GM Meetings Gossip Thread

[DocTee]

ESPN reporting that the Fish are shopping Miguel Cabrera, but not Dontrelle Willis.

[Frayed Knot]

Latest rumor:

Insiders are saying that ... [u:a9fe7636c9]each of the other 29 teams[/u:a9fe7636c9]
are said to be willing to listen to offers on ... [u:a9fe7636c9]every single non-signed player on their roster[/u:a9fe7636c9]
and that sources ... [u:a9fe7636c9]familiar with the Mets' thinking[/u:a9fe7636c9] indicate the Mets are interested.
In order to land ... [u:a9fe7636c9]insert player here[/u:a9fe7636c9]
it is thought Omar Minaya would need to include a package containing one or more of ... [u:a9fe7636c9]Milledge, Humber, Pelfrey, Gomez[/u:a9fe7636c9]
although it is doubtful that they would agree to include ... [u:a9fe7636c9]Reyes/Wright[/u:a9fe7636c9]
in any deal.


Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Holy crap! That would really solidify our [u:e6f1f0e49a]perceived weakness[/u:e6f1f0e49a]!

[nymr83]

get ready to sue when they plagiaruze off of you tommorow FK

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Today's Snooze updates that Boras and Arod have yet to MEET THE METS! but that the meeting is expected shortly. It speculates thaat the Mets, Angels, Dodgers and Giants are interested.

* Mark Shapiro, Cleveland GM, MET THE METS! last night, having dinner with Omar.

* The Glavinometer is pointing to Atlanta. Omar sez a top pitcher is a priority and would look to the trade markets though didn't seem enthused about avaoilability there either.

* Lawrence rejects AAA assignment and becomes a FA; Newhan is expected to reject his AAA assignment and become a FA.

* MFYs want Cabrera to play 3B, Marlins want top MFY pitching talent.

[soupcan]

RE: ARod - excerpts from Murray Chass' column in today's NYTimes.

]Arte Moreno, the Angels� owner, has said privately that he would not use such a large percentage of the team�s payroll for one player.

]Brian Sabean, the Giants� general manager, isn�t at the meetings. Dick Tidrow, the assistant general manager, answered the question. �I think we would obviously kick the tires,� he said. �But it�s a long shot.� Although the Giants could use a superstar to keep AT&T Park filled and help pay off the bank debt, a major league official has said that they couldn�t afford A-Rod. The person did not want to comment publicly about another team�s finances.

]Ned Colletti of the Dodgers said: �We�ll have to wait and see. I haven�t heard from Scott. I don�t know if they have interest in being there or not. If they have interest we�ll see where we go. It�ll take a long time to play out, I�m sure.�

]Jim Hendry of the Cubs said: �He�s a great, great player. I know he has a longstanding relationship with Lou Piniella. Anybody would love to have him. In our situation we�re very happy with Aramis Ram�rez at third. In the overall scheme of things, for the dollars it would take, we have other needs � in the outfield, speed-wise, maybe a little more pitching. �For that kind of volume of dollars, I don�t see a way that would make any sense because we�re very happy with our guy at third. To commit that much more to one player and not address the other needs we have when we already have an All-Star caliber third baseman is really tough to do.�

]Theo Epstein of the Red Sox said, �We�re attempting to sign Mike Lowell and we�re not going to figure out any other alternatives until we see how that process plays out.�

]Dave Dombrowski of the Tigers said, �We do not have interest.�

]Larry Beinfest of the Marlins said: �We have no plans to pursue A-Rod or engage in any negotiations for him. It makes no sense to have a player who takes up most, if not all, of our on-field payroll.�

]Bill Bavasi of the Mariners said, �We�re not a player.� Bavasi added that he continued to believe that the Yankees would be the best fit for Rodriguez. �The Yankees need a third baseman,� he said.

]Two of the three executives questioned at random � Andy MacPhail of Baltimore and J. P. Ricciardi of Toronto � said they had no interest. The third, Kevin Towers of San Diego, said: �Do I have interest in him? Absolutely. Do I think we�ve got a legitimate chance to sign him? No. I�d have a hard time paying one guy a third of our payroll. We wouldn�t be able to compete.�

]Omar Minaya of the Mets didn�t mention Rodriguez yesterday. The day before, he said he would look at Rodriguez like he looks at all free agents. Some people inferred from that comment that the Mets were interested. They are not.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He'll be a huge sensation in Japan next year.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Beinfest is funny. Funnier even than seeing Dick Tidrow representing the Giants.

Who hires a guy nicknamed "Dirt" as an assistant GM, much less sends him to represent the team at to the GM meetings?

[metirish]

Found this in a Dallas paper,

] Teams talking trade with Texas Rangers GM By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News egrant@dallasnews.com ORLANDO, Fla. � Jon Daniels is starting to become one of the popular kids. In less than 24 hours worth of hobnobbing with his fellow baseball general managers, Daniels has received multiple inquiries about the Texas Rangers' depth at catcher and about the availability of third baseman Hank Blalock. While Daniels isn't motivated to talk about trading Blalock, especially since he is coming off an injury-plagued season that has likely driven his value down, the catching situation might be a little different. "I'm not looking to move any of our catchers," Daniels said. "But there is a pretty good demand for catching out there." The Rangers have two potential starting catchers in Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Laird, who is eligible for arbitration this winter, is coming off a disappointing offensive season. However, he is still only 27 and led the American League in throwing out base-runners. His time at catcher was diminished after the Rangers acquired Saltalamacchia from Atlanta at the trade deadline. Saltalamacchia split his time between catcher and first base. If the Rangers hold on to Laird, they could have the two share time behind the plate again or have Saltalamacchia play first base full-time. The Rangers, however, believe Saltalamacchia's skills are better suited for being a catcher. Boston, which has center fielder Coco Crisp available, has inquired about the Rangers' catching situation. While Daniels did not discuss potential trade targets, he did say the Rangers have spent time at these meetings looking at potential center fielders available via trade. The club can't discuss money with free-agent center fielders for another week.

No nothing much about Laird but if he's available he might not be a terrible option.

[metirish]

From the Olney blog.

] Superlatives from the lobby at the general managers meetings: The most interesting development is the evolving Johan Santana market. The Twins have told other teams their intention is to attempt to sign the left-hander, but for the first time on Tuesday, some rival executives began to get a serious vibe that if the Twins don't sign Santana, they will definitely put him on the market. To repeat: Plan A for the Twins is to make a contract offer to Santana, and Plan B seems to be to trade him.

[Benjamin Grimm]

metirish wrote: From the Olney blog. ] Plan A for the Twins is to make a contract offer to Santana, and Plan B seems to be to trade him.

Nothing really surprising there.

I would expect that they'd attempt to sign him. That's the only reasonable Plan A.

There are two possible Plan B's: Trade him or keep him for his walk year.

[DocTee]

Phils get Brad Lidge from Houston for OF Michael Bourn, et al.

[Valadius]

Clemens looks like he might actually finally retire and stay retired:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AihiFMQy09PwKgudzXufVMsRvLYF?slug=ap-clemens-retirement&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Fman99]

Valadius wrote: Clemens looks like he might actually finally retire and stay retired: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AihiFMQy09PwKgudzXufVMsRvLYF?slug=ap-clemens-retirement&prov=ap&type=lgns

Ugh when will the stupid Clemens press just go away. I was sick of this guy and his ME ME ME retirement-non-retirement nonsense five years ago.

He sucked ass in 2007 and made $18 mil to do it. Who gives a flying fig what he's doing in November or February?

OK I'm agitated now. I think I need to go find some herbal tea or something.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He's more than welcome to suck another $20 million plus out of the Yankees.

[duan]

were reporting that someone else was reporting that the TWINS were interested in Carlos Gomez. Now, I'd be giving up Gomez and/or one of Humber & Pelfrey to get Santana even if there was no extension window. Can't imagine it being enough, so how far WOULD you go...

[soupcan]

I'd ask them what they want.

I wouldn't deal Wright, everybody else is in the discussion.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Hey, we have a thread for that sort of thing: http://cranepoolforum.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=7699

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Edgy - "He's more than welcome to suck another $20 million plus out of the Yankees."

That would be the perfect scenario in my mind. I would love for Clemens to soak the Yankees for another expensive season of poor pitching. Go Asshead, go, you can do it!

[Valadius]

The GMs decided that 1st-base and 3rd-base coaches will wear helmets next season:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AtM3y5cgn9KNmx8FUxgdR5YRvLYF?slug=ap-coaches-helmets&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Guest Edgy DC]

That'll seem jarring at first and, by 2010, seem like it was always that way.

Don Zimmer apparently should wear one whenever he's within 500 yards of a ballfield.

[Fman99]

Valadius wrote: The GMs decided that 1st-base and 3rd-base coaches will wear helmets next season: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AtM3y5cgn9KNmx8FUxgdR5YRvLYF?slug=ap-coaches-helmets&prov=ap&type=lgns

How Olerudian of them.

[soupcan]

On page two of this thread I posted excerpts from Murray Chass' article in the Times the other day which consisted of various GM's thoughts regarding their interest in ARod.

Today Chass has a column about the GMs being accused of some form of collusion as a result of a closed door meeting they had where they all spoke about who was available and what they were looking for. Chass himself was then accused of colluding as a result of his article the other day.

Strange stuff.


New York Times
November 9, 2007
On Baseball

Is It Collusion or Friendly Chats?

By MURRAY CHASS
ORLANDO, Fla.

Theo Epstein was in elementary school when the owners engaged in collusion against free agents in 1985, and maybe he never read the history. But Epstein, the Red Sox general manager, and Larry Beinfest, the Marlins� president of baseball operations, came up with a new idea for the general managers� meetings that concluded here yesterday, and that idea could easily have crossed the line of collusion.

At the Tuesday session, each general manager was asked to tell the group his plans for the off-season, his team�s needs, what players might be available in trades.

The general managers were not expected to give away any secrets or disclose anything they did not want to, but Epstein and Beinfest, co-chairmen of the meetings, thought the format would save everyone lots of time rather than have general managers contacting each other and exchanging such information in separate meetings.

The Players Association found the idea of sharing information so repugnant that Donald Fehr, the union leader, issued a statement last night saying the union would investigate the general managers� action.

Calling the sharing of information on free agents improper, Fehr said, �We expect to look into the situation, and are prepared to take the appropriate action to respond to any collusive behavior, and to make sure that the rights of free-agent players under the Basic Agreement are fully protected.�

Much of what the executives said was already obvious. Epstein, for example, was quoted as telling the group he was trying to re-sign Mike Lowell, the Red Sox free-agent third baseman. Brian Cashman of the Yankees said: �I don�t have a third baseman. I need a third baseman.�

No one revealed any secrets, but the general managers pronounced the session a success nevertheless.

�It�s increased our efficiency tremendously and has saved us a lot of time,� Epstein told USA Today. �Some teams are specific; others are more guarded. Everyone I�ve talked to thought the idea was beneficial.�

In 1985, �86 and �87, the owners thought what they did was beneficial. They set out to drive down salaries and figured they could accomplish that by forcing free agents to stay with their teams.

No one who lived through that collusive, corrosive period and is still working in baseball has acknowledged the violation of the clause that stipulates clubs shall not act in concert with other clubs and players shall not act in concert with other players.

I recall how, before any arbitrator found the owners guilty, any time I mentioned collusion the clubs� chief labor executive, Barry Rona, would laugh and scoff at the idea.

He wasn�t laughing when Commissioner Fay Vincent, shedding collusion�s remnants, relieved Rona of his duties before the start of negotiations for a new labor agreement in 1990.

If those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, I give you baseball�s general managers, 2007 style.

�We asked before we did it,� Epstein said. �We had two different officials from Major League Baseball there � one from baseball operations, one from labor relations. They felt that would meet all the requirements for a proper meeting.�

Epstein didn�t want to identify the officials who monitored the meeting, but they were Joe Garagiola Jr., senior vice president for baseball operations, and Dan Halem, general counsel for labor.

�My understanding is there were lawyers in the room to make sure nothing improper happened,� Rob Manfred, baseball�s No. 1 labor executive. �Furthermore, it�s hardly shocking that general managers would have a feel for what other teams wanted to do. It�s no state secret and there�s nothing illegal about clubs knowing about other clubs.�

What if a general manager had said Player X was a free agent and made it clear to his colleagues that signing that free agent was his No. 1 priority?

�Conversations about specific players, given the history of the industry, would be more problematic,� Manfred said, �but that didn�t happen. I know for a fact that there was no discussion about specific players.�

Did Manfred know about the Epstein-Beinfest plan before they exercised it?

�I was not aware of it before it happened,� he said.

Would he like to have been aware of it?

�I�m not going to go any further,� Manfred said.


In the interest of full disclosure, I will report that the union�s No. 2 official, Gene Orza, accused me yesterday of being an enabler of collusion. I�ve been called lots of things in my professional life, but this was a new one.

The reason for Orza�s charge was a column I wrote earlier this week about Alex Rodriguez for which I asked about a dozen general managers if they had interest in the highly talented but highly expensive free agent.

�You did the general managers� work for them,� Orza said angrily. �You did what they could not do in a room together.�

Taken aback by the charge, I told Orza I never signed the labor agreement. I, therefore, was not a party to it and I did not think I was obliged to keep readers uninformed, that is, not tell them which teams, if any, might be interested in signing Rodriguez.

Given this episode, maybe I�ll be invited to join the negotiations for the next agreement.

[Valadius]

It's not collusion, it's saving time. Instead of sending aides and scouts running around and doing things indirectly, it's all presented up-front and direct.

[Frayed Knot]

Well the question is how "up front" are most clubs supposed to be with their supposed competition?

Not that I believe anything is going to come out of all this - and without a transcript of specifically what was said there's not going to be enough to prove either way - but I understand the PA wondering out loud exactly how far the clubs are willing to take this spirit of 'cooperation'.

[Guest attgig]

posada and yanks close....

[DocTee]

Cubs send Jacque Jones to Detroit for Omar Infante

[metirish]

Mets have interest in Octavio Dotel the Times says.