Percival Comeback?
According to Ken Rosenthal, former Angels and Tigers closer Troy Percival may make a comeback attempt. Percival’s agent says the chances are 50/50, and that he was clocked at 97 recently. As Rosenthal says, someone will give him a shot if he does come back. Percival will likely decide today, and he’ll call the Angels first.
Percival turns 38 in August. He received an ill-advised two-year, $12MM deal from Detroit prior to the 2005 season, and ended up pitching 25 innings over the life of the contract.
I want to somehow work in Percival’s hilarious exchange with Sam Walker and his associate in the book Fantasyland, but it’s unprintable. Check it out though.
Yanks Interested In Jose Molina
The Yankees, not thrilled with Wil Nieves as Jorge Posada’s backup, have expressed interest to the Angels in Jose Molina.
Molina turns 32 in June; he’s caught 348 big league games to date. He was a Cubs farmhand until he release in 2000. To part with him, the Angels would have to have full confidence in the tandem of Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis. Napoli’s hitting like a backup this year, while the 24 year-old Mathis is at .256/.296/.360 in Triple A. So, seems doubtful that Molina is going anywhere.
Carl Crawford Available?
Just a mini-rumor of sorts, only a notch above speculation. But hey, this is a rumor site. Yahoo’s Tim Brown mentions that Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford can be had, and suggests the Angels make an offer.
It’s early yet, but it looks like Crawford will set a career high in walks at age 25. He’s never topped 37 in a season, but already has 15 in 34 games. This is an excellent step forward in development, and convenient for the walk-allergic Angels if they’re interested. Hopefully they wouldn’t unteach the new skill. Crawford is also maintaining his power with a .481 SLG.
Crawford is signed through his prime on a very team-friendly contract: assuming all options are exercised, he’s owed $27.5MM for 2007-10. A package of prospects centered around oft-rumored Ervin Santana seems to make sense. The mass media is calling for the Halos’ pitching surplus to be used for a bat, and I agree. However, I’m not sure Crawford would give them the significant jolt of OBP and SLG they need. I’d like to see the Angels revisit the Todd Helton talks, or maybe go after Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn.
Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins
Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera. Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity. The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.
Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins. Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal. Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker. He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely. I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.
From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar: Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion. DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip. Santana could really blossom in the National League. With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need. Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.
As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities. Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter. Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.
Tim Brown’s Latest
I hadn’t really noticed the MLB Experts Blog from Tim Brown and Jeff Passan until recently. Yahoo’s main baseball guys have some quality rumors, and I’ve been missing out. Let’s catch up by digging through some recent posts:
- Seems like mostly educated speculation, but Brown named Shawn Green as a player the Angels might be able to acquire to fill the void with Howie Kendrick out. However, Lastings Milledge will miss most of May, so that Green may no longer be available.
- The Tigers, worried about their fourth and fifth starters, are already on the lookout for starting pitching help.
- The Indians are looking to acquire a closer, though I think they have some decent internal options. The Tribe isn’t looking to spend big bucks so it would have to be a bargain type guy.
- If Jeff Weaver continues to bomb, could the Mariners trade him back to St. Louis?
Angels To Chase Andruw Jones?
A small tidbit from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe: he has an Angels front-office source indicating that Andruw Jones, not Alex Rodriguez, is the marquee free agent of choice for the team this offseason. Such a signing would probably move Gary Matthews Jr. to left field. It reminds me of when the Mets were running Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron out there at the same time. Good for pitchers.
Rany Jazayerli wrote last month that Jones probably left $15-30MM on the table when he last signed a contract; he’ll go for full price this winter. (It’s an interesting column – he feels that Tim Wakefield‘s perpetual deal is the worst contract a player has ever signed).
Also, this related rumor kind of got buried yesterday – Ken Rosenthal mentioned that the Braves might go after Cameron if he becomes a free agent. I’m curious about which team will end up signing Torii Hunter. Rangers maybe?
K-Rod Cheating?
I know it’s not a trade rumor, but this is worth a look. Derek Zumsteg, author of The Cheater’s Guide To Baseball, may have uncovered some shady behavior on the part of Angels’ closer Francisco Rodriguez. He’s got screenshots of the mysterious substance over at his blog. Derek mentions in the comments that the Rangers complained to the Commissioner’s Office after the game.
It seems that thus far, the mainstream media either didn’t notice the story or chose to ignore it. Halos Heaven comments on the possibility, asking why teams didn’t uncover this years earlier. The problem is that everyone affiliated with this little situation seems to root for an AL-West team, so biases may sneak through.
UPDATE: The Rangers found out about the allegations yesterday, but did not contact the Commissioner’s Office. Through some other means, perhaps just by browsing the web, MLB found out about it today and is investigating.
A-Rod To Angels Trade Possible?
The Los Angeles Times speculated yesterday that the Angels could be a frontrunner for Alex Rodriguez, obstensibly in the upcoming offseason. Bill Shaikin speculated that such an acquisition would make Orlando Cabrera the odd man out.
On the heels of that story comes an intriguing trade rumor from Halos Heaven. Yes, it is a blog, but I have known the author for some time and can vouch for the authenticity of his sources. He says Bill Stoneman and Brian Cashman have a tentative plan in place where the Angels could trade Dustin Moseley, Jose Molina, and Jered Weaver for Alex Rodriguez.
Instead of typical sixth starter Hector Carrasco, the Angels plan to use 25 year-old starter Moseley to fill in for Weaver as he misses one start in April. It could be Moseley’s audition for a future trade. He and Molina would be the complimentary pieces, with Boras client Weaver the centerpiece.
I think Yankee fans would be satisfied with such a deal, should Weaver pass his physical. So far this appears to be just the framework of a trade; big-time success by A-Rod or serious health issues for Weaver could get in the way. And, of course, Rodriguez has veto power. I imagine the Halos would try to hammer out a long-term deal with Rodriguez to make him the next great Angel for a long time.
Jose Molina Available?
You know it’s a slow news day when the best I can find is the availability of the worst Molina brother.
Bill "What’s" Shaikin of the L.A. Times reports that Jose Molina of the Angels might be available if they opt to use Jeff Mathis as their backup catcher. Offensively, the 31 year-old is a complete zero (actually his bat has negative value) so it would have to be a club purely in search of defense and catching skills.
Though it makes sense because Mike Napoli and Mathis are the team’s two best catchers, I haven’t seen too many playoff contenders break camp with no experience behind the plate to guide their pitching staff. I would guess that if Molina is dealt it’s because the Halos have found a different veteran backup.
Alex Rodriguez And The Cubs
UPDATE: In a related story, Jon Heyman of SI.com lists a slew of teams that inquired about Rodriguez’s availability this winter: the Angels, Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, Giants, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Indians. Heyman says the White Sox and Dodgers were the most persistent. None of the offers went anywhere given Rodriguez’s unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News has an imposing mustache as well as some insight into Alex Rodriguez‘s next possible destination. The article involves Lou Piniella in his underwear as well as a lot of crying and one tender kiss. I found it touching.
Anyway, Raissman believes, based on an upcoming HBO interview with Rodriguez, that a reunion with Lou Piniella in Chicago would be a dream come true for him. Rodriguez responded to the idea thusly:
"He’s on a different team in a different league. My memories of Lou are in the present and the past, not the future."
This is not the first time Rodriguez has been connected to the Cubs. Last July, later confirmed by other sources, Bleed Cubbie Blue broke news of the team’s trading deadline interest.
I would imagine that Rodriguez would not play shortstop for the Cubs for the duration of his 5+ year contract. More likely to me: A-Rod plays shortstop for three seasons, through 2010. At that point, Derrek Lee‘s contract will be up and Aramis Ramirez might be ready to shift to first base. Ramirez is a Cub through 2011 or 2012.
Tim’s take – Chance of Alex Rodriguez signing with the Cubs in the ’07-’08 offseason: 15%.