Odds & Ends: Rios, Hardy, Knapp
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.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Schneider, Claggett
A few links to start the evening off…
- When asked if the Pirates might pursue a free agent this winter to address their lack of power, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette said the team has indicated "that they will wait until they see which of the current players might take a step forward, then identifying needs." That sounds like a "no," or at least a "probably not."
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson said he would not be surprised if Brian Schneider returned to the Nationals as a backup catcher next year, but he would have to take a big paycut. Schneider has already said he doesn't expect to return to the Mets next year, and after making $4.9MM this year, he should be prepared to take a big paycut wherever he goes.
received when thethey will wait until they see which of the current players might take a step forward, then identifying needs
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09257/997985-63.stm?cmpid=pirates.xml#ixzz0R7cZcwUs
- The Yankees designated reliever Anthony Claggett for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Freddy Guzman, reports Peter Abraham of The Journal News. Claggett was originally acquired in the deal that sent Gary Sheffield to Detroit, and got annihilated in his brief callup (33.75 ERA & 5.62 WHIP in 2.2 IP) this year.
Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Indians
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Indians. Their commitments for 2010:
C – Kelly Shoppach – $1.95MM+
C – Lou Marson – $400K
1B – Matt LaPorta – $400K
2B – Luis Valbuena – $400K
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera – $417K
3B – Jhonny Peralta – $4.6MM
1B/3B – Andy Marte – $400K
IF – Jason Donald – $400K
LF – Michael Brantley – $400K
CF – Grady Sizemore – $5.6MM
RF – Shin-Soo Choo – $420K
OF – Trevor Crowe – $400K
DH – Travis Hafner – $11.5MM
Other considerations: C – Wyatt Toregas – $400K, IF/OF – Chris Gimenez – $400K
SP – Jake Westbrook – $11MM
SP – Fausto Carmona – $4.9MM
SP – Justin Masterson – $416K
SP – Aaron Laffey – $409K
SP – David Huff – $400K
Other rotation candidates: Jeremy Sowers – $421K, Carlos Carrasco – $400K, Hector Rondon – $400K
RP – Kerry Wood – $10.5MM
RP – Chris Perez – $402K
RP – Rafael Perez – $437K+
RP – Tony Sipp – $400K
RP – Joe Smith – $428K
RP – Jensen Lewis – $419K
RP – Jess Todd/Adam Miller/Failed starter – $400K
Non-tender candidates: Shoppach
The Indians entered 2009 with an $81.6MM payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. For 2010 they have about $58MM committed, plus arbitration raises to Shoppach and Perez. The Tribe could potentially spend around $20MM on new players without increasing the payroll, thanks to their veteran fire sale this year.
However, if fielding the best possible team in 2010 was the goal, the Indians wouldn't have traded Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. It would be inconsistent to sign free agents in an attempt to win the division next year. The Indians should shop Shoppach, and non-tender him if they find no takers. Moving Peralta's $4.85MM would be helpful. Ditto for Wood's $10.5MM (assuming his 2011 option does not vest). Westbrook and Hafner will hopefully build up value prior to summer 2010 trades.
Trading Sizemore does not make sense. His value is at a low point, and he can be under control through 2012. Even if the Indians concede 2010, Sizemore would be essential to winning the following two years.
Having shed Lee and Martinez, the Indians will no longer be the popular sleeper pick heading into 2010. The trades brought in much-needed young pitching, but next year's rotation does not resemble that of a contender.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Fielder, Nationals
Links for Monday…
- The Pirates have not approached any players about extensions, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic guesses Zach Duke is the likeliest extension candidate. Also in that article, Kovacevic notes "no new exchanges" between the Bucs and Miguel Angel Sano.
- ESPN's Buster Olney speculates that Prince Fielder will be traded to the Red Sox this winter. Thoughts?
- Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times runs through possible free agent targets for the Nationals. He figures they can spend nearly $20MM without increasing payroll.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis weighs in on the returns in the two Mark DeRosa trades this year.
- Hideki Irabu was granted his release from his independent league team in Japan, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
- MLB.com's Jim Street addresses the future of Felix Hernandez and Adrian Beltre in his latest Mariners mailbag.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Sizemore, Gomes
Curious about how untouchable Grady Sizemore is? I had to create a category for him just for this post. In the entire history of MLBTR, no one ever bothered to write any rumors about him…
- ESPN's Keith Law writes that the Brewers "are closer to noncontention than contention, and trying to prop the playoff window open for another year or two could lead to a miserable bottoming-out not far down the road." He suggests they trade megastar Prince Fielder to help fill other holes, and build the team around Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo.
- Jim Ingraham of The News Herald believes that the recent trades of Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez have effectively shortened the Indians' window to win with Grady Sizemore. Sizemore's contract runs through 2011 with a dirt cheap option for 2012, but Ingraham says there's "no reason to believe when Sizemore becomes a free agent after the 2012 season he won't leave whatever team he is with and sign a monstrous contract with one of the big-market teams."
- Jonny Gomes is open to returning to the Reds next season, but says he'll "go where I can get the most at-bats," according to Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News. Gomes is making $600K this season and is arbitration eligible next year, so he can expect a hefty raise thanks to his .281/.355/.555 batting line.
Rangers Mulling Third Base Acquisition
In the wake of Michael Young's hamstring injury, the Rangers are "considering trade options at third base" according to Evan Grant of D Magazine in a Wednesday article. Young is aiming to return two weeks from now, so it'd be a short-term upgrade over the current Omar Vizquel/Esteban German combo. And if the Rangers do overcome their 3.5 game defecit in the AL West, the September acquisition would not be playoff-eligible.
Grant speculates on three potential acquisitions: Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Fernando Tatis. The problem is that the first two are being well-compensated for their lousy seasons, while Tatis hasn't played third base much in recent years. ESPN's Buster Olney finds a deal unlikely, but feels that Jamey Carroll might be a nice fit. One more idea: would a Troy Glaus trade be worth exploring?
Discussion: Managers On The Hot Seat
Scott Miller of CBSSports.com writes that some managers around the league might be fearing for their jobs as their teams play out the string. Managers who "are thought by some to be" on the hot seat, with relevant quotes from Miller, include:
- Baltimore's Dave Trembley – "in imminent danger"
- Houston's Cecil Cooper – "appears a goner"
- Cleveland's Eric Wedge – his "future is very questionable"
- The Mets' Jerry Manuel – "forget it. He stays."
Miller also discusses the situation in Washington, D.C., where the Nationals must decide whether to retain interim manager Jim Riggleman.
Also of interest is Miller's mention of Bobby Valentine, who is about to leave Chiba Lotte in Japan after seven years. Miller says that Valentine is "the name to watch" on the managerial front.
Who better to sort all of this out than our readers? First of all, who deserves to be out of a job when the 2010 begins? What should the Nats do with Riggleman? Where might Valentine find a job? Who will keep their managing job unjustly? Let's get at it in the comments section.
Indians Rumors: Debt, Shapiro, Wedge
Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer sat down for a chat with Indians team president Paul Dolan and some other front office personnel. Lots of interesting information came to light, so let's dig in…
- Dolan indicated that the team was $16MM in the red in July and headed towards $20MM. The trades of Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and Carl Pavano bring that number down to about $12MM.
- Jake Westbrook's injury will actually save the team money because insurance will cover about 50% of his $11MM salary.
- Had the Tribe not made any moves at the deadline, they would have been looking at about $30MM in losses next year because of declining attendance.
- Dolan has "no plans" to sell the team, nor has he received any serious offers.
- "Mark Shapiro will be the general manager next year; that has never been in question," said Dolan. "He has done a very good job of rebuilding the franchise once after the 1990s. Our fans may not realize it, but our franchise is viewed around baseball as one of the better ones in the game."
- The future of manager Eric Wedge will be decided after the season, and the $1.3MM owed to him in 2010 will "not be factor."
- Pluto also provides some notes about several Tribe prospects, including Carlos Carrasco and Michael Brantley. Carrasco was acquired in the Lee trade, Brantley in last year's CC Sabathia deal.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Rays, Hoffman, Byrd
We can link to it, we have the technology…
- ESPN's Keith Law feels the Rays received "a tremendous return for a pitcher whose value had really nose-dived over the past 10 months" when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels late Friday evening.
- Manager Joe Maddon says that the team feels they have the depth to cover the loss of Kazmir, and that it won't hurt their chances of getting back to playoffs this year. The depth Maddon speaks of comes in the form of Andy Sonnanstine and prospect Wade Davis, though Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says Sonnanstine will get the call against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
- Topkin was all over the Kazmir saga yesterday, and now that the dust has settled he says the team can use the savings to keep it's core intact. Several veterans, such as Carl Crawford, have raises built into their contracts, and several of the club's young players will be due big raises in arbitration.
- When asked if closer Trevor Hoffman might go to the Giants after being claimed on waivers, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said "probably not," according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
- Boston reportedly agreed to give Paul Byrd a September callup, but it looks like his shot may come sooner than that. With Tim Wakefield's back acting up again, the Sox will send Byrd to the mound tomorrow night according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald.
- Sheldon Ocker of The Akron Beacon Journal takes an early look at some of the players that could help get the Indians back on track in 2010.
- The Marlins officially introduced first round pick Chad James to the masses this afternoon, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Indians Acquire Yohan Pino To Complete Pavano Trade
The Indians have announced that they have acquired righthander Yohan Pino from the Twins as the player to be named later in this month's Carl Pavano trade. Pino was not on Minnesota's 40-man roster, so he did not need to pass through waivers to be included in the deal.
The 25-yr old has a 3.03 ERA and an impressive 4.00 K/BB ratio in 113 innings split between the Double- and Triple-A levels this year.