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Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine

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The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."

He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…

  • Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
  • Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
  • Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
  • J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
  • Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
  • Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
  • Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.

The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.

Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…

  • Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
  • The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
  • Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
  • Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
  • Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.

Rockies Release Russ Ortiz

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Diamond Leung reports that the Rockies have released veteran righthander Russ Ortiz, who had been pitching with Triple-A Colorado Springs. After spending most of the year in the Astros rotation, Ortiz agreed to the minor league contract with the Yankees before opting out of the deal in hopes of finding a better big league opportunity. Colorado signed him to a minor league pact two weeks ago.

In three starts with the Rockies' top minor league affiliate, Ortiz allowed 28 baserunners and 12 runs in 14 IP. The former 21-game winner hasn't been an effective pitcher since 2004.  

Rangers Mulling Third Base Acquisition

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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?

Williams Discusses Thome and Contreras Trades

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ESPN's Peter Gammons has a long-awaited interview with White Sox GM Ken Williams about the trades that sent Jim Thome and Jose Contreras packing. Williams argues that the trades did not amount to "a raising of the white flag" and says he was trying "to do right by players who certainly did right by us."

Williams says that he assured Thome that he would not be traded against his wishes. "He told me he was more interested in winning another ring than hitting 600 homers," the GM said. "We wanted to accomodate [him] so that he could finish the season the way he wanted."

Regarding Contreras, Williams says that manager Ozzie Guillen was not planning to start the pitcher down the stretch. "I thought this was a way to give him the opportunity to start and rebuild his value in the free-agent market," Williams said. 

According to Gammons, Rockies manager Jim Tracy, who "dealt with" Brad Penny when both were with the Dodgers, did not want the veteran starter on his staff although GM Dan O'Dowd had interest. So, O'Dowd turned to the White Sox for the starter he needed.

Stark On Lackey, Rays, Jeter

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More from Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings column at ESPN.com…

  • One of Stark's sources says the Angels' acquisition of Scott Kazmir is not linked to John Lackey's future.  Lackey is said to have dropped his price from the C.C. Sabathia range ($161MM over seven years) to A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM over five years) due to his recent injury history.  The Angels will attempt to re-sign Lackey, but they have their limit.  Stark's suggestion that Lackey had a "Sabathia-esque" price tag in Spring Training runs counter to Mike DiGiovanna's report that the pitcher wanted Burnett money at that time.
  • Stark feels that the Rays' trade of Kazmir will help them allocate money toward retaining Carl Crawford and/or Carlos Pena.  Crawford's 2010 club option is worth between $10-11.5MM.  Pena is signed at $10.125MM for '10 and is represented by Scott Boras.  One positive: the slugging first baseman inked a below-market deal in January of '08.
  • Derek Jeter is not talking about his next contract, but Stark feels the Yankees will take care of him.  They may wait until after next season, when Jeter finishes his current deal.
  • Rockies manager Jim Tracy is familiar with Brad Penny, and his opinion might have caused the team to back off.  And the Yankees cooled Jon Garland because they didn't see him as a difference-maker in the AL East.
  • The Marlins were in on Mike Cameron, but the Brewers decided to keep their players and win as many games as possible.
  • The White Sox "wanted something good" for Jermaine Dye, according to one Stark source.  He would not have been as easy to pry away as Jim Thome and Jose Contreras were.
  • A couple of sources are skeptical that the Red Sox will shop closer Jonathan Papelbon this winter.
  • Stark notes that only two players – Ryan Franklin and David Eckstein – signed extensions in-season.  These days it makes more sense to talk during the exclusive negotiation period after the season.  Plus, there were many bargains to be had on the free agent market last offseason.

Discussion: What Should Braves Do With Their Pitching Surplus?

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Mark Bowman of MLB.com has an excellent rundown of the Braves' payroll going into 2010. He focuses on Tim Hudson, who had scouts from the Rockies and the Diamondbacks watching him make his return to the mound last night.

It would seem that the Braves have some decisions to make about their starting rotation going into next season. They currently have Hudson, Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson. 

According to Bowman, the Braves have a few different options. They could pay Hudson's $1MM buyout and let him go. They could attempt to trade Vazquez for prospects. They could even trade Kawakami for financial relief, though the return for him would be less than what Vazquez would bring. 

Bowman argues that if both Hudson and Vazquez stay with the Braves, Atlanta's rotation "would be deeper than any of the great ones it possessed during the 1990's." Do you agree? How should the Braves proceed?

Odds & Ends: Penny, Hardy, Hoffmann

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Some links to check out while you try to figure out what's for dinner…

  • ESPN's Keith Law says that both Jim Thome and Jon Garland have value to Dodgers in the roles they were acquired to fill, pinch hitter and innings eater. KLaw also notes that Jose Contreras is better option than anyone currently in the Rockies' organization, and that he might benefit from a move to the NL.
  • R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs says that people should be focusing more on the draft picks the White Sox gave away (Thome projects to be a Type-A free agent) than the fact that they're throwing in the towel on the season.
  • Brad Penny said he'd be willing to return to the AL East in the future, according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. "I think if I make my pitches against anyone, I'll do fine…Sometimes you don't get breaks. I was making some bad pitches, and leaving some balls up. In the AL East, you can't really do that," said Penny.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy spoke to Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy about whether he'll be traded this offseason or not, and got this response: "It makes sense, not that I want to be traded."
  • Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers have designated outfielder Jamie Hoffmann for assignment. The 25-yr old hit just .182/.167/.409 in his brief stint with LA earlier this year. It's always fun when a guy has a higher batting average than on-base percentage.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America posted last week's minor league transactions. The Brewers signed two former big leaguers – outfielders Jon Knott and Tike Redman – out of the independent Atlantic League.
  • Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter for the fastest rumor updates on the web.

Garland, Contreras Trade Reactions

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A couple of heroes of the 2005 postseason, Jon Garland and Jose Contreras, were acquired by NL West teams yesterday.  Let's round up reaction links.

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports likes the stability Garland provides the Dodgers, and wonders if they should exercise his $10MM option for 2010.  The Rockies and Rangers both had interest in Garland, who turns 30 this month.  His contract states that he cannot be offered arbitration if he's a Type A free agent, but that's irrelevant since Garland is currently battling just for Type B status.  ESPN's Buster Olney says the D'Backs are paying the entire freight for Garland, so the Dodgers will give up a decent player (we don't know who yet).
  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies acquired Contreras as a reaction to Aaron Cook's injury.  Contreras was the consolation prize after the Rox were unable to meet the D'Backs' demands for Garland.  The Sox will pay most of Contreras' remaining $2.7MM, compelling the Rockies to send pitching prospect Brandon Hynick to Chicago.  Hynick talked to Jack Etkin of Inside The Rockies about the trade.  Baseball America says he profiles as a back of the rotation innings eater, in their latest Handbook.
  • How do you rank the recent NL West rotation additions, weighing these two moves and the Giants' signing of Brad Penny?  Most folks would probably be inclined to say Garland, Penny, Contreras, but in one month's time anything can happen.  All three pitchers have free agency as extra motivation.

Rockies Acquire Jose Contreras

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Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times reports that the White Sox have traded Jose Contreras to the Rockies. Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune says the ChiSox are also sending cash to Colorado, and will receive righthander Brandon Hynick in return.

Contreras has put up a 5.42 ERA in 21 starts for Chicago this year, but has been particularly dreadful in August, allowing 30 runs in 24.2 IP covering six starts. He is in the final year of the three-year, $29MM extension he signed in 2006. Assuming the deal was completed before midnight ET on August 31st, Contreras is eligible for the Rockies' postseason roster.

Hynick, 24, was the Rockies 8th round pick in the 2006 draft, and has put up a 3.83 ERA in 26 starts for Colorado's Triple-A affiliate this year. He threw a perfect game earlier in July, and was rated the 22nd best prospect in the Rockies' system earlier this year by Baseball America.

Two Teams Interested In Garland

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11:00pm: Heyman says a deal between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers "looks pretty likely to happen."

10:22pm: Heyman tweets that talks between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers about Garland are "heating up." He also mentions that the Rockies and Yankees look less likely at the moment.

9:02pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Yanks "are not involved in any on-going trade talks for Jon Garland."

8:03pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Rockies and Yankees have inquired about Garland.

7:26pm: Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that two unknown teams have been "actively discussing" pitcher Jon Garland with the Diamondbacks. He mentions that a "potential trade likely would require the Diamondbacks to include cash to offset what remains on Garland’s contract, particularly the buyout for his 2010 option, which will be either $2.5 million or $1 million depending on which side declines."

The supremely durable Garland has started at least 32 games in the last seven years, and he's five starts away from making it eight consecutive years. The soon-to-be 30-yr has a 4.29 ERA and cleared waivers earlier this month. A team would need to acquire him before midnight tonight for him to be eligible for the postseason roster.

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