White Sox Sign Mike Myers
The White Sox signed 38 year-old lefty specialist Mike Myers on Sunday. The signing is clearly focused on 2008, as Kenny Williams tacked on a $1.1MM club option for 2008.
Myers contends that he’s been done in by southpaws hitting singles off him. The numbers bear that out, as he’s allowed 24 hits but just one home run in 18 innings against lefties. He whiffed 18 in those 18 innings, so there is hope that the veteran can live on.
The Sox have Mike MacDougal ($1.95MM) and Matt Thornton ($0.875MM) under contract for the bullpen in 2008. And of course Bobby Jenks and all kinds of rookies remain under the team’s control. I actually thought the team’s bullpen would be a strength heading into this season.
Jermaine Dye Signs Contract Extension
Another below-market deal for the White Sox – they’ve signed right fielder Jermaine Dye to a two-year, $22MM contract extension. The deal also includes a mutual option at $12MM for 2010 with a $1MM buyout attached. At one point it seemed Kenny Williams would surely unload both Mark Buehrle and Dye, but instead he’s extended the veterans.
It’s hard not to like the deal. The free agent alternatives – guys like Kosuke Fukudome, Milton Bradley, maybe Geoff Jenkins – are not decidedly better. Fukudome might be able to challenge Dye, but he’ll get a larger, riskier contract.
The main concern is that Dye’s contract covers his age 34-35 seasons, though the White Sox have a crack medical staff. They probably won’t have an open DH spot until 2010, as Jim Thome‘s $13MM option for ’09 is reasonable and has a $3MM buyout attached. The White Sox have to hope Dye doesn’t follow the career path of top PECOTA comparable Dave Henderson.
Looking at 2008, the White Sox have over $92MM committed if Joe Crede is retained.
Rowand Linked To Nationals?
This is a tenuous connection, but I’ll take what I can get. MLB.com’s Bill Ladson notes that Aaron Rowand seems intrigued by the Nationals’ bright future and center field opening. It’s possible the Nats could be in the mix for Rowand this winter. It could just be a respectability type signing, which I think is what they were trying to accomplish with Dmitri Young and Ron Belliard.
When the White Sox were last in Philadelphia, speculation ran rampant that Rowand could come back to Chicago. He admitted to having a soft spot for the team he came up with. If the Sox are serious about improving center field in ’08, the main candidates seem to be Rowand, Torii Hunter, and Mike Cameron.
Keep in mind that the Phillies could definitely re-sign Rowand. He’s a fan favorite and would be a solid sign at the Eric Byrnes price (three years, $30MM). However, there have been no extension talks yet.
Dodgers To Scout Contreras On Friday
The White Sox will grant Jose Contreras a showcase start on Friday, in hopes of unloading some of the $20MM owed to him from 2008-09. Contreras hasn’t started since he was bombed by the Yankees on July 31st. According to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Dodgers will be in attendance when Contreras goes Friday in Seattle. The Mariners are actually a candidate to acquire him as well.
Contreras has thrown two consecutive scoreless relief appearances, and his last one lasted five innings against those same Mariners after Gavin Floyd was knocked around. I’ve seen that attributed to Don Cooper’s recent tinkering, but can’t find a link to that story.
As I mentioned before – it’s either going to have to be a bad contract swap or the Sox eating half of Contreras’s contract. He’s cleared waivers, so he can be traded anywhere. Here’s a list of others who have cleared waivers, but I don’t see a sensible fit. I’m sure there are many more not on this list though.
A Possible 2008 White Sox Roster
Nathaniel Whalen of the Daily Southtown speculates on a possible 2008 White Sox roster. His scenario sends Jon Garland and Brian Anderson to San Diego for Khalil Greene, Heath Bell, and a pitching prospect. Not sure who the Padres would use at shortstop, then.
Whalen’s scenario also has the White Sox signing Aaron Rowand. Most folks around Chicago expect Kenny Williams to make a run at him, especially if it’s for Eric Byrnes bucks. But that leaves Ryan Sweeney and Jerry Owens as the corner outfielders. Neither fits the profile of a corner outfielder, and I’m not sure the Sox can sacrifice the offense as Thome, Konerko, and Pierzynski all get a year older. Whalen’s picture also includes Darin Erstad on the roster, which could quickly lead to Erstad as a regular again. Yikes.
Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver also came up with a plan for the ’08 Sox back on June 14th. His lineup involves free agent signings of Luis Castillo and Kosuke Fukudome, with Ryan Sweeney handling center and Josh Fields in left. He proposed the Sox swap Mark Buehrle for shorstop Brent Lillibridge of the Braves, but that was prior to Buehrle’s extension. He also thought Kenny Williams could swap Jermaine Dye for someone as useful as Chad Billingsley, which was wishful thinking even in June.
What do you think? Williams could go in many different directions, but one way or another he needs to come up with a shortstop and at least one decent veteran outfielder.
Jose Contreras Clears Waivers
The trusty Players Who Have Cleared Waivers post has been updated again. The latest edition: Jose Contreras.
SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Contreras’s last two scoreless outings may put him in a positive light in the eyes of some teams. Heyman specifically names the Dodgers as a team that might get involved.
Still, it was only two appearances, and Contreras is signed through 2009. He makes $10MM in each of the ’08 and ’09 seasons. I imagine the White Sox would have to eat half the contract, or take on a bloated salary in return. How about Nomar? Garciaparra’s $8.5MM salary in ’08 could balance out some of Contreras’s. Nomar could play some third base; Josh Fields could try left field. Just thinking aloud. The Dodgers could also consider trying to pass Rafael Furcal through waivers; he makes $13MM in ’08 and currently sports a .707 OPS.
The ugliest contract on the Mariners belongs to Richie Sexson, but the White Sox would have nowhere to play him. The Braves could try to send Mike Hampton over; would that make sense? Hampton hasn’t pitched in the bigs since ’05 but expects to be ready for the 2008 season.
Graziano’s Latest: Andruw, Dunn, Fukudome
Dan Graziano has a new article up regarding the free agent outfielder crop. He spoke to two anonymous GMs. Let’s take a look at some highlights.
- Andruw Jones has an awful .216/.312/.418 line this year. He’s been outdone by Shawn Green, Sammy Sosa, Jose Vidro, and Shannon Stewart in terms of OPS. Nonetheless, Jones isn’t expected to come at a discount. Scott Boras will just play up the defense, the RBIs, the career totals, whatever.
- Graziano says "it’s hard to see" the Reds picking up Adam Dunn‘s $13MM option. This would just be plain dumb on Wayne Krivsky’s part. Given the $0.5MM buyout, it’s basically like signing Dunn to a one-year, $12.5MM deal. How many teams would pass on a huge power bat on a no-risk one-year commitment? If the Reds don’t exercise the option, it will be change for change’s sake. And a bad decision.
- Kosuke Fukudome is the dark horse, a possible impact right fielder from Japan. He will not require a posting fee. Graziano says the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, and White Sox are among the teams scouting him. More on Fukudome in a separate post.
Cubs Deals For Podsednik, Stewart Dead
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Cubs will not be acquiring Scott Podsednik, and in fact chances were slim from the beginning. I saw a recent poll where the majority of Cubs fans thought the Cubs should trade for an outfielder. I disagree – I can’t see a waiver acquisition improving upon the in-house options. The one possible exception I can think of is Matt Stairs. Regardless of my opinion, the Cubs will apparently go with what they’ve got.
Similarly, the idea of acquiring Shannon Stewart should be dismissed. According to the Contra Costa Times, Stewart’s continued presence in an A’s uniform means the deadline has passed for a trade. Joe Stiglich notes that Stewart could net the A’s a high draft pick if he leaves via free agency.
Random Rumors And Signings
We have a bunch of rumor-related tidbits today, and for now I’ll put them into one post.
- There’s a mini-controversy afoot regarding Cubs lefty Will Ohman. Ohman has indicated that the Cubs have been letting him pitch while hurt, and the Cubs contend that he never visited the trainer. No matter who you side with, Ohman’s days in the organization are numbered.
- The Cubs indeed won the Scott Podsednik claim, but the White Sox want a legitimate prospect in return. I’ve heard Sean Gallagher mentioned. There’s not much time for posturing here as the teams probably have until today or tomorrow to make a trade. The White Sox were considered nontendering Pods last offseason, and he didn’t do anything this year that should’ve changed their mind. Ozzie Guillen even called him "unreliable" publicly. Kenny Williams should take what he can get and give the playing time to someone else.
- Casey Fossum‘s been released by the Devil Rays; he’ll hook on somewhere. The little lefty used to throw in the mid-90s with Boston. Not so much anymore, but he does boast one of the slowest curveballs you’ll find (slower than 50 mph). Back in ’03, the Red Sox offered him to Toronto for Kelvim Escobar, unwilling to give up Trot Nixon. He eventually went to Arizona in the Curt Schilling deal and later was traded to the Devil Rays for Jose Cruz Jr. Fossum’s battled shoulder woes for most of his career, having labrum surgery in ’06. He’s still only 29.
- The Rockies signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league deal. They might have to throw the 34 year-old into the rotation for lack of better options.
- Carlos Silva wants to stay in Minnesota, and would sign at a discount before hitting the open market if the Twins are interested. Unfortunately, a discount for a Silva-type these days might be three years, $18MM. Jason Marquis‘s contract was something of a benchmark. If Silva backs it up to two years, $10MM, I can see the Twins going for it.
- Victor Zambrano now finds himself toiling for the Pirates’ Triple A affiliate.
Cubs Claim Scott Podsednik?
UPDATE: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune seems to indicate that the Cubs won the claim.
Several people have emailed me this morning about an ESPN Radio 1000 report. Apparently the Cubs have claimed Scott Podsednik. As with the Shannon Stewart situation, I’m currently unclear on whether the Cubs simply put in the claim on Pods or if they’ve been awarded it.
How Podsednik would help the Cubs is beyond me, but that’s why Jim Hendry gets paid the big bucks. Podsednik makes another $860K or so this year, and might be a nontender candidate this winter. By the way, this is where I believe the original rumor began.