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Archives for August 2008

Manny in Pinstripes in 09?

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4:22pm: Rob Neyer has an interesting take on this tidbit. "You think Manny’s too old for a long-term contract?" he asks rhetorically, before running through Gary Sheffield’s late-30s contracts and pointing out that he’ll earn $14 million next year at the age of 40. But wait! "That hasn’t worked out too well for anyone except Sheffield and his agent…Players like Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield are exactly what keep teams like the Red Sox, the Mets, the Dodgers, and (especially) the Yankees from winning 100 games every year."

1:58pm: I promised myself no Manny Ramirez posts today, but…George King is reporting that "a close friend" of the slugger’s told him that Manny "wants to play for the Yankees so he can get at the Red Sox." And of course, Ramirez went to high school in the Bronx [correction: upper Manhattan].

The Yankees well know what Ramirez can do with a bat. Only two players—Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams—have more bombs against the Yankees than Ramirez does, and the New York papers greeted news of his departure from rival Boston with unrestrained glee. In 83 at-bats in Yankee Stadium over the past three years, Ramirez has hit .325/.411/.530.

But would the Yankees actually sign him? They can certainly afford him…but my hunch is that they’d prefer to keep working on their youth movement. And if it’s true, as agent Scott Boras has been saying, that Manny wanted to get out of the media-saturated fishbowl of Boston, a move to New York would be completely illogical. On the other hand, this is Manny we’re talking about…not Spock.

Odds and Ends: Garcia, Gordon, and Falkenborg

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Astros GM Ed Wade is taking a close look at  pitcher Freddy Garcia, currently rehabbing in Miami. Houston is currently 13.5 games out of first place. About 15 teams in all watched Garcia work out, leading to much speculation. His agent told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick that the 33-year old  "would prefer to sign a contract for the rest of 2008, show that he’s fully recovered from shoulder surgery, then go on the open market as a free agent in November." Here’s the full list of teams who watched him work out: The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Tigers, Rangers, Mets, Phillies, Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Rockies, and Dodgers, and possibly the White Sox and Marlins. The Phillies aren’t interested. Garcia is expected to make a decision soon.

It’s looking like Tom Gordon’s season is done. He was on the DL for inflammation in his elbow, but it’s now starting to look like he’ll need surgery. Philadelphia was hoping the righty set-up man would be back in time for their stretch run.

The Dodgers have DFA’d Brian Falkenborg to make room for Brad Penny. The thirty-year-old righty has a 6.17 ERA in 11 and two-thirds innings with LA this year. He has never pitched more than 20 innings per season in the big leagues.

Jarrod Washburn Placed on Waivers

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3:32: I’m a bit confused by these two reports, as I thought there was an automatic waiting period of three business days. Either there’s something I’m missing (entirely probable) or there’s a discrepancy here. I’ll keep looking for something definitive.

1:09pm: The Seattle Times is reporting that Washburn has cleared waivers.

11:48am: Jarrod Washburn was put on waivers yesterday by Seattle. They’ll expire on Tuesday. Are the Yankees still interested? Ken Rosenthal didn’t think so, but that was last week. Last we heard, the Mariners wanted quite a bit, and the Mets, Rockies, and White Sox had also been mentioned as possible suitors.

Washburn turns 34 in less than a week, and has a 4.76 ERA this year. Next year, he’s owed $10.35MM. Maybe the Mariners have decided to come down their asking price.

Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Teixeira, Ibanez, Giles, Lee

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CC Sabathia is 6-0 since getting traded to the Brewers, and naturally his teammates are thrilled to have him. Especially Prince Fielder, who said of his new ace, "I’m like his mini-me."

Angels owner Arte Moreno said it was "emotional" for him to trade home-grown first baseman Casey Kotchman, but that he won’t regret the move even if new Angel Mark Teixeira leaves as a free agent after the season. He mentioned budding AAA star Kendry Morales as a possible replacement.

The News Tribune’s Larry LaRue worries that the Mariners won’t be able to keep Raul Ibanez after the season. Ibanez has said he’d like a 4-year deal, but LaRue sees the M’s offering three at most. Plus, he notes that it’s a little late for them to start talking about a contract extension.

Brian Giles is annoyed that details of his vetoed trade to Boston became public. "I didn’t know everybody was supposed to know, especially when it wasn’t a done deal and it wouldn’t go down," Giles said. "It’s kind of between myself and my agent and Boston and the Padres." He also expressed a desire to stay with the Pads—a preference that was greeted with suspicion by the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.

And President George W. Bush thinks Carlos Lee’s contract is just fine.

Rays Designate Reyes

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Last night, veteran Al Reyes was DFA’d by the Tampa Bay Rays to make room for Chad Bradford. Reyes is 38 and has a 4.37 ERA (actually a touch better than last year’s mark of 4.90). He’s had two stints on the DL this year, and has had a 5.14 ERA in 8 games since last being activated. Reyes said he needs to get the ball more than "every four or five days" to stay consistent, but also said he wasn’t surprised by the move. He’s making 2.3MM this year.

The Rays have 10 days to make a move. I’m on the fence here; on the one hand, Reyes is 38 and has shoulder problems and a terrible ERA for a reliever. On the other, he had 26 saves last year, and with the way that saves are currently valued in baseball, I feel like some team is bound to roll the dice with him.

Huston Street Claimed On Waivers

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8:42pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney says a non-contender won the claim on Street and brief trade talks didn’t go anywhere.  No big surprise; he’ll stay put for now.

9:03am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes of "rumblings that several teams had put in waiver claims on A’s closer Huston Street."  A’s assistant GM David Forst wouldn’t comment specifically, but it is believed the team is unlikely to move Street this month.  The A’s would have to receive prospects not on a team’s 40-man roster, or else somehow convince the Royals, Indians, and Mariners not to claim their return package.

Street, 25, has a 4.20 ERA in 49.1 innings this year.  His strikeout rate is down, while walks and home runs are up.  Plus, his average fastball velocity has slipped below 90 mph.  Street dealt with a groin strain in June.

The A’s talked about an extension with Street in March, which would’ve covered his last two arbitration years and perhaps his first of free agency.  Street will earn a raise from his current $3.3MM for his ’09 salary.

Marlins Sign Lo Duca, Claim Ausmus

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According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca to a minor league deal today.  Lo Duca will head to Triple A as the team’s insurance plan.

The Nationals signed Lo Duca for a hefty $5MM in December of ’07, three days before he was named in the Mitchell Report.  The 36 year-old hit just .230/.301/.281 in 153 plate appearances, hobbled by knee surgery and a broken bone in his throwing hand.  Lo Duca was a Marlin for part of the ’04 season and all of ’05, though he did not hit well for them.

Additionally, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports that the Marlins claimed Brad Ausmus off waivers from the Astros.  It’s unclear whether they’ll work out a deal or salary dump.  Ausmus is owed another $590K this year.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Giles, Teixeira, Dunn, Manny

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A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere…

  • Orioles Outsider projects what Mark Teixeira should be worth on the open-market and wonders how much above that number the O’s should be willing to go.
  • Baltimore Birds Nest thinks that the only way Teixeira ends up in an O’s uniform next season is if Peter Angelos opens the wallet and makes the biggest offer.
  • Camden Chat would prefer to have Adam Dunn over Teixeira.
  • The Shadow of Manny Ramirez compares the Manny Ramirez trade to a scene from "Sex and the City"…Don’t worry. It went over my head also.
  • Not to be outdone, Soxaholix wonders why every time one of the Sox best players leaves town, it is like an episode of the new "90210".

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Brian Giles Blocks Trade To Boston

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2:17pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Giles would have vetoed a deal to the Rays as well.  Cafardo believes the Red Sox will continue to monitor the waiver wire for a bench bat.  Amalie Benjamin says the Sox weren’t broken up about Giles’ decision, and trade talks didn’t get too far.

12:55pm: It’s official – Giles has blocked the deal.  The window has closed.   You may recall he originally took less to sign with the Padres back in ’05.

12:35pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney says Giles plans to block a trade to Boston.

8:41am: The Brian Giles situation should be resolved today.  New take on it this morning: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has a baseball source indicating "the Red Sox claimed Giles out of legitimate interest and not as an attempt to keep another team from claiming him."

Ken Rosenthal wrote yesterday, "the move was apparently designed as a block to prevent the Tampa Bay Rays from claiming Giles, sources say."

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