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White Sox Trade Jon Garland For Orlando Cabrera

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UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal reports that the White Sox received $1.5MM in the deal.  It certainly seems that the Sox are clearing payroll for Torii Hunter.  Mark Gonzales notes that while the Sox hope to sign Cabrera long-term, they’ll still benefit from this trade if they don’t.  Cabrera is likely to be a Type A a year from now while Garland will probably be a B.

According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the White Sox acquired shortstop Orlando Cabrera for starter Jon Garland today.

In a vacuum, this seems like a pretty even swap to me.  Just comparing the two players involved, it’s fair.  Garland is a solid if not spectacular starter, and Cabrera is the same at shortstop.  Both players’ contracts run through 2008.  Garland is at $12MM and Cabrera $9MM, so the Sox save a few bucks here.  Plus, they will get some cash from the Angels.

But trades aren’t made in a vacuum; you have to look at their effects on the teams involved.

The White Sox will seemingly put Juan Uribe at second base, if they don’t trade him.  They could potentially have one of the game’s finest defensive double play combinations.  And Cabrera’s .345 OBP last year, while nothing amazing, is good for a shortstop and looks great for an OBP-starved team like the Sox.  The question is whether the Sox can sustain the loss of Garland in the rotation.  They’ll now go with Buehrle, Vazquez, Contreras, Danks, and maybe Gavin Floyd or Gio Gonzalez.  That group could work but you could see Contreras and the kids flopping and Buehrle coming back down to Earth.

Kenny Williams has shown some ability to dig up starting pitching, so maybe he’s playing to his strength.  How about the return of Bartolo Colon?

The Angels now have an embarrassment of starting pitching.  They’ve got Lackey, Escobar, Weaver, Garland, Saunders, and Ervin Santana.  Nick Adenhart should be around soon also.  The Angels may now be compelled to flip Santana for a bat.  Meanwhile they have plenty of solid options at shortstop with Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar, Chone Figgins, and Maicer Izturis.

Hunter, Sox Could Agree This Week

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Torii Hunter might be a White Sox before the week is out. According to Joe Cowley, "’the climate was there for a deal to be announced soon." Of course, Cowley adds that this is unless another team swoops in at the last second with a mind-boggling offer. Next to the White Sox, the Rangers are mentioned most often as Hunter’s destination. The Royals also have interest.

This report is coming from sources within both the club and Hunter’s camp. The two sides have sat down twice, with the financial package being discussed in the latter meeting. Buster Olney has mentioned a six-year, $90 million potential deal with the Rangers (or was he just speculating?).

Cowley says that this all fits in with Ken Williams’s plan to model the team after the 2005 one: pitching and defense. And while having Juan Uribe (if indeed he does move to second), Orlando Cabrera, and Torii Hunter up the middle is potentially solid for next year, they aren’t exactly flush with pitching, and losing Jon Garland doesn’t help. Mark Buehrle and Javy Vazquez will head the rotation, but after that it’s some combination of Jose Contreras, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and possibly Gio Gonzalez.

Ah, but some people in the ChiSox organization "privately some in the organization felt that Garland had reached his ceiling in 2005 and ’06, winning 18 games in both years." Well, his walks rose and his strikeouts fell a bit in 2007 (and his home runs plummeted), but based on pure results, he had a better 2007 than 2006.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Teams Still Competing For Yabuta?

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On Friday, the word from Ken Rosenthal was that the Royals were close to signing Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year deal with an option.  However, the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales names five teams currently in the running for his services.

We already knew about the Royals and White Sox.  Gonzales adds the Indians, Rays, and Pirates to the mix as well.  Looks like Japanese relievers are no longer free agency’s best kept secret.  Odd that teams didn’t start figuring this out until Hideki Okajima came along.  There were plenty of successes before him.  It almost seems like you can throw the stats out for Japanese relievers – MLB hitters just aren’t used to these guys yet. 

Odds and Ends: Kuroda, Hunter, Crede

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What’d I miss recently?  Here are some odds and ends.

  • The Tigers have expressed interest in Hiroki Kuroda.  They join the Phillies, Mariners, Dodgers, Royals, Rangers, Cubs, and Mets in that pursuit.
  • 10 teams are interested in Aaron Rowand!  That’s almost 1/3 of all baseball teams!
  • Torii Hunter is after a seven-year deal.  Most feel he’s saying that because he wants six.  Clever!
  • The Twins are taking a look at Tony Clark as a cheap DH option.  He’s supposedly looking for something like two years, $4MM and more playing time.  This would be a very Twins-like signing. 
  • T.R. Sullivan has a Rangers update.  Apparently Jon Daniels is checking in on big names like Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, and Miguel Cabrera.  More realistically Daniels may go out to Japan for players such as Kosuke Fukudome and Hiroki Kuroda (we knew that already).  We also knew the Rangers had Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne on their radar.  Sullivan speculates that Scott Linebrink and LaTroy Hawkins could also be in the mix.
  • Barry Rozner expects Joe Crede to be traded. It seems like Crede is a Plan B or C for a lot of teams and Kenny Williams may have to wait til a few dominoes fall first. 

Royals Close To Signing Yasuhito Yabuta

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Royals are close to signing 34 year-old Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year deal with a third year option.  The White Sox had been in on him as well.

Here’s what Aaron and Jackson of East Windup Chronicle had to say about Yabuta:

Yabuta, the right-handed set up man for the Chiba Lotte Marines, is probably best known for striking out A-Rod, Derrek Lee, and Johnny Damon in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.  Yabuta has racked up 86 holds and a sub-3.00 ERA over the last three years for the Marines despite not panning out as a starter.

Rumor Roundup: Colon, Barrett, Clement, Monroe

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Rounding up some of today’s rumors…

Odds and Ends: Clark, Izturis, Clemens

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First day for teams to negotiate with free agents, always a good time.  Here are today’s odds and ends.

  • Jeff Blair notes that one athlete may still be better paid than Alex Rodriguez: Kimi Raikkonen, a Formula One driver, earns $51MM per year.  No need to debate on whether race car drivers should be considered athletes, I just thought it was interesting.
  • The D’Backs don’t figure to spend much on free agents, because they’re a smart team. Tony Clark wants two years, $4MM, and the team is thinking it over.
  • The Bucs will probably hold onto Jack Wilson this winter, as they’re cutting Cesar Izturis loose rather than pay him $5.45MM.  The Cardinals have interest in Izturis, by the way.
  • Confirming what we already knew: the Yankees will pursue Mike Lowell and Johan Santana.
  • Marty York has a source saying the Blue Jays might pursue Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.  Say what?
  • Doug Melvin isn’t planning on moving Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun from third base unless the Brewers acquire another "legitimate, bona fide third baseman."
  • Mark Gonzales notes that the White Sox tried to acquire Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel in 2006, implying that Kenny Williams might go after one of them now.  Linebrink is going to be a costly sign, as he’s a Type A and I imagine the Brewers will offer him arbitration.
  • Scott Gregor places odds on various center field possibilities for the White Sox.  He thinks they have a decent chance of trading for Coco Crisp.

Hunter Meets With White Sox

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It’s not exactly news that the White Sox met with Torii Hunter last night, since Joe Cowley noted way back on November 1st that they’d get together.  Of course the two sides were not allowed to discuss a contract.

Joe Christenen’s article says Hunter is intensely studying teams to determine their long-term competitiveness.  He’s digging into their farm systems and contract obligations.  Christenen believes the Sox would need to unload Jon Garland’s $12MM salary to fit Hunter in for 2008.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cabrera, Haren, Barrett

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Rumor guru Ken Rosenthal checks in with a new column this afternoon.

  • The White Sox are legitimately in the mix for Miguel Cabrera, but many stars would have to align for it to get done.  Suitors with better prospects would have to balk, and the Sox would have to part with Josh Fields and Gio Gonzalez.  Kenny Williams might even have to cash Jon Garland in and turn around and flip that prospect in a Cabrera deal.  Regardless, it’s clear that Williams is once again thinking big.
  • Let’s face it: the Twins aren’t retaining free agents Torii Hunter or Carlos Silva.  You gotta know when to fold ’em – maybe it’s best to punt 2008 and trade both Johan Santana and Joe Nathan now.  Rosenthal says that philosophy is gaining some steam in the organization.  Both Santana and Nathan are only under contract for one year, but both are signed well below market prices.  That means that any mildly competitive team could entertain the notion of acquiring one of them for a big boost.  Baseball Prospectus values Santana at $25MM and 8.1 wins next year (he earns $13.25MM).  They put Nathan at $15MM and 6 wins (he earns $6MM).
  • The A’s are another team that could take one step back in order to take two steps forward.  Billy Beane has Joe Blanton and Dan Haren, two solid young pitchers each under team control for three seasons.  That’s a big advantage over the other frontline names who might be available.  Santana and A.J. Burnett have one year.  Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard have two.  Haren for three years is huge.  Blanton is under team control but Haren is actually under contract.
  • The Rays have gotten in touch with Michael Barrett’s people.  Will Barrett’s Type A status become an issue?  Only if the Padres dare offer him arbitration.  If I had to guess I’d say they won’t offer, but it’s a close call.  Troy E. Renck recently mentioned Barrett has drawn interest from six clubs, perhaps including the Rockies and Marlins.  I’m sure the Rockies would not give up their #25 overall pick to the Padres just to sign Barrett.  The Marlins’ sixth overall pick next year is protected. 

Contract Window For Miguel Cabrera?

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MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Miguel Cabrera trade talks are heating up.  As you know, Cabrera is under team control for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  He might become more enticing if the acquiring team can talk to his agent prior to completion of a trade, with a long-term contract in mind.  As far as I can tell Cabrera is represented by Arn Tellem and Fernando Cuza currently.

Frisaro says the Angels and Dodgers are in the lead for Cabrera.  The Yankees, White Sox, Indians, and Tigers are also in the mix.  However this Paul Hoynes article seems to indicate the Indians are fading on Cabrera.  And I think it’s questionable whether the White Sox have the goods.  Frisaro doesn’t include the Red Sox, which jives with Michael Silverman’s info today.  Peter Gammons says the Red Sox could get Hank Blalock in a Coco Crisp deal but aren’t ready to do that right now.

It’s known that the Marlins want Howie Kendrick from the Angels; Ken Rosenthal first reported that yesterday.  Maicer Izturis would also be thrown in there, but I imagine Nick Adenhart would be required as well.  If such a deal were reached, Dan Uggla would move to third base to accomodate Kendrick.  There’s also speculation that the Marlins could trade Uggla if they get Kendrick.

Frisaro expects Dontrelle Willis to stay put this winter.

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