Wednesday, December 6
Manny Ramirez
Red Sox Mariners?
Phillies?
Dodgers?
Padres?
Giants
Angels?
Rangers? Much ado about nothing
Dec 6 - Manny Ramirez is unlikely to be dealt. According to the Boston Globe, every potential trade partner has fallen short of the Red Sox’ demand for “fair value.”
The Padres were an early dropout. The Dodgers and Angels have declared themselves the longest of long shots. The Giants would like to stay in it but have little to offer, and there’s no credence to reports of the Nationals being party to a three-way deal.
GM Theo Epstein plans to engage clubs in conversations about Ramirez for one more day, before the Sox stop exploring a trade.
“We always listen,” Epstein told the newspaper. “There’s a lot of talent out there. We still are. We’ll be engaging with teams until [Wednesday], and then we’re in listen-only mode.”
Tuesday, December 5
Adam LaRoche
Braves Angels? Angels inquire about Braves’ LaRoche
Dec 5 - Angels GM Bill Stoneman is believed to have met Monday night with Atlanta GM John Schuerholz to discuss a trade for Adam LaRoche, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The 27-year-old first baseman hit .285 with 32 home runs and 90 runs batted in last season.
According to the newspaper, the Angels believe they can swing a deal for him without giving up pitching.
Jacque Jones
Cubs Rockies? Three-way calling
Dec 5 - The Cubs are considering a three-way trade with the Rockies and Pirates involving Jacque Jones, Jason Jennings, Brad Hawpe and young pitchers, the Denver Post reports.
Chicago offered Jones, who formally requested a trade at season’s end, and pitcher Carlos Marmol or Angel Guzman for Jennings, the Rockies’ Opening-Day starter. Under one scenario, the Rockies, who prefer Marmol, would keep Jones and ship Hawpe to the Pirates for starter Paul Maholm.
Jones has a partial no-trade clause, but Colorado is not on the list.
Vernon Wells
Blue Jays Phillies?
Dodgers?
Angels?
White Sox? Center of attention
Dec 5 - There is no shortage of interest in Vernon Wells, the Toronto Star reports. “We have some tire kickers,” Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told the newspaper. “We have to see how serious [teams] are.”
Potential suitors for the center fielder include the White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Angels.
Wells isn’t eligible for free agency until the end of next season, and the Jays haven’t begun to discuss a contract extension with him, The Toronto Globe and Mail reports.
His agents, Brian Peters and Greg Genske, hope to use Wells to make their mark – and want him to be the next player to threaten the $20-million annual threshold. Many of the big-name contracts they manage were actually inherited from Jeff Moorad, who sold his sports management business in 2004 to become the CEO of the Diamondbacks.
Barry Zito
Athletics Giants?
Cardinals?
Orioles?
Cubs?
Diamondbacks?
Phillies?
Rangers?
Padres?
Mets?
Yankees?
Dodgers?
Angels? Arlington road to riches?
Dec 5 - Rangers owner Tom Hicks is driving up the price for Barry Zito, The New York Daily News reports. After meeting with Zito and Boras last week in Texas, Hicks gushed about the left-hander’s intelligence, mental approach and how he matured into a leader of the A’s rotation the last couple of years.
“I think he’d be a great fit for the Rangers,” Hicks told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Mets also are interested in the 28-year-old starter, but they won’t outbid competitors for his services. Zito’s reported asking price is $90 million over six years.
The Dodgers, Orioles, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Giants and Padres are other potential suitors for Zito.
Andy Pettitte
Astros Yankees?
Astros? A Bronx tale revisited?
Dec 5 - Andy Pettitte is trying to decide between retiring and pitching again next year, The New York Daily News reports. His former teammate, Jorge Posada, believes Pettitte is headed back to the mound and has encouraged the left-hander to return to the Yankees.
“He’ll pitch,” Posada told the newspaper. “He’s got plenty to go. He’s only 34, he’s got a lot of baseball left. If he wants to come back to New York, I’m pretty sure [Yankee GM Brian] Cashman would look at it and everybody would be happy. He came through with a lot of great games for us.”
The Yankees have kept in contact with Pettitte’s agents, who say the pitcher could decide later this month whether he’ll play next season.
Barry Bonds
Giants Twins?
Athletics?
Giants San Francisco or bust?
Dec 5 - Don’t be surprised if Barry Bonds returns to the Giants, but the two sides are currently far apart in negotiations. Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, is playing hardball and asked the Giants for an $18 million, one-year contract plus a vesting option that could bring a similar salary in 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Clearly, the Giants don’t want to pay that much. Nevertheless, GM Brian Sabean insists they have genuine interest in the left fielder and that proposals and counterproposals have been exchanged.
“Does it make baseball sense?” asked Sabean. “Yes.”
Gil Meche
Mariners Blue Jays?
Royals?
Cubs Decision time
Dec 5 - The Royals are among the leading bidders for Gil Meche, the Kansas City Star reports. The free-agent right-hander is weighing offers from several clubs.
The Cubs and Blue Jays are believed to be the Royals’ chief competition for the 28-year-old, who went 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA last season in 32 starts for the Mariners. The Cubs are the favorite to land Meche, in part because of his connection to new manager Lou Piniella from their time in Seattle.
Meche is likely to receive $8 million to $10 million a season for three or four years.
Jon Lieber
Phillies White Sox? What’s the deal?
Dec 5 - The Phillies have made it known to other clubs that they would trade right-hander Jon Lieber, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Any deal would be contingent on the Phillies’ acquiring another starting pitcher, either through a free-agent signing or a trade.
There have been strong indications that the Phils are looking to get a starter from the White Sox, who have depth in their rotation and could be looking to reacquire outfielder Aaron Rowand.
Ted Lilly
Blue Jays Giants?
Cubs?
Blue Jays?
Yankees? Chicago hope
Dec 5 - The Cubs have offered left-hander Ted Lilly a four-year deal worth an estimated $40 million, the Chicago Tribune reports. Lilly, 30, who went 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA with the Blue Jays last season and is 59-58 lifetime with a 4.60 ERA, would give GM Jim Hendry a No. 2 pitcher to follow Carlos Zambrano in the rotation.
The Jays, Yankees and Giants are still going hard after Lilly as well.
Jason Jennings
Rockies Cubs?
Astros?
Twins?
Cardinals?
Mets?
Yankees? Rocky Mountain exit?
Dec 5 - With the chances of signing Jason Jennings to a contract extension fading, the Rockies are exploring a variety of proposals to fill multiple needs, the Denver Post reports.
“We have made a significant offer to him. So it’s not like we haven’t made an attempt. We are just trying to make an evaluation with J.J. [whether] there is a baseball deal that makes sense,” GM Dan O’Dowd told the newspaper, declining to discuss trade specifics. “We have to make sure it’s the right thing to do.”
Jennings has free agency looming next offseason, and his situation remains fluid. The Astros – Taylor Buchholz likely would be requested by the Rockies, with outfielder Chris Burke unavailable – and Rangers (reliever C.J. Wilson is attractive) are in the mix. So, too, are the Mets, but they would like an opportunity to negotiate with Jennings about an extension before giving up pitcher Brian Bannister or outfielder Lastings Milledge.
The Twins have a need, though obstacles could be impossible to overcome. Twins GM Terry Ryan has made it known he’s not interested in trading starters Matt Garza or Boof Bonser and seems reluctant to part with pitchers Scott Baker or Jesse Crain, Rockies targets.
Mike Piazza
Padres Phillies
Athletics
Dodgers? Mighty Oakland?
Dec 5 - The A’s have offered Mike Piazza a two-year deal to replace Frank Thomas as their designated hitter, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
“Coming here, he’ll have a chance to get at-bats every day as a DH and play on a team that we think will compete again for the AL West,” A’s assistant GM Dave Forst told the newspaper. He said Piazza would be the DH almost exclusively and be third on the catching chart behind Jason Kendall and Adam Melhuse.
Piazza also is weighing another offer from Texas.
Bengie Molina
Blue Jays Giants? Bay window of opportunity
Dec 5 - The Giants are closing in on a three-year deal with free-agent catcher Bengie Molina, The San Jose Mercury News reports.
The contract language is still being worked out, and the deal – worth about $15 million – is expected to be slightly back-loaded, the newspaper reports.
Brian Roberts
Orioles Braves? Thanks, but no thanks
Dec 5 - The Orioles have had serious discussions about a deal that would send second baseman Brian Roberts and pitching prospect Hayden Penn to the Braves for power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche and second baseman Marcus Giles, the Baltimore Sun reports.
The deal has “several hurdles,” with a major one being Peter Angelos’ preference to keep Roberts, who has long been a favorite of the Orioles’ owner.
Jake Peavy
Padres Astros? Houston, we have an ace?
Dec 5 - The Astros are interested in Padres right-hander Jake Peavy, the Houston Chronicle reports.
While still hopeful veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte will re-sign, GM Tim Purpura is also exploring the trade market and has inquired about Peavy, who would likely come at a high price, considering his age and relatively cheap contract for a player of his ability.
Peavy, 25, was 11-14 last season with a 4.09 ERA and 215 strikeouts, the second most in the National League, over 202 1/3 innings in 32 games.
Miguel Batista
Diamondbacks Mets?
Royals?
Braves? Start me up
Dec 5 - The Royals are among the finalists to sign Miguel Batista, the Kansas City Star reports. The Royals, who need a closer, are pursuing Batista, 35, as a starter.
The Mets and Braves also are regarded as strong suitors for Batista, a swingman who pitched briefly for the Royals in 2000 and worked primarily as a starter last season for the Dimaondbacks, going 11-8 with a 4.58 ERA.
Batista is seeking a three-year deal ranging from $20 million to $25 million.
Geoff Jenkins
Brewers Pirates? Any takers?
Dec 5 - The Brewers might try to deal Geoff Jenkins, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Milwaukee likely would accept a minimal trade return so long as some team picked up most or all of his $7 million salary for 2007, but there are no takers so far.
Jenkins, 31, is coming off a rare down year with a .277 average and 17 home runs.
Kevin Mench
Brewers Phillies?
Orioles? Swap meet?
Dec 5 - Kevin Mench is drawing surprising interest on the trade market, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. The Orioles have talked to the Brewers about the outfielder, and the Phillies are pursuing him as well.
Several weeks ago, the Brewers and O’s discussed a possible exchange of Mench and right-hander Rodrigo Lopez. Whether that deal can be revived or not, Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin is looking for pitching in return.
The Phillies might be willing to part with veteran right-hander Jon Lieber in a deal involving Mench. Lieber, 36, who is signed next season for $7 million, went 9-11 with a 4.93 ERA in 27 starts for Philadelphia last season.
Mench had a $2.8 million salary last season and is eligible for arbitration.
Jeff Bagwell
Astros End of the line?
Dec 5 - According to the Houston Chronicle, the Astros are putting the finishing touches on a personal services contract for Jeff Bagwell. Although agent Barry Axelrod has received one inquiry from a club interested in signing Bagwell, the club icon is close to finalizing a contract with the Astros and officially going into retirement.
“We’re still working on the same kind of thing [for Bagwell that] Nolan Ryan has,” Axelrod told the newspaper. “Loosely, you can call it a personal services contract. He’ll go to spring training, caravans and do some things for the club. He hasn’t announced his retirement. But if we reach an agreement on this, they’ll probably make a joint [press conference] call.”
Trot Nixon
Red Sox Pirates Buc shot
Dec 5 - The Pirates are pursuing Trot Nixon, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Nixon, 32, hardly fits the Pirates’ stated goal of finding a young, left-handed power bat, but GM Dave Littlefield is not ruling out any avenue – and would entertain a veteran as a fallback.
Nixon was with Boston for all 10 of his major-league seasons, but the Red Sox essentially cut ties with him by not offering arbitration after he made $6.5 million last season. That opened the door for teams to negotiate with Nixon without worrying about giving up a high draft pick as compensation, and the Pirates stepped in.
Detroit Got left-handed relief?
Dec 5 - The Tigers are looking to add a left-hander to their bullpen, The Detroit News reports. GM Dave Dombrowski will make sure any deal is a sane one, mostly because they feel no sense of desperation.
For that reason, they likely will bypass a few of the available free-agent southpaws – such as the Yankees’ Ron Villone – and wait for a more palatable trade opportunity, even if it means waiting deep into spring training.
“We know the [free-agent] market has been a wild market,” Dombrowski told the newspaer. “We don’t want to put ourselves in position where we sign a contract that a year from now we’re not happy with.”
The Tigers still figure to make a significant deal for some kind of help. It could involve parting with one of their potentially replaceable starting pitchers: Mike Maroth, Zach Miner or Jordan Tata.
Pittsburgh Closing costs
Dec 5 - According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates’ two closers are in demand, but they evidently prefer giving up Salomon Torres, 34, to Mike Gonzalez, 28.
GM Dave Littlefield acknowledged Gonzalez, a rifle-armed left-hander who was 24-for-24 in saves last season, is in thick demand. “There’s definitely interest in him,” Littlefield told the newspaper. “And Torres also was very good for us.”
Lastings Milledge White Sox? Shea it ain’t so?
Dec 5 - If the Mets don’t get Barry Zito, GM Omar Minaya may have to get creative, perhaps convince White Sox GM Kenny Williams to trade Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez for Lastings Milledge, whose stock has fallen considerably since last winter, The New York Daily News reports.
Carl Pavano
Yankees Rockies? Pavano not on discount shelf
Dec 5 - The Rockies expressed interest in Carl Pavano, but wanted the Yankees to pick up at least half of the $23 million still left on the oft-injured right-hander’s deal, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
All information via ESPN’s rumor mill. I love the Insider. I’ll try to post every day’s news so it doesn’t get backlogged.
