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Archives for May 2007

O’s Still After Chan Ho Park

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Just a small note from the bottom of a New York Post article today – the Mets and Orioles have had trade discussions regarding 34 year-old starter Chan Ho Park.

Before the season, the Mets signed Park for $600,000, with an additional $2.4MM in incentives based on innings pitched.  Park has struggled with the long ball in five Triple A starts, and it’s contributed to his 6.67 ERA.  Those looking for a silver lining can take solace in his 4.5 K/BB.  PECOTA calls for a 4.75 ERA for him this year, not bad at all as far as fifth starters go.  However, the AL East is a harsh environment.

Odalis Perez is the other guy said to be on Baltimore’s radar for the fifth starter vacancy.

 

Mets Don’t Want Castillo

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Though he and others have suggested a good fit, today Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Mets are not interested in Pirate utility man Jose Castillo.  Castillo recently requested a trade.

When you think about it, why would they be interested? Castillo hasn’t done anything in the Majors outside of May 2006, and he may have a bit of an attitude problem.  Damion Easley, on the other hand, has five homers in 56 ABs.  True, he won’t slug .571 all year, but he’s every bit as good as Castillo and he’s already on the team.  The Mets don’t need a second baseman.  They have the best offense in the National League.  I’m not sure the Mets need much of anything.

Free Ron Villone

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Sure, Barry Bonds is chasing the all-time home run mark set by Hank Aaron, and yes, the Brewers of all teams have the best record in the National League.  Those are all interesting stories, but today, the baseball-world’s attention will be focused on… Ron Villone?!?

It seems as if the 37-year old veteran left-hander has a clause in his contract that calls for the Yankees to grant him free agency if he is not on the big-league roster as of today.  Given his handedness and the fact that he has a 1.90 ERA, 10.72 K/9 and a 0.00 HR/9 in 22 2/3 innings of work in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he is sure to draw some interest.  It is possible that the Yankees could simply release him or, they could wisely try to trade him rather than just letting him walk for nothing in return.

Any number of teams could use Villone’s services, and naturally, the Phillies are expected to be among them.  Speaking on condition of anonymity in order to avoid tampering issues, one "Phillies baseball man" said, "Would he make us better? I sure think he would."

The Phillies relief situation has been desperate all season, but of particular importance right now is someone who can pitch with his left arm and actually get people out.  Manager Charlie Manuel is committed to the idea that the only way to get a left-handed batter out is to use a left-handed pitcher, however, Matt Smith and Fabio Castro have both failed miserably.

If you listen closely here in Philly, you can just barely hear the chants in South Philly… "Free Ron Villone, Free Ron Villone!"

Perhaps the Yankees would take C.J. Henry and Matt Smith back [written with tongue inserted firmly into cheek].

Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".  Recently, he teamed up with his brother to launch Roto Front Office.

U.S.S. Mariner Trade Ideas

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Dave Cameron over at U.S.S. Mariner had a very interesting post about a week ago regarding three trades he thinks should be made.  Three deals that are designed to benefit both teams involved by examining surpluses and needs.

Coincidentally, I just took a look at an old favorite of mine, Scott Baker, from a fantasy perspective.  I’ve also got some Jack Cust analysis up over at RotoAuthority if you’re interested.

A-Rod Chicago Speculation

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The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers breaks down the factors involved that might result in Alex Rodriguez playing in Chicago in 2008.  Let’s break it down in a nifty bullet-point format. 

The Cubs

  • Rodriguez played under Lou Piniella in Chicago, and the two are said to have a strong relationship.  That’s where a lot of this speculation begins.  But won’t it just come down to money in the end?
  • Third base is fully blocked by Aramis Ramirez, where shortstop is fairly open.  The Cubs won’t exercise Cesar Izturis’s option, but will have Ryan Theriot around.  No matter how much A-Rod’s shortstop defense is lacking, I can’t picture it beyond worse than Theriot’s.  Piniella might prefer to use Theriot in a superutility role with a focus on second base.
  • The Cubs don’t seem to despise Scott Boras, dealing smoothly with him for recent signees Greg Maddux and Jeff Samardzija. 
  • While the Cubs showed a willingness to sign a player to a ridiculous contract with the Alfonso Soriano deal, the team will be sold after the season.  That seems quite likely to interfere with an A-Rod megadeal, even if Jim Hendry says it’s business as usual.

The White Sox

  • It’s well-known that the team’s brass likes A-Rod.  They flirted with him in 2000 when he first reached free agency.
  • The Sox could make room at short or third for Rodriguez, as Joe Crede has been mentioned in trade rumors for some time and Josh Fields is no sure thing.  The team seems likely to decline its club option on Juan Uribe.
  • Recent White Sox clubs have not gone crazy bidding on free agents.  However, the Sox have shown the ability to pony up major cash.  In particular I’m thinking of the five year, $55MM deal given to Albert Belle before the 1997 season.  That one made Belle the highest paid player in baseball.  Like A-Rod, Belle had a clause to opt out if he wasn’t the highest paid player in baseball.
  • Unlike the Cubs, the White Sox have had beef with Scott Boras in the past.  However, Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said that despite their differences, he would sign a reasonably priced Boras client.  Not sure A-Rod would qualify, but if you’re going to spend big bucks you might as well do it on a superstar.
  • If the Sox are able to replace Mark Buehrle internally, they’ll have some free cash to account for the difference between Jermaine Dye’s and Rodriguez’s salaries.  I would view A-Rod as Dye’s replacement in the lineup.

I have to give the edge to the White Sox here, as the Cubs will likely be in a state of flux next winter.  The Sox seem to be leaning toward rebuilding, though, and I don’t think a $100MM+ contract fits the plan.  There should be plenty more speculation over the next several months but I don’t expect Rodriguez to land in Chicago.

Perrotto’s Latest

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has quickly become another fine source for trade rumors.  Some highlights from his latest column:

  • The Twins would surrender a solid arm – maybe Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, or Scott Baker – in return for a right-handed hitter.  My own speculation: perhaps Wayne Krivsky, looking to stabilize his bullpen, would trade Edwin Encarnacion for Rincon.  Rincon has been one of the best setup men in baseball for the past four years.  On the other hand, Baker could really flourish in the National League and Kyle Lohse may leave via free agency after the season.  Terry Ryan might want a more proven, reliable bat though.  Buster Olney throws out Morgan Ensberg’s name in his blog today.
  • Some clubs already have center fielder Torii Hunter on the radar: the Red Sox, White Sox, Cardinals, and Rangers.  I think there is no doubt the Rangers go in for one of the "name" center fielders this winter.  I can see the Red Sox testing the waters but it would seem odd to block Jacoby Ellsbury for four or five years.  Hunter is making the contract year argument, hitting .324/.358/.618 in 35 games.  His previous career high in slugging was .524 in ’02.
  • Perrotto confirms the finding of Michael Gluskin – Odalis Perez and Chan Ho Park are two names on the Orioles’ target list of starting pitchers.  The O’s might have found some relief in the shrewd Jeremy Guthrie pickup – his last two starts against the Devil Rays and Red Sox were excellent.   

Jorge Julio Swapped For Byung-Hyun Kim

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As you may have heard by now, a couple of down-and-out pitchers were swapped today as the Marlins sent Jorge Julio to the Rockies for Byung-Hyun Kim.

The hurlers have a lot in common – both are free agents after the season, and the Marlins and Rockies were each on the hook for $2.5MM in salary.  Plus, both had fallen out of favor with their respective teams.

The Rockies already have a strong duo for the eighth and ninth innings – Manny Corpas and Brian Fuentes.  Dan O’Dowd decided to buy low on Julio, a fairly young reliever whose results never seem to match his stuff.  From the gist of the MLB.com article, it sounds like O’Dowd worked the phones for months trying to get something interesting for Kim and Julio was the best he could do.

This could be one of those deals that works for both sides, as I’ve considered Kim a bit of a sleeper in recent years.  The sidearmer had a decent 7.5 K/9 last year, but still posted a 5.57 ERA in 27 starts.  If the Marlins can help him regain the control he had in ’02-03, he could be a pleasant surprise.  And what pitcher wouldn’t want to switch from Coors Field to Dolphins Stadium?  Coors inflates homers by 12%, while Dolphins Stadium deflates them by 9% (according to the Bill James Handbook).  While there are no public plans for it right now, Kim could end up closing for the Fish if current options don’t pan out.

Mariners Acquire Jason Davis

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The Mariners acquired 27 year-old pitcher Jason Davis today from the Indians for a player to be named later.  As I mentioned in a previous post, Davis is a healthy, cheap pitcher with good control and groundball tendencies.  Unless something valuable was given up, this looks like a nice little move for Bill Bavasi.

I have to be honest, I was hoping to see Davis end up with an NL team short on starting pitching (I picked him up in my AL-only league based on this speculation).  He wants to return to starting, but that would probably only work in the weaker league.  For the Ms, Davis will settle into the bullpen and probably pitch around the sixth inning.

Click here to read U.S.S. Mariner’s take on the acquisition.

Jose Castillo Requests Trade

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According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26 year-old second baseman Jose Castillo had his agent ask the Pirates for a trade.  Devan Kovacevic says Castillo was widely available this winter but generated little interest.  He names the Mets as a possible suitor given Jose Valentin’s injury. 

As I mentioned in my Castillo Let’s Make A Deal post, outside of a single month (May ’06), Castillo hasn’t really done anything to justify a starting job. He skipped Triple A, and might benefit from playing every day at that level.   

The Abreu Option

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Bobby Abreu is really struggling this year – he’s hitting just .250/.325/.309 in 136 ABs.  Even his occasionally Bondsian walk rate is down around 10%.  The Yankees are paying him $15MM this year, and have a $16MM option with a $2MM buyout for 2008.

In my 2008 Club Options post a couple of weeks ago, I voted that the Yankees would decline the option.  At that point I was ignorant to the buyout price, however.  It’s more like a $14MM decision, and that’s a bit more palatable.  If Abreu was on track for a line around .290/.420/.450, I think it’s an easy choice to exercise.  Commenters in the earlier post leaned towards the Yanks exercising it but then looking to trade Abreu.

Since we still have 80% of the season to go, it’s much too early to call.  But if Abreu plays to his 25th percentile PECOTA – .263/.372/.413 – he’ll join the ’08 free agent class.  Does his slow start change your opinion on the option?

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