Stark’s Latest: Bonds, Howard, Vargas
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up; let’s take a look.
- Stark surveyed execs from three teams about why Barry Bonds remains unemployed. They provided the answers you’d expect, and collusion isn’t one of them. One of the team officials believes a major injury to one of the 14 DHs could very well result in a Bonds signing. Related note: Gary Sheffield just tore a tendon in his finger. Meanwhile, Joel Sherman speculates that Bonds would be a nice match with the Blue Jays.
- There are signs that Ryan Howard wants an unprecedented contract – he won’t be using Miguel Cabrera as his model. A trade before he reaches free agency (after the 2010 season) seems likely.
- Stark says the Mets are eyeing Claudio Vargas but would want him to work at Triple A for a while first. They’re not showing interest in available guys like David Wells, Jeff Weaver, or Robinson Tejeda. David Lennon of Newsday counters by saying the Mets do have interest in Tejeda, though nothing is close.
Rosenthal’s Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza
Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let’s take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say:
- Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros’ Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals’ Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers’ third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu.
- He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt Murton but the Cubs are holding out for a top pitching prospect in return, knowing Murton will be a starter on another club. Rosenthal quotes one GM as saying that the price "is way too high as of now". As many as five teams have shown interest in Murton.
- The Mets are among a dozen teams that have inquired about Brewers pitcher Claudio Vargas, who will not be in the rotation to begin the season. [Update: Sorry about this one. I had forgotten that the Brewers released Vargas earlier this week]
- The Reds have put Ryan Freel on the market, but more teams appear to be interested in Scott Hatteberg. However, Rosenthal indicates that it is unlikely for the Red to trade Hatteberg even if Joey Votto is named the starter.
- The Tigers, Reds and Orioles all tried to acquire backup catcher Brayan Pena from the Braves, but the Braves do not appear interested in letting him go
- Rosenthal says that Pat Gillick’s history in Seattle may have played a part in the Phillies inability to land M’s reliever Cha Seung Baek, who is out of options but made the roster as a reliever.
- Finally, Rosenthal notes that Mike Piazza is still working out with hopes of landing a gig at some point in ’08. Rosenthal thinks that Piazza may have to come to the realization soon that his career may be over.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Tigers Sign Fultz
The Tigers have signed left-hander Aaron Fultz to a contract with AAA Toledo. Fultz, an eight-year big-league veteran, was released this week by Cleveland.
Bobby Seay is currently the only left-hander in Detroit’s bullpen. So if Fultz can get his act together, there’s probably a spot for him on the big league club.
PECOTA projects Fultz will have a 3.92 ERA in roughly 45 innings pitched in 2008. But, as we all know, predicting what a reliever will do from one season to the next is far more difficult that predicting a position player, or even a starting pitcher.
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.
Tigers Roster Set, No Trades Likely
The Tigers have been at the center of a number of recent trade rumors. There was the Huston Street rumor, and the Mike Wuertz rumor. But the one player that seemed the most likely to go, Brandon Inge, is still a member of the Tigers and now it appears that he will not be going anywhere in the near future.
Jim Leyland was asked yesterday if there would be any last-minute deals.
"My boss (general manager Dave Dombrowski) said it was OK to tell you that’s the team."
In fact it now looks like Inge will be the everyday center fielder, at least for the time being, as Curtis Granderson will start the season on the DL. Inge’s $6.2MM salary for 2008 suddenly doesn’t seem like that much of a burden.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Freddy Guzman Clears Waivers
1:53pm: No one claimed Guzman; he’ll head to Double A for the Tigers.
10:03am: According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Tigers have placed 27 year-old center fielder Freddy Guzman on outright waivers. Coming up with the Padres, Guzman was highly regarded by Baseball America for his "game-changing speed."
Guzman doesn’t have much of an arm but he certainly covers a lot of ground in center. He walks a decent amount for a guy with no power. He could be claimed by a club feeling the need for speed in its fourth or fifth outfield spot.
Tigers Release Tim Byrdak
According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, the Tigers released 34 year-old southpaw reliever Tim Byrdak today. Byrdak stuck out 49 in 46 innings last year, but also walked 26. He had a lousy spring, and apparently Jim Leyland’s confidence doesn’t mean much.
The Detroit Tiger Weblog is now wondering what the Tigers will do for a second lefty in the ‘pen. There are various guys floating around (Aaron Fultz comes to mind), but no one markedly better than Byrdak. Currently there’s nothing imminent in the Tigers’ hunt for bullpen help.
Miguel Cabrera Signs Extension
4:08pm: John Lowe has the year by year breakdown and adds that there are ten teams Cabrera can be traded to without his permission.
TUESDAY, 12:44pm: Cabrera’s seven-year extension is official. $20MM a year is a solid price for 25 year-old superstar who has never been injured. And Cabrera sets himself up for one more massive deal, just like A-Rod did.
MONDAY, 8:57am: Though we don’t have an official announcement and press conference from the Tigers yet, it’s obvious that an agreement has been reached. Sabernomics thinks Cabrera will be worth $268MM over this time period; PECOTA feels differently. Cabrera will only be 32 when this contract ends. Though their ages don’t match up, Jim Salisbury and Todd Zolecki believe this deal could be a comparable for Ryan Howard.
SUNDAY, 8:52pm: Danny Knobler clarifies: it’s a seven-year extension worth around $140MM, starting with the 2009 season. Regardless, it’s a team-friendly deal.
12:18am: According to ESPN’s Enquire Rojas, Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is set to sign an eight-year, $153.3MM extension. That’s $19.16MM per year for 2009-16. Definitely less than I expected him to sign for. We’ll examine the deal more closely when details become available.
Cubs Outfield Situation: Crisp, Johnson, Byrd
Quite a bit of info is floating about this evening regarding the Cubs’ quest to add an outfielder. Let’s put it all together.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman names Coco Crisp, Jay Payton, Marlon Byrd, and Brandon Inge as possible targets. Inge makes the least sense given his salary and the Tigers’ need for him while Curtis Granderson is out.
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark confirms Ken Rosenthal’s assertion that the Cubs are leading the pack for Reed Johnson. Stark speculates that such an acquisition could prompt the Cubs to trade Matt Murton.
- ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Red Sox scout Allard Baird is currently observing the Cubs. Other scouts in ‘zona are speculating about a Sean Gallagher for Crisp scenario. Gammons notes that the Red Sox wouldn’t mind getting Murton back, either. He thinks the Sox are wary of trading Crisp right now though, echoing a sentiment from Buster Olney.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers want Murton plus one of Jose Ceda, Gallagher, or Donald Veal for Byrd. Jim Hendry did recently re-engage the Rangers, according to Grant.
Tigers Want Huston Street?
According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger:
The Tigers, desperate for a pitcher at the back end of their bullpen, are trying to have serious discussions with Oakland about closer Huston Street. But so far, the A’s have not even decided if they want to trade Street. And if they do, they’re likely to ask more than the Tigers have to offer.
We talked about Street a couple days ago. Jon Heyman believed the asking price would be huge; Susan Slusser suggested the A’s might wait until midseason. The Tigers aren’t a great fit given their farm system.
Tigers Said To Be Targeting Wuertz; Cubs Disagree
The Detroit Tigers have some last-minute shopping left to do to shore up their bullpen. As you learned on Friday, Jon Paul Morosi noted the Tigers’ interest in righty Mike Wuertz and the Cubs’ fondness for Brandon Inge and Marcus Thames. Inge, it’s worth noting, has seen time at catcher, third base, and all three outfield positions—and as of this spring, even shortstop.
The Chicago Sun-Times, however, says Inge and Thames "make no sense for the Cubs" and that the Cubs have as of yet had no discussions with the Tigers about a deal for Wuertz involving those players. (For what it’s worth, Baseball America does see some validity in the Inge-to-Chicago rumors.)
The Sun-Times also notes that Wuertz is one of just two Cubs pitchers not to allow a run this spring (lefty Carmen Pignatiello is the other), while Cubs manager Lou Piniella affirms that the only remaining hole on his roster is "somebody that can help out in center field."
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.