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Archives for October 2007

How About Bonds To The Reds?

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Here’s one we haven’t considered: could Barry Bonds join the Reds?  Home Run Derby discusses the Dusty Baker connection, while Sabernomics believes the Reds hired Dusty partially to show free agents they’re serious.  Sabernomics believes the Reds could even make a run at Alex Rodriguez.  (Hat tip to Bleed Cubbie Blue on both links).

Bonds would be a welcome addition to any offense.  But he only fits in with an NL team in left field.  Adam Dunn resides there currently for Cincy, playing some of the worst LF defense in the game.  So the loss on defense would be minimal.  Dunn could then be moved to first base or sent packing.  The latter option makes the most sense, since Joey Votto is ready and Scott Hatteberg is under contract. 

The possible problem is that exercising Dunn’s option for 2008 gives him full no-trade protection until June 15th.  Last we heard, the Reds are likely to go for it.  A Dunn-for-Bonds exchange only makes sense if the Reds score a good young pitcher for Dunn.  Anyone have any reasonable trade scenarios involving Dunn?

Rivera Not Affected By Torre Departure?

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Mariano Rivera has changed his tune – now he’s saying Joe Torre’s departure doesn’t have anything to do with his chances of re-signing with the Yankees.  That’s cool – most of us can’t picture him in a Phillies uniform anyway.

Several days ago, Rivera apparently said the Yankees were "one of 30 teams" once Torre left.  I amended that to "one of 29 teams," assuming Rivera sticks with his statement about the Red Sox. 

Tigers Hot Stove Talk

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Lynn Henning of the Detroit News runs down all of the big names rumored to be possibilities for the Tigers this winter and assesses the likelihood of each.  It’s a well-written article so be sure to read it.  Here are the players, ranked by the percent chance of playing for Detroit next year:

Kenny Rogers – 90%
Todd Jones – 80%
Geoff Jenkins – 75%
Edgar Renteria – 50%
Jack Wilson – 30%
Francisco Cordero – 5%
Alex Rodriguez – 3%
Mariano Rivera – 3%
Raul Ibanez – 0.5%
Torii Hunter – 0%
Andruw Jones – 0%

  • Henning believes Jenkins is quite likely to become a Tiger on a two-year deal.  He only costs money, as the Brewers won’t be offering him arbitration if they decline his option.  The Twins may be in the mix for him as well.
  • Henning notes that new Braves GM Frank Wren and current Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski have a connection and could easily work together on a Renteria trade.  Pitching would be the requirement.  Jeremy Bonderman seems like too much; Nate Robertson perhaps too little.
  • The Tigers badly want to bring Rogers back; that seems very likely.
  • Henning expects Jones back unless he receives an offer from the Braves, located somewhat near his home.  That’s not expected.

Koji Uehara Not Eligible For Free Agency

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We’ve spilled a decent amount of Internet ink on righty pitcher Koji Uehara.  He’s a control pitcher and longtime starter who was used in relief by the Yomiuri Giants this season (perhaps to spite him). 

Now comes word that the hamstring injury that knocked him out for the season’s first month caused him to fall just short of the service time needed for free agent eligibility.  Unless the Giants post him (unlikely), he’s off the radar for MLB teams this winter.  (Thanks to Mike Plugh of Uehara Watch for the info).  Fortunately for MLB fans, Kosuke Fukudome did maintain eligibility despite an injury late in the year. 

Yanks To Offer 3/40 To Posada?

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Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has sources indicating that the Yankees plan to offer Jorge Posada a three-year, $40MM contract.  However, the manager vacancy will be filled first.

For those afraid of math, the contract would average $13.3MM per season.  That would nudge him past Ivan Rodriguez as the game’s highest-paid catcher and serve as an 11% raise from 2007’s salary.  It’s a reasonable starting point, but given the season Posada had, he could do better.  I said back in June I thought it would take 4/48, but 4/56 seems reasonable now.  That fourth year might be a sticking point for Brian Cashman, but I think Posada should demand it.   

Indians Still Keen On Byrd’s Option?

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A week ago, Paul Byrd’s $8MM option for 2008 seemed like a no-brainer for the Tribe.  He kept his ERA under 5.00, made 31 starts, and won 15 games.  $8MM on a low-risk one-year deal would’ve been an easy decision even for the cost-conscious Indians.

But now we’ve got a little HGH controversy on our hands.  Ken Rosenthal discusses the situation over at FOX Sports.  Rosenthal is correct in that Byrd never acted like someone who had something to hide.  He didn’t disguise his purchase of HGH in any way (though MLB didn’t agree with his contention that they’d been informed).  Byrd even brings up HGH in his upcoming book, mentioning that he resisted the urge to take more than the prescribed dosage.  On the other hand, even at the recommended dosage Byrd was "able to recover quicker from pitching."  At what point do we call this cheating?  Is Byrd getting generous treatment because he’s a devout white guy?

As Mark Shapiro says, he doesn’t have all the information yet.  Nor does the public, of course.  Honestly if the HGH situation somehow causes the Indians to decline the option, Byrd stands to make more money on the open market. 

Floyd Could Return To Marlins

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Here’s a note I missed from a September 30th Palm Beach Post column:

Cubs outfielder Cliff Floyd, a Marlin from 1997-2002, has told people close to him that he’d like to end his career in Florida. Floyd, a free agent, lives in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Larry Beinfest admitted at that time that he may have underestimated the need for veteran players to round out the roster.  However, Floyd has said that he’s looking for regular playing time and it’s hard to see how the Marlins can offer that.  Shifting Josh Willingham to first base wouldn’t be a bad idea, but that would only fit if Mike Jacobs is traded.  Then you have to ask yourself if you really gain anything by signing Floyd.

A more realistic veteran option for Florida might be Shannon Stewart.  They were considering him last January but backed off due to health concerns.  Stewart proved himself healthy in ’07, playing in 146 games (his highest total since 2001).  Also, he went to high school in Florida.

Kuroda To Have Elbow Examined

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According to this article, Japanese starter and possible MLB import Hiroki Kuroda is headed to L.A. to have his elbow examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum.

That was my friend’s and Babelfish’s rough translation, at least.  If you actually speak Japanese, feel free to add more detail in the comments (or email me).

I believe the article says that Kuroda is mainly coming to the U.S. to watch Japanese players in the World Series.  The possiblity of another surgery is low.

The Cubs and Mariners have been linked to Kuroda so far.

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