldn’t stop them from adding Orlando Cabrera.  However, Rosenthal’s source says Cabrera and the A’s "are not even close" in terms of his value.
  • Nothing is close with the Juan Cruz situation; "New teams entered the mix after the sign-and-trade option became more realistic."  Rosenthal says it’s still possible that a team will simply sign Cruz and give up a draft pick.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have made an offer to Cruz, but did not speak to his agent yesterday.
  • Even with the Orlando Hudson signing, Blake DeWitt still has a role with the Dodgers pitching in at second base, third base, and even shortstop.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman "didn’t particularly like" any of the offers he’s received for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
  • Rosenthal leaves the door slightly ajar for the Astros and Pudge: "the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly."  Astros GM Ed Wade said on Wednesday: "We’re not signing Pudge.  Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

The Pudge Rodriguez Market

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Ivan Rodriguez is past his prime by about a decade, but still he caught over 100 games last year and put up an OPS of .713. Let’s take a look at the possible suitors for Pudge and the teams that have said they won’t pursue him:

  • Astros GM Ed Wade said earlier in the week that he doesn’t intend to sign Pudge, regardless of Toby Hall’s shoulder.
  • The Mets don’t appear to be interested either.
  • On Sunday, Pudge said he wants to sign with the Astros, Mets or Marlins. The first two teams don’t seem interested, so could the Marlins offer him a minor league deal? Currently their catchers are John Baker and Mike Rabelo.
  • DRaysBay suggests the Rays could use Rodriguez to back up Dioner Navarro.
  • This is pure speculation on my part, but the A’s, whose current backup is Rob Bowen, have been willing to give veterans second chances before. Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas (twice) and now Nomar Garciaparra have all attracted Billy Beane’s attention, so why not Rodriguez?

Lots of teams could use catching depth; which one’s the best fit for Pudge?

Astros Not Signing Ivan Rodriguez

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Despite Toby Hall’s sore shoulder, the Astros will not be signing Ivan Rodriguez.  Said GM Ed Wade (MLB.com’s Alyson Footer reporting):

"We’re not signing Pudge.  Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post learned yesterday that the Mets are not interested in Rodriguez either.  It seems that Pudge’s one option is the Marlins for near the league minimum.

Rosenthal On Hudson, Pudge, Cabrera, Edmonds

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Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Orlando Hudson would like to play for the Royals, but currently they cannot afford him even at a likely salary under $5MM.  They could free up most of the cash by releasing Mark Teahen, but Rosenthal’s source says the Royals are "unwilling to make such a move."  Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals-Hudson idea in this blog post.  The Dodgers are the only other known suitor, though the fit there is questionable in my opinion.
  • The Mets aren’t serious about signing Ivan Rodriguez, though they have discussed it.  The Mets already have $7.4MM committed to their current catching tandem.  Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post goes further, saying the Mets "aren’t interested" in Rodriguez.
  • Currently the A’s are unwilling to meet Orlando Cabrera’s asking price.  They are willing to sacrifice their second-round pick for him if they get their price.
  • Jim Edmonds is "attracting virtually no interest."  Edmonds can still hit righties, so you’d think someone would make an offer.

Three Teams Targeting Pudge

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According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Ivan Rodriguez said he plans to sign with either the Marlins, Astros or Mets.

  • The Astros denied having interest in the 37-year-old catcher on Saturday, but maybe that has changed. They’re not comfortable with handing the reigns to J.R. Towles after he hit .137/.250/.253 in 146 at-bats last year, and Humberto Quintero isn’t a guy you want starting every day.
  • The Marlins are only willing to offer Pudge the league minimum, which might not do enough to woo the free agent.  Jon Heyman suggested in late January that the Fish are the best fit, but their tight budget is obviously going to be an issue.
  • The Mets could be the darkhorse here.  They haven’t been vocal with their interest in Pudge this offseason, but he would work well in a platoon with Brian Schneider.  Of course, the Mets would probably then want to move Ramon Castro.

Rodriguez hit .276/.319/.394 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 115 games last season for the Tigers and Yankees.  He also stole 10 bases.

Astros Rumors: Looper, Wolf, Pudge

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MLB.com’s Alyson Footer spoke with Astros GM Ed Wade and has the latest on the club.

  • The Astros made "11th-hour" offers to Randy Wolf and Braden Looper before they signed elsewhere.
  • They offered Wolf a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2010.
  • The offers to Wolf and Looper were both for less than $5MM.
  • The Astros haven’t spoken with Ivan Rodriguez in weeks and never made him a formal offer.
  • Wade says he isn’t likely to make any moves between now and the regular season.
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