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Yankees Considering Helton?

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For all the talk of how the Yankees have changed, the team went back to its old brute force spending approach to add the one available free agent difference-maker in Roger Clemens.  Ten games behind the Red Sox and in third place, it seems they may be considering another expensive acquisition.  According to Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball, the Yanks are considering acquiring Todd Helton to play first base.  The Rockies might have to accept a contract in return, perhaps Kyle Farnsworth’s.  I would except a Helton deal to resemble the Bobby Abreu trade, where the Yankees mostly provide salary relief rather than players. 

The Yankees’ offense has been kind of average in May.  However, the .262/.347/.460 line they’ve gotten from Josh Phelps and Doug Mientkiewicz is about league average for the position.  It’s far from a major need.

Aside from the Angels, there aren’t many teams that could take on Helton’s contract or even compete for his services.  In contrast, one Rockie likely to be coveted by is closer Brian Fuentes.  Healey says he’s on the Yanks’ radar as well.  Fuentes is a 31 year-old lefty with 75 career saves.  He’ll be a free agent after the 2008 season.

Jorge Julio Swapped For Byung-Hyun Kim

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As you may have heard by now, a couple of down-and-out pitchers were swapped today as the Marlins sent Jorge Julio to the Rockies for Byung-Hyun Kim.

The hurlers have a lot in common – both are free agents after the season, and the Marlins and Rockies were each on the hook for $2.5MM in salary.  Plus, both had fallen out of favor with their respective teams.

The Rockies already have a strong duo for the eighth and ninth innings – Manny Corpas and Brian Fuentes.  Dan O’Dowd decided to buy low on Julio, a fairly young reliever whose results never seem to match his stuff.  From the gist of the MLB.com article, it sounds like O’Dowd worked the phones for months trying to get something interesting for Kim and Julio was the best he could do.

This could be one of those deals that works for both sides, as I’ve considered Kim a bit of a sleeper in recent years.  The sidearmer had a decent 7.5 K/9 last year, but still posted a 5.57 ERA in 27 starts.  If the Marlins can help him regain the control he had in ’02-03, he could be a pleasant surprise.  And what pitcher wouldn’t want to switch from Coors Field to Dolphins Stadium?  Coors inflates homers by 12%, while Dolphins Stadium deflates them by 9% (according to the Bill James Handbook).  While there are no public plans for it right now, Kim could end up closing for the Fish if current options don’t pan out.

Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins

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Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera.  Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity.  The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.

Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins.  Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal.  Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker.  He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely.  I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.

From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar:  Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion.  DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip.  Santana could really blossom in the National League.  With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need.  Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.

As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities.  Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter.  Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.

Rockies Still After Julian Tavarez

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According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Red Sox will shop Julian Tavarez once Jon Lester is ready to return.  The Rockies have maintained interest since at least last summer.  Tavarez, 34, tossed 120 innings for the Rox in 2000.  He makes $3.1MM this season and has a club option for $3.85MM in ’08.  That option becomes guaranteed if he makes 60 more appearances this year.

Lester will need to show that his forearm cramp is a non-issue before the Red Sox can move forward.  Lester won’t throw until Monday at the earliest.  A few days ago, Nick Cafardo named a slew of teams that could pursue Tavarez aside from the Rockies: the Mets, Cardinals, Phillies, Marlins, and Reds.

Rockies Inquire About Cantu

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A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the Rockies as a possible fit for Jorge Cantu in a Let’s Make A Deal post.  Turns out they really were interested, inquiring about him sometime before Sunday.

The question remains – would the Rox really pair rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki with Cantu?  Playing alongside one of the worst defensive second basemen in the game wouldn’t seem likely to help Tulo’s development.  Clint Hurdle is dedicated to Tulowitzki despite a slow start (.191/.296/.234 in 47 ABs).

Cantu is hitting .250/.302/.354 with zero home runs in 48 ABs in Triple A.  He’s batting cleanup and commiserating with teammate Seth McClung.  Besides hoping for Cantu’s bat to heat up, the D-Rays plan on using him at first, second, and third base to increase his value.  Of course, first and third are fully locked up on the Rockies. 

Rockies To Waive Brian Lawrence

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The Rockies signed 31 year-old starter Brian Lawrence back in January to a one-year deal with a club option.  Lawrence had rotator cuff surgery about a year ago, but was expected to slot into Colorado’s rotation.  However, he’ll be placed on waivers today, according to the Denver Post.  He was destroyed in three Triple A rehab starts, so the decision makes sense.

There was plenty of interest in Lawrence this offseason, as he came cheap and seemed to offer possible league average pitching.  The Padres, Mariners, Rockies, Pirates, Giants, and Diamondbacks all expressed interest.  Lawrence’s preference is to pitch in the NL West.  He’s going to have to show something in Triple A before some team starts giving him starts, however.

Rockies Rumors: Kim, Holliday

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A few small Rockies tidbits from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:

  • Part of the reason the Rockies were unable to bring reliever Ron Villone aboard was that they didn’t have room in their budget.  To get some flexibility, they’d love to unload Byung-Hyun Kim’s $2.5MM and get a cheap reliever in return.  Renck mentions that the Rox have kicked the tires on Milwaukee’s recently demoted Jose Capellan. 
  • Scott Boras declared yesterday that there will be no in-season negotiations regarding a multiyear contract for Matt Holliday.  Holliday won’t reach free agency until after 2009, but if he keeps doing what he’s doing he’ll make the most money by going year-to-year.  Another Boras client, Joe Crede, has followed this model.  I believe Crede can compare himself to free agent peers in his final arbitration year after this season.  If you think he’s on par with Adrian Beltre, he might be in line for $10MM.  That might mean a midsummer trade.  But I digress.

Rockies Still Hawking Kim

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An unhappy Byung-Hyun Kim isn’t doing much for the Rockies in their bullpen, and they’d love to unload the sidearmer and his $2.5MM salary.  Ken Rosenthal says the Rox could release Kim if they can’t find a taker.  That wouldn’t look great for Dan O’Dowd, who made the decision to exercise Kim’s option back in November.

Rosenthal describes "low-level discussions" regarding Kim with the Orioles, A’s, Royals, and Cardinals.  The O’s wouldn’t surrender even Todd Williams for Kim.  Joe Kennedy had a strong first effort for Oakland, so their interest may be reduced.  I originally thought he’d be a good fit for St. Louis, but Cards fans disagreed.  Perhaps Chris Carpenter’s condition will heighten their interest.

The Rangers, Pirates, Marlins, and Dodgers have been connected to Kim in the past. 

Ron Villone Draws Interest

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Several teams, including the Phillies, have contacted Ron Villone and his agent Scott Boras about joining their bullpens.  The Rockies are also among those that have inquired.  Villone is available after being released by the Yankees last week.

At 37, Villone has a lot of mileage and struggles against right-handed batters, but he is still quite effective against left handed batters.  In 2006, he held left-handed batters to a .179/.279/.330 AVG/OBP/SLG line.

For teams that are in need of a LOOGY, it might be worth it to kick Villone’s tires.

Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".

Rockies Come Calling On Cordero

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The Denver Post reports that the Rockies expressed interest in Washington Nationals’ closer Chad Cordero.  The Nationals gave the Rockies the same answer they give everyone that comes calling on Cordero: he’s not available.

Is March 31st too early to talk about a trading deadline that is four months away?  If The Nationals are smart, they will hang onto Cordero until they have the maximum amount of leverage, and that’s in July.  General manager Jim Bowden proved last year in trade discussions regarding Alfonso Soriano that he isn’t going to make a deal that he doesn’t feel gets the proper return, so when July comes around, other general managers will have to factor that into their offers.

Having said that, the Nationals would be foolish not to trade Cordero at some point this season. An elite closer is a luxury a 100-loss team can not afford.

Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".

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