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Nationals Release John Patterson

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6:58pm: Bart Hubbach of the New York Post says the Mets are not interested in Patterson.  The Astros may take a look.

2:18pm: Today the Nationals released oft-injured starter John Patterson, who hasn’t had a healthy season since his excellent 2005.  Patterson says he’s healthy, but wasn’t progressing as quickly as the Nationals had hoped.  His velocity has been down this spring.  Based on his comments he seems like a good guy; I’m sure he’ll find work with another club.

Patterson was drafted fifth overall by the Expos in ’96, but jumped to Arizona as a $6MM loophole free agent after Montreal didn’t offer him a contract within fifteen days.  The D’Backs’ top pitching prospect needed Tommy John surgery in May of 2000, before he reached the bigs.

He made his big league debut in July of ’02 as an injury replacement for Rick Helling.  He also received a September call-up to finish off that season.  Patterson was named by Bob Brenly as the fourth starter heading into the ’03 season, but a poor spring performance and a cut on his thumb caused Brenly to change his mind.  Patterson bounced up and down between Triple A and the Majors that year.

Out of options in ’04, the D’Backs delayed their decision on Patterson until late March and then shipped him to Montreal for nondescript reliever Randy Choate.  Patterson opened the season as the Expos’ fifth starter, but tore a groin muscle and didn’t come back until July.  His performance after that was erratic, but he excelled in the winter league after the season.

A Tony Armas injury helped Patterson snag a rotation spot to begin ’05, and he was masterful in 31 starts that year (despite a DL stint for back spasms).  With big expectations for ’06, Patterson discovered forearm soreness in April.  The injury didn’t go away, and Patterson had exploratory nerve surgery in July.

That winter Patterson lost his arbitration case but entered the season a healthy pitcher (aside from dizzy spells in spring).  Biceps and elbow soreness surfaced in May; his velocity was down all year.  In June he went to Canada for an injection-based nerve treatment in his elbow.  Though he deemed the procedure a success, Patterson went under the knife again in September to remove upper arm scar tissue and deal with more nerve problems.  While the velocity has been down this spring, Patterson hasn’t dealt with any injuries yet.  After reviewing his history, I realized Patterson is a marvel of modern science.  Still, it seems the man’s body was just not meant to pitch every five days. 

Three CF Options For Cubs

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman reiterates the Cubs’ concern with Felix Pie, setting out the three main trade candidates for the team.

  • Coco Crisp probably won’t get dealt until he proves he’s healthy.  Even then, as I’ve said, $11MM over two years is a lot for a fourth outfielder.  The Cubs may have competition from the Rays and A’s for Crisp.
  • Jay Payton would be a salary dump given the $5MM owed to him this year.  The Cubs could take him while passing off the $16.25MM owed to Jason Marquis.  The Cubs would love to move Marquis, though Jon Lieber’s willingness to pitch out of the pen reduces the urgency.  The Cubs are growing frustrated in their attempt to get Brian Roberts from the Orioles.
  • Then there’s Marlon Byrd; T.R. Sullivan said on Friday that talks weren’t dead.  Today, Evan Grant wrote that the Cubs will do Byrd straight up for Matt Murton and that’s a "take it or leave it" offer.

Lofton Turned Down Two Offers

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Kenny Lofton tells Ken Rosenthal, "age ain’t nothing but a number."  However, he feels that his age (41 in May) is the reason he’s not getting offers he deems acceptable this winter.  He’s turned down two offers: a minor league one from the Reds and a Major League one from the Rays in excess of $1MM.

Rosenthal suggests Lofton may retire, which would be a shame.  I don’t think fans would think less of Lofton if he played for a million or two; most wouldn’t even know his salary.  As a part-time player with suspect defense, does he really deserve more?  Maybe it was last year’s $6MM salary that was out of line. 

Lofton says his hands are tied.  But the reality is that his pride, rather than a lack of interest in his services, could lead to his retirement.

Rays Considering Crisp?

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We’ve seen Coco Crisp’s name connected to Tampa Bay’s outfield need before.  Marc Lancaster tossed out the idea on Sunday.  Today, Buster Olney writes:

The Rays are searching for an outfielder who can hit left-handed, and now that they have tried and failed to sign Kenny Lofton, they are also taking a look at Coco Crisp; Tampa Bay is loaded with a wide range of pitching prospects, so it would seem that Boston could find a fit if it wanted to make a deal.

The fact remains that at $11MM over the 2008-09 seasons, Crisp is too expensive to carry as a fourth outfielder.  Using him in right diminishes his value, and the Rays probably don’t want to move B.J. Upton again.  So this isn’t the perfect fit for Tampa Bay; they’d probably need Boston to eat some salary.  The one pitcher I could see them sending over for Crisp is Edwin Jackson.

But then there’s still the same division factor.  Does either team really want to risk improving the other?  These aren’t your daddy’s Rays; this team could be more than a thorn in Boston’s side in 2008.

Inge Unlikely For Dodgers

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It figures that the Dodgers would step up their efforts to bring in a third baseman given news of Nomar’s microfracture.  Jon Paul Morosi says their search has intensified, but Brandon Inge is not a likely target.  The Dodgers don’t want to spend that kind of money. 

This might imply that Joe Crede is the perfect fit, but Morosi also says the Dodgers want a player capable of playing second base.  Given those criteria, the Royals’ Esteban German and the Nationals’ Ron Belliard seem to make the most sense.  Ken Rosenthal wrote on March 9th that both players had attracted the Dodgers’ interest, but Dayton Moore then told Bob Dutton that they Dodgers hadn’t called about German.  Rob Neyer and Jeff Weisman believe Chin-Lung Hu is the cure to the short-term third base problem.

Cards To Sign Wainwright Long-Term

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I mentioned on Monday that Cards ace Adam Wainwright seemed a prime candidate for an extension.  Today, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a contract is done, pending a physical.  According to Goold:

The guaranteed part of the new contract is four years and expected to be worth around $15 million, and it will buy out Wainwright’s arbitration years, through 2011. The deal has an option that would cover the first two years of his free agency, sources said.

MLB.com’s Matthew Leach writes that Wainwright’s $448K renewal for ’08 will be overwritten and is one of the four guaranteed years of the deal.  As such this would be in line with other young starter deals.  And not all of the others got the third arb year guaranteed so Wainwright’s agent did well there.

Marlins Looking For A Starter?

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Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez originally said he’d announce the team’s Opening Day starter and entire rotation on Tuesday, but then changed his mind.  Both Joe Capozzi and Joe Frisaro wonder whether that’s because the Marlins may yet acquire a starter.  Frisaro implies that first baseman Mike Jacobs could be a trade candidate.

The free agent market offers Jeff Weaver and David Wells, neither of whom are more deserving than Mark Hendrickson for an Opening Day nod.

Otherwise, potentially available starters include Kyle Snyder, Kei Igawa, Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas, Jason Marquis, Daniel Cabrera, Matt Morris, Woody Williams, Matt Belisle, Justin Germano, Anthony Reyes, Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, and Gustavo Chacin.  The more expensive guys seem less likely for Florida.  And a few listed here may yet snag fifth starter gigs for their current teams. 

Stark’s Latest: Roberts, Fuentes, Lofton

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new blog post jam-packed with hot stove rumors.

  • The Cubs are getting frustrated with the Brian Roberts situation, wondering if they’ll ever complete this trade.  The Orioles are scouting players but still haven’t given the Cubs the names they crave.  I got the exact same vibe from the source who told me Jose Ceda’s inclusion was never proposed by the Cubs.
  • The Tigers and Phillies are both hunting for bullpen help; Detroit’s sights are set higher than Philadelphia’s.  Unwanted players such as Wes Helms and Brandon Inge aren’t in demand.  And while Marcus Thames is desirable, he’s not enough to get Aaron Heilman from the Mets.  Brian Fuentes, also a Yankees target, may be the best available reliever.  But Stark says the Rox want a "high-upside young arm" for the southpaw.
  • My own guess at some useful relievers who may be available: Damaso Marte, Joe Nathan, Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford, Huston Street, Alan Embree, Kevin Gregg, Jon Rauch, and Chad Cordero.
  • Stark names the Cubs, Rays, and Mets as the teams looking for an extra outfielder.  No deals appear imminent, though the Rays made an unsuccessful offer to Kenny Lofton.  The Mets and Cubs are considering the same names we’ve heard for a few weeks now.  The Cubs are in a holding pattern since they may get Jay Payton in a Roberts deal with Baltimore. 

Odds and Ends: Rivera, Hamels, Sherrill

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Here’s today’s gathering of links.

  • John Shea examines the Giants’ roster crunch, which would be greatly relieved by trading Dave Roberts and Steve Kline.
  • Adam Rubin implies that the Angels want too much from the Mets for Juan Rivera – Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell.  A deal seems unlikely.
  • Cole Hamels, accused by a heckler of being a cross between Casey Fossum and Shawn Camp.  BURNED!
  • Buster Olney is hearing from other teams that the Orioles may shop 30 year-old newly anointed closer George Sherrill this summer.
  • Joe Christensen believes that we’ll learn about Joe Nathan’s future with the Twins by week’s end.
  • Brock For Broglio posted an interesting interview with Voros McCracken.  This quote from McCracken caught my eye: "One of the things that kind of bugged me with the Red Sox was a somewhat implied expectation that I’d come up with something like DIPS on a regular basis."

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