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Archives for March 2008

Rosenthal’s Latest: Reed, Aardsma, Cueto

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Rumor king Ken Rosenthal has the latest at FOXSports.com.

  • Looks like the Padres will give near-regular playing time to Jody Gerut, at least until Jim Edmonds returns.  If Gerut performs, Kevin Towers may be able to stop his outfielder search.  Still, Rosenthal notes the Padres’ interest in Seattle’s Jeremy Reed.  Reed has two options left, by the way.
  • Rosenthal names three Boston players who are out of options and probably available for little: David Aardsma, Bryan Corey, and Kyle Snyder.  The O’s are known to be eyeing Corey.  You can check out our running out of options list here.
  • The A’s wanted spring sensation/top pitching prospect Johnny Cueto from the Reds for Joe Blanton – no deal.

Nationals’ Surpluses Could Lead To Trades

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Nationals GM Jim Bowden signed veterans Dmitri Young and Ron Belliard to curious two-year extensions last year.  He’s now faced with a logjam at two infield positions.

Ben Goessling of the Washington Times describes the first base battle between Young and Nick Johnson, who get along well.  Johnson has more trade value, given his age.  Neither player is a lock for 150 games though.  Johnson is injury-prone, but his perennial .400 OBPs are appealing.  He and Young are both signed through ’09; Young has a vesting option for ’10.  The Yankees or Mets could be in the market for Johnson if their current options don’t work out.  Either team could then add Mark Teixeira after the season, creating another surplus.

The Nats have handed the starting shortstop job to Cristian Guzman, creating a battle for second base between Belliard and Felipe Lopez. Lopez responded with a "hell no" regarding a bench role.  Hell no to your .659 OPS and lousy defense, Felipe!  Belliard is more open to a part-time role, though he’s been outplaying Lopez.  Lopez may be the one to trade, given his impending free agency.  Barry Svrluga notes that the Orioles have been scouting the Nationals this spring, perhaps with the idea of acquiring Belliard or Lopez if they trade Brian Roberts to the Cubs.  The O’s are also interested in Mark Loretta and Juan Uribe for that reason.

No Crede Trade Imminent

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Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that it’s become "increasingly likely" that Joe Crede will get the Opening Day nod at third base for the White Sox, with Josh Fields heading to Triple A.  It’s an unfortunate situation for the 25 year-old Fields, who doesn’t have much left to learn in the minors.  Gonzales adds that trade talks with the Giants have "all but ceased," and the Dodgers don’t seem all that interested either.

Crede is trying to shake off the rust (his last regular season game was June 4th of last year) and prove he’s an above average third baseman worthy of his $5.1MM salary.  It seems that Crede’s audition will extend into April or May.  If he plays decently and a few teams suffer injuries or ineffectiveness at the hot corner, maybe Kenny Williams will get the return he wants.  Who knows – if Crede has a hot start, maybe the White Sox will decide to let him play out the season and have Fields work on his defense at Charlotte.  Or, Ozzie Guillen could pursue an interesting strategy posed by Sox Machine, where Crede is a defensive replacement.

Bonds Vows Not To Retire

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Curious why Barry Bonds, he of the .480 OBP and undeniable baggage, doesn’t have a job yet?  So is the Players Association; Donald Fehr and Co. will examine whether there has been collusion against Bonds this winter.  It’s just part of an annual free agent market review by the union, so this isn’t a huge deal.

It’s tough to analyze Bonds’ situation without inside information.  Perhaps certain clubs did look into signing him, but found his price prohibitive.  Other teams may be focused on bringing in good clubhouse guys.  Others may not have DH or left field vacancies. 

Bonds’ agent says he could be ready in two weeks; he vowed directly to MLB.com that he will not retire.  It’s not like Opening Day is some magical date after which Bonds cannot sign.  Injuries happen, teams get desperate, and maybe Bonds will drop his price under $5MM.  He mentioned on the MLB.com phone call that he’ll come back in July if necessary.

Yankees Interested In Harden?

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According to a source of Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, "the Yankees have apparently expressed interest in Rich Harden."  Slusser believes the A’s would demand full price for Harden, perhaps asking for Ian Kennedy and young pitchers.

If you look at this from each party’s point of view, it doesn’t seem like a trade could be reached anytime soon.  Harden would be a tantalizing #1 starter for the Yankees, but why pay full price for a guy who’s pitched 200 innings over the last three years?  Replacing Kennedy with Harden could deplete the team’s starting pitching depth.

On the other hand, if you’re Billy Beane, why trade Harden at a discount right now? He is nowhere near his peak value.  The one reason to do it might be if Beane does not believe Harden will return to good health this year or next.  Joe Pawlikowski weighs in on this rumor over at River Ave. Blues.

Red Sox Resolve Coach Compensation Dispute

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1:24pm: This thing is resolved; the Boston Globe has some details.

8:43: Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald writes that Red Sox players may boycott the team trip to Japan if the coaches aren’t paid the $40K they expected. I think it’s highly likely this gets sorted out and the Sox make their flight.

As it stands the season will open on March 25th (less than a week!) with Daisuke Matsuzaka facing Joe Blanton in Japan.

Reds Seek Catching Help

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John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer is hearing a rumor that the Reds are "actively seeking a catcher."  He speculates that Ryan Freel could be trade bait.

Fay’s note conveniently gels with some info from a Jeff Brantley radio appearance that a reader passed along.  Brantley reportedly said the Reds have been scouting the Rangers’ Gerald Laird.  On a not necessarily related note, Brantley also mentioned that they may look to trade Matt Belisle.

MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan recently wrote that the Rangers don’t intend to trade Laird despite some interest.  On the other hand, Jon Daniels admitted in Sullivan’s article that he wouldn’t turn a deaf ear to anything.  Laird is set to be the Rangers’ starting catcher this year.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia would take on a smaller role or try Triple A.

The Reds could also consider trying to acquire San Diego’s Michael Barrett, who has played under Dusty Baker with the Cubs.  Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez may also be available.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rule 5 Draftees

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Last year the Reds selected Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft despite only 23 games above Single-A and only 15 games anywhere since 2002 (actually the Cubs picked Hamilton and traded him to the Reds the same day). Hamilton went on to hit .292-19-47 in 90 games. This year, 18 players were chosen in the Rule 5 draft (14 pitchers). These players must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to their original club for $25K. By my count, three players (Sergio Valenzuela, Lincoln Holdzkom, Jose Capellan) have already been offered back to their original clubs (Capellan was picked up on waivers by a third team during the process). Hamilton is the rare case of a position player sticking with his new club as it is far easier to hide a developing pitcher and still get him playing time in the bullpen than it is on the bench.While it is rare for position players to stick, we have already learned that the Cardinals may keep Brian Barton as a fifth outfielder. As opening day rosters begin to take shape, let’s take a look at what is being said in the Blogosphere about the chances for the Rule draftees.

  • Tim Lahey (RHP, CHC/MIN): Bleed Cubbie Blue sees the Cubs working out a trade with the Twins that would allow them to send Lahey to AAA. In fact, they speculate that Lahey will be the PTBNL in the Craig Monroe deal.
  • Evan Meek (RHP, PIT/TB): Bucs Dugout predicts that Meek will at least start the season with the Pirates before being offered back to the Rays.
  • Randor Bierd (RHP, BAL/DET): Bird Brain projects Bierd to make the roster and hopes the O’s give him every chance to stick.
  • Jose Capellan (LHP, CIN/BOS): Capellan was originally selected by the Giants but was just placed on waivers. The Reds picked him up (Rule 5 rules still apply) and Obsessive Giants Compulsive is surprised the Giants let him go.
  • Sergio Valenzuela (RHP, CIN/ATL): Valenzuela was sold back to the Braves after not making a single appearance in a spring game. The Braves then traded Valenzuela to a team in the Mexican League. Which begs the question…Are "future considerations" from the Mexican League worth the $25K the Braves dropped to bring him back? Talking Chop finds the entire situation funny and is not surprised that Valenzuela did not stick with the Reds.
  • Brian Barton (OF, STL/CLE): Cardinals GM is predicting Barton to be on the opening day roster with Juan Gonzalez starting the season in AAA.
  • R.A. Dickey (RHP, SEA/MIN): Detect-O-Vision is infatuated with the knuckleballer but notes that Dickey "has a looooooooooong way to go".
  • Steven Register (RHP, NYM/COL): Mets Fever thinks Register might actually stick by earning the final spot in the bullpen.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Recommended: RotoWorld Draft Guide

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Aside from my own websites, I’ve been a regular contributor of fantasy baseball columns for RotoWorld over the past few years.

This year, I have joined forces with them for their Draft Guide, contributing a ton of articles and analysis.  At just $14.99, this is hands down the best way to spend your fantasy baseball dollar.  I know, because I’ve tried practically every $8 magazine and online service out there over the years.  Those magazines go to press in early December – they’re mostly useless.

Projections, cheatsheets, player comments, AL/NL-only values, custom scoring, updates, feature articles, closer info, mock drafts, sleepers, busts….need I go on?  The 2008 RotoWorld Draft Guide has it all.  Hundreds of MLBTR readers have already purchased the RotoWorld Guide, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

What To Do With Wes Helms?

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In the 2006-07 offseason, Wes Helms had just finished his best year (in terms of rate stats, at least).  He hit .329/.390/.575 for the ’06 Marlins, facing a disproportionate number of lefties. 

David Bell and Abraham Nunez had combined for an OPS under .700 at the hot corner for the ’06 Phillies, so they figured Helms would be an upgrade even stretched as a full-timer.  They gave him a two-year, $5.45MM deal with a $3.75MM club option for ’09.  Part of the motivation was to save money for an Alfonso Soriano bid.  Plus, Mark DeRosa had already signed with the Cubs.

The signing did not go as planned, as Helms hit just .246/.297/.368 and lost full-time status quickly.  The Phils gave third base time to Nunez and Greg Dobbs, once again generating subpar results.  They signed Pedro Feliz to a two-year deal this winter.

The Phils would like to trade Helms now, and David Murphy suggests swapping him with Steve Kline could make sense.  The Giants aren’t interested though.  Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto says the Phils indeed desire a southpaw reliever for Helms, who is drawing interest from the Braves and Marlins (both clubs he’s played for previously).

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