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Archives for December 2005

Damaso Marte Dealt For Rob Mackowiak

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Two emailers just told me that Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting that the White Sox have dealt lefty reliever Damaso Marte for super-utility man Rob Mackowiak.

For his career, the 30 year-old Marte is 14-14 with a 3.21 ERA in 303 innings.  He’s been tough to hit and strikes out many, but walks have always been a problem.  In 2005, Marte walked a ridiculous 6.55 batters per nine innings.  This will be a return to Pittsburgh for the southpaw.  He was dealt for Matt Guerrier back in 2002.

Mackowiak, a native of Oak Lawn, IL, can handle most of the infield positions and anywhere in the outfield.  His career numbers are .258/.328/.414.  He’s a useful part if kept in a utility role.

Zito, Kendall For Floyd, Abreu, Lieberthal?

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A wild rumor has surfaced on the A’s page of MLB.com. According to the site:

"Late Wednesday, another rumor popped up, with the Phillies said to have offered outfielder Bobby Abreu, catcher Mike Lieberthal and pitching prospect Gavin Floyd for lefty Barry Zito and catcher Jason Kendall."

Lieberthal and Kendall had about equal value on the field in 2005.  Comparing contracts, the catcher part of the deal is a big win for Oakland.  Kendall’s on the hook for $19MM through 2007, while Lieberthal is owed $7.5MM for 2006 only.  So the A’s come out a good $11.5MM ahead here, especially considering how bad Kendall could be by 2007.

Zito will be paid $7.9MM in 2006 before he hits free agency.  Here’s Dayn Perry’s thoughts on the lefthander:

"He’s a good starting pitcher who eats innings and is a safe bet to be a tick or two above average in terms of preventing runs. However, Zito’s not an ace. That he might be treated as one on the trade market is part of the reason why Oakland should deal him now."

Abreu is a star, and he will be paid like one for the next two or three years.  He’ll get $28MM through 2007 with a $16MM club option for ’08 and a $2MM buyout.  So the A’s would be on the hook for a ton of money, but they are getting a more valuable player.  Plus, even the A’s would consider signing Abreu as a free agent if he was asking for two years, $30MM.  That’s not a terrible price and the length is reasonable.

Gavin Floyd is kind of a throw-in to make Beane feel better about the salary he’d be taking on.  Floyd had a very ugly 163 innings in 2005, and still hasn’t come near mastering Triple A.  28 solid Major League innings in 2004 probably gave him a reputation he didn’t deserve.       

Thanks to the several emailers who passed this rumor along.

Cubs Still Chasing Aubrey Huff

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Eduardo Encina is a Devil Rays beat writer for the Tampa Tribune.  In today’s article, Encina makes it clear that Aubrey Huff is prepared to leave Tampa Bay this winter.  He mentions the Cubs, Mariners, Red Sox, Angels, and Orioles as the interested parties.

I spoke to Encina late last night, and he elaborated on some of the details concerning Huff.  Encina listed five different suitors for Huff in his article, but mentioned to me that there are actually seven teams hot on his trail.  He told me the Cubs are the "most interested team."  One team not mentioned in his article that is in play is the Mets. 

Encina mentioned that Huff rumors get complicated mainly because of all the possibilities for a package deal with Julio Lugo, Toby Hall, or Danys Baez.  He said Huff is the player the Rays are most eager to deal, but they require a "top-prospect pitcher and a position player add in."  This quote from Huff in Encina’s article makes it clear that Aubrey has packed his bags:

"It always seems like they’re shopping me around to see what they’re going to get. You don’t shop unless you mean it."

Given that the Cubs are the frontrunners at the moment, who could they send over to acquire Huff?  In my estimation, the pitcher required would be one of Angel Guzman, Rich Hill, and Sean Marshall.  In perusing the position players on the Cubs’ 40 man roster, it makes sense that catcher Geovany Soto could be involved as well.

UPDATE: I spoke to Encina a little bit more, and he told me a trade of Toby Hall is becoming "more unlikely by the day."  Given that and an impending Lugo deal, the Rays could try to obtain a shortstop as part of a Huff trade.  Regardless, the focus of the Devil Rays will continue to be pitching.      

Nationals Snag Soriano, Will Remain At 2B

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ESPN is reporting that Jim Bowden picked up Alfonso Soriano for the Nationals and sent Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge over to the Rangers.

The trade is a pretty fair one by my off-the-cuff analysis.  I’ll probably have some player projections on RotoAuthority tomorrow, given that players are moving from an extreme pitchers’ park to a home run haven.

Once extra piece of information that we’ve managed to acquire contradicts a statement in the ESPN report.  According to ESPN:

"With Jose Vidro already entrenched at second base, it’s believed that the Nationals would move Soriano to left field."

My source is saying that the Nationals’ front office is quietly concerned that Jose Vidro may be done for his career.  Expect Soriano to see most of his time at second base in years to come. 

Hoffman Re-Ups With Padres

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The Padres brought back Trevor Hoffman today, getting their customary home-town discount.  The deal will pay Hoffman $6.75MM annually and the option on the third year is based on games finished.

There’s nothing wrong with this move, considering the price.  Back in late October, Hoffman’s agent was talking about $10MM a year.  Hoffman is still a dominant reliever across his 50-60 innings, although Scott Linebrink could easily handle the 9th inning.  The poor guy won’t be a free agent until after the 2007 season, at which point he could get Kyle Farnsworth money.

Post-Hype Sleepers: B.J. Upton

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I invite all fantasy baseball players and any other interested parties to check out my latest RotoAuthority article concerning shortstop B.J. Upton.  Seems like the D-Rays are doing things right for a change.

Other worthy reading material: we’ve got a second guest author on the HoopsBuzz blog now.  His name’s Dennis and his first post is an informative analysis of a possible Grant Hill return.  Go say hi.

Lastly, go check out one of my favorite blogs, SportsBlah.  Greg and Mike have hilarious and engaging takes on happenings in the world of sports.  For example, Greg’s take on the Rafael Furcal signing:

"Teams never learn. They sign players to large contracts and end up regretting them a few years later. In this case, I give the Dodgers until Thursday. By the weekend, the Dodgers office will have that ’I can’t believe I went to Haiti and didn’t use condoms’ vibe to it."

Braves Deal Estrada For Cormier And Villarreal

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports continues to scoop the vast majority of trades going on at the Winter Meetings.  This time, he's telling us that the Braves sent Johnny Estrada to the Diamondbacks for Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal.

The Braves were dealing from a position of strength since Brian McCann is more than ready to take over full-time catching duty.  The 21 year-old skipped Triple A and held up nicely in 180 Major League at-bats this year.  He's not the defensive catcher that Estrada is, but he's not bad with the glove.  Estrada won a Silver Slugger award for catchers and was named to the All-Star team after his 2004, but is unlikely to approach that level offensively again.

Lance Cormier is a 25 year-old right-handed reliever.  He's been lousy through 124 Major League innings – 6.21 ERA, lots of homers, weak strikeout rate, and tons of baserunners allowed.  He showed potential with a nice run at Triple A Tucson in 2004.

Born in Mexico, Oscar Villarreal is a 24 year-old righty reliever.  Despite high walk totals, Villarreal had a spectacular 2003 in relief for the Diamondbacks, pitching 98 innings of 2.57 ERA ball.  He'll be representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in March if the Braves allow it.  Villarreal has suffered some major injuries in his career, undergoing nerve transposition surgery in his arm as well as suffering through rotator cuff problems and a strained hip flexor.

It'd be a stretch to say that this deal improves the Braves' bullpen, especially without Leo Mazzone there to work his magic on the two relievers. 

The Price Of Pierre

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You already know how I feel about Juan Pierre.  What’s the deal with the three pitchers the Cubs shipped over to get him?

Renyel Pinto is a 23 year-old southpaw with a plus changeup and 94 mph fastball.  While ranked the Cubs’ 6th best prospect by Baseball America before the 2005 season, he’s now dropped out of the top ten.  If you look at Pinto’s numbers the last couple of years, he’s mastered Double A but can’t crack Triple A.  However, he’s gotten only about 30 innings in Iowa as an opportunity.  Pinto prevents home runs well and strikes people out, but is a bit generous with the walks.

Ricky Nolasco is a 23 year-old righthander with a low 90s sinker and a good curveball.  Nolasco was ranked just 19th among Cubs prospects before the ’05 season, and was upgraded to 7th overall after this performance in Double A this year.  The Cubs pushed him up to Iowa for 40 innings in ’04 and he didn’t fare well.  Nolasco has pretty good control and nice strikeout numbers.  He was to be sent to the Rangers for Rafael Palmeiro in 2003, but Palmeiro vetoed the deal.

Cubs fans might be a little more familiar with Sergio Mitre, as he’s thrown 121 uninspiring innings in the big leagues.  Mitre has looked OK at Iowa, but has been never been able to translate success save for a brilliant 16 inning stretch this year.  He might be able to crack the back end of Florida’s rotation in due time.

To sum it up, the Cubs didn’t really give up any can’t miss prospects in this trade.

Barry Zito To The Mets

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Just heard from my Mets source, who’s out at Shea (not in Dallas).  The Mets are apparently very interested in Barry Zito.  Here are the details.

The Barry Zito deal is contingent on the Mets shedding Kris Benson first.  The Mets want Mike MacDougal and a prospect for Benson, while the Royals only want to give Jeremy Affeldt.  It’s not likely the Mets acquire both relievers.

The Mets have talked to the A’s about Zito, and Lastings Milledge will be included in any deal.  Aaron Heilman is a possibility.  My source is saying that the Mets will make the trade without an extension done, as long as there’s an understanding that it will happen.  This gels with what Matthew Cerrone mentioned at MetsBlog today, that Zito would consider signing an extension.  My source expects Zito to be moved by the weekend, assuming Benson gets done quickly. 

My source’s info does not gel with what Peter Gammons told writer Joel Lipsky this morning at a Dallas gym.  Gammons apparently said that if the A’s are to move Zito, "they must get a number three starter, at least, in return.  Preferably a lefty."  Given that Zito is a number three starter, I don’t see what team is going to meet that request.

UPDATE: My source is now telling me that the Mets weren’t offering enough for Zito.  Omar stood fast, and Beane will continue to wait for that offer he can’t refuse.  Also, look for Kaz Matsui to be dealt within the next couple of days, with the Mets possibly eating half his salary.

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