Cubs Closing In On Dempster?

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs offer to Ryan Dempster is for four years at 12.5 million dollars annually. Dempster went 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA and 187 K in 33 games for the Cubs this past season. He dominated nearly all of his opponents and showed no signs of slowing down towards the end of the season. A source close to Cubs executives informed me that the Cubs would really like to lock him up before Friday, so a deal this Thursday is very possible. The Blue Jays are showing the most interest in Dempster so far, but several teams would probably jump in on him if he does hit the open market.

The Cubs are still in on Jake Peavy, and reportedly would like to get a deal done before Thanksgiving. With the Braves calling for a deal to be done by Friday, the Cubs will probably put no pressure on the Padres to get a deal done so they will be the only front-runner.

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Brewers Reliever Torres Retires

Milwaukee Brewers closer Salomon Torres has retired after twelve seasons in the big leagues. He had a great year for the Brewers this season going 7-5 with a career high 28 saves. He is 44-58 with a 4.31 ERA and 57 SV over the course of his career with the Giants, Mariners, Expos, Pirates, and Brewers. Torres retiring could trigger the Brewers to make a deal for a closer. The Rockies have indicated that they may shop Huston Street in a trade and the Brewers could jump in and offer Rickie Weeks and a prospect. They could be forced to bring back Eric Gagne, but he proved to everyone that he cannot handle the closer role. 

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Cubs After Hermida, Pavano?

According to the NY Daily News, the Cubs may pursue left handed outfielder Jeremy Hermida to fill their hole in right field. Hermida has been a disappointment thus far in his career but still has some potential to be a good player. Because he struggled, and is injury-prone, he should come at a relatively cheap price. The Cubs are currently exploring other options, but don't be surprised to see them come back to the Marlins if they miss out on free agent targets like Raul Ibanez or Adam Dunn.

After speaking with an AL executive, I got the feel that the Cubs are considering a run at Carl Pavano, thinking his experience would give the Cubs more depth in their rotation and another solid option in the bullpen. The executive went on to say that Brian Cashman would like to resign Pavano. 

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Dye On The Block?

White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye has been placed on the trade block, according to the NY Daily News. Dye had a great year hitting .292 with 34 homeruns and 96 RBI in 154 games this season. Dye will make 11.5 million dollars in 2009, with a mutual option for 12 million dollars in 2010. Dye should draw a lot of interest considering he is still productive and relatively cheap. Expect the Phillies, Mets, and Cardinals to pursue Dye, which would allow them to save their money from spending it on an outfielder to spending it on a pitcher.

At this point, it is hard to see any deal getting done. Teams are working hard to sign their players and will be very aggressive over the next couple of weeks to sign up some of the big time names. Expect a deal, if any, to be worked out during the Winter Meetings, when GM's have a better idea of what they are working with. 

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Mariners Eye Cora, Mills

According to the Seattle P-I, the Mariners plan to talk with at least seven potential managers and hope to make a decision before Thanksgiving. Of the seven, White Sox coach Joey Cora and Red Sox coach Brad Mills are the favorites. Cora has been endorsed by Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella, making him a serious contender for the job. He would bring major league experience as well as coaching experience while working with one of the best managers in the game. 

As for Mills, he has worked with Terry Francona twice over the course of their careers, as well as room together while at the University of Arizona. Mills also has some managerial experience in the minor leagues, and also served as an advance scout. Bringing these skills as well as two World Series rings makes him a likely candidate for the job. Other candidates for the job include: DeMarlo Hale (Red Sox), Chip Hale (Diamondbacks), Jose Oquendo (Cardinals), Triple-A manager Randy Ready, and Don Wakamatsu (Oakland).

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Padres Pull Hoffman's Offer

According to Buster Olney, the Padres have pulled their offer for closer Trevor Hoffman off the table. Hoffman has been the face of the franchise for the past decade, and it is a shame to see it end this way. Friends close to Hoffman reportedly believe the four million dollar offer was a way to get him to leave, citing the teams desire to cut payroll by trading Peavy, Giles, and ultimately saving by not signing Hoffman. The Indians pursued Hoffman in 2006 when he was last a free agent, and they may pursue him again now that he is a free agent. 

Hoffman went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 30 saves, so he could get a one year deal worth five or six million dollars. As for where he will go, it is hard to say. The Cardinals and Mets are pursuing Brian Fuentes while the Tigers and Indians are also eying closers. Hoffman will likely be picked up after the top closers are signed, so the teams mentioned above, as well as the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Rockies (if they trade Street), and Cardinals, among others.

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Nationals Acquire Olsen, Willingham

The Nationals have traded Emilio Bonifacio, P.J. Dean, and Jake Smolinski to the Marlins for Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen. This is a great trade for both teams. The Nationals acquire a solid starter with ace potential as well as a outfielder with some upside. Olsen was 8-11 with a 4.20 ERA in thirty three games this season while Willingham hit .254 with 15 HR in 102 games. Both guys will have starting roles with the team and probably do fairly well playing in the same division. 

As for the prospects the Marlins will receive, Bonifacio is the only one with major league experience. He will likely be a utility player for the Marlins in 2009. In 10 games in Class-A short season, Dean went 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA. In 24 games in Class-A short season, Smolinksi hit .306 with 0 HR. 

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2009 Top 50 Free Agents Predictions: 21-30

21. Casey Blake, Dodgers

- Blake is coming off a big year, having helped the Dodgers reach the NLCS. However, he prefers to play at a small venue and will likely return to the Midwest.

Prediction: Twins

22. Jon Garland, Angels

- Garland is a solid pitcher who will eat a lot of innings. He is coming off a 14-win season and has dominated in years past, so he is an interesting character. I expect teams that miss out on their first targets to go after him.

Prediction: Dodgers

23. Andy Pettitte, Yankees

- Pettitte wants to play with the Yankees, and the Yankees would like him. Seems like a solid match.

Prediction: Yankees

24. Jamie Moyer, Phillies

- Moyer had a great year with the Phillies and is a leader in the clubhouse. Another one year deal after a sixteen win season makes sense.

Prediction: Phillies

25. Randy Wolf, Astros

- Wolf did a great job for the Astros after he was let go by the Padres, and the Astros have already expressed interest in resigning him. 

Prediction: Astros

26. Edgar Renteria, Tigers

- Renteria was let go by the Tigers after a rough season, but would likely bounce back playing for a good team in a strong, close clubhouse. A reunion in St. Louis makes sense.

Prediction: Cardinals

27. Brad Penny, Dodgers

- Penny was let go by the Dodgers despite winning 38 games over the past three seasons. He is hurt, but I'm sure several teams will be in on him.

Prediction: Angels

28. John Smoltz, Braves

- A career Brave, GM Frank Wren will bring him back.

Prediction: Braves

29. Mark Grudzielanek, Royals

- Grudzielanek has kept a pretty solid average over the past couple of seasons and will likely land a back up or platoon job somewhere.

Prediction: Rockies

30. Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks

- The Diamondbacks cannot afford to bring Randy Johnson back, so he will hit the open market looking to reach 300-wins. 

Prediction: Rangers

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BREAKING NEWS: Athletics Acquire Holliday

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Oakland Athletics are closing in on a deal for Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday. The deal is still a day or two away from being finalized, but sources believe that it will be Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith that will go to the Rockies for Holliday. This trade is really coming out of left field. Not only does it go against the Athletics philosophy of bringing in young talent, but they went after a player whose numbers are extremely slanted by playing in Denver. 

For the Rockies, they acquire a solid closer, and two solid prospects with lots of potential. Let's start with Greg Smith, who went 7-16 with a 4.16 ERA with the Athletics this past season. Smith started off strong, but failed to adjust and it showed after going 2-10 in the final three months of the season. Scouts told me that he failed to make the necessary adjustments to beat teams early, which allowed teams to score early. Not only that, but the bullpen failed to keep leads as well as keep them close after he came out. Playing in the NL and being relatively new to the league, he should get off to a strong start and continue to play well throughout 2009. As for Gonzalez, he will probably need some time in the minors but he has the potential to be force in Colorado. He is a strong lefty who hits to the gaps, but will also hit 20+ homeruns. However, Gonzalez is a lefty (along with Hawpe, Helton, and Stewart), and really struggled against them. Nevertheless, he will see a lot of good at bats hitting in the five spot behind Hawpe or Helton. 

As for the Athletics, they get a power hitting outfielder who will help shape their lineup. We could see guys like Ryan Sweeney or Daric Barton improve by batting behind or in front of him. Not only that, but Holliday will give the Athletics a lot of leverage in negotiating with free agents. They have already made it known that they would like to sign Rafael Furcal to be their leadoff hitter, and he could be intrigued by the A's after the Holliday acquisition.

The Rockies, at least initially, are the winners with this trade. They acquired three solid players with a lot of potential who should help bring the Rockies back to the postseason. Not only that, but they cleared up a lot of payroll that could be used to go after an ace, perhaps CC Sabathia. Holliday is a great player, but he is no guarantee to stay in Oakland after this year and his numbers will likely fall playing away from Denver. We'll see what happens.

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Rogers' Latest

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has a great piece out highlighting a lot of news coming out of baseball:

• Phil Rogers is hearing that Ryan Dempster could sign with the Cubs as early as Thursday. The Cubs are probably hoping to give him a three year deal, but it is likely he will get a four year deal, worth 12-14 million dollars. 
• The Cardinals could pursue a trade for pitcher Javier Vazquez. The Cardinals have a lot of outfield depth and could trade Rick Ankiel and a prospect to land Vazquez, who would help the top half of their rotation. 
• Mark Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, is reportedly receiving interest from more teams than he can negotiate with. Should we expect a surprise team to get in on negotiations? The Phillies? Cubs? Rays!? Boras is probably talking his client up.
• The Chicago Tribune refuted a Sun-Times report about Dayan Viciedo saying that Viciedo has raw tools and his commitment problems should cause teams to worry. 

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Tigers After Tazawa, Closer

According to John Morosi, the Tigers are considering a run for free agent pitcher Junichi Tazawa. The list keeps growing for Tazawa, 22, who reportedly has a fastball that tops at 97 mph. The Tigers are not sure if they will make a serious run at Tazawa, but expect them to talk with his agents. The Red Sox, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Cubs, Mariners, and Dodgers are among several other teams that are reportedly pursuing Tazawa, so he is likely in for a big deal. At this point, it is hard to say where he could go, but you have to expect that the teams with a Japanese presence would be favored over other teams. With that said, the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, and Mariners probably match up the best.

The Tigers also plan to pursue a closer, and may be forced to trade prospects Matt Joyce or Jeff Larish to bring one in. The Tigers will likely contact JJ Putz and Huston Street before looking to the free agent market, but don't be surprised if they sign Chad Cordero or Jason Isringhausen as well. 

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Cardinals Make Offer For Holliday

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals offered Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, and Mitchell Boggs to the Rockies for Matt Holliday. I can't see why the Rockies wouldn't take this deal. Not only do they get an outfielder who could hit 30 homeruns, but they get two solid players who could start with the Rockies. Holliday, who hit 25 homeruns, would likely see his numbers drop somewhat playing in St. Louis. At the same time though, they could go up batting behind Albert Pujols. This deal will probably help both teams, but the Rockies would definitly have the edge intially.

The Rockies will probably counter, but a deal will probably happen within the next week or so.

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