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Odds and Ends: Gregg, Howard, Shingo, Valentin, Ankiel

By Tim Dierkes [January 18, 2008 at 2:34pm CST]

Some loose ends and links from today...

Closer Kevin Gregg is the highest-paid Marlin at $2.5MM. Quick! Trade him!

Ryan Howard and the Phillies submitted salary figures: Howard wants $10MM, the Phillies want to pay him $7MM. If they can't meet in the middle then an independent arbitrator will pick one of the two amounts next month. MLB.com has a handy table showing all the figures submitted today by players and teams.

Fun fact, the Cubs signed Shingo Takatsu. He's 39 now; he saved 19 games for the '04 White Sox. He had a 6.17 ERA in 23 innings in Japan last year though. Mr. Zero is the all-time saves leader in Japan.

Jose Valentin's minor league deal was announced today. The free agent market is pretty much barren of middle infielders now.

The Cardinals and Rick Ankiel agreed on $900K plus another $100K in incentives for '08. He was an oddball case without comparables given his career progression.

The Royals appear to be done this offseason.

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Comments

This is a good signing to the Cardinals. They might sign Ankiel multi-year in mid season after seeing what he can do with a full season.

Posted by: Knuffy | January 18, 2008 at 02:46 PM

He is a bargain at that price, even if he does strike out every other plate appearance.

Posted by: Aduncaroo | January 18, 2008 at 02:48 PM

shingo takatsu? i may be biased as a White Sox fans for more reason than one, but, what the hell?

Posted by: tschram | January 18, 2008 at 03:40 PM

"The Royals appear to be done this offseason."

The Royals appear to be done for this regular season, too.

Thanks for coming, tip your waitresses. And try the veal.

Posted by: jnr98 | January 18, 2008 at 03:45 PM

What and Why?

Posted by: studio179 | January 18, 2008 at 03:46 PM

"the Cubs signed Shingo Takatsu"

...Hey, does that increase the value of my Shingo/Otsuka autographed baseball card? Dont buy many packs, but do from time to time for a kick ~ it's a neat looking card but did question what I would do with it... Maybe now I can get 2-3 bucks for it :)

Posted by: darkstar1661 | January 18, 2008 at 03:49 PM

Drat. I was really looking forward to the Cardinals filing an arb case based on what Smokey Joe Wood got paid.

Posted by: twinstapir | January 18, 2008 at 04:08 PM

Shingo Takatsu. Finally, some clarity comes to the Cubs' closer situation.

Posted by: jrfukudome | January 18, 2008 at 04:28 PM

Wow Shingo Tukatsu why? It makes not sense we now have 4 maybe 5 possible closers if you include maybe Dempster might just come back to the pen. Well I guess Fukudome needs a buddy to talk too and go where he needs to go with him. If Hendry signed him for a closer role for part of competition here is what I think.

Kerry Wood- Injury prone, but durable when healthy could hit 95 MPH on the gun what he showed in some relief apperances he could handle the job.

Carlos Marmol- Young, a HUGE weapon if used right, but could crack under pressure like in the playoff game or tight situation. Slider is sick and with veterans like Lieber, Wood, Howry he should be fine.

Bob Howry- Getting older, still has a very good arm and is pretty durable for his age but I see him as only as a set up man he's good at getting out of situations when needed. Last at gettin the closer role probably out of thosr three.

Shingo Tukatsu- Lights out for the Sox first season with them. Then fell apart moved to the Mets still sucked went to Japan, and now?? Is going to have to show Kosuke Fukudome where to go. Great Job Hendry great signing.

Ryan Dempster- Can't throw hard, not a over powered pitcher, not feared, blew alot of leads of being a closer. Can't believe they were actually going to consider using him as a starter, but hey thats why we signed Jon Lieber, so that Marquis and Dempster couldn't go 4-5 in the rotation.

I say trade for Jhonny Peralta, or Brian Roberts or possibly both.
JK but If there were a trade it prolly be.

FOR PERALTA
Murton, Cedeno- Peralta

FOR ROBERTS
Colvin, Marshall, Patterson, Gallagher- Roberts

Lets pray for either Peralta, or Roberts or even both could become Cubs.

Posted by: CUBBIES2008 | January 18, 2008 at 05:09 PM

Closers role? More like a buddy for Fukudome. Unless...Hendry has a big move in the works and has to deal arms and needed a body to replace someone. Don't know.

Posted by: studio179 | January 18, 2008 at 05:10 PM

I think the Indians could get more than Murton and Cedeno for Peralta. Plus they really have no need for Cedeno when they have Asdrubal Cabrera who is naturally a SS.

Posted by: Barroid_Bonds | January 18, 2008 at 05:34 PM

“Lets pray for either Peralta, or Roberts or even both could become Cubs”

The Indians have no use for Cedeno or Murton ~ and are not going to trade Peralta!

~ Cedeno would be way down the Infield-Depth chart behind Blake/Cabrera/Barfield/Marte/Carroll even if Peralta was dealt (which he wont be)
~ Murton would be either the 7th or 8th OFer behind Sizemore/Gutierrez/Dellucci/J.Michaels/Francisco/Choo and possibly Blake if he’s back in the OF. With a full-time DH (Hafner) and a 1B in place (Garko), Murton would be nearly guaranteed not to get an AB with the Tribe.

Neither player makes sense at all for the Indians, nor do guys like Marshall, Gallagher (both would be 8th or 9th on SP depth chart) or Patterson (again, 7th or 8th OF) ~ the Cubs basically have nothing interesting to add into a package to the Tribe even if they tried to get Peralta or Westbrook/Byrd like others have mentioned in other Cubs-Fans Wish-Lists threads… I suggest you all just get off that tip completely, it aint gonna happen…

Posted by: darkstar1661 | January 18, 2008 at 06:57 PM

Darkstar, maybe you didn't realize that this Patterson plays 2B. Not that this information would change the fact that Peralta for those players isn't a good deal for the tribe.

Posted by: oxfrat1665 | January 18, 2008 at 07:20 PM

ooh I'm interested

Lol no I'm not

Shingo won't even make the team.

Hey dark, did you participate(ing) in that fantasy GM simulation?

Posted by: gogopalehose | January 18, 2008 at 07:36 PM

The Cubs wanted a japanese speaking player who could show Fukudome the ropes. They signed him as a pet.

I didnt read the info on the price but if he had an era over 6 in Japan, then I imagine this is a low cost and he dosent make the team, but will be there for spring training. I honestly think this is why they pushed for Kazuo Matsui. Granted they need a leadoff guy but they really didnt need him.

Posted by: Bleacher_Buddha | January 18, 2008 at 07:46 PM

If this is just a "let's make Fukudome feel more comfortable in spring training" situation, terrific. If it's anything more than that, well, at least they didn't sign Kaz Matsui for that ridiculous price to do the same thing.

Posted by: Matt939 | January 18, 2008 at 07:46 PM

And Bleacher Buddha and I pretty much said the same thing at the same time.

Posted by: Matt939 | January 18, 2008 at 07:47 PM

Ditto Matt.

The Cubs signed him to a one-year minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to 2008 spring training.

I bet he dosent make the team. :-)

Posted by: Bleacher_Buddha | January 18, 2008 at 07:51 PM

He won't make the team. I'd give Chad Fox a better chance of making it than him, and I still think those chances are slim. The chances for each to make the team get even slimmer if the Cubs decide to keep Dempster in the bullpen, which is certainly possible after the Lieber signing.

Posted by: Matt939 | January 18, 2008 at 07:57 PM

CUBBIES 2008...those trade proposals are retarded. I wouldn't trade Colvin unless they were packaging him towards a front line pitcher. They actually should just try him out in center this spring and see how he does against real major league pitching.

Marshall, Cedeno, Patterson, and Gallagher are more than enough to get Roberts. If MacPhail is greedy enough to turn all that down, then move on. You don't empty out your entire farm system for a guy that you don't really need that much.

By the way, if we trade for Roberts you can waive GOODBYE to DeRosa. He's already making comments about how he doesn't think he'll get enough at bats. I smell a trade demand coming, unless they put him at shortstop.

Posted by: TheGrinch | January 18, 2008 at 11:30 PM

They won't trade DeRosa if they get Roberts; not in '08. They plan on using him as the Super Sub. Lou said he will rest guys this year even if they don't like it. You are right, though. DeRosa has already made sour comments.

Posted by: studio179 | January 19, 2008 at 02:37 AM

Well people though Okajima was a pet too.. woops.

I think Shingo is in the mix though. I mean Japanese relievers as a whole have been ridiculasly awsome . (though with Shingo and Fukumori i have very little confidences in ... espically Fukumori, i saw the guy pitch in Japan and he was one hell of a headcase but might have been abused too much to begin with. )

As for Ankiel, hey didn't you hear Boras ? ;) he's the next Babe Ruth! :P

Posted by: Yu Hsing Chen | January 19, 2008 at 04:54 AM

Japanese relievers may be "awesome" as a whole, but he is 39, and got lit last year in Japan. What do you think the folks like Pujols and Fielder would do to him. And as Matt pointed out with the signing of Lieber Dempster is in the pen, there is next to no chance he makes it. He is nothing more than a buddie for Fukudome. And since its just a minor league contract with an invite to traning camp, it pretty much spells that out. I suppose its possible he pitches lights out but... Looking at all we know, it dosent look like much more than a buddy signing.

Posted by: Bleacher_Buddha | January 19, 2008 at 05:45 AM

“Darkstar, maybe you didn't realize that this Patterson plays 2B. Not that this information would change the fact that Peralta for those players isn't a good deal for the tribe.”
…Yeah, he is/was kind of a middle infielder, but its unlikely he stays that for long. His D is pretty bad, and almost everything I have heard points to his days being numbered in the infield.

"As for Ankiel, hey didn't you hear Boras ? ;) he's the next Babe Ruth! :P"
...Incase you are unaware, never listen to anything Boras says about his clients. I mean, the Cards are winning the WS last year with Jeff Weaver if you listen to him...

“Hey dark, did you participate(ing) in that fantasy GM simulation?”
…Tried, but it seems to have gone bye-bye…

PS, I knew that BrewCrew guy was the same guy spamming the site before….

Posted by: darkstar1661 | January 19, 2008 at 01:38 PM

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Odds and Ends: Gregg, Howard, Shingo, Valentin, Ankiel

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