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Josh Willingham

Rizzo On Willingham, Bench, Payroll

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Earlier this evening, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo updated MLBTR on some of his team's offseason plans:

  • Josh Willingham has said he's open to playing just about anywhere on the diamond, but Rizzo plans to keep him in the outfield. "We see him as our everyday left fielder, middle of the lineup hitter right now," Rizzo said.
  • Rizzo says the Nats are looking for a "makeup" type utility player who is versatile enough to play a number of positions, but there's no timeline for adding such a player.
  • MLB.com reported last week that the Nationals are interested in Willie Bloomquist, Aaron Miles and Miguel Cairo.
  • Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he can boost payroll in 2011 "if it makes sense for '11 and the long term" (Twitter link).
  • Agent Alan Nero told Kilgore that Chien-Ming Wang hopes to remain with the Nationals in 2011.

Rosenthal On A’s, Westbrook, Uribe, Soriano

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You’ve heard by now that the A’s acquired David DeJesus, but he was far from the only bat they considered trading for. GM Billy Beane was after Josh Willingham and considered making a deal for Dan Uggla, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A’s probably aren’t done adding offense. Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’d still like to make an upgrade or two (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors.

  • The Red Sox aren’t likely to offer Adrian Beltre a five-year deal.
  • The Cardinals are still in contact with Jake Westbrook, but they would prefer to reach a two-year deal and Westbrook might be able to get three years from another club, so talks appear to be losing momentum.
  • Orlando Cabrera and Juan Uribe are already drawing more interest than they did at this time last year, according to Rosenthal.
  • The White Sox are checking in on Rafael Soriano and, as Rosenthal points out, that’s yet another sign that they’re open to trading or non-tendering Bobby Jenks.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gonzalez, Pirates, Elias

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On this date way back in 1976, the Mariners and Blue Jays each selected 30 players in the expansion draft. Seattle drafted outfielder Ruppert Jones from the Royals with the first pick, then Toronto grabbed the versatile Bob Bailor from the Orioles with the second pick. The full results of the expansion draft can be found here.

We had to do some expanding of our own this week – get ready for what I'm certain is the largest BBWI in MLBTR history…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Sosnick On Bruce, Willingham, Nolasco, Dunn

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Agent Matt Sosnick appeared on the Diamond Hoggers' Baseball Show today, and spoke at length about how he became involved in baseball, his experiences in the sport, and a few of his clients. Here are the highlights from the discussion, which you can listen to here:

  • Jay Bruce is open to signing a long-term contract with the Reds. "If the Reds felt the same way," Sosnick said. "We'd be open to doing something that was five or six years."
  • Sosnick acknowledged that locking up Joey Votto would likely be a higher priority for the club, but cited deals signed by Justin Upton and Troy Tulowitzki as potential starting points for a Bruce extension.
  • As we heard earlier today, Josh Willingham is interested in signing an extension with the Nationals. Sosnick feels that if Willingham were hitting the open market this winter, the 31-year-old could land a multi-year deal worth $10MM annually.
  • According to Sosnick, when the Giants made a push for Willingham, the Nats asked for either Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner in return.
  • Regarding a possible Ricky Nolasco extension, Sosnick says he and the Marlins agreed on the years, but were off by "about 20%" on salary. The two sides will resume extension talks in November or December, working on a one-year deal in the meantime.
  • Adam Dunn is not a Sosnick client, but the agent predicts that Dunn will receive about $40MM for three years this offseason.

Josh Willingham Hopes For Extension

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Josh Willingham isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season and if it were up to him, he’d push that date back a couple years. Agent Matt Sosnick told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Willingham would like to sign a multi-year contract this offseason.

“If he had his druthers, he'd sign a deal that took him through this year and into the next couple years,” Sosnick said, adding that no discussions have taken place so far. 

Willingham, who earned $4.6MM this year, would be happy to accept a one-year deal. He’d get a raise through arbitration, so his 2011 salary could approach $7MM. Willingham missed the last six weeks of the season to undergo surgery on the meniscus in his left knee. He ranked 5th among MLB outfielders (min. 400 PAs) in on base percentage (.389) and tenth in OPS (.848). The 30-year-old can hit, but injuries have limited Willingham in each of the past few seasons. 

Though he didn’t play anywhere but left field in 2010, Willingham has experience in right field and at first base. Sosnick says his client’s flexible.

"He'd be open to doing anything he could for the team," Sosnick said. "They could use him out of the bullpen."

Nationals Rumors: Outfield, Maxwell, Morgan, Darvish

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Adam Kilgore from the Washington Post provides us with some info on the Nationals as their season draws to a close this weekend:

  • The quartet of Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina, and Mike Morse have seen the majority of the outfield time this season, and Kilgore says it's likely that those four do the same in 2011. It would be tough for the Nationals to land a top outfielder like Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, and beyond that there's not many attractive free agent options. Personal speculation, but if they do choose to look for free agent offense in the outfield, they could try to buy low on Magglio Ordonez.
  • Manager Jim Riggleman says that despite Justin Maxwell's offensive struggles this season, the soon to be 27-year-old is too talented to give up on. Riggleman thinks everything will click for Maxwell next season and hopes he'll be a part of the club. He says there's no "last chance" situation with Maxwell.
  • GM Mike Rizzo also said they're committed to Nyjer Morgan in 2011. That may have been in question with some fans as a result of his behavior and multiple suspensions this season.
  • The Nationals are known to be looking for front-line starting pitching, and have Japanese phenom Yu Darvish on their radar. Darvish wouldn't be cheap, but he'll likely be more affordable than the market's only proven Major League ace — Cliff Lee. Kilgore says it would be "speculative" to gauge Washington's interest, but notes that their scouts have seen him pitch in person at least nine times and recommended him to the front office.

Stark On Phillies, Indians, Ross, Athletics

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Today's rumblings from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • Shane Victorino's oblique injury yesterday appears to close the door on a Jayson Werth trade.  MLB.com's Todd Zolecki seems to agree, but unlike Stark he feels that the Phils "remain a top contender" for Roy Oswalt.  More on Oswalt here.
  • Stark writes of indications the Phillies have turned to starters such as Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona and relief options like Octavio Dotel. Jon Heyman of SI.com notes that the Indians are talking trades with the Phils (Twitter link).
  • Speaking of the Indians, Stark senses they do want to move money off the books.
  • The Marlins have told teams they could deal Cody Ross in August if they fall out of contention, but they'd have to match up only with the team that wins the claim.
  • The Braves maintain strong interest in Josh Willingham, though there's a good chance they stand pat.  Willingham is just one of many Nationals veterans generating interest, GM Mike Rizzo told ESPN 980.
  • Athletics assistant GM David Forst told Stark "it would have to be an over-the-top deal for us to even consider it" in regard to trading relievers such as Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, and Brad Ziegler.

Giants Discussing Guillen, Interested In Willingham

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The San Francisco offense is heating up, but the Giants are still looking for outfield bats. The Royals are discussing Jose Guillen with San Francisco, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The potential deal would send the 34-year-old to San Francisco along with cash to cover some of the $4.5MM or so remaining on Guillen’s contract. 

But Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears (via Twitter) from a rival official who believes the Royals have “no real options” to move Guillen, even if they ask for a modest return and take on salary. Stark’s source says (via Twitter) there’s very little action on some of Guillen’s teammates: Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies and Kyle Farnsworth.

Another one of Guillen’s teammates, Scott Podsednik, is drawing strong interest from NL West teams, including the Giants. For what it’s worth, the Giants have been scouting Guillen aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). For the season, Guillen has 16 homers and a .271/.333/.457 line.

The Giants are pursuing outfielders other than Guillen and Podsednik, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Like the Braves, Rays and Red Sox, the Giants have interest in Josh Willingham.

Stark On Werth, Willingham, Cantu, Theriot

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Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's "not up late reading the blog sites" regarding trade rumors, but he doesn't expect to be dealt.  Stark agrees, though he notes that the Phillies did toss Werth's name out there to many teams.  On to Stark's other rumors…

  • The Dodgers are looking at Ted Lilly, but they haven't completely abandoned the idea of acquiring Roy Oswalt.  Still, the impediments to an Oswalt deal remain significant.  Lilly appears certain to be traded.
  • Josh Willingham is drawing interest from the Braves, Rays, and Red Sox.  Adam Dunn remains a trade candidate as well, but the Nationals would only deal one of the two.
  • Money might be holding up a Jorge Cantu-Rangers deal, as the Rangers can't add any payroll and would want the Marlins to pick up the entire $2.25MM tab.
  • The Padres have been linked to infielders Ryan Theriot and Jeff Keppinger, as outfield targets such as David DeJesus, Corey Hart, and Jayson Werth drop out of the picture for various reasons.
  • Don't look for anything major from the Red Sox outside of some bullpen tweaking.  They will prowl the waiver wire in August, though.

Nats Notes: Pitching, Capps, Dunn, Willingham, Harris

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MLB.com's Bill Ladson talked with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo about the upcoming trade deadline. Let's run down an abbreviated version:

  • Rizzo is pleased with his rotation's performance in spite of losing Jason Marquis for nearly all of 2010 thus far. Still, starting pitching is his biggest priority in any potential trades. As he points out, you can never have too much good young pitching.
  • Rizzo says he doesn't make any calls attempting to shop Matt Capps, Adam Dunn, or Josh Willingham. He does, however receive a lot of calls on the trio, which he says he's not surprised by:"There is a reason everyone is asking for those three players: They are good players."
  • Asked about a possible extension for Dunn, Rizzo was brief in saying that they're in talks and have been since Spring Training, but that's all he was going to say. The White Sox have been pursuing Dunn for weeks, and as of today it looks like the Tigers have joined the fray as well.
  • The Nationals have received calls about Willie Harris, and he's available, but not being shopped. Rizzo specifically mentions Harris' presence in the clubhouse as a positive.
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