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Archives for September 2008

Pedro Alvarez Agrees To New Deal

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1:08pm: Kovacevic has more.  He says talks have begun toward resolving the grievance filed by the players union.  He also indicates Alvarez has yet to take his physical.  Meanwhile the Royals hope this means they can get Eric Hosmer back out on the field soon.

8:42am: Good news for Pirates fans – top draft pick Pedro Alvarez agreed to terms on a new contract with the Pirates.  It’s a four-year Major League deal worth $6.355MM, with a couple of option years after that.  The union’s grievance may no longer be an issue. 

Dejan Kovacevic says that with interest and inflation Alvarez is getting around $5.67MM (less than the $6MM minor league deal he originally signed). On the other hand, Alvarez will now be added to the 40-man roster. 

On deadline day, Alvarez and other players did not receive big league deals partially because the two parties no longer had time to conduct a physical.  I’m wondering if the Pirates and Alvarez met up and did this recently.  And when did they find the time to do this post-deadline renegotiation?  I’m surprised it was allowed.

Phillies Payroll Situation

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We’ll get into this more when we do an offseason outlook for the Phillies in a few weeks.  But Jim Salisbury’s column on the team’s ’09 payroll commitments deserves an early look.

Salisbury computes that the Phillies will have over $100MM committed just to retain current under-contract and arb-eligible players.  Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, and others will receive large raises. 

Jamie Moyer and Pat Burrell are free agents.  Moyer seems likely to re-sign for $8-10MM, but Burrell is a question mark.  The Phillies don’t like the idea of giving Burrell a third year, which he could easily find on the open market.

Burrell may leave, but Salisbury doesn’t see the Phillies bringing in Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, Raul Ibanez, or Milton Bradley to replace him for various reasons.  Magglio Ordonez might be available, but he’s basically under contract for three years at $48MM.  And the Phils would have to send useful players to Detroit.  More affordable options the Phillies can consider include Casey Blake and Juan Rivera.

Salisbury also says the Phillies need to add a setup man this winter.  With Brian Fuentes intent on closing, they’ll need to dig through a lesser tier of free agent relievers.

Tigers Rumors: Leyland, Farnsworth, Renteria

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The latest hot stove buzz around the Tigers…

  • Manager Jim Leyland doesn’t expect the team to sign big-name free agents this winter.  He even brought up the idea of signing minor-league free agents to help the ’09 club.  As you know, it’s been rumored the Tigers may need to move Magglio Ordonez to get down to a targeted $100MM payroll.
  • Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts got some nice coverage in the Detroit Free Press for his work cracking the Elias code. Jon Paul Morosi’s article centers on the likelihood of Kyle Farnsworth losing Type B status while Ivan Rodriguez maintains it.  Edgar Renteria’s Type A status is also noted.  It’s not known whether the Yankees and Tigers will risk offering arbitration to Rodriguez and Renteria.

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Sanchez, LaRoche

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More Pirates stuff courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • Shortstop Jack Wilson played very little since breaking a finger on August 31st, but he wanted a plate appearance in front of the die-hard season ticket crowd yesterday at the team’s final home game.  Wilson received a standing ovation, with fans knowing his Pirates career may end with a trade this winter.  Kovacevic says Wilson is a "highly likely trade target," while GM Neal Huntington insists he is not trying to trade his shortstop.  He will definitely listen though.
  • Kovacevic adds Freddy Sanchez as a trade candidate, but feels Adam LaRoche will stay put.  If the Bucs move both middle infielders, they could have a $30MM payroll in ’09.

Odds & Ends: Thome, Fuentes, Reyes

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A few links from the afternoon/evening…

  • Jim Thome’s 9th inning strikeout on Saturday night allowed his 2009 option to kick in, as it was his 564th plate appearance. Thome needed to reach 1100 plate appearances between 2007 and 2008 for the option to be a factor.
  • Rockies’ closer Brian Fuentes would like to remain with the club in 2009. He enjoys his teammates and has experienced success, but also understands that baseball is a business and he may end up somewhere else.
  • Another left-handed relief option that hasn’t garnered much attention is the Twins’ Dennys Reyes. Reyes is a free agent after the 2008 season, and credits the Twins for his turnaround over the past three seasons. He’d like to remain with the club, but because of new left-handed options like Craig Breslow and emerging prospect Jose Mijares, Reyes may have become expendable.

Week in Review: 9/14 – 9/20

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Another week down here at MLBTR, here’s your review!

  • The Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on Monday. Yost has taken a lot of criticism, and while I personally don’t feel like it’s a bad move, it seems like an odd time to disrupt the clubhouse, given that the Brewers are right in the wild card race. Perhaps this was intended to spark the Brewers and act as a wakeup call, but they have just two wins since the move.
  • In an attempt to cut payroll, the Tigers may have to move Magglio Ordonez this offseason. Ordonez will make $18MM next year and has options for 2010 and 2011. Anyone else think the Reds should make a serious run at Maggs? A lineup filled with Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ordonez could be extremely potent, to go along with a rotation anchored by Edinson Volquez, Aaron Harang, and Johnny Cueto.
  • Despite their bullpen woes, the Mets are not likely to make a run at either Francisco Rodriguez, or Brian Fuentes either. The Mets’ internal options have been bad, but K-Rod is in for a record-setting deal, and aside from the sheer number of saves, I don’t feel that his numbers stand out to the point where the team that lands him is going to get the full value of that contract. Personally, I think passing is a good decision.
  • Are the Royals currently interested in making a move for Braves’ right fielder Jeff Francoeur? The Royals have very few guys with solid OBPs, and adding Francoeur to the everyday lineup doesn’t seem like the route to go. Still, he has a long-standing relationship with Royals GM Dayton Moore, so it could be a valid possibility. The Royals have said they are willing to part with anyone aside from Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, and Joakim Soria.
  • The Red Sox and Theo Epstein have agreed to a contract extension.
  • Things to think about for in the offseason: Kevin Gregg expects to be traded, Matt Cain wants to stay in San Francisco, Milton Bradley wants a long-term deal and feels he has a 50-50 chance at returning to the Rangers. In the meantime, likely non-tender candidates include both Josh Bard and Erik Bedard.
  • Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series with entries for the Athletics, Braves, and Tigers. He also took a look at the Third Base Market, led by Casey Blake.
  • And for anyone curious about Manny Ramirez’s end in Boston, here’s Curt Schilling’s take on the situation.

Perrotto’s Latest: GMs, Angels, Offseason Moves

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John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up, let’s take a look at what he has to say:

  • Perrotto believes that there’s a good chance that the only GM change baseball will see this offseason may be the one we already know about, as Pat Gillick has already announced his retirement. Perrotto cites Assitant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as a likely replacement. The most likely other change is in Seattle, and cites Dodgers’ Assistant GM Kim Ng as a possible replacement, which would make her the first female general manager in the game’s history. Perrotto believes Cashman and the Yankees will work something out, though notes that if Cashman leaves, he will ascend to the top of both the Mariners’ and Phillies’ lists.
  • Angels’ owner Arte Moreno says that the 2009 club will not exceed the current $123MM payroll. This leaves the Angels with hard decisions on Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Garrett Anderson, Juan Rivera, and Jon Garland. Of all those options, I see Teixeira as the top priority, as well as the most likely to return. Garland and Rivera seem like certainties to be gone, with Garland being one of the more appealing starters on the free agent market.
  • The Robinson Cano trade rumors continue, as Perrotto expects the Yankees to make a run at Orlando Hudson. Giving up on Cano seems like a mistake to me, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the expectations he set when he nearly won a batting title in 2006. The Yankees are also not likely to re-sign Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu.
  • The Tigers feel they have a good chance at re-signing Freddy Garcia for 2009. Garcia could potentially be a nice rebound candidate in a rotation that desperately needs help. Perrotto mentions that Detroit has considered Derek Lowe as a possibility, but I don’t see how that could work with the Tigers trying to cut payroll at the same time. One thing seems certain: Kenny Rogers will not be pitching for Detroit in 2009.
  • The White Sox have removed the nameplate from Joe Crede’s locker. Doesn’t seem like he’ll be back in 2009, not that that’s necessarily a new revelation.
  • The Royals/Jeff Francouer rumors continue in Perrotto’s column. It’s been written all over the site, but doesn’t it seem like the Royals should actually be pursuing people who have a career OBP that isn’t lower than several good hitters’ career average?
  • The Giants are willing to trade Matt Cain for a solid power hitter in return. Again, I think keeping a rotation headed by Cain and Tim Lincecum for the next few years is a far better option than trading Cain.
  • The Pirates have said that the only guarantee for their rotation next season is Paul Maholm. It’s been a rough season for Ian Snell, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot as well, unless they’re not positive he’ll still be with the club.
  • The Mariners will likely non-tender Erik Bedard, completing the downward spiral on what has been one of the worst trades in recent history. Bedard will have shoulder surgery and likely miss a good portion of 2009.
  • Speaking of disappointing moves: Both Greg Maddux and Kosuke Fukudome are in danger of being left off their respective teams’ postseason rosters.

Dontrelle For Lugo?

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The Tigers 2009 season is going to be reliant on some bounce back candidates to do just that.

According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Tigers will need to guess which of Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, and Nate Robertson will bounce back. And aside from Verlander, they will more than likely want to deal one of them to scale back an already unsustainable projected team salary of $130MM.

Some speculation by Morosi: The Tigers need a shortstop and could swap Dontrelle Willis for Boston’s Julio Lugo. Both guys are signed through 2010, Willis making $22MM and Lugo making $18MM. The Red Sox have shown a willingness to take on reclamation projects in pitchers like Wade Miller and Bartolo Colon, so why not Dontrelle when they have a more favorable (and fan-friendly) option at shortstop in Jed Lowrie? The Tigers could also use the spare $4MM and the Red Sox could afford the risk. Morosi quotes Jim Duquette:

"That can be an effective way to swap players who’ve had below-average years," Duquette said, when asked about that approach. "Lugo would not be a bad player in that situation, as long as you’re not taking on any more money. It would be a break-even proposition. "You take the position player and hope that Lugo has more of a bounce-back year."

Scherzer Open To Fall Ball

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Yesterday, Max Scherzer, in hopes of being in the Diamondbacks rotation in 2009, said, "If they want me to get more innings, I would be more than happy to go to the Arizona Fall League to obtain those innings."

In this piece by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, it’s noted the Diamondbacks do not like to increase an innings count by more than 30 per season and Scherzer will be happy to finish around 60. According to Piecoro, Scherzer referenced a Sports Illustrated article – presumably Tom Verducci’s Year After Effect – and understands that having 60 major league innings under his belt does not guarantee he’ll be a starter next season.

The Diamondbacks conditioned Scherzer, a max-effort pitcher, as a starter in Triple-A, where he totaled 53 innings. If the Diamondbacks go ahead with having him pitch in the Arizona Fall League, I would expect them to monitor Scherzer’s workload and arm strength closely in 2009.

Burnett Open To Extension

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According to John Lott of the National Post, A.J. Burnett is expected to opt out of his contract, but if J.P. Ricciardi offers him a contract extension, Burnett says it "might" change his mind.

As MLBTR pointed out, the Jays are expected to go after Burnett, who could require $15-18MM. With Shawn Marcum needing Tommy John Surgery, the chances they pursue Burnett greatly increases.

Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg seems to think it won’t take much to keep Burnett in Toronto, perhaps only another year on the contract.

Burnett, already a perennial injury risk, has thrown over 3400 pitches this year, the most in the majors. In Lotts’ piece, should Burnett notch his 19th win in his next start, he would decline to pitch on short rest to go after number 20. Finishing healthy is his goal. With Ben Sheets suffering forearm pain, Burnett could find himself the most appealing free agent starter not named CC.

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