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Jim Thome

Odds & Ends: Thome, Vladdy, Blue Jays, CarGo

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As Cooperstown welcomes Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame, some of these news items concern a few of Alomar and Blyleven's former teams and teammates…

  • Jim Thome is said to be looking for a one-year deal worth as much as $8MM, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.  Thome's strong 2010 season notwithstanding, that would represent a whopping increase over the $1.5MM contract he signed with Minnesota last year.  The Twins have been considered the favorites to re-sign Thome, but if the team balks at that asking price, Churchill suggests they could instead turn to Vladimir Guerrero as a DH option.  Churchill adds that Tampa Bay could also be interested in Guerrero if the price is right.
  • Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "conceded that it's looking more likely that" Jose Bautista will be Toronto's Opening Day third baseman rather than its right fielder, reports Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.  Anthopoulos noted that the club is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever.  The Blue Jays have added Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero and Wil Ledezma to their bullpen mix over the past two days.
  • Carlos Gonzalez had a lengthy meeting with agent Scott Boras in December to discuss a possible extension with the Rockies, so the agreed-upon deal wasn't at all "an impulse decision," tweets The Denver Post's Troy Renck.
  • Also from Renck (Twitter link), the Rockies are "not totally out" of the bidding for Joe Beimel, but other clubs "have shown stronger interest."  We heard last month that the Rockies weren't one of several teams who had made Beimel a contract offer.
  • The Pirates' desire to add left-handed relievers has only grown in the wake of Ledezma going to Toronto, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Speaking of the Pirates, Bucs president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's relief options and other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
  • With so many intriguing designated hitter possibilities on the market, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog notes that it's an unfortunate time for the Yankees to be shifting Jorge Posada into the full-time DH spot.

Twins Notes: Thome, Pavano, Greinke

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So far this offseason, the Twins have made a number of minor league deals, traded J.J. Hardy to the Orioles and added Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Twins GM Bill Smith isn't done yet, though. The club could still add Jim Thome, Carl Pavano and/or others. Here's the latest on the defending AL Central champions from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

  • There are indications that Thome’s representatives raised some “eyebrows” when Lance Berkman signed for $8MM. Thome, who signed for a $1.5MM guarantee last winter, posted a .283/.412/.627 line, while Berkman hit just .248/.368/.413. 
  • There are no indications that Pavano has a three-year offer, according to Neal, who wonders whether the Twins have even offered a two-year deal.
  • It’s not clear that the Twins can afford both Thome and Pavano, since both are coming off strong seasons and the Twins’ payroll is already high.
  • There’s word that the Royals were not interested in discussing potential Zack Greinke trades with their AL Central rivals. The Indians and Twins did appear to have interest in Greinke, Neal writes.

 

Poll: The Designated Hitter Market

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The market for designated hitters has been slow to develop this winter, meaning that a few intriguing veteran bats are still available. When we looked at MLBTR's top 15 remaining free agents this week, three of the top six names were designated hitters, with another likely DH, Johnny Damon, also cracking the list.

Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Damon all appear capable of contributing solid offensive production in 2011. Of the four, only Damon had a 2010 OPS below .841, and he still reached base at a .355 clip, right in line with his career rate. Considering their defensive limitations and the fact that they're on the wrong side of 35, it seems unlikely that any of these four will land multiyear deals. While the values may vary, one-year contracts in designated hitter roles appear probable for all four players.

Taking into account that likely variance in salary, here's tonight's poll question: if you were an American League GM in search of a DH, which player would you prefer to add? Who will provide the most bang for your buck in 2011? Ramirez, Thome, Guerrero, and Damon are the most intriguing names out there, but there are also a few under-the-radar DH candidates available, as MLBTR's free agent tracker shows, so be sure to take that into consideration as well.

Rays Notes: Bullpen, First Base, DH

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The Rays find themselves in a difficult position as the 2011 season approaches. Forced to cut payroll, they've lost Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, (presumably) Rafael Soriano, and most of their bullpen to free agency, and traded Jason Bartlett as he approaches his final arbitration year.

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times looks at some of the issues left to be addressed as the Rays begin bargain shopping this offseason:

DH Rumors: Vlad, Matsui, Thames, Glaus, Manny

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The Mariners may have locked up a DH today, but that leaves the Orioles, A's and many others as potential destinations for positionless sluggers. Here's the latest:

Orioles Rumors: Hardy, Matsui, Thome, Uehara

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The O's are talking about a J.J. Hardy trade with the Twins. Here are some more Orioles updates from Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun…

  • The team did not offer Carlos Pena or Paul Konerko contracts before the first basemen signed in Chicago, according to president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.
  • It's likely that the team's shortstop will be Hardy, Jason Bartlett, Brendan Ryan or Cesar Izturis, MacPhail said. The Padres appear to be close to a deal for Bartlett, which would limit the Orioles' options.
  • MacPhail says the club has expressed interest in a number of DH types. Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui and Jim Thome are believed to be among the team's targets.
  • The team, which selects fourth in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, is considering a number of players.
  • There are no updates on Kevin Gregg, but Zrebiec reported yesterday that the team has offered the former Blue Jays closer a two-year deal.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears (on Twitter) that Nick Green could end up in Baltimore.

Heyman’s Latest: Vlad, Thome, Molina, Mets

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SI.com's Jon Heyman brings us some updates from around the league, via Twitter:

  • Vladimir Guerrero's main suitors appear to be the Rangers, Orioles, and Athletics. Only the Orioles have a set option at designated hitter of that bunch, in Luke Scott. He can man first base, however, and his name has popped up in trade rumors from time to time.
  • Heyman lists the same suitors for another DH candidate — Jim Thome. In a separate tweet, Heyman agrees with this report that the Twins are a possible landing spot as well.
  • Bengie Molina is now "on the fence" about playing in 2011. Heyman says the veteran backstop could sit out for a year and then return in 2012.
  • The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, as Young is said to be willing to accept a guaranteed salary of around $2MM. Francis, according to Heyman, is looking for a guarantee between $4MM and $5MM.

Twins Rumors: Pavano, Nishioka, Thome, Greinke

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Another fresh batch of Twins rumors from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

  • Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell told Neal that the two sides had a "productive talk" today and said to "stay tuned." According to Neal, the Twins feel they have a legitimate chance to retain the right-hander. O'Connell also met with other teams today, including the Nationals. SI.com's Jon Heyman adds, via Twitter, that the Twins are trying hard to keep Pavano in the fold and that he was their 2010 clubhouse leader.
  • The Twins did not meet with Tsuyoshi Nishioka's representatives today, and no talks are scheduled for Wednesday either, says Neal. The club still hopes to sign him, and "no one is worried." Neal reminds us that negotiations with Japanese players can be more complicated, as clauses for perks such as a certain number of round-trip tickets to fly friends and family over from Japan are often worked into the deals as well.
  • The Twins touched base with Jim Thome today and still hope to sign their 2010 hero, who slugged over .600 for Minnesota in a revitalized season.
  • While the Twins remain in touch with the Royals about Zack Greinke, Neal doesn't see any way Minnesota could acquire the Kansas City ace without bringing a third team into the equation.

Odds & Ends: Paulino, Beltre, Werth, Thome

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Some links on what has been a very busy day in baseball..

Thome Intends To Play In 2011

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The agent for Jim Thome told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that his client has no intention of retiring and will play in 2011. Pat Rooney says he's talked to the Twins about Thome, though other teams are "in the mix" for the slugger, who now has 589 career home runs. Thome had a special experience in Minnesota, according to his agent and he's now ready to "see what the market brings."

Thome batted .283/.412/.627 with 25 homers for the Twins last year and, not surprisingly, they'd like to bring him back. The 40-year-old has played precisely 28 innings of defense since returning to the American League after the 2005 season, so he's strictly a DH now.

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