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Phillies Could Pursue Hawpe; Red Sox Unlikely

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The Phillies could have interest in Brad Hawpe when he clears release waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).  A club official told Rosenthal that the Phillies will be a “maybe” on Monday or Tuesday once he can sign with any team.

The Red Sox, who were looking for a left-handed hitting first baseman before we learned that Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury were out for the season, will not likely pursue Hawpe, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Hawpe has spent most of his career in right field, but has appeared in a handful of games at first base this year. He hasn't hit like a first baseman, as his .255/.343/.432 line shows.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested the White Sox and Rays could also have interest, before the Rockies released Hawpe.

Cardinals Acquire Pedro Feliz

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The Cardinals acquired Pedro Feliz and cash from the Astros for pitcher David Carpenter, according to Astros director of social media Alyson Footer (on Twitter). Feliz, 35, has a .221/.243/.311 line this season with four homers in 304 plate appearances. He hasn't hit much in recent years, but has a reputation as a strong defender. UZR suggests that Feliz's defense has been excellent throughout his career (though he has a -7.9 rating in 530 innings so far in 2010).

The Cardinals acquired Feliz to help out at third base, since an injury to David Freese and a Felipe Lopez slump have left St. Louis thin at the hot corner. The Cardinals intensified their search for infielders this week, showing interest in multiple third basemen. Feliz makes a total of $4.5MM in 2010 (he has yet to receive about $1.1MM of that) before becoming a free agent this winter. 

Carpenter, 25, was the closer for the Cards' Florida State League (High A) affiliate. He has 20 saves this year with a 2.36 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. The Cards drafted Carpenter in the 12th round of the 2006 draft as a catcher. Astros GM Ed Wade describes the right-hander as a "power arm" who could become a major league contributor. 

Phillies Giving Out Contract Years Like Candy

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A swing through the Phillies page of Cot's Baseball Contracts illustrates an interesting approach by the team: they've freely given out extra contract years to many players when it did not appear necessary or prudent.  The examples:

  • Ryan Howard, already signed through 2011, was extended through 2016 in April of this year.
  • Jamie Moyer, a Type A free agent after a fine 2008 season, was not offered arbitration but instead given a two-year deal.
  • Cole Hamels, a Super Two player who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, signed a three-year, $20.5MM deal.  He's pitched well, but did the Phillies save significant money in giving up the chance to go year-to-year?  This was as player-friendly as pitcher extensions get. 
  • Placido Polanco, a Type A free agent, was not offered arbitration by the Tigers.  I took this to mean the Tigers felt Polanco would have no trade value on a one-year deal, so why did the Phillies sign him for three?
  • Joe Blanton, arbitration-eligible for 2010, signed a three-year deal in January buying out two free agent seasons at the market rate.  Was this some kind of payroll manipulation, since $6MM of Blanton's $7MM salary this year came in the form of a signing bonus?
  • Free agent reliever Danys Baez, coming off a middling season for the Orioles, got a two-year deal.  Similar pitchers signed one-year deals.
  • Free agent backup catcher Brian Schneider, coming off a terrible season, received two years.
  • Bench player Ross Gload, coming off an unimpressive campaign, surprisingly received two years.  He's hit well in 116 plate appearances, however.
  • Bench player Greg Dobbs, arbitration-eligible for the first time, received a two-year deal.  Why not go year-to-year with a guy like this?
  • The Phillies exercised the 2011 club option for shortstop Jimmy Rollins a year early.
  • The multiyear contracts don't end there, but it seems unfair to call the Phillies out for the rest.  The remaining deals either saved the team decent money, or were of a length necessary to lock up the player as a free agent.

Phillies Designate Greg Dobbs For Assignment

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The Phillies designated third baseman Greg Dobbs for assignment to make room for Chase Utley, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Dobbs, 32, hit just .191/.250/.319 in 153 plate appearances this year.

Dobbs had a nice run for the Phillies in 2007-08, hitting .284/.331/.467 in 598 plate appearances mostly against right-handed pitching.  The Phillies gave Dobbs a two-year deal before the '09 season, when he first became arbitration-eligible.  There is a general, worrisome trend of the Phillies giving players extra years or locking up arbitration-eligible players when it wasn't entirely necessary.

Phillies Agree To Terms With Pointer, Musser

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The Phillies agreed to terms on a pair of over-slot draft deals, MLBTR has learned.  Prep outfielder Brian Pointer, drafted in the 28th round, will sign for high third-round money.  Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the amount is $350K.  Pointer had been prepared to play ball at Oregon State.  Prep righthander Jonathan Musser, chosen in the 21st round, agreed to a deal worth $300K.  Both players are advised by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.  Karon also advises pitcher Steve McKinnon, a 32nd-rounder signed by the Rangers earlier today.

Mike Gonzalez: August Trade Candidate

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Let's imagine for a minute that the Orioles didn't sign Mike Gonzalez last winter, and his season unfolded in exactly the same way for another team: April struggles, months missed with a shoulder injury and strong outings of late. If all of that happens in, say, a Mariners uniform, would the Orioles want to sign Gonzalez to a one-year $6MM contract for 2011? Maybe, but that's not the kind of deal the Orioles would necessarily want to make.

Essentially, the O's have guaranteed Gonzalez a one-year $6MM deal for 2011. That, along with $1.7MM this year, is what remains on his contract and it's not necessarily the kind of deal the O's want on the books. It stands to reason that Baltimore would consider trading the left-hander if he clears waivers, though the Orioles may want to see him succeed in Baltimore given their initial $12MM investment.

Gonzalez is on waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Orioles may not want to move the left-hander, but they will soon see whether he clears waivers. It's entirely possible that he'll clear, since his salary is substantial and teams are probably not fully convinced by Gonzalez's nine-game stretch of effectiveness. The Phillies are one potential fit and the Red Sox, who acquired a left-handed reliever last August, are another.

The Orioles may prefer to keep Gonzalez in the hopes that he provides some value in Baltimore. The Orioles showed that they aren't desperate to move payroll when they held onto Ty Wigginton, Jeremy Guthrie and others at the trade deadline. However, they would have to consider letting Gonzalez go if a rival team claims him. 

Left-Handed Relief Options For Phillies

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The Phillies have acknowledged their need for a reliable left-handed reliever.  We mentioned the recently recalled Antonio Bastardo and free agent Scott Eyre yesterday, but who else is out there?

If we exclude the Rockies as sellers, six potential left-handed relief trade candidates jump out: Mark Hendrickson (Orioles), Pedro Feliciano (Mets), Doug Slaten (Nationals), Brian Tallet (Blue Jays), Brian Fuentes (Angels), and Mike Gonzalez (Orioles).  Gonzalez has been injured much of the season so we won't look at his numbers.  The samples are otherwise tiny for the other five southpaws, but all have pitched well against lefties in 2010 (xFIPs below 4.00).

Tallet, Fuentes, and Gonzalez are well-paid and likely to clear waivers.  That might make trading them easier, if their clubs are willing to assume significant salary.  Feliciano can probably be ruled out for two reasons: the Mets will be reluctant to help the Phillies, and as a Type B free agent he brings the possibility of draft pick compensation after the season.  Hendrickson and Slaten are the best fits – they're cheap and controllable for next year.  However, Hendrickson could be claimed by an American League team and Slaten would have to make it past the Dodgers, among others.

Eyre Would Return To Phillies

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Scott Eyre would consider coming out of retirement if the Phillies have interest in signing him. The left-hander, who retired last winter, told John R. Finger of CSNPhilly.com that the Phillies have not yet contacted him about a potential deal (as of last weekend). They offered him a minor league contract over the winter, but Eyre decided to spend time with his family instead.

The 38-year-old, who had offseason elbow surgery, told Finger that he feels great and would need about three weeks to prepare for big league action. Eyre posted a 1.50 ERA in 30 innings for the Phils last year, with 6.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told Finger that the team “could use another lefty if he can get people out.” Lefties Antonio Bastardo (just called up) and J.C. Romero (currently slumping) are on the Philies roster. Last winter, Eyre said he would only sign in Philadelphia.

Odds & Ends: Garcia, Guillen, Dunn, Reds

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Links for Monday night, as Brandon Phillips' choice words make this week's Reds-Cardinals series that much more intriguing…

Odds & Ends: Hermida, Ransom, Chris Carter

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12 years ago on this date, the Rangers sent Darren Oliver, Fernando Tatis, and Mark Little to the Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre.  Tatis was amazing in '99, while Oliver was solid as a starting pitcher.  Clayton was pretty good for the Rangers, and Stottlemyre left as a free agent after the '98 season.  For their loss, the Rangers got a supplemental draft pick in '99 and took a kid named Colby Lewis.  Here in 2010, Lewis and Oliver are both Rangers again and make an excellent combo.  Links for Monday…

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