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Archives for September 2009

Cafardo On Boston’s Catchers

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Ever since the Red Sox acquired Victor Martinez, we've assumed that they'll pick up his $7MM option for next season. Other than that, the team's plans at catcher are unclear, so Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe breaks down their options going forward. Here's the latest:

  • Red Sox scouts have been scouring the league for catchers in case the team decides not to bring Jason Varitek back next year. The club can exercise his 2010 option for $5MM, but even if they choose not to, Varitek can trigger a player option that pays him $3MM, plus incentives.
  • The Red Sox may consider extending Martinez. He's hitting well and fitting in with Boston's staff, so they could consider making him their long-term backstop.
  • Like Joe Mauer and A.J. Pierzynski, Martinez should hit free agency after the 2010 season.
  • Mauer could likely command $20MM on the open market. How much could V-Mart make?

Nats Hope To Improve Middle Infield Defense

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Amid concerns that Cristian Guzman's defensive abilities are fading, the Nationals will look for improved defense up the middle in 2010, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats would apparently "love" to sign Orlando Hudson, who will be a free agent after the season. But, after last offseason, they realize he may choose to sign elsewhere, so they have a second option in mind.

The team is "seriously thinking" about moving Guzman to second base, where he has yet to play a game at the major league level. This would enable the Nats to upgrade defensively over Guzman, who has been a slightly below average defender every year since 2005, according to UZR/150. 

Marco Scutaro and Alex Gonzalez (team option) are among the better defensive shortstops who could be available on the open market and J.J. Hardy could be available in a trade. Alternatively, the Nats could try prospect Ian Desmond at short.

Odds And Ends: Figgins, Peavy, Royals

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Some more links to check out…

  • Cubs manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Tribune that he expects his team to be speedier next year. The Tribune suggests Chone Figgins could be a fit for the Cubs. With his versatility and speed, Figgins would be a fit on a number of clubs.
  • As MLB.com's Rustin Dodd points out, Figgins has also emerged as one of the league's best defenders at the hot corner.
  • Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald believes the White Sox would be wise to rest Jake Peavy for the rest of the season if they're not within five games of the division lead by next weekend. 
  • Whether Peavy returns this year or not, MLB.com's Mike Bauman says the White Sox have a lot to look forward to in coming seasons.
  • A "baseball guy" tells Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star that the Royals are bad because even "their good players aren't very good." Zack Greinke and Billy Butler are presumably exceptions.

The Week Ahead

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Now that we've taken a look at the week that was, let's anticipate what lies ahead. There aren't as many pennant races to watch as usual this year, so keep your eye on the following stories as the week progresses:

  • When Josh Beckett throws his first pitch tomorrow afternoon, his 2010 option will kick in for $12.1MM. 
  • Kevin Millwood will likely pitch against the Mariners on Friday. If he goes eight innings or more, he will have pitched 180 innings on the season and his $12MM option for 2010 will vest.
  • One final option to monitor this week: Magglio Ordonez is a mere 27 plate appearances from seeing his $18MM option kick in for next season. It could happen this week, but, depending on playing time, Maggs may have to wait longer.
  • For recaps of these options and more, check out Tim's post from earlier in the week.
  • Tony Abreu filed a grievance against the Dodgers and Glen Perkins may file one of his own against the Twins. We'll see if either player reaches a resolution with his club this week.
  • Don't rule out trades, either. Could the Rangers acquire an infielder? Could the Phils add a bench bat? 

Week In Review: 8/30/09 – 9/5/09

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Lots of interesting stuff around the league today, including a triple play and Ichiro's 2,000th hit. Here's your look back at the past seven days!

  • About an hour after losing to the Twins on Monday, White Sox GM Kenny Williams had traded Jim Thome to the Dodgers and Jose Contreras to the Rockies. Thome will provide some big-time thunder off the LA bench, and while I questioned the Rockies' acquisition, Contreras held the Diamondbacks in check just fine in his Colorado debut. Here's some additional reactions to the Thome trade.
  • The Dodgers weren't done there though. They solidified their rotation this week when they added Jon Garland, and also acquired Ronnie Belliard. Have the depth moves from the Dodgers strengthened them enough to be postseason favorites in the NL, or does that honor go to the Phillies or Cardinals? We've got additional thoughts on the Garland and Contreras trades as well.
  • The other question on everyone's mind was, "Where is Brad Penny going to end up?" Penny signed on with the Giants and absolutely blanked the Phillies in his first appearance. If you're a struggling AL East starter… the NL will apparently cure what ails you.
  • If you're a Royals fan, something else may be ailing you. The Royals extended general manager Dayton Moore's contract through 2014 this week. Moore has drawn heavy criticism for excessive spending on marginal free agents, and putting together a team that's mustered just a .311 OBP this season. Can he right the ship over the duration of this next contract?
  • Speaking of OBP and the AL Central, this week we heard that the Twins will have enough money to re-sign Joe Mauer if the megastar hits free agency. Mauer's posting a completely ridiculous line of .367/.435/.607 so far this year. Many consider him to be a lock for MVP even though the Twins' playoff hopes are diminishing. However, signing a catcher to the type of long-term deal Mauer will be receiving is a risky play. Is this just talk from the Twins front office, or can you see them ponying up and competing with the big spenders in this case?
  • The Cardinals extended both Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller this week, with Franklin getting two years and $6.5MM and Miller getting $2MM in 2010 plus a vesting option for 2011. My initial thought is that it's a lot of money for two aging relievers, but then again both have been brilliant thus far. Since signing his extension however, Franklin's nearly doubled his earned run total on the season. Probably not much to worry about… it's jumped from 6 to 10. Yeah, he's been that good.
  • The Rays acquired Sean Rodriguez as the player to be named later in the Scott Kazmir trade this week. That completes quite a nice haul for Kazmir, especially given his struggles this year. It's easy to forget though, that Kazmir is just 25. He's still young, tremendously talented, and moving out of the AL East certainly can't hurt.
  • Curious to see who the top free agents will be after the season? Check out the list of probable Type A free agents.
  • Tim's back with his Offseason Outlook series, and the first installments feature the Royals and Nationals.
  • Want to see what the glamorous life of an MLBTR writer is like? We're on the lookout for new writers again. If you've got evening availabilty and are interested, here's the details.

Odds & Ends: Ohlendorf, Nationals, Maine

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Some links on another slow Sunday afternoon…

  • Tyler Kepner from the New York Times takes a look back at the trade that sent Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady from the Pirates to the Yankees. Kepner says that Ross Ohlendorf alone is making the trade "look like a steal."
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson answers some questions about the Nationals offseason and how the club can improve in his latest MLB.com Inbox. Ladson answers questions about Livan Hernandez's future, Justin Maxwell's value, and if the Nats should look at trading for Dan Uggla.
  • John Maine wants to pitch again in 2009 and end his season on a high note. When asked about the possibility of the Mets not offering him a contract for the 2010 season, Maine said he's not worrying about it; he wants to be in New York, but it's out of his control.

Brewers Release Jesus Colome

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According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the Brewers have released reliever Jesus Colome in order to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for another call-up.

Colome spent 17 days on the disabled list with a forearm strain, and was activated on Friday, though he has yet to pitch since his activation. Colome pitched just 6.1 innings for the Brewers, allowing four earned runs. For the season, he's struggled tremendously, posting a 7.59 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP through 21.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .362 against him. Assistant general manager Gord Ash said Colome "just wasn't consistent enough." Sounds like an understatement.

McCalvy speculates that the call-up will be either John Axford or Dave Johnson.

Axford, 26, has gone 9-1 and posted a 2.77 ERA through 45 appearances this year. Johnson, 27, was 3-1 with five saves and a 3.72 ERA. McCalvy says both pitchers would be added to the 40-man roster this winter anyway, in order to prevent them from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.

Odds & Ends: Uggla, Royals, New Blood

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Here's some links to start off a gorgeous Sunday (at least around these parts)…

  • After calling out teammate Hanley Ramirez, Bill Shaikin of The LA Times wonders if Dan Uggla might get a ticket out of Florida. If so, he says Uggla could be a fit for the Dodgers, who he says "are not expected to engage in a bidding war to retain second baseman Orlando Hudson."
  • Sam Mellinger of The KC Star presents a few ways to improve the Royals for 2010. In addition to not handing out albatross contracts to players like Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Guillen, Mellinger suggests the team trade Alberto Callaspo, nontender Mike Jacobs, and resign Coco Crisp.
  • Joel Sherman of The NY Post rates which teams "succeeded and failed in bringing new blood to their organizations" over the last year. The Yankees take home top honors thanks to additions of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher. The Mets … well they come in last.
  • Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter for the fastest rumor updates around.

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine

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The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."

He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…

  • Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
  • Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
  • Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
  • J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
  • Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
  • Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
  • Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.

The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.

Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…

  • Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
  • The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
  • Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
  • Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
  • Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.

Perkins May File Grievance

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Last night we learned that a grievance over how an injury was handled caused a snag in the Jon Garland deal, and now it looks like the Twins have a similar grievance on their hands. As Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune reports, southpaw Glen Perkins is considering filing a grievance over how Minnesota handled him as he battled shoulder this trouble this year, possibly delaying his arbitration years.

Perkins had been on the DL since August 9th, but was activated on September 2nd and optioned to Triple-A Rochester. After the demotion, Perkins asked to see another arm specialist and was cleared by Dr. Timothy Kremcheck, but has to wait for the dye used in an MRI to clear before he can pitch again.

The service time Perkins is missing out on while in the minors may cost him a shot at qualifying as a "Super Two," which he had been on pace to do. Had he reached Super Two status, he would have been eligible for arbitration after the season, but because of how the injury was handled, he wouldn't be arbitration eligible for another year.

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