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Odds & Ends: Pudge, Millwood, Harden

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Links for Thursday…

White Sox Release Bartolo Colon

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The White Sox released pitcher Bartolo Colon today, according to VP of communications Scott Reifert (via Twitter).  The big righty signed for $1MM in January and debuted late due to offseason surgery for bone chips in his elbow. A knee injury popped up in June, and Colon disappeared for a while instead of rehabbing in Charlotte.  He was activated in July, but the elbow starting barking soon after. 

Colon's make-good one-year deals with the White Sox and Red Sox were disappointments, so the 36-year-old will have to settle for a minor league contract next year.  He didn't pitch all that badly when he was out there, with a 4.09 ERA in those 19 starts.

Odds & Ends: Rios, Hardy, Knapp

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A couple more links as the day winds down…

  • According to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune, one scout called Alex Rios "a teaser," and that he's the kind of the guy that "can get you fired." Kenny Williams sure hopes that's not the case.
  • Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider explains why the Mariners should go after J.J. Hardy. Something tells me we'll see quite a few more posts like this.
  • Jason Knapp, one of the prospects the Indians acquired for Cliff Lee, will have arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder to remove "loose bodies," according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. GM Mark Shapiro says they will not file a grievance.

Perrotto’s Latest: Vazquez, Valverde, DeRosa, Pavano

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In today's column over at Baseball Prospectus, John Perrotto says nobody has been better at making deadline deals in the previous two seasons than Theo Epstein. I might agree but would love to hear some counter arguments.

As usual, Perrotto has his share of rumors from around the league:

  • The Braves need offense and are considering dealing Javier Vazquez to get it.
  • Don't expect Jose Valverde to return to Houston next season. He plans to test free agency and will likely find a better paycheck elsewhere.
  • The White Sox plan to re-sign Freddy Garcia to be their fifth starter.
  • The Cardinals would like to re-sign Mark DeRosa before he reaches free agency at the end of the season.
  • The Twins are planning an attempt to re-sign Carl Pavano, also a to-be free agent at season's end.
  • If the Nationals can acquire a shortstop in the offseason they would like Cristian Guzman to move to second base.

Figgins, White Sox A Good Fit?

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Chone Figgins seems to be a hot topic this weekend. Mark Saxon of The Orange County Register writes there's a mutual attraction between Figgins and the  White Sox.

"The Chicago White Sox have made little effort to hide their high regard for the Angels' leadoff hitter, who is having a career year and is eligible for free agency in November. Along with the New York Yankees, Chicago could be a formidable suitor if the Angels don't sign Figgins in their exclusive 15-day window after the World Series."

Figgins likened Ozzie Guillen's style to that of Mike Scioscia, noting both would play to his strengths as an aggressive leadoff hitter.

While he has expressed excitement to enter free agency as a man in demand, he maintains a preference to remain in Anaheim. Saxon notes that Mike Scioscia "said Figgins' improved discipline, defense and overall hitting in recent seasons have made him an attractive long-term investment" so a three-year deal for the 31-year old might become an expectation. Figgins could aim around $10MM per year.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Pitching, Rays, Padres, DeRosa

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Let's see what Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has for us in his latest Full Count video…

  • The free agent market for starting pitching doesn't look very enticing, but the trade market could be intriguing. Toronto will almost certainly field offers for Roy Halladay again, the Cubs could trade Carlos Zambrano, and the Braves could deal Javier Vazquez if they decide to keep Tim Hudson.
  • The Astros might finally be ready to move ace Roy Oswalt. While he does have a full no-trade clause, Oswalt has told the club in the past that he'd be willing to consider moves to St. Louis, both Chicago teams, Texas, and Atlanta.
  • Tampa Bay moved Scott Kazmir when his value was high, so perhaps it's unlikely they'd move B.J. Upton when his value is low. Regardless, many teams covet the elder Upton brother because at his best he's a righty slugger with superior defense in center field. In his place, the Rays could go in-house with Fernando Perez or Desmond Jennings.
  • Keep in mind that if Tampa were to trade an outfielder, they might prefer to deal Carl Crawford. Upton is three years away from free agency; Crawford just one.
  • The Padres' recent surge has GM Kevin Towers thinking the team could be a surprise contender next year. The question is this: how low will the team's payroll go? The subtraction of Brian Giles would leave the payroll in the mid-$30MM range, but there are some that believe the team will move either Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell and get down into the mid-$20MM range. Ownership has yet to give the front office a firm payroll number for 2010.
  • The Cardinals want to re-sign Mark DeRosa, but his offseason wrist surgery changes the equation. DeRosa is fully expected to be ready by the start of Spring Training, but he'll come with some risk. If he was fully healthy, he would be nearly as coveted as Chone Figgins, but supply and demand will work in DeRosa's favor because there are very few quality third baseman available. Plus, he can also play a ton of other positions.

Odds & Ends: M’s, Peavy, Metropolitans

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A handful of links for your Wednesday evening viewing pleasure…

  • Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports has concluded his "Restoring the Rosters" series.  Pouliot's No. 1 organization, "if given only the players it originally signed," is the Seattle Mariners.  All 30 squads are now available for review.
  • According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jake Peavy's debut with the White Sox is still "up in the air."  Here's Peavy's take:  "I can promise you this.  On Feb. 15 or whatever day it is I report [for spring training], I'll be in as good of shape as anybody and be ready to pitch and expect nothing less than what I've done in years."
  • R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs doesn't believe "blowing up the Mets" is the answer.  In fact, he likes their current nucleus.  "Heading into next season," Anderson writes, "the Mets will have David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. Depending on Johan Santana’s health, they could legitimately post four four/five win players without spending a dime on free agency."

Odds & Ends: Chen, Mets, White Sox

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An action-packed set of links for Wednesday…

  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report about MLB teams, the Cubs included, watching Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's last start.  It's possible Chen will be a free agent after the season.  The Taiwanese southpaw has a 1.45 ERA this year and would be in high demand.
  • MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone does not believe the team will non-tender starter John Maine after the season.  Maine, coming back from a shoulder injury, may start Sunday.
  • SNY's Ted Berg says this is a terrible time to trade Jose Reyes.
  • R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay sees a trade more likely than a non-tender for catcher Dioner Navarro.
  • Over at FanGraphs, Anderson notes that Kiko Calero (10.8 K/9) is a "nice sleeper candidate" among free agent relievers.  Calero's strikeout rate ranks behind only Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Rich Harden, and Octavio Dotel among free agent pitchers with at least 40 innings.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck the Magglio Ordonez vesting option situation "speaks for itself."  23 more plate appearances for Maggs, and the Tigers have him at $18MM for 2010.
  • Among the topics in Mark Gonzales' Chicago Tribune White Sox mailbag: the Brandon Allen–Tony Pena swap and the possibility of the Sox pursuing Chone Figgins.  In another article, Gonzales notes that Ozzie Guillen wants Freddy Garcia ($1MM club option) as his fifth starter next year.
  • Jack Curry of the New York Times has the story on the Newark Bears, and independent league club that has chosen to stock its roster with recognizable former big leaguers trying to claw their way back to the Show.
  • An AL scout told Tom Krasovic "Oakland got smoked" in the Scott Hairston trade.  The Padres received pitchers Sean Gallagher, Ryan Webb, and Craig Italiano in the July 5th trade (Gallagher was named later).
  • WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox announced the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major League deal beginning next year (it's worth $8.25MM).

Rosenthal On Garcia, Pirates, Papelbon

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal says Florida's Chris Coghlan deserves the NL Rookie of the Year award.  Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, J.A. Happ, Randy Wells, and Tommy Hanson are also in the mix…who do you like?
  • For the AL ROY, Rosenthal sticks with his preseason choice of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Jeff Niemann, Andrew Bailey, Nolan Reimold, and Gordon Beckham are other top contenders.
  • Rosenthal has a few possible Nationals managerial candidates: Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Bobby Valentine, and Bob Melvin.  It's also possible Jim Riggleman is retained.
  • I was not aware of this – Freddy Garcia's deal with the White Sox has a 2010 option with a $1MM base and $2MM in incentives.  Garcia has an 89mph fastball these days, but he's posted quality starts in three of four tries (against the Yankees and Red Sox).
  • The Pirates would only trade starters Paul Maholm or Zach Duke if they receive "a young major league starter of similar quality, plus another piece."  I mentioned that the Bucs look pretty good for 2011, but Rosenthal says team officials are not conceding 2010.
  • Rosenthal's source describes a Jonathan Papelbon trade as "pretty unrealistic."  Jayson Stark's sources had a similar opinion.
  • Rosenthal rattles off the teams that have had past interest in Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who is getting pricey: the Orioles, Twins, Giants, D'Backs, Dodgers, and Cardinals.

Ozzie Hopes To Have Kotsay Back

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White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen would like to have outfielder/first baseman Mark Kotsay back for the 2010 season, according to MLB.com's Jesse Temple.  Kotsay had positive words about a possible return, but admitted, "It's just kind of early to speculate on what lies ahead."

Kotsay, 34 in December, has a .264/.312/.384 line in 139 plate appearances for the Red Sox and White Sox this year.  He can play first base and all three outfield positions.  Kotsay has performed better since coming to Chicago (with cash) for Brian Anderson on July 28th.  He dealt with shoulder, back, and calf injuries with the Red Sox before being designated for assignment four days prior to the trade.  He'd signed a $1.5MM free agent deal with Boston on January 8th.

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