MLB: What’s Cooking on the Hot Stove
With the winter meetings coming to an end rumors and speculation on some of the top available talent is starting to simmer on the hot stove. Here are a few of the highlights of the past few days.
Roy Halladay Rumors
There have been several rumors circulating about Roy Halladay these days. The asking price is said to be five players with an assortment of prospects and young major league talent.
The Phillies are rumored to have offered the Jays a deal centered around J. A. Happ and one of two prized outfield prospects Dominic Brown or Michael Taylor. The Jays are said to be requiring Kyle Drabek in the deal who is currently the Phils top pitching prospect.
The Los Angeles Angels have reportedly jumped into the mix offering a package built around shortstop Erick Aybar, pitcher Joe Saunders, and outfield prospect Peter Bourjos. The issue with the Angels deal is the Jays are rumored to be looking for young players who are either major league ready or only have a year or two of experience while Aybar and Saunders are both arbitration eligible players. While Bourjos is a nice looking prospect he has yet to play above AA ball.
The Tampa Bay Rays were believed to have offered the Jays a deal centered around B. J. Upton and prospects.
With the Yankees dealing one of their top prospects in Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy do not expect them to be serious players for Roy Halladay. Jackson was believed to be one of the guys the Jays were interested in and trading Kennedy away means the team is less likely to include Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes in any deals this winter.
Expect the Yankees to string the Jays along though to help keep the market value for Halladay up.
Mets in on Jason Bay
The Mets reportedly made an offer to Jason Bay during this week’s winter meetings. It is believed the Mets offered him a 4-year deal worth $65 million. The fact that Bay did not accept the deal is leading to speculation that it will take a minimum of a 5-year deal to sign him.
In addition to the Angels, Red Sox, and Mariners the Mets make the fourth team to jump into the fray in regards to Bay. The Cardinals were also believed to have an interest as a backup plan if they fail to re-sign Matt Holliday.
Interest in Sheets Heating up
With Rich Harden signing a one year deal with the Rangers the suitors for Ben Sheets are starting to fall into place as well. The Rangers, Cubs, Mets, and Yankees are all said to have an interest in Sheets and it is being reported that the right-hander is scheduled to meet with both New York clubs.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Sheets. On the one hand, when healthy, he has the talent to be a top of the rotation pitcher and is arguably the most talented starter left on the market. On the other hand he sat out all of last year as he rehabbed his arm.
It seems highly unlikely he will get a long term deal but he should be able to command as much as Harden did if not a little more given he has accomplished a bit more over his career than Harden has. Expect him to sign a one year deal in the $8 to $10 million range.
John Lackey
The Mets, Mariners, and Angels appear to be the front runners to land John Lackey.
The Mets are interested in Lackey, but, want to see what it is going to cost them to land an established left fielder prior to making Lackey an offer. They are hoping to sign him for somewhere between what Derek Lowe and A. J. Burnett signed for last winter, somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 to $16.5 million for four or five years.
The Mariners are being cautious and do not want to break the bank to land Lackey knowing they still need to pay Felix Hernandez. They know whatever they pay a pitcher like Lackey they are going to have to go above and beyond that to mollify Hernandez and sign him to a long-term deal.
The Angels appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach but they have a little more money to spend on keeping Lackey after losing out on Chone Figgins. One can be rest assured that the Artie Moreno will probably do whatever it takes not to lose his top two free agents to a division rival.
Red Sox Third Baseman
With an opening at third base pending the approval of the proposed deal sending Mike Lowell to Texas speculation abounds about who will man the hot corner in Boston next season.
Boston reportedly has an interest in Adrian Beltre only Beltre is believed to be asking for a 5-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $65 million. Beltre’s asking price seems rather unrealistic given he never lived up to the free agent deal he got after the 2004 season. He is not going to get $13 million per season given he did not live up to the $13.4 he received last season, and, not to mention he is coming off a year in which he missed 50 games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
If Beltre does not come down on his asking price it is believed the team will possibly settle on Mark DeRosa whose asking price is going to be much lower than that of Beltre’s
Do not rule out the team moving first baseman Kevin Youkilis to the third and going out and getting a first baseman instead. The team is rumored to be interested in Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera, and, there is some speculation that they might start Casey Kotchman at first or sign Nick Johnson.
Dan Uggla
The Orioles and Giants reportedly remain the teams most interested in landing Uggla. The Giants have shied away due to the Marlins asking price and their concerns about him being a defensive liability. They are reportedly looking at other alternatives at the corner infield positions like Nick Johnson, Mark DeRosa, and Adrian Beltre who are better defensive players than Uggla is.
