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Archives for February 2008

C.C. Sabathia Extension Rumors

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When we last checked in on the C.C. Sabathia situation, Paul Hoynes spoke of a December offer for $68-72MM covering the 2009-12 seasons, plus a bonus added for ’08.

Hoynes writes about the topic again today and has slightly different information.  Now he says the four-year extension offer includes the 2008 season, so it would run through 2011.  Sabathia is set to earn $11.25MM in ’08.

That’s really a three-year extension.  Johan Santana received extra money for ’08, a five-year extension, and a valuable 2014 option with a solid buyout.  Here’s what I think the Indians would need to do to sign Sabathia, at the minimum:

  • Give him a $6MM bonus to put toward ’08
  • Offer another four years (2009-12) at $75MM, an average annual value of $18.75MM
  • If the Tribe offered that and Sabathia passed, they could at least say they made a competitive offer.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Who needs a Brian Roberts update?  You do, of course.

ESPN’s Buster Olney:

I’ve heard that Andy MacPhail is very much in favor of the notion of dealing Roberts to the Cubs, for the right price.

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun quotes MacPhail as calling the Roberts situation a "logical question that will come next."  Trading him now certainly fits into MacPhail’s all-out rebuilding plan; he’s their last valuable veteran commodity.  Talks with the Cubs are expected to drag into spring as the teams decide which young pitchers and outfielders make sense, if any.  Zrebiec cautions that the O’s might keep Roberts for now and trade him in July, though.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune notes that people close to Roberts say he’d waive his no-trade clause to come to Chicago.  His salary would not pose a payroll problem for the Cubs, and Jim Hendry has approval to add a few more players before camp.

Dodgers, Reds Pursuing Blanton

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The Dodgers’ rotation stands at Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Jason Schmidt, and Esteban Loaiza – six deep on the surface.  But Kuroda has never pitched in the Majors, Schmidt is a question mark, and Loaiza may not have much left.  More and more, it’s looking like Ned Colletti wants to add one more veteran starter.   

Troy E. Renck believes the Dodgers are after Joe Blanton, with the A’s asking for Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, and a prospect.  I could see this happening.  Ethier is fairly expendable, and the Dodgers have not seemed keen on LaRoche recently.  Maybe L.A. would move separately to acquire Joe Crede or even try to get Eric Chavez along with Blanton.  Renck thinks the Dodgers may be interested in Livan Hernandez as an alternative to Blanton.

He also says the Reds are "pushing hard" for Blanton, which jives with the previous info.  The Reds are still kind of shaky behind Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Some of you are sick of it, some of you are clamoring for any kind of tidbit.  Here’s the latest on the Brian Roberts to the Cubs possibility.

  • Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times says Roberts is "back atop the Cubs’ wish list."  He says the Cubs are hopeful about their chances, but believes it would take most of Spring Training to hammer out the details.  The Orioles’ reported insistence on Felix Pie might lessen now that they have Adam Jones.  Seems that if these talks fall apart, it could be because the Orioles decided to extend Roberts’ contract and keep him as the face of the franchise (a long shot).
  • Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs remain interested and GM Jim Hendry hopes to chat with Andy MacPhail before Wednesday.  Miles’ source indicates that the Cubs and Orioles haven’t really gotten into specifics on the Roberts trade talks.  Miles doesn’t expect Pie or Tyler Colvin to be involved.

Cashman Expects Hearing For Chien-Ming Wang

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman expects an arbitration hearing for Chien-Ming Wang.  It would be the team’s first hearing in eight years, even though the two sides are just $600K apart.

Long-term talks fizzled with the Yankees and Wang, who will become a free agent after the 2011 season.  He would’ve been open to a three or four-year deal.  A hearing over such a small amount could indicate a bit of a rift between the player and team.  But at the least, the Yanks have Wang for four more years if they want him.

A’s Sign Keith Foulke

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According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s have brought Keith Foulke back on a one-year deal with incentives.  He gets $700K and can earn an additional $2.5MM in incentives.  Foulke, 35, saved 43 games for the ’03 Athletics before leaving for Boston.  The D’Backs made an offer this year, but I guess the A’s offered more money or a better role.  An impressive 20 teams watched Foulke work out in January, though he was throwing in the 81-84mph range.

Foulke apparently looks like his old self to the A’s after pseudo-retiring and taking ’07 off.  One can definitely see him sliding back into his familiar closer role if Huston Street and Alan Embree are dealt.

Erik Bedard Trade Official

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1:30pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that the deal is officially done.  The Mariners send Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio to Baltimore for Erik Bedard.  I’ll have some analysis on the deal later this afternoon.  Rosenthal also notes that the Cubs "remain heavily interested" in Brian Roberts, so that deal could be next as the gutting of the Orioles continues.

10:45am: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Erik Bedard’s physical could carry over into today.  That means an announcement will come this afternoon at the earliest, or perhaps Saturday.  Baker also goes into some detail about 27 year-old Venezuelan baseball writer Augusto Cardenas, who helped start this debacle.

For a change of pace, think of the human element to this story.  It’ll make it more interesting.  Read SI.com’s recent profile on Bedard.  Anyone who breaks up the day with a few rounds of RBI Baseball is alright by me. 

I think video game designers are so focused on graphics these days that they neglect gameplay.  A game like RBI Baseball is more inclusive and fun than the current stuff.  People of all ages can figure it out in two minutes and have a good time.  Isn’t that the point?

Do The Red Sox Care About Blanton?

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With Joe Blanton seemingly the best available starter, the logical question is whether the Red Sox will now go after him.  Curt Schilling’s doctor believes he may never pitch again if he doesn’t have surgery.

The Globe and Mail’s Jeff Blair believes:

Theo Epstein has already laid some groundwork with the Oakland Athletics Billy Beane for a deal involving Joe Blanton, remnants of discussions the clubs had about Dan Haren before Haren was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo wrote today that the Sox "merely kicked the tires on Erik Bedard and Dan Haren."

Ken Rosenthal suggested that Epstein might acquire more pitching depth, but didn’t mention Blanton.  Personally I do not see Epstein going the Blanton route.  Blanton doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would thrive in the AL East, though his price will be significant.  If anything, I’d expect Epstein to target a guy with good stuff, like Gil Meche, Ben Sheets, or Ian Snell (rather than the suggestions I have seen of Kyle Lohse or Jason Marquis).

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: 2008 Debuts For Top Prospects

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Baseball America recently unveiled their lists of the Top 10 prospects in each organization. Many of these top prospects will make their major league debut in 2008 and a number of moves made this off-season have a direct impact on exactly when that will happen. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, and still no official announcement of an Erik Bedard trade, let’s take a look at these speculations from the blogosphere.

  • Red Reporter would not be surprised to see Jay Bruce start the year in Triple A, as they feel his strikeout totals suggest he may struggle early on the big leagues. However, the recent trade of Josh Hamilton to the Rangers suggest the Reds are at least entertaining the idea of starting Bruce in the big leagues despite beginning 2007 in Single-A.
  • Sox & Dawgs projects that the last spot in the rotation will come down to Jon Lester or top prospect Clay Buchholz. The recent news of a shoulder injury for Curt Schilling makes it more likely for Buchholz to be on the opening day roster.
  • Rays of Light believes that Evan Longoria is the top candidate for Rookie of the Year in the AL, if he starts the year on the Major League roster. It is believed that the Rays will make a decision prior to Spring Training, as it should not be impacted by the recent legal troubles of Willy Aybar or the signing of Eric Hinske.
  • Dodger Thoughts feel that Clayton Kershaw will be in the Dodgers rotation by midseason. It is unclear if this decision will be impacted by a potential acquisition of Joe Blanton from the A’s.
  • Redbird Ramblings does not see Colby Rasmus making the Cardinals roster out of Spring Training without any experience in Triple A. However, they project that Rasmus will be manning center field for St. Louis and leading off at some point this season. The off-season trade of Jim Edmonds opened a spot for Rasmus.

by Cork Gaines

Blanton May Be Traded

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9:14pm: Fay suggests the A’s would want Homer Bailey or Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, and a third player for Blanton.

1:32pm: Paul Daugherty and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer report that the Reds and Dodgers are talking to the A’s about Blanton.  Seems to be a disagreement about whether the Dodgers are in on this.

10:31am: Check out this new Ken Rosenthal video (hat tip to MetsBlog).  The video is all about Joe Blanton.

  • One Rosenthal source suggests a 50/50 chance Blanton is traded (presumably before the season starts).
  • Two teams are showing significant interest.  Rosenthal believes the Reds are one, and the Twins or Rays could be another.  He rules out the Dodgers, Yankees, Rockies, and Indians.  The Reds have had preliminary discussions for Blanton already.  How about the Phillies?  They came calling in July.
  • Rosenthal notes that the bounty for Blanton will be less than that of Dan Haren, because Blanton is slightly more expensive and an inferior pitcher.
  • On January 14th, an A’s source suggested to MLB.com’s Jim Molony who expected Blanton to be the A’s Opening Day starter.

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