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Heyman On Willis, Dunn, Dukes, Berkman

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Jon Heyman covered a number of topics in his latest piece for SI.com, and here are a few of the hot-stove highlights…

  • While Dontrelle Willis' "$12MM salary is one impetus to take him north," Heyman writes that the left-hander has pitched very well this spring and could earn a spot in Detroit's rotation on his own merit.  Heyman didn't discuss Willis' future with the club, but it would take a huge season for Willis to earn anything close to $12MM in a free-agent contract this winter.  Even if he does have a big rebound year, his first two seasons in Detroit were probably enough to close the door on him remaining a Tiger past 2010.
  • Heyman writes that the Nationals have told Adam Dunn that he won't get a contract extension from them (no matter his offensive numbers) unless he proves that he can play a decent first base.
  • Elijah Dukes' release from Washington is "a shame."  Heyman says "while there was no one incident that triggered his release, the Nationals felt it would improve clubhouse chemistry for him to be gone."
  • Heyman praises the Astros for not giving in to the "public pressure" that Lance Berkman put on the club to pick up his 2011 option.  Houston's decision looks wiser, Heyman says, in the wake of Berkman's recent minor knee surgery that may keep him on the DL for the first few weeks of the season.

Scouts Doubt Mike Lowell’s Mobility

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Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald talked to some scouts present at Boston's spring training game with Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and reports that the scouts are skeptical of Mike Lowell's ability to play in the field or swing the bat in the wake of the veteran infielder's numerous injury problems.

Lauber quotes an unnamed NL scout who says "how [Lowell] looked today, I would not have any interest in him…I don’t think he’s moving very well at all.  Right now, his swing is very upper-body dominant.  I don’t think he’s popping his hips or using his legs very much."

While Lauber admits that Lowell hasn't had enough field time for scouts to make a full evaluation on his health, any indication that Lowell isn't able to play a position will certainly hurt his trade value, especially to National League clubs.  We've heard that Florida has looked into re-acquiring Lowell, but Lauber hears from a source that “the club’s interest is 'minimal at best.' ”

Boston has been trying to deal Lowell for months, and had a trade worked out with Texas in December before it was discovered that Lowell needed thumb surgery.  Not only is Lowell an expensive bench option, but his continued presence is holding up some of Boston's other moves.  ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes writes that the Red Sox are in need of shortstop depth and "have communicated to other teams that they're in the market for a backup at short, but there's no spot unless Lowell goes." 

Given that the Sox will surely have to eat a big piece of Lowell's $12MM contract for 2010 in any trade, they might be forced to pay the whole price and release Lowell to free up roster space.

Rangers Interested In Trading For Utility Infielder

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In spite of the deal with Oakland that brought Gregorio Petit to Texas, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that Petit will probably end up in Triple-A rather than fill the Rangers' need for a utility infielder on their big league roster.  Texas has been looking to fill their backup infield void for weeks, and a few new options have appeared on the Rangers' radar for a possible deal.

Augie Ojeda (who we know the D'Backs are shopping) is one option that the Rangers have an interest in, Sullivan says.  Sullivan proposes that right-hander Luis Mendoza might be a good fit to be dealt for Ojeda since Arizona wants pitching and Mendoza is out of options.  Willie Bloomquist and Kevin Frandsen are also possible options, Sullivan reports.  Frandsen is another player known to be on the trade market, and that same MLBTR piece also cites the Giants as a team that could be interested in a player of Ojeda's type.

Former Ranger Ramon Vazquez has been mentioned in trade talks this winter and we know the Pirates want to move him.  But Sullivan says Texas doesn't want to acquire Vazquez at the cost of Mendoza, and you have to figure that the Rangers might just pick Vazquez up if Pittsburgh is forced to release him.

McCourt: “A Mercenary Team Doesn’t Work”

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Dodgers fans aren't pleased that their team's major offseason story has been the ongoing divorce and ownership battle between Frank and Jamie McCourt.  With the stewardship of the team in doubt, the Dodgers made relatively few moves over the winter, none of which seemed to be the type of key addition that would push the two-time NLCS runners-up into the World Series.

Frank McCourt discussed his team's offseason moves and his overall philosophy for the team at a meeting of California businessmen on Tuesday, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  He reiterated his claim of sole ownership in the franchise and said that "things will get back to normal" once the divorce suit is settled, noting that the team is not for sale.

Shaikin cites the midseason deals of C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Cliff Lee over the last two seasons, plus the Roy Halladay rumors that dominated last summer's trade deadline, as cases where the Dodgers simply weren't willing to deal their young core players for what might have been a short-term rental.  In McCourt's defense, L.A. has certainly made some big in-season moves (the Manny Ramirez, Jon Garland and Jim Thome deals, for example), and the owner himself pointed to the team's four playoff appearances since he took over the team.

McCourt rhetorically asked, "How would we feel right now without Clayton Kershaw or Matt Kemp?" since those two and Chad Billingsley were at the top of any potential trade partner's wish list.  Shaikin notes that these young players are key to McCourt's belief that fans would rather see a team of homegrown stars win a title than a group of free agent imports.  "A mercenary team doesn't work," McCourt said in reference to the big dollars spend by L.A.'s previous owners (News Corp) that never resulted in any playoff appearances.

Every contender struggles with the temptation to go for broke and shoot for a World Series by selling off a young prospect or two at the deadline.  Red Sox fans would've no doubt loved to see Hanley Ramirez play shortstop at Fenway Park for 15-plus years, but since his trade to Florida brought Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett and the 2007 World Series to Boston, Sox fans are probably satisfied that losing Ramirez was worth it.  In McCourt's case, however, the fact that the Dodgers have come so close the last two seasons leaves the team's decisions open to second-guessing.  And, as Shaikin points out, big-market L.A.'s payroll could be less than $90MM this season, leaving fans wondering why the team couldn't shell out a few extra dollars for the final piece of the championship puzzle.

Indians Notes: Dye, Bixler, Mauer

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MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince opened up his reader mailbag to answer a number of questions about the Tribe and other AL Central topics…

  • Jermaine Dye's right-handed bat "would have been a better fit in this lineup" than Russell Branyan, Castrovince notes, but Cleveland needed a first baseman and Dye is a defensive liability in the outfield.
  • The trade for, and subsequent DFA of, Brian Bixler is described as "wasted energy" by Castrovince.  However, he notes that Jesus Brito (who the Tribe dealt to Pittsburgh for Bixler) is "a little old" to still be in the low minors, in spite of his strong numbers last season.
  • Castrovince discusses Joe Mauer's contract extension and says that it "was a special circumstance" given Mauer's Minnesota roots and the fact that the Twins could afford the deal thanks to their new ballpark.  He also warns that the deal might not look so good when Target Field stops being a major revenue stream, such as what happened to the Indians after the novelty of Progressive Field (then Jacobs Field) wore off. 
  • Along those same lines, Castrovince notes that the Tribe didn't have the benefit of a new ballpark to generate revenue when they attempted to re-sign C.C. Sabathia to a long-term deal before the 2008 season.
  • Castrovince reports the Tribe didn't re-sign LHP Juan Lara, as they have the last two springs to minor-league deals.  The team did allow Lara to train at their Dominican Republic facilities over the winter.  Lara hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007 due to a car accident suffered in November of that year, but he returned to appear in 15 games for Cleveland's Arizona Rookie League team in 2009. 

Nationals, Mike MacDougal Agree To Terms

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The Nationals agreed to terms with reliever Mike MacDougal on a minor league deal, tweets NatsTown News.  MacDougal had signed a minor league deal with the Marlins on February 18th, but was released yesterday.  MLB.com's Bill Ladson says MacDougal's deal with the Nationals contains an out clause if he's not in the Majors on a certain date.

Outside of his save percentage MacDougal posted shaky numbers in 2009 – a 4.31 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 6.3 BB/9.  The Nationals chose to non-tender him after the season, but now he's back on a team-friendly arrangement.  MacDougal's positive traits: a mid-90s heater and a 62% groundball rate.

Giants Shopping Frandsen, Lewis

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WEDNESDAY, 3:09pm: Schulman tweets that the Giants are "not trying to dump Lewis, but hope to deal him for an experienced backup middle infielder who can play shortstop and second base."  The D'Backs have one such available player in Augie Ojeda, but there's no indication they're looking to add an outfielder.

TUESDAY, 3:22pm: The Giants are shopping infielder Kevin Frandsen, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Frandsen has a minor league option remaining, but he's slipped on the Giants' depth chart.

Frandsen, 28 in May, hit .295/.352/.438 at Triple A last year while playing all four infield positions.  Three years ago, Baseball America viewed Frandsen as a "solid No. 2 hitter" and potential starting second baseman.  However, he was derailed by a ruptured Achilles tendon in March of '08.  Earlier this month, Schulman wrote about Frandsen's frustrations and his new attitude adopted while playing winter ball.

San Francisco has been unable to drum up interest in Frandsen as well as outfielder Fred Lewis, tweets Schulman.  The 29-year-old Lewis hit .258/.348/.390 with 4 HRs in 336 plate appearances last season.  Recently CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban speculated that Lewis was likely to be released towards the end of camp as he is out of options.

D’Backs Still Looking To Trade Snyder, Ojeda

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The Diamondbacks are still looking to trade catcher Chris Snyder and infielder Augie Ojeda, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Piecoro says Snyder has looked healthy this spring, after having back surgery in September.  The Blue Jays called off a Snyder-Lyle Overbay swap in November because of concerns about the catcher's back.  Snyder is owed a hefty $11.25MM over the next two years.  According to Piecoro, the Brewers have shown interest in Snyder.  Milwaukee currently has Gregg Zaun and George Kottaras behind the dish.  They're facing a pitching roster crunch, and the D'Backs could use another arm.

Ojeda, owed $825K this year and under team control through 2011, would obviously be easier to move.  Piecoro says Ojeda became available once Tony Abreu demonstrated the ability to play shortstop.  The Rangers probably aren't a fit anymore, having acquired Gregorio Petit today.

Athletics Acquire Edwar Ramirez For Gregorio Petit

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The Athletics acquired reliever Edwar Ramirez from the Rangers for infielder Gregorio Petit, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The Rangers confirmed the news in a press release, adding that recent waiver claim Hernan Iribarren cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple A.

The Rangers had acquired Ramirez from the Yankees on March 9th for cash considerations; the Yanks had designated him for assignment to make room for Chan Ho Park.  Ramirez, 29 in a few days, whiffed 10.6 per nine in his 98.3 career big league innings with the Yankees.  Walks and home runs were a problem, though not nearly as much in recent Triple A stints.  Heading into the '08 season, Baseball America praised Ramirez's "top-of-the-scale changeup" but was unimpressed with the rest of his offerings.

Petit was designated for assignment by the A's on February 1st to make room for waiver claim Steve Tolleson, and the infielder cleared waivers.  Petit, 25, hit .244/.292/.336 in Triple A last year while playing second base, shortstop, and third base.  Before the '06 season, Baseball America described Petit as a "plus defender at shortstop." 

Rafael DePaula May Sign Soon

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17-year-old righty Rafael DePaula may sign soon, reports MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley on the scene in the Dominican Republic.  Bentley sees a two-horse race between the Yankees and Mariners, with a bonus in the $1.5-2MM range possible.

DePaula threw a showcase yesterday, working in the 92-93 mph range.  You can view Bentley's video of that here.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. reported in January that DePaula's birth date was verified as April 1, 1992 by Junta Central, "the Dominican's official registrar."  Previously MLB had suspended DePaula for a year on the belief that he lied about his age.

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