Cubs Searching For Lefthanded Bat
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Cubs GM Jim Hendry, while Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times chatted with manager Lou Piniella. Both said the Cubs are looking to add lefthanded hitting. De Luca believes Brian Roberts and Raul Ibanez remain on Hendry’s radar.
I mentioned most of the feasible names in the Cubs Offseason Outlook. Since right field is difficult to play at Wrigley field, players such as Milton Bradley and Ibanez are a questionable fit. I believe the ideal acquisition would be Brian Giles, but he’d have to be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
Sullivan mentions an idea that is popular with Cubs fans: trading first baseman Derek Lee. Freeing up first base would expand the Cubs’ options greatly. Lee is owed $26MM over the next two seasons and has a full no-trade clause. He hit .291/.361/.462 in 698 plate appearances, down significantly from ’07. Lee’s ’08 performance was right around league average for his position. His defense was a bit above-average this year.
I think Lee has positive trade value, especially in a weak first baseman market. The Yankees and Giants could be fits, though I wouldn’t expect them to give up anything spectacular (especially since a concession would have to be made for Lee to waive his no-trade). Randy Winn could be a match for the Cubs.
Hendry Signs Four-Year Extension
7:35pm: Hendry commented on all kinds of topics to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. He sounds a little more intent on re-signing Dempster than Wood. Hendry is not sure whether Jim Edmonds will retire, but he sees Felix Pie making the team out of spring training.
Cubs chairman Crane Kenney doesn’t expect any major moves that would require significant increases in payroll. Kenney said a few weeks ago that he anticipated a bump in payroll.
12:13pm: According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs have extended GM Jim Hendry’s contract through the 2012 season. He can now focus on free agents Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood, as well as acquiring a lefthanded bat.
Cafardo’s Latest: Lowe, Maddux, Peavy
Here’s a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Interestingly, the Red Sox are reportedly Derek Lowe‘s preferred destination. It’s unknown whether the Sox intend to add a starter this winter, but they may lose free agent Paul Byrd (and will have to decide on Tim Wakefield‘s $4MM option). Cafardo names a dozen other clubs interested in Lowe: the Yankees, Mets, Tigers, Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Angels, Braves, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, and Blue Jays.
- Bill Mueller, 38 in March, admits he’d like to play again. Medically, it’s a long shot because he’d need to regrow cartilage in his knees.
- One of Greg Maddux‘s teammates feels he’ll retire. Maddux could return to the Padres as a player/coach (specifically, he’d prefer a bench coach gig).
- The Brewers as a sleeper for Jake Peavy? They’re not on his list, but he’s named other midwest clubs.
- Cafardo believes catchers Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez will be available this winter. Makes sense, given the weak free agent market at the position.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy Suitors, Lowe, Cardinals, Marlins
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, focusing largely on suitors for Jake Peavy, but also touching on some other news at the end… so let’s take a look!
- Rosenthal states that the following teams have been speculated to be suitors for the Padres’ ace: Braves, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Cardinals, Brewers, Rays, Rangers. While all of these are not serious possibilities, he elaborates on each team. He mentions Yunel Escobar as a likely centerpiece from Atlanta, and states that the Angels would love to acquire a frontline starter to allow them to send Ervin Santana and/or Joe Saunders to Colorado in a deal for Matt Holliday and/or Garrett Atkins. Rosenthal states that Howie Kendrick could be a big part of any trade, but his health seems like too serious of a concern to me. Rosenthal speculates on the possibility of a dominant rotation for the Yankees if they traded for Peavy and signed C.C. Sabathia. One rival executive’s speculative package for Boston included Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson. The Padres will likely charge the Dodgers considerably more for Peavy’s service, as they are division rivals. He lists Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy as a possible centerpiece for a Milwaukee blockbuster, but also points out that Ben Sheets has made the Brewers wary of injury concerns. The other teams don’t seem to match up well, in Rosenthal’s opinion.
- Rosenthal says that he was wrong in stating that Derek Lowe would prefer to remain on the West Coast. Lowe has now told him that he’d prefer to go East, with Boston being his top choice. He reiterated this desire to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
- The Cardinals prefer a short-term solution for their closer situation, and will likely give Chris Perez the ninth inning job, or seek a lower-budget option through the trade market. They may also trade a young outfielder for an established bat at a corner OF position.
- Kevin Gregg is still likely to be traded (perhaps an option for St. Louis), and four teams have asked Florida about Jeremy Hermida. Rosenthal speculates that the Marlins will begin 2009 with Cameron Maybin in center field and Cody Ross in right.
Cubs Considering Manny?
From the speculative rumor mill, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune suggests Manny Ramirez could be what the Cubs are missing, and the opportunity to bring him to Chicago could be there this offseason. Says Rogers,
"With the aggressive nature of general manager Jim Hendry and the anything-to-win approach in the Lou Piniella era, don’t rule this out—not if the Dodgers would take on a big contract or two from the Cubs…
There’s no way the Cubs can play two left fielders, so [Alfonso] Soriano would have to go for Ramirez to come. Soriano seems to be essentially an immovable object with six years and $106 million left on his contract, but the Dodgers will need two things if they don’t re-sign Ramirez—power hitting and another buzz guy."
Rogers cites bad contracts on both teams that could facilitate a deal, but I think this is a reach. The Cubs would need to deal Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both with no-trade clauses, specifically to the Dodgers to free up enough cash to sign Manny who’s seeking a 6 year contract with "iconic money". This would also hinge on the contingency that the Dodgers would pass on Manny to acquire Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both of whom paled in comparison this offseason.
Odds and Ends: Springer, Sheffield, Bonds
How about some weekend odds and ends?
- Free agent reliever Russ Springer intends to pitch next year, and he prefers the Cardinals. The Cards haven’t discussed a contract with him, though, and they might prefer their younger (and cheaper) righthanded relievers.
- Dave Cameron thinks Nate Robertson might be a sleeper, based on his peripheral stats. Boof Bonser is another pitcher whose ERA didn’t match up with his other numbers this year.
- Peter Woodfork apparently bowed out of the Mariners GM job competition after his interview. The Ms could decide between Tony LaCava, Jerry DiPoto, Kim Ng, and Jack Zduriencik by Tuesday.
- Scott Boras won a $550K decision against former client Gary Sheffield. Will Sheff make good on his February promise to say "ugly things" about Boras now?
- Phil Rogers speculates on Manny Ramirez in a Cubs uniform, but admits they’d have to somehow move Alfonso Soriano first. Small obstacle: $106MM owed to Soriano over the next six years, plus his full no-trade clause.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Barry Bonds could be awarded $100MM or more if the players union wins its collusion case. Bonds would like to play in 2009, but no one expects it.
Hendry Extension Close
FRIDAY: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times say a Hendry extension is close.
THURSDAY: According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs declined to give the Mariners permission to interview GM Jim Hendry. Hendry holds an option with the Cubs for 2009.
The sale of the Cubs is not likely to be completed before the 2009 season begins, so the current regime is going to have to figure out the Hendry situation. Rogers talked to one source who believes a three-year extension is in the works.
Offseason Outlook: Chicago Cubs
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Cubs. Their likely 2009 commitments:
C – Geovany Soto – $401K
C – Henry Blanco – $3MM (club option)
1B – Derrek Lee – $13MM
2B – Mark DeRosa – $5.5MM
SS – Ryan Theriot – $428K
3B – Aramis Ramirez – $15.65MM
IF – Ronny Cedeno – $407K+
IF – Mike Fontenot – $405K
LF – Alfonso Soriano – $16MM
CF – Reed Johnson – $1.3MM+
RF – Kosuke Fukudome – $11.5MM
OF – Felix Pie – $402K
OF – Micah Hoffpauir – $400K
SP – Carlos Zambrano – $17.75MM
SP – Rich Harden – $7MM
SP – Ted Lilly – $12MM
SP – Sean Marshall – $400K
SP – Jason Marquis – $9.875MM
RP – Carlos Marmol – $430K
RP – Chad Gaudin – $1.775MM+
RP – Jeff Samardzija – $1.8MM
RP – Neal Cotts – $800K+
RP – Michael Wuertz – $860K+
RP – Angel Guzman – $401K
RP – Kevin Hart – $400K
That’s about $122MM committed, plus arbitration raises to Cedeno, Johnson, Gaudin, Cotts, and Wuertz. They will still be under $130MM after that. A bump in payroll is expected – $140MM? $150MM?
If the Cubs are able to retain GM Jim Hendry, his first order of business will probably be to re-sign Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood before they hit the open market. Dempster could cost $14MM a year for four years, while Wood could require a salary in the $10MM range. Not sure about the term.
Even if Dempster’s deal is backloaded, signing both could put the Cubs at $150MM. It figures that they will still look to add a left-handed hitting outfielder to play right or center field. That’d be easier to fit in if some of Marquis’ $9.875MM can be moved. The Cubs can probably spare him despite Harden’s fragility, since Gaudin and Samardzija are also starting candidates.
The free agent market offers Jim Edmonds, Mark Kotsay, Eric Hinske, Ken Griffey Jr., and Bobby Abreu. Players such as Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, and Raul Ibanez could enter the picture if the Cubs convince themselves they can handle right field full-time. Brian Giles would be an ideal fit, if he will waive his no-trade rights. Jody Gerut, Jeremy Hermida, Coco Crisp, and Randy Winn could also be trade targets.
The Cubs could also look to add that lefty bat to the infield, pushing DeRosa to right. Maybe Fontenot is that bat. External options include Rafael Furcal, Brian Roberts, and Orlando Hudson.
I expect the Cubs to re-sign Dempster and Wood and then bring in one lefthanded hitter from the group mentioned above. This team had it all in 2008: offense, defense, pitching. The playoff performance was disappointing, but it makes sense to tweak the roster and just try to get back there.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Peavy, Young
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse looks at Milton Bradley and sees a clubhouse cancer, but can’t ignore his .999 OPS and wonders if he is the answer in right field for the Cubs.
- Pinstripes Published takes a look at the crop of free agent starting pitchers and speculates on who will sign with the Yankees, with the most likely being C.C. Sabathia, Jon Garland and Ryan Dempster.
- Chop-n-Change takes a look at which prospects it might take to land Jake Peavy, and wonders if a package built around RHP Tommy Hanson and OF Jordan Schafer could get it done.
- Talking Chop does not want to the Braves giving up prospects for Peavy and would rather see the Braves acquire pitching through free agency.
- First And Goal From Second Base warns that it will be a mistake for the Twins to trade Delmon Young.
- Twinkie Town takes a look at which Twins free agents could return (Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes) and the rest of the Twins offseason.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Latest Peavy Chatter
10:39am: More from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy has a strong preference for the NL, and wants to play for a winner. Axelrod mentioned Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis as cities that fit for Peavy and his family. Because of Peavy’s willingness to pitch in L.A., the Angels were named as a possibility by Axelrod.
8:27am: Let’s catch up on recent Jake Peavy articles. Dan Hayes of the North County Times wrote about Peavy Monday, quoting Padres GM Kevin Towers saying nothing is imminent. Hayes talked to several sources who say Peavy prefers to stay in the National League. The Padres have already approached him with hypothetical trade scenarios (Peavy has to approve any trade).
Regarding that no-trade clause – Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod is on record saying three AL teams could entice his client. But at the end of the season, Peavy said he wouldn’t accept a deal to the AL. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to someone claiming to be an old friend of Peavy’s. The friend agrees that Peavy wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for an AL team, despite his agent’s statement.
The friend gave O’Brien all kinds of info, making the Braves sound like Peavy’s top choice. O’Brien adds that the Braves let Towers know they’re interested. Even if Peavy is picky about his destination, though, there is no reason for Towers to accept a package that does not begin with Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. He has plenty of time to explore possible Peavy trades.
The Cardinals may also be in the mix, according to Buster Olney. Olney says that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal.