Odds & Ends: Phillies, Nationals, Mariners
There's no such thing as an offseason- just different kinds of on-seasons.
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com believes the Phillies will find a replacement for Eric Bruntlett among John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard and Juan Uribe.
- According to Scott Olsen, arbitration-eligible member of the Washington Nationals (for now, anyway), his shoulder is now 100 percent.
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times discusses how Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson, and John Lackey would look in Seattle.
- Tyler Hissey at Around the Majors talks Yankees' roster strategy.
- Dave Cameron tells us which minor league free agents are most worth pursuing, including Ruben Gotay.
- Dan Dibley of KNBR, the Giants' flagship station, weighs in on a number of topics in an interview with SFGiantsbaseball.net.
Mets Notes: Adrian Gonzalez, Marquis, DeRosa
The incomparable Marty Noble answers many of the fan inquiries with his usual mixture of information and wit. Among other ideas, he considers:
- Just what would it take, hypothetically, to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Queens? Noble believes a package of John Maine, Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis "and perhaps more would be one to consider seriously."
- Noble likes Joel Pineiro more than Jason Marquis, adding that "I know the Mets are interested in [Bengie] Molina."
- He says that while Mark DeRosa wouldn't be a top priority, "If they can't bring back Alex Cora, DeRosa would an even better fit."
- He counters a fan's proposal to trade "Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Omir Santos to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Gary Matthews Jr., Ervin Santana and Jeff Mathis" with one of his own: "How about Perez for the rights to Albie Pearson?" Pearson was the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year, of course.
As usual, Noble is must-reading.
Padres Discussion: Non-Adrian Gonzalez Edition
Padres fans have plenty to think about beyond considering the future of Adrian Gonzalez, and Corey Brock of MLB.com does a terrific job breaking down some of those potential moves in his latest mailbag.
- Brock says that he doesn't see Kevin Correia "going anywhere."
- His "GM-for-a-day" scenario involves signing Mike Cameron and Henry Blanco.
- He's a big fan of the minor league third basemen in the organization.
The entire mailbag is worth a read. Do you agree with Brock's prescriptions?
Pedro Martinez Eyeing Full Season In 2010
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports talked to Pedro Martinez's agent Fern Cuza, who said his client will pitch next year and wants to be with a team for the start of Spring Training.
Cuza told Morosi Martinez would consider going back to the Phillies, but the agent wouldn't comment on other possible destinations. Morosi notes that Pedro referenced the Dodgers and Cubs as teams that had been in the mix during the summer.
Pedro is still a big name, and he certainly has something left in the tank. On the other hand, he's 38 years old. He pitched a total of 74 innings this year and 109 in '08. A multiyear deal seems unlikely, as does topping John Smoltz's $5.5MM guarantee from last year. I can see Martinez remaining unsigned until February or March.
Mariners Interested In Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson
The Mariners are interested in Tigers starter Edwin Jackson, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, though names have been exchanged, a source tells the writers the talks are "not all that serious." The FOX writers say the Ms also like Curtis Granderson, who'd be used in left field. Rosenthal and Morosi downplay this rumor as well.
The cost for Jackson is young, affordable pitching, of course. The Brewers, Yankees, and Mets are three other clubs thought to be interested. Jackson is due an arbitration raise on this year's $2.2MM salary. He is one of a handful of well-paid Tigers who actually has strong trade value.
Eight Teams Express Interest In Billy Wagner
Eight clubs have expressed interest in free agent closer Billy Wagner, according to his agent Bean Stringfellow (Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reporting). Stringfellow generously named five of the suitors: the Red Sox, Braves, Nationals, Astros, and Orioles. The agent says Wagner's Type A status hasn't scared teams off, and that of these five only the Red Sox spoke about a non-closing role. Stringfellow expects multiyear offers, though Wagner turns 39 in July.
The FOX authors speculate on possibilities for the remaining three teams by mentioning the Tigers, Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, White Sox, Rays and Marlins.
Washington's interest in Wagner and Mike Gonzalez makes you wonder if they'll tender a contract to their current closer, Mike MacDougal. MacDougal is due a raise on this year's $2.65MM salary. Perhaps they just like him more for a setup role.
Certainly nothing will happen with Wagner until after December 1st, when we learn definitively whether the Red Sox will offer arbitration.
Trade Market: Lefty Relievers
The free agent market features plenty of lefty relievers, with Joe Beimel, John Grabow, and Darren Oliver among the "bigger" names. How about the trade market?
- Arthur Rhodes, Reds. The Reds could trim $2MM from the payroll by trading Rhodes. The 40-year-old shuts down lefties, but so does Danny Herrera.
- Scott Downs, Blue Jays. Entirely speculation, but the Jays might like to reallocate Downs' $4MM. He missed time this year with toe and hamstring injuries, tallying 46.6 innings and spending some time as the team's closer.
- Brian Tallet, Blue Jays. Mentioned in our starters post, Tallet is earning more than a million bucks and might be expendable. Lefties knocked him around this year though.
- Renyel Pinto, Marlins. Pinto is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. He has control issues and lefties hit him well, so he won't bring much in return.
- Bobby Seay, Tigers. Seay is due a raise on this year's $1.3MM salary, so the Tigers might prefer to shop him prior to the December 12th non-tender deadline.
- Rafael Perez, Indians. Perez pitched well in 2007-08, with huge strikeout rates and limited walks. The wheels came off this year, and lefties crushed him. Like several others on this list, Perez is in danger of being non-tendered to save money.
Offseason Outlook: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are next in our Offseason Outlook series. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Yadier Molina – $4.25MM
C – Matt Pagnozzi – $400K
1B – Albert Pujols – $16MM
2B – Skip Schumaker – $430K+
SS – Brendan Ryan – $405K
3B – David Freese – $400K
IF – Julio Lugo – $400K
IF – Tyler Greene – $400K
IF/OF – Joe Thurston – $475K
LF –
CF – Colby Rasmus – $400K
RF – Ryan Ludwick – $3.7MM+
OF – Allen Craig – $400K
SP – Chris Carpenter – $14.5MM
SP – Adam Wainwright – $4.65MM
SP – Kyle Lohse – $8.875MM
SP – Jaime Garcia – $400K
SP – Mitchell Boggs – $400K
RP – Ryan Franklin – $3.25MM
RP – Trever Miller – $2MM
RP – Dennys Reyes – $2MM
RP – Kyle McClellan – $410K
RP – Josh Kinney – $405K
RP – Jason Motte – $400K
RP – Blake Hawksworth – $400K
That comes to about $65MM before arbitration raises to Ludwick and Schumaker. So we'll put the Cardinals around $70MM committed. The Cardinals entered the season at $88.5MM, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. GM John Mozeliak could have close to $20MM to spend this winter.
Clearly the Cardinals' offseason hinges on Matt Holliday. If Holliday is signed even to a backloaded contract, it seems that Mozeliak won't be able to do much with the third base and rotation needs. Holliday figures to cost $16-20MM annually for at least five years. Re-signing John Smoltz might allow for the best of both worlds – a chance at 150 innings of above-average pitching without breaking the bank. Presumably Holliday and Smoltz could both be squeezed in.
Should Holliday sign elsewhere or the Cardinals decide to move on, there are plenty of free agents to suit their needs. The Cards can move on to the next best thing in Jason Bay, and probably end up with more spending money for other players. It will be difficult to entirely avoid Scott Boras this winter, because Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady might become options as Mozeliak moves down the left fielder list.
Also, Boras client Adrian Beltre is an intriguing third base option if the Cardinals prefer not to splurge on Chone Figgins. Mark DeRosa and Miguel Tejada are a bit older but would be solid one-year choices. Dan Uggla, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Josh Willingham, and David DeJesus could be trade considerations at third and left.
If Holliday departs, the Cardinals can up the ante on the rotation and take a look at Randy Wolf or Joel Pineiro. Mozeliak recently told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the club may consider a rotation upgrade if they don't ink Holliday, but signing John Lackey is unlikely.
Which route do you prefer for the Cardinals this winter – sign Holliday and tinker elsewhere, or spread the money around to three or more solid veterans?
Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell
A batch of links to kick off the work week…
- Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today. Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season.
- Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors. One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell. He'd like a multiyear deal.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
- Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
- ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
- Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
- Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
- Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer. In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
- Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.
Jocketty Downplays Payroll Concerns
If the Reds are really slashing payroll this winter, $3MM on Ramon Hernandez seems an unnecessary luxury. Talking to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Reds GM Walt Jocketty explained that his team isn't necessarily slashing payroll:
"All of that stuff was speculation by a number of different writers. They see that our attendance is down and so that must mean our payroll will go down. We were grouped in with clubs that are reducing payroll but we're not in that position and hopefully won't be."
Still, even maintaining a $73MM payroll won't be easy. Counting Hernandez, the Reds already appear to be past $75MM in commitments. The true test will be if Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang is dealt – will the players coming back be helpful or will it mostly be salary relief?