Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com reports that free agent catcher Jason Kendall is "focusing on a possible contract with Kansas City."
The Royals are one of the few teams that might be crazy enough to let Kendall see regular playing time. The 35-year-old batted just .241/.331/.305 in 452 at-bats with the Brewers in 2009 and has a .243 batting average over the last three seasons. He's not likely to land a lucrative contract.
The Mets have checked in on trade talks for Texas right-hander Kevin Millwood, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The Mets need starting pitching badly, but John Lackey's price tag is going to be too high and they've already missed out on Randy Wolf. Trading for a starter, then, does make some sense. Millwood finished the '09 season with a 13-10 record, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP over 31 starts. He'd make a nice fit, but is going to require a decent batch of prospects and is set to earn $12 million in 2010. GM Omar Minaya and Co. may need to target guys less expensive guys like Doug Davis, Jon Garland and Jason Marquis.
SI.com's Jon Heyman says the market for outfielder Jason Bay "is strong" and the strong bidders are the Mariners, Angels and Red Sox.
It's great to see that the Mariners are serious about chasing Bay, one of the top free agents on the market this winter. They've already landed third baseman Chone Figgins and could make another monster splash by signing the 31-year-old highly coveted outfielder. Bay hit .267/.384/.537 this past season with 36 home runs, 119 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 531 at-bats.
According to Joel Sherman, the Mets and Brewers have discussed a trade involving John Maine and Corey Hart.
It'd seem to be easier for the Mets to buy a Hart-type outfielder in free agency than to replace Maine's upside in the rotation, but they likely have some concerns about how Maine's shoulder will respond going forward. If the Brewers made the deal, they'd enter the market for a right fielder. Marlon Byrd might move to the top of their list.
The Pirates have discussed closer Matt Capps in recent trade talks, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Capps posted a lousy 5.80 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in 57 appearances this past season and could still land a raise through salary arbitration. The Pirates paid him $2,425,000 in 2009 and aren't prepared to give him more. The Rangers and Rays have both expressed interest in the 26-year-old.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that catcher Ivan Rodriguez has agreed to terms on a two-year, $6 million deal with the Nationals.
It's really hard to believe, but it has now been confirmed by multiple sources. The Nationals have no business handing a two-year contract to a 38-year-old catcher, especially when they have a young, productive catcher in Jesus Flores. The Nats are far from being able to contend in the NL East and don't need a veteran catcher vulturing playing time from a youngster.
Mike Gonzalez has declined an offer of arbitration from the Braves.
The Braves weren't so fortunate with Rafael Soriano, who accepted arbitration and could earn up to $8 million through the process. Gonzalez is interested in landing a mutli-year contract with another club and is likely to do so. The 31-year-old had a 2.42 ERA this past season.
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