Archives for July 2008

Quiet Deadline For Tigers?

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:17pm CDT

Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press believes the Tigers might be quiet in the trade market this month. However, the team could use starting pitching and relief help.

Morosi notes that the Tigers have not inquired on Randy Wolf or Greg Maddux. What’s more, Wolf has the Tigers on his no-trade list. One starter known to be on Detroit’s radar: Freddy Garcia.

Morosi adds that the Tigers had discussions for John Grabow and Damaso Marte earlier this year. And keep in mind that Barry Svrluga said back in April that the Tigers "will watch Jon Rauch very closely."

Cardinals Scouting Nationals

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:04pm CDT

Here’s a nugget from MLB.com’s Jim Molony:

The Cardinals had a scout watching the Nationals recently, though it is unclear which player(s) were being scouted — perhaps Tim Redding or Odalis Perez, both available inexpensive options who have been pitching well lately.

You’ll find both starters in our recent Trade Market post, and they do make sense for St. Louis. However, Tony La Russa is primarily pushing for a bat to protect Albert Pujols. Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman wouldn’t qualify, but he would be an improvement over Cesar Izturis and Brendan Ryan.

What’s Next For D’Backs?

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:00pm CDT

FRIDAY: Milton Bradley is also not on Arizona’s radar.

THURSDAY: D’Backs right fielder Justin Upton may hit the DL with an oblique strain, while left fielder Eric Byrnes is probably out for the season. Will the D’Backs make an acquisition?

The Barry Bonds idea has been dismissed. Beat writer Nick Piecoro wonders about Kenny Lofton, but GM Josh Byrnes prefers either a trade or internal options. Byrnes’ comments:

"There’s sort of a fine line between patience and stubbornness. But if we’re going to do something to improve our offense, it’s sort of [a question of] whose at-bats are we replacing, and what is that saying about an offense that at the end of last year, beginning of this year, looked like it was sort of taking a step forward? It’s not as simple as the last couple of months, although the last couple of months we haven’t swung the bats very well. Certainly sticking with guys who have shown it, and are young enough to start showing progress, is a consideration."

MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert notes that with those comments, Byrnes doesn’t rule out pursuing a pitcher. Micah Owings and Randy Johnson both have ERAs over 5.00, but they’ve pitched well at times and an upgrade seems unlikely.

Wesley Baier of AZSnakepit recently asked me who the D’Backs could acquire as a platoon partner for Chad Tracy, and I rattled off some lefty-mashers. Casey Blake is an interesting name, especially if he can fill in at right field.

Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 10:32am CDT

Friday linkage…

Yesterday I linked to Dave Cameron’s piece, in which he wondered whether Matt Kemp is overrated. Here’s the other side of the debate, a response from Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.
Joe Sports Fans names the seven worst trades of the decade. I have some arguments here; what do you think? I wrote this post on the Pierzynski/Nathan/Liriano/Bonser deal two years ago, but I still think it holds that Brian Sabean’s trade looked reasonable at the time.
Joel Sherman wonders if the Mets and Yankees should consider trading for Washington outfielder Austin Kearns.
Matt Gelb takes a look at Phillies prospect Carlos Carrasco, who does not want to be traded.
The Yankees rightfully don’t view Freddy Garcia as much of an upgrade, since he won’t be ready until late August at the earliest.
Tracy Ringolsby runs through various players on the trade market. Interestingly, he does not see A.J. Burnett being traded.
Cardinals Diaspora suggests the Cards tangle with Billy Beane again, this time for Joe Blanton.
Dave Dombrowski doesn’t see Ryan Perry in the Tigers’ bullpen this year, after all.
Armchair GM challenges SI.com’s Jon Heyman to put his money where his mouth is.

D’Backs Interested In Tony Clark

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 9:34am CDT

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres’ callup of first baseman Bryan Myrow increases the likelihood of a Tony Clark trade. Myrow, 31, hit .324/.455/.502 in 87 Triple A games. Granted, he’s had multiple stints at Triple A. But Myrow is a Paul DePodesta favorite who has never gotten a legitimate shot in the bigs despite mastery of Triple A.

DePo had this to say about Clark on his blog:

Tony is the type of player that you’ll often see moved at the deadline. He’s a veteran player who has been very successful coming off the bench in recent years, can change the game with one swing of the bat from either side of the plate, and is known in the industry as one of the finest clubhouse leaders in the game.

DePodesta admits that Clark’s power, his calling card, is down significantly this year. He’s slugging just .314; it may be due to the limited role. Krasovic notes that Clark gets a $500K bonus if traded. According to Jack Macgruder, the D’Backs might be interested in bringing him back. They made a two-year offer to Clark in December, but pulled it off the table.

No One Wants Bonds

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 9:25am CDT

FRIDAY: Just to hammer it home a little further, we have Bonds rejections from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, and Phillies today.

THURSDAY: Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris makes it clear that none of the 30 teams are interested in his client:

"I am not talking to any club about Barry Bonds, because they all made it very clear to me they are not interested in him. Every club. I can’t believe he doesn’t have a job. No one has offered even the minimum salary. He made the All-Star team last year, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have a repeat performance in 2008, except for the conspiracy against him."

Borris says Bonds could be ready in ten days. Contenders such as the Angels, Rays, Tigers, and A’s have gotten subpar performance out of the DH spot but they’ve all decided to pass on Bonds for various reasons. Borris would have to admit that even some of these clubs would have trouble fitting Bonds onto the roster.

Jays Scouting Dodgers’ A Ball Team

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 9:16am CDT

Yesterday I neglected to mention a nugget from Jeff Blair’s blog post:

Sources say the Blue Jays have also zeroed in on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have had people at games involving their Single-A Great Lakes Loons affiliate.

The best prospects on that team are probably Bryan Morris and Andrew Lambo, according to Baseball America. But how would the Dodgers and Jays match up?

Matt Stairs might make sense for the Dodgers. On July 1st, Ken Rosenthal suggested he’d be perfect and that the two teams had spoken. The Dodgers have also been linked to David Eckstein. A.J. Burnett is unlikely – Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Dodgers probably weren’t looking for pitchers after missing out on CC Sabathia.

Alou Out For Season, Could Retire

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 9:58pm CDT

Not that the Mets were counting on him, but it looks like Moises Alou’s body has broken down beyond repair. He’s torn a hamstring, and doctors are recommending surgery. It might be time to hang ’em up. Alou’s had a fine career, banging out 332 home runs. He topped a .900 OPS in many seasons.

Taking Alou of the picture entirely might cause Omar Minaya to hasten his search for a corner outfielder. The market offers names like Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Adam Dunn, Raul Ibanez, Frank Catalanotto, Kenny Lofton, Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Mets top prospect Fernando Martinez, 19, is hitting .298/.336/.428 in 50 games at Double A (he missed some time with a strained hamstring).

Mariners Acquire Craig Wilson

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 9:46pm CDT

The Mariners acquired Craig Wilson today from the Pirates for a player to be named later.

Hopefully the goal is not to use Wilson at the big league level, as he’s hitting just .230/.327/.396 at Triple A. Wilson had some useful years as a Pirate from 2001-06 though.

The Bucs did some additional minor league shuffling, acquiring pitcher Dan Reichert and outfielder Ryan Mulhern from the Indians.

Dodgers Sign First Round Pick Ethan Martin

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 9:32pm CDT

As expected, the Dodgers signed their first round pick Ethan Martin today for about $1.7MM. He was a pitcher and third baseman in high school, and the Dodgers intend to use him as a pitcher.

The Dodgers have taken many high school pitchers in the first round recently: Chris Withrow, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Elbert, and Chad Billingsley.

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