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Archives for March 2007

Giants Sign Cain Long-Term

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UPDATE: Cain did indeed settle for Lowry money.  I guess he places a large price on security and certainty.

The Giants will announce later today that they have signed Matt Cain to a four-year contract with a fifth-year option.

We don’t know the details quite yet, but MLB.com’s Chris Haft theorizes that the contract will resemble Noah Lowry’s – four years, $9.25MM with a $6.25MM option year.  El Lefty Malo, a fine Giants blog, disagrees.  They argue that Cain’s contract should be between that of Lowry’s and the projected earnings of Dontrelle Willis, who is not on a long-term deal.  Throwing in some inflation, they arrive at a total package of five years and $26MM.  We should know soon enough.

In 2006, Cain had five one-hit starts.  One of them was a complete game gem.  It’s got to be only a matter of time before this guy tosses a no-hitter. That’d be a cool Bill James stat – % likelihood of throwing a no-hitter. 

On Penny Being on the Block

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Hello, my name is Jacob Burch and Tim has asked me to contribute as his Dodgers’ correspondent. It’s great to be aboard and I look forward to offering news and insight on the boys in blue. If you have any Dodger related rumors, I can be reached directly at ladtraderumors@gmail.com.

Dodgers news has dried to the point where Luis Gonzalez being hit by a pitch thrusts itself as a headline. However, a common speculative thread is the availability of Brad Penny to the many teams in need of an impact in their starting rotation. The speculation bases itself on the depth the Dodgers have near the end of their starting 5, with no less than four guys, currently working for the fifth starter position, that would love to take Penny’s place.

There’s no shortage of posts over this off-season suggesting Penny as an answer to a pitching-deprived team’s prayers. The latest can be found in yesterday’s Clemens-to-Cards rumors, which suggests Penny is a more likely solution than The Rocket. Not to crush the hopes of teams in need of pitching, but there are a couple of issues that suggest that Penny won’t be traded until at least several weeks into the season.

First off, while it’s true that the Dodgers rotation shines in quantity, the tail-end of their staff lacks the consistency Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti would want to hang his blue cap on. With Chad Billingsley likely taking the fifth starter spot, either a former-prospect with less than 60 major league innings under his belt (Hong-chih Kuo) or one of two starters that were forced to pitch from the bullpen last year (Brett Tomko, Mark Hendrickson) will have to force their way to allow such a trade to not derail the pitching staff.

Secondly, with the signings of Luis Gonzalez, Nomar Garciaparra and Juan Pierre, Colletti duct-taped the possible holes a trade for a big-bat could fill. To the adage "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it", the Dodgers lack a position to upgrade without stunting a developing rookie or throwing away a newly-dried big-money contract. Third base may become an option if Wilson Betemit continues to disappoint, but with top-prospect Andy LaRoche nipping on his heels, it appears unlikely. Until the Dodgers rotation proves itself and the offense digs itself a hole or two, Penny will likely remain in Dodger blue.

Survey Results: Color Scheme

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I would like to share the results to this question from my recent reader survey:

Do you like the white on black color scheme of MLBTradeRumors?

I would have guessed it would be about 70/30 with the majority against the current colors.  That’s because I get a couple of emails a month about how it’s hard to read.

However, 67.3% of you said yes, you like the current color scheme.  Personally I think it distinguishes the site a little bit.  We’ll stick with it.

There were a lot of related comments about the sub-par layout and bland look of MLBTradeRumors.  Can’t argue that – I have embarrassingly little in the way of web design skills.  I use TypePad as an easy way to create blogs.  One of these days I may get around to paying someone to make some improvements for me, but it’s not my top priority.

Felix Pie Is Not Corey Patterson

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Recently at AllCubs.com: how Felix Pie is different from Corey Patterson.

We’ve got a piece on one way to determine True .300 hitters over at RotoAuthority.com.  And don’t forget to pick up your copy of my 2007 RotoAuthority Fantasy Guide for just $9.99.  About 600 players are projected.

Tim Lincecum compared to Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax as a part of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects.  BA has a cool new feature this year called Risk Factor.

D-Rays Bay recently interviewed Devil Rays owner Stuart Sternberg.

Michael Young Gets $80MM Deal

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Rangers shortstop Michael Young finalized his five-year, $80MM contract extension today.  The deal runs from 2009-13.

Granted, Young is a huge bargain for 2007-08.  The Rangers basically erased that advantage by overpaying him past his peak.  I will have more thoughts on this later tonight, but I have a feeling that this contract will not be well-received by analysts.

Lone Star Ball has a poll up about the signing; most Rangers fans responding feel that it is an "Okay deal for the Rangers — they overpaid, but not by enough to make it a bad deal."

Reds Sign Dustin Hermanson

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RotoWorld is reporting that the Reds signed 34 year-old reliever Dustin Hermanson to add to their stable of low-velocity veterans in the pen.  Hermanson’s magical 34 save fluke season for the ’05 world champs could earn him some save opps with the Reds when his back allows him to pitch (fantasy alert!)  Jerry Narron called him a "bona fide closer" earlier this month.

Past reports showed all sorts of teams (Phillies, D-Rays, Yankees) passing on Hermanson after reviewing his medical records or watching him pitch. 

Gillick Visits Ricciardi

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Phillies GM Pat Gillick swung by the Blue Jays’ camp yesterday to talk some baseball with J.P. Ricciardi.  The Globe and Mail’s Jeff Blair writes that the Phils like Alex Rios and Dustin McGowan and are trying to trade Jon Lieber.  Reed Johnson could be a more reasonable bounty for Lieber.

As Blair says, the Jays want to see what they’ve got first.  And I’m not sure why the Phillies would be actively trying to acquire an outfielder with Burrell, Rowand, and Victorino under contract.  That looks like a decent outfield to me.  The Phillies are weak in the bullpen.

If the Jays are to part with Rios, a star in the making, they need a frontline starter.  They were asking for quite a bit back in January – Brett Myers or Chad Billingsley and then some.  A month before that, Buster Olney first mentioned that Rios could be available for Brad Penny or Joe Blanton.

The only name I’ve heard here that really makes sense is Myers, and the Phils probably didn’t just sign him with the intent of trading him.  Billingsley would certainly be a nice return for Toronto, but the Dodgers don’t need Rios.      

GMJ’s Non-Answer Speaks Volumes

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I understand that Gary Matthews Jr. has been advised by his agent not to comment on the recent steroid raid to which his name was connected.  Any kind of admission might put his contract in jeopardy (although even that seems doubtful).  Like it or not, though, Matthews has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion.  This paragraph from the L.A. Times says it all:

"Asked whether he had ever used performance-enhancing substances, accidentally or otherwise, Matthews said, ’I haven’t read the story myself and I don’t have all the information. Until I get more information, that’s my position.’"

I can’t think of a good reason why he would say that if the real answer to the question was simply, "no." 

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