April 2006

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Interview With John Hickey

John Hickey covers the Mariners for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, writing frequent columns and even manning a blog. John was kind of enough to provide insight into all sorts of Mariners questions. MLBTradeRumors: What's your take on the extra day off for Kenji Johjima? Was Hargrove sending any kind of message or was there a miscommunication? John Hickey: It's an odd thing, really. Historically, when Hargrove gets a backup player into the lineup, he likes to get him two games in a row. (Willie Bloomquist gets two as often as not). So there is the thought that he was just being..   Continue Reading

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What To Do With Delmon Young

By now, we've all seen the video of Delmon Young's bat flip. At least, ESPN was calling it a flip before the video came out. They've kind of quieted on that now that we saw that Young really whipped that sucker. Intent to harm is still a question mark...but when you throw a wooden object at that speed end over end in the direction of someone, you have to realize the distinct possibility of injury. This eyewitness account stresses that he tossed and did not fling the bat, but I vote fling. The Young incident is far worse than Roberto..   Continue Reading

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Should Cubs Add Tony Clark?

Word comes today that Tony Clark is willing to waive his no-trade clause if that's what the Diamondbacks want. The Cubs are the obvious fit - should they go after him? I vote yes. The Cubs' offense was barely acceptable before Derrek Lee went down, and now it's just plain feeble. This club cannot be backed into playing Neifi Perez regularly once again. Clark is probably worth a win or two in Lee's two month absence, and that easily justifies the $2MM owed to him through 2007. Josh Byrnes is a shrewd GM, however, so Hendry has to try not..   Continue Reading

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2007 Free Agent Market - Second Basemen

Updated 1-9-07 Let's assess the 2B free agent market next offseason for those teams in need. These are the guys who I consider starters at the position. Ronnie Belliard - Should be worth about $4 mil at age 32 in 2007. Consistent if not spectacular. The dreads are a plus   Continue Reading

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Cubs Shopping Maddux?

A good one from the rumor mill over at Gotham Baseball. Unfortunately their page is not working right now so here's a link to MetsBlog's take on Gotham's report. According to Gotham, Greg Maddux is being shopped. Interested parties: Mets, Yankees, Brewers, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Royals, and Cardinals. The Cubs would essentially be reducing their rotation to "Carlos Zambrano and pray for a tornado," but Maddux is an impending free agent. My opinion from a couple of weeks ago: he's the same old Mad Dog, just with a well-timed hot streak. Still, dealing him now would be a very early white..   Continue Reading

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Miscellaneous Rumors

There are a few trade-related nuggets in the newspapers today, but I don't expect anything major to go down until June. The Reds are trying to find a taker for Tony Womack, who has thankfully been pushed out of their infield and demoted. That is what we call a million dollar mistake. I guess Brandon Phillips makes up for it, at least until his bat runs cold. Jay Payton and his agent are being vocal about finding him his 500 ABs with another team if necessary. The best fit I can find is the Cardinals. The Yanks plan on declining..   Continue Reading

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2007 Free Agent Market: First Basemen

Updated 1-2-07 Today we take a look at the first basemen available as free agents after the 2006 season. These are players who I think are actually capable of starting regularly at first base. Aubrey Huff and Darin Erstad - I don't think they'll end up at 1B next year. Phil Nevin - He made $10MM this season. The Rangers traded him to the Cubs and Nevin responded with an .832 OPS as Derrek Lee's replacement. Things didn't go so well after the Cubs traded him to Minnesota, however. A long shot to start for anyone next year. Craig Wilson..   Continue Reading

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Marlins Made Crazy Offer To Mets

According to Jon Heyman, the Fish offered Dontrelle Willis to the Mets for David Wright this spring. Sounds like something out of a fantasy league. Baseball Prospectus projects Wright to be with about ten more wins than Willis over the next five seasons. I believe Heyman here. His report definitely calls Jeffrey Loria's denials into question. Sounds like the Fish are shooting for the moon with Willis, but he really does seem to be available. What do you think of a Willis for Chase Utley deal? Who wins, and why wouldn't it work   Continue Reading

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Replacing Derrek Lee

The Cubs have plenty of external options to replace their All-Star first baseman. Still, IvyChat makes a fine point: Jim Hendry has very rarely made trades to cover for injuries (see Nomar, Alex Gonzalez.) Then again, there was one exception (quote from IvyChat): "What's ironic is that the only reason Hendry received the contract extension was due to a trade he made to fill in for an injury. If not for Korey Patterson's injury, the Cubs win nothing in 2003." Link found via Baseball Musings. RotoWorld adds that Michael Restovich was out of Triple A Iowa's lineup last night, a..   Continue Reading

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Howie Kendrick To Debut In May?

Just got word from a respected Angels source. You may be wondering why Maicer Izturis has made four consecutive starts - at shortstop, third base, and even DH. Sure, he's hitting well (5 for 15 with three steals). But this is Maicer Izturis here folks. He's a .232/.299/.336 hitter in 300 career ABs. You don't want him DHing. The reason behind all the PT for Izturis is that he's being shown off for scouts in attendance. The Angels are hunting for the right deal to make room for Howie Kendrick by mid-May. If they can't find something they like for..   Continue Reading

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Thursday Morning Reading

Barry Zito makes a peculiar trade demand. Sign a petition to put an end to the new Mets song... 23 year-old Cubs prospect Carlos Marmol has the best ERA in the Southern League (0.52 through 17 innings). Perhaps that's why no one discusses his past transgressions. I think it would be awesome if an MLBTradeRumors reader could come up with the new name for Dan Haren's new blog. Right now it's called Haren's Heat...c'mon now, that's even lamer than "Roto Authority." I know there a few clever readers out there. If we can name Danny's blog, maybe he'll pass us..   Continue Reading

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2007 Free Agent Market: Catchers

Updated 12-23-06 Looking for a new starting backstop after the 2006 season? These are your free agent options. Javy Lopez - Lopez caught just 38 games in 2006, so who knows how he'll be behind the plate at age 36. He'll have to take a huge pay cut from this year's $8.5MM. The Rockies could sign him despite the presence of Yorvit Torrealba and Chris Iannetta on the roster   Continue Reading

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Who Has The Goods And Need For Zito?

Billy Beane's nondenial coupled with Jon Heyman's rumor from a couple of days ago got me thinking some more about Barry Zito. Said Heyman: "If Zito makes it to free agency, a friend of Zito's said he believes the Mets and Yankees are co-favorites to sign him." That's certainly logical. Heyman also mentioned that Beane wants three younger, cheaper players for Zito if a trade is to take place. That's certainly been his requirement in the past. What I'm wondering is: which contenders meet the minimum requirement of stud prospects and young guns? I'll use Baseball America's Top 50 as..   Continue Reading

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GameFour Blog

I highly recommend GameFour, a sports blog written by a friend of mine, Conor. Several other fine writers contribute over there as well. Conor is currently beating me in our SportsBloggers fantasy league. I have only myself to blame for having Emil Brown in my outfield. Conor recently interviewed me, so check that out if you're so inclined   Continue Reading

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The Yankees And Torii Hunter

In my April 6th post "The Torii Hunter Situation," I didn't mention that Yankees as a potential suitor. I figured Johnny Damon was cemented as the team's center fielder. But now Damon says he'd be willing to move to right field for Hunter. Such a switch could push Gary Sheffield to DH, not a bad thing. If Damon's arm is not good enough for center field, I don't know how it would suffice in right. But let's put that little problem aside for a moment and try to determine whether the Yanks have the goods on the farm to get..   Continue Reading

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Is Johjima Hurting Ms Pitchers?

I haven''t gotten to watch any Mariners games yet this year, so I can't speak to this directly. But a knowledgable friend emailed me this observation recently: "Kenji Johjima is not framing pitches well at all, and is giving away location by setting up too early...can't believe he's getting with that so far-this won't help Seattle pitching staff." He speculated that Felix Hernandez won't be able to post Cy Young type numbers this season because of Johjima. Johjima can't be blamed for Hernandez's shin splints or lack of command in his first two starts. But I was wondering - have..   Continue Reading

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Speculation: Vidro To Be Traded?

I have a feeling Jose Vidro's tenure with the Nationals will come to an end before summertime. Vidro hates RFK Stadium and seems to have a rocky relationship with team president Tony Tavares. Vidro's stock is as high as it's been in years. He seems healthy and is hitting .357 with 3 HR and 10 RBIs in 42 ABs. And the club has a left fielder who's desperate to move back to second base. Vidro has a no-trade clause for 6-8 teams...anyone know which? Of course, players can be convinced to waive such things. He makes $7MM this year, $7.5MM..   Continue Reading

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Baseball and Romance

How about a little something different? Check out this amusing article over at Batter's Box courtesy of Leigh Sprague. In my personal experience, I've been able to lure my fiance to baseball games with the promise of ballpark hot dogs and proximity to Michael Barrett. Plus, thanks to me, she can slip right into a baseball conversation at the office and casually flex more knowledge than any of her coworkers   Continue Reading

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MLB Free Agents 2007: Greg Maddux

It's kind of funny to see Jay Mariotti jumping on the Greg Maddux bandwagon after two starts. The secret to Maddux's quick start is not fitness. In reality, he's the exact same Professor he has been for the last three years. Maddux's H/9 rate fluctuates from season to season. I don't think he has a lot of control over this. Sure, in his 1992-98 insane peak he certainly allowed fewer hits for a reason. But he gave up tons of hits in '99 and it looks like a fluke. He seems to have established a new general range since 2003...   Continue Reading

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Olney's Scoop On Willis

As the rumors heat up about possible Dontrelle Willis trades, Buster Olney had an informative blog post today. Here's an excerpt of Olney quoting a team exec: "When they traded Beckett, they basically contacted every team and then took offers. They haven't said anything about those guys being available, and it would make sense that if they wanted to move them, they would tell everybody, because there would be a lot of interest." I find it interesting that every team was given the opportunity to make an offer for Beckett. I wonder how common this practice is? Olney finishes by..   Continue Reading

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Ready To Rumble

I love a good brawl. And I hope these two teams really mix it up. I heard Julio Franco is really pissed off at Ryan Zimmerman showing him up by being 30 years younger. But the problem is that the umps are going to be so prepared when Jose Guillen steps up that no one will get any good swings in. Bodyslams are unlikely. We'll see   Continue Reading

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Latest On Clemens

Back on February 15th, I posted about a source out of Houston close to former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker. That same source has another update on Roger Clemens for us this morning. Apparently, Hunsicker still feels that Clemens will sign with Houston on or shortly after May 1st. The Yankees and Red Sox were never seriously in the running for Roger, and Texas was a long shot at best. Clemens's approach to his return was designed to guarantee him the most money possible. On the off chance that Clemens retires, the Astros are expected to trade for a starting pitcher   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Willis Trade Possibility

We were all a bit skeptical of the idea of the Marlins trading their best pitcher, 24 year-old southpaw Dontrelle Willis. But I have to say, Ken Rosenthal's article yesterday makes a Willis trade sound like a very legitimate possibility. Read up. Rosenthal mentions Felix Pie, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jon Lester as possible starting points for their respective teams. An offer starting with Lester and Dustin Pedroia would have to get the Marlins listening. An acquisition of Willis would give the team three former Marlins in the rotation. Then there's always Lastings Milledge, Omar Minaya's last bullet. The Dodgers and..   Continue Reading

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Top 50 Free Agents Review #11-20

We looked at how I did predicting the destinations of the top ten free agents back in March. I got four out of the ten correct, five if the Rocket stays in Houston. Let's take a look at the next group, where there weren't as many easy picks. My pick is first here. My Top 50 Free Agents list from last October can be found here. 11. B.J. Ryan - Phillies/Blue Jays. I definitely underestimated just how much cash the Jays were willing to toss around. I figured that the Phils would have room in the budget for a closer..   Continue Reading

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Unfounded Rumors

Just a few tidbits that are floating around today... All sorts of emails about the Reds recently. Everyone thinks they're due for a trade, and I can't disagree. Unfortunately I've come up empty on any inside rumblings of a deal. But take a look at this depth chart! The team has three catchers and five middle infielders, but lacks a real first baseman and could use some relief help. Something's gotta give. The Jays could probably spare a corner type, and the Twins could have some use for a middle infielder who can hit. The Mets might not mind another..   Continue Reading

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Cubs and D-Lee Close

Cubs fans are breathing a sigh of relief as the Cubs and Derrek Lee are closing in on a contract extension in the range of five years and $65MM. Lee for Hee Seop Choi and Mike Nannini is one of the best trades in the team's history. Lee is a player that I think you can safely call a Baseball Prospectus miss. In 2002, they remarked, "He's not likely to take a big step forward and really be worth five or six wins. The Marlins should get what they can from him this season, then deal him to make room..   Continue Reading

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Mora Interested In Phillies

The match makes so much sense that it was only a matter of time before the rumors started up. As I mentioned a week ago, Melvin Mora's the best available third baseman and the Phillies desperately need one of those. Now that contract extension talks have broken off between Mora's agent and the Orioles, the New Jersey Courier-Post reports: "Mora is believed to be interested in playing with fellow Venezuelan Bobby Abreu. If Mora hopes to be traded this season to Philadelphia, two things might stand in his way. The Phillies currently have three players that can play third base..   Continue Reading

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The Torii Hunter Situation

I noticed in the Star Tribune yesterday that Torii Hunter, the Twins' highest paid player, "has expressed doubts the team will pick up his $12MM option for 2007." The Twins have the option of buying the option out for $2MM. Hunter is, of course, only the highest-paid Twin in 2006 because the club backloaded Johan Santana's four-year deal. Santana will make $9MM in '06, $12MM in '07, and $13.25MM in '08. Without doing any research whatsoever, I'm guessing the last two years of Santana's deal will be Twins records for salaries. Tough to say whether the Twins will keep Hunter..   Continue Reading

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Thoughts On Zito

Just read the latest Barry Zito article, wherein Zito agreed with former teammates Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi that he would thrive in New York. He declined to pick a favorite NY team, however. At this point, it's pretty clear that Minaya and Cashman are going to go toe to toe for his services this winter, and it'll be pretty entertaining. The rumormongering will be ridiculous. The losing team will probably end up with Jason Schmidt, Kerry Wood, Kelvim Escobar, Andy Pettitte, or Mark Mulder. I think the first four will have fine seasons, but I'm not so sure about..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Buzz Abounds

I'm still trying to piece together the latest Phillies buzz. Phils fans and stadium employees have been emailing me the last couple of days, telling me that the local word is that the David Dellucci trade is a precursor to something bigger. I haven't been able to verify with any of my sources that anything is afoot. One scenario is that Dellucci was acquired only because Phils GM Pat Gillick has concerns about Pat Burrell's health. Said Will Carroll today: "Pat Burrell is worrying the Phillies. His left foot problem is starting to cascade, leading to a left calf problem..   Continue Reading

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From The Mind Of Gary Gillette

Upon reading a Gary Gillette chat at ESPN today, Gillette mentioned something that I had never heard or considered before: "I believe that it is very likely Mike Piazza used steroids, but I have no proof. But I'm also not trying to suspend him, put him in jail, or strip him from the record books, either." I think Gillette is a fine author and he's one of my favorite columnists at ESPN. I was surprised to hear him say this so bluntly. However, it appears that this kind of speculation has been floating around for years. I found this blog..   Continue Reading

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Report: Sox To Break Up Starting Five

Curious about Kenny Williams's plans? No more need to guess whether he'll trade one of his starting five - he came right out and said it: "While I don't think there can be an excess of pitching, I do realize that before the start of the '07 season, with all things staying the same, we're going to have to find a spot for Brandon. Where or how that shapes up, I don't know." Of course, KW is in the catbird seat. He has an excess of the most valuable commodity in baseball, and none of his guys are impending free..   Continue Reading

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Daily Baseball Picks

DailyBaseballPicks is now up and running! I only had one choice for a game today, but I made my pick anyway. Go Tribe! Learn about that future dynasty, the Florida Marlins, at Hardball Times. The Juice's Under the Radar Players for '06. Richard Justice makes an important point - again. I'm still seeing misinformation reported about this everywhere. The gold standard of April Fool's jokes. MetsBlog makes some sort-of predictions for the upcoming season. Finally, I will be appearing tonight on Sports Talk, WICB's weekly sports talk show at Ithaca College   Continue Reading

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Sox Brass Displeased With Jenks, Hermanson

All April Fooling aside, let's get down to some serious trade rumor business. I just spoke with a respected White Sox source, so here's the latest info. Seems the club's decision makers are quite vexed with both Bobby Jenks and Dustin Hermanson. Not only did Jenks show up overweight to spring training, but he still hasn't gotten into shape. His conditioning, and not his velocity, is the point of concern here. The Sox are incensed at Hermanson for telling them he was OK when he really wasn't. The severe back problems could force him to retire, and he did not..   Continue Reading

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Carlos Lee To Cubs Deal Imminent

MLBTradeRumors has learned of a blockbuster deal that is expected to go down by the end of the day. Talks between Jim Hendry and Doug Melvin are in advanced stages of a rare interdivision trade. The Cubs will send Matt Murton, Rich Hill, and Angel Guzman to the Brewers for slugger Carlos Lee. Lee will be a free agent after the 2006 season, and the Cubs intend to lock him up after finishing the Derrek Lee deal. According to my source, the Brewers view Lee's impending free agency as a distraction and desperately want to shed his $8.5MM salary. Lee..   Continue Reading

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