Odds And Ends: Chavez, Arroyo, Thome, Millwood
More links for the morning…
- Eric Chavez told Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune that he would consider extending his career as a DH, even though he'd prefer to play defense, too.
- Does Bronson Arroyo want to go to a contender? No, he'd rather stay in Cincinnati and pitch for the Reds next year, according to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News.
- Jim Thome wants to play next year and make a run at 600 career homers, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Thome is just 36 homers away from reaching the milestone.
- Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 becomes guaranteed if he pitches 19.0 more innings and reaches 180 for the season, so he's only about three starts away.
Rockies Interested In Penny
The Rockies have some interest in Brad Penny, who was just released by the Red Sox, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck sees indications that the Rockies have a decent shot at signing Penny, who should clear waivers Monday. At that point, Penny would cost the team less than $100k.
The Rockies, who had some interest in Penny over the winter, need pitching depth now that Aaron Cook appears likely to miss at least two more weeks. The club recently stashed Russ Ortiz in Triple A, so he could provide depth if they don't add Penny.
As Buster Olney pointed out this morning, Penny may embrace the chance to compete in the same division as his former team, the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Olney On Mets, Penny
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Omar Minaya will keep his job as Mets GM. However, Minaya has developed an uncanny- and unwelcome- knack for turning ordinary events into P.R. disasters. Should the team decide it wants someone else to represent the organization, Minaya suggests seven candidates, some of whom would almost certainly not be available:
- Olney lists A's GM Billy Beane, Brewers GM Doug Melvin, former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, Cardinals manager and free agent-to-be Tony La Russa, former MLB manager Buck Showalter, Phillies exec Pat Gillick and Indians GM Mark Shapiro as candidates the Mets should at least consider inquiring about.
- Brad Penny is a free agent and the A's are looking for veteran pitching. That's one possible match, but Olney has an even better one.
- The Colorado Rockies could use another starter. Not only is Penny affordable, but he's had more success in the NL and it would give him the chance to compete against his former team, the Dodgers. As Olney shows, some bad blood may linger between Penny and the Dodgers.
Phillies Likely Done Dealing
The Phillies are still watching the waiver wire, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that his team has likely made its last trade of the season. Greg Dobbs hurt his calf last week, which weakened the Phillies' bench, but Amaro says the injury is "not serious." Martino suggests the Phillies could call on Andy Tracy, a power-hitting minor leaguer, to complement Dobbs and Matt Stairs.
Nomar Garciaparra has said he'd consider a trade to Philadelphia, so Amaro can explore other options if he decides to look outside of the organization.
Odds And Ends: Oliver, Wolf, Penny
Links for Thursday morning…
- Darren Oliver doesn't know for sure if he'll play again next year, but he tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he's leaning towards returning for another season
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets made the wrong choice last winter, when they went after Oliver Perez instead of Randy Wolf, who has quietly out-performed Perez for less money.
- Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald wonders if Brad Penny could return to the Marlins, now that the Red Sox released him.
- Padres starter Clayton Richard has been outstanding since joining the Padres in the Jake Peavy trade, as Adam Rosenberg of MLB.com notes.
Crosby Unlikely To Return To Oakland
Bobby Crosby told Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News that he can't imagine signing with the A's after the season, when he becomes a free agent for the first time.
"If the opportunity was given to me to play shortstop here, I'd have no problem coming back," Crosby said. "But I know that's not going to be the case."
Crosby, who turns 30 this winter, makes $5.25MM this year. He's hitting .223/.294/.365 this season, with just 16 extra base hits. Since being named the 2004 Rookie of the Year, Crosby has struggled to stay healthy and has managed only a .669 OPS. Coming into this season, Crosby had been a defensive asset for five straight years, according to UZR.
He'll face tough competition on the free agent market after the season. Former A's Miguel Tejada, Marco Scutaro and Orlando Cabrera will lead a strong class of free agent shortstops this winter.
Odds And Ends: Perez, Greinke, Matsui, Magglio
More links as another Met hits the shelf…
- Oliver Perez will have season-ending surgery and, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post points out, the Mets now have about $100MM sitting on the DL.
- Zack Greinke makes $100k if he wins the Cy Young Award. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star thinks Greinke deserves it, but doesn't expect him to win it, so he suggests the rest of the Royals chip in to make sure their ace gets rewarded for his big year.
- Magglio Ordonez keeps picking up the plate appearances and he's now just 59 away from assuring himself an $18MM payday in 2010. His option should vest sometime next month.
- Hideki Matsui tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that he'd consider playing with Ichiro. Davidoff suggests the White Sox and A's are possible fits for Matsui when he becomes a free agent after the season.
- Be sure to become a fan of MLBTR on Facebook, where we're discussing Billy Wagner's future. If you don't already follow us on Twitter, you can start by clicking here.
Crasnick On Sheffield, Smoltz, Giambi, Pedro
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick presents some of the players, managers and executives who can start earning next year's job by finishing the season strong:
- Gary Sheffield is hitting well, but in the words of one NL official, "he has some explaining to do" if he wants a job next year after last week's drama.
- Barring a September collapse, Jerry Manuel seems likely to return next year.
- John Smoltz is "definitely interested" in pitching next year, according to his agent.
- Jason Giambi can prolong his career if he plays well for the Rockies this month.
- One NL exec believes Pedro Martinez can still contribute.
- Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says he knows some people want him out of Toronto. However, Crasnick believes the GM has a strong relationship with team president Paul Beeston. Once Beeston hands authority over to a new president, Ricciardi could lose his job.
- Crasnick says managers Eric Wedge (Indians), Jim Riggleman (Nationals), Dave Trembley (Orioles) and Cecil Cooper (Astros) don't have much job security.
Odds And Ends: Santana, Sano, Zambrano
More links, with less than a week remaining for contenders to add pieces…
- Pete Abraham of the Journal News says the Brian Cashman and the Yankees were smart not to trade for Johan Santana, even though it seems likely that the Mets will get their ace back.
- Matthew Carruth of FanGraphs argues that Santana won't likely be worth the $90MM-plus remaining on his extension.
- Ryan Zimmerman's extension has worked out well for the Nationals, and Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors believes the team deserves some credit.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that talks between the Pirates and Miguel Angel Sano have stalled. The Pirates made a formal offer at the beginning of July, but pulled it back more than a month ago.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Carlos Zambrano's next meaningful start will come on Opening Day 2010.
- It looks like top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi will play in Japan, as Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows.
- Jerry Ford of PerfectGame.org says Bryce Harper has been overhyped. But has his ability been overrated? Not at all – Ford says he has tons of potential. Check out the entire piece for a wide-ranging discussion of the top prospect.
Heyman On Rockies, Wagner, Gonzalez
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Rockies are in contention because GM Dan O'Dowd has made more worthwhile moves than anyone in the last year. He acquired Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez for Matt Holliday, turned Luis Vizcaino into Jason Marquis and acquired Rafael Betancourt. Here are Heyman's latest rumors:
- O'Dowd's contract expires after the season, when Giants GM Brian Sabean and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti can also become free agents. One rival GM would be shocked if the Rockies didn't offer O'Dowd an extension.
- Heyman imagines the exact same scenario that Buster Olney brought up earlier today. The Red Sox could keep Billy Wagner to close next year while Daniel Bard sets up. This would enable the Red Sox to trade Jonathan Papelbon, who would bring in a nice return. Heyman says it's "mostly speculation" and reminds us that it's "far-fetched."
- The D'Backs put Chad Qualls on waivers. He's expected to be claimed, but the D'Backs aren't expected to move him.
- Some expect the Padres to listen to offers for Adrian Gonzalez after the season,