Will Red Sox Rethink Schilling Extension?
Curt Schilling will arguably be the best free agent starter this winter. Carlos Zambrano and Mark Buehrle may be the big names, but those guys will be looking for deals around five years and may not be better than Schilling in 2008 anyway.
When we last checked in on this situation in March, Schilling had no hard feelings towards the Sox but didn’t want to discuss anything until after the season. At that time the Red Sox were his first choice, and I doubt anything has changed. Right now, Schilling for $13MM in 2008 seems like a no-brainer. However, we would’ve said the same thing last year at the All-Star break when he was 10-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Schilling did wear down a bit in the dog days of summer. If the Red Sox are able to wait but remain the favorite for Schilling, that’s clearly the best choice.
Cardinals Sign Troy Percival
The Cardinals signed former closer Troy Percival to a minor league contract today. Walt Jocketty dealt with competition from at least six other clubs for Percival’s services. The signing was somewhat surprising, as the Cardinals were not named as a representative at Percival’s recent workout.
Percival is a bit of a luxury for St. Louis, as their bullpen hasn’t been too shabby. Cardinal relievers have a 3.41 ERA, third best in the National League. As Jeff Sackmann asked here a few days ago, can Percival even help a big league club? He remains a longshot. But if he is going to make a difference, he’s picked the right division for it. The Cardinals apparently expect him to slide into a setup role eventually.
Cards Hunting For Starters
According to Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty, there’s just nothing out there on the starting pitching market. No decent starters to acquire. The Cardinals are doing OK in second place, 5.5 games behind the Brewers. They still have a fine chance of sneaking into the rotation, but need to upgrade their patchwork rotation. St. Louis starters have combined for a 5.25 ERA, easily the worst in the league. Even worse than the Nationals.
Joe Strauss’s article mentions some mild interest in Tomo Ohka, who was designated for assignment yesterday by the Blue Jays. The Cardinals talked to Ohka’s agent last December but couldn’t get a deal done.
Jocketty is, of course, exaggerating in saying nothing’s available. Here are some names for you: Wade Miller, Josh Fogg, Mike Maroth, Odalis Perez, Brett Tomko, Jon Lieber, John Thomson, Tony Armas. Now, if you’re talking good starters, well, that always requires a decent bounty. Mark Buehrle should become available soon, and the Marlins would probably listen on Dontrelle Willis. A mid-tier guy who could work is Paul Byrd. Any other ideas for the Redbirds?
Orioles To Make Amends With Boras?
The Orioles have typically shied away from Scott Boras clients, but it stands to reason that yesterday’s selection of catcher Matt Wieters will re-open that door. If the O’s are able to sign Wieters by the August 15th deadline, perhaps they’ll consider Boras clients this winter.
Here’s a list of Boras free agents for the winter of 2007-08:
Eric Gagne
Andruw Jones
Kyle Lohse
Greg Maddux
Corey Patterson
Kenny Rogers
Jeff Weaver
Brad Wilkerson
Byung-Hyun Kim
The Orioles will be one of the clubs in the running for a center fielder, as it doesn’t seem likely Corey Patterson will be around next year. A Boras reconciliation would put Jones in play. One could also envision the O’s adding a crafty veteran like the Gambler.
Stark’s Latest
Jayson Stark has an assessment of the trade market over at ESPN.com.
- Aside from the usual Mark Teixeira/Eric Gagne mentions, Stark believes many Rangers may be headed out at the trading deadline. Specifically, he names Brad Wilkerson, Kenny Lofton, and Sammy Sosa. Lofton is always a good midseason mercenary. He’s like a Mike Stanton in that way.
- Ken Griffey Jr. would approve a trade to Atlanta and might consider certain other teams. Junior is making $12.5MM this year and next, plus a $4MM buyout for ’09. Quite a bit of the contract is deferred, also. $29MM over 2007-08 is still pretty steep, but now would be the right time to trade Griffey.
- Nationals – still asking too much for Chad Cordero. Bowden’s got time to wait around for the right deal, I suppose.
- Best option for Todd Helton still appears to be the Angels, in Stark’s mind. That does not seem workable to me, because Casey Kotchman has broken out and Vlad needs access to the DH spot.
- Speaking of DHs, this might finally be the year Mike Sweeney gets traded and gets to play for a contender. If he heats up, maybe the Twins could snag him.
- Michael Bourn could be a trade candidate, if the Phillies decide he’s only a future fourth outfielder. Probably makes sense to keep him around if Aaron Rowand is going to walk after this season.
- The Astros are buyers, and they have all sorts of needs. A young catcher would be nice, but those are always in short supply.
- Speaking of young catchers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has received interest but the Braves are not biting. A lot hinges on Scott Thorman‘s performance and, of course, which young player the Braves are offered for Salty. Most teams would love to have him.
A’s Looking At Nate Robertson
Interesting note from a Tuesday night MLB.com article:
"An Oakland scout was in attendance on Tuesday, specifically to evaluate Tigers left-hander Nate Robertson."
Robertson was battered around that night against the Rangers. He insisted he was healthy, but hit the DL the next day with a tired arm. It’s obvious that Robertson does not believe he belongs on the DL and the Tigers decided this was best.
The 29 year-old southpaw was excellent in April, but has really tanked starting May 9th. He’s making $3.26MM this year and won’t become a free agent until after the 2009 season. Robertson has a lot in common with teammate Kenny Rogers, and it would be wise for a team to buy low on him if possible.
The former Marlin has dealt with a dead arm before in 2005, and it’s likely he’ll snap out of this and return to form. His 223.6 innings last year (playoffs included) were easily a career high.
Colletti Talks To Ichiro’s Agent
Word via the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday was that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti spent an hour talking to Tony Attanasio, the agent for impending free agent Ichiro Suzuki. Attanasio also represents Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
The Dodgers won’t have an opening in center field next year given the Juan Pierre contract. But Ichiro, of course, can play a fine right field. It wouldn’t be hard to replace Andre Ethier‘s .711 OPS, though it would lock the Dodgers into two powerless players in their outfield.
Several NL West teams may go toe-to-toe for Ichiro, including the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants. All could make room for him. Still, it seems a long shot that Colletti and Attanasio were discussing Ichiro. That seems like tampering. Attanasio has, in the past, suggested that the Mariners trade Ichiro this summer if they don’t plan on signing him. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this situation in the coming months.
Dan Haren’s Cy Young Start
What has really changed with Dan Haren‘s Cy Young-type start to the season? RotoAuthority examines his first 90 innings.
Mets Would Chase Zambrano
Hey, it’s early: nobody’s handing out the good rumors yet.
I don’t think Carlos Zambrano is going anywhere this year (2008 is a different story, of course), and I think the Cubs will be in the race until close to the end, but if he is on the block, some random source is saying that the Mets would be in on it.
Well, duh.
As is often the case with ace pitchers, though, there probably won’t be a mega-deal. If Zambrano pitches to his potential, the Cubs are all the more likely to stay in it. If he doesn’t, he would be on the block, but why would teams part with the crown jewels for an unpredictable guy with a 4.50 ERA? As I say, I think the former scenario is much more likely. But if Big Z does end up on the block, the Mets will have plenty of competition.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
It’s Rule 4 Draft Eve
I know you’re excited…we’re less than 24 hours away from baseball’s amateur draft. I’m always amazed at the guys who really know their stuff when it comes to amateurs, tracking hundreds of prospects despite having limited stats and more limited chances to see these guys play. Heck, I provide college stats to several major league teams and I don’t know the first thing about who will go where tomorrow.
But, here are some guys who do. Best to start with the old pros at Baseball America: not only do they constantly update their draft tracker, ranking the top prospects, but this year they added a draft blog. They didn’t update all day today, but there are plenty of interesting notes there. If you have a subscription, there’s far more available to you at BA, as well.
There are now two draft experts at Baseball Prospectus. Kevin Goldstein has one mock draft, while Bryan Smith offers another.
And finally, if you want a more collective-wisdom type of thing with way more picks, check out Minor League Ball, which spread five rounds of a mock draft across a series of posts.
Then, when it’s all over, it’ll only be another decade or so before we have the data we need to evaluate how each team did! Good times…
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball