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Archives for January 2009

Cards’ Carpenter Wants To Start

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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter told The Associated Press that he wants to start in 2009, although he’s willing to move back to the bullpen if his body can’t hold up to the rotation pressures.

"I’ll do whatever they want me to do," Carpenter said. "If that’s the case, that’s the case. I’m just going to take it one game at a time like I have all the time in the past. I’m going to do everything I can to take the ball every fifth day. With everything that I’ve gone through, obviously, some of it is out of my hands. I’ve done everything I can in the past four months to go out and pitch."

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has said earlier in the offseason that he might use Carpenter as a closer if he is unable to start every fifth game.

Carpenter, 33, has had elbow and shoulder surgeries on his pitching arm. The righty threw 15 1-3 innings in 2008 for a 0-1 record with a 1.76 ERA.

Phillies Considered Trading Myers?

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Reader Connor Garrison has identified an interesting point made in the middle of an article from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.

The article focuses on the addition of Derek Lowe to the Braves’ rotation, but offers a reason as to why the Braves went so strong so quickly after Lowe.

Says Bowman: "Motivated by last week’s meeting and under the belief that the Phillies might attempt to create payroll space by trading Brett Myers, the Braves acted quickly and provided an offer that Lowe couldn’t refuse."

Myers may have been taken off the block after Lowe signed with the Braves. On the other hand, perhaps a bigger-than-expected deal for Ryan Howard could convince the Phillies to revisit the idea of trading Myers.

Reds Predictions From John Fay

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John Fay has taken a unique approach to generating some more offseason predictions for this weekend. Rather than offer up ideas on what the Reds might do, Fay thinks he’s more likely to be correct if he takes a few guesses at what they won’t do.

  • The Reds will not acquire a veteran shortstop; Alex Gonzalez and Jeff Keppinger should be up to the task. If healthy, Gonzalez should start over Keppinger, says Fay.
  • Joey Votto will not be traded this offseason. Fay quotes Jocketty on this one; says the GM, "No chance."
  • Micah Owings will not play the outfield. He’ll pitch, as he well should.
  • The Reds won’t sign a veteran outfielder to a multi-year contract. If the Reds do sign such an outfielder, like Bobby Abreu, the deal will be for one-year. With the economy the way it is, such a deal may become increasingly more favorable to a player like Abreu.
  • As for Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr., however, neither player will suit up for the Reds in 2009. While both of these outfielders may also become amenable to a short-term contract given the current market, says Fay, "the Reds are set on moving beyond the Griffey-Dunn era."

Phillies Arb: Howard, Victorino, Werth

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In addition to backing up the facts behind today’s Cole Hamels story, Todd Zolecki has an update on the Phillies’ remaining arbitration-eligible players.

After Greg Dobbs’ 2-year, $2.5MM deal, six players are left on the arb list: Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Jayson Werth and Chad Durbin.

According to Zolecki, "The Phillies have been talking with Madson about a contract extension, but he reportedly turned down a three-year, $12 million offer."

Zolecki also doesn’t expect Howard’s deal to be done anytime soon.

Phillies Agree To Three Year Deal With Hamels

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According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post the Phillies agreed to sign Cole Hamels to a three year contract worth $20.5MM.

Jon Heyman has the details. Hamels makes $4.35MM this year, $6.65MM in 2010 and $9.5MM in 2011. If Hamels wins the Cy Young his contract goes up by $500K the following season and he’ll get a $250K raise the year after a second or third place finish. Presumably he’d get an immediate bonus if he finishes in the top three in voting in the deal’s final year.

According to Sherman, Hamels is in line for additional bonuses of $100K, $75K and $50K if he finishes first second or third in Cy Young or MVP voting. If he’s the World Series MVP he makes $100K and if he’s the LCS MVP or on the All Star team he gets a $50K bonus. Hamels, who has a .390 OPS as a hitter, makes $25K for winning a Silver Slugger or a Gold Glove.

Hamels made $500K last year and was arbitration-eligible for the first time. The new deal doesn’t cover any of his free agent years.

Boras: Eight Teams Called About Andruw

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According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Scott Boras says eight teams called about Andruw Jones yesterday. Boras says he plans to meet with Jones soon to discuss his options.

The Braves are considering Jones, and it’s unclear whether the Mets would. That leaves at least six other teams unless this is simply spin from Boras, but there’s no reason to rule that out.

Odds And Ends: Peavy, Mulder, Marshall

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Links for Saturday…

  • Padres CEO Sandy Alderson repeated a line we've heard a lot this offseason about Jake Peavy: "I think Jake will be with us on opening day."
  • Buster Olney hears from some scouts who think Mark Mulder could be the "hidden gem" of this year's free agent class. Mulder's likely to throw for scouts within a couple weeks.
  • Richard Durrett points out that Ian Kinsler's the only Texas infielder who has played as many as 52 MLB games at his current position. Michael Young, Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus round out the infield. This is no doubt part of the reason they're interested in Omar Vizquel.
  • Rob Neyer suggests that Orlando Hudson's not getting the attention he deserves because his defense is undervalued.
  • Lou Piniella hinted that Sean Marshall has a good shot at being the Cubs' fifth starter.

Yankees Still Fielding Calls on Swisher, Nady

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According to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, Brian Cashman’s spending lots of time talking with other clubs about Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady. Cashman’s open to moving either player, but he says he won’t make a deal for the sake of making one: "we’re not going to do anything unless there’s a reason to do it."

Cashman also said most reports about trade discussions have been accurate. The Braves, Nationals and Reds are among the teams who have reportedly had interest in Swisher and Nady.

The Yankees like Johnny Damon’s production and they’re not shopping him or Hideki Matsui.

Kepner suggests the Yankees should "hold on to Swisher and dangle Nady" for a number of reasons. Swisher’s two years younger and he’s under contract for $21MM over the next three years. Nady, a Scott Boras client, will be a free agent after the 2009 season.

Mets Rumors: Andruw, Manny, Perez

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Peter Botte of the New York Daily News has a handful of Mets rumors to pass along:

  • One Mets official says the team is "probably not" interested in Andruw Jones, even if he comes cheaply.
  • Botte did hear from one person familiar with the team’s thinking who believes the Mets could check in with Jones if he’s still available when Spring Training begins.
  • One baseball official said the Mets "are not even in on" Manny Ramirez.
  • The Mets don’t expect to come to any sort of agreement with Oliver Perez in the next few days.
  • They’ve been in regular contact with the representatives for Randy Wolf and Jon Garland, who are considered fallback options if they don’t sign Perez.
  • The Mets have talked with Freddy Garcia.

Pirates Interested In Pedro

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are interested in Pedro Martinez. Though talks have "solely been exploratory," the Pirates could pursue Pedro if he’s willing to consider a deal worth less than the $7MM he’s apparently seeking.

The Marlins won’t pursue Pedro and neither will the Indians, but he is open to a new destination.

Kovacevic points out that Joe Kerrigan, Pittsburgh’s new pitching coach, worked with Pedro in Montreal.

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