June 2006

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Jocketty Aiming High

According to a source close to the Cardinals, Walt Jocketty is shooting for the stars if he is to trade prospects for a starting pitcher. Word is that the Cards will either acquire a front-line pitcher - Dontrelle Willis or John Smoltz - or none at all. The team does not have interest in the second-tier names floating around. Beyond Willis and Smoltz, could any other top-flight starters be had? Purely my own speculation, but St. Louis could also consider attempting to deal for Jason Schmidt, Barry Zito, Gil Meche, or Brett Myers. Problem is, the first three guys are..   Continue Reading

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HalosHeaven: White Sox Interested In Figgins

Interesting post by our good friends at Halos Heaven. I can vouch that the author of this site has several solid, independent sources close to the organization. A lot of interest in utility superstar Chone Figgins, who is hitting just .253/.322/.347 this year. Figgins draws a walk about 9% of the time, which is fine for a leadoff hitter if he can hit .290. Halos Heaven notes that if Ozzie Guillen elects Orlando Cabrera (.305/.364/.436) to the All-Star game, the relationship between the two teams could improve enough to facilitate a trade. The Angels view Figgins as more expendable than..   Continue Reading

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Jeff Weaver's Value Plunges

My best Angels source indicates that scouts from as many as eight teams were in attendance Tuesday night to watch Jeff Weaver pitch. Weaver didn't rise to the occasion, taking his tenth loss after allowing six runs in just two innings to the Rockies. Weaver's been an absolute mess this year, thwarting Scott Boras's attempt to replicate his success with Kevin Millwood. Boras didn't find the right multiyear deal for Millwood before the 2005 season, so he settled for one year with the Indians. After Millwood had a career year, Boras got him a massive five-year contract. Weaver makes $8.3MM..   Continue Reading

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Tigers Give Larry Walker A Call

I don't know about you, but I almost missed this interesting nugget buried amidst Lynn Henning's Q&A about Bobby Abreu to the Tigers rumors. According to Henning: "Just because it made perfect sense for both parties, a call was placed last week with Larry Walker, the ex-Cardinals, Rockies and Expos star who would be precisely what the Tigers need down the stretch. He, of course, retired after last season, but he is only 39 and various aches and pains that helped bring about his retirement have all but vanished. The question was whether a left-handed hitter of his prowess, with..   Continue Reading

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Sowers, Gorzelanny Projections

Looking for projections for a couple of rookie southpaws? Look no further. Tom Gorzelanny projection Jeremy Sowers projection Regular updates and much more are available for just $9.99 in my 2006 RotoAuthority Fantasy Baseball Guide   Continue Reading

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D-Rays Complete Deal With Dodgers

After successfully completing the Danys Baez trade in January, the Dodgers and Devil Rays have matched up again on a multi-player swap. This time L.A. sent Jae Seo, Dioner Navarro, and a PTBNL to the D-Rays for Toby Hall and Mark Hendrickson. With a .258 batting average on balls in play, Hendrickson has been the 11th luckiest starter in baseball this year. Given the D-Rays' team BABIP of .316, we can be fairly confident that the 32 year-old southpaw will not maintain his hit rate of 8.13 per nine. His peripherals are otherwise unimpressive - 3.4 BB/9, 5.1 K/9, 1.0..   Continue Reading

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Lining Up For Shealy

It might be helpful to summarize all the Ryan Shealy suitors from the last few months, just so we can keep them straight. These are all from various newspapers. The most recent one is that the Red Sox offered 23 year-old southpaw starter Abe Alvarez. Alvarez posted a 4.85 ERA but a solid 1.20 WHIP in Triple A last year. This season, he's at 4.46 with a 1.36 WHIP. He's had little opportunity to prove himself in Boston. Random bio: Alvarez likes to wear his hat crooked, is legally blind in one eye, and is known for pinpoint control. Actually,..   Continue Reading

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Gammons: Braves May Explore Andruw Jones Deal

Interesting note from Peter Gammons's blog a couple of days ago: "The Braves were heavily involved in the Joey Gathright deal and still could get him from Kansas City. Yes, they need a leadoff hitter, but there is the possibility that they will explore dealing Andruw Jones at the end of the season." A lot of folks have emailed me asking whether I thought Gathright could end up with the Braves, and my knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss the idea because of Jones. But Gammons makes a good point. Andruw Jones makes $13.5MM next year in the last of his..   Continue Reading

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2007 Free Agent Market: Third Basemen

Updated 1-2-06 Here we have info on the free agent third basemen market. 2006 League Averages for Third Basemen AL: .269/.338/.442 (.780 OPS) NL: .282/.354/.472 (.826 OPS) Sorry folks - there are no free agent starting third basemen on the market anymore   Continue Reading

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The Yankees and Jacque Jones

Critics of Jacque Jones have backed off this season, given that he's currently hitting .296 with 13 home runs for the Cubs. He's been one of very few decent hitters on the team this year. Nonetheless, this trade rumor from the New York Daily News is a breath of fresh air amidst a dismal Cubs season. If the best Jim Hendry could do for Jones was a bag of baseballs, he should make that deal. Even if it'd be kind of dumb from New York's point of view. Jones is owed $9MM for 2007-08, his age 32 and 33 seasons...   Continue Reading

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John Smoltz Available?

John Smoltz's recent comments were blown out of proportion perhaps, but the possibility remains: the Braves could consider trading him this summer. He makes $6MM this year and has an $8MM club option for next year. Though he's 39 years old, he's signed to a very friendly deal. Baseball Prospectus finds Smoltz very similar to Gaylord Perry, minus the spitters. Perry pitched decently until age 44. BP's projections value Smoltz at $11MM this year and about $7 mil in '07. He's shown consistent dominance on the big stage, throwing 206 innings of 2.66 ball in the postseason. Atlanta has had..   Continue Reading

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Aubrey Huff and the Tigers

The Detroit press seems to think Aubrey Huff is the perfect left-handed bat to add via trade. I'm assuming Huff would move to the DH spot, as the outfield of Marcus Thames, Curtis Granderson, and Magglio Ordonez seems pretty well set. Would the Tigers really gain anything by adding Huff? Let's assume Dmitri Young doesn't play anymore this year. That still leaves Detroit with 29 year-old outfielder Craig Monroe on the roster. Monroe is pretty much back to game shape after missing some time with a sprained right ankle. Monroe has hit .228/.271/.405 so far in 215 ABs this year...   Continue Reading

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Friends Of Jason Grimsley

I was recently directed to a previously unpublished Jason Grimsley interview from 2004. It mostly focuses on Grimsley's guitar preferences, but it also reveals some more of Grimsley's friends within baseball. Just in case you're not sick of this story yet   Continue Reading

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Ervin Santana Trade Hinges On Saunders, Colon

Today comes word from Halos Heaven that any deal of righty Ervin Santana will hinge on the performances of Bartolo Colon and Joe Saunders. Slowed by a couple of surgeries in his career, Saunders is putting it together in Triple A for the first time. He's got a 2.51 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 13 starts this year. He'd slot into the rotation in place of Santana. The Angels can deal from their strength, as this rotation could become: Bartolo Colon John Lackey Kelvim Escobar Jered Weaver Joe Saunders That is a deep group, with Jeff Weaver serving as a..   Continue Reading

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Billingsley Day!

Curious about this Chad Billingsley guy debuting for the Dodgers tonight? He's one of the game's best pitching prospects, and RotoAuthority has the details on him. Read up. Also, click here to view his career stats and here to view his work in Triple A this year   Continue Reading

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MLBTradeRumors On The Radio

If you live in the St. Louis area, I will be making an appearance on 1380AM around 10:30pm. We'll discuss the Cardinals' left field situation and possible upcoming trades this summer. Check it out   Continue Reading

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Teams Still Interested In Kerry Wood

Just got word from a solid source, an insider who had previously indicated the Devil Rays' interest in Ervin Santana back in December. This time, he's got some info concerning oft-injured Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood. Word is that despite Wood's awful health record, Jim Hendry is shopping him and has received some interest. The Rangers would like to add Wood and may give up John Danks or Thomas Diamond to get him. Danks, a 21 year-old southpaw, has made some progress in his second stint in Double A. His strikeout rate is way up and his control has improved, though..   Continue Reading

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Braves Looking To Trade Giles

Just got word from a reputable, well-connected source out of Atlanta. Excellent timing, as Braves fans have been clamoring for any indication of a deal. According to my source, the Braves are serious about trading Marcus Giles and using Wilson Betemit at second base. The club loves Betemit's bat and he's earned a chance as a regular. The Braves have gotten a paltry .235/.328/.349 line out of Giles in 238 ABs this year. Fantasy players often ask me what happened to the 28 year-old Giles, and I don't have a good answer. His PECOTA projection of .284/.363/.449 seemed about right..   Continue Reading

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Another Option For St. Louis

My Mets source has sent an update regarding the recent Victor Diaz information. Seems the Cards just weren't offering enough in Mark Worrell for Diaz. Diaz remains widely available, and could be used to acquire a decent second baseman like Mark Grudzielanek. The Cardinals have another outfielder on the radar - old favorite Reggie Sanders. Reggie is 38 now, and he's not showing any ability to get on base as a regular for the Royals. Still, his .259/.301/.476 line (8 home runs) is not far from his work with St. Louis back in '04. Sanders typically walks about 7-8% of..   Continue Reading

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Cards Interested In Victor Diaz

Walt Jocketty and the Cardinals are currently mulling over various options to add an outfield bat, and one player who is definitely on the radar is Victor Diaz. The 24 year-old Diaz had a fine year in 2005 between Triple A and the Majors. However, after losing the Mets' right field battle to Xavier Nady this year Diaz has become the odd man out. He's stumbled to a .245/.310/.371 line in Triple A and his stock is at an all-time low. Still, Diaz has shown 25 HR power and was projected to hit .265/.323/.469 for the Mets by Baseball Prospectus's..   Continue Reading

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D-Rays Shopping Crawford

Back on December 5th, a source close to Tampa Bay's scouting department threw out the idea that Carl Crawford could be dealt. In particular, the Devil Rays had interest in 23 year-old righthander Ervin Santana. Despite new management since then, the rumor has picked up steam. My source tells me that talks have resumed between the Devil Rays and Angels and the Halos may even consider adding a second prospect with Santana to acquire Crawford. Brandon Wood is a possibility. The Rays would like to deal an outfielder now with a Delmon Young callup in the cards for September or..   Continue Reading

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Kaz Matsui Sent To Rockies

The Mets finally decided to bite the bullet and eat Kaz Matsui's awful contract, sending him to the Rockies. The best they could do for him was Eli Marrero, a 32 year-old journeyman who plays catcher, first base, and outfield. In searching for positives about bringing in Marrero, I must note his solid .467 slugging percentage in 60 at-bats this year. Marrero once hit 18 HR in less than 400 at-bats (2002 Cardinals) so he does provide a little right-handed pop off the bench. Matsui has agreed to the deal and will report to Triple A for a little while...   Continue Reading

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Five More Jason Grimsley Facts

I thought I would play my part in the Jason Grimsley extravaganza by digging up some useful, exclusive info. Sadly, that didn't happen. Instead, I found the following innocuous facts: 1. One of Grimsley's best friends is former Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti. Tremonti created the band Alter Bridge after Creed's singer left. There's a funny story about Grimsley when he was a Yankee where Joe Torre yelled at Grimsley for throwing batting practice to Tremonti and other band members even though he was still on the DL. Tremonti's agent denied an interview request; Alter Bridge is currently on tour in..   Continue Reading

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Deadspin: Affidavit Names?

Deadspin, which accurately broke the Matt Lawton steroid story, has a reliable source with some exclusive info about Jason Grimsley's affidavit. Basically, Albert Pujols's trainer is mentioned as a referrer for amphetamines. May mean nothing, but it would certainly result in a ton of scrutiny for Pujols. Read up at Deadspin   Continue Reading

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Thursday Morning Reading

A few months ago, I joined SportsBlah's fantasy baseball league. It's generally been good times, though it could use more trash talk. I figured I was pretty much playing against people I didn't know, aside from exchanging the occasional email with CubDumb or the Blah or GameFour. Then yesterday I came to realize that one of the league members I hadn't talked to before, Baseball Mike, works at the same company as me in Chicago. Not only that, but on the same floor as me. Not only that, but on the same side of said floor, like thirty feet away...   Continue Reading

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Carlos Lee: Best Available Slugger?

Carlos Lee is still The Man, one of the biggest names likely to switch teams this season. This could be a massive development for AL-only fantasy players, but that's a post for a different blog. What we're trying to figure out here is where Mr. Lee might end up. Back in early February, this topic was the talk of the town. The Carlos Lee trade thread got 100 comments (of course, no log in was required back then.) That thread is not to be confused with my ever popular April Fool's joke about Lee. I listed four reasons the Brewers..   Continue Reading

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Grimsley Mania!

Well the hot story right now is obviously Jason Grimsley's naming of names. If you don't feel like reading Grimsley's entire affadavit, just check out page 13. It's one of the more interesting pages, wherein Grimsley states that a certain steroid user was "very obvious and had the worst back acne he'd ever seen." I decided to do some detective work by Googling various players' names in conjuction with "back acne." (Can you tell I was bored?) Anyway, yes, I did find many Sammy/Barry references, but I also ran into this. It's a surreal, fascinating story about Juan Gonzalez from..   Continue Reading

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Rowand for Garland Rumor

A lot of folks are wondering if there's anything to the rumored swap of Jon Garland for Aaron Rowand. Todd Zolecki from the Philadelphia Inquirer said it best: 1. Garland has a 6.04 ERA. 2. He just signed a three-year, $29 million contract in December. He makes $10 million in 2007 and $12 million in 2008. Phillies GM Pat Gillick has talked often about payroll flexibility. It's doubtful he would take on such a contract, especially for a pitcher who is slumping. Garland's contract also includes a no-trade clause. 3. Perhaps most important, the Phils love Rowand. Everything Zolecki says..   Continue Reading

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Cliff Floyd To Tigers?

John Delcos, writer for The Journal News, has a Cliff Floyd rumor that's been making the rounds. The rumor seems more on the speculative side; I'm not sure that Delcos is suggesting that the Tigers have asked about Floyd specifically. Instead, Delcos's friend may have just been curious about the Mets' interest, which apparently is slim. But let's see which Tiger arms could perhaps be enough to acquire Floyd, an impending free agent. Floyd had a very rough start but has hit .267/.383/.489 in May - pretty close to career norms. Humberto Sanchez and Jordan Tata come to mind as..   Continue Reading

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