Braves Notes: Soriano, Gonzalez, Wagner
Mark Bowman of MLB.com discussed some of Atlanta's options in the free agent market, and here are a few of the more notable pieces of news….
- Relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez "will likely leave Atlanta" for greener free agent pastures, and thus the Braves are looking for new options at the back of their bullpen. Bowman says the Braves have talked to free agent closer Billy Wagner's representatives and "won't necessarily be scared" by Wagner's Type A status since Soriano and Gonzalez are also both Type A's. If those two were to sign elsewhere, the compensation that Atlanta would receive would more than make up for the picks they would lose for signing Wagner. The Braves and Wagner's most recent club, the Red Sox, may end up virtually trading relievers since Soriano and Gonzalez are two names on Boston's lengthy list of possible free agent targets.
- Bowman lists former Brave Octavio Dotel as a potential set-up option, and Fernando Rodney as a signing who could serve as either a set-up man or a closer.
- There isn't anything to rumors that Atlanta will try to trade with Detroit for Miguel Cabrera, or sign free agent Jermaine Dye. Cabrera's big contract is too rich for the Braves' blood, and as for Dye, there is no DH spot in the National League to stash a right fielder who posted a -20 UZR and -24.5 UZR/150 last season.
- Signing Marlon Byrd would make Jordan Schaefer expendable, Bowman reports. Byrd wouldn't necessarily solve Atlanta's need for a right-handed outfield bat, however, given that Byrd's career splits against right-handed and left-handed pitching are pretty even — a .769 lifetime OPS against southpaws and a .759 OPS against righties. Byrd actually hit significantly better against righties (.835 OPS) last season than he did against lefties (.744 OPS).
- The Braves are prepared to see what other offers Adam LaRoche receives before they decide if they want to bring him back next season.
Odds & Ends: Dye, Pettitte, Bay, Yankees, Mauer
Some links to start the day…
- Yesterday we heard that Jermaine Dye was open to playing first base, and Jack Moore at FanGraphs determines that unless he takes a massive paycut, Dye's still not worth taking the spot of a prospect.
- Andy Pettitte isn't expected to make his decision about a 2010 return anytime soon, according to Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News.
- FoxSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby runs down the ten biggest free agency blunders. I have to disagree that the Dodgers are better off with Juan Pierre in left instead of Manny Ramirez, what about you?
- Cathal Kelly of The Toronto Star says there is a "school of thought" that the Blue Jays could be a surprise suitor for Jason Bay, who is Canadian. The move could ease some fan anger should they trade Roy Halladay.
- After last year's spending spree, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said "We're not going to spend as much this year," according to The NY Post's Dan Martin. Maybe he means they can afford only one nine-figure contract instead of two this offseason.
- Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press notes that playing on the East Coast could result in enormous endorsement opportunities for Joe Mauer, something he'd have to consider before agreeing to an extension with the Twins.
- A's majority owner John Fisher and minority owner Lew Wolff reinforced their desire to build a new ballpark in downtown San Jose, reports Joe Stiglich of The Contra Costa Times.
- The Boston Herald provides a nice little primer for the AL East hot stove.
Jermaine Dye Open To First Base
Free agent Jermaine Dye is open to playing first base, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Dye's played one game at the position in '05, but teams are asking anyway. He played four games at first in Triple A back in '98.
The FOX writers speculate that Dye could make sense at first base for the Braves, Mets, Giants, and Orioles. Getting Dye out of right field would certainly improve his value. He's been quite bad for at least four years, and that's a sample of nearly 5,000 innings.
Potential Braves Targets
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sums up players on the Braves' radar as they attempt to augment their offense. Most of these names have already leaked out in stray rumors: Mark DeRosa, Josh Willingham, Mike Cameron, and Jermaine Dye. Carl Crawford is also on the Braves' wish list, as we learned yesterday from Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times. In a more speculative sense, O'Brien adds that Xavier Nady and Marlon Byrd "could be possibilities."
For the sake of argument, if it came down to these seven hitters, which would you prefer? Using Bill James projections and the wOBA stat, Willingham comes out on top offensively for 2010. We learned recently that the Braves face competition from the Cardinals for Willingham, though Atlanta may have concerns about the player's defense.
Elsewhere in the O'Brien article, Scott Boras extols the virtues of free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez. To hear Boras tell it, about half the teams in baseball are eyeing his new client. Gonzalez figures to come with a draft pick cost attached, as O'Brien expects the Braves to offer arbitration a week from now when that deadline arrives.
Odds & Ends: Giants, Phillies, Hernandez
Some news and notes from around the majors….
- Giants blogger Grant of The McCovey Chronicles notes the potential downsides for San Francisco if they were to sign Jason Bay, Jermaine Dye and/or Bengie Molina.
- With rumors again swirling that the Phillies will make a play for Roy Halladay, Scott Lauber of the News Journal looks at a Baseball America listing of Philadelphia's top prospects, with an eye towards which of these youngsters could head to Toronto in a trade.
- Speaking of Halladay, The Seattle Times' Larry Stone believes that if the Mariners do decide to move Felix Hernandez, they will do so without being as public as the Blue Jays were about dealing their ace last summer.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that the Royals outrighted pitchers Yasuhiko Yabuta and Lenny DiNardo to Triple-A Omaha, leaving them both eligible for free agency. Neither move was a surprise, particularly given that Kansas City already declined Yabuta's $4MM option for 2010.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles signed catcher Michel Hernandez. The 31-year-old Hernandez will get an invite to spring training to vie for the backup catcher's job. Hernandez has a .237/.286/.305 career line in 127 plate appearances with Tampa Bay and New York.
Sherman On Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees
Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests, as Adam Rubin did earlier today, that the New York Mets may not be able to sign Matt Holliday or Jason Bay because of payroll restrictions. A Mets official tells Sherman that, if that is the case, the team's Plan B involves trying to "sprinkle power at a variety of positions" rather than adding one elite hitter.
One scenario Sherman outlines for the Mets is adding a catcher like Bengie Molina, an outfielder such as Jermaine Dye or Mark DeRosa, and then moving Luis Castillo to clear second base for someone with more power.
It sounds like the Giants and Mets will be the main competitors for Molina's services. The Giants would like to bring him back, and will look to spend more on their offense this winter, though a "team insider" says that Bay's and Holliday's price tags might be out of San Francisco's range as well.
In another article, Sherman writes that the St. Louis Cardinals don't anticipate Holliday signing anywhere until after Christmas. The team also fears that the New York Yankees could get involved in the bidding. If the Yankees were to retain Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, as has been rumored, you'd have to think the Cardinals would like their chances of bringing back Holliday a lot more.
However, Damon apparently won't do the Yankees any favors by giving them a hometown discount. In one last article, Sherman outlines Scott Boras's case for Damon earning a long-term deal and big money.
Royals Trade Mark Teahen To White Sox
3:42pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star heard the Royals sent $1MM to the White Sox with Teahen.
12:35pm: White Sox GM Ken Williams told reporters Teahen will play third base, with Gordon Beckham moving to second. He told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that Scott Podsednik is unlikely to re-sign and the DH position might not be decided until the end of the offseason.
11:16am: The deal is official, according to a Royals press release. The Royals acquired Getz and Fields for Teahen and cash considerations.
FRIDAY, 8:40am: Mum's still the word from all involved, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Late last night, Teahen tweeted that he hadn't heard anything official.
THURSDAY, 5:30pm: The story keeps changing. Now, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, neither team has confirmed the deal.
11:13am: The White Sox have confirmed the trade, according to The Chicago Sun Times. It's Teahen for Getz and Fields.
10:17am: ESPN's Buster Olney says talks are "not that far along." Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times mentions that Getz hasn't heard anything about a trade.
9:04am: According to Bill Madden of The NY Daily News, the Royals have agreed to send the versatile Mark Teahen to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Madden says Teahen is expected to replace free agent-to-be Jermaine Dye in right field.
The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 last year, but is a career .261/.325/.514 hitter at U.S. Cellular Field. FanGraphs has him at -2.0 UZR/150 in right, which is a massive upgrade over Dye's -17.5 mark. Teahen earned $3.575MM in 2009, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. He's certainly been the subject of many trade rumors over the years.
Getz, 26, was Chicago's every day second baseman for most of 2009, hitting .261/.324/.347 with 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Fields, 28, has struggled to find a place with the White Sox, hitting .229/.302/.416 in 746 plate appearances over the last four years while playing first, third, and left field. Both players are in their pre-arbitration years, and have a combined ten years of team control left.
White Sox Buy Out Option On Jermaine Dye
The White Sox bought out Jermaine Dye's mutual option for 2010, according to a team press release. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says it cost the Sox $950K. This decision was a given, since the option was for $12MM. While Dye is a projected Type A free agent, it won't matter because the Sox are highly unlikely to offer arbitration. Mark Teahen is officially a member of the White Sox now, but he'll take over at third base with Gordon Beckham playing second.
Dye, 36 in January, hit .250/.340/.453 in 574 plate appearances this year. He slumped to .184/.303/.278 over the season's final two months. In an article yesterday, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Dye "is of interest to the Rangers."
Rangers Notes: Vizquel, Byrd, Rodriguez
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan examined what some of the Rangers' plans might be this winter, and here are some of the highlights…
- A right-handed bat is at the top of the Texas wish list for the off-season, with Sullivan singling out Jermaine Dye as perhaps the best fit for the Rangers amongst the veteran hitters on the free agent market.
- There is a good chance that veteran shortstop Omar Vizquel will re-sign with Texas before the club's exclusive negotiating period for free agents ends on November 19. Sullivan reports that "there appears to be genuine interest on both sides" to bring the 11-time Gold Glover back for his 22nd big-league season in 2010.
- Texas GM Jon Daniels says that the team would like to bring back free-agent outfielder Marlon Byrd, but since Byrd wants to test the market, "it's just not going to happen in the exclusive window period, if it's going to happen at all."
- The Rangers want to see how Jarrod Saltalamacchia rebounds from shoulder surgery before looking at re-signing veteran catcher and franchise legend Ivan Rodriguez.
- In regards to the other four Texas free agents, Sullivan said that Andruw Jones and Hank Blalock won't be pursued by the club, Eddie Guardado may retire and Joaquin Benoit is "in limbo" following shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of 2009.
- If Ben Sheets is able to pitch in 2010, the Rangers still have interest in the right-hander who they thought they had signed last January.
- Relief pitching will become a priority if Neftali Feliz and C.J. Wilson are moved to the rotation. Sullivan lists several bullpen options for the Rangers, many of whom have pitched in Texas before.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Feliz, Baylor
A few tidbits while everyone is watching the Twins-Yankees game…
- ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine reports that the White Sox may look to the trade market moreso than free agents given that the Pale Hose aren't planning to spend any extra money in 2010. Levine singles out Jermaine Dye, Bobby Jenks and Octavio Dotel as the most likely departures from Chicago roster, noting that Dotel mentioned the Cubs as a preferred next destination (along with either New York team).
- It "wouldn't surprise" Rangers president Nolan Ryan if second-year right-hander Neftali Feliz goes into spring training preparing to be a starter, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Feliz posted a 1.74 ERA and a 4.88:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 relief appearances in his rookie season.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Don Baylor is a possibility for the Houston manager's job.