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Archives for March 2008

Mets Inquire On Reed Johnson, Shannon Stewart

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According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have checked in on Blue Jays outfielders Shannon Stewart and Reed Johnson.  Nicely done, Drunk Jays Fans.  Although you spelled "rumor" incorrectly.

Sherman says Stewart is a long shot since he can’t handle right.  The Mets want someone who can handle both corners, and Johnson could be that someone (he’s played 64 games in right in ’06 and 13 in ’07).  The 31 year-old will earn $3.275MM this year.  He could be useful if last year’s back problems are behind him.

Yankees Not Scouting Joe Blanton?

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5:05pm: Joel Sherman of the New York post says the Yankees were not watching Blanton specifically.  The scouts were just doing normal coverage.

12:22am: According to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Yankees had a scout watching Oakland starter Joe Blanton on Sunday.

Blanton, 27, saw his salary escalate to $3.7MM this year as he reached his arbitration years.  He’ll remain under team control through the 2010 season.  The projection would change if Blanton switched to pinstripes, but PECOTA sees a 4.36 ERA in 187 innings from him this year (a performance valued at $8.8MM).

The Yankees are relying on Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte to front their rotation.  They’ll round it out with Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina, and Ian Kennedy.  Joba Chamberlain is expected to join the rotation mid-summer.  I imagine the Yanks are just doing their due diligence with Blanton; a preseason trade doesn’t seem likely.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

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Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts’ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
  • Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
  • El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
  • Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
  • Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
  • Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
  • Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
  • Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.

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

Blue Jays Sign Armando Benitez

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According to the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays have signed reliever Armando Benitez to a minor league deal.  He’s apparently not in the closer picture (which makes sense, with B.J. Ryan and Jeremy Accardo good to go).

Benitez, 35, struck out 57 in 50.1 innings last year with the Giants and Marlins.  The problem was too many hits, home runs, and walks.  That resulted in an ERA of 5.36.  Benitez’s control has always been poor; he’s succeeded by being tough to hit.  The strong Toronto defense could help in that regard. 

By the way, Benitez’s agent called the White Sox before he signed, but they weren’t able to discuss the possibility.

Dodgers Haven’t Discussed German With Royals

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On Sunday evening, Ken Rosenthal wrote that Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals were "attracting the Dodgers’ interest."

However, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports today that Royals’ GM Dayton Moore has not been informed of any interest in German by the Dodgers.  German is known for his .373 career OBP and his versatility, though Baseball Prospectus says he is "capable of playing second, third, and the outfield equally poorly."

Pedro Looking For Three Years?

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Pedro Martinez commented yesterday that he’ll look for three years maximum on his next (and last) contract.  The 36 year-old is a complete unknown for ’08, but hopes are high.

Martinez could seek $40MM or more over three years if he comes up with 180+ strong inning for the Mets this year.  Of course, that would once again be a risky contract for a team.

Nationals, Cardinals Interested In Jeff Weaver?

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Whither Jeff Weaver?  We haven’t heard much about potential destinations for the 31 year-old righty.  Probably has to do with his 6.20 ERA last year, but at least he’s healthy.

Jeff’s younger brother Jered piped up yesterday, saying that the Nationals and Cardinals have expressed interest.  Hard to say if that interest is current or just occurred at some point this winter.  But either team would do well to bring him in on a minor league deal.  If he’s holding out for a Major League contract it may be time to adjust expectations. 

When teams have their rotations all lined up on paper during the spring, with their rose-colored glasses on, adding a guy like Weaver isn’t terribly appealing.  But perhaps this year Scott Boras will try a new ploy with Weaver and Kyle Lohse by letting them sit out until April or even May.  We’ve seen the mercenary thing with Roger Clemens, but not so much with healthy, younger pitchers.  A few starters get injured, others don’t pan out, and suddenly maybe Lohse and Weaver cause bidding wars.

Braves Interested In Juan Rivera?

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Juan Rivera is in a tough place – he doesn’t have an opportunity to prove he can be a healthy and effective outfielder despite heading into his contract year.  He’s been very respectful to the Angels about his situation though.  Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times recently speculated that Rivera would have a starting role on teams like the Braves, Mets, or Giants.  Rivera’s best year was ’06, when he hit .310/.362/.525 in 124 games.  But then Rivera broke his leg in winter ball in December of that year and it’s been a long time coming back.  Ken Rosenthal suggested Sunday that Reggie Willits was not available but the Angels want to trade Rivera.

Yesterday evening, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the following regarding Rivera:

After talking to a couple of people today, I think there’s something to the Juan Rivera thing. I believe the Braves do have interest, just not sure if there’s a match….

Rivera would be a nice addition for Atlanta, though Matt Diaz deserves his shot in left field.  But Rivera could also push out Scott Thorman and serve as Mark Teixeira’s backup.

Cafardo’s Latest: Inge, Marte, Fuentes, Lohse

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TUESDAY: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has an update to Cafardo’s Yankees/Fuentes item.  Renck says that while the Yanks have scouted Fuentes, Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd says there’s "zero chance" of a trade at this time.  I imagine he wants to see a healthy Luis Vizcaino before considering it.

MONDAY: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe checks in with plenty of rumors in his Sunday column.

  • The Red Sox checked in on Brandon Inge during the Winter Meetings, but found his contract prohibitive.  Most teams seem to feel the same way.
  • The Yankees are eyeing southpaw relievers Damaso Marte and Brian Fuentes, who’ve seemingly been on their radar for months.  Fuentes makes $5.05MM this year, Marte makes $2MM this year with a $6MM club option for ’09.
  • Cafardo believes the Noah Lowry injury could cause the Giants to swoop in on Kyle Lohse, and could also get in the way of a Joe Crede acquisition.  Lowry’s only supposed to miss two to three weeks though.  Kenny Williams says exactly two clubs have talked to him about Crede, but he’s saying Crede may still be his Opening Day third baseman.

Angels, Orioles Eyeing Barmes

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TUESDAY: Add the Orioles as another team with Barmes on the radar.  Troy Renck says he’s not available despite the interest.  The O’s really need to get in a few more capable shortstop candidates, regardless.

MONDAY: Remember 2005, when Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes hit .329/.371/.516 through 51 games to start the season?  Then he was sidelined for two months with a broken clavicle from the infamous deer meat incident.  Maybe the hot-hitting was a simple fluke, but Barmes posted just a .584 OPS in 640 career ABs since coming back from the injury.  He lost his job to Troy Tulowitzki in the meantime.

The 29 year-old doesn’t have much of a role in Colorado, and he’s out of options.  According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Angels have Barmes on the radar.  It’d be a nice situation for him, as the Angels’ current shortstops haven’t proven themselves as regulars yet.  I imagine a nondescript minor leaguer would be all the Rockies would want.

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