Damaso Marte Dealt For Rob Mackowiak
Two emailers just told me that Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting that the White Sox have dealt lefty reliever Damaso Marte for super-utility man Rob Mackowiak.
For his career, the 30 year-old Marte is 14-14 with a 3.21 ERA in 303 innings. He’s been tough to hit and strikes out many, but walks have always been a problem. In 2005, Marte walked a ridiculous 6.55 batters per nine innings. This will be a return to Pittsburgh for the southpaw. He was dealt for Matt Guerrier back in 2002.
Mackowiak, a native of Oak Lawn, IL, can handle most of the infield positions and anywhere in the outfield. His career numbers are .258/.328/.414. He’s a useful part if kept in a utility role.
Carl Crawford On The Block?
A source close to the Devil Rays’ scouting department filled me in recently on their outfielder extravaganza.
It’s well known Joey Gathright is on the block. If you’re looking for a scrappy player with no power who runs real fast, Gathright is your man. It’s unknown whether Gathright can make his on-base skills shown at Triple A Durham translate to the big leagues, but some team besides the Rays will find out soon enough. I’m not yet able to narrow down the list of his suitors to a single digit number.
Infinitely more interesting than Gathright is the possibility (albeit slim) that Carl Crawford could be dealt. Crawford was "a little shocked" by Rocco Baldelli‘s deal, and rightfully so. After all, where was Baldelli while Crawford was busy being the 10th best LF in the game in ’05? 2006 could be the year Crawford busts out and hits 20 HR.
According to my source, the Angels are hot on the trail of Baldelli, Gathright, and Crawford. The Rays are quite enamored with 22 year-old righthander Ervin Santana. Santana had a solid rookie season in ’05, winning 12 games for the Angels.
Another team in the running for Crawford is the White Sox. They’re not entirely sold on Brian Anderson in center field for a defending World Champion, and the Devil Rays are asking for Brandon McCarthy and/or Josh Fields.
McCarthy pitched with a vengeance in September and October of 2005, tossing 43 innings of 1.69 ERA ball. He led the Minor Leagues in strikeouts in 2004.
Third baseman Josh Fields is in the Sox’s top ten prospect list for sure. However, he was just OK at Double A Birmingham in ’05, hitting .252/.341/.409 in 477 at-bats. Fields is a hard worker, but still needs plenty of seasoning in the minors.
Thanks to Matt
Konerko Received One Sox Offer
I was listening to ESPN Sports Radio 1000 today for a few minutes, and they happened to be interviewing Paul Konerko. Konerko seems to be a well-spoken, intelligent guy. One interesting fact that he mentioned was that the White Sox’s five-year, $60MM offer was the only offer he received from Chicago.
It had previously been reported that his agent Craig Landis received a four-year, $52MM offer around November 10th. Konerko called this offer "fiction."
Brian Anderson Projection
Curious how the White Sox’s rookie center fielder will fare now that he’s likely to get 450 ABs? The departure of Aaron Rowand in the Jim Thome trade means top prospect Brian Anderson will have the opportunity to play every day.
Over at RotoAuthority, we’ve supplied a projection for Anderson for 2006. Whether you’re a fantasy baseball nut or just a casual fan, it’s worth checking out.
Don’t Overlook Haigwood In Thome Deal
At this point, the Jim Thome for Aaron Rowand trade is old news (at least with the speed news travels around the Internet). ESPN is reporting that Buster Olney broke the trade, although I think Bruce Levine may have had it first.
One part of the deal that’s getting zero publicity so far is the White Sox’s inclusion of 22 year-old lefty starter Daniel Haigwood. Once you add it all up, receiving Jim Thome and $22MM for Aaron Rowand, Haigwood, and a third player is nowhere near a good deal for the Sox. For this article, I want to focus on the potential of the known minor leaguer.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Haigwood. He missed 2003 after tearing the ACL in his left knee, and his control was shaky in his first season after the surgery in A ball. Despite the questionable performance in ’04, Haigwood was still ranked the 19th best prospect in his organization by Baseball America.
In July of this year, Haigwood was promoted to Double A Birmingham. He was absolutely phenomenal in eleven starts there, going 6-1 with a 1.74 ERA. He was unhittable, surrendering no home runs in 67 innings. His strikeout rate continued to climb past ten per nine innings.
The knock on Haigwood is his control – he still walks four men per nine innings. He’s got an excellent curve ball, a decent two-seamer, and a developing change-up. Did I mention he’s left-handed?
If Haigwood refines his control a bit, it’s reasonable to project him as a 3rd starter in the big leagues in 2007. Remember the name, because the Phillies acquired more than a run-of-the-mill throw-in in the Thome deal.
Jim Thome To The White Sox
Word from ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago is that the White Sox are talking to the Phillies about Jim Thome. Apparently the Sox would acquire Thome for some combination of Aaron Rowand, Jose Contreras, and Brandon McCarthy. The Phillies would pay the "majority" of Thome’s contract.
MLBTradeRumors.com is skeptical to say the least. We haven’t received confirmation yet on which ESPN reporter floated this rumor, but the memory of Bruce Levine announcing an imminent Juan Pierre deal is all too fresh. As proposed, this is simply way too much value for the White Sox to give up for Thome.
It makes sense for Rowand to be involved – he’s at the peak of his perceived value and the Phillies need a centerfielder. Scott Podsednik could easily slide over to take Rowand’s place. However, a healthy Thome as DH vs. Rowand in center field could easily be equal in value in 2006. We’re talking 5-6 wins from each player.
While it’s true the White Sox potentially have six starting pitchers, the club would be advised not to depend on anything from Orlando Hernandez. Shipping off Jose Contreras after his dominant second half (2.91 ERA) probably isn’t going to happen. Trading a young player with the promise and affordability of Brandon McCarthy seems equally unlikely. On the other hand, Kenny Williams did deal top prospect Jeremy Reed to Seattle to acquire Freddy Garcia.
Does the money make sense? The ESPN report claims that the Phillies would be paying the majority of Thome’s contract. Thome is due $12.5MM in 2006 and $14MM in 2007, $14MM in 2008, and a $3MM buyout in 2009. (Wow, now that’s a bad contract). Would the Phillies really pick up the tab on most of $43.5MM? I presume we’re talking somewhere around $30MM.
If so, three years of Thome for $4.5MM annually is a solid gamble for the White Sox. Considering the way U.S. Cellular inflates home run totals for left-handed hitters, 40 HR could turn into 46 pretty easily. Rowand has yet to reach free agency and is due $3.25MM in ’06 with a $5MM club option for ’07.
A trade of Thome and $30MM for Rowand is feasible for the Sox, assuming Thome is healthy. If the Sox made the ill-advised move to include a starting pitcher, Phillies management could justify the deal.
We’ll keep you posted as details surface about these trade talks.
Thanks to Alex.
Mark Buehrle To The Cardinals
Disclaimer: this one is pure speculation.
Over at the premiere Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos, lboros dropped a very intriguing name: Mark Buehrle. There haven’t been many published reports of Buehrle being available. Here’s the logic behind the Buehrle idea according to commenters Demetre and lboros.
Demetre: There really isn’t anything concrete about Buehrle being available (I don’t think) except for his unapolegitic, vocal, native STL love and desire to be a Cardinal at all costs.
Its about as pre-ordained a cardinal pitcher-to-be as i can remember outside the system.
lboros: the Buehrle is pure speculation on my part, but based on two considerations:
- He’s due to be a free agent in 2007 and almost surely will leave Chicago, as Reinsdorf won’t pay big money for him.
- Reinsdorf is well known for blowing his teams up. A few years back he even dumped half the team when they were only 3 or 4 games out of 1st place. If the sox aren’t doing well at midseason, Reinsdorf may be tempted to get frugal, and get what he can for Buehrle.
This is very sound logic (although it comes from a couple of die-hard Cards fans).
If the White Sox are looking to trim payroll and get the best value for Buehrle before free agency, the Cardinals would be the ideal trading partner. Jocketty’s Mark Mulder trade set a precedent that he’s willing to give up top prospects for proven pitching. If Jocketty made Jason Marquis and Anthony Reyes available, I think Kenny Williams would pull the trigger on this blockbuster.
What do you think?