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Rays In On Fuentes

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On Monday, Tim talked about the Brian Fuentes situation, naming a few known suitors: the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, and A’s. Today, Tracy Ringolsby adds another to the list, the Tampa Bay Rays. The team’s current closer, Troy Percival, has missed some time with injury this year, and the Rays would like to add some insurance for late inning situations.

This would give them a viable eighth inning option to pair with Percival when healthy, especially with Al Reyes missing time with elbow tendinitis. If Percival continues to suffer from his hamstring injury, Fuentes could easily slide into the closer role. Though Grant Balfour didn’t do a shabby job with that last night and Dan Wheeler is solid.

If they’re so inclined, though, they certainly have the prospects to do it.

Odds And Ends: Duncan, Mather, Huntington, Trachsel, Rusch

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A few notes to wrap up what I’ve come across this Saturday:

  • The Hardball Times has an interview with Pirates GM Neal Huntington. It’s plenty long. He talks about the dynamics in dealing with his former team, the Cleveland Indians.
  • Steve Trachsel might be on his way out with the Orioles. Tough to argue against that move. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the O’s are in the cellar, and might not climb out for the rest of 2008.
  • Chris Duncan down, Joe Mather up. Could Mather be the piece that rounds out a powerful outfield? Or could he be trade bait to bring back, say, a second baseman?
  • Glendon Rusch is back in the majors, having been recalled by the Rockies.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Possible Sellers: Detroit Tigers

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Once again, we’re only two months into the season, and a lot can change between now and July. Using a familiar anecdote, the Yankees were 22-29 last May 31, and ended up being the best team in baseball in the second half. So while they looked like possible sellers on May 31, when July rolled around that would no longer be the case. The Detroit Tigers have a similar possibility this year.

Touted by a to-be-unnamed ESPN analyst as having the best offense in baseball history, the Tigers have faltered in 2008. They’re 23-31, good for fourth place in the AL Central. The good news is that they can turn it around. The bad news is that the division rival Cleveland Indians are also having a poor run, sitting at 25-29. Any potential run by the Tigers could be dampened by a potential Cleveland streak.

So if you’re Dave Dombrowski, do you consider reloading for next year? The armchair GM in us is likely to say yes. Clearly, though, Dombrowski won’t be so impulsive. He and manager Jim Leyland have been tinkering with the lineup to see if they can spark anything. Namely, the idea is to move Carlos Guillen, who has already switched from first to third this season, to left field. That would open up third base for Brandon Inge.

I’m not quite sure that’s the best idea, considering Marcus Thames is hitting better than Inge, though in fewer at bats. So it’s doubtful that this tinkering really gets things going. Just ask Joe Girardi. He’s been tweaking his lineup since Day 1. And while the Yankees have started hitting, I don’t think anyone is attributing it to his daily lineup shifts. Your players have to hit, plain and simple. And it stands to reason that the Tigers will hit, regardless of the lineup.

Who’s expendable? Magglio Ordonez? It’s not often you see a team trade their best hitter. But Maggs is 34 this year. I’m not saying he’ll tank next year, but the Tigers could be seeing his peak value pass this July. If they’re truly out of it, they could consider a Maggs move. Conversely, they could consider his potential production next year far too valuable to sacrifice. He’s signed through 2009, with a pair of $15MM team options for 2010 and 2011.

Edgar Renteria? He’s in the final year of his four-year deal, though he does have a $11MM club option for next year. That could be an attractive contract for an acquiring team. Placido Polanco? I only mention his name because he’s signed on the cheap, $4.6MM, through 2009. He could net some return for the Tigers because of his cheapness and consistency at the plate.

I know Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson will enter the conversation at some point. I just don’t think the pair of lefties will get the Tigers anything attractive in return. They could be token trades for players in the lower minors, for high-risk players. But if they consider themselves out of contention, it’s better than nothing, I suppose.

Joe Pawlikowski is a writer for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Possible Buyers: St. Louis Cardinals

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Viva El Birdos has a piece up about the Cardinals’ surprise rise to contention this season. A potent question is raised within: Should the Cards be content with merely contending, or should they be gearing up for a real shot at the Cubs? It’s not the easiest of decisions. They’re just 1.5 games back of the Cubs on the day we wrap up the season’s second month. But there are plenty of places this could go wrong.

For instance, Ryan Ludwick is currently the team’s second best hitter. There is little in the outfielder’s past that suggests he can maintain his .406 OBP or his .689 SLG. But hey, maybe they catch lightning in a bottle. And even if Ludwick does cool off, maybe Troy Glaus improves upon his uncharacteristic .380 SLG. Or maybe, like many recent years, he gets hurt.

That kind of illustrates the massive risk of mid-season moves. Injuries and flukes happen. And they both play an enormous role in a team’s ability to contend. If I’m heading the Cardinals, I’d probably stand pat. Too much can go wrong between now and October. (Though they’ll probably take another month to see how things are going.)

Once place the Cardinals can stand to improve is second base. Adam Kennedy clearly isn’t cutting it. Aaron Miles hasn’t been bad, but he really isn’t the answer. One player Viva brings up — and you’re going to hate me for this — is Brian Roberts. The Orioles have hit the cellar in the AL East, and might not climb out this season. We know that Peter Angelos favors Roberts, but there has to be a point where you trade him in to get some younger players if you can.

The Cards could use Anthony Reyes as trade bait. But who else? Any Cards fans want to jump in and talk about who is available, if anyone?

If the team doesn’t want to deal with Angelos, and I wouldn’t blame them, they could look at other second base options. Ray Durham probably won’t cut it, as the Cards already have a handful of players hovering around a .355 OBP with no power. Mark Grundzielanek?  Too similar to Durham. Mark Ellis? He won’t come cheap.

I guess we’ll find out over the next month whether the Cards are in it for keeps. I’m sure those names will be mentioned plenty if they are.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues, and can be reached here.

Transaction Roundup: Athletics, Medders, Pena, German, Brower

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I woke up to a ton of small transactions this morning, so let’s lead with them.

  • In MLBTR-friendly transactions, the A’s designated Lenny DiNardo and Kevin Melillo for assignment. The team made a bevy of other moves, though, recalling Travis Buck, Brad Ziegler, and Carlos Gonzalez, placing Joey Devine, Mike Sweeney, and Ryan Sweeney on the 15-day DL, and activating Kiko Calero and Eric Chavez from the DL.
  • Brandon Medders, recently DFA by the Diamondbacks, has cleared waivers and has been assigned to AAA.
  • Brayan Pena, recently DFA by the Braves, has been claimed by the Royals.
  • Rangers RHP Franklyn German has refused an assignment to AAA, and will hit the free agent market.
  • The Reds traded RHP Jim Brower to the Cubs for cash considerations. He has a double-digit major league ERA in limited time over the past two seasons.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Ramirez, Tavarez, Brewslow, Pena

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Thankfully, the calendar will soon flip to June, and trade rumors will start to heat up. To tide you over until then, here are a few notes from around the league.

  • Sean McAdam wonders if Manny Ramirez’s current slump will affect the team’s decision to exercise his $20MM option for 2009. Manny sounded rather confident last month that the team would pick it up. And while it’s nearly a given that he’ll recover from this month, the Red Sox could read it as a sign of decline. Still, the chances of the option being picked up are still high.
  • A few days after accepting an assignment to AAA Pawtucket, Julian Tavarez has instead opted for free agency.
  • Couple of transaction notes. Braves C Brayan Pena has been activated from the DL, and immediately designated for assignment. Indians reliever Craig Breslow was also DFA.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Indy Leaguer Swapped For 10 Bats

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Okay, so this has nothing to do with the major league trade market, but it’s a slow morning, and it’s kind of entertaining. John Odom was the 44th round pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2003. After three unimpressive seasons — which seem to involve some injury — he was released this spring. He latched on with the Calgary Vipers, and independent league team. And then he was traded to the Laredo Broncos for 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats.

The story actually isn’t that straight foward, though. Canada wouldn’t let him into the country because of a criminal record. He was in a fight as a 17-year-old, and thought the matter was expunged. So instead of continuing to work to get Odom across the border, the Vipers shipped him to Laredo

The real sting is that the original deal involved "Laredo’s best hitter," but the hitter refused to move to Canada. Things run a bit differently in the independent leagues. And so the bats deal was concocted. Still, it would have been much more entertaining if a bag of balls had been at stake.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Howard Not Sweating Recent Extensions

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Over the past few months, Troy Tulowitzki, Miguel Cabrera, Evan Longoria, Hanley Ramirez, and Ryan Braun have been locked up to long-term contracts. There appears to be no such deal in place for Phillies slugger Ryan Howard. Though the two teams have talked long-term over the past two off-seasons, they aren’t particularly close on terms.

The difference, of course, is that Tulowitzki, Longoria, Ramirez, and Braun all signed before reaching arbitration. Cabrera went to arbitration once with the Marlins, taking home $7.4MM before being traded to the Tigers, where he signed a monstrous extension. However, there is no reason to believe that Howard will get similar treatment. The former MVP is three years Cabrera’s senior.

While Howard’s potential free agency pay day has been slightly hindered by his extended time in the minor leagues, he should still make out well before then. In his first year of arbitration eligibility, he took home a record $10MM. He’ll face arbitration before each of the next three seasons before he reaches free agency after the 2011 season, at the age of 32.

He could rack up over $50MM prior to that, though (counting this year’s bounty). And at 32, he might be able to land a decent sum, likely with an AL team to split time at first base and DH. Howard himself says it best: "I’ve always said it’s something that you can’t control. The only thing I can control is what I do on the field. If it ever happens, whenever it happens, it happens."

Joe Pawlikowski is a writer for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Bellhorn, Astros, Scheppers

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Like most Saturdays at this time of year, it’s a bit slow. So here are a few links to pass the time.

  • The Dodgers have signed veteran IF Mark Bellhorn to a minor league deal. Tony Jackson from Inside the Dodgers says this happened a few weeks ago, but was well under the radar. After some extended spring training, Bellhorn has reported to AA, where he will simply fill a roster spot. He is not expected to help the major league team this year.
  • Richard Justice says he wouldn’t change a thing about the surprisingly-good Houston Astros.
  • Fresno State ace and potential top-10 pick Tanner Scheppers has gone down with a stress fracture somewhere in his shoulder. Jonathan Mayo suspects he could fall to a big market team in the latter portion of the first round, a la Andrew Brackman last year.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

Jones, Marlins Close To Deal?

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The Florida Marlins are likely looking to upgrade in center field, where incumbent Alfredo Azemaga is hitting a svelte .226/.311/.292. They’re also likely looking for someone to help shoulder the load of injured OF Josh Willingham, who just experienced a setback in his rehab — though Luis Gonzalez has hit fairly well since replacing him, at .317/.369/.433 in 16 games. So they’re a likely destination for free agent Jacque Jones.

Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal has something of a third-hand rumor that the Marlins could sign Jones by this evening. Damon Lapa, Jones’s agent, has, of course, denied the rumor. He says that he and his client hope to narrow down a list in the next few days before ultimately deciding on a destination. His new team will only be on the hook for a prorated amount of the league minimum $390,000.

"We’ve started some dialogue with a number of clubs," Lapa said. "Ever since he technically became free there’s been an uptick in intensity. He’s weighing all his options."

Rodriguez notes that Jones is from and continues to reside in San Diego, and might seek employment closer to home. The Padres could probably use him, though I’m not sure Jones would want to sign there, given the team’s play to this point. The two LA teams have plenty of outfielders.

The Marlins still do seem like the most likely destination. The only small problem I can see is that both Jones and Azemaga have clear career splits showing they hit righties better than lefties, though Jones bucked that trend last year in 87 plate appearances against southpaws. But that shouldn’t stop the Marlins from pursuing a potential upgrade in center.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.

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