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Archives for March 2007

Marlins Trade Rumors

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The Fish might do some minor dealing in the coming days.  Let’s see what they have cooking.

For one, Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel thinks they should bring Armando Benitez back, now that he’s healthy.  He says it would probably only cost the Marlins a million bucks in addition to the player(s) they trade.  Benitez says he hasn’t been in shape like he is now since he played for the Orioles.

The Marlins may have their eye on a couple of Red Sox: center fielder David Murphy and pitcher Kyle Snyder.  The Nationals also have interest in Snyder.  Snyder, 29, hails from Florida for what that’s worth.  He can probably post an ERA below 5 in the NL, so he belongs on someone’s roster.  Murphy still has a chance to become a credible CF, especially if his new build adds a little power.  Houston also likes Murphy.

Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post has another tidbit: though the Marlins scouted Jorge Julio, they’re not close to proposing a deal.

Finally, the Marlins have no interest in Javy Lopez but are drawing interest for outfielder Cody Ross.

 

Should Cards Pursue Bernie Williams?

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With a couple of outfielders beginning the season on the DL, the Cardinals might be concerned about their outfield depth right now.  One suggestion, coming from the esteemed St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, is to sign Bernie Williams.

Can Williams be a useful player at 38?  He might be able to pitch in as a fourth outfielder.  His PECOTA is .258/.320/.388.  Maybe he could end things on a high note with the Cardinals, a la Will Clark? 

A-Rod Mania

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Alex Rodriguez, New York’s favorite villain, has again inspired a slew of articles.  As always, MLBTradeRumors reads them all so you don’t have to.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post plays the greed angle, as if most baseball players, and people in general, shouldn’t want to maximize their earnings.  Sherman thinks Rodriguez is destined to play for the Angels or White Sox, wanting to stay in the AL.  Never say never, but the day Kenny Williams negotiates an eight-year deal with Scott Boras…well, let’s just say it’s a long shot.  But Sherman lays out a scenario I also expect: Boras asks the Yankees to extend his contract, they refuse, and that is the justification for the third baseman’s departure.

Sherman contributed to a separate article that suggests Rodriguez tampered by learning about the five or six interested teams from a channel other than the Yankees.

Bill Madden plays the greed angle too, complete with a cheesy picture of Rodriguez and Boras smiling.  Said Madden:

"A-Rod’s problem, from the moment he signed with Seattle as the first pick in the 1993 draft, is that he has never allowed his talent to do his talking for him – as, say, Derek Jeter has."

Is that so?  Jeter didn’t sign a massive ten-year, $189MM contract in 2001?  Did he take a discount to stay in New York, as Madden suggests?  Madden also criticizes A-Rod for craving attention. 

He did an interview.  He did not ask for 16 newspaper articles about it for the following two days. 

Johnette Howard of Newsday is more forgiving – she says A-Rod comes off much better if you simply listen to the interview.

Cubs Looking For Middle Infielder

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs are trying to acquire another middle infielder so that they can play Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot simultaneously.  I’m not a big believer in Theriot’s offense, but preventing Jacque Jones from facing lefties is long overdue.

This may be related to the vague rumor I mentioned yesterday, that the Cubs had a scout at a recent Jays/Braves game.  Just a guess, but maybe the Cubs have their eye on 23 year-old second baseman Martin Prado?  I don’t know – neither of these teams is stocked with middle infield depth.  Why not just use Eric Patterson?

UPDATE: An astute reader pointed out that Yunel Escobar is the most likely middle infielder on the Braves to be dealt.  Many teams have expressed interest in him, and it makes sense that the Cubs would be one of them.

UPDATE 2: David O’Brien mentioned in his AJC blog today:

"Talked to a scout before the game who had spoken with a Cubs official this week and heard they (Cubs) are looking for a utility man. Chris Woodward’s name was mentioned, but I don’t know whether the Braves are considering moving him or not."

So, Woodward.  Nothing too exciting but at least we can put the crazier rumors to bed. 

Gammons Rumors: Qualls, Garland

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In today’s blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons slips in a couple of trade tidbits.

While discussing the Boston bullpen, Gammons remarks:

"They’ll keep looking at relievers on other teams — like Houston’s Chad Qualls — and figure they’ll get a mess of innings out of the starting rotation."

Gammons may be speaking in the hypothetical, but he may be implying that the Red Sox are looking into Qualls’ availability.  The 28 year-old righty has been tough to hit the last two seasons, but a K/9 below 6 isn’t closer material.

Another Gammons bullet point regarding the Red Sox:

"The Red Sox were told that Jon Garland is not available. Period."

That suggests they called on him, though I’m not sure at what point.  There’s something to be said for a 210 inning, 4.50 ERA guy to add some stability to the rotation.  The Astros seemed inches from acquiring Garland in December, but got Jason Jennings instead.

Byung-Hyun Kim Trade Seems Likely

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The Rockies have too many starters, and one of Byung-Hyun Kim and Josh Fogg is likely to be dealt before the season begins.

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says that the Rockies have made it known in recent talks that Kim is available.  He speculates that Kim’s lower salary and relative youth make him the more attractive pitcher.  Oh, and there’s also the fact that he’s better than Fogg.

You know what would be awesome?  If the Red Sox traded for Kim and used him as their closer again.  But seriously, there should be strong interest around baseball in Kim as a starter or reliever.  He wouldn’t be a bad fit on the Cardinals. 

Sick Of A-Rod Yet?

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MLBTradeRumors reads the six daily Alex Rodriguez articles so you don’t have to.  He gave the standard lines in his WFAN interview yesterday: he wants to finish his career a Yankee, he wants to win another MVP and the World Series with them. 

Rodriguez still said enough to fan the flames.  He explained how five or six teams expressed interest in him this offseason, and attempted to put the onus on the fans and Yankee management.  If they don’t make him feel wanted, then it seems he will exercise his out clause.  I’d be shocked if the booing stops, so this is probably his last year with the Yankees. 

According to Jon Heyman earlier this month, interested parties included the Angels, Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Indians, with the White Sox and Dodgers the most persistent. 

2007 Milwaukee Brewers

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Brew Crew time!  Let’s check out everyone’s favorite "sleeper" pick for this year.  I should give a shoutout to the two best Brewers blogs, Brew Crew Ball and Al’s Ramblings.  Both were instrumental in this estimate of the 25-man roster.

Doug Melvin’s contract obligations:

C – Johnny Estrada – $3.4MM + incentives
C – Damian Miller – $2.75MM
1B – Prince Fielder – $0.415MM
2B – Rickie Weeks – $1.22MM (estimated)
SS – J.J. Hardy – $0.38MM
3B – Tony Graffanino – $3.25MM/Craig Counsell – $2.8MM
LF – Geoff Jenkins – $7MM
CF – Bill Hall – $3MM
RF – Corey Hart – $0.38MM
OF – Brady Clark – $3.8MM
OF – Kevin Mench – $3.4MM
OF – Gabe Gross – $0.38MM

SP – Ben Sheets – $10MM
SP – Jeff Suppan – $6MM + $0.25MM signing bonus = $6.25MM
SP – Chris Capuano – $3.25MM
SP – Claudio Vargas – $2.5MM
SP – Dave Bush – $0.38MM

RP – Francisco Cordero – $5MM
RP – Derrick Turnbow – $2.3MM + incentives
RP – Brian Shouse – $0.975MM
RP – Matt Wise – $1MM
RP – Jose Capellan – $0.38MM
RP – Greg Aquino – $0.38MM
RP – Carlos Villanueva – $0.38MM

Injured/Minors:

3B – Corey Koskie – $2MM (post-concussion syndrome)
3B – Ryan Braun – $0.38MM
3B – Vinnie Rottino – $0.38MM
RP – Grant Balfour – $0.415MM
SP – Yovani Gallardo – $0.38MM

It’s about $62MM worth of players, up about $5 mil from Opening Day last year.  The payroll has been managed well, and I think management would be willing to make a midseason trade to put the team over the hump.

The middle infield combo just needs to stay healthy for a full season; no one doubts their ability to hit.  Because of the injury possibility, the Crew went out and got Counsell this winter.  They might not have wanted Graffanino to accept arbitration, but he gives them depth to cover third base until Ryan Braun is ready.  Braun has a robust PECOTA forecast of .283/.341/.504.  He should be up by May if he sore elbow is OK.  Koskie, meanwhile, is nowhere near game ready and may never be. It’s not a particularly impressive defensive infield, but the bats should compensate.

The outfield will have Hall and Hart as full-timers.  I’ve currently got six outfielders listed for the Brewers, but a trade of Mench seems in the cards.  That’d clear left field for Jenkins, leave Clark as the CF backup, and open a spot for Gross to make the team.  The division has all sorts of virgin CFs in Hall, Alfonso Soriano, and Chris Burke.  Griffey might move to right, also.   

The Brewers had a poor offense last year.  They’ll get more out of the catcher spot with Estrada, a step forward from Fielder, and a slight downgrade in left compared to Carlos Lee.  A big year from Hart plus a healthy middle infield would move the offense toward the middle of the pack.

The rotation is set, and a major strength.  Sheets will be one of baseball’s best if he’s healthy, and he’s looked good so far.  The team isn’t completely screwed if he goes down – Carlos Villanueva and Yovani Gallardo can step in admirably.  Gallardo doesn’t get a ton of hype, but his PECOTA calls for a 3.92 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 141 innings as a rookie.  That’s ROY material. 

The bullpen was lousy last year.  It can’t help but improve with the subtractions of Dan Kolb, Geremi Gonzalez, Zach Jackson, Jorge de la Rosa, and Dana Eveland.  A full season of Cordero and a shorter leash for Turnbow should also help.

The Brewers have a good chance of winning the NL Central on the strength of their starting rotation.  If the offense comes together, a core of Fielder/Weeks/Hardy/Braun/Hall/Hart could be above average.  If anything is missing by July, a major trade and the promotion of Gallardo could push them into the playoffs.

Random Dodger Tidbits

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Over the last week, a few interesting updates surfaced from Vero Beach. None of which really warrant their own post, so I thought I’d gather some of them together.

  • Chad Billingsley, once thought to be the leader for the Dodgers fifth starter position, will open the season from the bullpen. Dodgers management seems to be a little worried about teaming his give-it-all delivery with his tendency for high-pitch counts right from the get-go of the season.
  • Mark Hendrickson is having the spring one would expect from a career 4.98 ERA, 1.46 WHIP pitcher; he’s given up six runs in 6 2/3 innings. This mediocre-at-best showing coupled with his lack-luster performance last season seems to leave the race between Brett Tomko and Hung-Chih Kuo.
  • Speaking of Kuo, he tested positive for a "MLB-banned substance" sometime before the Asian Games in Qatar. Kuo’s agent and a Taiwanese Olympic official say the results are due to pain or cold medication, and Kuo is not expected to face disciplinary actions.

-Jacob Burch

Orioles Sign Roberts To Extension

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The Orioles finally inked second baseman Brian Roberts to a contract extension for the 2008-09 seasons.  It ran them just $14.3MM, which I think is an excellent deal.

Fully recovered from elbow surgery in the second half of last year, Roberts hit .277/.332/.436 with nine home runs.  He upped his contact rate overall as well.  I have him hitting .296 with 11 HR, 60 RBI, 92 runs, and 29 stolen bases in my 2007 RotoAuthority Fantasy Guide.

As we discussed earlier, the Orioles will have a chance to start fresh with the 2010 season.  40% of the roster will reach free agency after 2009.

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