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Archives for July 2008

Japanese Free Agents For ’09

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East Windup Chronicle points us to a list of some of the more interesting Japanese players who will be free agents after this season.  Most of these guys are around 32-33 years old.  Here’s who we’ve got:

  • Koji Uehara, SP/RP – NPB Tracker profiles him here.
  • Tomohiro Nioka, SS – We wrote a little bit about Nioka in October of ’07.
  • Kenshin Kawakami, SP – East Windup Chronicle profiled him for us last year.
  • Hitoki Iwase, RP – That same post also covered Iwase.
  • Masahiro Araki, 2B – Hit .263/.296/.302 in ’07 – not much with the bat.
  • Hirokazu Ibata, SS – Hit .296/.368/.393 in ’07.
  • Ryoji Aikawa, C – Hit .302/.369/.353 in ’07.
  • Tatsuhiko Kinjoh, OF – Hit .284/.349/.427 in ’07.

Odds and Ends: Mets, Cardinals, Phillies, Tigers

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Today’s links.

  • Mets manager Jerry Manuel expects a move, most likely for a left fielder.
  • Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein wrote Saturday about the remaining unsigned draft picks.  BP is free for all this week, by the way.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak faces a tough situation – he doesn’t have much time before the trade deadline to determine what Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright will contribute.
  • Don McKee believes the Phillies should sell the farm for Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes.
  • Jon Paul Morosi notes that the Tigers might be able to trade Ivan Rodriguez in August.  He also says that Edgar Renteria’s ’09 option is for $12MM, not $11MM as was previously reported.
  • Jacob Jackson thinks the Athletics should trade most of their remaining chips for one player: Colby Rasmus.

Yankees Eyeing A.J. Burnett?

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Back on July 10th, ESPN’s Jayson Stark said it was "dubious that Toronto would even talk to [the Yankees] about A.J. Burnett." Presumably this is because the Yankees and Jays are division rivals.  It should be noted, though, that J.P. Ricciardi and Brian Cashman matched up on a July ’02 trade that sent Raul Mondesi to New York for prospect Scott Wiggins.

Yesterday, CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler wrote:

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told Toronto reporters that he now doesn’t expect to trade A.J. Burnett. But Burnett’s Friday night start at Tampa Bay attracted more than a dozen scouts, including two from the Yankees. Several of the scouts in attendance didn’t stay for the rest of the weekend series, a clear indication that they were in town strictly to watch Burnett.

So while we have nothing concrete, there are signs that the Yankees are looking at Burnett.  The Cubs reportedly had a guy watching him, too.  He and Justin Duchscherer are the two best remaining starters who could conceivably be pried loose via trade.

White Sox Looking For Pitching

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According to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler, the White Sox are hunting for pitching of both the starting and relieving variety.

Based on previous reports, GM Kenny Williams is eyeing Oakland’s Huston Street and Washington’s Jon Rauch.  With the success of southpaws Matt Thornton and Boone Logan, it appears that Williams is focused on right-handers.  Most of the top available names aside from Street and Rauch are lefties, unless you’re a David Weathers fan.

With Jose Contreras on the DL with elbow tendinitis, the Sox also may explore the starting pitching market.  So far they’ve only been linked in published reports to Freddy Garcia, and that was before the Contreras injury.  Plus, Ozzie Guillen doesn’t seem terribly optimistic on Garcia.  The best available starters are probably Justin Duchscherer and A.J. Burnett.  Knobler says more than a dozen scouts watched Burnett’s last start.

Ray Durham Trade Reactions

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Yesterday, the Giants traded second baseman Ray Durham to the Brewers for minor leaguers Darren Ford and Steve Hammond.  They were ranked 21st and 27th among Brewers prospects heading into the season, according to Baseball America.  Today let’s look at reactions to the trade.

Rosenthal’s Latest: K-Rod, Maddux, Wolf, Street

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Rumor guru Ken Rosenthal is at it again.

  • Angels GM Tony Reagins is doing his due diligence on available hitters.  Rosenthal admits his own suggestion of a Mark Teixeira/Will Ohman blockbuster acquisition is unlikely.
  • Rosenthal believes Francisco Rodriguez’s expected asking price to be five years, $75MM.  The Angels would not bite on that.
  • Greg Maddux only wants to be traded to a West Coast team.  He might accept a trade back to the Dodgers, if Ned Colletti and Kevin Towers want to go down that road.
  • The Orioles would trade George Sherrill if someone wants to overpay.  Tons of teams are looking for lefty relievers, and many are available.  Rosenthal notes that the Orioles have plenty of players likely to clear waivers, making August trades quite possible.
  • The Dodgers are apparently interested in Toronto shortstop John McDonald.  Talks for Cristian Guzman and Jack Wilson have stagnated.  An extension is more likely than a trade for Guzman.
  • Randy Wolf and Cla Meredith are the most popular Padres in trade talks.  Wolf’s no-trade clause doesn’t include the teams that like him, so that won’t be an issue.  If the Friars were to move Kevin Kouzmanoff, they’d ask for a young outfielder back.
  • Even with their second base surplus, the A’s want to sign Mark Ellis to an extension.
  • A Milton Bradley deal is unlikely, but the Rangers are getting calls on Marlon Byrd and Nelson Cruz.  In return, they might be looking for young starting pitchers.
  • The Royals are said to be "actively shopping" Miguel Olivo and Mark Grudzielanek.  However, it’s been suggested that the Royals might not have the catching depth to move Olivo.
  • Rosenthal’s list of Huston Street suitors: Mets, White Sox, Dodgers, and Brewers.

Week in Review

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Another week in the history books! Here’s a look back from July 13-19:

  • The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the A’s for a package of three minor leaguers: Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matthew Spencer. Cardenas and Outman were the Phils’ #2 and #4 prospects. Personally, that seems like a lot to bring a pitcher who’s already struggling to a much smaller park. Blanton is a much better pitcher than he’s showed this season, however.
  • Francisco Rodriguez will test the free-agent market this offseason. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see K-Rod sign a record-setting contract for a reliever.
  • The Yankees signed Richie Sexson.
  • Francisco Liriano – or at least his agent – is not pleased that the Twins still have him in AAA. The Twins won’t blame Liriano for the investigation. Upsetting a player who’s that young and that talented seems like a bad idea to me…
  • The Padres traded Tony Clark to the Diamondbacks for minor leaguer Evan Scribner. The D’Backs have looked like they can use all the help they can get lately.
  • A.J. Burnett likes Toronto and doesn’t want to be traded. My advice: Don’t talk to Chicago reporters anymore, A.J.
  • Tim updated the third base and second base markets.
  • Erik Bedard’s injury looks like it will keep him in Seattle. And if you don’t believe me yet, here’s another one for you.
  • The Twins balked at Seattle’s asking price for Adrian Beltre. And considering they asked for one of Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins, or Kevin Slowey as well as other minor league prospects, can you blame them?

Dodgers Sign Ozuna, Look To Stay Active

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Ken Gurnick from MLB.com writes that the Dodgers signed veteran utility player Pablo Ozuna today. The White Sox designated Ozuna for assignment on July 8 to make room for Paul Konerko when he returned from the DL. He elected to become a free agent after clearing waivers. Ozuna had posted a mediocre line of .281/.313/.328 in 69 plate appearances for the White Sox this year.

Luis Maza was designated for assignment to make room for Ozuna, Gurnick writes. Maza was called up as a quick shortstop fix earlier in the year, but had posted an abysmal .228/.278/.282 line through 79 ABs with the Dodgers.

Manager Joe Torre refers to Ozuna as a "safety net" at three positions, and also expects the Dodgers to continue to be active over the next 10 days:

"I know Ned [Colletti, general manager] is on the phone, trying to make our club better," Torre said. "Chances are, we’ll be active. Having said that, we’re trying."

Gurnick mentions that the Dodgers are hesitating to bring pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney off the DL, perhaps signaling that an additional move is near on the horizon. General Manager Ned Coletti said that with shortstop options limited in Rafael Furcal’s absence, his desire to acquire a run-producing third baseman would intensify.

Personal speculation: Adrian Beltre is available, and the Twins look to have thrown in the towel on their attempt to acquire him, but the asking price there is quite high. Minnesota could still offer competition to the Dodgers in an attempt to acquire a third baseman. Here’s a look at the third base market.

Casey Blake’s name has been tossed around with the Dodgers. Hank Blalock could be another option, if he can remain healthy and return to his old self. His great run from 2003-2005 seems like a long time ago at this point, but a turnaround would be a tremendous boost to the Dodgers’ lineup.

Perrotto’s Latest: Reliever Rumors, Bard, Cooper

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John Perrotto from Baseball Prospectus has his Sunday column up. Here’s the highlights:

  • The Marlins have recalled Jesus Delgado, a right handed reliever, from Double-A Carolina with the intention of showcasing him for trading possibilities.
  • The Cardinals have narrowed their search for a reliever and are now focusing on either Ron Mahay or Brian Fuentes.
  • Detroit would be willing to include Fernando Rodney in a trade for a starting pitcher.
  • The Orioles don’t want to trade George Sherrill unless they are overwhelmed by an offer.
  • San Diego is expected to activate Josh Bard from the DL this week, and will immediately place him on the trading block.
  • Perrotto feels that Houston manager Cecil Cooper’s job could be in danger after this season if the Astros fail to come up with a strong finish.

Odds & Ends: Nady, Loewen, Torrealba

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Just a few loose ends:

  • Adam Loewen’s career as a pitcher is over.  The once highly-touted prospect is planning to reinvent himself as an outfielder/first baseman rather than opt for surgery and face a year and a half off.
  • Dejan Kovacevic reports that Xavier Nady was out of the lineup on Saturday not because of any pending trade, but because Manager John Russell wanted to give him another day to catch up to himself after a number of days spent sitting in a hospital for the birth of his son, Xavier Jr.
  • Yorvit Torrealba is still unhappy as a backup for Chris Ianetta.  Most likely not a coincidence that he’s voicing it now with the deadline approaching.

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