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Archives for October 2008

Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Hardy, Manny

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Let’s take a look at Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday.

  • The Yankees will go "all in" for C.C. Sabathia.  Heyman sees the Dodgers, Mets, and Giants as other possible suitors.
  • Heyman dismisses a rumor of J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and another player for Matt Cain.
  • He predicts a "feeding frenzy" for Hardy.  I’m with Heyman though, I wouldn’t be quick to trade him this winter.
  • Heyman talked to a GM who feels the Mets will go after Boras client Manny Ramirez.  If the five-year demand is accurate, the list of suitors will probably shrink significantly.
  • Manny quote: "I gotta thank Scott for bringing me to L.A."  Hmmm.

Astros Rumors: Sabathia, Wolf, Hawkins

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Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has the lowdown on the Astros.

  • Again the word "tweak" is thrown around in regard to the Astros’ offseason.  So I would not expect a major signing or trade.
  • Regarding C.C. Sabathia, owner Drayton McLane said, "That might be way out of our league."
  • The Astros will try to re-sign Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins.  It would still make sense to sign a starter if Wolf is retained.  GM Ed Wade has flexibility to go past last year’s $90MM payroll.
  • The ’Stros will apparently go with internal options in center field.  At catcher, they’ll look for someone to complement J.R. Towles.  Pretty much all the catchers out there are short-term options anyway.

Burnett’s Agent Speaks

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George King of the New York Post chatted with A.J. Burnett’s agent Darek Braunecker recently. Braunecker says Burnett does not want the free agent process to drag all winter if he does opt out.  Burnett has a list of teams he does not want to play for, and the Yankees aren’t on it.

King notes that the Nationals were the only team besides the Blue Jays to offer Burnett five years back in ’05.  This year King sees the Yanks, Red Sox, and Orioles in the mix.  Burnett’s preference to be close to his Maryland home could be a factor.  A few of other eastern teams that may be looking for pitching include the Braves, Mets, and Phillies.

Odds and Ends: Bonds, Crow, Odalis Perez

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Links for Tuesday…

  • Barry Bonds is enjoying his freedom.
  • MLB.com has a list of all the potential free agents. The Dodgers lead with 14, while the Royals and Giants have only two.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin may get an extension soon.
  • Rich Harden will have a shoulder exam soon, which will inform the Cubs’ decision on his $7MM option.
  • MLB.com’s Matthew Leach sees the Cardinals letting starter Braden Looper leave, but attempting to re-sign infielder Felipe Lopez.
  • The Kansas City Star’s Bill Reiter catches up with Aaron Crow, who is basically just chillin’ right now.  MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel says the Royals like Crow, but he may not be around when they draft 12th in 2009.
  • Ken Rosenthal agrees that the Rays owe their success to much more than just top draft picks.
  • Pete McElroy notes that Odalis Perez would love to re-sign with the Nationals.  Perez pitched 159.2 respectable innings but earned less than a million bucks.
  • Eddie Bajek has his final Elias rankings for NL relievers.  Type As: Ryan Dempster, Russ Springer, Juan Cruz, Doug Brocail, Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, and Jason Isringhausen.  Type Bs: Joe Beimel, Jeremy Affeldt, Brian Shouse, Bob Howry, David Weathers, Trevor Hoffman, Eric Gagne, and Brandon Lyon.  If one of these players is offered arbitration, turns it down, and signs elsewhere, his old team gets one or two draft picks.
  • MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin doesn’t see the need for the Orioles to sign Jeremy Guthrie to a long-term deal this winter.

White Sox Looking For Speed

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With their season over, it’s time to round up some White Sox rumors.

  • Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald says GM Kenny Williams wants to add speed to the top and bottom of his order.  Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune hints at the same.
  • The speedy and available: Brian Roberts, Ichiro Suzuki (maybe), Coco Crisp, Nick Punto, Willy Taveras, Jerry Hairston Jr., Juan Pierre, Randy Winn, Bobby Abreu, Luis Castillo, Corey Patterson, Julio Lugo, and Cesar Izturis.
  • Gonzales says Juan Uribe (free agent) and Toby Hall (club option) would like to return.  Ken Griffey Jr. would also be willing to talk.
  • Gonzales ponders a veteran shakeup, wondering if the Sox will look to move players with no-trade clauses such as Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, and Javier Vazquez.  Chris De Luca sees Nick Swisher staying, but no chance of re-signing Orlando Cabrera.

Don’t Expect Ryan Howard Trade

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ESPN’s Buster Olney talked to a "well-placed source," who stated unequivocally that the Phillies will not trade Ryan Howard this winter.  There’s been Howard trade chatter since February, when he set a record with a $10MM first-year arbitration award.  This time around he might get $14-15MM.

Howard, 29 in November, hit .251/.339/.543 in 700 plate appearances this year.  It was a respectable season, ranking tenth among first basemen.  Howard ranked fourth last year.

Cubs Rumors: Hendry, Payroll, Ibanez, Roberts

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Let’s talk Cubs.

  • First things first – the Cubs need to lock in their GM.  ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Cubs are currently trying to convince Jim Hendry not to opt out of his contract in December.  Olney expects a new long-term agreement.
  • Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago-Sun Times talked to Cubs CEO Crane Kenney, who anticipates another payroll bump despite ownership uncertainty.  Maybe the $140MM range?
  • Lot of talk about the Cubs adding a left-handed hitter for balance, with Kosuke Fukudome looking like a failure.  Names suggested by Olney, Wittenmeyer, and Andy Dolan of Desipio.com: Raul Ibanez, Bobby Abreu, David DeJesus, Milton Bradley, and Brian Roberts.  Regardless of the path the Cubs take, they seem likely to accept shaky right-field defense in exchange for a middle-of-the-order bat.  The Cubs could also consider Aubrey Huff or Adam Dunn, but they’d be even more of a stretch in right. 
  • Dolan would like to add a more complete shortstop.  If the Cubs feel the same, they could again pursue switch-hitter Rafael Furcal and finally move Alfonso Soriano out of the leadoff spot.
  • Everyone expects Rich Harden’s $7MM option to be exercised, setting the ’09 rotation.  The Cubs will look at Harden’s shoulder first though.  Wittenmeyer recommends an aggressive run at C.C. Sabathia, which seems unlikely.

Schilling Could Pitch Half-Season

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Curt Schilling talked to the Sporting News yesterday, revealing his choice for 2009.  He’ll either retire or pitch for a contender in the second half.  It all depends on how Schilling’s shoulder feels this spring.  He did not pitch at all in 2008.

A reminder of the 12 teams Schilling considered a year ago aside from the Red Sox can be found here.

Angels Rumors: Teixeira, K-Rod, Uggla

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The Angels were eliminated, so it’s time to look forward to the offseason.  Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the latest.

  • Mark Teixeira said the right things again, about how his time with the Angels gives him something to think about as a free agent.  Joel Sherman believes Tex is a great fit for the Yankees, even if he is the "ultimate Boras client."  Sherman figures the Yanks, Red Sox, Orioles, and Angels will compete for Teixeira.
  • Francisco Rodriguez’s first choice is the Angels.  Sherman believes the Angels’ apparent willingness to let K-Rod go is a warning sign for other teams like the Mets.
  • Garret Anderson will be bought out for $3MM, and didn’t want to discuss whether he’d return after that.  Shaikin says Chone Figgins could move to left field if Anderson leaves.
  • Shaikin says the Angels have considered acquiring Dan Uggla as a way to compensate if Teixeira leaves.  Uggla would probably play third base.
  • John Lackey answered in the affirmative when asked whether he’d wait to see the Angels’ offensive plans before considering an extension.  Lackey’s $9MM option is an easy decision but he is a free agent after the ’09 season.

Braves May Consider Peavy

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David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about the possibility of the Braves pursuing Padres ace Jake Peavy this winter in a blog post yesterday.  He notes that Peavy, an Alabama native, might be particularly amenable to waiving his no-trade clause to play for Atlanta.

Personally I do not see Peavy’s no-trade clause as an obstacle for most clubs.  In the majority of cases, the player accepts compensation and waives the no-trade power.

Peavy is a 27 year-old relatively healthy ace who is under contract for four years at a below-market price.  I would look to the recent trades of Erik Bedard (two years), Dan Haren (three years), and C.C. Sabathia (three months) as precedents.  All of these trades were built around a top-25 prospect (Adam Jones, Carlos Gonzalez, and Matt LaPorta).  Given that information, I would be quite surprised to see the Braves acquire Peavy without surrending Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson.  If you’re Kevin Towers, why wouldn’t you insist on that caliber of player?  Towers can easily wait until July or the ’09 winter meetings.

I will grant that Johan Santana (one year) and Rich Harden (one year and two months) were acquired for less than most people expected.  But with Santana, the requirement of a $137.5MM extension limited the field.  And, it may be true that Jon Lester and Phil Hughes were offered at various points.  With Harden, you had the ever-present injury risk and a quality player in Chad Gaudin joining the Cubs.

In addition to the Braves, the Red Sox, Rockies, Rays, and Rangers would have the prospects to make a Peavy trade.  The Yankees will probably be in the mix, though it’s hard to see a deal without Hughes.  The White Sox, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Phillies, Brewers, Astros, and Dodgers are other teams that will be searching for pitching this winter.  Many top prospects and young players are deemed "untouchable," but an ace like Peavy may cause teams to reconsider.

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