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Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo

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Links for Friday…

  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
  • The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
  • Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier.  Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs.  Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
  • Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
  • Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer. 
  • In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Burrell, M’s, Jays

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On this date 43 years ago, Frank Robinson accounted for the only run in game four of the World Series with a home run, completing a four game sweep. It was Robinson's first season with the Orioles, having been traded to Baltimore the previous winter for Jack Baldschun, Milt Pappas and Dick Simpson. With the regular season over, rumors of trades that could impact next season's World Series have already begun. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Jorge Says No! sees the Mariners as a nice fit for Milton Bradley.
  • Blue Jay Hunter looks at what it might take for the Blue Jays to land Bradley.
  • Trop Talk breaks down the arguments for Bradley, and yet still wants the Rays to stay away.
  • Dock of the Rays explains why the Rays are so eager to rid themselves of Pat Burrell.
  • Rays Index notes that the Burrell-for-Bradley rumor still has a number of unanswered questions, even if the deal comes down to just money.
  • The Rays Party is not thrilled with the idea of the Cubs dumping a player on the Rays because of personality issues.
  • Cubs Locker wants Bradley out of town, even if it takes cash and a relief pitcher.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Elias Rankings Update

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At the end of each season, The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all MLB players numerically based on a bunch of stats.  Every player is categorized in one of five position groups and by league.  The rankings cover a two-year time period.  They are used to determine whether free agents are Type A, Type B, or neither.  If you’d like a reminder on how draft pick compensation works, read up here.

Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings last year.  Eddie’s incredible work was made possible in large part due to information provided by ESPN’s Keith Law.  Eddie is now providing the rankings exclusively to MLB Trade Rumors.  These projections cover the 2008-09 seasons.  Note to journalists: if you use these projections in an article, please credit Eddie Bajek and MLB Trade Rumors.

Offseason Outlook: Houston Astros

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Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Astros.  Their likely commitments for 2010:

C – Humberto Quintero – $610K+
C – J.R. Towles – $402K
1B – Lance Berkman – $14.5MM
2B – Kaz Matsui – $5MM
SS – Tommy Manzella – $400K
3B – Chris Johnson – $400K
IF – Jeff Keppinger – $428K+
IF – Edwin Maysonet – $400K
LF – Carlos Lee – $18.5MM
CF – Michael Bourn – $435K+
RF – Hunter Pence – $439K+
OF –
? –

SP – Roy Oswalt – $15MM
SP – Wandy Rodriguez – $2.6MM+
SP – Brian Moehler – $3MM
SP – Bud Norris – $400K
SP – Felipe Paulino – $405K

RP – Tim Byrdak – $1MM+
RP – Chris Sampson – $449K+
RP – Wesley Wright – $425K
RP – Jeff Fulchino – $400K
RP – Alberto Arias – $402K
RP – Sammy Gervacio – $400K
RP – Yorman Bazardo – $400K 

Other commitments: Doug Brocail – $250K buyout

Non-tender candidates: Geoff Geary, Chris Coste, Sampson, Paronto

Assuming Brocail's option is declined, the Astros use rookies at the two open position player spots and on the left side of the infield, and Geary, Coste, and Paronto are non-tendered, they'd have $66.4MM committed before arbitration raises to Quintero, Keppinger, Bourn, Pence, Rodriguez, Byrdak, and Sampson.  Bourn and Pence are first-time arbitration players and Rodriguez had a stellar year, so the raises will be significant.  I'll put the Astros around $80MM committed.  GM Ed Wade on how the team's 2010 payroll will compare to 2009, courtesy of MLB.com's Brian McTaggart:

"Our payroll is in all likelihood going to be lower than it was this year.  It could be appreciably lower, but we don't know until we sit down and get the actual numbers."

If payroll is sliced to $90-95MM, Wade would have $10-15MM to spend.

Talk is that the Astros could use rookies Manzella (shortstop) and Johnson (third base) as starters in 2010.  Manzella hit .289/.339/.417 in 580 Triple A plate appearances after struggling at that level last year.  He is a defense-first player, likely an easy out at the plate.  Meanwhile Johnson hit .281/.323/.461 in 412 Triple A plate appearances at age 24.  Thrusting him into a big league role would be a huge gamble as well.  If contending in 2010 is the plan, the Astros need to upgrade the left side of their infield.  Tejada could return and play third base, but he'd presumably want at least $7-8MM a year.  The third base market has other interesting names such as Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, Chone Figgins, Troy Glaus, and Juan Uribe.

With Moehler retained, the Astros' 2010 rotation could be set.  Paulino is not guaranteed a spot, but he deserves one.  Even with poor rotation depth, I think the Astros would be better-served spending most of their cash on a shortstop and/or third baseman.  They probably cannot afford to allocate more than a few million toward a veteran starter, similar to last year's Mike Hampton signing for $2MM.

Jose De Jesus Ortiz's latest article at the Houston Chronicle covers the Astros' unsettled bullpen situation.  Closer Jose Valverde is probably gone, and I can see the Astros preferring not to risk an arbitration offer.  They'd like to bring LaTroy Hawkins back, but after a 2.13 ERA season he'll want more than this year's $3.5MM base.  He also may be too pricey to sign and/or risk an arbitration offer.  Wade figures to sign a few free agent veteran relievers one way or another.

Despite the griping about Berkman, a .399 OBP and .509 SLG is a very good year.  Lee, Bourn, and Pence are solid hitters as well, but the contributions of these four could be nullified if Wade surrounds them with easy outs.  The rotation has sleeper potential, though it lacks depth.  The bullpen is a question mark.  This is an unfortunate time for the Astros to be cutting payroll, because they could contend with the right free agent additions.

Elias Rankings Update

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At the end of each season, The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all MLB players numerically based on a bunch of stats.  Every player is categorized in one of five position groups and by league.  The rankings cover a two-year time period.  They are used to determine whether free agents are Type A, Type B, or neither.  If you'd like a reminder on how draft pick compensation works, read up here.

Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings last year.  Eddie's incredible work was made possible in large part due to information provided by ESPN's Keith Law.  Eddie is now providing the rankings exclusively to MLB Trade Rumors.  Today's snapshot covers the beginning of the 2008 season through October 4th, 2009.  The AL rankings may change once more based on Tuesday's game.  Note to journalists: if you use these projections in an article, please credit Eddie Bajek and MLB Trade Rumors.

View the latest Elias Rankings below. 

Discussion: Adrian Beltre

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MLB.com's Jim Street talked to Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre about the player's upcoming free agent experience:

"It will be different this year, no doubt.  I didn't put up the numbers everyone expected and then I had shoulder surgery. I am 100-percent healthy right now, but there may be some questions about that. That is something I am going to find out.  I don't know what to expect. Last year, it was a tough free agency for some players because of the economic climate. I don't know what to expect, but for me, it's not about the money anymore. I have already made a lot of money in the sport. I would like to play in the World Series and win one." 

Beltre, 31 in April, hit just .265/.304/.379 in 477 plate appearances this year amid injuries.  He still plays stellar defense at the hot corner.  To his benefit, Beltre projects as a Type B free agent.  Should he turn down an arbitration offer from the Mariners, he won't cost his new team a draft pick.  Another Scott Boras client, Joe Crede, signed for a one-year $2.5MM guarantee in February.  Will Beltre command more?  And where might he land?  Aside from the Ms, the Orioles, Marlins, Astros, Angels, Twins, A's, Pirates, and Cardinals face uncertainty at third base in 2010.

Offseason Outlook: San Diego Padres

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Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Padres.  Their likely commitments for 2010:

C – Nick Hundley – $404K
C – Eliezer Alfonzo – $400K
1B – Adrian Gonzalez – $4.75MM
2B – David Eckstein – $1MM
SS – Everth Cabrera – $400K
3B – Kevin Kouzmanoff – $432K+
IF – Luis Rodriguez – $675K+
IF – Edgar Gonzalez – $407K
LF – Kyle Blanks – $400K
CF – Tony Gwynn Jr. – $405K
RF – Will Venable – $402K
OF – Chase Headley – $412K
OF – Drew Macias – $401K

SP – Kevin Correia – $750K+
SP – Chris Young – $6.25MM
SP – Mat Latos – $400K
SP – Clayton Richard – $405K
SP – Tim Stauffer – $400K

Other candidates: Aaron Poreda – $400K, Sean Gallagher – $410K, Cesar Ramos – $400K, Wade LeBlanc – $402K, Cesar Carrillo – $400K, Josh Geer – $402K

RP – Heath Bell – $1.255MM+
RP – Luke Gregerson
RP – Mike Adams – $415K
RP – Joe Thatcher – $404K
RP – Greg Burke – $400K
RP – Luis Perdomo – $400K
RP – Edward Mujica – $410K

Other candidates: Adam Russell – $405K, Ryan Webb – $400K

Non-tender candidates: Shawn Hill, Cha Seung Baek, Luis Rodriguez

The Padres have about $21.5MM committed before arbitration raises to Kouzmanoff, Rodriguez, Correia, and Bell.  By my estimate those raises will put the team in the $30MM range for 2010.  The Padres had an Opening Day payroll of $42.7MM, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.  New Padres CEO Jeff Moorad told MLB.com's Corey Brock in August that he's comfortable with a $70-80MM payroll, "but it's likely that it will take us a couple of years to get back to that level."  While Moorad doesn't expect a huge free agent splash, Padres GM Kevin Towers should realistically have at least $15MM available this offseason.

Towers recently suggested to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that the Padres could be a .500 team or even a playoff contender next year.  The GM added, "I don't know if we need to do a lot this winter."

ESPN's Buster Olney and various Baseball Prospectus writers covered the Padres a few days ago, suggesting the team might add a veteran starter and outfielder despite Towers' comment.  The article ponders trading Bell to free up the payroll space needed for bigger-name free agents like Chone Figgins, Randy Wolf, or John Lackey.  I like the idea of trading Bell, but the salary relief would just be a side benefit.  I'd trade him simply because he may be at peak value and Towers is skilled at building bullpens out of nothing.  Problem is, there's a surplus of closers on the market this winter.

Towers has admitted interest in bringing Milton Bradley back, talking with ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  If the Cubs are desperate enough to cover $17MM of the $21MM left on his contract, it'd be as if Towers signed a potential .400 OBP bat to a two-year, $4MM deal.  It's a chance worth taking, and it'd leave the Padres with a surplus of outfielders.  The Padres are second-to-last in the NL with 3.96 runs scored per game this year, but a Gonzalez-Blanks-Bradley heart of the order could be decent.  More silver lining: Headley, Venable, and Kouzmanoff have been offensive assets in the second half.

It'd be nice to have Wolf back, but even the classic San Diego discount might result in a $10MM salary.  I'd rather entertain Lackey for $15MM.  Either way, a quality veteran addition would push Richard to the fifth starter role and give the team surprisingly strong rotation depth months after trading Jake Peavy.

If Towers truly has a quiet winter and keeps the payroll around $30MM, it'd be a stretch to see the 2010 Padres contending.  But with the right free agent strikes and perhaps a shrewd Bell trade, they'd have a chance.

Elias Rankings Update

By | at

At the end of each season, The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all MLB players numerically based on a bunch of stats.  Every player is categorized in one of five position groups and by league.  The rankings cover a two-year time period.  They are used to determine whether free agents are Type A, Type B, or neither.  If you'd like a reminder on how draft pick compensation works, read up here.

Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings last year.  Eddie's incredible work was made possible in large part due to information provided by ESPN's Keith Law.  Eddie is now providing the rankings exclusively to MLB Trade Rumors.  Today's snapshot covers the beginning of the 2008 season through September 28th, 2009.  The rankings will change over the remainder of the season.

View the latest Elias Rankings below.

Elias Rankings Update

By | at

At the end of each season, The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all MLB players numerically based on a bunch of stats.  Every player is categorized in one of five position groups and by league.  The rankings cover a two-year time period.  They are used to determine whether free agents are Type A, Type B, or neither.  If you'd like a reminder on how draft pick compensation works, read up here.

Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings last year.  Eddie's incredible work was made possible in large part due to information provided by ESPN's Keith Law.  Eddie is now providing the rankings exclusively to MLB Trade Rumors.  Today's snapshot covers the beginning of the 2008 season through September 27th, 2009.  The rankings will change over the remainder of the season.

View the latest Elias Rankings below.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Webb, Soria, Red Sox, Pirates, Verlander, Felix

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On this date five years ago, Carlos Delgado hit his 300th career home run. He would go on to hit three more home runs that game to become just the 15th big leaguer to hit four in one game. Now in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract, Delgado has a season average of .298 with four homers and 23 RBI in the 26 games he played before his hip surgery. Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are open to bringing him back next year. However, Adam Rubin wrote that the Mets will not offer Delgado arbitration. With one week remaining before the off-season starts for most teams, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • MLB Notebook looks at where Brandon Webb could end up if the D'Backs decline his option.
  • Royals Authority wonders if the Phillies would be a good trade partner to land Joakim Soria.
  • The Bottom Line writes that the Red Sox either have to re-sign Jason Bay or pick up Matt Holliday.
  • Bucco Fans says the Pirates have money to spend this off-season and speculates on where that money might be spent.
  • Jorge Says No! speculates on what it might take to sign Justin Verlander to an extension.
  • Prospect Insider looks at what it might take to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • Blogging Mets lists Omar Minaya's worst moves.
  • Sports: A Game Of Inches compares Jonny Gomes to Adam Dunn. Gomes will be arbitration-eligible after the season.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

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