Cafardo On Suzuki, Cabrera, Griffey, Zambrano
In Nick Cafardo's latest piece for the Boston Globe, he takes an extended look at the Red Sox' early-season catching issues. He reiterates that if David Ortiz's struggles continue, the logical solution is to move Victor Martinez to DH and acquire a catcher. Cafardo names Kurt Suzuki as a player who would intrigue the Sox, since he can hit as well as play defense. Here are a few of Cafardo's other notes:
- Other catchers to keep an eye on for the Sox include Chris Iannetta, Miguel Olivo, Chris Snyder, and even Twins prospect Wilson Ramos, though he'd be costly.
- Cafardo praises the work Miguel Cabrera has put in to improve his image after last year's off-field problems. According to Cafardo, the Tigers "entertained trade proposals for him, but they wanted the farm in return."
- Ken Griffey Jr. is off to a slow start this year, but the Mariners will give him time to work through it. Seattle may eventually have to limit his playing time if his bat doesn't get hot, but would never release him.
- Cafardo is skeptical that the Cubs will be able to trade for a setup man and move Carlos Zambrano back into the rotation in the near future, suggesting the relief market is fairly thin.
- One AL international scout's assessment of Cuban shortstops Jose Iglesias and Adeiny Hechavarria: "Iglesias is certainly the more polished player at this stage, but Hechavarria has more upside…. I’d say Iglesias could play defensively in the big leagues right now, where Hechavarria would need a year or two to refine his game a bit." While the Sox would like to give Iglesias more minor league experience, they could bring him up if something were to happen to Marco Scutaro or Dustin Pedroia.
Red Sox Interested In Chris Snyder?
The Red Sox have Chris Snyder on their "down-the-road hit list," a source tells Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. With Miguel Montero on the disabled list for about another month, Snyder is not currently available, but the Red Sox may be interested in the backstop when Montero returns.
The FOX duo notes that before the Sox acquired Victor Martinez last season, they offered flamethrower Daniel Bard to the Diamondbacks for Montero. Now that Martinez's and Jason Varitek's troubles containing baserunners are compromising Boston's defense, the Sox could once again look into acquiring a Diamondback catcher. For his career, Snyder has thrown out 25.9% of opposing basestealers.
The Diamondbacks had worked out a trade over the winter that would have sent Snyder to the Blue Jays, but it fell through due to injury concerns. Given his back problems and his $11.25MM price tag over the next two years, Snyder will be difficult to deal. However, if the Sox keep allowing stolen bases at a 97% rate (34-of-35), they could be forced to make a move.
Stark On Padres, Jose Guillen, Derrek Lee
ESPN's Jayson Stark kicks off today's column with a look at which teams' starts he considers reality and illusion. Beyond that, a look at his hot stove rumblings…
- One club official who "felt out" the Padres over the winter believes they'll hold on to their top players if they're in contention in July. As Stark says, the market would look a lot worse without Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell.
- Stark names six sluggers who "might be in play" this summer: Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, Rick Ankiel, Paul Konerko, and Manny Ramirez. Hamilton and Manny are longer shots, but they'd certainly get the hot stove burning.
- As for Jose Guillen – executives Stark talked to just aren't interested, despite his .377/.406/.738 start.
- In search of new stadiums, where could the Rays and A's legitimately threaten to move? Stark and his sources run through ideas and can't find a viable city.
- A friend of Cal Ripken's tells Stark "there's a lot of mutual respect" between Ripken and Orioles owner Peter Angelos. Ripken seeks a difference-making job, rather than just a title. It doesn't necessarily have to be with the Orioles.
- The Cubs told Derrek Lee's agent Casey Close they'd prefer to let the season play out before talking extension. Lee discussed the situation during Spring Training.
- Stark's sources consider Brett Anderson's four-year, $12.5MM deal a very team-friendly contract. To the A's credit, most young pitchers are not willing to give two club options. Playing devil's advocate – did the potential cost savings justify committing four years to Anderson after just one year of service? You can find multiple clubs that do not share Oakland's enthusiasm for locking up good young pitchers.
If The Diamondbacks Become Sellers
The Diamondbacks are three games back with over 90% of the season remaining, so it'd be silly to write them off. Still, let's take a look at who they might make available in trade if they're out of contention a few months from now.
Brandon Webb, coming back from shoulder surgery, isn't eligible to come off the disabled list until May 25th. Barring a setback, he should have a month's worth of big league starts before the trade deadline. If he's able to conjure up vintage Webb, he'll have plenty of suitors. But as we saw with Erik Bedard in years past, there are no guarantees he'll have trade deadline value.
Catcher Miguel Montero should return from knee surgery before the end of May. Chris Snyder could be placed on the trading block once again, if Montero shows no ill effects. For his part, Snyder has several weeks to prove himself as a healthy starting catcher. He's owed $11.25MM for 2010-11.
Adam LaRoche, Chad Qualls, Aaron Heilman, Bob Howry, Kris Benson, and Rodrigo Lopez will be eligible for free agency after the season. The D'Backs could move the majority of them if things are looking bad come July. LaRoche might fetch something useful. Augie Ojeda is under team control for 2011, but would probably be available as well.
Odds & Ends: Martinez, Rangers, Strasburg, Zambrano
Links for Wednesday…
- Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal thinks that Victor Martinez's inability to contain baserunners could cost him millions in free agency and compromise his long-term future with the Red Sox.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Tom Hicks is "concerned" about the sale of the Rangers to new ownership. Hicks' comments prompted MLB to release a statement in which they say the league has taken control of the Rangers' sale.
- Despite Stephen Strasburg's hot start, Mike Rizzo has no plans to rush his prized prospect through the minors, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington. Rizzo says that when Strasburg arrives in Washington, the club wants it to be for good.
- Ever seen a $17.875MM reliever? Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs are moving Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen on Friday. Carlos Silva will remain in the rotation; Tyler Kepner of the New York Times recently looked at his potential resurgence.
- In a pair of February articles, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune noted that Mark Buehrle's 10-and-5 rights kick in on July 6th, while A.J. Pierzynski's date is June 14th.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times posits that if the Mariners hadn't traded Adam Jones, they wouldn't have Jack Zduriencik and Franklin Gutierrez.
- Though he'll continue to work for ESPN, Joe Morgan has joined the Reds as a "special advisor to baseball operations." Morgan will not be involved in the team's day-to-day operations, learned John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Diamondbacks looked into a trade for Nate Robertson before the southpaw was dealt to Florida. Crasnick's article deals with the performances of nine important fill-ins so far this season.
- FanGraphs has added an aspect of catcher defense to its Wins Above Replacement stat.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports talks about the plight of Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley. I imagine quite a few teams would like to try to get him back on track.
- Kevin Millar, released by the Cubs in March, has joined the MLB Network as an analyst according to Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball.
Diamondbacks, Mateo Closer To Deal
The Wagner Mateo saga may be reaching a conclusion, with The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reporting that the Diamondbacks and Mateo, the 17-year-old outfield prospect from the Dominican Republic, are "getting closer" to a deal worth about 500K.
SI.com's Melissa Segura reported that Arizona expected to sign Mateo last week, but that report turned out to be premature. Piecoro reports that the Diamondbacks believe the report may have come from the Mateo camp to try and elicit another offer.
Mateo originally signed last summer with the Cardinals for $3.1MM, but St. Louis voided that deal after problems with Mateo's vision surfaced.
Odds & Ends: Matsui, Braves, Bumgarner, Benson
Sunday night linkage..
- It appears that Kaz Matsui is in danger of losing his job as starting second baseman, writes Alyson Footer of MLB.com. This is thanks in large part to the red-hot play of Jeff Keppinger.
- Braves CEO Terry McGuirk refuted a report that the team slashed payroll 13% since last season, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McGuirk also says that he doesn't see the Liberty Media group, which owns the Braves, selling the team in the near future.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer looks at Madison Bumgarner's recent troubles on the mound.
- Kris Benson believes that can throw the ball even harder than he did in his debut with the D'Backs, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Benson, who signed a minor league deal with the club this offseason, was recently promoted to be Arizona's fifth starter.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Lowell, D’Backs
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…
- If the Red Sox decide to give Mike Lowell more at-bats at the expense of David Ortiz, don't be surprised if it happens soon. Just six of their next 26 games are on the road, and Lowell is a .303/.361/.513 career hitter at Fenway. Yesterday we heard that the Sox would probably release Ortiz before keeping him on the bench.
- Should the Orioles decide to part ways with manager Dave Trembley, Rosenthal calls Greg Maddux an outside the box replacement candidate. Andy MacPhail has long admired Maddux's baseball smarts, and thinks he could succeed in any role. Keep in mind that the 355 game winner is currently working for Cubs GM Jim Hendry, and his only tie to the O's is MacPhail, his former GM with Chicago.
- The Diamondbacks' rotation depth remains an issue, but they have minimal interest in Jarrod Washburn. They only have so much money to spend, and Washburn is coming off knee surgery and hasn't been through Spring Training. Arizona believes they're better off waiting until other teams fall out of the race and the trade market begins to develop.
- The concern in Atlanta is about Bobby Cox's bullpen management. The 38-year-old Billy Wagner and 40-year-old Takashi Saito have been worked hard in the early going.
Largest Contracts In Team History
We've already looked at the largest contracts by service time and position, so let's now dig up the largest contracts ever given out by each of the 30 teams. These are in terms of guaranteed money only, but some could end up being even larger because of incentives and option years.
- Angels: Torii Hunter, five years, $90MM
- Astros: Carlos Lee, six years, $100MM
- Athletics: Eric Chavez, six years, $66MM
- Blue Jays: Vernon Wells, seven years, $126MM
- Braves: Chipper Jones, six years, $90MM
- Brewers: Ryan Braun, eight years, $45MM
- Cardinals: Matt Holliday, seven years, $120MM
- Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, eight years, $136MM
- Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, four years, $53.4MM
- Dodgers: Kevin Brown, seven years, $105MM
- Giants: Barry Zito, seven years, $126MM
- Indians: Travis Hafner, four years, $57MM
- Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki, five years, $90MM
- Marlins: Hanley Ramirez, six years, $70MM
- Mets: Johan Santana, six years, $137.5MM
- Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, five years, $45MM
- Orioles: Miguel Tejada, six years, $72MM
- Padres: Jake Peavy, three years, $52MM
- Phillies: Chase Utley, seven years, $85MM
- Pirates: Jason Kendall, six years, $60MM
- Rangers: Alex Rodriguez, ten years, $252MM
- Rays: Wilson Alvarez, five years, $35MM
- Reds: Ken Griffey Jr., nine years, $116.5MM
- Red Sox: Manny Ramirez, eight years, $160MM
- Rockies: Todd Helton, nine years, $141.5MM
- Royals: Gil Meche & Mike Sweeney, both five years, $55MM
- Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, eight years, $152.3MM
- Twins: Joe Mauer, eight years, $184MM
- White Sox: Frank Thomas, seven years, $64.4MM
- Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, ten years, $275MM
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.
Possible Interest In Braden Looper
Braden Looper's numbers aren't eye-catching, but the free agent righty remains useful. The 35-year-old made at least 30 starts for the third consecutive season last year, logging 194.2 innings. He pitched to a 5.22 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. Those numbers suggest that Looper isn't going to dominate, but could help teams win.
The Diamondbacks, for example, could use rotation depth. For now, they're monitoring the trade market and don't appear interested in free agent starters like Looper or Jarrod Washburn, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
The D'Backs have relied on just four starters so far this year, but Kris Benson will join the rotation and start for them tomorrow. Recent history suggests Looper could outperform Benson, but the D'Backs have Kevin Mulvey and Billy Buckner to call on, too.
The Dodgers were interested in Looper on a minor league deal back in March, but they haven't been connected to him since. Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger struck out 12 Marlins in his only start this year, so the Dodgers have an intriguing fifth starter for now.
A glance around the majors shows that a number of other clubs could use starting pitching depth. Mitch Talbot and Jake Westbrook are having early control problems for the Indians; Doug Fister, Jason Vargas and Ian Snell are far from sure things in Seattle; the Nationals have a team ERA above 7.00 and are getting less than five innings per start from their rotation; with Chris Young out, the Padres could look to Looper instead of Tim Stauffer or Wade LeBlanc; the Mets could look to add pitching, too.
There are openings around the league now and more will surely emerge as the season develops, so it would be a surprise if Looper were unable to find work given his history of durability.