Odds and Ends : Snyder, Ludwick, Bradley
Reading material for Tuesday…
- Chris Carpenter is reportedly dealing with a unique and career-threatening nerve injury, which could increase the Cardinals’ need for starting pitching this winter.
- Viva El Birdos says the Cardinals should offer Ryan Ludwick and others for Matt Cain. Can’t hurt to ask.
- The Cubs claimed outfielder Brad Snyder off waivers from the Indians. He was the 18th overall pick in 2003, but hasn’t produced enough in the minors.
- Milton Bradley stands to earn another half-million bucks if he can snag seven more plate appearances. Bradley met with the Rangers a few months ago to discuss a long-term deal, but nothing is close. Bradley feels the Rangers are dragging their feet, and gives 50-50 odds on a return. He said he’d quit baseball if he couldn’t find a multiyear deal somewhere.
- Sam Mellinger reminds Royals fans that their long-term success hinges on the development of in-house youngsters rather than free agent signings.
- Steven Goldman notes that the Red Sox are far better prepared for the future than the Yankees.
Odds and Ends: Lee, Rogers, Beltre, Darvish
Today’s random linkage…
- The Indians signed 21 year-old pitcher Chen-Chang Lee out of Taiwan. Anthony Castrovince has the scouting report. East Windup Chronicle says the bonus is in the $350-400K range.
- Kenny Rogers suggested Jim Leyland remove him from the rotation. Rogers still thinks he can pitch effectively next year at 44, however.
- Geoff Baker notes an extra benefit to delaying Adrian Beltre‘s surgery – the playing time could nudge him toward Type A status when he reaches free agency after the ’09 season.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday says Yu Darvish will probably not be posted this winter but could be after the ’09 season. Davidoff says the Giants, Orioles, and D’Backs have been heavily scouting Japan this year.
- The Cubs are looking at contract extensions for Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry, according to Gordon Wittenmeyer.
Blake Leads Third Base Market
Here’s a look at the free agent market for third basemen:
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Hank Blalock (28) – $6.2MM club option for ’09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Wes Helms (33) – $3.75MM club option for ’09
Chipper Jones (37) – $8-11MM vesting option for ’09
Mark Loretta (37)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Jones won’t hit the market. Blalock and Crede have health issues, while the others would be stretched as starters. Except for Casey Blake. He’s the best free agent option at third base.
Blake, 35, is hitting .282/.351/.480 in 560 plate appearances this year. He’s not much defensively, making eight fewer plays than the average third baseman this year. He’s about average at fielding bunts.
Blake is earning $6.1MM this year. Perhaps he will receive a two-year deal in the $15MM range. The Indians told Blake to keep them in mind, but he hasn’t made any decisions yet. He should have plenty of suitors, possibly including the Twins, A’s, Brewers, Dodgers, and Giants. Blake can also play first base and right field, expanding his options.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hudson, Ordonez, Fielder, Howard
Let’s swing through Ken Rosenthal’s latest column.
- Rosenthal names the Mets, Yankees, Rangers, White Sox, Indians, Rockies, and Cardinals as speculative fits for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. Obviously several of those scenarios would involve shuffling players to other positions or trades. The Yankees’ infield defense could certainly use the boost.
- Rosenthal considers Frank Wren’s midseason trip to Japan a sign that he might be active in that market.
- The Tigers may shop Magglio Ordonez for pitching this winter. Maggs will need fewer than 500 plate appearances next year to cause his 2010 and 2011 options to vest. So he’s essentially owed $48MM over three years.
- Don’t forget two other sluggers who may be available this winter: Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard. It works well for the Brewers and Phillies, as the free agent market is weak at first base.
Sabathia Compensation Situation
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer details an interesting arrangement between the Brewers and Indians regarding the player to be named later in the C.C. Sabathia trade (hat tip to Anthony Castrovince). Hoynes says the Indians get to choose the player if the Brewers make the playoffs; otherwise, the Brewers choose. The Brewers have roughly a 70-80% chance of making the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Hoynes says the candidates include four possible players, with outfielder Michael Brantley and third baseman Taylor Green among them. Baseball America had Green ranked ahead of Brantley heading into the season, but it seems pretty close.
Molony’s Latest: K-Rod, Helms, Valverde
Let’s dig into the latest blog post from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- Molony believes the Mets, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, Indians, and Cubs are considering signing Francisco Rodriguez this winter. I think K-Rod’s demands could cause a nice ripple effect for Brian Fuentes, the second-best closer on the market. Regarding Molony’s six teams, a strong case can be made against several of them signing Rodriguez. The Rays and Indians will probably take a careful approach to free agency, while the Tigers may not have room in the budget. The Cubs seem likely to bring Kerry Wood back.
- Also on the topic of K-Rod, ESPN’s Andrew Marchand (via MetsBlog) quotes the pitcher’s agent naming the Cardinals, Tigers, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets as the five likely serious suitors. They’re looking for 5/75.
- Wes Helms would like to return to the Marlins next year. Molony believes the Marlins may want to retain Helms or Luis Gonzalez but perhaps not both.
- The Astros would prefer an extension for closer Jose Valverde rather than a likely eight figure arbitration reward. Valverde, 29, could reasonably demand more than $50MM in a multiyear extension.
Stark’s Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton
Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB’s apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal.
- Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation. However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive). The Giants are known to like the big first baseman. The hangup is Brian Sabean’s reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain.
- The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre. The Mariners want starting pitching, but one year of Beltre is not equal to four of Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Phillies still don’t want to go past two guaranteed years for Pat Burrell. Stark points out another complication – Burrell would gain 10-and-5 rights early in a Phillies contract. Any NL team inking Burrell for four years is a risky proposition given his defense. If Burrell leaves the Phillies, Stark doesn’t expect the team to sign a major free agent as his replacement.
- The Indians deserve props for acquiring Anthony Reyes. Let’s not overdo it though – it’s only been five starts, and his strikeout rate is just 4.0 per nine in Cleveland.
- The Indians talked to multiple teams about Cliff Lee last winter. Interestingly, they thought the hardest about swapping him for Carlos Quentin.
- The Astros were quite willing to trade Ty Wigginton, prior to his massive August.
Gammons’ Latest: Martin, Dunn, Quentin
Here’s the latest blog post from ESPN’s Peter Gammons…
- Takashi Saito is mentioned as a free agent this winter, but I believe it’s a situation where he can only re-sign, return to Japan, or retire.
- Gammons heard talk that Russell Martin could be switched permanently to third base. In that scenario, the Dodgers would sign a pitching-oriented catcher such as Jason Varitek. Would that be a good move?
- Adam Dunn knows it’s cliche, but he intends to prioritize winning over money when he hits free agency.
- The D’Backs were asking a lot for Carlos Quentin last winter, with the White Sox, Red Sox, and Indians interested. Josh Byrnes was not able to get Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie, or Cliff Lee. Arizona ended up getting Chris Carter from Chicago and flipping him to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal. Carter mashed 39 home runs in A ball this year. You can’t say the Diamondbacks gave Quentin away for nothing, since they acquired a crucial component for the Haren trade.
- A year ago, Yankees GM Brian Cashman asked Joe Torre and his coaches their opinion on a Robinson Cano for Orlando Hudson swap. Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa were heavily in favor of keeping Cano.
Angels Eyeing Backup Shortstops
FRIDAY: Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi confirmed he’s in discussions with the Angels about his shortstops.
THURSDAY: With Maicer Izturis out for the season and Erick Aybar day-to-day, the Angels are looking to acquire a veteran backup shortstop. Backup at second base wouldn’t be a bad idea either, in case Howie Kendrick‘s injury is serious. Mike DiGiovanna names John McDonald, David Eckstein, Marco Scutaro, Juan Castro, and Jamey Carroll as targets. The numbers on these guys:
- McDonald: .222/.269/.292 in 162 PAs. Owed $350K in ’08, $1.9MM in ’09.
- Eckstein: .274/.353/.357 in 293 PAs. Owed $830K in ’08.
- Scutaro: .265/.347/.348 in 475 PAs. Owed $290K in ’08, $1.1MM in ’09.
- Castro: .194/.233/.250 in 118 PAs. Owed minimum, Reds paying contract.
- Carroll: .271/.355/.346 in 314 PAs. Owed $400K in ’08, $2.5MM club option for ’09 with $0.15MM buyout.
Scutaro seems like the best fit; Carroll has not played shortstop this year. It is not known whether any of these players have cleared waivers. Who do you think the Angels should target?
Odds and Ends: Indians, Rays, Jays
Time to cobble together today’s links.
- The Dodgers designated Tanyon Sturtze for assignment. The 37 year-old pitched only 2.1 innings for the big club.
- Dejan Kovacevic does not believe the Pedro Alvarez issue will prevent the Pirates from working with Scott Boras in the future.
- RotoAuthority assembles a fantasy team entirely of players who went undrafted in March.
- Dave Cameron wonders if the Indians will make a trade due to their catching surplus.
- Rays Index wants to make it clear that drafting high is only a small factor in the Rays’ success.
- Drunk Jays Fans caught an amusing exchange between a fan and GM J.P. Ricciardi on his radio show.
- Dave O’Brien ponders the possibility of a Mike Hampton trade. In another post, he mentions that reliever Will Ohman was claimed on waivers and pulled back.