–The Cubs seem ready to finish a trade for Padres ace Jake Peavy with either the Orioles or Phillies serving as the third team. If the deal goes down with the Orioles involved, the Cubs would send center fielder Felix Pie to Baltimore, the Orioles would ship pitcher Garrett Olson to Chicago, and the Padres would likely wind up with pitchers Sean Marshall and Kevin Hart, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, and third-base prospect Josh Vitters from the Cubs. The Phillies have also got involved in the talks and could make it a four-team deal because they would like to land Mark DeRosa from the Cubs to fill in for second baseman Chase Utley early in the season while he recovers from hip surgery, then shift the former Penn quarterback to left field to take the place of free agent Pat Burrell. The Padres also like Phillies left-hander J.A. Happ and catching prospect Lou Marson. The Phillies’ backup plan for left field would be to try to sign free agent Raul Ibanez.
–Free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez happened to be on the same elevator as I came down to the press room from my room this morning at the Bellagio but I couldn’t get him to spill the beans on his plans. However, reports are circulating that he has agreed in principle to a three-year, $37 million contract with the Mets. We shall see if something is announced today.
–While the Indians quickly bowed out of the Rodriguez’s sweepstakes, they are continuing to search for a closer and now have their sights set on free agent Kerry Wood. The Tigers also have targeted Wood if they are unable to trade for Mariners closer J.J. Putz.
–If the Braves are unsuccessful in their pursuit of free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett, they are considering trading for the Royals’ Zack Greinke, with outfielder Jeff Francouer being the primary bait. The Braves also have interest in Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm.
–Jason Giambi appears headed back to the Athletics as a free agent, and an announcement could come at the meetings as the first baseman/designated hitter lives in Las Vegas.
–Free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal may regret turning down a four-year, $35 million offer from the Athletics last week, as it seems no other team is willing to go that high on him. If Furcal’s price drops, the Dodgers could re-enter the picture and re-sign him, although the Blue Jays and Indians have also expressed interest in recent days.
–The Cardinals are pursuing free-agent left-hander Randy Wolf.
–The Rays have at least some interest in signing free agent Garret Anderson to be their designated hitter.
-The Red Sox have joined the Blue Jays in the pursuit of free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano.
6:10 p.m. PDT Monday
–Add the Astros’ Miguel Tejada to the list of shortstops the Twins have an interest in acquiring.
–Carl Pavano, after being a bust with the Yankees, is nevertheless drawing interest, and the Blue Jays are one of the clubs in pursuit. He would be reunited in Toronto with Brad Arnsberg, his pitching coach with the Marlins.
–Add Ben Sheets to the list of free agents who have shown up at the Bellagio to meet with various clubs. The Rangers are interested, and the Astros would like to sign him if they can clear Tejada’s salary.
–The Dodgers appear close to re-signing free-agent third baseman Casey Blake.
–The Royals are talking to free-agent relievers Brandon Lyon and Kyle Farnsworth in an effort to restock their bullpen after trading Leo Nunez to the Marlins for Mike Jacobs and Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox for Coco Crisp.
3:28 p.m., PDT Monday
–A number of players have decided to make an appearance at the Winter Meetings. Among those spotted in the lobby of the Bellagio here in Las Vegas on Monday were a pair of free agents, infielder Nick Punto and outfielder Milton Bradley, as well as Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson. Bradley had lunch with members of Rays management; the defending American League champions are looking for a right fielder and a designated hitter.
–The Astros claimed reliever Jeff Fulchino off of waivers from the Royals.
–I neglected to mention this earlier today, but Greg Maddux made an interesting comment when he officially announced his retirment earlier today. When asked what he was going to miss, the first word out of his mouth was “fun,” which almost gets forgotten anymore in all sports.
Maddux also said that if he was granted the power to change the game, he would not change anything. “It’s pretty much the perfect game already,” he said.
I’ll have more on Maddux tomorrow in On The Beat.
2:53 p.m. PDT Monday
–A baseball person very familiar with free-agent CC Sabathia’s thinking believes the left-hander does not want to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox and instead prefers to either remain with the Brewers or return to his native California and sign with either the Dodgers or Giants so he can stay in the National League.
–The Tribune Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday but Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said he has been told that will have no bearing on how he can conduct business. The Cubs continue to pursue Padres ace Jake Peavy and look for a left-handed hitter to play right field.
–The Twins are said to be willing to deal left fielder Delmon Young for a shortstop and two potential trade targets are Phillies prospect Jason Donald and Pirates veteran Jack Wilson.
–Now that the Rangers have traded catcher Gerald Laird, the greatly hyped Jarrod Saltalamacchia will get his chance to be the everyday guy behind the plate next season.
1:06 p.m. PDT Monday
–Left-hander CC Sabathia is here at the Bellagio meeting with various teams pursuing the prize of this year’s free-agent crop. Sabathia could be seen walking through the lobby with three friends that he dwarfed. It would seem he should be their bodyguards instead of vice versa.
I can’t help but wonder what will wind up being more expensive, Sabathia or tickets to ”O”, the Cirque de Soleil show here at the Bellagio. In an effort to keep Mrs. P happy while I do this baseball thing the next four days, we dropped $320 on a pair of tickts on Sunday night.
–The first trade of the winter meetings came as the Tigers acquried catcher Gerald Laird from the Rangers for two pitching prospects, including one on the 40-man roster, right-hander Guillermo Moscoso.
–Joe Gordon was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the two Veterans Committees on Monday. The second baseman played in nine All-Star Games and five World Series during his career with the Yankees and Indians from 1938-43 and 1946-50. He received 83.3 percent of the vote and 75 percent was required for election.
8:17 p.m. Pacific Time Sunday
–Las Vegas isn’t just a mecca for gamblers (my Florida minus-2 gambit against Florida State failed in college hoops tonight) but closers, too. Free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Trevor Hoffman are all in town to meet face-to-face with clubs, and there is talk Kerry Wood might make an appearance as well between the time the meetings officially open Monday and end Thursday. Look for Mets GM Omar Minaya to run up quite the entertainment bill for the Wilpons, as he plans on taking both Rodriguez and Fuentes to dinner.
–A wild rumor making the rounds is that the Rays might replace the Orioles as the third team to facilitate a trade that would send ace starter Jake Peavy from the Padres to the Cubs. Reportedly, the Rays would acquire veteran Brian Giles from the Padres to play right field. However, that seems doubtful, as Giles is a native San Diegan and has no desire to waive his no-trade clause. Regardless of how it shakes out, Padres GM Kevin Towers is determined to get five players back in any deal, and the Orioles want both center fielder Felix Pie and shortstop Ronny Cedeno from the Cubs in any deal.
–The Tigers have cooled off from their pursuit of Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, and would now prefer to instead use four-corners player Jeff Larish as one of the chips to try to acquire Mariners closer J.J. Putz in a trade. The Tigers feel shortstop Adam Everett is the equivalent of Wilson and they can acquire him more cheaply as a free agent without giving up any players in return.
I keep thinking the Dodgers are going to grab Jack Wilson; seems to fill a need/fit well with Torre & co, plus LA knows what it takes to close a deal with Pitt after this summer's blockbuster
Agree entirely. Someone please explain to me what Jack Wilson will bring to the Dodgers that some combination of Hu and DeJesus wouldn't, and at a cheaper price? His Eckstein scrappylittlewhiteguythatisn'treallythatgood-ness?
"The Tigers feel shortstop Adam Everett is the equivalent on Wilson and they can acquire more cheaply as a free agent without giving up any players in return."
It took them how long to realize this...?
The Tigers dont seem to have a lot of trade chips beyond Larish... you have to think someone would outbid them for Putz, even in this closer-flooded market.
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I love BP...but it's ridiculous that a pay site gets its ass handed to them on updates by a free site like MLB Trade Rumors. Tim Dierkes is one guy and he blows anyone anyway with updates and rumors. BP has what - 10 guys ? - and nothing posted all day.
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Of course they are - but they're free and nobody does it better. Look guys - it's a minor critique - I love BP as much as anyone. I'd just appreciate an update. Probably there will be several later tonight.
I don't want to gang up, but you also have to consider that Tim Dierkes isn't out getting these rumors himself, he's merely compiling and posting links to those who have.
As helpful and appreciated as that is, it's not the same thing as posting the originals.
I found MLBTR much better when Tim was adding fantasy-slanted analysis, but many busy peope don't have the time to surf the net all day so getting the links provides a valauble service.
They have done a "Rumor Mill" update here over the years during the meetings and at the trade deadline....but see Will C's post from last week...it seems they are drifting away from the Rumor-ish aspects that drive so much of things. There is no shortage of rumor-mongering out there.
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Great info, CC is big, O is expensive, and a trade was made a long time ago in Winter Meeting time. Will the update at 09:00 inform us that Boras is a super agent and he's holding court?
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That's what I mean. BP should just get out of this niche all together then. There's nothing here that wasn't all over MLB Trade Rumors much earlier. Again, for a pay site, that's unacceptable. Just stop doing it because this is just rehashed information.
Now....bash the hell out of me guys....since any criticism quickly gets rating below the threshold. Be good soldiers.
I have a couple qualms with some things BP does. I assume most subscribers do. That's natural. But this is a ridiculously unfair criticism, so you're going to get called on it. MLBTradeRumors is not actually digging up all their stuff from sources. IT IS A SITE THAT POST LINKS TO OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK. So of course they're going to have more information than BP, where a couple of guys are posting what they have learned personally.
"Again, for a pay site, that's unacceptable. Just stop doing it because this is just rehashed information. "
MLBTR is 100% rehashed information from other news sources! And that's a cool thing, because you can find it all in one place.
But there is a massive difference between journalism and posting links to journalism. I don't get how this is a difficult concept.
If the Twins deal Delmon Young for Jack Wilson, doesn't that mean that they essentially traded Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett for one year of Delmon Young and Wilson? Wow. Even if the Pirates threw a minor leaguer or two into that deal, that doesn't sound like like a great exchange for the Twins.
Delmon Young for Jack Wilson aint gonna happen. That would be worse than Kazmir for Zambrano. Matt Tolbert who is already on their team is better than Wilson and makes 10 times less.
Mentioning that the Twins are willing to deal Delmon Young and that they may pursue Jack Wilson are unrelated and does not imply in any way a straight up deal is in the works.
I could not agree more. Jack Wilson is a run of the mill SS who should be had for nothing more than a modest prospect. I know Delmon was dissapointing last year,and they have a crowded OF, but wow. I gave Billy Smith a D grade for his offseason last year, if he makes that deal it becomes a big fat F.
How can you say Salty will get his shot in Texas with Laird gone? They have Teagarden and Ramirez so it's still an incredibly crowded backstop situation. Unless there is some word from Texas that has anointed Salty the lead in the competition...
Because hes a switch hitter and there are a plethora of platoon options. IE he could spell Blalock and/or Davis against lefties. Being a switch hitter and able to play 3 positions, opens up a lot of options.
As a White Sox fan I heartily endorse the Twins trading Delmon Young for Jack Wilson.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems to make an awful lot of sense for the Twins to try to sign Joe Crede to an incentive-laden one year deal (assuming his back isn't so demolished that he won't be able to play again). You clearly can't go long-term on him and there's the obvious danger that his back will cause problems once again this year, but they could use Buscher as the backup at that spot to spell Crede instead of playing Buscher and assorted utility players at that spot. Seems like an ideal move for a low budget team like the Twins.
Obviously a real solution without the risk there would be even better, but since they seem to show no inclination to do so, at least Crede would be a veteran signing that would actually add something when he's able to play, as opposed to the usual veteran signings the Twins make that actively hurt the team until they finally figure that out and cut them loose around June or so. Crede at least supplies power if he's healthy (power they could clearly use), and will likely be above average with the glove as well. He was bashing the ball again this year before his back started acting up again.
I have no clue what kind of a deal you sign him for though without knowing the medicals, and there is the Boras factor. If Boras can get someone to sign Crede to a multiyear deal with substantial guaranteed money despite the recent injury history, he'll have earned every penny of his agent commission.
The rumor in Minny is Delmon Young to the Rockies for Garrett Atkins. Given that Denard Span is clearly a better OF and perfect leadoff hitter they need to deal someone from the OF. I would prefer it's Cuddyer, but I don't think there's much of a market for him proabbly with nhis injury history. That means it's Delmon who goes, Atkins would be a good fit, I'd like to get a prospect as well, what does everyone else think?
The Phillies have got to have a ton of money to spend - they are looking at a season of sellouts, not to mention they have Pat Burrell's salary off the books. Forget Discount Delmon Young and His Attitude. Launch a campaign to get Phillies fans to embrace Mad Milton Bradley, don't let up until he is the most popular athlete in Philadelphia, and watch him put up a .300 EQA for at least 2 seasons. It would be an effort, but if the alternative is Delmon Young, how much effort could it really be?
Personally, I like the rumored deal of Peavy to the Cubs, Vitters, Happ to Chicago, DeRosa to the Phillies. I like the way that DeRosa would fill in for Utley until he is healthy, and while his bat isn't exactly LF material, he would be a nice platoon for this year with Stairs/Jenkins/Dobbs when Utley came back.
Well that wouldn't be a bad pickup but I wouldn't see any reason not to go for Bradley as well, makeup concerns aside. Especially since Werth, Victorino, Bradley and Utley all have health concerns. I'd rather be redundant. Bradley and DeRosa both provide RH protection to the lineup, which I think is essential. And the Phillies have the money; there's no reason to spend it just because you have it, but I don't see Bradley as that kind of move.
As a die hard Twins fan I would take an aging Tejada at the right price, but only if he is willing to shift to 3B which has been unwilling to do in the past. If he still somehow believes he can play short, let him ply his wares somewhere else.
Rumors are floating around that the Mets and Red Sox are talking about Brian Schneider. How could the Mets get back for him? Would David Pauley for Brian Schneider be a reasonable swap for either team?
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I keep thinking the Dodgers are going to grab Jack Wilson; seems to fill a need/fit well with Torre & co, plus LA knows what it takes to close a deal with Pitt after this summer's blockbuster
Why would Wilson be a good fit for LA? he's mediocre, overpaid, lousy career at Dodger Stadium, ang the Pirates want good players for him. No thanks.
Agree entirely. Someone please explain to me what Jack Wilson will bring to the Dodgers that some combination of Hu and DeJesus wouldn't, and at a cheaper price? His Eckstein scrappylittlewhiteguythatisn'treallythatgood-ness?