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Olney’s Latest: Sherrill And Street

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This morning, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney weighs in with some possible destinations for two likely available closers, Oakland’s Huston Street and Baltimore’s George Sherrill.

  • Olney speculates the Orioles would seem to have a great potential fit with the Dodgers, who need a closer.
  • He says the Angels will need a closer next season if Francisco Rodriguez leaves and could use a lefty now.
  • The Red Sox, Olney says, would probably love to land Sherrill and have prospects to offer, but isn’t sure the O’s would trade with a division rival.
  • He says Brewers could be a match for either Street or Sherrill. Yesterday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the Brewers might be scouting Street.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

Phillies No Longer Interested In Fuentes?

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MLB.com’s Trade Talk blog speculates that the Phillies may no longer be pursuing Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, after Philadelphia traded three prospects for Joe Blanton. The blog wonders, "How many chips do (the Phillies) have to play?" Then, the blog hedges its bets:

If an earlier report is correct, the Rockies have asked the Phillies for right-hander Carlos Carrasco or catcher Lou Marson in return for Fuentes, so something could still be possible.

Trade Talk goes on to say that the Rockies would "hit the jackpot if a team came up with a young, talented starter — like, say, the Yankees’ Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy, or a couple of top Double-A prospects such as the Rays’ Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson."

It’s highly unlikely the Phillies will deal Carrasco, the organization’s top prospect, for a set-up man. It’s an absolute impossibility that the Yankees will trade Hughes for Fuentes. The Rays are still considered the front-runners for Fuentes, the blog says.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

Manny To Meet With Boras

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Earlier this week, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that he heard a rumor that Manny Ramirez switched agents, from Scott Boras to Legacy Sports Group.

Now the Boston Globe reports Manny is set to meet with Boras this weekend. "We’ll have a discussion about Manny’s future," Boras told the Globe.

So it looks like Manny and Boras are still together. Thank goodness. If those two crazy kids can’t make it work, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.

Dunn Could Stay, Says Fay

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Reds beat writer John Fay says he thinks the Reds will hold on to Adam Dunn and take the draft picks when he leaves as a free agent, because Cincinnati’s outfield is so thin that they can’t afford to lose Dunn.

With Ryan Freel done for the year, the Reds currently have four healthy outfielders on the roster. That means if they traded Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. right now, you’re looking at Corey Patterson playing every day. That might blow up this blog.

This makes no sense to me. The Reds would only trade Dunn if they were prepared to give up on the season. And since they’re four games under .500 and 11 games back of the Cubs, it’s probably about time to give up on the season. So, if you’re looking ahead to next season, who cares if Patterson is playing everyday in August and September?

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

Padres Promote Headley

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According to MLB.com’s Corey Brock, San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said on Saturday that Chase Headley, regarded as the top prospect in the Padres’ Minor League system, will join the team this weekend in Cleveland. "He’s on his way," Towers said.

Headley, the converted third baseman who is in his first season playing the outfield, was hitting .305 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in 65 games for Triple-A Portland.

Headley got off to a slow start at Triple-A this season, but has since heated up. Frankly, what does San Diego have to lose? The Padres are 7.5 games back. Their outfield is a major weakness. This promotion was beyond due. If you own Headley in your keeper fantasy league, today is a happy day.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Baldelli, Rincon, Clemens

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  • The Tampa Tribune is reporting that Rays OF Rocco Baldelli (60-day DL, mitochondrial disorder) is close to joining a minor-league team for a 20-day rehabilitation assignment. Baldelli thinks he can return to the Rays this season, but he has yet to hold any workouts in the outfield and hinted he could return as a DH. "Obviously, I’d like to be playing the field," Baldelli said. "But realistically, I’m trying not to look too far ahead."
  • Juan Rincon has declined the Twins’ offer of an assignment to Class AAA Rochester, and the team formally designated him for assignment. In all likelihood, that means Rincon will become a free agent in 10 days. Rincon has been with the Twins for his entire career and had a couple of good years in 2003-2006, but he’s fallen on hard times lately.
  • If anybody out there harbored hopes that Roger Clemens would return to pitch this season, here’s some cold water to splash on your face. A former federal prosecutor tells the New York Daily News that the evidence against Roger Clemens – testimony from Andy Pettitte and Brian McNamee, as well as the bloody gauze pads, used syringes and steroid vials McNamee turned over to authorities in January – is more than enough to indict Clemens.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

Rosenthal Talks Griffey

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Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tackles Ken Griffey, Jr. and where Reds’ slugger might finish the season. Rosenthal explores all the options. He speculates that the Reds could keep Griffey and collect two draft picks if he leaves as a free agent, but that gets complicated:

However, to gain draft-pick compensation, the Reds would need to decline Griffey’s option, pay him a $4 million buyout and then offer him salary arbitration — a process they almost certainly would prefer to avoid. The Reds could also get the picks if a team signed Griffey before the deadline to offer him arbitration. But such a scenario is unlikely.

Ultimately, Rosenthal concludes that if Griffey requests it, the Reds should do everything in their power to ship Junior to a contender, including eating a chunk of his 2008 salary.

Where could Griffey land? Rosenthal speculates the Rays are an option, though, as he points out the Rays’ biggest need is pitching. The Indians and Blue Jays could be buyers, but they could just as easily be sellers.

The Mets could be an option. They’ve already got Moises Alou and Trot Nixon. Why not corner the market on injury prone outfielders?

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Cards’ Bullpen, Fish Extensions, Aubrey Promoted

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  • St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen is on the DL. But the Cards aren’t going shopping for a replacement. At least, not yet. "Not at this time," Mozeliak said when asked if the club might be tempted to check out the market for relievers. "We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of depth in relief, not only here but at Triple-A [Memphis]. A lot of this can be addressed internally."
  • After today’s press conference announcing Hanley Ramirez’s six-year deal, Marlins officials said the baseball personnel staff has not recommended any other players receive multi-year contract offers. Dan Uggla, Mike Jacobs, Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen will all be arbitration-eligible at season’s end.
  • Cleveland’s Jeremy Sowers, who turned 25 on Saturday, was sent back to Buffalo, where he is 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in seven starts. Sowers made his second spot start of the season on Friday, giving up three runs and five hits over five innings. His ERA ranks fifth in the International League. Mike Aubrey takes Sowers’ place on Cleveland’s roster. With Akron, Aubrey was batting .277 with nine doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs in 24 games. The oft-injured Aubrey, who was Cleveland’s first pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, might only be with the Tribe for a short while, if the team opts to go with seven relievers when it resumes its regular American League schedule on Tuesday.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.

Isringhausen Wants a Break

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The Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss today reports that there is growing concern about the work of closer Jason Isringhausen, who has already blown five save chances this year. After his most recent blow-up, Izzy said he is sick of embarrassing himself and hurting the team. He suggested a meeting today with manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and general manager John Mozeliak to find at least a temporary alternative to using him in the ninth inning.

In the short term, Ryan Franklin or Randy Flores could be called on to close games for the Cards, though neither pitcher strikes out many batters. Ron Villone currently has an ERA under 1.00 and is averaging almost one strikeout per inning, but the last time he finished a season with an ERA under 4.00 was 1997. Still, he might prove a capable option while Izzy works to get his groove back.

If Isringhausen can’t correct his mechanics, St. Louis could be in the market for a closer come July. Closers who could be available include George Sherrill, Matt Capps, Chad Cordero and Huston Street (who has had his own struggles of late). Joakim Soria seems a logical trade candidate, though there is talk he could be converted to a starter.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com.  You can contact him here.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Adam Dunn

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Adam Dunn will be a free agent after this season. So it’s a safe bet that Dunn is going to have a career year and will cash in this winter, right? Not so fast.

Dunn, who has hit exactly 40 home runs in each of the past three seasons, has only two so far. But that’s not what makes Dunn’s 2008 start so interesting.

This season, Dunn’s OBP is a robust .418, but his batting average is an anemic .191. How do we account for this dichotomy? Quite simply, Dunn has walked more than usual. So far, he’s walked 19 times in 47 at bats. He’s on pace to walk 211 times, assuming he gets as many at bats as last season (522).

Amazingly, that wouldn’t break the record for most walks in a season, which was set by Barry Bonds in 2004. But it would still be a remarkable feat, especially considering 120 of Bonds’ walks were intentional, and Dunn has yet to be intentionally walked this month.

Of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This is a very small sample size we’re talking about. More than likely, Dunn’s walk rate will taper off.

But what if Dunn keeps walking at this rate? Here’s how The Hardball Times describes Bill James’ theory that an increased walk rate signals decreased hitting, via Fox Sports:

In his 1986 Baseball Abstract, Bill James postulated that when a player experienced a sudden spike in walk rate one year, it would often be followed by a substantial drop in batting average the following year. According to James, taking a base on balls is a "veteran player skill" because it involves an older ballplayer compensating for slower reflexes and bat speed. But, James reasoned, the increase in walks will result in a decrease in batting average because the pitchers will adjust and will begin to make the hitters hit good pitches.

Could Dunn be nearing the twilight of his career? He seems a little young to be winding down already. On the other hand, Andruw Jones’ batting average fell off a cliff when he turned 29, and Dunn turns 29 in November. So never say never.

If Dunn keeps on walking, how will it affect his contract negotiations? Your guess is as good as mine. But count on Dunn making at least as much as Pat Burrell, who is also a below average outfielder with high OBP and 30 HR power. Tim recently speculated that Burrell should land a contract in the neighborhood of $60 million over four years. Both Burrell and Dunn could benefit from a move to the AL, where they could DH.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.

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