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Odds And Ends: Neshek, Gallardo, Casanova, Henn, Haynes

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Couple of injuries, couple of designations, and a waiver claim.

  • Twins reliever Pat Neshek has an acute partial tear of the UCL. Yes, that’s the Tommy John ligament. He won’t throw for at least three months, so his season is essentially over. There’s no word on whether he’ll undergo surgery. I remember hearing over the winter that Neshek was having elbow problems.
  • Not that we didn’t pretty much know this already, but Yovani Gallardo has confirmed that he’ll have surgery on his torn ACL. My fantasy team weeps.
  • With Ramon Castro coming off the DL, the Mets have DFA Raul Casanova. The best bet is that he’ll clear waivers and head to AAA.
  • The Padres have claimed LHP Sean Henn off waivers. He was DFA by the Yankees last week. He was once a highly touted prospect, reportedly hitting 100 on the gun (though I think those reports were exaggerated).
  • With the return of Cliff Floyd from the DL, the Rays have no room for OF Nathan Haynes, and have designated him for assignment.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Hanley Ramirez To Sign Long Term

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It looks like the Marlins will be locking up their best player for the next six years. Recent reports indicate that Hanley Ramirez will sign a six-year, $70MM deal within the next few days. There is no word on whether all six years are guaranteed, or if there will be any options involved. A six-year deal buys out Ramirez’s first two years of free agency.

As we learned back in March, the Marlins haven’t signed a player to a multi-year deal since Carlos Delgado in January of 2005. Florida finished third in the NL East that year, and began their infamous fire sale that off-season. This off-season, they traded Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, their two highest paid players. They currently reside atop the NL East at 21-14.

Ramirez finished 10th in the NL MVP voting last year, though he probably should have finished higher. He posted by far the highest OPS for a shortstop in the majors, beating MVP Jimmy Rollins’s mark by nearly .075. He’s said to be a butcher in the field, though, which could force a defensive move in the future. Still, a .948 OPS is a .948 OPS.

In the early goings this season, he’s hitting .336/.421/.569 with eight homers. He makes $439,000 this season.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.

Webb, Haren Extensions Possible

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FRIDAY: SI.com’s Jon Heyman expects the D’Backs to attempt an extension with Dan Haren once they complete Webb’s.  Heyman says Haren "won’t get Webb money, but he’ll get a significant raise on a deal that will likely be another Desert Discount."

THURSDAY: When you have one of the top three pitchers in baseball, you’ve got to lock him down. Especially if you’re the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team rife with young talent that could keep the team successful for years to come. The team has been talking with ace Brandon Webb about an extension to his deal, which essentially runs through 2010. They’re not quite there yet, but things are looking positive.

"Yeah, some progress has been made," Webb said. "We’ve been talking a little bit more. We’ve made some headway. We’ll see where it goes."

Webb, who has won the Cy Young and finished second in voting in the past two years, is set to earn $5.5MM this year and $6.5MM in 2009, with a 2010 team option for $8.5MM which, barring injury, will surely be exercised. As far as I can tell, 2010 represents the first year he would be eligible for free agency — he had 4.158 years of service time after the 2007 season (four years, 158 days).

Word is that the D’Backs are looking to add at least three years to that deal. At what price, though? AZ Central notes two excellent deals for comparison: Johan Santana’s $22MM salary, and Jake Peavy’s $17.3MM take home pay. My guess is that a deal would be geared more towards the latter.

The D’Backs tried to get a deal done early last off-season, but were rebuffed by Webb. I would guess, then, that the team is ready to fork over the dollars at this point. Webb is off to another superb start, sitting on a 7-0 record with a 2.49 ERA.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.

Rockies Not Planning Starter Acquisition

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FRIDAY: Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the Rockies aren’t looking to acquire a starter at this time.  As of yesterday Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald said the Rox remained interested in Tavarez but that no advancements had been made.

THURSDAY: On Tuesday we found out that the Rockies have been looking into a number of trade options for their starting rotation. The two most common names in the conversation are Josh Fogg and Julian Tavarez, both former Rox. Fogg has given up over a run an inning for the last place Reds, and could be DFA if the team opts to go with youngster Homer Bailey, who has a 2.72 ERA in AAA. Tavarez might be expendable for the Sox, though that would mean depending on David Aardsma.

Today, Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News tells us that the Rox have inquired on Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes. We’ve heard the rumor that the Cardinals are shopping the former USC star, though they are looking for "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece." Any Rox fans want to toss out names of trade candidates? Could Brian Fuentes be the other piece?

After a poor major league showing in 2007, Reyes broke camp with the Cardinals this year as a reliever. He didn’t fare very well, allowing eight runs in 13.2 IP, though of course that’s a measly sample size. He’s since been optioned to AAA, where he’ll be showcased as a starter. He has yet to make an appearance.

Etkin further notes that the Rox have had no substantial talks with the A’s about Joe Blanton or Rich Harden, nor the Rangers about Kevin Millwood. It’s unlikely any of that crop will be traded until much later in the season, if at all. The Boston Herald confirms the team’s interest in Tavarez, and as Tim noted, Walt Jocketty didn’t deny the Fogg rumors.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski. If you see any rumors, send ’em over.

Pirates Acquire Jason Michaels, Brewers Mull Turnbow

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After being designated for assignment back on May 5, Jason Michaels has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for, what else, a player to be named later. As Tim noted on Monday, Michaels has been pretty terrible so far this year. Not that he was so hot during his tenure in Cleveland. He wasn’t able to get his OBP above .330 or his SLG above .400. Not so hot for a corner outfielder.

The Pirates options OF Nyjer Morgan to Triple A to make room for Michaels.  The Bucs now have two open spots on the 40-man roster.  Feel free to speculate.

In other recently-designated news, it is believed that the Brewers have placed reliever Derrick Turnbow on waivers. The former closer was DFA a week ago, so something needs to be done soon. Tom Haudricourt believes he could clear waivers by Friday.

If he clears, he could accept an assignment to Triple A with the Brewers. Otherwise he’d become a free agent and forfeit the remainder of this $3.2MM salary.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Odds And Ends: Clemens, Soria, Randolph, Mulder

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A couple of notes for this Thursday afternoon.

  • Bob Watson, GM of the U.S. Olympic baseball team, says Roger Clemens is not welcome. "We don’t need that type of distraction," said Watson.
  • Should the Royals give Joakim Soria a shot as a starter? I’m always inclined to say yes. If he fails in the rotation, just bump him back to the bullpen. Same logic goes for Joba Chamberlain.
  • In a minor trade, the Astros have sent 34-year-old lefty Stephen Randolph to the Phillies for a player to be named later. Randolph was 0-1 with a 1.23 ERA in AAA this year.
  • Rehabbing Cardinal Mark Mulder will be sidelined for the next week to 10 days with a rotator cuff strain.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Buster Olney Drops Uncommon Trade Thoughts

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Buster Olney talks trade in his latest insider-only piece. Let’s have a look at the guys he names.

  • Ryan Howard. This is a tough one. Philly is in second place right now, and they should be in contention throughout the year. Howard has started poorly, but you can figure a rebound. While the Phillies might not be eager to pay Howard $25 to $30MM over the next two years, some other team might. I figure they could get a decent haul from, say, the Angels. Still, it’s hard to justify trading away your best power hitter (at least in name) while you’re vying for a playoff berth. The odds are long, very long for this one.
  • Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. No way, no how. Then again, Phillies fans are probably saying the same about Howard. The Yanks stagnant offense figures to improve once A-Rod returns next week and Jorge Posada gets back behind the dish next month. But Matsui leads the team in average, OBP, and slugging, while Damon is second in OBP. Unless the Yanks fall out of contention, there’s no way they’re trading these guys. Even so, they’re a pair of 34-year-old outfielders making $13 million a season, with 2009 guaranteed. There’s no way a team will offer anything close to equal value.
  • Ben Sheets. If the Brewers are going to contend this year, they’re going to need Sheets in the rotation. However, they’re 16-17 right now, and likely won’t see Yovani Gallardo for the rest of the season. The Brewers likely won’t keep Sheets after this year, anyway, so if they’re still in the middle of the pack, they can use the oft-injured ace to reload on players that can help them next year. Their lineup is still very young, with only two regulars over the age of 28. An influx of pitching could set them up well for next year.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jason Varitek

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Oh no! It’s a Yankees blogger talking about the Red Sox! He’s gonna be all biased and junk! While I’m sure I’ll get some of that in the comments, I think talking about Jason Varitek’s impending free agency is a worthy topic for this slow Saturday. So, what are we looking at for the 36-year-old backstop?

You know where I’m going with this. After the 2007 season, a 36-year-old Jorge Posada signed a four-year, $52.4MM contract. This was on the heels of Posada’s best season, .338/.426/.543. Can we expect something similar for Varitek, who will turn 37 at the beginning of the 2009 season?

The short answer: no. I understand that Varitek means a lot to the Red Sox as a team. But does that really justify giving him a four-year deal? In my opinion, no. Then again, Varitek is the same season-age as Jorge, so maybe he’ll be looking for a three-year deal. But even then, do the Red Sox want to match Jorge’s yearly salary of $13.1MM?

Red Sox fans might kill me, but once again I have to say no. If I showed you Player 1 and Player 2, without identifying them, and asked you to tell me who has had the better career, you’d pick Player 1 without question. I’d even factor in that Player 2 plays demonstrably better defense. It’s still a landslide.

Varitek is off to a quiet start this year, hitting .256/.301/.449. I expect he’ll bring those numbers up, as he had a similarly slow start last year, yet finished at .255/.367/.421. But you have to wonder how much longer he’s going to hold up. Tek was great from 2003 through 2005, but hasn’t been able to reach the same levels over the past two years. And while he’ll rebound this year, it’s doubtful his OPS+ will be much more than 100.

So what would you pay for a league average hitting catcher for his age 37 through, say, 39 seasons? I figure the Red Sox will end up matching his previous deal, only three years this time around. So three years, $30MM. But it’s not like the Red Sox don’t have the resources to add a fourth year.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Odds And Ends: Hamilton, Lowry, Brewers, Tejada

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I’m not so happy about kicking off the day with an odds and ends post, but what can I say? I can’t go around making up rumors.

  • Evan Grant talks about how well the Josh Hamilton acquisition has worked out. I say acquisition, because the trade worked out smashingly for the Reds, too.
  • Looks like there won’t be a six-man rotation in San Fran anytime soon. Noah Lowry isn’t throwing anymore, as the pins and needles in his arm have returned. He could miss the entire first half of the season. So much for being a trade candidate.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin has said that the team will look for pitching, but not to expect anything. It’s a seller’s market right now. In the meantime, David Bush takes a spot in the rotation, and Jeff Weaver remains an option.
  • Miguel Tejada promised a sick kid he’d hit a homer, and came through. I could never make such a promise. How could you live with yourself if you failed?

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog (though you already knew that, right?). Today is slooooow. Hit me with rumors.

Olney’s Latest: Nady, Delgado, Clement, Lofton

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Buster Olney has some thoughts. Let’s have a looksee.

  • He thinks that Xavier Nady could fit with the Mets or the Indians, but notes that the Pirates are sitting tight for now, hoping to compete this year. They’ll be singing a different tune in July.
  • Olney goes on to speculate that the Mets could release Carlos Delgado if he continues his weak hitting. Nady would seem a decent replacement, though he hasn’t played first since 2006. Scott Hatteberg could be another option.
  • In what he calls "pure speculation," Olney suggests that the Mariners trade Jeff Clement to the Red Sox for Coco Crisp and some pitching. It’s a rather vague trade idea, and I’d think that the Mariners could fetch a lot more than Crisp if they opted to trade Clement, who is having his way with AAA pitching.
  • It appears Jake Peavy wants the Padres to sign Kenny Lofton. With the way Jim Edmonds and Scott Hairston are hitting, I can’t blame him.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

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