Offseason Outlook: Toronto Blue Jays
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Blue Jays. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C –
C – Raul Chavez – $500K+
1B – Lyle Overbay – $7MM
2B – Aaron Hill – $4MM
SS –
3B – Edwin Encarnacion – $4.75MM
IF – Joe Inglett – $411K
LF – Adam Lind – $412K
CF – Vernon Wells – $12.5MM
RF – Travis Snider – $401K
OF –
DH – Randy Ruiz – $400K
? –
SP – Roy Halladay – $15.75MM
SP – Ricky Romero – $400K
SP – Shaun Marcum – $405K+
SP – Marc Rzepczynski – $400K
SP – Scott Richmond – $402K
Other candidates: Brett Cecil, David Purcey, Brad Mills
Injured: Dustin McGowan, Jesse Litsch
RP – Scott Downs – $4MM
RP – Jason Frasor – $1.45MM+
RP – Brandon League – $640K+
RP – Jesse Carlson – $409K
RP – Casey Janssen – $414K
RP – Shawn Camp – $750K+
RP – Brian Tallet – $1.015MM+
Non-tender candidates: Jose Bautista, Jeremy Accardo
Other commitments: B.J. Ryan – $10MM
Assuming Bautista and one of Accardo/Tallet are non-tendered, the Blue Jays will have roughly $56MM committed before arbitration raises to Marcum, Frasor, League, Camp, and Chavez. Add in B.J. Ryan's salary and commitments are in the low $70MM range. The Jays entered 2009 with an $80.5MM payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. New GM Alex Anthopoulos might have $10MM to spend, if the team holds payroll steady.
If Anthopoulos looks to contend in 2010, he's got his work cut out for him, especially if payroll isn't increased. With Rod Barajas and Marco Scutaro eligible for free agency, the team could lose its starters at catcher and shortstop. The Jays also lack a right fielder if they're unwilling to use Lind and Snider at the corners.
The Jays could attempt to improve upon Barajas behind the plate, though most other free agent catchers are equally questionable. Arizona's Chris Snyder would be an interesting target, if not for the $11.25MM remaining on his contract. Blue Jays catcher of the future J.P. Arencibia seemingly needs more seasoning after a .236/.284/.444 Triple A performance. Barajas hopes to return, but has yet to hold discussions with the Jays.
Shortstop will also be a difficult position to fill. Scutaro could be seeking $6-7MM annually coming off a career year. The free agent market is bleak here as well, with J.J. Hardy the obvious trade target. The Blue Jays might even have the starting pitching depth to pull off a deal with Milwaukee.
As always, outfield and DH options are plentiful on the free agent market. Anthopoulos can afford to wait until February and hunt for a bargain.
I've been operating under the assumption the Blue Jays will attempt to compete in 2010 and will therefore keep Halladay. If so, their rotation appears deep. But is it crazy to think the Jays could trade Doc and put themselves in a better position for 2010? Perhaps Anthopoulos could build the trade around a Major League-ready catcher or shortstop as well as a high-quality young starting pitcher.
Anthopoulos has admitted his team needs more than tweaking. Will the Blue Jays commit to a full-scale rebuilding plan? Will they raise payroll significantly and add players to complement Halladay, Lind, and Hill? It'd be disappointing to see the Jays choose something in-between.
Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Rockies, Crede
Links for Monday…
- The Astros received permission to interview Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar for their managerial job, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford. Brad Mills and Manny Acta will also interview, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter). McTaggart adds Bob Melvin, Dave Clark, and Al Pedrique as other candidates, while Alyson Footer adds Ned Yost, Randy Ready, Phil Garner, and Pete Mackanin.
- Nationals scouting director Dana Brown has been hired away by new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Rockies owner Dick Monfort told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team's postseason appearance won't significantly affect payroll. The Rockies have impending free agents in Jason Marquis, Yorvit Torrealba, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Beimel (among others), and must also decide whether to tender Garrett Atkins a contract. Torrealba and Betancourt have pricey club options.
- Astros catcher J.R. Towles is a potential buy-low candidate for the Rays, says R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay. Towles hit .276/.386/.455 in Triple A this year, but Jason Castro is the Astros' catcher of the future.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak hopes to take advantage of the exclusive negotiating period for his free agents, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In a separate article, Joe Strauss of the P-D notes that Rick Ankiel pulled a fast one on the media.
- Joe Crede is optimistic he'll have a quick recovery from his third back surgery, says MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Merkin says the Boras client "spoke more in generalities than about a specific return to Minnesota."
- Jack Morris almost signed with the Yankees in 1996, writes Jack Curry of the New York Times.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculates about the Red Sox trading closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Discussion: Vicente Padilla
Vicente Padilla's stock has risen dramatically since he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in August. He posted a 3.20 ERA in 39.3 innings, and was brilliant finishing off the Cardinals in Game 3 of the NLDS. He received hugs from Joe Torre and Ned Colletti and kind words from his new teammates.
Padilla will be a free agent this winter. His checkered history will likely limit him to one-year offers. Through the years Padilla missed significant time with triceps, shoulder, and elbow injuries. He was suspended twice for throwing at hitters, and led all of baseball in HBPs (98) from 2002 to 2009. His Rangers teammates complained about him and applauded his exit. He battled a drinking problem that resulted in a July 2006 DWI (the Rangers signed him to a $33MM deal that winter anyway). By this summer the Rangers were fed up, designating Padilla for assignment and eating over $5MM of his contract.
Where do you see Padilla landing, and what type of contract will he receive? Given all the good vibes, I expect the Dodgers to look into re-signing him to a one-year deal, worth perhaps $4MM plus incentives. Back when Padilla was a free agent in December of '06, Mets GM Omar Minaya was among those interested. Will Minaya renew his interest three years later? The Nationals, Diamondbacks, and Brewers figure to be in the market for free agent starting pitching as well.
Elias Ranking Projections Update
Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts has reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings, and he's providing his projections exclusively here at MLB Trade Rumors.
We've cleaned up a few errors since last time; the following players changed types: Yorvit Torrealba from no type to B, Brian Schneider from B to no type, Brian Giles from A to B, Reed Johnson from B to no type, Gary Sheffield from B to no type, Fernando Tatis from no type to B, Mark DeRosa from A to B, and Pedro Feliz from B to no type.
There is still a chance we dig up an error involving DL days, but as of right now here are the rankings.
Padres Rumors: GM, Cameron, Correia
FRIDAY, 5:53pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes that the Padres and Diamondbacks could work out a compensation package for Arizona VP of player personnel Jerry DiPoto. San Diego CEO Jeff Moorad has what he characterized as a "gentleman's agreement" not to raid his former club for candidates, but Morosi says that the stipulation could be waived for the right price. Moorad is said to have a "very high opinion" of DiPoto.
In addition to labeling Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer as a "strong candidate" (per industry sources), Morosi writes that some in the industry expect Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng to be considered. Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine has drawn the interest of the Padres, but the team has yet to seek permission to interview him.
WEDNESDAY, 2:02pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock, via Twitter, says Forst has not been interviewed and the Gillick rumor below is untrue. Furthermore, the A's emailed the AP to say the Padres have not asked permission to interview Forst. SI's Jon Heyman's sources believe Hoyer is the favorite.
WEDNESDAY, 8:37am: Center says the Padres have two more GM interviews in addition to the three they've already conducted. He says Hoyer, David Forst, and Pat Gillick "have surfaced in connection with the Padres vacancy." Meanwhile, Newsday's Ken Davidoff says via Twitter that the Padres have not contacted the Yankees for permission to speak with Eppler.
TUESDAY: Let's discuss the latest buzz around the Padres.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says the team's baseball operations department will be run by manager Bud Black, executive VP Paul DePodesta and assistant GM Fred Uhlman Jr. until CEO Jeff Moorad finds Kevin Towers' replacement at GM.
- Moorad has interviewed three candidates for GM, with more to come. He hopes to make the hire within a few weeks. Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer and Yankees director of pro scouting Billy Eppler have been rumored.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes about the Padres' offseason needs (they have roughly $10MM to spend). Center says the team needs a right-handed hitting center fielder, and Mike Cameron's name surfaced.
- Center suggests that to save money the Padres might have to shop Kevin Kouzmanoff, Heath Bell, or both. He even wonders if they'd non-tender Kevin Correia and attempt to sign him more cheaply (presumably using his desire to play near home as leverage).
- On his blog, DePodesta writes about the difficult realities of working within baseball.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues suggests the Yankees should add Towers to their front office.
White Sox Discussed New Deal For Podsednik
Outfielder DeWayne Wise has chosen free agency over a Triple A assignment from the White Sox, but there's a chance Scott Podsednik could return. According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, Podsednik's agent Ryan Gleichowski had a preliminary discussion with Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn. They'll talk again later this month.
Podsednik, 34 in March, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in January. He was released in April, and the White Sox scooped him up. Pods went on to hit .304/.353/.412 in 587 plate appearances while playing mostly left and center field. His defense graded out as average, based on UZR and plus-minus.
MLB.com's Scott Merkin spoke to Podsednik earlier this month, who expressed a desire to return but said "we are going to wait it out and see what happens." Podsednik fell short of Type B status, so there will be no draft pick compensation involved.
D’Backs Receive Tony Abreu To Complete Garland Trade
The Diamondbacks received infielder Tony Abreu from the Dodgers to complete the Jon Garland trade, according to the team's Twitter feed. Abreu had been rumored as the likely return since the August 31st trade, but presumably the teams waited until now because he did not clear waivers. Another factor: a dispute over Abreu's service time. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick says this grievance was settled, with Abreu receiving an additional 30 days service time.
Abreu, 25 in November, hit .353/.385/.615 in 236 Triple A plate appearances this year. He spent most of his time at second base, and is expected to compete for the starting job in Arizona next year. The D'Backs clearly think highly of Abreu, since they were willing to take on Garland's remaining salary as well as his buyout.
Marlins Release Scott Proctor, Dave Davidson
The Marlins released pitchers Scott Proctor and Dave Davidson, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Proctor, 33 in January, was non-tendered by the Dodgers in December of last year. He agreed to a $750K deal with the Marlins in January, but was not able to return from flexor tendon surgery as expected. In May, he decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. Proctor's best year was 2006, when he posted a 3.52 ERA in 102.3 relief innings for the Yankees.
Davidson, 26 in April, was claimed off waivers from the Pirates in April but designated for assignment by the Fish in May. The southpaw worked only 10.6 innings for the Marlins' Triple A club. A June waiver claim of Davidson by Baltmore was voided due to a shoulder injury. Davidson found his way to the big league 60-day DL, earning a few extra bucks in the process. Poor guy earned it – Fredi Gonzalez had him throw 52 pitches in his lone big league inning.
Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo
Links for Friday…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
- The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
- Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier. Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs. Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
- Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
- Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
- Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer.
- In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.
Kevin Towers’ Plans
MLB.com's Fred Claire spoke to Kevin Towers about the future. The former Padres GM has already received a dozen inquiries. Towers' money quotes:
"I know I don't want to be in an office if I'm not a general manager. And I'm not looking for a job where I feel the GM might be in jeopardy, that's not me."
That might rule out a position under Mets GM Omar Minaya. Towers also said he would be willing to work for another GM if his job consisted of scouting rather than spending time in an actual office.