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Archives for November 2010

Giants, Dodgers Have Interest In Nishioka

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The Giants and Dodgers have some interest in Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). A baseball source suggested to Krasovic that the posting fee to the Chiba Lotte Marines could exceed $4MM. However, reports earlier in the week suggested that the Marines had not yet decided whether to post Nishioka.

The 26-year-old switch hitter batted .346 with 22 steals and 206 hits last year. ESPN.com's Keith Law wrote today that Nishioka can be "valuable as an everyday guy on a second-division club," despite his below-average power and struggles with hard fastballs. For more on the infielder, check out Patrick Newman's analysis at FanGraphs.

The Dodgers have Rafael Furcal at short and Jamey Carroll and non-tender candidate Ryan Theriot at second. The Giants have Freddy Sanchez at second, but shortstops Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria are free agents.

Olney On Huff, Uribe, Upton, Buck, Downs

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One talent evaluator told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Aubrey Huff posted impressive numbers in 2010 because he “got better as a player." Huff has set himself up for a nice payday and he isn’t the only Giants free agent who stands to cash in this offseason, as Olney explains:

  • One GM says players like Juan Uribe, who can hit 20 homers and play in the middle infield, are becoming harder to find. “Five years ago, you could find a lot of guys who could do what he does,” the GM said. “But not now.”
  • Olney surveyed scouts and executives about the A’s-Royals trade and everyone said it was a good deal for both clubs.
  • Rival teams believe the Rays are willing to trade B.J. Upton. What’s more, Tampa Bay wouldn’t have to be overwhelmed to agree to a deal.
  • The Yankees are interested in John Buck, but the catcher could likely command a two-year deal (possibly from the Red Sox) and it seems unlikely that the Yankees would offer more than a one-year contract.
  • In a series of tweets, Olney explains that the Blue Jays may only obtain a second or third round pick for losing Type A free agent Scott Downs (they will also get a compensation pick if they offer arbitration). There's a chance that Downs' new team will sign another free agent with a higher ranking, which would prevent Toronto from getting a first rounder.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cox, Crawford, DeJesus

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Two years ago today the Athletics acquired Matt Holliday from the Rockies in exchange for Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith. Holliday hit .286/.378/.454 in exactly 400 plate appearances with Oakland before being dealt to the Cardinals for a package led by Brett Wallace at the 2009 trade deadline.

Street has battled injuries but has been solid when on the mound for Colorado, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 109 innings. Smith has appeared in just eight games for the Rox (all starts), putting up a 6.23 ERA. The real get was CarGo, who will certainly be in the MVP mix after a .336/.376/.598 season with 34 doubles, 34 homers, 26 stolen bases, and a batting title.

The hot stove league will certainly bring us more blockbuster trades, but for now you'll have to settle for this long collection of links, the best the blogosphere had to offer this week…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Collins, Hurdle, Melvin Leading Candidates For Mets

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Terry Collins, Clint Hurdle and Bob Melvin are the leading candidates to become the Mets’ next manager, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The three former big league skippers will all likely get second interviews for the position. Mets third base coach Chip Hale may also advance to the next stage of interviews and GM Sandy Alderson may interview former Met Jose Oquendo as an additional candidate.

Mets bench coach Dave Jauss, Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale and Class A manager Wally Backman have already had first round interviews, according to Rubin. Multiple sources tell Rubin that they don’t expect former Mets infielder Tim Teufel to become a candidate for the job.

Rangers Pursuing Lee, V-Mart; Can Spend Big

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The Rangers have enough spending power to add Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Texas is pursuing both free agents and has approval from ownership to boost payroll above $90MM. 

The Rangers opened the 2010 season with a $55MM payroll, but new ownership, a new TV deal, better attendance and a World Series appearance have put the team in a position to spend. The former Indians teammates are among the most highly coveted free agents available; seven to eight teams have shown interest in Lee and Martinez has drawn interest from at least six teams, including the Red Sox and Tigers. 

Non-Tender Candidate: Ryan Ludwick

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About a month ago, Padres GM Jed Hoyer appeared on XX-1090 Sports Radio with Darren Smith, and one of the topics was outfielder Ryan Ludwick.  Ludwick is eligible for arbitration for the last time this winter, and he'll get a raise on this year's $5.45MM salary.  Though Ludwick struggled mightily after coming to the Padres in a deadline deal, Hoyer's comments on the radio show strongly implied the outfielder will be tendered a contract:

I think he came over here and probably put too much pressure on himself to try to protect Adrian and hit home runs and he struggled, but a lot of people can struggle over a two-month period and we still love the power, the corner outfield power and I think one thing that we'll probably talk about at some point is moving him to left here. I think Will [Venable] is a great right fielder defensively and that might be a better fit, but otherwise we’re excited to have him back and he's a guy that we think will have a lot of home runs for us. I think he'll fit in better for us over the course of a full season than he did and I think he'll put less pressure on himself.

Those comments indicate Hoyer has Ludwick in his plans for 2011, but should he?  Ludwick is likely to be paid $6.5-7MM next year.  Coming off a .251/.325/.418 season, he might make half that as a free agent if he's non-tendered.  It may be difficult to convince a slugger to sign in San Diego, but not to the point where they must be paid double.

In Ludwick's defense, he did slug .484 with the Cardinals this year.  Only a dozen free agents had a higher slugging percentage in 2010.  Ludwick also has a ridiculous 2008 season on his resume -  a 37 home run campaign.  If the Padres let him go, what's the backup plan in left field?  Free agents like Pat Burrell and Brad Hawpe aren't much better, while Adam Dunn and even Magglio Ordonez may be expensive.  Trade options could include Josh Willingham, Luke Scott, Carlos Quentin, and Kosuke Fukudome.

Your turn: will Ludwick be tendered a contract?  Click here to make your prediction and here to see the results.

Yankees Interested In Jorge De La Rosa

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Cliff Lee isn't the only free agent left-hander who's drawing interest from the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have expressed interest in Jorge de la Rosa, according to Mark Feinsand and Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. GM Brian Cashman did not confirm the club’s interest in De La Rosa, but he did acknowledge that he has made “a lot of phone calls” to free agents.

Cashman told Feinsand that he is impressed with Lee's demeanor and postseason experience, but has not yet made the left-hander an offer. Lee and De La Rosa are both Type A free agents, so signing either player will cost a top pick, assuming both receive offers of arbitration from their former clubs.

Rafael DePaula Is Back On The Market

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Dominican pitching prospect Rafael DePaula is once again attracting interest from teams, tweets Jorge Arangure of ESPN the Magazine.  The right-hander has been dogged by questions about his age and identity for more than a year. 

DePaula was first eligible to sign back in 2008 when he presented himself as a 16-year-old.  He was later found out to be a year older and was suspended by MLB.  In June, after serving his suspension time, he confessed to using a false identity.  He used the name Rafael DePaula Figueroa but admitted to actually being Jose Rafael DePaula, born March 24, 1991.

The 6"3' hurler was clocked in the 91-93 mph range last year in the Dominican Prospect League but according to Arangure, he has been known to throw as hard as 97 mph.  The Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and Padres have all reportedly had interest in DePaula in the past, but Arangure tweets that he doesn't know what teams are currently involved.  Arangure also points out that the pitcher could have trouble obtaining a visa.

Odds & Ends: Beltre, Counsell, Greinke, Kuroda

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Thursday night linkage..

Uggla Believes A Deal Can Be Reached

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Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla told reporters today that he believes that he and the Marlins can close the gap in their extension talks, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.  The veteran is entering his final year of arbitration where he can expect to earn $10MM or more.  Uggla indicated that he is upset that the details of his contract talks have leaked to the press.

On Sunday we learned that the 30-year-old turned down a four-year, $48MM proposal from the Fish.  While the extension offer did not satisfy the second baseman, it does mark a significant jump from the three-year, $24MM deal that Florida offered back in September.

Uggla's representation was said to be seeking $58MM over five seasons but the slugger's belief that the gap between the two sides is "bridgeable" may indicate that a compromise is forthcoming.

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