Pirates Talking Extension With LaRoche
The Pirates have first baseman Adam LaRoche under team control through the 2009 season, currently. However, they have recently approached LaRoche about a three or four-year contract. They could be buying out two years of free agency.
Dejan Kovacevic notes that LaRoche and the Pirates only have a week to reach an agreement or put in their figures for his ’08 salary. They could reach an agreement for ’08 and then work out an extension that would start with ’09.
LaRoche hit .272/.345/.458 in 2007, while the average NL 1B hit .284/.365/.481. He was above average for his position in ’06, though. And if we cut him a break for his first month in Pittsburgh, we see that he hit .296/.361/.492 thereafter. LaRoche turned 28 in November, so he may still be in his prime.
D’Backs Talk Extension With Lyon
According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks have had "brief discussions" with reliever Brandon Lyon about a multiyear deal.
Lyon is one of a handful of players who will be free agents after the 2008 season and under 30 years old for the ’09 season. Here’s the wrinkle in Lyon signing a long-term deal now – he probably wouldn’t get closer money, but could spend 2008 in the role. So, his agent feels that he might miss out if he signs for, say, two years and $8MM right now and then racks up 35 saves during the season. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, I guess. Lyon could regret not signing now, if he gets hurt this season or Tony Pena ends up snagging most of the save opportunities.
Angels Discussing Konerko?
UPDATE, 1-10-08 at 9:45am: This one isn’t dead quite yet. According to Buster Olney this morning:
Heard that while the Paul Konerko-Angels talks are not blistering hot now, there is a chance they will get hot sometime in the future.
UPDATE, 1-5-08 at 10:17pm: Kenny Williams said tonight that he hasn’t spoken to anyone with the Angels since the Winter Meetings, and that he hasn’t had trade talks about Konerko this winter. Nor has he been asked about his first baseman.
UPDATE, 1-5-08 at 10:33am: Doug Padilla of the Daily Breeze has a source confirming the talks described below.
FROM 1-4-08 at 7:41pm:
Just got a solid tip that the Angels and White Sox are discussing a possible Paul Konerko deal. No idea how serious these talks may be.
The Angels made an offer to Konerko in the winter of 2005-06, when he was a free agent. Konerko does have a limited no-trade clause to consider.
Some names being bandied about include Ervin Santana, Howie Kendrick, and Chone Figgins. Of course, all three would not be in the deal. The Sox also seek relief help. Moving Konerko would mean putting Nick Swisher at first base, while Figgins could be the leadoff hitter the Sox are after.
Akinori Otsuka Headed For Elbow Surgery?
The Newberg Report passes along a comment reportedly made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels yesterday. Apparently, Daniels told the crowd that he non-tendered Akinori Otsuka because he’s headed for elbow surgery. The status of Aki’s elbow had been a mystery up to this point, though there had been signs that it wasn’t right.
Odds and Ends: Reyes vs. Ramirez, Blanton, Colon
Let’s round up some random links for today…
- This is one of the more impressive rants I’ve heard. Seems that he lost his cool or something.
- Fantasy baseball shortstop smackdown: Jose Reyes vs. Hanley Ramirez.
- Ken Rosenthal says the Mariners inquired on Joe Blanton, but weren’t willing to trade Adam Jones within the division.
- Bartolo Colon is back in action for two more starts.
Brian Roberts Cubs Rumors
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 6:06pm: WGN Radio’s Dave Kaplan checked in on this situation on his blog. He has "great sources" saying the price for Roberts is much higher than was previously reported. The Orioles want Rich Hill, Felix Pie, or Tyler Colvin. Hill is known to be off-limits.
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 10:58am: Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes this deal "is almost certainly going to happen." He expects it to be for the same players Orioles Hangout mentioned. However, an Orioles official contacted Orioles Hangout to tell them their report was inaccurate.
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 9:22am: Roch Kubatko (via a team spokesman) and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun talked to Andy MacPhail and report that nothing has changed since last night on the Roberts talks and no deal is done.
FROM 1-9-08 at 7:53am:
Orioles Hangout is reporting that the trade of Brian Roberts to the Cubs is final. They’re saying it’s for Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Ronny Cedeno. I’ll update the post as info comes along.
Braves May Be Interested In Kotsay, Patterson
As I mentioned in my Braves Needs and Luxuries post, the one piece missing from this puzzle is a decent big league center fielder. According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mark Kotsay and Corey Patterson could be options.
In regards to Kotsay, O’Brien doesn’t specifically say the Braves are interested. It’s more implied based on the fact that no one has told him the Braves aren’t interested. Kotsay has one year left on his deal at $8MM, and it’s thought that the A’s might eat half of that to ship him out. Who knows, maybe he can toss up 500 ABs with a .700 OPS one more time. I doubt he would require much in the way of a prospect.
Patterson is another option, though O’Brien thinks the Braves would top out at a one-year, $3MM deal. Surely Scott Boras can do better than that, right? He’s young and plays solid defense!
I still think the Braves should go after Cameron…he’s the best option and this is not the time to be cheap. Even going to one year and $6MM for Patterson makes more sense than Kotsay.
About MLB Trade Rumors
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Slusser On Blanton/Street/Ellis Trade Possibilities
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was recently named Rumor Royalty for the A’s. As part of the feature, I asked her a few questions.
MLBTR: It seems Joe Blanton is a hot commodity, but we’re not hearing much about Huston Street or Mark Ellis. Do you expect any of these three to be with the team on Opening Day?
Slusser: I think Blanton gets moved by the trading deadline, at the latest, but probably before then. Street opens the season with the team but potentially could get moved by the deadline if a contender were to lose a closer, but overall, he’s less likely than Blanton to get dealt – he’s three years younger and, coming off an arm injury, he’s not going to bring back as much. Ellis has one year left on his deal, so wouldn’t bring a ton in return, plus he’s a great guy to have as a role model for young players. Clearly, no one is untouchable at this point, but of all the A’s more veteran guys, he’s the best bet to be around all year.
Marlins Interested In Luis Gonzalez
A new suitor has emerged for free agent left fielder Luis Gonzalez: the Marlins. According to Ken Rosenthal, they like the idea of bringing him aboard as a mentor and using him at first base and in left field. Gonzo will have to choose between playing time or a contending team.
Rosenthal notes the Brewers and Mariners as other possibilities. The Giants and Twins could also consider him. Gonzalez hit .278/.359/.433 for the Dodgers in ’07, earning $7.35MM. Rosenthal notes that he’s 498 hits shy of 3,000, but that would take four seasons of semi-regular playing time at the least.