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Archives for March 2008

MLB Investigating Salcedo’s Birthdate

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Baseball America’s Ben Badler has the latest on 16 year-old Dominican shortstop Edward Salcedo.  He says MLB is currently investigating Salcedo’s birthdate (not an uncommon practice).  Scott Boras and Co. represent the kid, but they’re not talking.  There were rumors he’d signed with the Tribe, but the Indians said two weeks ago that it wasn’t true.  Badler adds that Salcedo rejected a $2.5MM offer from the Giants and the D’Backs may be interested.  Badler also writes:

Adding to the intrigue is Major League Baseball’s recent firing of three investigators in the Dominican, including one who was working on Salcedo’s case.

MLB’s Latin operations manager says the firings are unrelated to the Salcedo case.

Who Wants Matt Murton?

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26 year-old Cubs outfielder Matt Murton is very much available now that they’ve signed Reed Johnson.  PECOTA gives Murton a .295/.359/.462 projection for ’08; ZiPS says .289/.360/.465.  Here are the league averages from 2007:

AL left fielder: .275/.335/.426
NL left fielder: .278/.358/.478

AL right fielder: .288/.359/.465
NL right fielder: .275/.344/.442

These numbers are presented in the form of batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage.  You can see that Murton is comfortably in the league average offensive range for a corner outfielder.  He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.  Let’s look at some trade possibilities.  (As for what the Cubs would want in return – I’ll guess a lefty reliever or just a prospect or two).

  • Rays – DRays Bay suggests Murton could help in right field, not a bad idea.
  • Padres – The Justin Huber acquisition makes this less likely.
  • Rangers – They rejected a Murton for Marlon Byrd proposal, and now the Cubs don’t need Byrd.
  • Orioles – He was connected to them until they acquired Luke Scott and Adam Jones to fill out their outfield.
  • Red Sox – The Cubs no longer have a need for Coco Crisp, even if the Sox had mild interest in re-acquiring The Big Murt.  Murton wouldn’t start in Boston anyway.  Still, Buster Olney says there’s still some chatter that the Red Sox will go after him.
  • Athletics – Some folks think Billy Beane will pluck Murton simply because he’s underrated.  The A’s don’t seem to have any kind of opening for him.
  • Braves – Murton doesn’t project as much of an upgrade over Matt Diaz.
  • Mets – Could make sense for a team thinking about running Fernando Tatis out in left.  Longer-term, Murton could be an oft-used fourth outfielder, spelling Moises Alou and Ryan Church.
  • Giants – Would be a nice low-pressure place to see what Murton can do, but they’re already loaded with outfielders.
  • What are your thoughts on a good fit for Murton?

Dodgers Release Rudy Seanez

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THURSDAY: Seanez might not retire if he finds the right fit.  A few clubs have already contacted his agent.

WEDNESDAY: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers released reliever Rudy Seanez last night.  The move should save the Dodgers about $400K and could open up a bullpen spot unless the Dodgers begin with an 11-man staff.

Jackson believes the 39 year-old Seanez will now retire.  If so, he leaves on a high note – he posted a 3.79 ERA and 8.6 K/9 in 76 innings last year.  Seanez played in 11 different organizations in his career.

Freddy Guzman Clears Waivers

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1:53pm: No one claimed Guzman; he’ll head to Double A for the Tigers.

10:03am: According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Tigers have placed 27 year-old center fielder Freddy Guzman on outright waivers.  Coming up with the Padres, Guzman was highly regarded by Baseball America for his "game-changing speed."

Guzman doesn’t have much of an arm but he certainly covers a lot of ground in center.  He walks a decent amount for a guy with no power.  He could be claimed by a club feeling the need for speed in its fourth or fifth outfield spot.

Reitsma Mulling Options

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30 year-old reliever Chris Reitsma is on a minor league contract with the Mariners, and they don’t feel he’s ready for the big league roster quite yet.  John Hickey says Reitsma can retire, go to the minors as requested, or ask the Mariners for his release (they’d have no obligation to grant it).  Reitsma has yet to throw on back-to-back days, and he doesn’t offer the upside of Mark Lowe.

Reitsma had a fifth elbow surgery in July of ’07.  The Mariners declined his $2.7MM option for ’08 but re-signed him to a minor league deal.  He’s healthy now, but hasn’t been useful since ’05.

Phils Talking To Giants, Reds About Helms?

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THURSDAY: Jim Salisbury says the Helms for Kline idea has fallen through, and Hal McCoy nixes the Helms for Stanton possibility.

WEDNESDAY: The Phillies would like to conclude their offseason by swapping third baseman Wes Helms and the $2.9MM owed to him for a lefty reliever.  According to Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phils are talking to the Giants and Reds about Helms.  Steve Kline ($1.75MM) or Mike Stanton ($3.5MM) are the targets.  The Reds may deem Stanton too pricey to cut.

The Giants recently picked up Jose Castillo, but they also lost Kevin Frandsen.  Moving Kline would make sense, because then they could fit both Merkin Valdez and Erick Threets.  The Reds have Jolbert Cabrera and Andy Phillips battling for a bench spot, and don’t seem to have a place for Helms.

Roberts-Cubs Deal Off The Table

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I think we can finally put this one to rest, at least for a few months.  Andy MacPhail told reporters that "a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs is off the table," according to Paul Sullivan.  You can argue the semantics – dead, impasse, off the table – but it doesn’t look like anything’s happening anytime soon.  Sullivan doesn’t see it reviving before July.

Since the Orioles couldn’t match up with the Cubs, it might make sense for MacPhail to start engaging other teams about Roberts.

Padres Acquire Justin Huber

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According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Padres have acquired Justin Huber from the Royals for a player to be named later.  He’s a good candidate to see time in left field for San Diego since he’s out of options.  Backing up Adrian Gonzalez at first probably isn’t an option given Tony Clark’s presence.

The 25 year-old gets a .255/.322/.420 projection from PECOTA and .279/.334/.437 from ZiPS.  Baseball America spoke of a team official who compared Huber to Matt Diaz.  It’s a decent low-risk acquisition for Kevin Towers once again.

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