Odds And Ends: Crede, Marlins, Canó, Bonds
Some interesting tidbits this afternoon before I check out:
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that one of Brian Sabean’s top advisors, Ted Uhlaender, was present to witness Joe Crede’s homer off of Arizona’s Max Scherzer on Saturday. Seems more and more likely, as Crede proves his back is fine, that he will be moved to the Giants. Will the White Sox get Kevin Correia in exchange for Crede? The White Sox need a back-of-the-rotation guy, and Kenny Williams and company think they can win this year. So prospects probably won’t get it done. While the Giants could conceivably use Rich Aurilia or Kevin Frandsen at third, Sabean will most likely be unable to resist Crede’s 2006.
- Juan Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel digs up this little tidbit: The Florida Marlins haven’t signed a player to a multi-year contract since December 2005, when they signed Carlos Delgado to a four-year, $55MM contract, and Paul Lo Duca to a three-year, $18MM deal. One would hope that this trend will end soon enough, and that owner Jeff Loria will open the purse strings for Hanley Ramirez when the time is right.
- Tyler Kepner of The New York Times explores the relative surprise that Robinson Canó has been considering his draft position and reputation as a prospect, and details how frequently the Yankees almost dealt him before he made the big club. Canó was nearly dealt for Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltrán, and Randy Johnson in different instances.
- AP Sports Writer Bob Baum explains that Bud Selig isn’t trying to keep Barry Bonds from being signed. Selig stressed that each club is free to deal with whomever they please.
Odds and Ends: Crede, Rodriguez, Marlins
Just a couple items worth mentioning:
- Matt Hurst notes Elasticman Scot Shields says "(Heck) yeah" to whether or not the Angels should dish out the big bucks for Francisco Rodriguez, this despite incentives in Shields contract that would kick in should he be transitioned into the closer role.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times touches in on Joe Crede‘s fate after notching his first homerun of the spring, easing concerns for his surgically repaired back. Says Cowley, "Crede’s agent, Scott Boras, already has told general manager Ken Williams that they want to explore the market. With Josh Fields waiting in the wings, the Sox are dealing from a position of strength. The Giants are a top suitor." Scouts were present for Crede’s homerun.
- Marlins Owner Jeff Loria says payroll is "all going to be a function of the revenues we generate. If we have a bigger base than we anticipate, that will go back to the payroll." This from Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post who add, "When asked if the team could lock up young stars like shortstop Hanley Ramirez for the long term, Loria said: ‘We’re going to look at that going forward. But we are challenged until we get into that new stadium." The Marlins payroll this year is just under $20MM.
Managers On The Hot Seat
It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.
Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)
- Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
- Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
- John Gibbons, TOR (1)
- Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
- Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
- Tony LaRussa (2)
- Bruce Bochy (2)
- John McLaren, SEA (1)
- Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
- Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
- Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
- Joe Maddon, TB (2)
- Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
- Jim Leyland, DET (2)
- Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)
Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.
By Cork Gaines
Wanted: Major League Ready Shortstops
Both the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds have lost their starting shortstops to injury recently. Omar Vizquel had surgery to remove torn cartilage from his knee, while Alex Gonzalez‘ ‘sore knee’ turned out to be a broken knee. In both cases, the players are not expected to be ready for opening day and neither team appears to have a major league-ready shortstop ready to step in. The best options for the Giants appear to be Kevin Fransden and Rich Aurilia. Fransden is a natural second baseman while Aurilia has not been a regular shortstop since 2004. The Reds are now stuck with Juan Castro and Jeff Keppinger. Like Fransden, Keppinger is a second baseman by trade and Castro is a journeyman shortstop with a career OPS of .605.
McCovey Chronicles recently suggested that the Giants needed to make a trade and their target should be Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays. Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has impressive minor league numbers that have yet to register at the big league level. Zobrist posted a .428 OBP in the minors with a 176:234 strikeout to walk ratio. However, in parts of two seasons with the Rays, Zobrist has seen those numbers drop to .234 and 47:13 respectively. Now Zobrist is stuck behind Jason Bartlett whom the Rays acquired to shore up their defensive deficiencies. In addition super-prospect Reid Brignac may be ready for the big leagues in 2009.
That leads us to two questions: 1) What would it take to land Zobrist from the Rays? For the Giants, Pat Misch might get the deal done. For the Reds, maybe Bill Bray. 2) Are there any better options out there that either the Giants or the Redlegs could land to fill their holes at shortstop? Let us know in the comments.
Odds and Ends: Choo, Inge, Lohse, Francona
Let’s round up some rumors and links.
- Not only is Shin-Soo Choo out of options, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and may have to join the South Korean military.
- Brandon Inge sat out a demanding drill on Friday, causing Tom Gage to wonder if trade talks are ongoing. Dave Dombrowski spoke on the topic recently, saying all the right things about Inge.
- Kyle Lohse is not interested in a minor league deal or playing in another country. He’s still waiting by the phone though.
- Funny anecdote involving J.P. Ricciardi’s son.
- Terry Francona was extended through 2011, with club options for ’12 and ’13.
- Kenny Williams and Billy Beane: opposites attract. Given their strong relationship, perhaps the Sox could look to acquire Mark Ellis during the season if the current options fall through.
- Wow – Scott Rolen would’ve accepted a trade to the Phillies. The Phils discussed him internally but decided not to pursue it.
- The Giants briefly considered Sean Casey, who is "really good at life" according to Aaron Boone.
MLB Roundup Video
Time for more video! This time it’s a team effort for a program called MLB Roundup. I do a section on Joe Crede.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds
He has 762 home runs and 7 MVPs. In 2007, he hit 28 home runs in only 126 games and posted a 170 OPS+, which would have led the NL if he had not come up 27 plate appearances short of qualifying. Still, Barry Bonds is without a job for 2008. Some would argue it is because he is 43 years and has bad knees that limit him to DH duty. Others would say it is because he is an unwanted distraction. Some are even beginning to whisper that Bonds is being blackballed by baseball…The Cardinals and the A’s have been linked to Bonds. The Padres were rumored to be in the mix, but publicly have said they are not interested. Marc Topkin wondered if the Rays would be interested, which seems unlikely as the Rays just traded Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young in part because they were headaches. The latest rumor has Bonds possibly playing in Japan in 2008. Could the enticement of setting another home run record convince Bonds to head to the land of the rising sun? With camps in full-swing and Bonds recliner still without a home, let’s take a look at what is being said about Bonds in the Blogosphere…If you think there is a team that is the perfect fit for Bonds in 2008 let us know in the comments.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- Giants Cove is willing to admit that the Giants chemistry will be better in 2008, but there is one glaring problem with the new found chemistry. The Giants cleanup hitter will be Benjie Molina.
- Athletics Nation notes that signing Bonds would be a smart business decision for the A’s.
- Catfish Stew wonders if A’s fans will be just as hard on Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report as they say they will be on Bonds if he signs with Oakland.
- Yankees Chick finds it curious that so many Yankees fans are clamoring for the Bombers to sign Bonds.
- Rays of Light notes that baggage aside, DH is already crowded for the Rays with Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli sharing at bats.
- Metstradamus feels that the chances of the Mets signing Bonds to play the outfield are about 2,000,000 to 1.
- Gaslamp Ball
is not surprised the Padres passed on Bonds, noting that San Diego is
where the giant syringe was thrown at Bonds during a game. - Babes Love Baseball can’t understand why Bonds is without a job, but they understand he comes with a bit of a circus and the occasional ‘booing’.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Garcia, Crede
Today’s assortment of links.
- Gary Sheffield is not fond of Scott Boras.
- Arte Moreno and the Angels aren’t closing the door on K-Rod yet.
- Turns out Brian Roberts left camp because of a possible kidney stone.
- From Small Ball To The Long Ball has all kinds of cool data that I haven’t seen elsewhere. For example, average initial pitch speed for pitchers. Dustin McGowan‘s fastball: 96.11mph. Tim Wakefield‘s: 75.62mph.
- Seems that Freddy Garcia might wait a few months before signing.
- Andrew Baggarly says the Giants consider Joe Crede a possible long-term piece even with his impending free agency. So maybe if they get him and he stays healthy they’ll look to extend him. Baggarly speculates that a guy like Fred Lewis (who is out of options) could work for a Crede swap.
Odds and Ends: Kelly Johnson, Nathan, Crede
Time for some early Monday odds and ends.
- Remember how White Sox GM Ron Schueler embarrassed Cubs GM Ed Lynch in 1998 by acquiring Jon Garland for Matt Karchner? Rany Jazayerli sees a parallel to that heist with the Royals’ acquisition of Daniel Cortes as part of the July ’06 Mike MacDougal trade.
- Mike Berardino’s blog continues to entertain; this time with a Dan Miceli story. Ah, knife fights with siblings. Who among us can say they haven’t had one or two?
- Buster Olney learned from Braves GM Frank Wren that Kelly Johnson has been the team’s most asked-for player in trade talks this winter.
- The look on Kyle Kendrick‘s face is priceless.
- Extension talks with the Twins and Joe Nathan have gone dormant. Nathan still thinks the gap can be bridged but wants it done before the season begins.
- Andy Marte and Shin-Soo Choo are both out of options; when Choo comes back from elbow surgery a month into the season one of them could be traded.
- Henry Schulman says the White Sox may accept prospects from the Giants for Joe Crede.
- Derek Lowe is entering his walk year, and he hasn’t had any extension talks with the Dodgers yet.
White Sox Never Offered Crede Multiyear Deal?
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has received conflicting reports from Joe Crede and the White Sox. It seems that Sox GM Kenny Williams claims multiyear overtures were made to Scott Boras regarding Crede, while the player says nothing was ever offered.
Additionally, Crede implied that he never spoke to Aaron Rowand about being traded to the Giants. I find this a little hard to believe; it would be kind of weird for the topic not to come up. Crede’s mindset right now is that he’s a member of the White Sox, though a trade before Opening Day seems inevitable.
Crede will earn $5.1MM in ’08. He won’t find much competition among free agent third basemen next year – Casey Blake, Nomar Garciaparra, and Wes Helms comprise the others.