Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Hampton, Tazawa, Blalock
Let’s round ’em up…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Andy Pettitte seems to want to play next year, but Peter Abraham believes he may have to take a pay cut.
- Gerry Fraley writes about the Rockies and Mike Hampton. It’s safe to rule out a return to Colorado for Hampton, who is currently auditioning for his next team.
- The Royals dismissed their scouting director Deric Ladnier, offering him another position in the organization. Craig Brown reflects on Ladnier’s tenure.
- More Royals linkage: Rany Jazayerli defends the Gil Meche signing and implores the team to lock up Zack Greinke this winter. Jazayerli would also like the team to pick up knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, recently designated for assignment by the White Sox.
- Patrick Newman continues to update us on Japanese amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa, who is coveted by several MLB teams. If Tazawa starts a trend, an interesting debate could follow. Newman also has a running list of Japanese free agents for this winter.
- Bobby Valentine may be clashing with his boss over in Japan.
- Will the Rangers cut Hank Blalock loose, or exercise his $6.2MM option? Blalock’s ability to play third base remains a question mark, but he will try to improve his arm strength this winter.
- Neither the Pirates nor Pedro Alvarez‘s people will be present at today’s hearing. ESPN’s Buster Olney says Alvarez can’t win – he’s either villified in Pittsburgh or forced into next year’s draft. In the latter case, Alvarez could lose money down the line.
Odds and Ends: Alvarez, Orioles, K-Rod, Bradley
A few more notes from the MLBiverse…
- Dejan Kovacevic is reporting the Pedro Alvarez case may not be settled until well after the season. While there is a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, some feel that the case is too complex for a single hearing.
- Peter Schmuck feels the O’s will sign a "couple of Paul Byrd-type pitchers," rather than open the pocketbook for a front-of-the-rotation starter.
- It is just speculation, but Nick Cafardo feels the Tigers and Cardinals will be the front-runners for Francisco Rodriguez…Of course this was written prior to the news that Billy Wagner will be out for the ’09 season.
- Manager Ron Washington said he wants Milton Bradley back with the Rangers in ’09, adding that he is not worried about having too many outfielders.
- Peter Abraham says the trades made by the Yankees prior to the deadline have backfired, with only Xavier Nady proving to be a valuable pickup.
- The Phillies have designated RJ Swindle for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Swindle made three appearances for the Phillies earlier this season. In Triple A, Swindle had 51 strikeouts in 36.1 innings, with a 1.98 ERA in 27 appearances.
- Athletics Nation takes a look at the outfield logjam the A’s have for ’09. While a trade or two seems like the obvious solution, Athletics Nation is worried the pieces are currently undervalued.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds And Ends: Bradley, Rodriguez
Some links this Saturday morning; I’ll add more to the list as the day’s news progresses.
- Doug Baxter of DraftInfo chats with ESPN.com’s Keith Law to get his thoughts on the 2009 draft.
- Tim MacMahon at the Dallas Morning News’ Rangers blog ponders whether the Rangers should offer Milton Bradley a multi-year deal or not.
- Speaking of players looking for new deals, Francisco Rodriguez tells the LA Times that his desire to explore free-agency does not necessarily indicate he wants to leave the Angels.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Comments? Rumors? alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com
Odds and Ends: Downs, Furcal, Saltalamacchia
Today’s link collection…
- Perhaps sparked by successful conversions by Ryan Dempster and Justin Duchscherer, the Blue Jays are considering putting Scott Downs in the rotation next year. Downs has 50 big league starts under his belt, most recently in 2006. The Jays might be more inclined to make the switch if A.J. Burnett opts out of his contract. They also may be less willing to shop B.J. Ryan this winter.
- Rany Jazayerli takes a look at the ’09 Royals, noting whispers regarding their interest in Rafael Furcal.
- Jamey Newberg notes that Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia will attempt to prove his health in winter ball, which could make him trade bait.
- The Mark DeRosa signing has worked out well for the Cubs, says Dave Cameron. Other good ones from that free agent class: Gil Meche, Ted Lilly, and Jose Guillen. Take a look – the majority of signings that winter became busts.
- RotoAuthority offers simple advice for winning your fantasy league next year.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hendry, Burnett, Laird
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has a new column up.
- Rosenthal fills us in on Jim Hendry’s contract status: Hendry controls his own fate with an option for ’09. If the new Cubs ownership doesn’t want to extend him beyond that, he could elect free agency this winter. Click here to download a spreadsheet of Hendry’s trade history.
- Teams with third basemen to trade this winter are at an advantage due to the weak free agent market. Names like Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Hank Blalock could generate interest. Blalock is a huge question mark though, and the Rangers still have to decide on his $6.2MM option. Jorge Cantu, Adrian Beltre, and Kevin Kouzmanoff are other names to watch in my opinion.
- Rosenthal talked to a rival executive who sees the Red Sox making a "major push" for A.J. Burnett if he opts out. He can hindle the rigors of pitching in the AL East, and will also draw interest from the Yankees.
- The Rangers may shop Gerald Laird this winter. Laird, 29 in November, is under team control through 2010. The Reds could be a nice match.
- Marlins infielder Chris Coghlan can play second or third base, giving the Fish flexibility on whether they want to trade Cantu, Mike Jacobs, or Dan Uggla this winter.
Odds and Ends: Eaton, Tazawa, Royals, Jays
Today’s links…
- SI.com’s Tom Verducci ranks the five best midseason deals of the past 25 years.
- Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should stick with Robinson Cano.
- Pat Gillick says there’s a slight chance the Phils acquire a reliever this month. He was not able to acquire Kyle Farnsworth in August.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan doesn’t put much stock in the rumor that Nolan Ryan will clean house in Texas.
- Phillies GM Pat Gillick admitted signing Adam Eaton was a mistake. Many MLBTR readers thought so when the signing was finalized in November of ’06.
- The Red Sox hope to sign a Japanese amateur pitcher named Junichi Tazawa, which may not go over well with Nippon Professional Baseball.
- Gil Meche, Joakim Soria, and Zack Greinke are pretty much off-limits. Most other Royals are fair game in trade discussions. GM Dayton Moore intends to make changes this winter, and may also dive back into the free agent market.
- The Blue Jays have $15MM to spend, with needs at shortstop, first base/DH, and catcher. GM J.P. Ricciardi would prefer to fill those holes internally. Shysterball wonders why Ricciardi is talking about next year.
- Michael Rosenberg says Ivan Rodriguez is all about the money.
Week In Review: 8/24 – 8/30
Sunday afternoon is here again… let’s have a look back at some of the moves and rumors since last time:
- The injury-plagued Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay to help compensate for their injuries. In exchange, the Braves received minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Nice acquisition by the Red Sox; Kotsay has been swinging a solid bat this season.
- The Twins acquired Eddie Guardado from Texas in exchange for minor league pitcher Mark Hamburger. Guardado has spent the majority of his career with Minnesota and provides a solid arm to the bullpen. To make room for him, they DFA’d Mike Lamb. Nice move by the Twins, with the added benefit of being able to see "Rangers trade Guardado for Hamburger" in the news. Now that’s a headline!
- The Phillies added a veteran player as well, when they acquired Matt Stairs from Toronto in exchange for minor league lefty Fabio Castro. Stairs should be a decent option off the bench, and he’s still perfectly capable of hitting the ball out of the park.
- Scott Boras continues to find ways to create controversy. He’s now claiming that Pittsburgh’s top pick Pedro Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM signing bonus after the midnight deadline, and is trying to demand that the contract be renegotiated for a higher number. The Players Association has filed a grievance on his behalf. Alvarez could wind up back in the 2009 draft pool. Here’s a look at some baseball blogs’ opinions on the matter.
- Minor moves: The Diamondbacks claimed Wil Ledezma off waivers from San Diego, the Braves signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, and the Astros gave one-year extensions to both Brian Moehler and Darin Erstad.
Latest On Pedro Alvarez
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a source that claims the Player’s Association will only focus on the status of Pedro Alvarez’ contract and not on the contract of Eric Hosmer. Kovacevic says the MLBPA will argue that Hosmer’s contract was only delayed so the Pirates could have more time to negotiate with Alvarez.
However, Jonathan Mayo obtained a copy of the grievance filed by the union which suggests that Alvarez’ contract will not be the sole focus (emphasis Mayo’s).
The Commissioner’s Office, without notice to the MLBPA, unilaterally determined to permit Clubs to negotiate with drafted players after the August 15, 2008 deadline, and unilaterally determined to accept agreements by Clubs after the August 15, 2008 deadline.
Mayo feels that the use of plurals in the grievance indicates the union is contesting more than one contract. Mayo says the grievance, combined with MLB not allowing Hosmer to play until this issue is resolved, suggests that this is about more than just the contract status of Alvarez.
Mayo also speculates that part of the desire to make Alvarez the top-paid draftee, may stem from Buster Posey’s decision to go with an agent other than Boras. Mayo wonders if Boras is in-part driven to prove Posey made a mistake.
Other notes…
- In the above article, Kovacevic also indicates a third team may have submitted their agreement after the midnight deadline. However, Kovacevic does not name the team. Of the teams to announce their agreements to the public after the midnight deadline, includes the Padres (Allan Dykstra), Rangers (Justin Smoak) and Giants (Posey). Could a third player be dragged into this mess?
- Kovacevic has a second piece in which he details the contentious history between the Pirates and Boras, and how this may have led to the current rift between the two sides.
- Kovacevic is also reporting that Pirates’ president Frank Coonelly fired another shot at Boras, blaming the agent for getting Hosmer involved.
- Baseball Prospectus has a list of incidents that could be used as precedents in the Alvarez case.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro Alvarez
Let’s take a look at what is being written about the Pedro Alvarez-Scott Boras-Pirates situation in the Blogosphere…
- The Pittsburgh Lumber Co. feels this situation is more about Boras versus MLB than Alvarez versus the Pirates. They feel it is too early for Pirates fans to turn against Alvarez and suggest this will all be forgotten next summer.
- Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke? wonders if this is not about getting more money for Alvarez. They wonder if Boras has a more sinister motive, to set a precedent for allowing negotiations after the August 15 deadline, in essence making the deadline meaningless.
- Bucs Dugout wonders if the Alvarez situation will cause problems for Rangers’ prospect Julio Borbon.
- Babes Love Baseball says Alvarez is just the latest soul to be claimed by Boras.
- Walk Off Walk normally sides with the players against the owners, but even they think Boras has gone too far this time.
- Pirates beat writer Dejan Kovacevic has details about the grievance, which will focus on Alvarez.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Ricciardi, Guardado, Alvarez
Let’s round ’em up…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star tries to view J.P. Ricciardi’s tenure from both sides. Drunk Jays Fans gives their take on the article.
- Aaron Gleeman takes a closer look at Eddie Guardado, while Jamey Newberg tells us about Mark Hamburger.
- Inspired by Nelson Cruz‘s excellent ’08 MLB debut, Rob Neyer and Sam Mellinger discuss cheap talent and "4A" players. Do Jeff Bailey, Mike Hessman, Joe Koshansky, Scott McClain, Terry Tiffee, and Josh Whitesell fit the bill? It’s always fun when these guys get a legitimate shot.
- The Pirates are getting frustrated with Scott Boras’ games regarding Pedro Alvarez – he’s signed, so let him take his physical already. Is Boras anti-winter ball for some reason? Speaking of Alvarez, Matt Bandi strikes back at Bob Smizik for his article regarding the scoop on the signing.
- If the Padres have the #1 overall pick next June, will they pass on Boras-repped phenom Stephen Strasburg due to signability?
- Andrew Baggarly wonders if the Giants should sign Mark Mulder this winter.
- Ken Rosenthal examines the Yankees’ upcoming offseason challenges. River Ave. Blues responds to the piece.
- Tigers reliever Francis Beltran was designated for assignment after 13 innings. The 28 year-old had been hittable in Triple A as well.