Joe Mauer Named AL MVP
Twins catcher Joe Mauer was named the American League MVP today, according to a team press release. Mauer was a near-unanimous pick for first place, with Miguel Cabrera getting one vote (from Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News). Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter placed second and third in the voting; Cabrera fourth. The AP's report notes that Mauer gets $100K for the win and Cabrera $200K for his fourth-place finish.
The BBWAA's site has the full voting. Hey, there's Placido Polanco!
Marlins To Keep Jorge Cantu?
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a source suggesting the Marlins are "almost 100 percent" certain to retain infielder Jorge Cantu. Cantu is due an arbitration raise on this year's $3.5MM salary, and the Marlins "appear willing to pay."
Dan Uggla, the team's other arbitration-eligible infielder, will earn more than Cantu next year. Uggla is widely expected to be traded, with ESPN's Jayson Stark writing Thursday that the Giants and Rangers were hot and heavy on Uggla at the GM Meetings (November 9th-11th). However, Giants GM Brian Sabean told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday that no trades were close.
Mets Considering Jack Cust?
We have considered A's DH/outfielder Jack Cust a non-tender candidate for some time. Today, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News writes that Cust is indeed "expected to be traded" before the December 12th non-tender deadline.
Rubin says the Mets are "believed to have considered" acquiring Cust, while Seattle "may be the most likely destination" and the Rangers "may have interest."
As Rubin says, the cost for Cust figures to be low. For one, the A's have to trade him if they want to avoid paying him more than $3MM next year after an arbitration raise. Second, DH types are plentiful.
Obviously the Mets would see Cust as a left fielder. Cust played 401.6 innings in right field this year and 585.6 in left last year, and the UZR/150 defensive metric was not kind. Offensively, Cust is known for his propensity to homer, strike out, or walk. His line slipped to .240/.356/.417 in his third full season.
Trade Market Series
We've finished our position-by-position Trade Market series:
- Catchers
- First basemen
- Second basemen
- Shortstops
- Third basemen
- Left fielders
- Center fielders
- Right fielders
- Designated hitters
- Starting pitchers
- Closers
- Lefty relievers
- Righty relievers
My challenge to you: create the best possible lineup, rotation, and bullpen out of players you believe actually will be traded this offseason.
Trade Market: Righty Relievers
Finishing up our Trade Market series, today we'll take a look at righty-relievers (those not covered in the closer post). We've already seen a few right-handed relievers dealt in Jesse Chavez and Aaron Heilman, with the latter deal more predictable.
- Dan Wheeler, Rays. If the Rays prefer a change at the back end of their bullpen, they could deal Wheeler and free up $4.5MM. The 32-year-old displayed fine control this year but allowed 11 home runs in 57.6 innings.
- Zach Miner, Tigers. Miner is arbitration-eligible for the first time, so the Tigers could trade or non-tender him to save money. On the other hand, Miner still won't be too expensive and the Tigers may lose Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney to free agency.
- Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox. Delcarmen, 28 in February, is another first-time arbitration player. The Nationals offered Nick Johnson for him in May, and the Red Sox turned it down. Delcarmen struggled as the season wore on, posting career-worst strikeout, walk, and groundball rates. Ramon Ramirez and Daniel Bard appear capable of handling Boston's right-handed setup duties.
- Kyle Farnsworth, Royals. With $5MM and one year remaining, Farnsworth will only be moved for another bad contract. He posted a strong strikeout rate in his Royals debut season, but he was hittable and missed time with a groin injury.
- Juan Cruz, Royals. With $3.75MM and one year left, Cruz's contract can also be considered a burden. Strikeouts disappeared while his control issues continued; a shoulder strain may have been a factor.
- Scott Linebrink, White Sox. Linebrink still has two years and $10.5MM left on his deal. This year his home run problems continued, while his control worsened and hits were plentiful. He lost his set-up role in August. The White Sox are losing Octavio Dotel from their 'pen, but now have Tony Pena for the entire year.
- Seth McClung, Brewers. An October tweet from McClung indicated the reliever feels his time with the Brewers is up. This year he was homer-prone and posted 40 strikeouts against 39 walks in 62 innings while dealing with an elbow sprain. He's likely to be non-tendered if not traded first.
- Manny Corpas, Rockies. Corpas is owed $6.5MM over the next two years. His peripherals were decent this year, but he had a 5.88 ERA and multiple elbow surgeries to end his season. He'd have to prove his health to make a trade possible.
- Santiago Casilla, Athletics. Casilla is a non-tender candidate after posting a 5.96 ERA in 48.3 innings. He missed time with a knee injury and posted lousy peripherals.
Mariners, Tigers Trade Talks Stall
Trade talks between the Mariners and Tigers have stalled, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson have been discussed, but Crasnick's source finds a deal "pretty doubtful." Crasnick indicates that the Mariners were never terribly interested in Granderson, but did like Jackson. The asking price is simply too high at present.
Crasnick says many feel Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is trying to sell high on Jackson, who posted a 3.62 ERA in 214 innings this year. Jackson is only 26, and he did improve both his strikeout and walk rates (6.8 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). Some are dinging Jackson for his final eleven starts, over which he posted a 5.83 ERA with a 6.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. If you are an xFIP fan, that stat had Jackson at 4.58 this year. XFIP presumably wouldn't factor in at an arbitration hearing, however, and Jackson is due a pretty big raise on this year's $2.2MM salary.
Potential Braves Targets
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sums up players on the Braves' radar as they attempt to augment their offense. Most of these names have already leaked out in stray rumors: Mark DeRosa, Josh Willingham, Mike Cameron, and Jermaine Dye. Carl Crawford is also on the Braves' wish list, as we learned yesterday from Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times. In a more speculative sense, O'Brien adds that Xavier Nady and Marlon Byrd "could be possibilities."
For the sake of argument, if it came down to these seven hitters, which would you prefer? Using Bill James projections and the wOBA stat, Willingham comes out on top offensively for 2010. We learned recently that the Braves face competition from the Cardinals for Willingham, though Atlanta may have concerns about the player's defense.
Elsewhere in the O'Brien article, Scott Boras extols the virtues of free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez. To hear Boras tell it, about half the teams in baseball are eyeing his new client. Gonzalez figures to come with a draft pick cost attached, as O'Brien expects the Braves to offer arbitration a week from now when that deadline arrives.
Rich Aurilia Hopes To Play In 2010
Rich Aurilia hopes to play in 2010, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Said Aurilia:
"As far as next year, I definitely want to play if the situation is right. I understand that I would mainly be a utility, pinch hitter-type player, which I'm alright with."
Crasnick notes that it was a trying year for Aurilia, whose father passed away. Aurilia, 38, hit .213/.256/.279 in 133 plate appearances while missing time with ankle and toe injuries. He'd signed a minor league deal with the Giants in February worth $1MM.
Red Sox Willing To Pay Half Of Lowell’s Salary
The Red Sox are shopping third baseman Mike Lowell and are willing to eat half of his $12MM salary for next season, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, a rival executive says that he would be surprised if another club would even be willing to pay Lowell $6MM.
The 35-year-old has played less than 120 games in each of the last two seasons. While he remains productive offensively, Rosenthal and Morosi point out that he posted a .932 OPS in Fenway Park while batting for a .713 OPS on the road. However, it should be noted that Lowell's production hasn't followed this pattern every year in Boston. While he hit much better at home than on the road in 2007 and 2009, his away numbers were actually stronger in 2006 and 2008.
Theo Epstein has to move Lowell and shift Kevin Youkilis to third if he acquires Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres. Boston could also move Lowell to create an opening for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
Who should be calling the BoSox about Lowell? How much of his $12MM salary would you make the Red Sox pay? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.
Odds & Ends: Indians, Takahashi, Hernandez
Some Sunday night links:
- In his latest mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Indians are in the hunt for a first baseman that hits right-handed, in the event that Matt LaPorta isn't healthy by Opening Day.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news that the San Francisco Giants are "showing mild interest" in Hisanori Takahashi, via Twitter. Earlier this week, the 34-year-old reliever made it known that he wants to make the jump to MLB.
- Padres closer Heath Bell says that former GM Kevin Towers was never able to spend the way he wanted to and was "kind of a puppet", according to Kevin Tomase of the Boston Herald. Bell also said that he hopes new GM Jed Hoyer has full rein over the club's baseball decisions.
- According to a report from MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the odds of Livan Hernandez returning to the club are "less than 50-50." Over the last three years, the 34-year-old pitcher has recorded an ERA of 5.45 whilst eating 568 innings for five different clubs.