Odds and Ends: Rolen, Silva, Capps
Here are some hot stove links to digest this evening.
- The New York Post’s Joel Sherman runs down some third base options for the Yankees. He feels that Scott Rolen, Bill Hall, Freddy Sanchez, and a few others might be reasonable options. Bernie Miklasz says there’s no indication any team is truly interested in Rolen, though Randy Youngman suggests the Angels may look at him.
- Youngman also believes the Halos have slight interest in Carlos Silva, if he can be had at less than $10MM annually. Not bloody likely.
- Jon Paul Morosi thinks the Tigers could go after the Pirates’ Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres, or even Matt Capps.
- Hat tip to Bucco Blog on the Sherman and Morosi links above. Check out Jake’s latest post, where he uncovers some interesting minor league free agents.
- Rob Biertempfel names David Riske, Doug Brocail, Shawn Camp, and Scott Linebrink as some relievers the Pirates might consider. I imagine Riske and Linebrink will be too pricey.
- Troy E. Renck believes the Rockies might inquire about Cliff Lee.
- RotoAuthority assesses the health risks within the Nationals’ rotation.
Indians, Orioles Looking At Bay?
We first checked in on outfielder Jason Bay back in late September. Neal Huntington’s comments seemed to indicate Bay could be dealt. He slumped to a surprising .746 OPS this year.
Logically the Indians would be in the mix for Bay. He’s affordable – he makes only $13.25MM over the next two seasons. And Huntington used to work for Tribe GM Mark Shapiro. Marty York backs up the speculation, saying the Indians are the most interested club.
Another interested club is the Orioles, according to Bucco Blog. Jake mentions that teams are still trying to figure out why Bay declined in 2007. Bay has contended his surgically repaired knee only hindered him on the basepaths and defensively, not at the plate. A lack of passion has been suggested. And I hate to throw it out there based only on a statistical decline, but teams may be waiting to see if Bay’s name appears in the Mitchell Report at all.
Tigers Could Lose Rogers, Move On To Silva
Leave it to Scott Boras to be unsatisfied with Kenny Rogers‘ declarations that he will either play for the Tigers or retire. Boras told Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski yesterday that Rogers wanted to explore the open market.
The Tigers remain Rogers’ first choice, but Boras wants to be make sure the the 43-year old southpaw is paid at a level commensurate with his peers. To Boras that would be the Maddux-Schilling-Glavine range, which is roughly $10MM. Rogers earned $8MM in 2007, and is probably a tad less appealing than that trio. According to Jon Paul Morosi (linked above), the Mariners and Rangers would be in the mix if the Tigers couldn’t get something done.
Dombrowski won’t let the Rogers wrinkle stop him from pursuing other pitchers. Morosi says the Tigers have already expressed interest in Carlos Silva. Wow, that list is growing rapidly.
The team’s other focus is relief pitching, given Joel Zumaya‘s injury. They still want to re-sign Todd Jones, and Matt Mantei is a mildly interesting wild card. Morosi added today that the Tigers have talked to the Rockies about Brian Fuentes. Morosi says relievers from the Cubs and Pirates could also be available – I’m guessing Ryan Dempster, Will Ohman, Damaso Marte, and Salomon Torres. An intriguing trade option: Jose Valverde.
Odds and Ends: Cook, Benoit, Griffey, Riske
Some random tidbits that didn’t get their own posts today…
- The Rockies picked up Aaron Cook‘s $4.5MM option as expected. The bigger question is whether they can sign him long-term, maybe for three years. They also passed on LaTroy Hawkins for $3.75MM but may still sign him.
- The Rangers agreed to a two-year contract with reliever Joaquin Benoit for two years and $6MM. He would’ve hit free agency after 2008. Smart move would be to let him rack up 10-15 saves next season and then trade him for something good.
- The Braves aren’t expected to get their next center fielder through free agency, and Terence Moore suggests trading for Ken Griffey Jr. to fill the position. More reasonable targets might be David DeJesus or Coco Crisp.
- The Royals may yet retain David Riske, who wants a multiyear deal and would like to stay. They’ll definitely offer him arbitration, since he’s a Type B free agent. Also, longtime Royal Mike Sweeney might finally play elsewhere.
- Free agent Shawn Chacon is looking to start in 2008, and he’ll make over $4MM.
- Charley Walters says the Twins won’t pursue Barry Bonds. If Bonds is to land in the AL, the Orioles, Devil Rays, Royals, Angels, and A’s may be his only options.
- McCovey Chronicles suggests a Noah Lowry for Bill Hall swap.
Rockies Pursuing Ian Snell?
I hate to tap from the same well twice in a row, but I felt the rumor at the bottom of Jake from Bucco Blog’s post deserved it’s own mention. Jake writes,
"Lastly, are the Rockies going to go after Ian Snell? One NL exec thinks so.. and hard.
I was surprised when I heard this one knowing the Rockies have a pretty solid core of young pitchers in their farm, but if Dave Holliday does come to work as player development or scouting director, well…"
A lot of teams come off World Series trips with a truckload of veterans and the need to rebuild. The Rockies are not one of those teams. In fact, with the added confidence of a pennant (and World Series?), I wouldn’t be surprised if these now-seasoned youngsters kept competitive with the Diamondbacks up-and-coming talent over the next few years; however, they will need more starting pitching to do so (’07 starters had a 4.58 team ERA), especially if the Diamondbacks are focusing on upgrading a rotation consisting of Brandon Webb. So let’s look at Ian Snell as a fit.
Snell can dominate. He was arguably the Pirates best starter this year (3.76 ERA, 177 K in 208 IP), edging out Tom Gorzelanny in everything except Wins. He will turn 26 this Tuesday and just completed his second tour of duty. He is slated to make near-minimum in ’08, and becomes arbitration eligible in ’09-’11. Free agency is 5 years away. For that reason, it seems unlikely a rebuilding franchise would trade this cornerstone. Still, Jake from Bucco Blog doesn’t consider him untouchable.
And now let’s speculate on the Rockies: They have one of the deepest farm systems in the game, a key that will keep them competitive in the NL West. Troy Tulowitzki has got to be untouchable. But Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas may be at their respective pinnacles of value. Chris Ianetta, a promising catching prospect, Ian Stewart, Franklin Morales, Jeff Baker… the list of major league ready prospects goes on. If one team could persuade the Bucs to deal Snell, perhaps it’s the Rockies. Thoughts?
More on Jason Bay to the Twins
Yesterday, Joe Nathan said his re-signing was contingent on the Twins remaining competitive. Today, Jake at Bucco Blog discusses a rumor to that fact: The Twins’ interest in Jason Bay is real and hinges on whether or not they retain Torii Hunter.
Tim breaks it down here. Hunter wants 5/75. The Twins are offering 3/45. If the they are serious about retaining him and Hunter in fact wants to stay then that discrepancy doesn’t seem insurmountable. However, if Hunter leaves…
Jason Bay had a down year (.248/.328/.420) and yet almost certain to be dealt by new Pirates GM Neil Huntington this winter. Shipping Bay is a launch pad for restructuring the Pirates’ system. Tim notes the viability of a Bay for Matt Garza deal. He’s signed for a mere $5.75MM in ’08 and an only slightly less mere $7.5MM in ’09, so the Twins would have no financial qualms if Hunter walks.
Posted by Nat Boyle
Tigers Hot Stove Talk
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News runs down all of the big names rumored to be possibilities for the Tigers this winter and assesses the likelihood of each. It’s a well-written article so be sure to read it. Here are the players, ranked by the percent chance of playing for Detroit next year:
Kenny Rogers – 90%
Todd Jones – 80%
Geoff Jenkins – 75%
Edgar Renteria – 50%
Jack Wilson – 30%
Francisco Cordero – 5%
Alex Rodriguez – 3%
Mariano Rivera – 3%
Raul Ibanez – 0.5%
Torii Hunter – 0%
Andruw Jones – 0%
- Henning believes Jenkins is quite likely to become a Tiger on a two-year deal. He only costs money, as the Brewers won’t be offering him arbitration if they decline his option. The Twins may be in the mix for him as well.
- Henning notes that new Braves GM Frank Wren and current Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski have a connection and could easily work together on a Renteria trade. Pitching would be the requirement. Jeremy Bonderman seems like too much; Nate Robertson perhaps too little.
- The Tigers badly want to bring Rogers back; that seems very likely.
- Henning expects Jones back unless he receives an offer from the Braves, located somewhat near his home. That’s not expected.
Pirates Rebuilding, Shipping Bay?
Pirates fans, get ready for some big changes. Rob Biertempfel reports:
Over the new couple of weeks, the Pirates will hire a new manager, scouting director, director of player development and assistant general manager. The turnover could extend to coaches and scouts throughout the system.
New facilities are rising in Bradenton, Fla., and the Dominican Republic. The club also plans to develop a leaner, more efficient data storage system.
Red Sox Pitching Coach John Farrell is the reported favorite to be the Buc’s skipper and Theo Epstein has been singing his praises, writes John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times:
"John has brought so much to our organization," Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said. "He’s brought a sense of accountability to the pitching staff and he is just so organized in everything he does. He prepares our pitchers both mentally and physically every day of the season. He is an extremely sharp guy and the only thing he lacks is much major-league experience as a coach."
Indeed it’s an exciting time to be a Pirates fan after a bit of a dry spell. Tim noted that the Pirates may shop Jason Bay this winter. With these structural changes taking place at the developmental levels it seems even more likely.
Posted By Nat Boyle
Odds and Ends: Wakefield, Guillen, Lowell
Some random rumorage not quite worthy of individual posts…
- Jeff Goldberg of the Hartford Courant speculates that Tim Wakefield could be making his final start for Boston tonight. With Wakefield, the Red Sox possess one of the most lopsided contracts in baseball history. They have a perpetual $4MM club option with him, one that never goes away until they decline it. But $4MM is nothing to the Sox, and Wakefield was certainly worth that much in ’07. They’ll exercise it.
- The Mariners were once close to an extension for Jose Guillen, but currently it’s on the backburner. Even if the team exercises his $9MM option, Guillen can and probably will void it. He’s going to want at least three years, $30MM. The Mariners could get by without him.
- Mike Lowell has more Philly connections than I realized. The Phils definitely seem like his second choice if the Red Sox let him go. I think the Phillies should just sign Mike Lamb and spend the excess money on pitching.
- Neal Huntington’s first move: a waiver claim of Kevin Thompson. It’s over now.
- Joel Pineiro gets a $500K signing bonus, $5MM in ’08, and $7.5MM in ’09. Originally he wanted to test the market, but he appreciated the Cardinals giving him a chance.
- John Schuerholz found Scott Boras’ suggestions obnoxious and idiotic. Also, Steve Phillips comments on the A-Rod/Mets situation back in 2000.
Twins Interested In Jason Bay?
Bucco Blog reports that the Twins may have some interest in Pirates outfielder Jason Bay. It’s possible the Bucs would want Matt Garza in return. It would be a blockbuster introduction for Neal Huntington and Bill Smith.
It’s always hard to part with young pitching (especially with the likely departure of Johan Santana), but the Twins have needed an offensive boost for a while now. Bay is signed for 2008-09 at just $13.25MM, so the Twins can definitely squeeze him into the budget. Garza looks like at least a #3, especially in the NL Central. This seems like a trade that could benefit both teams. Thoughts?