Davis Would Return To D’Backs Or Brewers
Doug Davis has played his entire National League career with two teams: the D'Backs and Brewers. Now that he's about to become a free agent, Davis tells Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic that he'd return to either club. However, he knows other teams are likely to have some interest in him, so he's not publicly ruling anything out.
"I think there are a lot of teams out there that could use me," he said.
Davis, who turns 34 on Monday, has been remarkably consistent throughout the last six years. He doesn't have electric stuff, but he's made 30 starts or more nearly every season. A year ago, Davis missed time to recover from cancer, but still managed to start 26 games.
Davis says he won't ask for a ton of money, but he considers himself one of the better left-handers available, so he expects to be paid fairly. After the Brewers nearly acquired him last month, Davis said he wants a three-year deal. Since there are other innings-eaters out there, a deal that long would be a coup for Davis and his agent.
Odds & Ends: Buchholz, Burnett, Yanks, Cards
Some links as the weekend draws closer…
- Thought the Red Sox were going to deal Clay Buchholz this summer? You're not alone. Buchholz tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford he expected to be traded because of all the rumors.
- Peter Abraham of the Journal News points out that one of the Yankees' biggest acquisitions of the year, A.J. Burnett, has pitched poorly over the course of his last nine starts. Now Burnett must prove to his teammates that he's ready for the Division Series.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says the Yankees' plan to add power pitchers to the rotation worked (even if Burnett has struggled lately). It's hard to argue with 94 wins in mid-September, but there's more to the Yanks than their rotation.
- Verducci notes that some of the best free agent signings happened late last offseason and some of the worst ones were finalized early. Could we see GMs play the waiting game this winter?
- Joel Pineiro, Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa will have to wait until the season's over to sign their next contracts. Cards GM John Mozeliak told Bernie Miklasz that the team doesn't expect to negotiate deals with prospective free agents before the season ends.
Cubs To Shop Zambrano This Winter?
THURSDAY: Sullivan's sources say Zambrano has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause this offseason.
WEDNESDAY: Sullivan has comments from Zambrano in the aftermath of his report:
"Why, are you guys our general manager now?" he said. "I don't care. If the Cubs want to trade me, it's because they don't like me anymore. I have to move on. What else can I do? I just move on." Zambrano added he doesn't want to waive his no-trade rights, then left, saying: "That's enough."
Sullivan's latest article implies Zambrano's agent Barry Praver was not the source of the original "Cubs plan on shopping Zambrano" report, and Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs' baseball operations department denies putting the info out there. Who's left?
TUESDAY: The Cubs plan on shopping Carlos Zambrano this offseason, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Citing unnamed sources, Sullivan says the Cubs believe Zambrano would waive his no-trade clause to accept a deal to the right team. The 28-year-old righty jokingly suggested it might be easier to play in another market.
"Maybe if I go to a different city next year, if I get traded, I can do what I want," he said.
Sullivan says the Cubs think they can find a team willing to exchange quality players for Zambrano. The hot-tempered pitcher has at least $53.75MM remaining on his contract, however. He makes more per season than A.J. Burnett, so there's no guarantee that the Cubs would find takers.
This year, Zambrano has a 3.77 ERA in 143.1 innings. He's striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings, but has a characteristically high walk rate of 4.1 batters per nine.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports pointed out this weekend that the Cubs, Blue Jays and Braves could all shop top pitchers this offseason. The combination of Zambrano, Roy Halladay and Javier Vazquez could be every bit as enticing as this year's crop of free agent pitchers.
Cubs Rumors: Soriano, Figgins, Harden
ESPN.com's Buster Olney considers some of the problems the Cubs encountered this season and turns up some rumors along the way. Here they are:
- Alfonso Soriano's contract is about as untradeable as they come, so what should the Cubs do about it? One talent evaluator believes the Cubs should make it clear to Soriano and Milton Bradley that Jake Fox and Micah Hoffpauir will play if either veteran falters.
- Christina Kahrl blames the Cubs for relying on older players to win.
- Could the speedy, versatile Chone Figgins be a fit for the Cubs? Jayson Stark wouldn't be surprised to see Figgins sign a three or four-year deal for $11-12MM per season. It's not known whether the Cubs can afford to take on another big contract.
- The Cubs should have the inside track when Rich Harden hits free agency after the season.
Odds & Ends: Royals, Zambrano, Pujols
Time for some afternoon links…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star would like to hear Royals GM Dayton Moore admit he was wrong to think his team could contend this year.
- Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports argues that Carlos Zambrano is simply not an $18MM pitcher anymore, let alone a pitcher clubs would give up worthwhile players to acquire. No argument from me on that one.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com points out that we won't know the team of the decade until the post-season ends. That doesn't stop him from naming his player of the decade: Albert Pujols.
Tomko Would Consider Returning To A’s In 2010
Brett Tomko won the 100th game of his career last night, continuing his impressive 2009 campaign. It was more than just a milestone, however. Tomko tells Drew Davison of the San Jose Mercury News he's hoping the A's will want him back next year if he finishes the season strong.
"It's a huge deal for me now and hopefully we'll talk here about a deal," Tomko said. "But it's definitely important because you want to set yourself up going into free agency."
Tomko has pitched to an ERA of 3.77 in 57.1 innings for the A's and Yankees. The 36-year-old righty has struck out 33 and walked just 13 along the way, so he should draw some interest as a back-of-the-rotation option this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Granderson, Magglio, Hampton
Another round of links…
- Lynn Henning of the Detroit News wonders if the Tigers will consider offers for Curtis Granderson after the season. Though he has 27 homers and 20 steals, Granderson has struggled at the plate this year, particularly against lefties. He has a batting average on balls in play below .300 for the first time in his career, and it has factored in to a .248/.331/.457 line that's solid, but below Granderson's standard. (He's hitting more fly balls than usual, which could explain the BABIP dip and rise in homers.)
- After months of anticipation, it looks like Magglio Ordonez will see his 2010 option kick in tonight. With three more trips to the plate, he can guarantee himself an $18MM salary next year.
- Mike Hampton had surgery on his left rotator cuff and will miss the 2010 season, according to MLB.com's Alyson Footer.
- If Josh Johnson makes all of his scheduled starts, he'll earn $50K in incentives before the season ends, as MLB.com's Joe Frisaro points out.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post says there's a reasonable chance Jason Giambi returns to the Rockies next season.
Tejada Wants To Return To Astros In 2010
Miguel Tejada told Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle that he'd like to re-sign with the Astros when he becomes a free agent after the season. He repeated that he would move to third base if it meant returning to Houston.
"I would love to stay here," Tejada said. "It's a place I feel really comfortable, and I think I could win here."
Justice calls Tejada an "absolute perfect teammate and leader," but his offensive skills are no longer MVP-caliber, or even close. As BP's Christina Kahrl notes at ESPN.com, you can probably expect production in the .290/.325/.420 range next year, with 15 homers and below-average defense. Solid numbers, but not the kind of projection that will have teams lining up to offer Tejada more than the $13MM he made this year.
Olney On Red Sox, Fielder, Cain
ESPN.com's Buster Olney caught our attention yesterday when he guessed the Brewers would trade Prince Fielder to the Red Sox after the season. Some MLB executives who noticed Olney's post "flatly disagreed" with the suggestion. Here are the details from Olney's latest column:
- The executives Olney spoke with believe the Red Sox would prefer not to give up the young pitching it would take to acquire Prince. They gave up a lot of pitching in the Victor Martinez trade, so they will want to keep Clay Buchholz and others.
- The same executives didn't rule out a Matt Cain for Prince Fielder swap. There's no indication that there's even the smallest amount of truth behind the suggestion that the teams could trade stars, but it makes some sense, in theory.
- The Brewers, who know they need an improved rotation, get a top young starter to pair with Yovani Gallardo. The Giants get a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat to place behind Pablo Sandoval. Both Cain and Fielder are under team control for two more seasons, so the suggestion is imaginable, if unlikely.
Cubs Start Talking Extension With Grabow
The Cubs have started discussing a two-year contract extension with John Grabow, according to ESPN.com's Bruce Levine. The lefty, who is scheduled to hit free agency after the season, would be a setup man to Carlos Marmol and occasional closer in the Chicago 'pen.
Grabow has allowed just 55 hits in 66 innings this year with the Pirates and Cubs. He has 53 strikeouts, but has walked 39 along the way. If the extensions to Trever Miller and Ryan Franklin are any indication of the market for relievers, Grabow, who made $2.3MM this year, could be in line for about $4MM over the course of the next two years.