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Week In Review: 9/19/10 – 9/25/10

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It's time to take a look back at the week that was..

Nats Seeking Leadoff Hitter

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Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says that he would like to get a leadoff hitter for next season, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  While there are already several candidates in-house such as Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina, Ian Desmond, and Danny Espinosa, the club may look to the free agent market or the trade block to get someone for the top of the order.

As we learned last month, Washington has strong interest in Carl Crawford who figures to be one of the biggest draws on the open market this winter.  Obviously, there will be plenty of suitors for the 29-year-old and the Nats may not be able to beat out teams with deeper pockets.

Our own Ben Nicholson-Smith sees another free agent left fielder, Corey Patterson, as another potential fit.  With a glut of outfielders, the Orioles may not bring the 31-year-old back in 2011.  Patterson could have some appeal to the Nats as a fourth outfielder who can lead off. There could also be some interesting options available via trade such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Reggie Willits, and Kosuke Fukudome.

Indians Acquire Preston Mattingly

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The Indians have acquired Preston Mattingly from the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Roman Pena, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter).  Of course, Mattingly's father Don will take over as Dodgers skipper beginning in 2011.

Mattingly was the Dodgers' first-round selection (31st overall) in the 2006 draft.  The 23-year-old was being groomed as a middle infielder up until 2009 when he spent the bulk of his time in left field.  The youngster split time between Rookie ball and the Dodgers' Inland Empire affiliate, hitting just .218/.247/.291.

Pena, 24, has a .189/.300/.313 slash line at the A-plus level.  The left-handed batter has experience at all three outfield positions.

Olivo’s 2011 Option Is Now Mutual

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Catcher Miguel Olivo's option for next season went from club to mutual after he made his 110th appearance in today's contest against the Giants.   However, the Rockies can still opt to buy out his 2011 for $500K rather than bring him back for $2.7MM.

Olivo's return to Colorado could create an uncomfortable situation with Chris Iannetta, writes Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post.  The Rockies signed Iannetta to a three-year, $8.35MM deal before the season in the hopes that he would take hold of the everyday job behind the plate.  If Olivo returns, he will earn more than the 27-year-old who believes that he is a starting major league catcher.

In his first season with the Rockies, Olivo has hit .271/.317/.447 with 13 homers.  His option was initially worth $2.5MM but he boosted that figure to $2.7MM by reaching 100 and 110 appearances this year.

Pelfrey Open To Extension With Mets

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Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey is open to a contract extension with the club, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.  The righthander will be under Mets control until 2014 but would like to remain in Queens for even longer.

"I would be interested," the 26-year-old said about the possibility of a contract extension. "They'd have to bring it up, but I'm sure we'll explore it. I'm definitely open to it."

Despite Pelfrey's interest, the Mets have not approached Pelfrey about an extension.  The hurler will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.  While Pelfrey seems to like the idea of signing a long-term deal which would buy out his remaining arbitration years and beyond, his agent Scott Boras probably feels differently.

Pelfrey's four-year, $5.25MM contract with New York expired prior to this season.  The righty is making just $500K for the 2010 season, his best to date.  Pelfrey has registered a 3.75 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 31 starts.

Odds & Ends: Pettitte, Marlins, Laird, Pirates, Ely

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Sunday links, as the Rays look to extend their league-best winning streak to five games….

Bonderman Not Expecting Return To Detroit

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When free-agent-to-be Jeremy Bonderman was asked whether he believes he'll be a Detroit Tiger next season, his response was candid. "In all honesty, probably not," the right-hander told Tom Gage of The Detroit News (Twitter link).

Although Bonderman was drafted by the Athletics, he was soon traded to Detroit and has spent his last eight years with the Tigers. The 27-year-old told Gage earlier in the month that he'd like to stay with the club if they want to bring him back: "I love the team, love the guys, love the organization from the owner down. It's been a great place for me." His latest comments, however, indicate that either he doesn't feel the interest is mutual or he's still considering retirement, as he suggested in July.

Bonderman has made 28 starts for the Tigers in 2010, recording a 5.18 ERA to go along with 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Cafardo On Diamondbacks, Lee, Ortiz, Byrnes

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In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes that the Phillies have to be considered World Series favorites heading into the postseason. Here are the other items of interest in Cafardo's piece:

  • Discussing his new team, Kevin Towers hinted that he may want to shake up the Diamondbacks' strikeout-heavy lineup: "Personally, I like contact hitters. I like guys with good pitch recognition. Strikeouts are part of the game, but if you have four, five, or six guys in your lineup, it’s hard to sustain any sort of rally."
  • According to Cafardo, moving Carlos Lee to first base helps the Astros by not only improving Lee's trade value, but also making their outfield more athletic. I agree on the second point, but I don't think Lee has any trade value until he improves his career-low .701 OPS.
  • Cafardo adds that if Lee can play first base for a National League club, there's reason to believe David Ortiz could do it too.
  • Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes has spoken to six different teams about job opportunities in their organizations, and was asked for advice by a few clubs at this year's trade deadline. The Red Sox and Indians are among the teams interested in Byrnes.

Odds & Ends: Webb, Pirates, Ozzie, Pena, Mets, Lopez

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Some links to check out after the Rangers clinched their first AL West title since 1999…

Tigers Will Look To Sign Relievers This Offseason

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The Tigers bullpen was depleted by the injuries to Bobby Seay, Joel Zumaya, and Zach Miner this season, and even though Phil Coke and Ryan Perry have stepped up and gotten big outs for manager Jim Leyland, they're still going to look for relievers this winter according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. He notes that Detroit's bullpen seemed to lack "big-game experience," something they're sure to find on the open market.

"The free-agent market, we're going to look for some relievers," said Leyland. "We need help, and that's where we're going to get it, we think. We're hoping to get it through maybe some free agency."

Leyland did qualify his statement however, saying that signing some bullpen help was not a certainty. Clearly though, the bullpen is high on his list of priorities, and you can be sure GM Dave Dombrowski will oblige.

The free agent market offers plenty of relief help, none better than Rafael Soriano. Of course Detroit is set at closer with Jose Valverde, so chances are the club will pass on the Rays' ace reliever. J.J. Putz, Jesse Crain, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, and Matt Guerrier represent the best of the setup arms while Scott Downs and Arthur Rhodes highlight the lefthanded group. 

The Tigers have a boatload of cash coming off the books after the season, more than $50MM from the expiring contracts of Magglio Ordonez, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, and Nate Robertson alone. If they want to make a big time free agent splash or two to help the bullpen, they'll certainly have the means to do it.

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