Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for January 2008

Needs and Luxuries: Atlanta Braves

By | at

Let’s take a look at the Braves’ needs and luxuries (many requests for this one).  Click here and scroll down to read other entries in the series.

C – Brian McCann
1B – Mark Teixeira
2B – Kelly Johnson
SS – Yunel Escobar
3B – Chipper Jones
LF – Matt Diaz/Brandon Jones
CF – Josh Anderson/Jordan Schafer
RF – Jeff Francoeur

SP – John Smoltz
SP – Tim Hudson
SP – Tom Glavine
SP – Chuck James
SP – Jair Jurrjens/Jo-Jo Reyes/Mike Hampton/Jeff Bennett

Setup – Peter Moylan
Closer – Rafael Soriano

Needs:

I think we have to view center field as a need for the Braves.  The 2007 Major League Equivalency for Josh Anderson: .223/.257/.277. When a guy can barely crack a .700 OPS in the minors he’s obviously not big league material.  Schafer hasn’t played above High A ball yet.  Even with strong defense he seems a reach right now.

Mike Cameron seems like a great fit for these Braves, even if they have to give him a two-year deal.

Assuming Frank Wren’s bullpen remains respectable I don’t see any other needs for this team.  They’re in very good shape.

Luxuries:

The Braves have a strong offense and a respectable-looking rotation.  They seem to have a decent fifth-starter competition going. However I would not go as far as to call pitching a luxury (James should not be dealt).  After giving up a lot of prospects to get Teixeira, I also probably would not look to trade for a veteran starter or center fielder and further damage the farm system.

To sum it up, just sign Cameron and go for it. 

Pirates Rumors: Snell, Estrada, Villone

By | at

John Perrotto had some new Pirates’ rumblings in yesterday morning’s column.

  • Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Ian Snell to Seattle rumor.  Perrotto acknowledges it, noting that the Mariners would offer Jeff Clement but the Pirates would probably require Adam Jones. 
  • Perrotto believes the Pirates have backed off their pursuit of Johnny Estrada, though Dejan Kovacevic hasn’t heard this. I never thought Estrada made much sense for them.
  • Perrotto says the Pirates have an eye on free agent lefty Ron Villone, who pitched for them back in ’02.

Extension Offer On Table For Sabathia

By | at

C.C. Sabathia’s future may become a popular topic during the 2008 season as he heads toward free agency.  He’s in line for a megadeal – he turns 28 in July and won the ’07 AL Cy Young award.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirmed yesterday that the Indians have made an offer to Sabathia.  Hoynes expects negotiations to drag at least until the regular season begins, since Sabathia wants five to seven years and the Tribe doesn’t want to go that far.

Jake Peavy had a well below-market deal running through the 2009 season, and about a month ago he inked a contract extension covering the 2010-12 seasons for $52MM.  The three-year extension also has a club option for 2013.  Peavy’s contract will be the model for Mark Shapiro, rather than anything Johan Santana signs. 

Realistically, I think the Indians could top out around four years, $72MM plus an option for 2013 in their offer to Sabathia.  Will Sabathia make that concession, or will he go for the free market and maybe get seven years, $140MM?

Notes From Hot Stove, Cool Music: Cashman, Santana, Varitek

By | at

A few interesting tidbits came about via the Hot Stove, Cool Music charitable event on Saturday.  The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford has the details.

  • Brian Cashman admitted that he lost some power when the Hank and Hal regime took over.  He no longer has full authority to run everything, a sticking point when he signed on several years ago.  It would not be shocking to see Cashman move on when his term ends after the 2008 season.  He’s finishing up a three-year, $5.4MM deal.
  • For what it’s worth, Theo Epstein seemed to indicate that the dragging Johan Santana talks are not holding up other moves for the Red Sox.  But really it’s hard to believe that Coco Crisp’s situation hasn’t been delayed.  Boston already lost the White Sox as a suitor, most likely.
  • During Spring Training, Scott Boras plans to begin contract extension talks with the Red Sox for Jason Varitek.  Here’s a look at other free agent backstops the Sox could consider after the ’08 season.  Kenji Johjima could be an interesting signing.

Bucs May Extend Capps, But Not Sanchez

By | at

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest regarding new GM Neal Huntington’s plans for closer Matt Capps and second baseman Freddy Sanchez.

Capps, 24, posted a fine 2007 (2.28 ERA) in his first year as the Pirates’ closer.  He’d be under team control through 2011 anyway if the Pirates went year-to-year with him.  But Huntington has an offer to Capps out for three or four years, buying out most or all of his arbitration years.  Kovacevic notes that this is a strategy Huntington observed under Mark Shapiro in Cleveland.

Huntington appears to have less faith in 30 year-old second baseman Sanchez.  He seems to have developed into a solid .800 OPS guy, and his second half in ’07 showed further upside.  Sanchez has two more years under team control; if the Pirates gave him an extension they’d want it to buy out his first year of free agency in 2010.  Sanchez would probably not be amenable to that, but even going two years would give the Pirates more cost certainty. At any rate, it would make sense for Huntington to entertain offers on Sanchez.

Odds and Ends: Lima, Clemens, Pagan

By | at

Some links of interest this evening…

Quotes From Kyle Lohse

By | at

I just joined Jeff Joyce on the MLB Home Plate show.  It was a good time. 

I was alerted to the station’s blog, which showcases some interesting quotes from players they’ve had on the show.  Check out this entry from Kyle Lohse’s appearance.  Lohse says he’s down to about three clubs, and admits that the availability of Johan Santana and Erik Bedard has slowed things down for him.

Dutton On Royals’ Strategy

By | at

I recently named the Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton as Rumor Royalty for the Royals.  He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site.

MLBTR: In general, the Royals are signing and entertaining free agents as if they expect to contend in 2008 (Miguel Olivo, Ron Mahay, Jose Guillen, Yasuhiko Yabuta).  What’s your take on this strategy?

Dutton: They’ve done all that and tried to do more. As I mentioned above, I think they had the top bid on Kuroda, and I’m pretty sure they had the top bid on Andruw Jones. They were also a serious contender to sign Torii Hunter before the Angels blew away all bidders.

The reason is simple: They’re trying to win. General manager Dayton Moore knew only winning in his time in Atlanta and, for now, he’s got the green light from owner David Glass to spend money. They’ll never be one of the top-spending clubs, but they figure to be closer to the middle than the bottom.

One reality is, right now, they have to overpay guys to come to Kansas City. And one problem, right now, is overpaying isn’t always enough to get the player. The Tigers went through the same lurching process a few years back before Dave Dombrowski got things rolling.

What happened in Detroit was some of their pricey signings paid off and, more importantly, their farm system began to produce in a big way. That’s what must happen for the Royals to succeed.

Gil Meche pitched well last year and needs to continue doing so. Jose Guillen needs to be a reliable run-producer. The Royals can’t afford to be wrong when they shell out big bucks. Not often, anyway.

But the bigger key is whether Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Mark Teahen, David DeJesus, Tony Pena, etc., can become the cornerstone of a winning club, and whether the farm system can produce top talent at a much higher rate.

Cubs Eyeing Lieber?

By | at

Here’s a rumor of mild interest.  1060West relays a Bruce Levine radio report in which Jon Lieber is mentioned as a possible target for the Cubs.  Lieber won 20 games for the Cubs in 2001, but went down with Tommy John surgery the following year.  Getting Lieber from the Pirates for Brant Brown in ’98 was a nice move by Ed Lynch.

At the right price I think Lieber could be a capable fifth starter for a lot of National League clubs.  I wouldn’t expect him to demand two years, but you never know.  The Mets, Reds, Royals, and Rangers may also be considering Lieber.

Dutton On Royals’ Free Agent Starter Search

By | at

I recently named the Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton as Rumor Royalty for the Royals.  He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site.

MLBTR: It seems pretty clear the Royals are going to sign a veteran starter.  They’ve been linked to Bartolo Colon, Jon Lieber, Kris Benson, and others who have signed elsewhere.  Who do you see as the best fit for this team?

Dutton: The guy they really wanted was Hiroki Kuroda, and I’m pretty sure they tendered the top bid before he signed with the Dodgers. They liked Carlos Silva but not at his asking price. That leaves, primarily, guys who are trying to recover from major injuries. In short, guys who really aren’t good fits for anyone.

Even so, I think the Royals will continue to try to sign one. I believe Colon is their top choice, but he’s asking for $8-9 million and is looking for a multi-year deal. I think he’s kidding himself. Maybe someone will bite, but I’ll be real surprised if the Royals do.

The Royals are like most every other team looking at these guys: they’re willing to build in lots of performance bonuses, but they’ll want to protect them by insisting on a low guarantee. What they can offer that others can’t, they believe, is the likelihood of greater patience.

These guys all need to pitch to rebuild their careers, and they’re likely to have some rough stretches. The Royals would probably be willing to stick with them longer than most other clubs. They also play in a fairly big ballpark, which is forgiving to fly-ball pitchers, and have pretty good infield defense to benefit ground-ball pitchers.

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