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Odds & Ends: Rays, Phillies, Indians

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A few more evening links….

  • Bill Chastain of MLB.com writes that the arrival of Reid Brignac in Tampa Bay could lead to the Rays buying out Akinori Iwamura's option this offseason. The $4.25MM 2010 option can be bought out for $250k. Chastain suggests that the emergence of Ben Zobrist and the recent strong play of Brignac could make Iwamura expendable.
  • Todd Zolecki of MLB.com passes on news of Phillies' minor league players of the year Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor being honored before Tuesday's game against Washington. Given the Phillies' talent and depth on the major league level, Zolecki predicts that both prospects will start 2010 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Like Ryan Howard before him, Taylor has his path to the major league roster blocked by veterans with bigger contracts. Howard eventually took advantage of a Jim Thome injury and excelled in Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see if Taylor and Drabek, who were so coveted at this year's trade deadline, will earn similar opportunities in 2010.
  • Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer blogs about a few former Phillies prospects, expressing some concern about the Indians' haul in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.

Magglio Ordonez’s 2010 Option Vests

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Magglio Ordonez has made his third plate appearance of the night in Detroit against the Royals, reaching base on an Alex Gordon error. The at-bat means his 2010 option has vested, as expected. Making his 1080th plate appearance in 2008 and 2009 combined, Ordonez reached the minimum number of PA required to guarantee his $18MM option.

When the Tigers benched and platooned the 35-year-old right fielder earlier in the year, it seemed unlikely that he would play enough to trigger the option, but a torrid second half (.364/.438/.521) has made it impossible for Jim Leyland to keep him out of the lineup.

While Ordonez's hot bat has helped the Tigers in their 2009 playoff push, his overall production has declined significantly. He has only homered seven times, after hitting 20-plus in each of the last three seasons. His age and injury history suggest the odds are against his 2010 numbers rebounding to his career averages of .311/.371/.512.

With $18MM now committed to Maggs next season, the Tigers will have less flexibility for other roster moves, such as re-signing or replacing closer Fernando Rodney and second baseman Placido Polanco.

Branyan Wants To Return To Seattle In 2010

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Russell Branyan would like to return to Seattle next season, according to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. Branyan signed a one-year, $1.4MM deal with the Mariners last offseason, and has taken advantage of an increase in playing time in 2009, batting .251/.347/.520 with 31 homers.

"I'd love to come back here," Branyan said. "I enjoy playing in this ballpark, I enjoyed getting to play on an every-day basis this year. I'd be excited to entertain the option to come back here next year."

While the 33-year-old Branyan is currently on the disabled list and has slumped since the All-Star break (.193/.274/.414), his overall performance this season has exceeded expectations. If the Mariners were to re-sign him, they would certainly be giving more years and more money this time around to the career .234 hitter.

Discussion: Miguel Tejada

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Miguel Tejada says he wants to return to Houston next season and that he'll move to third base if that's what the Astros want. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle raves about Tejada's clubhouse presence and his role as a leader in Houston, but even Justice thinks that cutting ties with him will be a "tough, necessary step."

Tejada makes $13MM in 2009, the final year of a six-year, $72MM deal, but figures to earn significantly less no matter where he plays in 2010. His numbers have declined over the course of the deal, with his 2009 line sitting at .301/.331/.433. Though his offensive production at shortstop is solid, Tejada has struggled defensively, posting a -8.6 UZR/150 this year.

Tejada will turn 36 early next season, and the Astros are expected to spend frugally in the offseason. It seems unlikely that they'll be able to retain the veteran shortstop unless they could sign him at a discount.

How cheap would Tejada's price tag have to be for a multi-year deal to be a good investment for the Astros? Should they instead turn to younger players like shortstop Tommy Manzella and third baseman Chris Johnson, or attempt to lure one of the more affordable free agent shortstops to the NL Central? If Tejada doesn't return to Houston, what team would be the best fit for him?

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Ranaudo, Fielder

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A few links for the evening….

  • Chico Harlan of the Washington Post notes one name that stands out on the Washington Nationals' roster for the Florida Instructional League: Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg is expected to pitch in the Instructional League that runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 13.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com reports that LSU righty Anthony Ranaudo has chosen Scott Boras as his adviser for the 2010 draft. Ranaudo projects to be one of the top college pitchers next year and a potential top-five pick in the June draft, assuming Boras' presence doesn't scare teams away.
  • BP's Eric Seidman at ESPN.com follows up on the Prince Fielder to San Francisco speculation by discussing what the Giants would have to give up to net the slugging first baseman. Seidman is doubtful that Giants GM Brian Sabean would want to part with any blue-chip prospects like Buster Posey or Madison Bumgarner, but suggests that of their major league talent, only the front-line starters (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez) would interest the Brewers. Seidman writes that to even consider a trade, the Giants would have to be confident they could sign Fielder to a long-term deal.

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