Odds and Ends: Steinbrenner, Burnett, Sabathia
Links for Sunday, before I head out to Chipotle…
- Hank Steinbrenner talked to George King of the New York Post. He made it clear that he has not taken a step back in running the Yankees. Hank also mentions Mark Teixeira by name, calling him a "quality player."
- Ken Davidoff tries to determine if A.J. Burnett‘s injury-prone days are behind him, as his agent would like us to believe.
- Henry Schulman chatted with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
- John Shea lays odds for the C.C. Sabathia bidding.
- Phil Rogers campaigns for an extension for Cubs GM Jim Hendry. He wonders if Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood would follow if Hendry joined a different team.
- A’s GM Billy Beane talked to Matthew Lutovsky of the Sporting News about fantasy baseball as well as a new video game.
Manny Ramirez Notes
A few Manny Ramirez-related links for you today…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News says Ramirez "not-too-seriously" pondered whether he could get a six-year deal. We have seen legitimate reports that Scott Boras wants five years for him.
- Ben Shpigel talked with Manny about the Mets, hinting that they could use a slugger like him next year. Manny kept talking about the ball not carrying well at Shea, even though the Mets won’t be playing there next year.
- Mike Lupica on why the Mets and Yankees should avoid Manny.
DiPoto Leading For Seattle GM Job?
From ESPN’s Buster Olney this morning:
Heard this: Arizona executive Jerry DiPoto is among the front-runners to get the Seattle job, and if he does land it, this will increase the likelihood that Pat Gillick winds up serving as some kind of consultant for the Mariners.
DiPoto was reportedly among five candidates interviewed this week; Larry Stone profiled them here. By the way, A’s assistant GM David Forst decided not to interview with the Mariners. Forst may end up taking on a larger role with the A’s. Phil Rogers crossed Rick Hahn of the White Sox off the list, and Larry LaRue reminded us that Chris Antonetti also passed.
Catcher Michael Barrett Now Free Agent
The San Diego Padres have announced that Michael Barrett has opted for free agency after clearing waivers. As an eleven-year MLB veteran, Barrett has the right to decline being optioned to the minors and has instead decided to hit the open market.
During a 2008 season that saw him hit the DL twice, limiting him to only 107 plate appearances, the 31-year old had a poor .202/.274/.298 line. These numbers are a far cry from what he had done as a Cub between 2004-2006, during which he had an OPS of at least .824. While getting out of San Diego should do him some good, it’s becoming quite clear that Barrett no longer hits well enough to compensate for his defensive deficiencies.
Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: Paul *at* umpbump *dot* com.
Giants Discussing Uggla, Konerko And Lee?
The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers mentions some names that the offensively-challenged San Francisco Giants are considering acquiring this off-season, specifically, Dan Uggla, Paul Konerko, and Derrek Lee. He writes:
San Francisco, desperate for a proven bat, is expected to pursue one-dimensional second baseman Dan Uggla. The Giants also may kick the tires on first baseman Paul Konerko of the White Sox and Derrek Lee of the Cubs, both of whom have full no-trade clauses. They probably would have to deal a young pitcher—Jonathan Sanchez or Matt Cain.
I understand why the Giants would want to add some bats. They averaged 3.95 runs per game in 2008, just barely ahead of San Diego who had an MLB-worst 3.93 runs/game. But I do not understand why they’d want these three guys specifically.
- Uggla is arbitration-eligible this year and you’d have to assume he’s due for a pretty big raise from his current $417K salary. Despite this, Uggla will probably cost around $6MM in 2009, which is a steal in today’s market. He’s certainly no defensive asset, but second basemen with 30+ HR power are not exactly plentiful. But here’s the issue – Uggla’s going to be 29 in March, which is rather old for a first-year arbitration player. If the Giants somehow manage to get him on the cheap, then good for them. If they need to give up one of their young pitchers to do so, that would be a mistake.
- If the White Sox trade away Konerko, they’d be doing so at what could be a bargain price. The first baseman will be 33 on Opening Day and is a 10-and-5 player and as such has a full no-trade clause, not to mention the $24MM due to him over the next two years. I’m not sure how you’re going to convince him to waive that no-trade without tacking on another two years to the end of that deal. And while I expect Konerko to have a decent bounce-back year in 2009, he’s never going to be a 40+HR bat again. The Giants are not going to be competitive in 2009 and Paul Konerko is not going to change that.
- A similar argument can be made against the idea of getting Derrek Lee to the Bay. Also signed for two more seasons (at $13MM per), Lee’s a bit older than Konerko and his power numbers have dropped quite a bit. And as Rogers mentions, the Cubs will not let Lee go without getting compensated with a Cain or Sanchez in return. Lee may have two more above-average years left in him. Cain and Sanchez is worth far more than that to a rebuilding team like the Giants.
Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: Paul *at* umpbump *dot* com.
Giants Outright Walker, Correia, Hennessey
The Giants shuffled their 40-man roster this week, cutting ties with pitchers Tyler Walker, Kevin Correia, and Brad Hennessey. All three were eligible for arbitration and probably would’ve received significant raises, but are now set to become free agents.
According to the SF Chronicle’s John Shea, the Giants would’ve traded them, but all three cleared waivers without drawing interest from other clubs.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 *at* umpbump *dot* com.
Odds And Ends: Cuban, Zaun, Hall, Mariners
Saturday morning linkage:
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn’t consult the prospective new owners before picking up Rich Harden‘s option, and that’s fine by Mark Cuban.
- The Blue Jays are expected to pick up Rod Barajas‘ option; there’s still a possibility that Gregg Zaun will return. The 37-year old Zaun is eligible to become a free agent.
- Speaking of catchers, Sox Machine analyzes the pros/cons of the White Sox keeping or moving backup catcher Toby Hall.
- The Yankees are correctly focusing on their rotation and will sign one or two free agent pitchers, thinks the LoHud Journal News’ Peter Abraham, which in turn may prohibit them from going after Mark Teixeira.
- A’s assistant GM David Forst will not interview with the Mariners for their vacant GM position.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached hre: alexo05 *at* umpbump *dot* com.
Would Peavy Play For Yankees?
Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record recently chatted with Jake Peavy‘s agent, Barry Axelrod. Peavy prefers to stay in San Diego, but not if they decide to rebuild. In that case, he’d apparently considering waiving his no-trade clause for three unknown American League teams (his National League number is not known). Axelrod spoke in generalities about the appeal of pinstripes, which could be seen as an indication Peavy might be willing to play for the Yankees.
Peavy would need some kind of extra compensation to approve any trade. Caldera speculates that guaranteeing the pitcher’s 2013 option might satisfy him. That’d put him under contract for $81MM over five years – still a market discount. A.J. Burnett might be seeking that kind of contract.
Acquiring Peavy could be the next best thing to signing C.C. Sabathia. Tough to say how Peavy would fare at the new Yankee Stadium – his home/road splits were pronounced in ’08, ’06, and ’03. It’s hard to see the Padres trading Peavy to the Yankees without Phil Hughes being involved. Kevin Towers has been Brian Cashman’s most frequent trading partner – they’ve matched up on nine deals (but none since ’05).
Odds and Ends: Beltran, Brewers, Padres
Links for Friday…
- The Padres claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Surprising to see the Giants let him go.
- Ted Berg at MetsBlog explains how a Carlos Beltran rumbling spun out of control.
- I recently did a Brewers Q&A with Bernie’s Crew.
- The Padres called yesterday’s report about John Moores selling his share of the team "highly speculative." Tim Sullivan considers the statement revealing, and notes that this is a bad time to sell.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times chatted with Scott Boras.
- Mark Cuban mentions that the struggling economy is slowing down the sale of the Cubs.
- Terry Pluto believes the Indians should pursue Brian Roberts.
- David Brown at Yahoo profiles Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman.
- Freddy Garcia is headed to winter ball. The Tigers will have the first crack at signing him. Andruw Jones will also play winter ball; he seems to want a trade if he’s not a starter next year.
- Elbow surgery for Tom Gordon, which probably means the Phillies will buy out his ’09 option for $1MM.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Manny, Burnett
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- Royals Authority feels it will take a Johan Santana-type deal to trade Zack Greinke this offseason.
- Goat Riders Of The Apocalypse takes an in depth look at the Cubs ’09 roster and what changes could be made.
- Mets Geek (or is it Rays Geek?) thinks the most important move for the Mets this winter is to sign Manny Ramirez, but only for three-years and an option.
- River Ave. Blues agree that Manny should only be signed by the Yankees if it can be done for less than five years.
- MetsBlog calls Orlando Hudson a "must sign" this off-season.
- The Chuck Knoblog doesn’t see how the Yankees can sign two big free agent pitchers and a first baseman and still get the payroll down to $180-185MM.
- Drunk Jays Fans does not see any way A.J. Burnett will return to the Jays next season.
- First And Goal From Second Base wants to see the Twins trade Jason Kubel for a reliever.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.