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Aaron Crow’s Perspective

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Jim Bowden and the Nationals failed to sign first round draft pick Aaron Crow over a mere $900K.  The process was a sticky one, to say the least.

Eric SanInocencio, host of Baseball Digest Daily Live, sat down with Crow yesterday for an intriguing podcast and got his perspective in the failed negotiations.  The interview is about 15 minutes into the show:

  • Crow said the process was an emotional roller coaster, but was content with the resolution.  In dealing with Washington and the way they handled the process and communicated with him and his family, he began to realize he’d be better off next year dealing with any of the other 29 clubs.  According to Crow, after speaking with Jim Bowden and being congratulated for being picked, he "didn’t hear back from him for… the whole rest of that month."
  • Crow didn’t seek advice with former Missouri teammate Max Scherzer, or Luke Hochevar, figuring it worked out for them so it’d work out for him.  He said he put himself up against those guys, believing in himself, "believing in a similar outcome as well."
  • He admitted to seeking a major league deal that would put immediately on the 40-man roster. According to Jim Bowden, when he asked the rationale was behind such a deal, Crow’s agents, the Hendricks, failed to respond.  In the end, their insistence on a major league deal was dropped but Bowden would not meet the $4.4MM asking price.
  • When asked if he would accept a situation in which the Nationals drafted him again next year, Crow said he "would prefer if they stayed away from me and drafted somebody else. I’d be a lot more comfortable and would work out better for both of us if they just decided to go with other players."

Rosenthal’s Latest: Kotsay, Fuentes, Glavine, Smoltz

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On August 18th, Rosenthal mentioned Mark Kotsay had cleared waivers, and that Brian Fuentes had not yet been placed.  Here’s an update, from today’s Inside Pitch video:

  • The Brewers and Red Sox are both showing interest in Kotsay.  The Brewers would only pursue a trade if Ryan Braun’s ribcage injury worsens, and so far he looks more than fine.  The Sox made a play for lefty-hitting Brian Giles before Giles vetoed the deal, so it makes sense that they’d exert similar effort toward Kotsay. Even more so now that J.D. Drew has a herniated disc.
  • Fuentes is expected to be put on waivers this week, a process that’s not usually made public, let alone announced, so the Rockies must be keen to see if they can do better in a trade than the two first round draft picks they get by keeping Fuentes.  According to Rosenthal, as things stand, the Dodgers currently have waiver priority.  If they pass for salary reasons, the Phillies could be a roadblock for the Mets.
  • Rosenthal also mentions a delicate situation in Atlanta: Tom Glavine and John Smoltz both want to pitch next year, and Glavine only wants to pitch for the Braves.  The Braves are faced with re-signing the inevitable Hall of Famers without being as reliant on their health as they were this year, or letting them go despite their long history with the team. Toss Mike Hampton’s arm into the mix as well.

Rockies Eyeing Livan Hernandez

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Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post reports the Rockies, in the hunt for a fifth starter, are pursuing Livan Hernandez as he clears waivers.

"’He’s someone we have talked about in the past,’ said [Clint] Hurdle, whose team made a late run at Hernandez as a free agent in February. Several Rockies players are pulling for the team to sign Hernandez (10-8, 5.48) as a fifth starter."

Hernandez was DFA’d on Friday and won’t clear waivers until Tuesday. He still has $1.66 MM remaining on his contract.

Boras Denies Calling Red Sox

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Tony Masarotti of the Boston Herald reports that Scott Boras denies having ever called the Red Sox in a last ditch effort to keep Manny Ramirez in Boston, as reported yesterday. Ramirez seems happy to be gone and it didn’t make sense that he would’ve made an attempt to stay in Boston after such a messy divorce.

MLBTR readers seem to be either exhausted by this story, or think the Red Sox made the right move. Peter Gammons’ blog entry from last week is a must read.

Moving on, in another article, Masarotti details just how much money the Red Sox will have to play with this offseason:

"Look at it this way: Based on the formula used to calculate luxury tax, the Red Sox finished 2007 with a payroll just shy of $165 million. By Opening Day of this year, that number was down to about $150 million. By November, that number will be closer to $110 million, which means the Red Sox could have between $40 million and $55 million to spend, if not more."

More Rosenthal: Furcal, Dunn, Yankees, Mets

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And more from Ken Rosenthal, this time his Full Count video:

  • The Dodgers will have an opening at shortstop in the offseason and could re-sign Rafael Furcal. They like his work ethic and what he’s brought their team, offensively and defensively, during his stay.
  • The bigger the contract for Mark Teixeira, the pricier Adam Dunn becomes.  Yet, Dunn will cost less and may just be more appealing than Teixeira.
  • The Yankees and Mets will be looking to solve roster holes by promoting prospects.  Carl Pavano, on a rehab assignment, is not being counted on.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Washburn, Teixeira, Griffey

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Rumor-wellspring Ken Rosenthal has another Inside Pitch video:

  • Jarrod Washburn to the Yankees has been put to bed. It won’t happen through waivers.
  • Mark Teixeira wants a 10 year deal and that might limit his options to one city: New York. Only Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have 10 year deals. The Yankees and Mets may be the only players willing to go that high. Teixeira’s turned down a lot of money before, and indicated he wants to play for a place he likes and a team that contends every year.
  • Ken Griffey Jr. could remain in the American League next year, and Rosenthal suggests a return to Seattle. He’s open to playing OF and DH but has also considered some 1B.

Manny Ramirez Speculation: Phils, D’Backs, Mets

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Theo Epstein told Tim McCarver he’d try to trade Manny Ramirez if he’d waive his 10-and-5 no-trade rights.  If Ramirez were to be dealt, I’m guessing he’d either require an extension or reassurance that his $20MM option would not be picked up so he could reach free agency. Here’s some reverb from Epstein’s remarks:

  • Ken Rosenthal doesn’t see a good match anywhere.  He notes that Manny got himself into this odd contractual situation in the first place.
  • Jon Heyman says the Mets have no interest in Manny.  His string of bad behavior this year has been undoubtedly a turnoff.  They’d rather pursue Raul Ibanez.
  • The Boston Herald’s Tony Masarotti doesn’t think the team needs "to find a Hall of Fame-caliber player to replace him anymore because Ramirez no longer is a Hall of Fame-caliber player."  He even cites David Murphy as a more productive outfielder since April.
  • Joel Sherman and Mike Puma speculate on Manny to the Phillies, noting how Charlie Manuel and Ramirez have remained close since Manuel was his hitting coach in Cleveland.  They go on to list Arizona as having interest as well.

Kovacevic’s Latest: Pirates, Bay, Grabow

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Dejan Kovacevic brings us the state of the Pirates in a nice piece in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

  • As we know, the Pirates don’t want to trade Jason Bay. Kovacevic writes, "’We’ll need to be blown away," one team source said, referring to Bay."  The Braves, Mets, Phillies, and A’s are the latest to inquire.
  • If the Pirates don’t make any more deals, they will of course revisit the possibility in the offseason. Still, any of Bay, Jack Wilson, or John Grabow could remain long-term if the Pirates aren’t offered enough any time between now and next season, or if the Pirates don’t appear to be "legitimately competitive" in the first half next year.
  • The Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal was initially reported to revolve around Phil Coke and George Kontos; however, one of those was diagnosed with a damaged labrum, seemingly Coke.
  • Ross Ohlendorf is expected to join the Bucs rotation after three or four starts in Triple-A.
  • A fun fact from Kovacevic: "If the Pirates could have traded Nady and Marte straight up for Jose Tabata last winter, Huntington said, ’We would have done it in a heartbeat.’"

Yankees Eyeing Bannister?

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Should the Jarrod Washburn deal fall apart, the Yankees are exploring an alternative in Brian Bannister for Melky Cabrera.  Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes,

"Nothing appears imminent, but the framework for a deal seems to exist because New York has already shown a willingness to part with [Melky] Cabrera. Add this: The Royals nearly obtained Cabrera in a trade-deadline swap two years ago for veteran outfielder Reggie Sanders before Sanders suffered an injury."

In this scenario, David Dejesus moves to left to make room for Cabrera in center.  And Mark Teahen would get back to his natural position at first base.  Cabrera is making $461,200, only $40,200 more than Bannister, and both are set to reach arbitration after this season.

The Yanks prefer Washburn but are in negotiations after the Mariners rejected an offer of Cabrera and Kei Igawa for the lefty veteran.  Seattle might want Brett Gardner as well as for the Yankees to take on all of Washburn’s $14MM contract through next year.

Odds & Ends: Astros, Tigers, Rays

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Some Odds & Ends to reinforce the adage that you can never have enough pitching:

  • Astros will be scouting Freddy Garcia when he throws in Miami on August 5th.  Garcia could become one of the bigger names after the deadline.
  • The Rays continue to look at Brian Fuentes, and feel that pitching may be more of a need than hitting, according to Marc Topkin.  However David Price, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, and Reid Brignac remain untouchable.  Price could just be the answer.
  • In Detroit, Joel Zumaya has not been the answer to Todd Jones’ struggles of late.  As John Paul Morosi puts it, "Fernando Rodney has been the Tigers’ most consistent reliever lately. But that could be good news or bad news, depending on your perspective."  The Tigers have been busy at the deadline for the past two years, trading Craig Monroe to the Cubs last year and acquiring Sean Casey the year before.

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