Bronson Arroyo reports that the Giants, Phillies, and Twins have contacted his agents, but that no offers have been made.
On Friday we reported that the Minnesota Twins are very interested in signing the free agent righthander and that they have already called and spoken with him according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, but had yet to make a formal offer.
There appears to be mutual interest from both sides in getting something done as Arroyo has a history and good relationship with Twins special assistant Wayne Krivsky. He was the Reds general manager who brought Arroyo to Cincinnati in March 2006, sending outfielder Wily Mo Pena to Boston in a two-player deal that proved to be very one-sided.
The Twins have made it known they are going to be relentless when it comes to acquiring two starting pitchers, according to Nick Cafardo.
Last week, Dan Martin of the New York Post spoke to Arroyo’s agent, who told him that the he would consider signing with the Mets. “Bronson is an East Coast guy and would definitely consider the Mets,” Terry Bross, said. “But we’re going to take our time with this.”
The San Francisco Giants are also considering Arroyo according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Like the Mets, the Giants are looking for an innings-eater who they can sign to a one or two year deal. jon heyman reported that the Yankees are also in play for him.
Arroyo, 37, is one of the most durable starters in the game, tossing 199 pr more innings for nine straight seasons. He has averaged 13.2 wins and 210 2/3 innings in that span.
The Reds did not make a qualifying offer to Arroyo, who recently completed a three-year, $35 million contract and has a career earned run average of 4.19. He has averaged $12 million in salary over his past five seasons and is coming off a 14-12 season with a 3.79 ERA.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors believes that Arroyo will get a deal for two years and $24 million, and that the Mets, Twins, Giants, and several other teams will have interest in him as they look to solidify the backend of their rotation.
If Sandy Alderson fails to sign Arroyo, Mike Puma of the New York Post spoke to multiple talent evaluators from outside the organization who believe veteran southpaw Joe Saunders could be a another possibility for the Mets.
The 32-year-old Saunders went 11-16 with a 5.26 ERA for the Mariners in 2013, but has averaged 193 innings over the past four seasons.
Let’s hope those talent evaluators are wrong. 🙂
(Updated 11/10)
