Heyman’s Latest: K-Rod, Furcal, Blalock
Non-Manny notes from Jon Heyman’s latest…
- The Angels and Mets "appear hesitant" to give Francisco Rodriguez five years. There’s not an obvious suitor to overpay K-Rod, but the Mets are the closest.
- Heyman sees Brian Fuentes getting about $11MM per year. Ken Rosenthal recently suggested even more money.
- Doug Melvin could become a candidate for the Mariners job if the Brewers aren’t able to extend him. Doesn’t seem to make sense since Melvin is signed through 2009.
- Heyman believes Chris Antonetti in Cleveland is contractually guaranteed the GM job in the future.
- The Dodgers will try to re-sign Rafael Furcal, no surprise there.
- A scout sang the praises of Hank Blalock‘s second-half hitting (.281/.324/.532 after the break). Blalock may be on the trading block.
Odds and Ends: Beltran, Brewers, Padres
Links for Friday…
- The Padres claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Surprising to see the Giants let him go.
- Ted Berg at MetsBlog explains how a Carlos Beltran rumbling spun out of control.
- I recently did a Brewers Q&A with Bernie’s Crew.
- The Padres called yesterday’s report about John Moores selling his share of the team "highly speculative." Tim Sullivan considers the statement revealing, and notes that this is a bad time to sell.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times chatted with Scott Boras.
- Mark Cuban mentions that the struggling economy is slowing down the sale of the Cubs.
- Terry Pluto believes the Indians should pursue Brian Roberts.
- David Brown at Yahoo profiles Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman.
- Freddy Garcia is headed to winter ball. The Tigers will have the first crack at signing him. Andruw Jones will also play winter ball; he seems to want a trade if he’s not a starter next year.
- Elbow surgery for Tom Gordon, which probably means the Phillies will buy out his ’09 option for $1MM.
Shapiro Outlines Indians’ Needs
Indians GM Mark Shapiro spoke to the press today. A few notes:
- Shapiro does not feel comfortable with his team’s upper-level starting pitching, which consists of Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona (and maybe Jake Westbrook when he’s ready). The Indians may have $15MM or so to work with, but Shapiro wouldn’t say whether he’d lean more toward free agency or trades.
- Other needs: closer and infield help. We ran through most of the candidates in the Offseason Outlook. Given the flexibility of Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera, Shapiro could look for help at second or third base.
- Shapiro hinted that Casey Blake could be a good fit back with the Tribe. He won’t be pursuing Manny Ramirez.
Odds and Ends: Hudson, Cano, Mariners GM
Links for Wednesday…
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark reminds us that Manny Ramirez could’ve been traded to the Phillies in July. But the Phils wouldn’t offer Lou Marson, didn’t like the idea of Manny in right field, and were concerned about Ramirez’s hustle.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog gives his early sense of the team’s offseason approach. He doesn’t seem them splurging on one of the big free agent names.
- MLB.com’s Marty Noble heard Orlando Hudson "yearns to play for the Mets" (hat tip to MetsBlog).
- Jamey Newberg believes in the Rangers’ plan.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn’t believe Robinson Cano will be traded, because the Yankees are valuing him as if 2008 did not occur. He names Fausto Carmona as an example of a pitcher the Yanks would not accept for Cano.
- Sherman also notes that Bobby Abreu and the ivy-covered brick wall at Wrigley might not be the best match.
- The Mariners will interview five people for their GM vacancy this week: Peter Woodfork (D’Backs), Jerry DiPoto (D’Backs), Tony Bernazard (Mets), Kim Ng (Dodgers), and Tony LaCava (Blue Jays).
- The Angels signed Korean pitcher Jang Pil-Joong, who just finished serving in the army.
- I did a couple of interviews recently: over the phone with MLB Interviews and over email with Pinstripes Published.
Indians Choose Brantley In Sabathia Deal
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Indians have chosen 21 year-old outfielder Michael Brantley to complete the C.C. Sabathia trade.
Heading into the season, Baseball America saw Brantley as a "fourth outfielder who can be a useful pinch-hitter." Brantley proceeded to hit .319/.395/.398 in Double A.
Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Indians
The Indians are next in our Offseason Outlook series. Their likely commitments for 2009:
C – Victor Martinez – $5.7MM
C – Kelly Shoppach – $404K+
1B – Ryan Garko – $420K
2B – Asdrubal Cabrera – $400K
SS – Jhonny Peralta – $3.4MM
3B – Andy Marte – $400K
IF – Jamey Carroll – $2.5MM club option or $150K buyout
LF – Shin-Soo Choo – $400K
CF – Grady Sizemore – $4.6MM
RF – Franklin Gutierrez – $405K
OF – David Dellucci – $4MM
OF – Ben Francisco – $400K
DH – Travis Hafner – $11.5MM
SP – Cliff Lee – $5.75MM
SP – Fausto Carmona – $2.75MM
SP – Anthony Reyes – $400K
SP – Jeremy Sowers – $400K
SP – Scott Lewis – $400K
RP – Masahide Kobayashi – $3MM
RP – Rafael Betancourt – $3.35MM
RP – Rafael Perez – $407K
RP – Jensen Lewis – $400K
RP – Edward Mujica – $400K
RP – Tom Mastny – $400K
RP – John Meloan – $400K
Other rotation candidates: Jake Westbrook – $10MM (due back from Tommy John around All-Star break), Aaron Laffey – $400K, Zach Jackson – $400K, David Huff – $400K
The Indians are all about cost certainty – I don’t see any major arbitration cases coming up aside from Shoppach. If they retain Carroll, they’ll have about $64MM committed. The Indians entered this season with a $79MM payroll, so they could have $15MM to spend this winter.
The Indians were right in the middle of the AL with a .339 OBP and .424 SLG. In the second half, though, the Tribe had one of the AL’s best offenses. Overall the Indians had below-average offensive performances at first base, second base, third base, left field, right field, and designated hitter.
Choo’s encouraging performance indicates he might be able to hold down an outfield corner. Matt LaPorta could take the other. The Indians have to hope Hafner can become a useful hitter again, if not the offensive force of 2004-06. The team seems likely to seek upgrades in the infield. All four positions are fair game, as Peralta could be moved to third due to questionable defense at short. Cabrera could move to short.
Possible free agent fits: Orlando Hudson and Rafael Furcal. Many infielders may be on the trade market: Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Dan Uggla, Adam LaRoche, Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, Mike Jacobs, Edwin Encarnacion, Garrett Atkins, Robinson Cano, Freddy Sanchez, and Rickie Weeks. The Indians could use Shoppach as a trade chip, but only if they’re confident with Martinez behind the dish long-term.
The rotation is shaky after Lee, as Carmona had a terrible year and Westbrook will be out until midyear. Carmona dealt with a strained hip for much of ’08; the Indians need him to regain his control next year. Reyes and Lewis showed promise in small samples, but a shrewd veteran addition a la Kevin Millwood in ’05 would stabilize the rotation. Freddy Garcia? Bartolo Colon? Randy Johnson, maybe?
The Indians are focused on importing a closer, though they may stick with Lewis if nothing works out. Brian Fuentes could make sense, and the trade market might offer B.J. Ryan, Huston Street, and Kevin Gregg.
It will be a challenging offseason for Mark Shapiro, as the Indians have many needs. A payroll increase could go a long way, though attendance doesn’t seem to support one.
Indians Leaning Toward Brantley In C.C. Deal
According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indians made decide on the final player in the C.C. Sabathia trade today. Hoynes says the Indians are leaning toward outfielder Michael Brantley over third baseman Taylor Green. Hoynes reminds us that the Indians have already received Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, and Rob Bryson from the Brewers.
Yankees Rumors: Jeter, Sabathia, Hudson
Let’s talk Yankees.
- Ken Davidoff makes recommendations for the ’09 Yankees. He would sign Derek Lowe and Andy Pettitte, and offer arbitration to Damaso Marte and Bobby Abreu.
- Jim Baumbach explains a tricky situation coming up: re-signing Derek Jeter.
- Peter Abraham takes a look at various free agents on the minds’ of Yankees fans.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says first priority for the Yankees is to re-sign Brian Cashman. I imagine they already have a Plan B in place, but recent reports lean toward Cashman returning.
- Kepner says the Indians were aggressive in pursuing a deadline deal involving Phil Hughes and C.C. Sabathia. Now, Kepner says the Yankees are skeptical they’ll be able to sign Sabathia. For Plan B, the Yanks seem to prefer pitchers with American League experience. They’ll probably stand pat on the bullpen, though a decision must be made on Damaso Marte‘s option.
- If the Yankees can engineer a Robinson Cano–Matt Kemp swap (unlikely), they could then sign free agents Mark Teixeira and Orlando Hudson. The right-side infield defense would be drastically improved.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is more pessimistic – he doesn’t see the team’s internal center field options working out, nor does he consider the free agent signings wise.
Odds and Ends: Manny, Laird, Strasburg, Chipper
Let’s gather up today’s linkage.
- Andy Pettitte will probably pitch next year, but Mike Mussina remains an unknown.
- Reader Peter H. reminds us that the Brewers’ playoff berth means the Indians get to choose the player to be named later in the C.C. Sabathia deal.
- Ross Newhan finds it indisputable that the Dodgers and Angels have to re-sign Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira at any cost. Manny generated an estimated $7.6MM in extra revenue for the Dodgers. T.J. Simers snagged all kinds of quotes from Manny in recent articles, including one about Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick dissing Manny in front of his teammates prior to the shoving incident.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News names some possible fits for Gerald Laird this winter – the Tigers, Brewers, Reds, and Red Sox.
- The Nationals will pick first in the 2009 draft. Will they go for Stephen Strasburg?
- Kerry Wood felt bad about his three-year, $32.5MM deal, and basically signed a blank check after the ’07 season.
- Ron Villone would like to return to the Cardinals rather than attempt to tie Mike Morgan‘s record of playing for 12 different teams.
- Leo Mazzone or Rick Peterson for next Tigers pitching coach?
- Athletics Nation puts together a plan to compete in ’09 without sacrificing the future.
- Chipper Jones wants to retire a Brave. But if he doesn’t sign an extension beyond ’09 and the Braves want to trade him next summer, he’s got a short list of teams to which he’d accept a trade.
Odds and Ends: Santos, Blalock, Lo Duca
Let’s dig through today’s rumor bin…
- The Jays claimed southpaw Reid Santos off waivers from the Indians. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince says the Indians are clearing room on their 40-man roster in preparation for the winter.
- Dejan Kovacevic has yet to observe why new Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche is so highly regarded.
- Jamey Newberg feels Hank Blalock‘s $6.2MM option for ’09 is an easy call to exercise.
- J.C. Bradbury sees a rift within the Braves organization.
- Craig Calcaterra dismisses the silly idea of Frank McCourt suing Andruw Jones.
- Paul Lo Duca would prefer a non-guaranteed deal next year if he gets a chance to compete for a starting job.
- Ian O’Connor doesn’t see Alex Rodriguez finishing his contract as a Yankee.
- C.C. Sabathia just wants to be happy in his next destination.
- Will the Braves re-sign Mike Hampton this winter? Is it possible both he and Carl Pavano are useful pitchers in 2009?