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Archives for August 2009

Discussion: Should The Cubs Re-Sign Harden?

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Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune outlines the dilemma the Cubs will face when Rich Harden becomes a free agent after this season: he is perhaps the ultimate risk-reward player. When he's healthy, as he has been during the second half this year, there are few better. But his injury history suggests that teams should use caution when signing him.

Sullivan writes that any team wishing to sign Harden will "probably" have to pony up $50-60MM over four years. That is a hefty sum for a starter who has made 20 starts in a season only twice since 2004. What do you think? Should the Cubs re-sign Harden? Should any team spend that much on a player with Harden's injury history? What other teams might be in the mix for Harden?

Odds And Ends: Johan, Ozzie, Orioles

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Updates on the latest Met to go down and more…

  • You thought it couldn't get worse for the Mets? Johan Santana will miss his next start with elbow trouble, according to ESPN.com. As one Mets person said to Jon Heyman of SI.com, it's "not a good day" for the club.
  • Manager Ozzie Guillen believes his White Sox are "good enough to win the World Series," according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • The Orioles signed Freddy Guzman to a minor league deal, according to this Roch Kubatko Baseball America article. Guzman played 20 games with the Padres five years ago and last appeared in the majors in 2007 with Texas.

Royals DFA Ron Mahay

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The Royals designated Ron Mahay for assignment to make room for Yasuhiko Yabuta, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Mahay, a 38-year-old lefty, has allowed 55 hits and 19 walks in 41.1 innings, striking out 34. The 13-year veteran has allowed nine homers already, which have contributed to his 4.79 ERA. Mahay's in the second year of a two-year $8MM deal that he signed before the 2008 season.

Odds And Ends: Giambi, Wagner, Oswalt, Snyder

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Another round of links…

  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Rockies officially announced the signing of Jason Giambi to a minor league deal.
  • Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says some clubs watch Latin American teams in the Little League World Series to establish preliminary lists of interesting players.
  • Billy Wagner pitched an inning for the Mets today and Gameday says he hit 95 mph. He threw nine of his 19 pitches for strikes and picked up two strikeouts, walking one without allowing a hit. The Red Sox were surely watching the outing since they have another day to work out a deal with the Mets for Wagner.
  • Roy Oswalt tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that time is running out and he wants the Astros to win soon, while he's around with Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman and possibly Miguel Tejada. 
  • As MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports, Chris Snyder is glad to have signed an extension when he did.

Gary Sheffield’s Future

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Gary Sheffield is just 313 hits away from becoming the fifth man in baseball history to have 3000 hits and 500 homers. He turns 41 this offseason, but he tells Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that he can still play every day. He wants as much playing time as possible and told Knobler that it will factor in when he's deciding where to sign as a free agent.

Sheffield has made close to $10MM every season since 1998, so an executive who knows him wonders if he'd be open to taking an eight-figure paycut. Sheffield makes $14MM this year, but no team figures to offer him that much. Sheffield has played in the field for the Mets, but teams may prefer him as a DH, which could leave him in competition with Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Hideki Matsui, all of whom are free agents after the year.

Reds Seem Unlikely To Make Trades

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It doesn't look like the Reds will make any more trades between now and the end of August, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Aaron Harang's emergency appendectomy and Bronson Arroyo's substance taking and oversized contract mean a trade involving either pitcher would be a surprise. Francisco Cordero has $27MM remaining on his contract and a no-trade clause, so it doesn't appear that the Reds will trade him, either.

Just last week, Fay wondered if the Reds could move Jonny Gomes, who makes just $600k, or five percent of Cordero's annual salary.

Odds And Ends: Lincecum, Byrd, Orioles, Cubs

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More links from around the league…

  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wonders if Tim Lincecum will sign a multi-year deal this offseason. He might make more going year-to-year, but a long-term deal could give him peace of mind.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers want to bring Marlon Byrd back after the season, but wonders if the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASN.com says the Orioles have a lot more flexibility now that they've dealt Aubrey Huff. 
  • Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times doesn't doubt that the Cubs can win a World Series with Jim Hendry as GM, even though his moves have looked "disastrous" this season. 

Heyman On Damon, Minaya, Wagner

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Jon Heyman of SI.com would like to see an Angels-Dodgers World Series. He breaks down lots of great possible matchups and, as always, provides some rumors:

  • The Yankees plan on bringing back Johnny Damon and they figure to make him an opening offer worth $6-8MM. It would be a big paycut from the $13MM he's currently making, but Damon seems to want to return to the Yanks.
  • As much as the Yankees like Hideki Matsui, they probably need the DH spot for players like Damon and Jorge Posada. Check out some possible destinations for Matsui right here.
  • It looks and sounds as though the Mets plan on keeping Omar Minaya around as GM, and the $3.5MM remaining on his contract definitely has something to do with their stance. As Heyman says, one of the best deals Minaya made was his own.
  • One GM believes Billy Wagner's a "difference maker" and suggested the Mets should seek a decent prospect in return for him.
  • The Cubs don't appear likely to fire Lou Piniella, Heyman hears.
  • Heyman guesses Tony La Russa will return when his contract with the Cardinals is up after the season.

Previewing The Hideki Matsui Market

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Hideki Matsui has three multi-homer games in the last week and a half, so he's clearly got something left, even at 35. The Yankees have reportedly decided not to bring Matsui back, but his bat should make him appealing to other teams. With 23 homers and just eight more strikeouts than walks, Matsui has a .265/.365/.508 line for the season.

The problem is, he hasn't played an inning in the outfield this year and he played just 24 games in the field last season. He would like to play defense, but even when he has taken the field, Matsui has been a consistent liability, according to UZR. It's hard to imagine an NL team paying millions for Matsui, so let's consider some possible AL destinations. 

The Red Sox, Indians, Twins and Rays have DHs under contract for next year, so unless they get creative, Matsui won't fit. The Angels and White Sox will see their own DHs hit free agency after the season; The Royals have Billy Butler and Mike Jacobs under control next year and the A's may be reluctant to bring in an aging DH for a second straight year. The Rangers could have interest depending on what they do with Marlon Byrd, Hank Blalock and Julio Borbon; The Jays could have interest if they have enough money; and it wouldn't be fair to completely rule out the Mariners, Tigers or Orioles. 

Matsui hits free agency alongside Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Sheffield, so there could be more DHs than DH jobs this offseason. The league-wide emphasis on defense and youth doesn't help Matsui's value, either. It only takes a couple injuries or trades to change that dramatically, but at this point, the offseason market for Matsui doesn't look promising, in spite of his hot streak.

Yankees Rumors: Damon, Pettitte, Matsui

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Last year it was Mussina, Abreu and Giambi. This year we've got another set of free agents-to-be in the Bronx, so let's take a look at the latest rumors surrounding them:

  • Johnny Damon doesn't expect to negotiate with the Yankees before the season's over, but he tells Yahoo's Gordon Edes that he likes New York so much he hopes to "lock something in for a couple more years."
  • Andy Pettitte tells Christian Red of the New York Daily News that he knows he wants to avoid drawn-out contract negotiations after the season. Pettitte, who says he's focused on winning now, admits he decided to return to the Yankees "no matter what" last winter.
  • Hideki Matsui likes New York and wants to play defense, but other than that he's not thinking about his upcoming free agency, according to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.

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