Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2007

Odds and Ends

By | at

Some random links I’ve come across, best categorized as Odds and Ends.

  • Tim Marchman of the New York Sun discusses why the Yankees can’t practically pull off any kind of fire sale.  Bobby Abreu is the one big name they can move, though Andy Pettitte is worthy of consideration.  Marchman likes the Angels, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers as fits for Abreu.
  • Shea Hillenbrand was waived today; insert "ship is sinking" reference here.  I guess Bill Stoneman couldn’t find a taker for Hillenbrand even while eating most of his remaining salary.  Now the Angels will foot the bill while some team picks up the opinionated DH for the league minimum.  The Twins are often cited as a team in need of a DH, but Hillenbrand might disrupt the clubhouse chemistry.  And of course, the Yankees have been connected to him since this winter.
  • RotoAuthority lays out a plan for starting your own keeper fantasy baseball league.
  • Torii Hunter would consider playing for the White Sox, for what it’s worth.  It’d take a franchise-record contract to sign him. 
  • Indians reliever Fernando Cabrera is a fine candidate to be traded to a rebuilding team. The Tribe can’t option him to the minors without losing him, but his performance isn’t helping the team and he’s taking up a roster spot.  As a 25 year-old with a K/9 over 10 in 129 career innings, there should be plenty of interest.  Swapping him for a seasoned reliever like Octavio Dotel, Eric Gagne, or Al Reyes makes sense to me.  By the way, the Indians’ Rafael Betancourt is quietly one of the five best relievers in baseball this year.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Willis, Dunn, Griffey

By | at

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up today.  Not too much brand new material but worth discussing nonetheless.

  • Rosenthal opines that Dontrelle Willis is currently at his peak value.  Mark Buehrle is off the market.  Dontrelle is seemingly healthy and under control through 2009.  There was a scare, though, when Willis had a sore forearm in June.  Rosenthal points out that despite mediocre stats the past couple of seasons, Willis still has an ace aura about him.  That’s probably because of his near-Cy Young in ’05 and the way he took the league by storm in ’03.  The Mets, Mariners, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies, and Diamondbacks could all be interested in the Marlins start shopping Willis.  Larry Beinfest seems to be leaning against it though.
  • The Padres may still consider trading for Adam Dunn, but will see how Milton Bradley plays over the next few weeks first.  The Reds and Padres aren’t a great match, as the Padres don’t have many big-name prospects.  Maybe something like Clay Hensley plus Chase Headley (those names are oddly similar), if the Reds are sour on Edwin Encarnacion?
  • Many members of the Mariners’ front office would like to bring Ken Griffey Jr. back, but CEO Howard Lincoln "harbors resentment over Griffey’s departure in 2000."  That makes it sound like Griffey left via free agency, but of course he was actually traded to the Reds.  I did a little digging on that situation, and found that the Mariners offered Griffey an eight-year, $140MM contract in September of 1999.  Junior turned that down and requested a trade in November, citing a desire to play closer to his Orlando home.  Death threats also turned him off from Seattle.  At that time he named the Reds, Braves, Astros, Indians, and Mets as teams he’d like to play for.  By December Griffey decided he’d only accept a trade to Cincinnati – he even vetoed a trade to the Mets.
  • If healthy, David Wells plans to pitch again in ’08.  The Padres probably wouldn’t mind having him back.

Rockies Could Lose Kaz Matsui

By | at

I compiled the 2008 Free Agents list back in March of this year, knowing at the time that a handful of surprisingly valuable players would surface throughout the season.  In 2006 it was Gary Matthews Jr.  This year, it’s Kaz Matsui.  (By the way, the list is fully up-to-date now so check it out.)

Troy E. Renck and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post have an article up today discussing Matsui and his impending free agency.  To hear Matsui tell it, he actually craved the challenge of a one-year contract.  Otherwise, he might get lazy.  I guess it was complacency that caused that .652 OPS in 2005.

Matsui can earn up to $2.45MM this year if he hits his incentives.  Not sure if he will, as he only played 18 games total in April and May because of back spasms.  Matsui has been a new man since joining the Rockies, hitting .325/.366/.480 in 302 ABs.  He’s been the player the Mets thought they signed.  However, the split has been .372/.420/.524 at Coors and .280/.315/.439 on the road.  The latter line is a more reasonable expectation if he is to sign elsewhere as a free agent.  If Matsui wants $4MM or so annually, the Rockies will probably pass.

It seems likely that Matsui stays in the U.S., though the Rakuten Golden Eagles pursued him as a free agent last November.  If he stays, competition should be slim – Luis Castillo and Tadahito Iguchi may be the only other available regulars at second base.  That assumes Jeff Kent’s option vests and the Padres retain Marcus Giles at $4MM.  The former seems likely but Giles has been questionable at just .242/.313/.338. 

Phils Targeting Longer-Term Contracts at Trade Deadline

By | at

As the non-waiver trade deadline appears on the horizon, it is natural to focus on players that are just a few months away from free-agency as likely trade candidates.

But that doesn’t mean players who still have a few years left on their contracts won’t be dealt.  Pat Gillick, Phillies GM, recently stated that those are just the types of pitchers the Phillies are interested in acquiring over the next month or so.  From Phillyburbs.com: “We’re looking at guys who would have contracts that run for 2008 and 2009,” he said. “Really, we have to find the right situation. We’re not necessarily looking for a rental player. We want someone who could be a piece for us.”

It makes sense to focus longer-term as Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber, who are both injured and likely lost for the season, will depart via free agency in the fall.  That leaves Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, and possibly Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers for the rotation.  But Moyer could retire and Myers may keep his role as closer so the back end of the rotation is by no means set beyond 2007 (heck, it’s not even set beyond the All-Star break).  To make matters worse, there is little to no help on the horizon in the Phillies farm system.  Kyle Kendrick has held his own in recent weeks, but until we see more of him, the jury is out.

The trick will be finding a pitcher who is under contract whose team is far enough out of contention — not only for 2007, but also 2008 — that they would be willing to part with him.  Scanning the standings, it’s hard to envision a scenario, but when it comes to Pat Gillick, it’s helpful to look at his past history since he often brings in players and front office personnel from his previous stops.  Once such stop is Baltimore, and Erik Bedard, who is blossoming into a frontline starter is under control there for two more seasons.  Even though Gillick departed before Bedard was drafted, it’s possible that he was on his radar nonetheless.

If the Orioles don’t feel they can retain Bedard long-term, they might be wise to listen to offers and begin another rebuilding.

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.

Andruw Campaigns For A Starter

By | at

Andruw Jones, perhaps emboldened by his recent hot streak, is openly campaigning for the Braves to acquire a starting pitcher.  Even if John Smoltz comes back strong, one more veteran would fit in nicely behind Tim Hudson and Chuck James.

According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves were in on Mark Buehrle but Kenny Williams wanted Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Yunel Escobar for him.  That would have been quite a bounty for a rental.

The names I think we’ll be hearing in trade rumors this month as far as starters: Matt Morris, Kyle Lohse, Jason Jennings, Jon Garland, and Jose Contreras.  There should be a few more second or third tier type guys as well (Odalis Perez, Steve Trachsel, Joe Kennedy, Wade Miller, Josh Fogg, Brett Tomko).  I would not be surprised to see Oakland become sellers in short order, but they don’t have much starting pitching to trade with Rich Harden and Esteban Loaiza injured.

Mets Interested In Dye, Relief Help

By | at

According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Mets have interest in White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye.  The Mets had also been monitoring Mark Buehrle, but he’s officially off the market now.   Gonzales seems to indicate that the Buehrle extension will lessen the Mets’ interest in Dye.  Dye’s been awful this season, perhaps limited by his strained quad. 

Gonzales’s source also mentioned that Omar Minaya is hunting for bullpen help.  A few days ago David Lennon noted that the Mets have an eye on Hector Carrasco.  The 37 year-old should be traded somewhere by Friday.

As far as more effective available relievers, Peter Gammons rattled off the usual names in a recent blog entry (Akinori Otsuka, Eric Gagne, Octavio Dotel, Salomon Torres, Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, and Chad Qualls).  Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog considers Otsuka the perfect fit, though the price could be Lastings Milledge.  Another name in Gammons’ list, Brad Lidge, may be unavailable based on Ken Rosenthal’s info.  Gammons mentioned one intriguing pitcher that’d certainly be worthy of surrendering Milledge: Zack Greinke.  Seems crazy that the Royals would give him up, but he’ll be a hot commodity if they do shop him.

White Sox Re-Sign Mark Buehrle

By | at

The White Sox have signed Mark Buehrle to a four-year contract extension.  It’s the four-year, $56MM deal that’s been rumored for many days now.  Definitely well below market value.

Buehrle has no-trade protection for 2008.  He also has a window during 2009-10 where a trade bumps his salary to $15MM annually and adds extends through 2012 for the same salary.

The often pessimistic PECOTA projection system finds Buehrle similar to Jim Kaat but values him at only about $26MM for the life of his new extension.  PECOTA feels Buehrle’s hits allowed will spike and he’ll manage only 150-160 innings annually.  It’s hard for me to see how that’s the most likely scenario.  I see 200-220 inning seasons with an ERA around 3.80-4.00, and that’s easily worth $56MM. 

Anyway, which of the three remaining veteran Sox starters will be on the move this month?  Phil Rogers suggests Jon Garland.  Or do they sell high on Javier Vazquez?  Sell low on Jose Contreras?  Odds are Kenny Williams will do something unexpected.  He’s still talking about being in buyer’s mode at the moment.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Andruw, Lidge, Gwynn Jr.

By | at

Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up at FOXSports for your viewing pleasure.

  • Rosenthal believes that despite Andruw Jones’s lousy May and June, he’ll still cash in this winter as the best available center fielder.  He’ll still provide more offense than Torii Hunter in the long run. 
  • The Nationals are still asking for the moon in trade talks.  If Jim Bowden does start acting reasonable, Dmitri Young, Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, and Ryan Church could be dealt.  Word via Bill Ladson of MLB.com is that only the Braves have inquired on Young.
  • Brad Lidge is expected to remain an Astro.  The main reason: Drayton McLane still doesn’t think  his team is out of it.  Most simulations a 2% chance or less of reaching the playoffs.  If the Astros finally do acknowledge reality, they’d prefer to trade relievers other than Lidge (ie, Dan Wheeler or Chad Qualls).
  • The Rangers and Brewers were close to a trade: Akinori Otsuka to the Brewers for Tony Gwynn Jr.  Rosenthal seemed to dislike it, but I think it made sense for the Crew.  Regardless, Bill Hall’s injury thwarted the deal as Gwynn will be needed to man center. 
  • The new plan for the Brewers is to call up 29 year-old Grant Balfour, who’s dominated in the minors.  He endured elbow and shoulder woes before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of ’05.  In the midst of his TJ recovery, Balfour developed the need for shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum.  This guy would be pumping gas if he’d been born a few decades earlier.  After the surgeries, the Twins cut Balfour and the Reds snagged him.  Balfour rehabbed with the Reds but never made it to the bigs; the Brewers claimed him off waivers in October of ’06.  He’s all the way back; Johnny Estrada was singing his praises back in February.

Blog Gets Through To Felix Hernandez

By | at

If you’ve watched any Felix Hernandez starts prior to today, you probably noticed a pattern.  He tries to establish his fastball early on, throwing the pitch constantly.  His heater is a fine pitch and plenty fast, but he leaves it up in the zone sometimes.  And a 96 mph fastball can be easy to hit when you see ten of them in a row (relatively speaking – obviously I still couldn’t hit it).  Hernandez has an amazing offspeed repertoire, especially his curveball.

The die-hard fans at U.S.S. Mariner have been painfully aware of this trend for quite some time.  Frustration boiled over on June 27th, when Dave Cameron wrote a post: An Open Letter To Rafael Chaves.  Chaves is the Mariners’ pitching coach.  The letter pleaded for Chaves to make Felix mix up his pitches early on.   

Cameron probably never anticipated that Chaves would actually read the letter.  But he did, and the pitching coach actually gave a copy to Felix for him to read.  Chaves has been trying to hammer this point home with Hernandez, but the letter helped reinforce the need for better pitch selection.  Hernandez tossed eight scoreless innings today, crediting the letter for his early success.  How cool is that?  Blogs actually can make a difference.  Open sentence to Dave Cameron: Mariners fans, fantasy baseball owners, and baseball fans in general thank you for getting through to The King.  Next up, teach Rich Hill a third pitch.

Buehrle’s Counteroffer Rejected

By | at

More Buehrle!  You know you love it.  According to Buster Olney, Mark Buehrle’s camp proposed an alternative to the full no-trade clause contract.  Buehrle’s side asked for the same four-year, $56MM deal, but with a $17MM player option for 2012 that would kick in in the event of a trade.  That’d put Buehrle’s deal on par with Roy Oswalt’s.  The White Sox rejected the counteroffer. Ken Rosenthal confirms the info. 

There must be something the Sox don’t like about Buehrle, or some secret rebuilding plan in the near future.  The fact remains that the team rejected a heavily discounted contract to retain their 28 year-old ace.  It’s damn near inexcusable to me, and I’m not even a Sox fan.

We’ve been down this road before – but it really looks like a trade is coming in the near future.  Phil Rogers mentioned Kenny Williams’s affinity for Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox and Carlos Gomez of the Mets.  Gomez will be out for four to eight weeks with a fractured wrist bone, but that shouldn’t affect his trade value.  Don’t forget the Dodgers – they could really use some rotation certainty.  It’d probably cost them Matt Kemp.

Thanks to loyal reader Kramerica Industries for the tips.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top