D’Backs Hope To Retain Tony Clark
As expected and mentioned in late August, the Diamondbacks hope to bring first baseman Tony Clark back for 2008. Josh Byrnes said yesterday, "We’re certainly going to make an effort."
Clark will probably cost $3-4MM over two years. His presence and a healthy Chad Tracy might make Conor Jackson expendable for starting pitching.
Will D’Backs Add A Starter?
There are two schools of thought regarding the young, successful Arizona club. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro seems to think Josh Byrnes will stay quiet this winter, re-signing Tony Clark and letting Randy Johnson replace Livan Hernandez. The East Valley Tribune’s Scott Bordow would rather not rely on The Big Unit, instead trading a young position player for a young starter.
Specifically, Bordow notes that Carlos Quentin and Conor Jackson could be expendable. However, injuries complicate possible trades of either player. With Quentin it’s direct – he had surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum of his non-throwing shoulder in October. It’s a six-month timeline for recovery, so he could be ready for Spring Training. Jackson is fine and healthy, but trading him becomes easier if Chad Tracy can prove his health. He had microfracture knee surgery and also expects to be ready in March.
Jackson seems to be the best trading chip – even if Tracy has complications, Clark wouldn’t be a terrible full-time stopgap. Jackson, who turns 26 next May, has a respectable if not spectacular .280/.362/.441 line in 310 games. He slugged .555 after the break this year. Which team has an available young starter and badly needs position players? The Giants, with Noah Lowry. I’m not sure if Lowry would impress the D’Backs, though. Plus, the teams are in the same division. The Twins also make for an interesting match, as they might be able to use Jackson in left field. The D’Backs could ask for Matt Garza or Kevin Slowey. The White Sox could use an outfielder; would one year of Jon Garland be an even swap?
Keith Foulke To Return
Last winter, Keith Foulke signed with the Tribe for one year and $5MM. It was supposed to be a battle of the questionable closers with Joe Borowski. Instead, Foulke "retired" with an elbow issue while JoBo went on to post what was easily the worst 40 save season in baseball history. Antonio Alfonseca‘s 2000 is a distant second (he had a 4.24 ERA).
Foulke had a simple elbow procedure in September, and will start throwing in November. He’s coming back for the 2008 season, with the Red Sox first on his list. The Indians and D’Backs may also get special consideration. We first heard about Foulke’s comeback plans back in May. In my opinion, the changeup artist would be best served in the NL. He hasn’t seen the league except for a brief stint as a starter for the Giants ten years ago.
Fortunately here at MLBTR we have a fairly comprehensive archive of last winter’s hot stove dealings. The D’Backs and perhaps four other clubs were in on him. D-Rays Bay says Tampa Bay was one of them.
Diamondbacks Sign Bob Wickman
The D’Backs have experienced second-half dropoffs from late-inning relievers Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon. Plus, Juan Cruz‘s shoulder may be barking again. As a result, Arizona added some depth by signing 38 year-old Bob Wickman today. The team’s press release is claiming he’s 35 but the beer gut is definitely more indicative of a 38 year-old.
Wickman must’ve gotten over his dissatisfaction with pitching in non-save situations, since Jose Valverde is going strong with 42 saves.
Red Sox To Receive Chris Carter In Pena Deal
UPDATE: Looks like my below tip on Desmond didn’t pan out – Svrluga says pitcher Emiliano Fruto is the player going to Arizona. Fruto was received from Seattle in the Jose Vidro deal.
UPDATE: A source tells me that 22 year-old defensive-minded shortstop Ian Desmond is rumored to be headed to Arizona to complete the deal.
Turns out the Wily Mo Pena trade was a three-team affair. The Nationals received Pena. The Red Sox will receive 25 year-old first baseman Chris Carter from Arizona. Since he’s not on the Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster, I believe the Sox can get Carter now. That leaves a player to be named later going from Washington to Arizona. Barry Svrluga has heard it’s someone not on Washington’s 40-man roster – perhaps Winston Abreu, Arnie Munoz, or Chris Booker. The D’Backs are looking for relief help, but those all look like journeymen to me.
Carter is a respectable return for Pena. According to Baseball America, he’s below average on defense but has the bat speed to become a middle of the order hitter. He’s put up decent numbers in Triple A since 2006, though Tucson Electric Park definitely favors hitters. Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein isn’t jazzed with Carter, labeling him a Quad-A type. He’s definitely not appealing to scouts, but could one day make a decent DH. Interestingly, Todd Helton tops Carter’s comparables list but Dan Johnson is second.
Where’s David Wells Headed?
Another August, another David Wells trade. Which teams would consider the 44 year-old southpaw?
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe believes there’s a small chance the Diamondbacks or Dodgers could be interested. Wells’ agent, Gregg Clifton, specifically mentioned the Mets, D’Backs, and Dodgers as teams the pitcher would strongly consider.
However, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic indicated Friday that the D’Backs "do not appear to have interest" in Wells. Similar story for another West team, the Mariners. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says the Ms "don’t appear to be interested." Stone says Wells has a strong preference to stay in the NL. I don’t blame him. I wonder if Wells is on Atlanta’s radar.
Diamondbacks Sign Byrnes To Extension
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks have reached an accord with outfielder Eric Byrnes in the $30MM over three years. Piecoro believes that the fallout of the deal will be a trade of right fielder Carlos Quentin.
Byrnes, 31, can play all three outfield positions. He’s having the best season of his career, hitting .303/.365/.497 while shuffling between the first four spots in the batting order. Long-term, it looks like the Diamondbacks plan on using Byrnes in left field, Chris Young in center, and Justin Upton in right. It’s possible Young and Upton will swap positions, but you really can’t go wrong either way.
Was Byrnes worth it? PECOTA would say no, instead valuing Byrnes closer to the Diamondbacks’ original offer of $22.5MM. However, Josh Byrnes ultimately decided to spend the extra $7.5MM to retain one of the team’s veteran leaders and popular players. And 3/30 is undoubtedly a below-market deal given that Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr. each got five years.
The 2008 free agent list is now one outfielder lighter. Center field options remain plentiful though. As for Quentin, the Nationals and White Sox have been mentioned in the past. The Byrnes extension might clear a path for Kenny Williams to make a deal this winter.
Multiple Teams Looking At Kielty
UPDATE: The Red Sox signed Kielty.
Bobby Kielty is a 31 year-old switch-hitting outfielder. He can typically draw a few walks and hit lefties. He can handle the corner outfield positions but hasn’t played center with any regularity since 2002. Kielty is a free agent now after being released by the A’s.
According to the Boston Herald, Kielty is receiving interest from the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Astros. The Herald mentions Kielty’s ties to New England, while the San Francisco Chronicle considers him the favorite. Question: why would the Astros be interested?
Diamondbacks Acquire Joe Kennedy Off Waivers
UPDATE: According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, there are some indications that the Diamondbacks intended some of these claims as blocks and didn’t want the players.
Josh Byrnes has a growing collection of August waiver pickups, adding Joe Kennedy today to go with Byung-Hyun Kim and Jeff Cirillo.
Kennedy provides another credible back-end rotation option for the Diamondbacks, and he cost only money (about $880K remains on his contract this year). I like the strategy here. Who knows, the Diamondbacks might not be done yet. Guys like Armando Benitez, Kyle Farnsworth, and Sammy Sosa could receive the same salary-dump treatment (not that Sosa is earning much).
Diamondbacks Claim Byung-Hyun Kim Off Waivers
Not only did the D’Backs snag Jeff Cirillo today, but they brought back an old friend in 28 year-old hurler Byung-Hyun Kim. The Diamondbacks traded Kim to the Red Sox for Shea Hillenbrand back in May of 2003. With Yusmeiro Petit and Micah Owings filling out the back end of the rotation, the Diamondbacks needed to add some depth.
I like that the D’Backs are willing to spend a few bucks to strengthen the back end of their roster. Kim will make approximately another $800,000, and the Marlins were happy to be free of it. Kim’s always posted a nice strikeout rate; maybe the Diamondbacks can help him regain some semblance of control.
I was just talking to a coworker about how the Diamondbacks are in first place with very little star power. Brandon Webb is probably the only player on the roster currently considered elite. Eric Byrnes leads the team with an .871 OPS. Doug Davis is their #2 starter, but they still have the fifth best starting pitching ERA in the league at 4.17. The bullpen’s been about equally as good. They’re about middle-of-the-pack in defensive efficiency. How is this team 10 games over .500?
Some portion of it has to be luck. The Diamondbacks are 60-50 in real life but have a Pythagorean record of just 51-59. They’ve got a 23-15 record in one-run games. This might explain why all of Baseball Prospectus’s playoff odds reports give a better chance to both the Dodgers and Padres.