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Archives for February 2011

Buehrle Would Accept Trade For Right Fit

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White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle said he would be willing to approve a trade, depending on the circumstances, if the South Siders were looking to deal him, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Buehrle has full no-trade protection on account of being a so-called 10-and-5 player, meaning he has 10 years of service time, the five most recent of which have come with his current team, the White Sox. Buehrle said there are teams for which he wouldn't want to play and would therefore invoke his trade veto. But he also said that he would accept certain trades if one were in the best interest of the White Sox because he is on good terms with the team and owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

"They have done enough for me," Buehrle told Merkin.

Chicago, though, is considered a strong contender in the AL Central this year and is not actively interested in trading any of its starters, according to Merkin. Buehrle, in the final season of a four-year, $56MM deal, could be an attractive in-season trade target for contending teams should the White Sox get off to a slow start and fall out of the postseason picture.

NL Central Notes: Kotsay, Wainwright, Lucroy

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Adam Wainwright's potentially season-threatening injury is grabbing a lot of headlines today. Here's more on that and some other items of note coming out of the NL Central.

  • The Brewers' deal with Mark Kotsay includes a few incentives, blogs Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Here's the breakdown: Kotsay's base salary if for $800K, and he can earn up to $450K in incentives. He'll earn $25K each if he reaches 125 and 150 plate appearances, $50K each for 175 and 200 PAs, $50K each for 40, 60, 80 and 100 games started, and $100K if he's on the roster on July 1.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak remains pessimistic about Wainwright's injury after speaking to a team doctor, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wainwright will get a second opinion on his ailing right elbow on Thursday, and the club will decide on a treatment plan from there, writes Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch.
  • Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is expected to miss four weeks after suffering a broken right pinky during blocking drills on Wednesday, according to a club press release. The injury will require surgery, but Brewers GM Doug Melvin said, "We feel OK for now," when asked whether he'd be pursuing another backstop, blogs McCalvy.
  • Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes was apparently celebrating Wainwright's injury, writes Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. Seeing as it's all in the name of competition, and the Reds' chance of winning the NL Central jumped significantly on account of Wainwright's injury, Gomes' reaction is not a big deal, writes Rob Neyer of SBNation.com. Gomes, however, said that his reaction was misconstrued and that he'd never celebrate another player's injury, blogs Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Phillies Downplay Blanton Trade Rumors

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Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said that right-hander Joe Blanton, the subject of a variety of trade rumors this offseason, will be starting for Philly in April, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

Blanton, with two years and $17MM remaining on his contract, became prominent in rumors when the Phillies committed five years and $120MM to Cliff Lee. Those talks had seemingly cooled as we drew nearer to Spring Training, but Blanton's name resurfaced earlier Wednesday in connection with the Cardinals when it was announced that their ace, Adam Wainwright, could be headed for Tommy John surgery.

Even still, Amaro hardly shut the door on Blanton trade talks for good with his assurance that the right-hander would be starting for the Phillies in April. There's plenty of time to get a deal done thereafter.

Heyman: Angels’ Courtship Confuses Crawford

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Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford remains "puzzled" by the Angels' pursuit of him on the free-agent market this offseason, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com.

Many, including Crawford himself and the Angels, saw the speedy outfielder as a good fit for the Halos as he embarked on free agency at the end of 2010, Heyman notes, but Los Angeles of Anaheim's offer of six years (with an option for a seventh) and $108MM, though hardly paltry, was easily surpassed by Boston's seven years and $142MM.

But what Crawford found especially confusing is that in the wake of losing out on Crawford, the Angels then acquired Vernon Wells, who has a higher per-year salary than Crawford, from the Blue Jays. To boot, the Halos' offer to Crawford, 30 in August, was well below the seven years and $126MM the Nationals had already paid to acquire outfielder Jayson Werth, who will turn 32 in May.

Indeed, it was something of an odd offseason for the Halos, as ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wrote a couple weeks back, and their dealings with Crawford seem to embody that the most.

Looking At Some Productive Waiver Claims

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Waiver claims are perhaps the least exciting hot stove transaction, but they can have a very real impact in the standings. Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle noted that seven players on the Astros' 40-man roster were originally acquired via waivers, including setup man Wilton Lopez. After being claimed from the Padres in April 2009, Lopez posting a 2.96 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and just 0.7 BB/9 in 67 innings last season.

Using our Transactions Tracker, lets look back at some players who were claimed off waivers in the last three or so years before going on to be productive players for their new teams…

  • Craig Breslow, LHP – Breslow bounced around quite a bit before the A's poached him from the Twins in May 2009. He's pitched to a 2.84 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 130 innings with Oakland.
  • Todd Coffey, RHP – The burly right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Brewers from the Reds in September 2008, after which he posted a 3.52 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 153 1/3 innings for Milwaukee.
  • Casey McGehee, 3B – Another waiver gem by the Brewers, they grabbed McGehee from the Cubs in October 2008. In the two seasons since, he's hit .291/.346/.477 with 39 homers in 1,064 plate appearances.
  • Dan Meyer, LHP – Once the headliner in the Tim Hudson trade, the Marlins selected Meyer from the A's in November 2008. He pitched very well in 2009 (3.09 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 in 58 1/3 innings) before falling apart in 2010.
  • Darren O'Day, RHP – The Mets let O'Day go on waivers in April 2009 after selecting him from the Angels in the Rule 5 Draft. All the submariner has done since is post a 1.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings as a Ranger.
  • Eric O'Flaherty, LHP – The Braves claimed O'Flaherty off waivers from the Mariners in November 2008, and he's gone on to pitch to a 2.78 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings for Atlanta.

The trend here is relievers. Their performance tends to fluctuate from year-to-year, sometimes wildly, and sometimes a change of scenery can be all it takes to unlock potential. 

Other players like Alex Rios, Manny Ramirez, and Cody Ross were claimed off waivers as well, both those transactions were driven by shedding salary more than anything else. The list of players above were more or less given up on by their original clubs.

Gonzalez Doesn’t Expect Braves To Trade A Starter

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It was just a few years ago that the Braves seemed desperate for starting pitching help, but now they boast enough that new manager Fredi Gonzalez is being asked about potential trades. Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution picked up this quote from skipper, who was asked about moving one of his arms…

"[Are we] looking at trading somebody? Oh, no, no, no," said Gonzalez. "No. No. I think this is where you build your team from. Your strength is your starting pitching. No, I don’t anticipate us moving any of those guys."

The Braves currently have Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, and Jair Jurrjens penciled into the rotation, with Mike Minor, Brandon Beachy, and Rodrigo Lopez around to serve as the fifth starter and depth. Kenshin Kawakami has been on the trade block all winter, but so far no one has bit because of his $6.667MM salary. 

Earlier today we heard that the Twins weren't necessarily eager to deal one of their excess starting pitchers either, but if they or the Braves decided to act, they'll surely find a robust market. The Yankees are known to be seeking rotation help, as are the Indians and Nationals. The Cardinals are also facing the possibility of losing Adam Wainwright for the season.

Potential Pitching Options For The Cardinals

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The Cardinals are expected to receive some bad news pretty soon, as it appears as though right-hander Adam Wainwright will miss the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery. Manager Tony LaRussa told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they "have to overcome this," though St. Louis still has a formidable front of the rotation featuring Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, and Jake Westbrook.

Reliever Kyle McClellan is already working under a starter's program this spring according to Goold, so he could be first in line for the vacated rotation spot. The team could also turn to Brian Tallet, Miguel Batista, Ian Snell, P.J. Walters, or Lance Lynn if needed. What about external options? Let's take a look…

  • Kevin Millwood – The 36-year-old free agent is said to be "waiting for the right widespread panic," and Wainwright's injury would certainly qualify. Millwood was rumored to be seeking $4-5MM, and recently declined a minor league offer from the Yankees. 
  • Joe Blanton – It's long been speculated that the Phillies would try to unload the $17MM owed to Blanton over the next two years, though St. Louis' payroll is said to be "leaking." Philadelphia would likely have to eat a significant portion of Blanton's contract to facilitate a trade, defeating the point of moving him.
  • Jeremy Bonderman – Still just 28, Bonderman has been connected to the Indians recently but is still without a job for 2011.
  • Chad Durbin – At least one team (the Red Sox) have interest in him as a starter, but he'd have more of an opportunity with the Cardinals. Durbin has 75 big league starts to his credit, but none since 2007. He could also provide bullpen depth if McClellan moves into the rotation.
  • Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia – both right-handers are with the Yankees on minor league contracts that allow them to become free agents if they don't make the team out of Spring Training.

There's no way to replace a pitcher of Wainwright's caliber, so the Cardinals will have to hope that whoever takes his place in the rotation simply provides quality innings while the rest of the team takes their game up a notch.

Quick Hits: Pujols, Crawford, Pavano, Rays, A’s, Mets

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Links for Wednesday, as the Cardinals hope for the best regarding Adam Wainwright's elbow…

  • In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney writes about the pressure both the Cardinals and Cubs will be under if Albert Pujols hits the open market. He likens Chicago's situation to what the Knicks and Cavaliers faced during last year's LeBron James madness.
  • Carl Crawford told WEEI.com's Dennis & Callahan that the Yankees never made him an offer this offseason, and that he "didn't want to be somebody's backup plan." New York met with Crawford during the winter meetings.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman heard that the Pirates offered Carl Pavano two years and $13MM while the Yankees offered one-year and $9.75MM with incentives (Twitter link). Pavano eventually rejoined the Twins for two years and $16.5MM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears "rumblings" that certain big market teams want to "drop" the Athletics and Rays, even though there's little chance it actually happens. Contraction doesn't appear to be on the horizon given revenue streams, and as Rosenthal notes, the player's union would consider the elimation of 50 jobs an "act of war."
  • In a separate article, Rosenthal explores the domino effect Wainwright's injury may have on the Cardinals.
  • Richard Sandomir and Ken Belson of The New York Times report that "a variety of proposals are surfacing that suggest that investors want more than the Mets are offering." The Wilpons are looking to sell about 25% of the team in the wake of the Madoff scandal, but not controlling interest. 
  • Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes ranks the top fantasy outfielders.

Antony On Nishioka, Hardy, Pavano, Liriano, More

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Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony recently sat down for a chat with Jesse Lund from Twinkie Town to discuss a variety of topics. Let's recap the hot stove talk…

  • Tsuyoshi Nishioka first popped up on the team's radar after Antony mentioned to his agent that the team was looking to get more athletic on the infield. This was long before they decided to trade J.J. Hardy.
  • The Twins believe Nishioka is a good player, but they understand there might be a bit of a transition period. Not just for the move to MLB, but the move to the United States. They've hired an interpreter for Nishioka, and don't believe the additional Japanese media will be an issue in the clubhouse.
  • The three-year, $9MM contract Nishioka signed was "exactly what we pretty much anticipated and were willing to give." They were trying to add speed and athleticism to the lineup, but no one on the free agent market jumped out at them, hence the pursuit of Nishioka.
  • Hardy was expected to make $5MM+ in 2011 (he eventually signed for $5.85MM), and the team "just decided that we wanted to put that money into other areas." Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, and most of the bullpen were free agents, so they had to prioritize. "Trying to fit all those guys into a budget was going to be impossible."
  • The Twins had conversations with other teams about Hardy, but there were never any real offers. The trade with Baltimore was "by far [their] best opportunity to make a deal." It became apparent that Brendan Harris wasn't a fit anymore, hence his inclusion in the trade.
  • Antony says the Twins like Rule 5 Draft pick Scott Diamond in long relief, and Dusty Hughes' success against Minnesota last year played a role in claiming him off waivers.
  • Although they would have liked to retain Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Brian Fuentes, the Twins just "couldn't compete" with the multyear offers they were receiving as free agents.
  • Thome decided that Minnesota was where he wanted to be after talking with his family, and the money didn't appear to be much of an issue.
  • Antony expected Pavano to get two or three years at $10-11MM per season, and he knows the Brewers had some interest in the right-hander. Pavano's agent basically told the Twins he wanted to play there, and he wasn't a guy that was "chasing the last dollar."
  • Rumors of Francisco Liriano being available in a trade were just that, rumors. As far as a multiyear deal with the lefty, Antony said there "can be many reasons why you don't consummate a multiyear deal, and sometimes the player doesn't want to, sometimes the club doesn't want to, sometimes you just don't agree on numbers, or whatever. So we're not going to talk about any of our negotiations with that or anything else, but he was a big part of our rotation. We're not talking to anybody right now on Francisco Liriano."
  • The team is at the "far reaches" of where they can go with payroll, so they tried to maintain flexibility for 2012 by not doing any multiyears deals this offseason (aside from Pavano).
  • "If the right deal arises and we can improve our ballclub, we could look at it from that point of view," said Antony, regarding a potential trade involving one of the team's excess starting pitchers. "I don't think we'd trade away one of our starting pitchers for a middle reliever or something. It would have to be something that would make sense for us. And a trade isn't even the most likely scenario, it's a possible scenario."

Antony also talked about Justin Morneau's health, Delmon Young's breakout, injury concerns, minor league prospects, and much, much more. Make sure you give it a read.

Phillies, Rays May Be Front-Runners For Durbin

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12:07pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman adds the Mariners and Rangers to the mix, saying Durbin is deciding between those two plus the previously reported Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:41am: Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox have not yet heard back from Durbin, and it appears that the Phillies and Rays are the front-runners at the moment (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:11pm: Durbin would accept a minor league contract with the Phillies, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "if Durbin's hand is forced because there are no Major League offers on the table."  A source tells Gelb that Durbin's agent, Dan Horwits, is negotiating with two teams about Major League contracts but no offers have been made.  Gelb also hears that Durbin hopes to make his decision within the next two days.

4:39pm: The Red Sox are interested in Chad Durbin as a starter and have made him an offer, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). The Rays and Rangers also have some degree of interest in Durbin, according to Gammons.

One of the top remaining free agents, Durbin has drawn interest from Seattle since exchanging offers with the Phillies last month. It seems unlikely that Durbin will return to Philadelphia, but Gammons says he may head to Clearwater, where the Phillies train, Thursday. He could be intrigued by Boston's offer given his interest in playing for a contender.

The 33-year-old posted a 3.80 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 68 2/3 innings last year. Durbin has averaged 65 appearances and 75 innings in three seasons out of the Phillies' bullpen.

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