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Archives for April 2008

Sammy Sosa Considering Retirement

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According to Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune, Sammy Sosa is considering retirement if he doesn’t get an offer soon.  Sosa passed the 600 HR plateau last year, so there’s no statistical reason to hang around.

Sosa drove in 92 runs in 114 games in his comeback season for the Rangers, but struggled against right-handed pitching.  Apparently he has looking for regular playing time and/or decent money to play in ’08; the Royals passed on his offer to play for them.  Ken Rosenthal noted back in February that the 2013 Hall of Fame voting could be mighty interesting.

Dan Johnson Designated

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THURSDAY, 10:00am: The Giants have no interest in Johnson, according to Henry Schulman.

WEDNEDAY, 3:11pm: As expected, Johnson was designated for assignment today.

11:14am: Susan Slusser believes first baseman Dan Johnson’s Oakland career might be over, as the A’s need a roster spot for rookie starter Greg Smith.  Speculation is that Billy Beane could try to trade him to the Giants, where he’d be free to play regularly and bat in the middle of the order.

Johnson, 28, has a .249/.344/.419 career line in 318 games.  He was a late bloomer, earning a September call-up in ’04 as a 25 year-old.  He didn’t appear in any big league games because of vertigo, though.  Yes, vertigo.  Baseball America’s 2005 handbook had Johnson sixth among A’s prospects, between Joe Blanton and Huston Street.

Johnson got the call in May of ’05 when DH Erubiel Durazo hit the DL.  His rookie season resulted in a solid .806 OPS.  He didn’t snag any ROY votes, but Street won it while Nick Swisher and Blanton received votes.  It was downhill from there for Johnson.

When the A’s signed Frank Thomas in the offseason, Johnson became the everyday first baseman.  He was lousy in every month aside from June, and even started the season 0 for 27.  He was demoted to Triple A in July and came back in September.  Double vision was later cited as a factor in the poor season.

The Shannon Stewart acquisition before the ’07 season pushed Johnson into a bench role.  He then tore hip cartilage in March, missing most of April.  He had a very strong May but was otherwise unimpressive.

Johnson lost 15 pounds this past offseason due to an illness, and then the Mike Sweeney acquisition pretty much ended his time in Oakland.  A trade to San Francisco might represent his last shot at lasting as a big league regular.

Robinson Tejeda Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY at 6:29pm: Surprisingly, Tejeda passed through waivers unclaimed.  He’s headed to Oklahoma.

TUESDAY at 9:07am: We discussed 26 year-old starter Robinson Tejeda here.  Imagine Carlos Silva with poor control and mid-90s heat (hmm, doesn’t sound too much like Silva actually).  Anyway, the Rangers designated Tejeda for assignment last week and have until Wednesday to trade him.  Jon Daniels doesn’t expect a deal, meaning Tejeda may simply be plucked off waivers.  He’s a project, so he might make more sense for a rebuilding team.  Jayson Stark saw no indications that the Mets were after Tejeda; David Lennon did.

The above-linked article from Anthony Andro also notes that outfielder Nelson Cruz passed through waivers unclaimed and is headed to Triple A.  The 27 year-old seems to have earned the Quad-A tag.

Mets Close To Deal With Claudio Vargas

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Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets are close to a minor league deal with free agent righty Claudio Vargas.  It’s a smart move; they need someone who can eat innings at a league average ERA.  Four teams were pursuing Vargas. 

Vargas, 29 in May, has always posted a decent strikeout rate.  If he rediscovers his control from ’06 and limits the longball, he could be solid.  No risk for the Mets.  Vargas initially balked at the idea of going to the minors, but perhaps he couldn’t find any better offers.

Padres Interested In Damian Miller

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THURSDAY, 9:51am: The Padres (and Giants) didn’t claim Quintero; he passed through waivers and is headed to Triple A.

WEDNESDAY, 11:43am: The Padres aren’t quite sure how long Michael Barrett’s elbow injury will knock him out.  He won’t need Tommy John surgery, but he could miss anywhere from the minimum to two months.  Kevin Towers contacted free agent Damian Miller as a possible backup to be used later this month.  Miller wasn’t able to find a job this winter.  For now, the Padres will use the light-hitting Colt Morton behind Josh Bard.

One reader suggested Humberto Quintero, who was designated for assignment on March 31st.  The Quintero situation should be resolved soon, but the Giants might claim him.

Orlando Hudson Wants $15MM Per Year?

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Jack Macgruder of the East Valley Tribune reports a major gap between second baseman Orlando Hudson and D’Backs management.  Macgruder says Hudson seeks something close to the $15MM per year Chase Utley received to cover his free agent seasons. 

Hudson seems to be asking for too much, but maybe it’s just his starting point.  Aaron Hill seems like a better comparable than Utley, and Hill has options for his free agent years at around $8MM.  Brandon Phillips’ free agent years were valued in the $11-12MM range; Ian Kinsler gets $7-10MM.  It does seem that Hudson could crack a $10MM salary in free agency, but he won’t get Utley money.

Mark Ellis is probably Hudson’s main competition in the ’09 free agent market.  Ellis could ask for a $6-7MM salary.  Teams that might be looking to upgrade at second base after this season include the White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Rockies.

Odds and Ends: Braun, Cueto, Pelfrey

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An assortment of links…

  • Ryan Braun’s agent is in town to talk about extension scenarios with the Brewers.  Perhaps the Brewers could get him for slightly more than the $30MM Troy Tulowitzki received.  As Tom Haudricourt writes, a Prince Fielder extension seems less likely.
  • The Blue Jays once offered Frank Catalanotto for Johnny Cueto, when Wayne Krivsky was new on the job.  Nice try, J.P.
  • Buster Olney believes tonight’s start by Mike Pelfrey might determine the likelihood of the Mets pursuing outside pitching help.  Claudio Vargas remains unsigned.

Rumor Royalty: John Fay

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Rumor Royalty’s been in a bit of a hibernation lately, but we’re bringing it back for the Reds.  Beat writer John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer gets the nod; he’s kindly agreed to answer a few questions.  John’s blog can be found here.

If you’ve got Reds hot stove questions for John, fire away in the comments.  I will pick a few and send them over.

Francisco Cordero Drama

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There’s been a little drama unfolding the last few days regarding closer Francisco Cordero’s defection from Milwaukee to Cincinnati for a difference of $4MM.

According to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, the Crew stretched beyond their comfort zone to offer him four years and $42MM.  Melvin set a deadline for Cordero and his agent Bean Stringfellow on his offer, as he didn’t want to be played.  Stringfellow figured the Brewers were at their limit and never came back to Melvin to see if he’d match the Reds’ $46MM offer.

Cordero himself has a different account; he says Stringfellow did come back to the Brewers to see if they’d match.  Melvin might’ve thought Stringfellow was bluffing about it.  Cordero added that the Brewers passed on a chance to sign him at a discount (both in years and money) during Spring Training of ’07.

But wait, there’s more!  Melvin doesn’t agree with anything Cordero said!  Melvin says he did make a spring offer in the range of three years, $30MM.  Cordero wasn’t interested.  Furthermore, Melvin says Stringfellow suggested that the Reds’ offer was "significantly greater," and that’s why he didn’t try to get ownership to stretch a little beyond $42MM.  Two sides to the story; it seems unlikely that Melvin and Stringfellow will be working together anytime soon.

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