Phils’ Attempted Starter Acquisitions
Remember about a week ago, when Pat Gillick mentioned that the Phillies’s deal for a #1 or #2 starter had fallen through? I’m received a fair amount of emails on this topic, so I wanted to address it. I talked my Phils source, and he gave me the lowdown. He mentioned that most if not all of these names had previously appeared in the media linked to the Phillies, but I’ll present the information anyway.
Mark Prior was never the Phillies’ number one choice. They’ve always been lukewarm on him due to his health record. Had the Cubs parted with Carlos Zambrano, the Phillies would’ve happily dealt Bobby Abreu.
The Phillies like Erik Bedard quite a bit. The problem is that the Orioles are actually looking to acquire a starting pitcher, not give one up. So although the Orioles have soured on Bedard somewhat, trading him probably won’t happen unless a couple of excellent young pitchers are coming back in the deal. I don’t even know if such a deal would make sense for any team.
Philadelphia was close to acquiring Derek Lowe during the winter meetings, but of course that fell through. No word on what the club offered.
The last name on the radar is Matt Clement. The Phils really aren’t thrilled with Clement whatsoever, but they would at least consider acquiring him in the right deal.
Attention Basketball Writers
I’m looking for a few good writers. Could be bloggers, journalism majors, or anyone else who can write a few paragraphs five times a week. We’ve got a sister blog called HoopsBuzz, where I’m attempting to create a community based on basketball trade rumors and signings. It’d be very similar to this blog, but all about the NBA and college hoops. I’ve got a couple of openings for worthy bloggers.
I can’t pay anything currently because I doubt the site will make money. If you can build an audience and consistently post quality material, there will be compensation down the road. The benefits: free use of the TypePad blogging service (costs over $100 a year), a nice resume builder, and a built-in audience of at least a couple hundred readers. Plus, it’s just plain fun to establish a network of sources and be a conduit of inside information. Email me if you’re qualified and interested.
Carlos Zambrano Fires Boras
According to ESPN 1000 out of Chicago, Carlos Zambrano has fired agent Scott Boras. His new agent is unknown. Zambrano has pitched 3.5 excellent seasons and made $3.76MM in 2005 according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. He’ll be part of the free agent class after the 2007 season. That group also includes Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett, and Roy Oswalt.
Also, WSCR 670 and ESPN 1000 are reporting that the White Sox have signed Joe Crede to a one-year contract for $2.675MM. Crede has a career line of .255/.303/.439 and plays top-notch defense. He earned $400,000 in 2005. Third basemen in his free agent class will include Brandon Inge, Eric Hinske, and Bill Mueller.
Latest Mets Rumblings
I spoke with my Mets source recently, and here’s what I came away with.
With Danys Baez out of the picture, the club will just focus on minor league invites and doesn’t plan on making any major acquisitions. However, there is still an outside shot the Mets trade for Barry Zito; they are currently monitoring the situation. Such a deal would be preceded by a trade of Kris Benson. Zito is certainly someone the Mets will revisit during the season if nothing is worked out this winter.
According to my source, the Mets feel "very good" about their starting pitching depth. Personally, as an unbiased observer, the rotation is not impressive at all. Anyway, here’s the starting pitcher rankings from their depth chart:
Pedro Martinez
Tom Glavine
Kris Benson
Steve Trachsel
Victor Zambrano
Aaron Heilman
Brian Bannister
Alay Soler
Mike Pelfrey (possible September call-up)
Basically you’re hoping Pedro holds up in his age 34 season and following that with a bunch of #3’s or worse. Do you really want Benson starting Game 3 of a playoff series?
Sporting News Sleepers And More
Sporting News has the first fantasy baseball magazine on the market, and I evaluated some of their sleepers over at RotoAuthority.
Also, have a look at my Chris Ray projection.
If you like this projection stuff and want to see player rankings, comments, and sleepers, consider buying the 2006 RotoAuthority Fantasy Baseball Guide for ten bucks. It’s a damn good value and is updated throughout the season.
Speaking of closer rankings for fantasy baseball, The Closer Watch has an excellent depth chart and mailing list that will keep you informed.
Orioles fan? Orioles Think Tank is a quality blog that launched recently. Swing by and say hi. Further O’s blogging: Why Not ’06?
Viva El Birdos’s take on the unfortunate news that Anthony Reyes is likely to start 2006 in the bullpen.
Huff Staying Put For Now
Apparently the Devil Rays have not found a deal they like for Aubrey Huff. He’s not going anywhere right now, and we can put the Houston rumor to rest. These things change quickly; that’s the latest on it.
Breaking News: Baez To Dodgers
This just in: the Devil Rays have traded righthanded relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter plus a player to be named later to the Dodgers for starting pitching prospects Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany.
Ken Rosenthal had a whiff of the deal earlier this afternoon, and it’s a variation on the trade rumor we reported back on Tuesday. Jackson and Tiffany had fallen out of the Dodgers’ top ten prospect list. Before the 2005 season, Jackson ranked 3rd and southpaw Tiffany 10th.
Edwin Jackson brings a mid 90s heater and dangerous slider to the table. Despite throwing 55 innings of 8.62 ball in Triple A in 2005, Jackson is likely to see some starts for the Devil Rays at the Major League level in 2006. Baseball America ranked him the Dodgers’ #1 prospect in 2004 after a sparkling Double A season at the tender age of 19. Jackson has been inconsistent since then and has yet to succeed above Double A.
Chuck Tiffany throws a high 80s fastball, big curve ball, and circle changeup. He pitched 110 innings of 3.93 ball in high A ball in ’05, striking out almost 11 hitters per nine innings.
You can view my breakdown of Danys Baez here. He’s a solid insurance policy for Eric Gagne, although both pitchers hit free agency after 2006. Lance Carter’s claim to fame is making an All-Star team by default in 2003 after saving 15 games with a 4.05 ERA for the Devil Rays in the first half. He has good control and doesn’t strike people out. Dodger Stadium won’t hide his home run tendencies.
More Jeff Weaver
I was wondering whether the Cardinals could fit Jeff Weaver into their payroll if they moved some parts around, and called upon Viva El Birdos to determine the answer. Lboros thoroughly dissected the issue yesterday. The verdict:
"So I guess my answer is: yes, there are knots the Cardinals could tie themselves into in order to fit Jeff Weaver into the payroll; but no, I don’t think they would be inclined to go that route."
Read the post and you’ll probably be inclined to agree.
In addition, I spoke to my Mets source today. He said the club is not interested in Weaver. Commenters in my Weaver post from the other day pointed out that with Mike Pelfrey on the fast track, there’s really no place for Weaver on the Mets.
Looks like the Orioles, Cubs, Astros, and Angels are the major players here. However, the Phillies could be in the mix given that Ryan Madson is no lock for the rotation. (This is why I love open comments – with enough smart people, all options get uncovered).
Aubrey Huff To Houston?
Got a good one today. I admit I was skeptical at first, but an independent source verified the rumor.
It seems that Arizona, Houston, Los Angeles, and Tampa Bay have some sort of deal in the works. It is known that Jayson Werth and Aubrey Huff are involved, but the other players have not yet been revealed. Apparently Werth is headed to Tampa Bay or Arizona – my sources differ in opinion here.
Both sources indicated that Aubrey Huff will be joining the Astros. Such a move would certainly cloud up the Astros’ 1B/OF situation. They’d have Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Jason Lane, Willy Taveras, Preston Wilson, and Huff. We know that Bagwell may not be able to play, and Lane and Taveras are trade candidates. Huff mainly played right field and first base for the Devil Rays this year.
UPDATE: It now looks to be a three team deal with the Diamondbacks, Devil Rays, and Astros involved (Werth is out of the picture). Huff to the Astros is still the main piece, and the deal supposedly is contingent on Bagwell retiring and freeing up the insurance money. That’s all for now.
Jose Reyes Projection
Today at RotoAuthority: my Jose Reyes projection. If you like that sort of thing, consider purchasing my 2006 Fantasy Baseball Guide, which is less than ten bucks for a limited time.
A couple of interesting posts over at MetsBlog recently. This one is an open letter that touches on the challenge of trying to establish credibility as a blogger. Especially one that posts the occasional trade rumor. This post contains some reasoning supporting keeping Aaron Heilman in the bullpen.
How about some daily graphing on Sammy Sosa? Outlook: not so good.