The Holliday Situation
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post talks about how opposing executives are waiting to see if the Rockies will make Matt Holliday available. The Rockies have talked with Scott Boras about extending their slugger past ’09, but both sides are mum on the state of those discussions. Presumably, the Rockies would exhaust that avenue before putting Holliday on the market.
ESPN’s Buster Olney lays out the options for Dan O’Dowd: shop Holliday this summer and aim for a Teixeira-like bounty, sign Holliday to a staggering extension now, or let him play out the string while hoping he finds the free agent market disappointing. Olney opines that Holliday "is worth more to the Rockies than he is to any other team."
Teams are always going to be wary of trading for a Colorado slugger. If I was in charge, I’d deal Holliday for 75% of the Teixeira return. What would you do?
Draft Roundup
Today’s draft links.
- Rany Jazayerli looks at possibilities for the Royals at #3. He hopes they don’t take Eric Hosmer.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has new projections for the top 30. He’s switched the Orioles from Brian Matusz to Aaron Crow at #4, among other changes.
- Keith Law has tons of good stuff…the Giants are eyeing Gordon Beckham, the Reds are considering Brett Lawrie, Jason Castro could go to the White Sox, the Dodgers like Zach Collier, and much more.
- Ken Davidoff is hearing that the Padres are in on Brett Wallace and the Twins like Christian Friedrich.
- Pedro Alvarez would be honored to be picked by the Pirates. Dejan Kovacevic continues to say they’re leaning that way.
- I am considering live-blogging Thursday’s draft, posting each pick here as soon as it’s announced (you would not have to refresh). Would that be helpful?
Rosenthal’s Latest: Padilla, Greinke, Hatteberg
Let’s discuss Ken Rosenthal’s lastest column.
- There’s some chatter that the ’09 draft class will be weak. This could motivate teams to trade their impending free agent stars this July rather than collect compensation picks.
- Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson has "fallen out of favor with some in the organization." Rosenthal believes he’d be a hot commodity if fired.
- The Rangers are open to trading Vicente Padilla, as you’d expect. We’ve heard some crazy things about the asking price.
- While the Royals don’t seem to consider Zack Greinke untouchable, they’d have to be bowled over to trade him.
- The Yanks probably don’t have room for Ben Broussard, and the Orioles could swoop in and sign him if he’s granted free agency this month.
- Look for Scott Hatteberg to become a free agent today; interest appears to be tepid.
- The Florida teams are willing to spend money for midseason upgrades. They’re understandably reluctant to trade prospects.
- Doesn’t seem like Orlando Cabrera will be signing long-term with the White Sox.
Erick Threets Designated
MONDAY: Threets has been designated for assignment; he probably wouldn’t pass through waivers.
FRIDAY: According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, it seems that the Giants do not have room for 26 year-old southpaw reliever Erick Threets. The surprising emergence of Alex Hinshaw has caused the roster crunch. Threets is out of options, and his minor league rehab assignment ends today.
In this year’s Baseball America Prospect Handbook, Threets was ranked 20th among Giants prospects. Even with a lengthy injury history, Threets throws in the mid-90s with a solid changeup. He’s more about potential than numbers, given his high walk rates and subpar strikeout rates.
Will Ortiz Injury Lead To Acquisition?
11:21pm: Terry Francona says surgery for Ortiz is "very unlikely."
9:28pm: Bad news for the Red Sox – DH David Ortiz will miss a significant chunk of the season with his wrist injury. There’s even a chance Ortiz could need season-ending surgery.
An open DH spot in Boston is sure to light up the rumor mill. Keep in mind, though, that the Sox could fill the vacancy internally. For example, Manny Ramirez could DH and Brandon Moss could play left.
Plenty of bats are out there if Theo Epstein does look for outside help. The following players may be available: Barry Bonds, Adam Dunn, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Brian Giles, Raul Ibanez, and Milton Bradley.
The Right Fielder Market
The Mariners, A’s, and Cubs are some clubs that may be in the hunt for right field help. The players below may be available this summer.
- Xavier Nady, Pirates. Among right fielders, only Ryan Ludwick has been more productive than Nady this year. He earns $3.35MM this year and won’t reach free agency until after the ’09 season. It’d be tough for Pirates fans to watch their incredibly productive outfield be dismantled, but trading Nady and Jason Bay might serve the greater good.
- Brian Giles, Padres. The 37 year-old sports a .313/.398/.496 line in 367 ABs away from PETCO since the beginning of last season. He makes $9MM this year (plus another $2MM if traded) and his $9MM option for ’09 carries a $3MM buyout. He can block trades to eight teams.
- Randy Winn, Giants. He’s been decent at the plate this year. He makes $8MM this year and $8.25MM in ’09. Winn can block trades to ten teams.
- Eric Hinske, Rays. Hinske’s been a useful role player, but he could become expendable if Gabe Gross keeps hitting. The righty-mashing Hinske is making only $800K.
- J.D. Drew, Red Sox. Drew has his uses, but he’s not a $14MM player. He’ll be paid at that rate through 2011 and can block trades to two teams. The Sox could consider trading the MLB-ready Brandon Moss instead; he’d command a high price.
- Ken Griffey Jr., Reds. #600 will come any day now. Hal McCoy expects him to remain with the Reds for the entire season.
- Mark Teahen, Royals. The versatile Teahen had a nice half-season run in ’06, but otherwise his bat has been average or worse. He is under team control through 2010.
Odds and Ends: Lane, Dodgers, Huntington
A collection of links to browse on this fine Monday.
- Jason Lane can exercise an out clause if he’s not promoted to the bigs today. The 31 year-old outfielder is hitting .248/.340/.485 with 11 home runs in 202 Triple A at-bats.
- The Dodgers hope to acquire a veteran utility infielder as an insurance policy for Rafael Furcal. Any suggestions?
- The Hardball Times’ Mike Lee did an enjoyable interview with Pirates GM Neal Huntington. I have a feeling we’ll get a better grasp on Huntington’s trading abilities within the next few months.
- CBSSports.com added Danny Knobler to their team. He’s always been a good source for inside info on the Tigers.
- RotoAuthority has waiver wire advice at every position.
Changes In Store For White Sox Offense?
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen vented about his offense yesterday, saying that he expects GM Kenny Williams to do something about it by Tuesday. But when the Chicago Tribune spoke to Williams, he was much calmer than his manager.
The Trib’s Mark Gonzales says A.J. Pierzynski, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Orlando Cabrera, and Alexei Ramirez are probably safe. A Tribune poll asks Sox fans what should be done: Fire hitting coach Greg Walker, bench Nick Swisher, trade for a hitter, drop Paul Konerko and Jim Thome in the lineup, or clone Carlos Quentin.
Realistically the Sox could probably wait Thome and Swisher’s slumps out and give Konerko a break by putting him on the DL. Josh Fields might be able to come up and help. And Walker probably becomes the "sacrificial lamb," as South Side Sox puts it.
Davidoff’s Latest: Padres, Garcia, Lofton
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff posted a new column yesterday.
- Davidoff spoke to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who is not ready to throw in the towel. Realistically Towers could let all of June play out before shopping his veterans.
- If all goes according to plan, Freddy Garcia might appear in the Majors in late August. If so, he’d be eligible for the postseason.
- Davidoff implies that Kenny Lofton is asking for the same $6MM he earned last year. No wonder he’s still sitting at home.
The Yankees And Brian Fuentes
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post advises:
Keep an eye on the Yankees’ interest in Brian Fuentes, whom they have liked for years. New York needs a reliable late-inning setup man to replace Joba Chamberlain, who joins the rotation Tuesday.
Keep in mind that Renck is not saying discussions have occurred recently. But Fuentes would certainly be a nice addition for the Yanks. He has a 2.78 ERA and 2.63 K/BB in 22.2 innings this year.
Surely the Rockies are looking for a young player or two in return. The trades of Octavio Dotel and Eric Gagne last year might be comparables. Dotel required Kyle Davies, a promising pitcher who had not experienced much big league success. The Gagne package was headed by raw prospect Engel Beltre, and also included useful MLB-ready pieces in Kason Gabbard and David Murphy.
Also keep in mind that if the price for Fuentes is too high, Brian Cashman can turn to familiar target Damaso Marte of the Pirates.