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Archives for August 2009

Stairs Wants To Return To Phillies In 2010

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Matt Stairs will be 42 by the time Spring Training starts next year, but he says he has another year left in him and wants to spend it with the Phillies, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Stairs, who makes a base salary of $1MM this year, becomes a free agent after the season.

Stairs knows his future depends on the team's interest in bringing him back, but assistant GM Scott Proefrock said it's too early to think about free agents. Despite his recent struggles, Stairs has four homers and a .739 OPS in just over 100 plate appearances this season.

Odds And Ends: Ackley, Reds, Bradley

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Some links for the morning…

  • Dustin Ackley will arrive in Seattle Monday to work out with the team, meet the media and officially sign his $7.5MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jim Street.
  • Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds are desperate for starting pitching just a few months after it looked like their rotation was set.
  • This is not what the Cubs envisioned when they signed Milton Bradley to a multi-year deal last offseason. Bradley told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he "never" feels comfortable at Wrigley Field because he gets booed. However, he insists that he'll be all right in spite of the hatred he faces "on a daily basis."
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Mets GM Omar Minaya looks clueless at times, but the mess hardly stops with him.

Nationals Sign Livan Hernandez

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Livan Hernandez will return to the Nationals after a three-year absence. The club signed Hernandez to a Major League deal, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, so the Cuban righty returns to the organization that first acquired him more than six years ago. The Expos traded for Hernandez in 2003 and he stayed with the organization until they traded him to the D'Backs in 2006. 

Hernandez has since played for three more teams, including the Mets, who released him last week. He has allowed 164 hits and 51 walks in 135 innings this year, striking out 75.

Odds & Ends: Holliday, White Sox, Giants

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Some more links to close out the evening:

2010 Club Options: Relievers

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With news hitting that J.J. Putz is out for the season and that Billy Wagner had requested that the Red Sox not exercise his 2010 club option upon acquiring him, I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at what contract decisions clubs have to make on top relievers this coming offseason. Let's dive in and try to analyze with what we know so far on some of the more intriguing ones.

  • J.J. Putz: Mets hold an $8.6MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Pretty easy call–no chance that's exercised. Depending on Putz's health going into next year–he might be due for surgery–odds are he'll take some sort of incentive-based deal.
  • Billy Wagner: Red Sox hold a $8MM club option with $1MM buyout. Unless Wagner flashes unthinkable stuff and helps the Sox hoist a trophy, giving a reliever $8MM coming off of major surgery while pushing 40 might not be too prudent.
  • Ryan Franklin: Cardinals hold a $2.75MM club option with $250k buyout. Barring injury or an impending expiration date on a deal with the devil, you can all but guarantee Franklin will be back. He's got an unfathomable 1.11 ERA and 32 saves in 34 chances in 48.2 innings this year for the Redbirds.
  • Rafael Betancourt: Rockies hold $5.4MM club option. He's been a valuable set-up man for the Rox, not allowing a run in 11.2 innings since being acquired from the Indians. It's a steeper price to pay in this market, but Betancourt has really stabilized a shaky bullpen and if he keeps pitching at this level they probably have to exercise.
  • Luis Vizcaino: Indians hold $4MM option with $500k buyout. Vizcaino will gladly take that half a mil, which will be paid by the Cubs.
  • Doug Brocail: Astros hold $2.85MM option with $250k buyout. He's 42 and has been hurt all year. Gotta pass.
  • Masahide Kobayashi: Indians hold $3.25MM option wit $250k buyout. Another Indians reliever who will take his buyout money and hope he can latch on to a team.
  • Will Ohman: Dodgers hold $2.2MM option with $200k buyout. He was supposed to be a late bargain but has been an injured bust. Unless he can make it back this year and prove useful he'll probably be looking for work again.
  • Alan Embree: Rockies hold $3MM option with $250k buyout. The injured Embree will probably be unemployed this winter.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Cubs, Free Agents

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Some links to mull over during game time:

Red Sox Acquire Billy Wagner

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5:51pm: According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox were given permission from MLB to talk to Wagner, and Theo Epstein claims he didn't know Wagner would even be shipped over until the final hours of the proceedings. In reaction to previous reports that Wagner would not join the Sox, Epstein said:

"You guys (media) had nothing to do during those 48-hour windows, so there have been a lot of stories come out. Basically he had a full no-trade clause, so it was up to him whether he wanted to stay with the Mets or go to the Red Sox. Ultimately, in the end he woke up and said he wanted to join a team that was in the middle of a pennant race, had a chance to pitch into October, and a chance to get a ring."

4:39pm: The Boston Herald reports that the Mets will acquire Triple A outfielder Chris Carter in the deal. The second player, whose identity remains unknown, is apparently "not of significance."

12:53pm: Olney reports that the Red Sox won't send any top prospects to the Mets. Bart Hubbuch hears they're AA-level players. Olney says the Red Sox have agreed not to pick up Wagner's 2010 option, but they can still offer him arbitration (and collect compensation picks if he signs elsewhere).

The Red Sox will pay the rest of Wagner's salary, according to Heyman.

12:39pm: Heyman says the Red Sox acquired Wagner. Lennon says the Mets obtain two players to be named later.

12:26pm: Heyman reports via Twitter that Wagner is "on the verge" of accepting a deal to the Red Sox. He has four minutes to decide.

12:23pm: Olney reports that the Red Sox are expected to complete a deal for Wagner.

12:22pm: Via Twitter, Lennon says it looks like the deal will go through. An announcement is coming shortly.

12:12pm: Newsday's David Lennon hears that, while no deal is complete, the Mets and Red Sox could agree on one "soon."

12:00pm: Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe reports that Billy Wagner is now considering a deal to Boston. He is apparently drawn to the Red Sox because they're in the pennant race. Earlier today, we heard that Wagner blocked a deal because he didn't want to risk injuring himself down the stretch. ESPN.com reported today that Wagner's agent believes his client should only pitch once every three days. 

With the deadline for a deal approaching, the Red Sox were talking to Wagner in an attempt to work out a deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Mets are "trying to talk sense" into Wagner. Heyman hears that the Red Sox still hope a deal will go through.

Odds And Ends: Selig, Hughes, Byrd, Santana

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More links for the afternoon, as the Red Sox just keeping adding players…

  • If you've ever wondered about the view from Bud Selig's office, what the commissioner eats for lunch or who his all-time favorite player is, check out Hal McCoy's piece in the Dayton Daily News.
  • As effective as Phil Hughes has been out of the Yankees' 'pen, the Yanks will have a tough call when it's time to determine his role next season, as Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes.
  • Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus doubts that teams will overpay Marlon Byrd by much this offseason. Byrd's about to turn 32, but his versatility and pop should attract interest, even if he doesn't see massive offers.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the Mets mishandled Johan Santana by continuing to trot him out there.

Royals Rumors: Soria, Gordon, Buck, Jacobs

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ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick explores many of the disappointing elements of the Royals' 2009 season and turns up some rumors along the way. Here they are: 

  • GM Dayton Moore says he tried to build a winner and holds himself accountable for the team's failure.
  • Now he wants to build through scouting and player development. The Royals' system has improved as the team has spent more, but there's not an abundance of talent in the upper minors.
  • Crasnick says the Royals need a "major overhaul" but suggests no one on the team's roster other than Zack Greinke or Joakim Soria would fetch much in a trade.
  • Some believe the Royals would be better off shopping Soria for two or three young players. Moore says he'll be open-minded to that sort of deal if it helps the Royals long-term.
  • One AL scout says the Royals rushed Alex Gordon and prevented him from developing fully.
  • The Royals may not offer contracts to John Buck and Mike Jacobs after the season.

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