Atomic RoadRunners

The Detroit Tigers signed RHP Brandon Lyon, who had been with the Diamondbacks, to a one-year, $4.25 million contract. He can earn an extra $500,000 in incentives. Lyon becomes the favorite to close for the Tigers over Fernando Rodney. The Cardinals will have to keep looking elsewhere after losing out on another target. Perhaps they’ll re-sign Jason Isringhausen or take a chance on a rehabbing Akinori Otsuka.

Lyon should be the clear favorite to close over Fernando Rodney. Neither was really any good last year, but Lyon has the better track record and is the more durable of the two. Ideally, Joel Zumaya would step up and push both into setup roles by June or July.

Agent Barry Meister said previously that Lyon had a two-year, $9 million deal on the table. If he indeed signs with Detroit, Lyon will compete with Fernando Rodney for closing duties. The Cardinals are said to be the other finalists for his services. (Rotowire)

Lyon will have a chance to earn the closing role in Detroit this spring. “He was not promised the closer’s job,” GM Dave Dombrowski said. “He thinks he’s going to win the job and that’s why he wanted to come here.” (Rotoworld)

It was thought that if Lyon signed with the Cardinals to be the closer in 2009, the Atomic Roadrunners would protect him as the 15th man – and fourth closer on the staff, joining the Braves’ Mike Gonzalez, the Marlins’ Matt Lindstrom, and the Giants’ Brian Wilson.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Twins have expressed interest in Brandon Lyon. The Twins have been surprisingly quiet in the relief market given their bullpen struggles last season, but Lyon would make some sense as a setup man for Joe Nathan. “We would love to have an experienced setup guy,” general manager Bill Smith said. (Rotoworld)

The Red Sox have some interest in free agent Brandon Lyon, the Boston Globe reports. Lyon, who was traded from Boston to Arizona in the Curt Schilling deal, would be a setup man with the Red Sox. There’s believed to be at least a little interest in him as a starting pitcher, something that may intrigue him with another closer’s role seemingly out of reach. (Rotoworld)

The Royals were planning to talk to agent Barry Meister about Brandon Lyon and Kyle Farnsworth. Craig Counsell’s name could also come up, but the bullpen is the Royals’ priority at the moment. Lyon and Farnsworth might both be available on one-year deals. (Rotoworld)

Free agent Brandon Lyon has decided to decline the Diamondbacks’ offer of arbitration. Lyon looked like the lone question mark remaining. Of the 24 free agents offered arbitration, it now appears that only Darren Oliver will accept. Lyon stood to make around $4 million or so had he chosen to stay with the Diamondbacks. He’ll probably do about as well elsewhere, but it will be a fully guaranteed contact. The Diamondbacks could have released him in spring training and owed him only a small portion of his awarded salary. (Rotoworld)

Happy Thanksgiving! While news has slowed due to the holiday weekend and upcoming Winter Meetings (starting December 8th), here’s the latest in nifty bullet-point format:

• Mark Teixeira: Top suitors are the Angels and Red Sox, with the Yankees, Orioles, and Nationals considerably farther behind. Teixeira is a Maryland native, explaining the O’s and Nat’s interest.
• Casey Blake: The Twins look like the top suitor, followed by the Indians. A deal with the Twins looked close to being finalized, but the Twinkies are likely waiting for the arbitration deadline to pass.
• Brandon Phillips: With Chase Utley slated to miss (at a minimum) all of Spring Training, and potentially the first half of the season recovering from hip surgery, Phillips’ value gets a boost, making him a stronger protection.
• Chris Dickerson: The Reds have been mentioned in several trade scenarios, but a few different reports have them chasing after the Rockies’ Willy Taveras, as the Reds aren’t necessarily sold on Dickerson as a center fielder. He probably doesn’t have the bat for a corner, making him a bench option.
• Jason Marquis may be on the market, as the Cubs try to line up cash and roster openings for a run at Jake Peavy. Peavy would give the Cubs a starting rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Peavy, newly re-signed Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, and Rich Harden.
• Brandon Moss (knee) should be ready “if not opening day, then soon thereafter,” said GM Neil Huntington. Moss had knee surgery last month and is facing 4-6 months of recovery time. “There’s nothing that tells us he won’t be ready Opening Day,” Huntington said. (Rotoworld)
• Brandon Lyon: The market for free-agent reliever Lyon isn’t likely to be settled until the major free agents find homes. Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, along with trade candidate Houston Street are all in greater demand, as well are some of the lefty specialists. Latest rumors had Lyon considering Detroit or returning in a set-up role in Arizona.

The Tigers have shown some initial interest in Lyon, the MLB.com Hot Stove Blog reports. The Tigers have also shown interest in former Nationals closer Chad Cordero as well. The Tigers are looking for some short term bullpen help as the team has 2008 first-round draft pick Ryan Perry as their closer of the future, and Joel Zumaya could work his way back in to the running for the closing gig if he can stay healthy. (Rotowire)

Here’s a rundown of Roadrunner rumors during this week’s General Manager Meetings in Dana Point, CA.:

• Brandon Lyon is open to pitching in Colorado.

• According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks haven’t talked contract with Brandon Webb‘s agent, Jonathan Maurer, since the team pulled out of a June near-agreement for three years and $54MM. Maurer expects to hear from the D’Backs this winter, but the price has gone up. Webb isn’t looking to set any records, but he’s well under-compensated on his current deal (which runs through 2010). ESPN’s Buster Olney heard a four-year, $80MM extension would probably suffice, but it’s not known whether the D’Backs will do that. Maurer wonders if they’ll look to trade Webb if contract talks break down.

• According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Nationals are preparing to make a significant offer to Mark Teixeira. Olney believes the Angels will make an offer in the $100-120MM range, but that offer will expire soon. If and when Scott Boras passes on that proposal, it might be the Yankees, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles competing for Tex.

• GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had an informal five-minute talk with Casey Close, who represents Ryan Howard and Joe Blanton.
• Larry LaRue says the Angels are hinting they can afford both Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia.  The Yankees could afford it, too.
• The Angels have not yet made an offer to Mark Teixeira, but they’ll deal with that situation before moving on to other needs.  Boras is suggesting Teixeira pays for himself.
• Ken Rosenthal has an Angels update: If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly.  However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so.  It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th.  There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.

• MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert talked to Brandon Lyon‘s agent Barry Meister, who said his client would be open to closing or an eighth inning role.  Lyon would be thrilled to return to the D’Backs, but they don’t figure to match a multiyear offer.  More likely, they offer arbitration but let him leave. Lyon, 29, posted a 4.70 ERA in 59.1 innings this year.  His command was strong, possibly indicating better times ahead.

• In the Cubs’ scramble to land Jake Peavy via trade and to re-sign Ryan Dempster, Ken Rosenthal reports that several players may have to be traded to reduce payroll, including Jason Marquis.
• The Rangers may look at outside options for third base, and they’ve been in touch with Casey Blake‘s agent.

Baseball Prospectus recently released the results of the 17th Annual Internet Baseball Awards, and Chipper Jones finished sixth in the balloting for National League MVP. 2008 IBA Cy Young Tim Lincecum placed ninth overall. Below are the results:

Rnk Name                   1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10       B       P
  1. Albert Pujols       1233   97   38   17    5    7    4    2    2    1    1406   18650
  2. Hanley Ramirez        26  454  191  164  105   76   46   38   14   15    1129    8477
  3. Lance Berkman         14  223  195  167  159   89   74   46   31   26    1024    6853
  4. Chase Utley           21  105  196  155  149  101   85   54   45   16     927    5899
  5. David Wright          10   93  163  152  171  118  104   63   50   28     952    5694
  6. Chipper Jones         14   70  131  128  133  115   81   68   47   28     815    4793
  7. Ryan Howard           53  116   75   80   64   44   38   28   35   24     557    3880
  8. Manny Ramirez         32   63   72   65   79   50   40   42   49   51     543    3205
  9. Tim Lincecum           5   33   61   77   94   61   70   50   44   22     517    2803
 10. Ryan Braun             7   49   61   94   55   53   56   44   37   22     478    2732

 12. Jose Reyes             3   12   35   38   63   68   59   72   58   45     453    2027
 23. Prince Fielder         0    1    5    7    9    9   10    7    4    2      54     268
 24. Brandon Webb           0    1    2    4    6    5    7    8    8    6      47     188
 39. Mark Teixeira          0    0    0    3    1    1    0    0    1    1       7      35
 42. Shane Victorino        0    1    0    1    0    3    0    0    1    0       6      33
 62. Brandon Phillips       0    0    0    0    0    1    1    0    1    2       5      13
 74. Corey Hart             0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    1    0       2       8
 88. Chris Iannetta         0    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    0       1       5
 95. Brandon Lyon           0    0    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0       1       4
104. Ryan Theriot           0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    1       1       1

It seems that I may have placed the vote for Theriot . . .

Tim Lincecum was named the Cy Young Award winner in the 17th Annual Internet Baseball Awards. 2006 winner and 2007 runner-up Brandon Webb finished fourth in the voting. Below are the results:

Rnk Name                        1      2      3      4      5       B       P
  1. Tim Lincecum              955    335     56     15      4    1365   12224
  2. Johan Santana             273    619    184     71     22    1169    8218
  3. C.C. Sabathia             122    155    281    159    128     845    4315
  4. Brandon Webb               47    189    318    193    106     853    4068
  5. Cole Hamels                 5     42    212    214    130     603    2176
  6. Brad Lidge                  9     18     94    109     83     313    1096
  7. Ryan Dempster               5     16     86    101    124     332    1019
  8. Dan Haren                   1     10     47     83     98     239     662
  9. Edinson Volquez             0      6     33     42     55     136     388
 10. Jake Peavy                  2     11     23     38     34     108     360

 24. John Maine                  1      0      0      1      0       2      13
 26. Brandon Lyon                1      0      0      0      0       1      10
 34. Brian Wilson                0      0      1      0      1       2       6
 41. Josh Johnson                0      0      0      1      0       1       3
 41. Todd Wellemeyer             0      0      0      1      0       1       3
 50. Matt Lindstrom              0      0      0      0      1       1       1

Brandon Lyon and his agent told the D-Backs that he hasn’t ruled out a return to Arizona, the team’s official site reports. “Brandon would be thrilled to come back to Arizona,” Lyon’s agent Barry Meister said. “We’re going to get some sense of the market and come back to Arizona and have a meeting of the minds. I don’t think it would be surprising if he got some multi-year offers from teams.” The D-Backs have pretty good depth already in their bullpen, so it may come down to possibility of adding a low-cost alternative and hoping that a couple of their younger arms step up and contribute significant late innings in 2009. (Rotowire)

Brandon Lyon has filed for free agency. He’s unlikely to return to the D-Backs, after struggling as the team’s closer to begin the season. Lyon is better suited for set-up work, but his strikeout rate swelled to a career-high 6.67 K/9IP in 2008 and in most circumstances, he should be able to reprise his role as a viable seventh- or eighth-inning option in 2009. Just don’t expect the opportunity for him to close regularly to be there.

Brandon Lyon converted 26-of-31 save opportunities before being permanently replaced in the closer’s role by Chad Qualls. He’s set to become a free agent this winter, while Lyon will likely end up signing elsewhere as the D-Backs will have to wisely spend payroll with a number of young players due for significant salary increases. Lyon’s effectiveness hinges heavily on where the opposition hits his pitches, as an inflated .355 BABIP is particularly costly when you don’t have dominant stuff. That said, Lyon’s strikeout rate swelled to a career-high 6.67 K/9IP in 2008 and in most circumstances, he should be able to reprise his role as a viable seventh- or eighth-inning set-up man in 2009. Just don’t expect the opportunity for him to close regularly to be there. (Rotowire)

FAAB Acquisition:

• P James Parr, Braves [$0 bid, reserve]

Up:

• OF Chris Dickerson
• SS Ryan Theriot
• P Mike Gonzalez

Down:

• OF Corey Hart
• 2B Brandon Phillips
• P Brandon Lyon

Cut:

• P Jaime Garcia

Notes:

• MI Blake DeWitt moves from MI to 2B, and Theriot is activated at MI
• Stanimals acquired former Roadrunner C Carlos Ruiz in an attempt to bolster his lineup.  Stanimals and Goodfellas are tied for fourth place.

Arizona RHP Brandon Lyon, who lost the closer’s job Saturday, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh Sunday. Lyon, who is likely headed to free agency, is nothing more than a low-end middle reliever for the deepest of NL-only leagues that use true middle men here on out. (CBS Sports)