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Odds & Ends: Kennedy, Rays, Bonds, Wagner

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And now for something completely different, Odds and Ends:

  • ESPN reports that the Yankees optioned Ian Kennedy to Triple-A.  To take his place, they recalled Darrell Rasner who in 5 Triple-A games is 4-0 with 0.87 ERA and 27 K in 31 IP.  Kennedy relies on control and control he has had not.  He has the highest percentage of working into hitters counts of anyone in the bigs.
  • The Rays are the first team ever to hold the first pick in back-to-back years, and unlike last year when they selected David Price without thinking twice, they are presently undecided.  According to Marc Lancaster, "It’s a safe bet their choice will come from the following pool: Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez, Griffin (Ga.) High SS Tim Beckham, Florida State C Buster Posey, Missouri RHP Aaron Crow, University of San Diego LHP Brian Matusz and Riverside (Calif.) Patriot High C Kyle Skipworth."
  • Art Spander in the Oakland Tribune calls on Billy Beane to sign Barry Bonds.  Mike Sweeney and Frank Thomas aren’t enough.  Says Spander, "[Bonds] still can put balls in the seats and… butts in the seats. As opposed to you putting a tarp over them. The A’s have to stop being a secret and start becoming an attraction."
  • Brian Cashman: Phillies GM?  So speculates Jim Salisbury.  With no Johan but an injured Phil Hughes and ineffective Ian Kennedy, Cashman could find himself jettisoned by default from the organization should they miss the playoffs.  Pat Gillick’s contract is up after this year and Cashman once looked favorably on that gig.  But if you ask me, Mr. Salisbury is getting way ahead of himself.
  • Billy Wagner tells the New York Post’s Steve Serby that he expects to retire after 2009.  And he still hasn’t had a bagel.  That blows my mind.

By Nat Boyle

Coco To Stay For Now

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From the Sunday Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo notes that Brandon Moss’ emergency appendectomy yesterday "certainly puts the kibosh on any thought of moving Coco Crisp…"  And when Bobby Kielty returns from his hand injury, Moss may be a mainstay.  Cafardo notes that Moss has been impressive so far.  Writes Cafardo,

"’I’ve been trying to get Moss for three years," said one assistant general manager in the American League West. "I think he’s a guy who is going to be a very good major league player. He can do a lot of things. Strong lefthanded bat. Good head for the game, but the Red Sox aren’t inclined to deal him. We’ve tried, believe me.’"

The 24 year old Georgia-native Brandon Moss (or Brandy Moss to me) has had not one but two clutch game winning hits so far this year.  He’s hitting .289 with 2 HR in 21 AB.

With regards to the Coco angle, it’s apparent that staying put was the right decision for the Red Sox.  They have needed the depth to cover minor injuries to J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Crisp.  Crisp does not seem unhappy with the situation as a whole and Ellsbury’s production is obviously unaffected by occasional days off.  Further, as pinch runners they have been late inning weapons.  The Sox only problem seems to be middle relief but few teams don’t share in that dilemma, and the Sox have internal options I expect them to go to before making a deal.  Eventually, you’d think they’ll have to hand the reins over to Ellsbury but for now having both is a blessing.  There are certainly a lot of opinions on this – what are yours?

By Nat Boyle

More Rosenthal’s Latest

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Slow day for rumors, and yet Ken Rosenthal gets two posts!  No surprise there.  This time from his nifty sidebar Notes of Importance:

  • With John Smoltz returning as the closer, the Braves will be exploring trades for a starter.  Rosenthal says Atlanta could afford to give up prospects but won’t overpay.  MLBTR covered this a couple days ago.
  • Doing his best Monty Python, Rosenthal looks on the bright of life and sees the Troy Tulowitzki injury as an opportunity for Clint Barmes to rebuild his trade value.  If he can produce anywhere near the level of his 80+ games in ’05 then Barmes could generate a lot of interest.  If not, then we’ll continue to mention venison whenever Barmes comes up in conversation.  I think Barmes has a lot of proving to do to be looked at favorably by scouts as he’d become a bit of a liability for the Rockies both in the field and at the plate.
  • At the moment, the Nationals are carrying three catchers: Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, and Wil Nieves.  Lo Duca is off the DL and returning to starting.  Estrada is making $1.25MM and could be released, suggest Rosenthal.  Nieves, however, signed with the Nats for less money over the Yankees in the offseason, hoping for a better opportunity.  If the Nats put him on waivers, the Yankees – who wanted to retain Nieves – may indeed claim him if they view him as a better option than Chad Moeller.

By Nat Boyle

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hudson, Turnbow, Laird, Kershaw

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Rumorland Ambassador Ken Rosenthal has posted yet another Full Count video.  Let’s get sifting:

  • Rosenthal thinks Orlando Hudson could be shown the money this offseason if he opts to explore free agency.  Hudson most likely won’t be offered market value by the Dbacks.  Rosenthal posits the Orioles, Cards, Dodgers, and Mariners as potential buyers.
  • 4 unnamed teams are interested in Derrick Turnbow, who is making $3.2MM this year.  According to KR, the Brewers would need to throw money in a deal or get a comparable salary in return – as the saying goes, you trade contracts, not players.  Turnbow needs a fresh start and middle relief is always in demand; however, a lot of teams have better internal options and could see Turnbow as a project for better or worse.
  • Gerald Laird update: Reds, Yankees, and Brewers all passed.  But Rosenthal still expects Laird to end up somewhere and notes that whoever gets him has him through 2010.
  • The Dodgers are planning on "integrating" Clayton Kershaw soon to throw a limit of 150 IP; however this doesn’t (yet) make Esteban Loaiza expendable as they would alternate the two in the rotation, Kershaw starting twice, and then Loaiza twice, and so on.  I say "(yet)" because Rosenthal doesn’t mention that the rotation will get crowded if/when Jason Schmidt returns in early June.  I would expect they’ll explore options, but be content using Loaiza out of the bullpen.  By the way, Kershaw has a 1.40 ERA with 31 K in 25.2 IP for Double-A Jacksonville.

By Nat Boyle

Pirates Release Matt Morris

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Unfortunately, there’s no surprise here.  ESPN reports the Pirates have released Matt Morris.  As Tim noted last night, the Pirates had little choice and eating $10MM seems their best option.  According to ESPN,

"The decision to cut Morris will cost the Pirates more than $10 million, in addition to what they already have paid him this season. Morris is making $10,037,283 this season, or about one-fifth of their payroll, and has a $1 million buyout for 2009."

There shouldn’t be much interest for Morris.  A minor league contract somewhere could be a possibility.  But retirement seems inevitable, and Morris may be resigned to the fact: 

"I’ve always said the other team will let you know when you’re done."

Phil Dumatrait will replace him in the rotation, and John Van Benschoten will be called up to fill the roster spot.

By Nat Boyle

Will Mets Release Delgado?

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Is Carlos Delgado the next Frank Thomas?  Or worse yet, is he the next Mike Piazza?  Sammy Sosa?  Barry Bonds?  (steroid implications aside).  So asks Joel Sherman of the NY Post who’s headline – always in that in-your-face extra-bold verdana – reads "DELGADO ON HIS WAY OUT AT FIRST".  With aging veterans out of work, and a rash of young talent being locked up, 2008 really feels like the end of one era and the marked beginning of the next.

An arbitrary fun-fact from Sherman, "In the past 25 years, just one champion has had a regular first baseman older than 32 (the 2001 Diamondbacks with 37-year-old Mark Grace)."  Delgado’s making $16MM this season, and although 35 is often a notorious age at which batters decline, this cliff fall is not the norm.  Still, a contract of that magnitude will keep Delgado in New York for at least a short while longer.

In Buster Olney’s latest, he speculated Delgado’s release, which seems to be slightly more than speculation at this point.  Olney cited Xavier Nady or Scott Hatteberg as potential replacements should the Mets want to trade for a replacement.  Nady, however, might not be available until the Pirates say "uncle."

Should the 35-yr old Delgado reenter free agent land, what kind of interest will there be?  Most likely less than there was for Frank Thomas, but someone would throw him a bone as he’d be low risk, high reward.  Not unlike Thomas, PECOTA projects a .265-20-80 season from the veteran and while that’s not a $16MM season, it’s still adequate production for many teams from a corner infielder or DH.

By Nat Boyle

Cafardo’s Latest: Ramirez, Papelbon, Moss

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Nick Cafardo spins Red Sox rumor gold in the Boston Globe.

  • Scott Boras is the spur in Manny Ramirez’s side.  Cafardo interviews the Notorious One in the Boston Globe today.  Says Boras, "Our plan for him is in place. If you can make a player comfortable, you have the ability to make a player play well."  So far, so good.  He doesn’t speculate on the reality of a contract extension saying, "I communicate with [Theo Epstein] on a number of things and I really let the decision-making be theirs. It’s rare if they haven’t thought about what their future plans are for a player."
  • In that same piece, Cafardo quotes Jonathan Papelbon who is fine going year-to-year right now.  He says he’s comfortable with his ability and his salary and shrewdly knows he’d rather wait for a big payday than make a concession for security when his talent could go beyond what he signs for.
  • Two GMs apparently checked on the availability of Brandon Moss.  If the Sox were to trade Coco Crisp, they would have no backup while Bobby Kielty is hurt, so the man I call "Brandy Moss" is not expendable at this point.
  • From another source, Dan Kolb was released to make room for Devern Hansack in Pawtucket (say it with me: Puh-TUH-kit!).

By Nat Boyle

Tribe Could Re-Sign Sabathia?

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Sheldon Ocker notes that the Tribe’s ownership under Larry Dolan and sons has been a financial boon to the franchise.  Writes Ocker,

"Some fans still describe the Dolans as cheapskates, unwilling to keep up with the Joneses. In truth, they have been responsible owners, who not only realize the limits the size of the market imposes, but also have managed to increase revenue in ways not done by their predecessors."

Despite payroll commitments already made for $132MM between ’09 and ’14, plus $61.5MM in club options to exercise or decline, Ocker says the Dolan’s creation of TV network SportsTime Ohio has allowed the team to increase its revenue to the point where signing more young players to long term deals is still an agenda.

Ocker mentions Ryan Garko may be the next to get a long term deal, and that GM Mark Shapiro is not "pessimistic" about re-signing C.C. Sabathia.  It still remains a long shot, but we certainly shouldn’t write it off.

By Nat Boyle

Odds and Ends: Hatteberg, Colon, Longoria

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And now for more Odds and Ends around the league:

  • In his latest "Full Count" audio piece at Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal expects the Reds to do some roster shuffling that could come down to trades.  Scott Hatteberg has become "expendable" with the recent emergence of Joey Votto and by the fact that the Reds have too many lefty hitters.
  • Cork Gaines latest Baseball Blogs Weigh In delved into the Evan Longoria signing.  To add to that, Ken Rosenthal, also in his Full Count piece, notes favorably that Longoria has set himself for life without having to establish himself and that his payday will come at age 31, still in time for a 4-5 year deal.
  • The Boston Herald’s reporting Bartolo Colon could opt to leave the Red Sox if he’s not in the bigs by May 1st. Manager Terry Francona hopes he will "forego the decision for a while (most likely until May 15)."  With a recent setback being the reason he’s not in the majors, I don’t see him going anywhere just yet.
  • An amusing quote from columnist John Mehno of the Beaver County Times on whether the Pirates can be expected to lock up any of its young talent: "Given the lack of can’t-miss prospects in the system, Pirates rookies intent on becoming instant millionaires should probably keep buying lottery tickets."

By Nat Boyle

Kubel Wants Long Term Deal

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In the wake of many other young talents having their arbitration years bought out, Jason Kubel is hoping for a long-term deal of his own.  Phil Miller of the Pioneer Press notes that Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony is open to it but not about to make any concessions.  Antony points out,

"It’s tough to do a multiyear for guys who haven’t, for whatever reason, established a level of production. How do you go to ownership saying only, ’Our scouting reports say this?’ Now you’re paying for future years based on projections, and that gets a little dangerous."

Kubel was a top hitting prospect with the Twins and had a terrific second half last year; however, his knees have been a cause for concern and limited his playing time and breakout potential.  Evan Longoria got a deal after 6 games, so with the recent rash of young talent signings, Kubel has every right to ask for this; however, it seems the Twins will wisely take a conservative approach to Kubel this year.

By Nat Boyle

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