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Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Dye, Schoeneweis

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A few Thursday evening links….

Giants Acquire Edwin Escobar From Rangers

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The Rangers have completed a trade for Ben Snyder by sending Edwin Escobar to the Giants, according to a team press release.

Snyder was selected from San Francisco by the Orioles in last year's Rule 5 draft, then immediately dealt to the Rangers as part of the Kevin Millwood–Chris Ray trade. Snyder did not make Texas' opening day roster and was offered back to the Giants, but the Rangers had hoped to work out a deal that would allow them to retain the left-hander. The two sides completed the transaction by sending Escobar, another lefty, from Texas to San Francisco.

The 24-year-old Snyder posted a 2.88 ERA in 97 innings for the Giants' Double A affiliate in 2009, and has been assigned outright to the Rangers' Double A affiliate.

Escobar, meanwhile, turns 18 this month, and has yet to pitch above rookie ball. The Venezuelan left-hander, a relative of Alcides Escobar and Kelvim Escobar, was signed by the Rangers in 2008.

Could Nationals Trade Cristian Guzman?

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After the Nationals named Ian Desmond their starting shortstop at the beginning of this week, Cristian Guzman's role with Washington became a little less clear. Guzman will make more money ($8MM) in 2010 than any National not named Adam Dunn, and is without a starting job. If Desmond holds his own as an everyday starter, the club will be paying $8MM to a utility player.

It's not an ideal situation for the Nationals, but it would be a challenge to move Guzman. In addition to his price tag, the 32-year-old also possesses ten and five rights, meaning he would have to approve any trade the team worked out.

Guzman has said he won't request a trade, and GM Mike Rizzo has insisted that Washington is not attempting to deal him. However, the switch-hitter could provide some value to a contending team as a utility man. In 1359 plate appearances for the Nats since 2007, he has hit .305/.334/.423, and while Fangraphs rates his shortstop defense as consistently slightly below average during his time in Washington, his positional flexibility could come in handy. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes today that the Nationals are trying Guzman in right field in hopes of getting him a few more at-bats.

We've already seen questions this spring regarding the health of star infielders such as Jose Reyes and Brian Roberts, and the Rangers reportedly looked into acquiring Guzman during their search for infield help. It's not hard to imagine depth or injury concerns inspiring a team to make a move for Guzman this season, despite his hefty contract. Do you see it happening? Which club could you imagine pulling off a trade? And what might the cost be, in terms of both money and talent?

Washburn Turns Down “Small Offer” From Seattle

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THURSDAY, 6:23pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star notes that Royals officials have yet to substantiate rumors of the team's interest in Washburn. Dutton adds that one club official said Kansas City's major league payroll is already $1.5MM over budget.

12:22pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Royals are "believed to be offering significantly more money" to Washburn than the Mariners, but the lefty prefers Seattle.

WEDNESDAY, 5:16pm: AOL Fanhouse's John Hickey reports that the Mariners made a "small offer" to Jarrod Washburn that the left-hander has already turned down.  Hickey says the offer was less than the one-year, $1.5MM deal that the team made with Erik Bedard in February.

Given Seattle's need for starting pitching (especially in the wake of Cliff Lee's injury), Washburn and agent Scott Boras must feel they can get more out of the M's.  We know that Washburn turned down a $5MM offer from Minnesota over the winter, so it's likely the Mariners will have to at least offer something closer to that mark.

Phillies Looking At Tim Redding

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The Phillies are "kicking the tires a bit" on Tim Redding, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck says that Philadelphia was interested in Redding over the winter, before the right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Rockies.

We heard this week that Redding, who was assigned to Colorado's Triple A affiliate, has an opt-out clause in his contract that he can exercise if he finds a spot on another club's 25-man roster.

Following an oblique injury to Joe Blanton, the Phils seem to be looking a little more aggressively at potential starting pitching options around the majors. Still, Renck suggests that the Phillies' interest in Redding isn't overly strong at the moment, and that for now the team plans to replace Blanton in their rotation with Kyle Kendrick. Given the lack of positive reports delivered by Mariners' scouts who watched Redding pitch, Philadelphia could be better off sticking with Kendrick.

Brian Anderson Will Try Pitching

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After failing to make the team, Brian Anderson told the Royals today that he wants to try pitching, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Anderson signed a $700K Major League deal with the Royals in December.  Though Anderson pitched at the University of Arizona, the switch comes as a surprise.  Baseball America noted in their '05 Handbook that Anderson threw in the low 90s as a college reliever.   

Brewers Showed Interest In Jermaine Dye

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The Brewers made a run at free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye within the last week, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but the talks reached an impasse for unknown reasons.

The FOX writers say the Brewers are unhappy with Corey Hart, and might've tried trading him if they'd signed Dye.  Brewers GM Doug Melvin indicated to WSSP 1250 a few days ago that Hart doesn't have right field locked up.  Jim Edmonds is in the mix to start Opening Day.  Rosenthal and Morosi say Melvin discussed Hart with the Nationals.  Hart is under team control for two more years, but his salary climbed to $4.8MM when he won his arbitration hearing in February.  The 28-year-old recovered some OBP last year but saw his SLG slip to a career-worst .418.

Hart's glovework has been below-average the last few years in right field, so maybe the Brewers felt that they wouldn't lose much defensively by going with Edmonds and/or Dye.  MLBTR tried to help Dye find a job with this post a few days ago.

Offseason Questions For The AL West

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With all the offseason reviews completed, we're asking a few questions of every team.  The AL West is on the hot seat this time.

Offseason Questions For The AL Central

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All the offseason reviews are in the books, and today the AL Central takes the stand.

  • Do White Sox acquisitions Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen deserve starting jobs and multiyear commitments?  Will the Sox suffer subpar production at traditionally offensive spots in left field, third base, and designated hitter?
  • With a respectable offense in place, should the Indians have signed a couple of veteran free agent starters and attempted a run?
  • Will the Tigers moving Curtis Granderson hurt the 2010 club?  Could the Edwin Jackson–Max Scherzer component have been facilitated without the Yankees being involved?  Should the Tigers have added a free agent starter, and did they make the right choice in shipping out Nate Robertson instead of Dontrelle Willis?
  • Could the Royals have acquired a similar veteran backstop for significantly less than the $6MM committed to Jason Kendall?  Did they screw up in letting pitching prospect Juan Abreu hit the open market and sign with the Braves?
  • Can the Twins' bullpen get by without a Joe Nathan replacement?  Should they have upgraded at third base?  Though he took less money to sign with the Twins, was Joe Mauer's eight-year, $184MM extension too risky?

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