Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wells, Griffey, Olney, Tavarez, Edmonds
A lot of links today, so let’s get to what is being said about some trade and signing possibilities in the Blogosphere…
- The Darth Boss George Brigade wants Hank Steinbrenner to sign David Wells to prove that Hank is indeed his father’s son.
- River Ave. Blues says the Yankees are too smart to sign Wells and then goes on to list about 87 pitchers that should be given a shot in the Highlanders’ rotation before Wells.
- Redlegs Rant feels that Ken Griffey Jr. is behind the recent stories that speculate on him being traded.
- Mariners Central speculates on some of the names that it might take to land Ken Griffey Jr., noting that the M’s are not likely to part with either of their top two prospects, Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement.
- The Tribe Time Report sees plenty of holes in Buster Olney’s recent theory that Garret Atkins would be a good fit for the Indians.
- Brewers Nation agrees with Olney that the Brewers should trade Ben Sheets.
- Sox & Pinstripes doesn’t want to just give away Julian Tavarez but they also note that the bullpen needs help and Tavarez isn’t the answer.
- Batter’s Box says Brad Wilkerson should fit in well with the rest of the Jays lineup, which also lacks the ability to hit for average or power.
- One writer at Fanhouse doesn’t understand why Kevin Towers is so disappointed in the play of Jim Edmonds. They feel it was pretty obvious that the Pads were getting a player well past his prime.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Rockies Not Planning Starter Acquisition
FRIDAY: Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the Rockies aren’t looking to acquire a starter at this time. As of yesterday Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald said the Rox remained interested in Tavarez but that no advancements had been made.
THURSDAY: On Tuesday we found out that the Rockies have been looking into a number of trade options for their starting rotation. The two most common names in the conversation are Josh Fogg and Julian Tavarez, both former Rox. Fogg has given up over a run an inning for the last place Reds, and could be DFA if the team opts to go with youngster Homer Bailey, who has a 2.72 ERA in AAA. Tavarez might be expendable for the Sox, though that would mean depending on David Aardsma.
Today, Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News tells us that the Rox have inquired on Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes. We’ve heard the rumor that the Cardinals are shopping the former USC star, though they are looking for "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece." Any Rox fans want to toss out names of trade candidates? Could Brian Fuentes be the other piece?
After a poor major league showing in 2007, Reyes broke camp with the Cardinals this year as a reliever. He didn’t fare very well, allowing eight runs in 13.2 IP, though of course that’s a measly sample size. He’s since been optioned to AAA, where he’ll be showcased as a starter. He has yet to make an appearance.
Etkin further notes that the Rox have had no substantial talks with the A’s about Joe Blanton or Rich Harden, nor the Rangers about Kevin Millwood. It’s unlikely any of that crop will be traded until much later in the season, if at all. The Boston Herald confirms the team’s interest in Tavarez, and as Tim noted, Walt Jocketty didn’t deny the Fogg rumors.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski. If you see any rumors, send ’em over.
Olney Speculation: Atkins A Fit For Indians?
ESPN’s Buster Olney makes a point to say that this trade idea is pure speculation rather than anything he’s heard. Still worth discussing. Here it is:
If Colorado eventually turns the page on 2008, the Indians and the Rockies could match up well in a deal built around Garrett Atkins. The Rockies have a third baseman waiting in the wings, in Ian Stewart — although he is not faring well so far — and the Indians, as they look for ways to improve their offense, are flexible at first and third base.
Back in March, Ken Rosenthal suggested that Atkins was one player the Rox may not try to sign long-term. There were no talks in the 2007-08 offseason.
Atkins, 28, is a .274/.344/.446 career hitter away from Coors. Dismissing him as an average hitter is unfair – he’s at .289/.363/.496 on the road since the start of the ’06 season. Hard to say exactly where he’d settle in as an American Leaguer, but he’d probably be above average. Atkins’ glovework does leave something to be desired though.
Atkins is under team control through the 2010 season. He could earn close to $20MM during his last two years of arbitration eligibility.
What would it take for the Indians to acquire Atkins? Adam Miller would be too much. Would Aaron Laffey and Josh Barfield be enough?
Rockies Looking For Starting Pitching
7:22pm: Walt Jocketty did not deny the Fogg-Rockies rumor when asked. Maybe he’ll be a little more loose with the rumors than Krivsky was.
9:18am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on the Rockies’ pursuit of starting pitching. Their search includes some familiar names.
- Josh Fogg seems like the most likely acquisition; he’s a DFA candidate for the Reds. Fogg received an early one-year offer from the Rockies this winter that was later pulled back.
- Julian Tavarez, another former Rockie, is on the radar again. The Red Sox don’t seem to have much use for him.
- Kevin Millwood figures to be a popular name in the coming months. Renck says the Rangers want "the right players in return, not salary relief." Millwood makes $8.5MM in ’08, $11MM in ’09, and $12MM in ’10 (if he reaches certain innings incentives). He also has a limited no-trade clause.
- Rich Harden may come off the DL soon, but he’d have to remain healthy for probably a month before teams become seriously interested.
- Renck says Joe Blanton is "currently not available." The A’s are the current Wild Card leader, after all.
More Rosenthal’s Latest
Slow day for rumors, and yet Ken Rosenthal gets two posts! No surprise there. This time from his nifty sidebar Notes of Importance:
- With John Smoltz returning as the closer, the Braves will be exploring trades for a starter. Rosenthal says Atlanta could afford to give up prospects but won’t overpay. MLBTR covered this a couple days ago.
- Doing his best Monty Python, Rosenthal looks on the bright of life and sees the Troy Tulowitzki injury as an opportunity for Clint Barmes to rebuild his trade value. If he can produce anywhere near the level of his 80+ games in ’05 then Barmes could generate a lot of interest. If not, then we’ll continue to mention venison whenever Barmes comes up in conversation. I think Barmes has a lot of proving to do to be looked at favorably by scouts as he’d become a bit of a liability for the Rockies both in the field and at the plate.
- At the moment, the Nationals are carrying three catchers: Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, and Wil Nieves. Lo Duca is off the DL and returning to starting. Estrada is making $1.25MM and could be released, suggest Rosenthal. Nieves, however, signed with the Nats for less money over the Yankees in the offseason, hoping for a better opportunity. If the Nats put him on waivers, the Yankees – who wanted to retain Nieves – may indeed claim him if they view him as a better option than Chad Moeller.
By Nat Boyle
Rockies Sign Juan Castro
FRIDAY: The Rockies win the Castro sweepstakes. Ken Rosenthal notes in a sidebar that the silver lining to the Tulo injury could be Barmes getting a chance to build up trade value. Rosenthal doesn’t see the Rox pursuing Brian Roberts for second base help unless they battle their way into contention first.
THURSDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News has been all over the Juan Castro situation. The 35 year-old shortstop became a free agent today, and four clubs are in pursuit. The Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, and Rockies are all after him. Jackson says the Dodgers and Rockies would want him to do a brief Triple A stint. Troy E. Renck confirms Colorado’s interest.
The Rockies received devastating news today – star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki could be out until July with a torn tendon in his quad. Clint Barmes will assume the starting shortstop position.
Rockies Acquire Jason Grilli, Jorge de la Rosa
The Rockies and Tigers made a swap today. The Rockies get 31 year-old pitcher Jason Grilli, while the Tigers receive 22 year-old pitcher Zach Simons.
Grilli has served as a mop-up man for the Tigers the past two years, eating bullpen innings at a mediocre ERA. The Rox may have been drawn to his typically decent groundball rates.
Simons appears to be a long shot to reach the bigs; he wasn’t among the Rockies’ top 30 prospects.
The Rox also completed their long-rumored deal for lefty Jorge de la Rosa. He’ll jump right into the rotation. The 27 year-old is an interesting arm when healthy.
Odds and Ends: Morris, Moeller, de la Rosa
Let’s kick things off with an odds and ends post today. By the way did anyone watch Max Scherzer‘s debut last night? Damn.
- Dejan Kovacevic notes that even if Matt Morris considered retiring and abandoning his ’08 salary, the Players Association would’ve strongly objected.
- Rays Senior VP of Baseball Ops Gerry Hunsicker indicates that the team will spend money to improve the team if they’re still contending a few months from now.
- According to Jon Heyman, catcher Chad Moeller will remain with the Yankees.
- Another fine piece from Bob Nightengale of USA Today (hat tip to ShysterBall). The article discusses the pros and cons of young players leaving money on the table in exchange for security.
- The Rockies may complete their long-rumored Jorge de la Rosa acquisition. The Rox have question marks in the rotation after Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis.
- Good point from Ken Davidoff – the Phil Hughes/Johan Santana question can’t be answered yet.
Rockies Designate Jayson Nix
According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Rockies have designatd second baseman Jayson Nix for assignment. So, he can be had cheaply or for nothing.
Nix, 25, was a long shot to have the bat for regular duty this year after posting a .793 OPS in his second Colorado Springs stint in ’07. He is a skilled defensive player though. He was the last pick of the first round of the ’01 amateur draft (just six after David Wright, and ahead of Dan Haren!). The hindsight game isn’t fair but I like to play anyway.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Jones
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has his latest video "Rosenthal’s Full Count" up and running.
- First, Rosenthal calls Andruw Jones the "early candidate for worst free agent signing" noting that Jones is now batting 7th. Rosenthal goes so far as to say that the Dodgers’ best outfield right now includes Juan Pierre and does not include Jones…The Dodgers are truly lucky to have Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp on the cheap right now ($840K combined), because Jones ($14.1M) and Pierre ($8M) are a lot of dead contract weight for one outfield.
- And we can thank Rosenthal for keeping Brian Roberts in our lives…Rosenthal notes that as the O’s start coming back to earth after their hot start, they can start thinking once again about their July fire sale. The big name is obviously Roberts and Rosenthal says that the Cubs still want the second baseman. He says the Rockies are also likely to be interested. However, the Indians, who tried to put a package together for Roberts this past off-season, will not be one of the bidders as it would require position shuffling, something not likely to occur in-season…Then again, Peter Angelos may just keep dangling Roberts into next off-season. Once Roberts is traded, Angelos may be worried that there won’t be much reason to talk about the O’s. You guys would miss all the Roberts rumors, wouldn’t you?
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.