Rumors for December, 2009
Cardinals giving up on Holliday for DeRosa?
Posted by: | CommentsJoe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have been aggressively pursing free agent outfielder Matt Holliday, but in doing so they may be losing the opportunity to sign free agents such as Mark DeRosa. The Cardinals and other teams have been reluctant to open the $100 million market which is stalling the Holliday, Jason Bay and John Lackey signings.
DeRosa’s agent Keith Grunewald has indicated that DeRosa maintains an interest in St. Louis, but other teams have inquired about his service. The versatile DeRosa hit 23 home runs, drove in 78 RBI’s and hit .250 in 2009 for the Cardinals.
The stalling tactic for agent Scott Boras may be a positive for his clients . As other free agents continue to sign for market rate, teams such as the Cardinals may be forced to pay a premium for players like Holliday since their plan B options have gone elsewhere.
Pettitte re-signs with the Yankees for $11-12 million
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate: Deal is 1 year for $11.75 million.
Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that starting pitcher Andy Pettitte will re-sign with the Yankees. His 2010 deal will be in the $11-12 million range. Pettitte pitched 194 2/3 innings and went 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA while winning a World Series with the Yankees last season.
Is Milton Bradley headed to Tampa Bay?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Cubs have been shopping outfielder Milton Bradley and the $22 million left on his contract since the end of the 2009 season. Sun-Times columnist Gordon Wittenmyer reports that the Cubs are close to dealing Bradley to an unidentified team. The Tampa Bay Rays have been linked to Bradley rumors with Pat Burrell in those conversations.
Wittenmyer goes on to say that “One source said the two-team deal was ”three-quarters” done by late in the day Tuesday and involved the Cubs receiving another heavy-contract player, who would then be flipped to a third team”. Jason Stark of ESPN.com indicates that the Rays are pursuing Bradley hard, but the Mets, once believed to be the third team involved, are no longer part of the trade talks.
The other teams rumored to be involved include the Kansas City Royals and Jose Guillen’s one year $12 million contract, the Detroit Tigers and Dontrelle Willis’ $12 million left on his contract and the Toronto Blue Jay’s and Vernon Wells‘ contract. The Texas Rangers have been rumored to be involved in the Bradley talks.
Detroit Tigers in search of closer
Posted by: | CommentsThe Detroit Free Press report that the Tigers are in search of a closer despite the blockbuster trade that netted the team 3 new pitchers. Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon declined arbitration on Monday, but the Tigers are interested in re-signing both of them. However, they have expanded their search for a closer beyond Rodney and Lyon.
Don’t expect the Tigers to rush into signing a closer right away. John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reminds us that the Tigers did not sign Lyon until late January. Lyon was 6-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 65 games with the Tigers in 2009. Rodney was 2-5 with a 4.40 ERA in 73 games for the 2009 Tigers.
Where's Jason Bay going? Red Sox? Angels? Mariners?
Posted by: | CommentsJason Bay declined salary arbitration on Monday giving the Boston Red Sox 2 draft picks in the event that Bay signs with another team. Bay is a top priority for the Red Sox. John Tomase of the Boston Herald explains that the Red Sox will make a run for either Bay or Matt Holliday as their left fielding in 2010 and beyond. The last thing that Red Sox wants to do is get into a bidding war on either player and driving up the price.
Now that the Angels have lost Chone Figgins to the Seattle Mariners, they are likely to make a run on Bay. The Mariner’s were rumored to be in the Bay hunt last week, but Figgins may and their pursuit of Adrian Beltre may keep them away from either Bay or Holliday.
Braves may trade Rafael Soriano
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports, he tweets that the Astros and Orioles may be interested a trade for relief pitcher Rafael Soriano. Soriano recently accepted arbitration and thus prompting the Braves to designate Ryan Church for assignment. Soriano is expected to make $6.1-7 million through arbitration.
Braves designate Ryan Church for assignment
Posted by: | CommentsThe surprise acceptance of arbitration by relief pitcher Rafael Soriano forced the Atlanta Braves to designate outfielder Ryan Church for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster. The Braves have 10 days to trade, release or outright Church to the minors.
The Braves acquired Church when they traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the Mets last July. In 111 games in 2009 with the Braves and Mets, Church hit 4 home runs with 40 RBI’s with a .273 batting average.
Soriano is expected to make $6.1-7 million through arbitration.
Rangers want Josh Johnson for prospects
Posted by: | CommentsThe Texas Rangers have inquired about Florida’s right-handed starting pitcher Josh Johnson as reported by ESPNDallas.com’s Richard Durrett. The Rangers have offered prospects Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz in exchange for Johnson.
It was reported last week that Johnson wants a multi-year deal of at least 4 years. The Marlins have offered only a 3 year deal. The 25 year old Johnson had a 15-5 record with a 3.23 ERA in 2009 with the Marlins. He’s eligible for arbitration, and should expect a good raise given his success last season.
Brewers chasing after Randy Wolf with 3 year deal
Posted by: | CommentsThe Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel has reported that the Milwaukee Brewers have offered left-handed pitcher and Type A free agent Randy Wolf a 3-year contract worth $27 million. The Brewers hope to hear back from Wolf and his agent, Arn Tellum by Wednesday. Wolf had a 11-7 record with a 3.23 ERA with the Dodgers in 2009. His presence will help establish a strong foundation in the Brewer’s rotation.
The Brewers made their offer based on Atlanta’s 3-year $28 million contract with pitcher Tim Hudson in November. They went with a big dollar contract with Wolf right off the bat as others pursued top free agent pitcher John Lackey.
The Milwaukee club is also in pursuit of free agent infielder Craig Counsell, 39. It is believed that 1 year deal will work for both Counsell and the Breweres.
