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Archives for April 2008

Tracy Could Be Trade Fodder For D’Backs

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It looks like Diamondbacks 3B/1B Chad Tracy is close to returning from knee problems that have limited him to just one at bat since August 12 of last year. KFFL reported that he would work out in extended spring training starting this past Wednesday, and was slated for game action last night. Well, he’s been working out, but has yet to play in an extended spring training game.

When Tracy does return, which should be in a few weeks, it looks like he’ll be sitting the bench. The Diamondbacks have scored an MLB-leading 139 runs this year, so substituting Tracy for either Mark Reynolds or Conor Jackson — who are both murdering the ball — seems highly unlikely. While Tracy would provide a late-innings threat off the bench, as well as a capable backup who could spell both Reynolds and Jackson during slumps, he might provide more value in a trade.

Looking at the D’Backs roster, it seems — as is the case with many teams — that the bullpen is their weakest aspect. The good news is that it’s still early, and they have time to figure out if they need an upgrade. If they do, Tracy would be a decent candidate to acquire one. He’s owed $3.75MM this year and $4.75MM in 2009, with a $7MM club option ($1MM buyout) for 2010.

The Twins are the first team that come to mind. He’d be an upgrade over Mike Lamb, and they could spare an arm. While Tracy likely wouldn’t help them contend this year, he could be part of the plan for 2009. The A’s could be in, since Jack Hannahan hasn’t been cutting it lately (and who knows with Eric Chavez). Houston could use an upgrade from Geoff Blum.

In any case, Arizona is in the driver’s seat. Tracy is relatively young, cheap, and a league-average hitter. If they can’t find what they want in a trade, he’d still be valuable coming off the bench.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.

Odds And Ends: Thomas, Jays, Myers, Nomo

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Expect another one of these today. There’s lots of little stuff, but not much in the way of substantive rumors.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Colon Nearing Return, Opt-Out Date

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For most of March, the Red Sox looked like they made the pick-up of the winter by signing Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract. While scouting reports from his winter work had him sitting in the upper 80s with his fastball, the Red Sox said he was hitting low 90s, a fine place to be for the former Cy Young winner. But after just one start in AAA, he was derailed with an oblique injury, and has been on the DL ever since.

The Sox got a bit of good news, bad news on Colon. On the positive side, he’s schedule for three side sessions, and could be back on the hill by May 5. Problem is, he can opt out of his contract on May 1 and become a free agent.

Chances are, Colon and the Sox will work on some kind of agreement that extends Bartolo’s window to opt out. The team could use the added depth, and Colon likely wants to stay with a winner. Then again, he might be able to get a guaranteed deal somewhere if he opts out.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog. Send along any rumors here.

Kenji Johjima Signs Extension

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners will give catcher Kenji Johjima a three-year extension.  That’d keep him with the team through 2011, his age 35 season.   It’s worth three years and $24MM – no kind of discount.

I didn’t see this coming; I thought the Ms would hand catching duties over to Jeff Clement in ’09 despite questionable defense.  Instead, they’ll apparently use him as a DH/1B or trade him.  He’s hitting .375/.500/.688  in 19 Triple A games.

Here’s a look at the remaining free agent catchers after this season.  Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek head the class.

Dan Johnson Clears Waivers

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FRIDAY: No one wanted Johnson; he cleared waivers and will head to Triple A Durham.

WEDNESDAY: That was quick – Dan Johnson’s time with the Rays is up.  He’s been designated for assignment in the wake of the Gabe Gross acquisition.  Gross does make more sense for the roster spot.

There are only a handful of teams that might be able to accomodate Johnson as a regular.  We’ll have to see which club was second in line for his services (if any).  At the least, he’d be a strong bench player.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Johnson, Bonds, Piazza

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So far during the 2008 regular season, 28 players have either been DFA’d or released. At the same point last year, that list only included 14 players. In the past four seasons, only 2006 (22) had more than 14 players DFA’d or released this early in the season.

This will be an interesting trend to watch the rest of this season and into the early portion of 2009. It appears to be an indication that teams are showing less patience to work trades for fringe players or teams may be placing higher premiums on prospects, unwilling to move even mid-level prospects for a guy that might be the 24th or 25th man on a 25-man roster. Either way, it could mean fewer trades in 2008 and beyond.

The list of players DFA’d so far this year includes some that have been productive Major Leaguers at some point in their career and could be again, including Kirk Saarloos, Juan Castro, Dan Johnson and Hideo Nomo. OK, maybe Nomo is a stretch. With players like this being made available it is even more reason for teams to avoid trades and wait. And of course Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza are still sitting out there. Let’s take a look at what is being said about these players in the Blogosphere…

  • Mets Fever wonders if Johnson is worth a flyer from the Mets but wonders who would go to make room.
  • Fanhouse sees Johnson ending up right back where he started (almost), signing with the Giants.
  • Beyond the Boxscore wrote this prior to Frank Thomas signing with the A’s, but the question, "Who Needs a DH?" is still relevant with Piazza, Bonds and Johnson. They take a look at several teams that could be in the market.
  • I am convinced that by the All-Star break, we will have seen 30 different versions of "Why [insert MLB team] should sign Barry Bonds". The latest comes from Jays Nest who argues for the Blue Jays signing the all-time home run king.

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

Retirement A Possibility For Sheffield

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Because of shoulder woes, 39 year-old DH Gary Sheffield hasn’t hit well since July of last year.  He’s an elite slugger when he’s on but terrible when he’s off.  In the midst of a third cortisone shot, Sheffield suggested that retirement is not out of the question.   He’s dealing with all kinds of pain and won’t undergo another surgery.  Retirement sounds like a worst-case scenario though.  After all, he is set to earn $14MM in ’09.

If Sheff retires or hits the 60-day DL, talk of Barry Bonds or Mike Piazza could heighten.  The Tigers, however, have consistently denied interest in Bonds.  They could simply shift Carlos Guillen to DH and Brandon Inge to third if Sheffield is out of the picture. 

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jon Garland

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One thing Jon Garland has going for him is his age.  He’ll spend the 2009 season as a 29 year-old.  Only a few other free agent starters will be under 30 that year: Oliver Perez (27), Mark Prior (27), and C.C. Sabathia (28).  A team that can’t afford Sabathia but misses out on Perez might turn to Garland.

Garland is an innings eater, having topped 210 in each of the last three seasons.  His low strikeout rate leads to plenty of hits, but he balances that with good control.  His groundball rate had been on the decline from 2005-07, but he’s at an elite 55% this year.  On the other hand, he’s whiffed just four in 30.3 innings (easily the worst K/9 in baseball). 

If the oddities balance out and he has a typical Garland season, Carlos Silva’s four-year, $48MM deal might be the comparable.

Odds and Ends: Crisp, King, Sweeney

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Here’s today’s linkage.

Stark’s Latest: Oswalt, Tejada, Upton, Burrell

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Check out the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Stark talked to one exec who believed the Astros’ baseball people might consider a Roy Oswalt trade, but owner Drayton McLane never would.
  • The exec also questioned whether the Astros would’ve given up a bounty of five players to acquire Miguel Tejada if they’d known the player’s true age.
  • Stark implies that the Upton brothers are eyeing big bucks and aren’t likely to sign extensions.
  • Stark’s sources believe the Phillies will offer Pat Burrell something like two years and $14MM.  He’ll probably want significantly more than that.

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