Odds And Ends: Cordero, Schmidt, Griffey
Another round of links…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that no team has inquired on Francisco Cordero.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a series of predictions for the season's final month. He doesn't expect Jake Peavy to win more than a single game for the White Sox.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Jason Schmidt's season is over. Schmidt, who won three games in as many seasons for the Dodgers, hinted he may retire.
- Ken Griffey Jr. tells C. Trent Rosecrans of CNati.com he's having the time of his life back in Seattle. He's open to staying with the Mariners, but says he understands if the team decides to move on. Check out the entire interview – it's a great read.
- Roy Oswalt says there's "a dead feeling" in the Astros clubhouse, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Justice argues that "the people in charge have screwed up the franchise."
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox evaluated Billy Wagner in depth before trading for him.
Odds And Ends: Chavez, Arroyo, Thome, Millwood
More links for the morning…
- Eric Chavez told Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune that he would consider extending his career as a DH, even though he'd prefer to play defense, too.
- Does Bronson Arroyo want to go to a contender? No, he'd rather stay in Cincinnati and pitch for the Reds next year, according to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News.
- Jim Thome wants to play next year and make a run at 600 career homers, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Thome is just 36 homers away from reaching the milestone.
- Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 becomes guaranteed if he pitches 19.0 more innings and reaches 180 for the season, so he's only about three starts away.
Odds And Ends: Ackley, Reds, Bradley
Some links for the morning…
- Dustin Ackley will arrive in Seattle Monday to work out with the team, meet the media and officially sign his $7.5MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jim Street.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds are desperate for starting pitching just a few months after it looked like their rotation was set.
- This is not what the Cubs envisioned when they signed Milton Bradley to a multi-year deal last offseason. Bradley told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he "never" feels comfortable at Wrigley Field because he gets booed. However, he insists that he'll be all right in spite of the hatred he faces "on a daily basis."
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Mets GM Omar Minaya looks clueless at times, but the mess hardly stops with him.
Reds Sign Lew Ford
According to the MILB transactions feed, the Reds have signed OF Lew Ford to a minor-league deal. Ford, 33, returned from a stint in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers and previously had signed a deal with the Rockies this year but never got into game action. Ford last appeared in the majors in 2007 with the Twins, where he posted a .233/.315/.362 line.
Reds Seem Unlikely To Make Trades
It doesn't look like the Reds will make any more trades between now and the end of August, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Aaron Harang's emergency appendectomy and Bronson Arroyo's substance taking and oversized contract mean a trade involving either pitcher would be a surprise. Francisco Cordero has $27MM remaining on his contract and a no-trade clause, so it doesn't appear that the Reds will trade him, either.
Just last week, Fay wondered if the Reds could move Jonny Gomes, who makes just $600k, or five percent of Cordero's annual salary.
Odds & Ends: Harang, Ichiro, Cubs, Mets, The Draft
Some odds and ends from around the league:
- Aaron Harang had to have an emergency appendectomy and will miss the remainder of the season as a result, says Ed Price. Harang will make $10.5MM in 2010 and will pitch for a $12.75MM club option that increases to $13MM if he reaches 210 IP. It's worth noting, if the Reds trade Harang next season, the option increases to $14MM and becomes mutual. Earlier this month, John Fay suggested the Reds don't think their fans will embrace a rebuilding effort, but that the team is hamstrung by too many large contracts that have not worked out.
- Jon Paul Morosi asks whether or not Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Fame lock?
- Gordon Wittenmyer notes Cubs players feel Lou Piniella, who recently announced his intention to return in 2010, is the right man for the job.
- Joel Sherman doubts any decisions about bringing back Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel have been finalized.
- The New York Times Dan Rosenheck suggests ending the draft, and perhaps an expansion and reform of revenue sharing. The article refers to the current system as a "bargain [that] has distorted the game's economics. Minor leaguers and players with less than three years of service time remain pseudoslaves." Rosenheck writes:
"A study by Erik Manning of Fangraphs.com found that the production of an average No. 1 draft pick during the 1990s was worth $51.5 million on the free-agent market, while the commissioner’s recommendation for their bonuses is $3.6 million. As a result, clubs jealously hoard their prospects, often refusing to trade them even for superstars. The massive profits extracted from these players are divided among overpaid veterans and the owners."
The piece also recommends players from the U.S. be granted the right to choose their employer, "a freedom enjoyed by their Latin American counterparts. This would not necessarily raise salaries over all but would distribute them more evenly, benefiting both the players… and the game."
Odds & Ends: O’s, Rolen, Borbon
A few more links for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure…
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun expects the Orioles to call up infielder Justin Turner, outfielder Joey Gathright and catcher Robby Hammock when rosters expand on September 1. The O's might also want to add some bullpen depth.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer takes a look back, and a look forward, at the Reds' trade for Scott Rolen. "There's no question Rolen is a big upgrade over Edwin Encarnacion," Fay writes. "But the Reds gave up young pitching in the deal, and Rolen's salary really hamstrings the club as far as payroll flexibility."
- Marc Hulet of Fangraphs reviews the career of "under-hyped" outfielder Julio Borbon, who has been on fire since his promotion to the Rangers on August 7. Can he maintain the pace?
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Strasburg, Cordero, Swisher
On this date 25 years ago, B.J. Upton was born. The second overall pick in the '02 draft, Bossman Junior made his big league debut in 2004, but will be arbitration-eligible for the first time following this season. The Rays prefer to lock up their young players to long-term deals, but there has never been an indication that Upton is willing to sign long-term. With the signing deadline for most draft picks now past, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- The Biz of Baseball looks at how the slotting system held up with this year's draft (not very well).
- Capitol Avenue Club declares the winners and losers of this year's draft.
- Nationals Pride notes that the Nationals are two-for-two in their decisions affecting Stephen Strasburg.
- Center Field Gate likes the Stephen Strasburg deal, but wants to see what Strasburg can do before getting too excited.
- Sully Baseball notes that Stephen Strasburg needs to get past Betty White before he is worth $50M.
- Around the Majors looks back the Reds' decision to give Francisco Cordero a $46MM contract.
- 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba revisits the deal that brought Nick Swisher to the Yankees.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds And Ends: Garcia, Astros, Reds
More links for the afternoon…
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports looks at some candidates for waiver trades. Could Freddy Garcia help a National League team?
- Jim Callis of Baseball America ranks the 15 biggest bonuses MLB draft picks have ever received. Stephen Strasburg tops them all, of course.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers will send Jose Vallejo to the Astros along with Matt Nevarez as part of the Ivan Rodriguez trade, as expected. The Astros receive a third player if the Rangers make the playoffs.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds have veered away from rebuilding plans instead of devoting themselves to one like the Twins, Rays and Marlins.
- Via Twitter, Matthew Pouliot wonders if the A's, who are interested in adding starters, could pick up Livan Hernandez.
- Remember the Derek Jeter–Jimmy Rollins debate at the WBC? As Tyler Hissey shows, the two shortstops have had remarkably different seasons.
Odds And Ends: Padilla, Strasburg, Gomes
Another round of links…
- Ted Green of the LA Times says Vicente Padilla will be an "angel" with the Dodgers because he has no other choice.
- As Monday night's deadline to sign picks neared, we had no idea whether Stephen Strasburg would sign. Neither did Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, so he wrote this story in case the Nats failed to sign him.
- We've heard lots of talk about Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders if the Reds could deal Jonny Gomes, who has 15 homers, to a contender.
- Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball shows how much teams spent on draft picks Monday and argues that the recommended slotting system isn't working as intended.