Olney On Trade Scenarios
ESPN's Buster Olney talks about future trade possibilities in his blog today.
- Olney's Brewers source says the team is not looking outside for Rickie Weeks' replacement at this point. Manager Ken Macha doesn't view Craig Counsell as a regular, but he can platoon with Casey McGehee. And Alcides Escobar will start to work at second base in Triple A.
- The Red Sox might have to do something to replace David Ortiz at DH if he doesn't show signs of life soon. Olney speculates on the idea of Boston trading starting pitching "for some talented young hitter – like Matt LaPorta of the Indians." That would stink for LaPorta, getting traded twice within a year.
- Olney likes Mark DeRosa for the Mets. Most writers like DeRosa for any team though. Olney figures the Indians would seek pitching for him.
Strasburg Unlikely To Skip Minors
Yahoo's Jeff Passan talked to Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo, who said that he doesn't see any pitchers in the 2009 draft class jumping straight to the Majors. Knowing that Rizzo plans to draft Stephen Strasburg, the implication is that the righty won't join Washington's rotation right after signing. If you've been holding your fantasy league's #1 waiver pick for him, it's time to think about Plan B. Passan and Chico Harlan of the Washington Post both suggest the most we'd see from Strasburg would be a September cameo as part of a contractual obligation.
Mariners Sign Brad Nelson
According to Dan Walsh of SportsBubbler.com, Brad Nelson's agent says his client has signed with the Mariners on a minor league deal. Nelson, a 26 year-old first baseman/outfielder, hit .286/.380/.480 in his fourth stint at Triple A last year.
Carlos Delgado To Have Hip Surgery
An update from the Mets on Carlos Delgado: he'll have hip surgery tomorrow, and will probably be out until the All-Star break. We discussed possible replacements a few times here at MLBTR, but the Mets might be able to make it a few months with in-house candidates.
Rickie Weeks Out For The Season
Terrible news for the Brewers – Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that second baseman Rickie Weeks is out for the season due to a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. It's a 4-6 month recovery period. Weeks, 26, was off to a nice .272/.340/.517 start in 162 plate appearances.
If GM Doug Melvin decides to hit up the free agent market, he can consider Ray Durham, Mark Grudzielanek, or Damion Easley.
Minor League Steals
A look at a few of the best minor league free agent deals signed during the offseason, despite the small samples:
- Andruw Jones, Rangers. The Dodgers must love to see Jones hitting .297/.439/.594 for pennies for the Rangers.
- Kiko Calero, Marlins. He has a 2.84 ERA and huge 12.79 K/9 in 19 innings for the Fish.
- Matt Palmer, Angels. The 30 year-old rookie stepped into the Angels' rotation and provided four starts with a 3.37 ERA.
- Jamey Wright, Royals. Wright has a 1.66 ERA in 21.6 innings, with a 60.7% groundball rate.
- Laynce Nix, Reds. An unexpected source of left field power, Nix is hitting .294/.338/.603 in 74 plate appearances.
- Nick Green, Red Sox. The Sox have weathered injuries at shortstop with Green, who's hitting .302/.368/.430 in 95 plate appearances.
- Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, Giants. Maybe they don't deserve their sub-4.00 ERAs, but both scrap heap pickups have helped the Giants' pen.
- Omar Vizquel, Rangers. He's hitting .378/.425/.541 in 42 PAs while logging 61 innings at shortstop and even chipping in at third base.
- Jeff Weaver, Dodgers. Weaver's posted a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings, including two acceptable starts.
- Jason Jennings, Rangers. Working out of the pen, Jennings has a 3.24 ERA in 16.6 innings.
- Honorable mentions: Bobby Scales, Omir Santos, Craig Monroe. Who are we missing?
Ryan Wagner Retires
According to Pete McElroy of MASN, 26 year-old pitcher Ryan Wagner retired. He'd been attempting to battle back from a torn labrum in the Nationals organization. Wagner was drafted 14th overall by the Reds in 2003, after the Blue Jays took Aaron Hill and before the White Sox snagged Brian Anderson. Wagner did his best work as a rookie the year he was drafted; he finishes his career with a 4.79 ERA in 165.3 innings.
Phillies Sign Paul Bako
According to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies signed catcher Paul Bako to a minor league deal. Bako signed with the Cubs in January and had a nice spring, but lost the backup catcher competition to Koyie Hill and was released. Bako, 37 in June, hit .217/.299/.328 in 338 plate appearances for the Reds last year.
Pirates Claim Steven Jackson
The Pirates have added another Yankees pitcher, claiming righty reliever Steven Jackson off waivers today according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Injured pitcher Jimmy Barthmaier was released to make room.
Jackson, 27, posted a 1.88 ERA in 14.3 Triple A innings this year. This is his third stint at that level. He'd joined the Yanks in the Randy Johnson-Arizona deal, and was the last remnant of that 2007 trade. Jackson works with a low-90s sinker, according to Baseball America.
2010 Options: Washington Nationals
Let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Nationals.
- Austin Kearns – $10MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Kearns displayed strong defense prior to last year, and he can draw a walk. He's got skills, but they aren't worth the $9MM net commitment. He's a good candidate to be traded this year if the Nationals can find a taker.
- Dmitri Young – $6MM option vests with 500 PAs in '09. Young is currently on a leave of absence; he's yet to play this year. He's on the 40-man roster due to a handshake agreement with Jim Bowden.