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Archives for September 2008

Odds and Ends: Pujols, Isringhausen, K-Rod

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I am going to toss up some links as I come across them, so check back on this post.

  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has an excellent piece on the Pedro Alvarez situation, including quotes from Scott Boras and Max Scherzer.  The grievance will be heard tomorrow, but the entire process could take months.
  • The big news of the day is not hot stove related.  Albert Pujols is considering offseason Tommy John surgery, which would require seven to nine months of recovery time.  It could cause him to miss April of ’09.  UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal’s sources say Pujols does not intend to have the surgery this offseason.
  • In the same article, reliever Jason Isringhausen says he hopes to be ready for spring training after elbow surgery.  He spoke of getting "an incentive-based deal with someone."
  • Joel Sherman doesn’t buy into the speculation that the Mets will be aggressive in pursuing Francisco Rodriguez due to Billy Wagner’s injury.  K-Rod has had 61 save opportunities this year, 14 more than anyone else.  No other pitcher has reached 60 opps this decade.  Rodriguez may pursue a five-year, $75MM deal.
  • SI.com’s Tom Verducci looks at the dumbing down of bullpen roles.
  • Andrew Baggarly offers a possible explanation for Conor Gillaspie’s call-up: a "predraft understanding."  Gillaspie signed for slot as the 37th overall pick.  Adding him to the 40-man roster now is less than ideal.
  • RotoWorld’s Matthew Pouliot predicts destinations and contracts for free agent pitchers.  His article also includes non-tender candidates.
  • Cork Gaines gives a rundown of the Rays’ 2009 commitments.
  • This week’s chat has been moved to Wednesday at 2pm CST.

Padres Meet With Hoffman

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MLB.com’s Barry Bloom spoke to Padres closer Trevor Hoffman yesterday.  Hoffman revealed that he met with GM Kevin Towers on Saturday, and came away with positive feelings about re-signing for ’09.  First, however, the Padres need to determine their payroll for next year.

Hoffman mentioned a desire for a multiyear deal, which could complicate the situation.  The Padres surely want him back, but would they lock the 41 year-old in for two years?  Perhaps one year with a vesting option would satisfy both parties.  Hoffman will only explore the open market if the Padres don’t want him back.

Odds and Ends: Alvarez, Orioles, K-Rod, Bradley

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A few more notes from the MLBiverse…

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

McGwire Open To Idea Of Playing Again

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Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch interviewed Mark McGwire about the 10th anniversary of breaking Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. At the end of the article McGwire indicates that he thinks he can still play.

Today, McGwire says, he works out twice a day and still weighs 245 pounds. "I can still hit, if somebody wants me," he said. "Now, wouldn’t that be a shocker?"

Let me say that McGwire may have been joking. However, Hummel gives us no indication that this is the case.

Earlier today, Joe Stiglich reported that the A’s would seek to add power to the lineup this off-season and that they would be more likely to acquire a power-hitter through free agency. Would Billy Beane try to coax McGwire out of retirement? McGwire did play 11 seasons for the A’s and they do have an opening for a DH in ’09 along with a dire need to add an impact bat.

The possibility does seem far-fetched, but this is the type of move that Beane would not shy from. And if McGwire did decide to lace up the sneakers for one more season, this is the exact situation under which it would have to happen.

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

Wagner Out For A Year; Mets Now Need A Closer For ’09

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3:22pm: In a press conference clip aired on WFAN, Omar Minaya says it will indeed be Tommy John surgery.

3:05pm: The report originally said Wagner would have surgery on the tendon in his elbow. The report has now been changed to say the surgery will be on a ligament and will not require Tommy John surgery as originally reported.

Dan Graziano is reporting that Billy Wagner will need surgery on his elbow and will likely miss the entire ’09 season.

A Mets team official confirmed that Mets closer Billy Wagner will have elbow surgery this week and will miss the remainder of his season and possibly the entire 2009 season as well…Wagner is scheduled to make $10.5 million in 2009, the final year of his four-year, $43 million contract with the Mets.

The Mets do have an $8MM option on Wagner for ’10, with a $1M buyout. However, with the surgery, the Mets are unlikely to pick up the option.

Of a more immediate concern is the closer position for the Mets in ’09. It would seem likely that the Mets would now be one of the front-runners to land Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, both of whom are eligible for free agency following the season. It was reported that the Mets were interested in Fuentes prior to the trade deadline.

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

Several Teams Could Have New GMs In ’09

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A few articles today take a look at some GM positions in ’09 that will have new faces…

  • Michael Radano takes a look at who might fill the GM post for the Phillies in ’09. Based on the Phillies current success, Radano wonders if they should just promote from within. That would mean one of the team’s assistant GMs, Mike Arbuckle and Ruben Amaro Jr. Both Arbuckle and Amaro have interviewed with other teams for open GM positions in the past.
  • Rick Freeman takes a look at the names most likely to end up as the GM in Seattle (John Hart, Gerry Hunsicker, Kevin Towers, Kim Ng) and the Phillies (Hunsicker, Arbuckle, Amaro Jr) noting that Hunsicker was the leading candidate for the same post three years ago prior to the hiring of Pat Gillick. He also notes that Kevin Towers will not likely be kept from interviewing with other teams this time around and Ned Colletti could be gone if the Dodgers miss the playoffs. Among the GMs that Freeman believes will remain with their current teams are Brian Sabean, Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein, the latter two of whom are in the final year of their respective contracts.
  • A blogger interviewed Paul DePodesta. The Padres assistant General Manager sounds like somebody that has no interest in becoming a GM for another organization, saying "I think I’ve moved around enough and when you land in a place like San Diego there isn’t much incentive to leave. The reality is that I came here for a number of reasons, both professional (the people who work here) and personal (my wife’s family), so unless those things change I would like to stay here as long as they’ll have me." DePodesta may be waiting for Towers to move to another organization.

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

A’s To Seek Power This Offseason

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Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times reports that the A’s will look to add power to the lineup this off-season.

Though Beane is pleased with the [speed] the A’s have shown, he doesn’t think it holds the key to long-range prosperity…"There’s no question that moving forward, short-term and long-term, we have to get some power," he said. "Obviously you’d like to have young power, but in the short term we have to look at something for next season, too."

Stiglich says the A’s will look for an impact bat in the free agent market noting that Beane added that he is reluctant to trade prospects from the system for a power hitter.

Second base (Mark Ellis) and DH (Frank Thomas) are Oakland’s only positions with a pending free agent. However, the A’s could probably find upgrades at several other spots. Knowing how Beane values draft picks, he is unlikely to go after any Type A free agents.

So let’s hear it in the comments. Who are some free agents the A’s could pursue this off-season?

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

Odds And Ends: Millar, Lowe, Jays, Ibanez, Garciaparra, Posey

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A few notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Kevin Millar wants to return to the Orioles in ’09. Of course, many feel the O’s will make a run at Mark Teixeira this off-season which would decrease Millar’s chances of re-signing, unless both sides feel he can be a full-time DH. Millar made $2.75MM this season.
  • Detroit Tiger Thoughts has made an adjustment to the projected Elias ranking for Derek Lowe. He will indeed be a Type A free agent this off-season.
  • The original article is missing from the Toronto Sun, but Sportsnet has the piece in which Paul Godfrey says the Jays are unlikely to include opt-out clauses in any future contracts based on the current situation with AJ Burnett. Some believe Burnett will exercise his opt-out clause and declare himself a free agent this winter.
  • Jim Street says the value of Raul Ibanez goes beyond stats…However, it remains to be seen if his value to Seattle will go beyond the two draft picks they would receive for letting him walk this off-season.
  • Michael Schwartz says another free agent-to-be, Nomar Garciaparra, has proven his worth to the Dodgers in his new role coming off the bench.
  • Even though Brian Sabean went to see Buster Posey play in person, he ruled out any chance of Posey making his major league debut this season.

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

Yankees Send Michael To Japan

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Mark Feinsand is reporting that the Yankees have sent Gene Michael to Japan to scout potential acquisitions for ’09.

That Michael was sent to Japan for the first time signifies a shift for the Yankees, who have relied on their Pacific scouts for several years. Following the disastrous signing of Kei Igawa, however, the Yankees aren’t taking any chances, sending one of their most trusted talent evaluators to look at potential acquisitions.

Feinsand notes that it is unclear which players the Yankees are interested in, but does list several players that could be available including right-handers Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami and lefty Hitoki Iwase, a reliever.

Feinsand does not mention the biggest potential prize, Yu Darvish. Previously the Yankees were listed as one of the teams with a scout at the Olympics to watch Darvish. While nobody is certain that Darvish will be posted this winter, if rumors of a $75MM posting fee are even close to accurate, the Yankees will have to be involved.

In July we looked at some potential free agents from Japan and last winter East Windup Chronicle ranked several Japanese pitchers, none of whom have yet to make the jump to the US.

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

Week In Review: 8/31 – 9/6

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Sunday afternoon means it’s time to look back at the week and recap the major stories here on MLBTR. Let’s take a look:

  • Arizona made a move to help replace Orlando Hudson when they acquired David Eckstein from Toronto for minor league pitcher Chad Beck. Second major move we saw from the D’Backs in August, and it seems like a fair price to add some stability to the middle of their infield for the remainder of the season.
  • Brief update on the Pedro Alvarez drama. The Pirates will not re-negotiate his contract even if that option is somehow allowed.
  • Tim began a couple of new series this week, one being the Offseason Outlook series, which will take a look at potential signings and moves for each team this offseason. So far, the Giants, Mariners, Padres, and Orioles have been covered.
  • Tim also broke down some of the free agent market, taking a look at free agent starters sorted by strikeout rate, and position players sorted by on-base percentage.
  • Curious to see if your team’s pitchers will be Type-A or B free agents? Here’s a look at the Elias rankings for both American League and National League free agent starters.
  • Speaking of starting pitchers, Randy Wolf (Type B) has decided that his desire to pitch closer to home wasn’t as important as he originally thought. He’ll be open to all options this offseason. Wolf has pitched well since being acquired by Houston, despite moving to a more hitter-friendly park.
  • Can’t say I’m surprised, but if you any Seattle fans were hoping for a big-name free agent this offseason, you’ll have to wait a bit longer.

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