Mets, Marlins Interested In Torrealba
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Mets and Marlins have interest in free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba. The Rockies would like to bring him back, but otherwise they’ll look at Paul Lo Duca or Michael Barrett.
The 29 year-old Torrealba hit .255/.323/.376 in 396 ABs this year. Typically he hits for a touch more power. Meanwhile the average NL catcher hit .257/.318/.394 in 2007, so Torrealba’s bat is tolerable.
Torrealba was lousy at throwing out baserunners this year, checking in at just 19.7% caught stealing. Only Jason Kendall and Johnny Estrada were worse among qualifiers. Oddly Torrealba threw out 40.4% of baserunners in 2006 and 35.7% the year before. The reason for the decline is most likely a strained shoulder that lingered into the season.
Torrealba earned $1.075MM in ’07, and he might be looking for $3MM or more in ’08. Regarding the Marlins, they’re also interested in Barrett, Kendall, and Ramon Castro if they don’t keep Miguel Olivo.
Rockies Pursuing Ian Snell?
I hate to tap from the same well twice in a row, but I felt the rumor at the bottom of Jake from Bucco Blog’s post deserved it’s own mention. Jake writes,
"Lastly, are the Rockies going to go after Ian Snell? One NL exec thinks so.. and hard.
I was surprised when I heard this one knowing the Rockies have a pretty solid core of young pitchers in their farm, but if Dave Holliday does come to work as player development or scouting director, well…"
A lot of teams come off World Series trips with a truckload of veterans and the need to rebuild. The Rockies are not one of those teams. In fact, with the added confidence of a pennant (and World Series?), I wouldn’t be surprised if these now-seasoned youngsters kept competitive with the Diamondbacks up-and-coming talent over the next few years; however, they will need more starting pitching to do so (’07 starters had a 4.58 team ERA), especially if the Diamondbacks are focusing on upgrading a rotation consisting of Brandon Webb. So let’s look at Ian Snell as a fit.
Snell can dominate. He was arguably the Pirates best starter this year (3.76 ERA, 177 K in 208 IP), edging out Tom Gorzelanny in everything except Wins. He will turn 26 this Tuesday and just completed his second tour of duty. He is slated to make near-minimum in ’08, and becomes arbitration eligible in ’09-’11. Free agency is 5 years away. For that reason, it seems unlikely a rebuilding franchise would trade this cornerstone. Still, Jake from Bucco Blog doesn’t consider him untouchable.
And now let’s speculate on the Rockies: They have one of the deepest farm systems in the game, a key that will keep them competitive in the NL West. Troy Tulowitzki has got to be untouchable. But Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas may be at their respective pinnacles of value. Chris Ianetta, a promising catching prospect, Ian Stewart, Franklin Morales, Jeff Baker… the list of major league ready prospects goes on. If one team could persuade the Bucs to deal Snell, perhaps it’s the Rockies. Thoughts?
Odds and Ends: Abreu, Beckett, Helton, Schilling
Friday afternoon rumor tidbits…
- The Indians will probably let Kenny Lofton leave while exercising Joe Borowski’s $4MM option. No big surprise there.
- Nor is it a surprise that the Yankees are heavily leaning towards exercising Bobby Abreu‘s $16MM option.
- From the what might’ve been department: Red Sox owner John Henry was in favor of signing A.J. Burnett instead of trading for Josh Beckett. One could make a solid argument that the Red Sox would be better off if Henry had gotten his wish. Beckett and Julio Lugo combined for 8.6 wins at $14MM this year while Burnett and Hanley Ramirez combined for 14.8 wins at $12.4MM (according to WARP).
- From that same department – Tom Gage notes that the Tigers once nearly acquired Todd Helton for Tony Clark. There were many Clark rumors from 1999-2001 before the Red Sox claimed him off waivers. I heard Buck and McCarver talking recently about how Helton is not a product of his home park. For the record Helton has hit .368/.474/.668 at home in his career and .304/.409/.515 on the road. He probably belongs in the Hall but it would be a lot tighter if his career OPS was .924 instead of 1.014.
- Nick Cafardo makes his case for the Red Sox to re-sign Curt Schilling.
- A scouting look at Hiroki Kuroda, plus other Japanese pitchers who may come over (hat tip to MetsBlog). Jason Churchill estimates a three-year deal for Kuroda at $9-11MM per.
- How would you like to face a 125 mph fastball?
Odds and Ends
More random rumors and reading material!
- Baseball Prospectus’ Nate Silver discusses Ryan Braun‘s undeniably terrible defense at third base, suggesting some interesting trade and signing permutations to get him into right field. Also note that Kevin Kouzmanoff is a butcher at third; maybe the Friars will be in the market for Mike Lowell this winter (a player they’ve expressed interest in in the past).
- Awesome headline for this Garrett Atkins article. Steve King discusses how the Phillies would be a fine fit for a trade, throwing the Dodgers, Twins, Angels, and Astros into the mix as well. Note that Atkins has a career line of .269/.344/.437 on the road and .336/.399/.528 at Coors.
- Sid Hartman is hearing that Walt Jocketty could end up in Baltimore.
- The Daily Herald’s Scot Gregor proposes some kind of Jon Garland for Bill Hall swap, or even a Carl Crawford acquisition by the White Sox. I don’t think the Sox and Rays match up too well for that.
- I thought he’d stay, but Joe Torre has turned down a one-year, $5MM offer from the Yankees. The proposal had another $3MM in incentives and a vesting option for 2009 if the Yanks won the ’08 World Series.
- It’s Hiroshima or MLB for Hiroki Kuroda. Apparently the Ms already have their eye on him. Paul Sullivan also said recently that the Cubs will be in the mix.
Latest Phillies Rumors: Lowell, Rivera, Schilling
Let’s catch up on the rumors and minor moves involving the Phillies recently.
One offseason objective is, of course, third base. Abraham Nunez was an easy buyout decision; Pat Gillick will import a new third baseman this winter one way or another. Phils fans can stop dreaming up A-Rod scenarios; Gillick won’t pursue him. Mike Lowell is the one free agent 3B on the Phils’ radar. While Lowell wouldn’t mind playing in Philly, he made it clear yesterday that Boston remains his first choice. So there’s a good chance Gillick will have to get his man via trade. Scott Lauber names Garrett Atkins and Joe Crede (free agent after ’08, Boras client) as possible targets. We all know how Gillick loves dealing with Kenny Williams (and the Sox can use Josh Fields at third base).
Rod Barajas won’t be retained; Chris Coste will serve as the backup to Carlos Ruiz. A nice, cheap catching tandem.
How about pitching? Randy Miller has a source saying the Phils are targeting a couple of AL East stalwarts – Curt Schilling and Mariano Rivera. To sign Rivera at $12MM per and use Brett Myers in setup seems like a misallocation of resources to me. As for Schilling, Miller says he’s expressed interest in coming back to Philly to finish his career. I like the fit.
Miller also has some very interesting info on Aaron Rowand – he’s looking for a six-year, $84MM contract! Does that mean he ends up with a five-year, $60MM deal? Pretty hefty for a guy coming off a career year. Miller says the Phils won’t go for big-name replacements like Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter.
Finally, Pat Burrell has surfaced as a solid trading chip. He’s left with a reasonable one-year, $14MM commitment, albeit with a full-no trade clause that would require more compensation. How about Burrell to the White Sox for Crede? Phils kick in a couple mil, the White Sox get much-needed OBP for ’08 plus draft picks when Burrell leaves.
Jon Garland For Brian Fuentes?
As you know, Kenny Williams is looking for two relievers (one proven) for starter Jon Garland. Part of the motivation is moving Garland’s $12MM salary in his last year before free agency. You may also recall that the Rockies inquired on Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Garland this summer. Talks stalled when the White Sox insisted on southpaw starter Franklin Morales or third baseman Ian Stewart.
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the teams could re-engage in talks involving Garland. The discussion would begin with lefty veteran reliever Brian Fuentes. Renck believes Fuentes will make about $7MM in ’08, his last year before free agency. So the White Sox would trim roughly $5MM from the payroll with such a move. Perhaps Williams would ask for 23 year-old reliever Juan Morillo to complete the deal. Morillo fits the "young reliever with closer potential" mold and was reportedly clocked at 104 mph a few years back (per Baseball America).
Renck’s Latest Rockie Rumors
Rockies beat reporter Troy E. Renck had the scoop on all kinds of Rockie rumors yesterday; I’m just now getting to it. Let’s look at some highlights from his column.
- Renck suggests the Rox take a look at Bob Wickman. Meanwhile, the Phillies actually inquired but aren’t expected to work out a deal. The Indians will take a pass.
- Renck mentions that the Rockies have "long coveted" catcher Paul Lo Duca. Lo Duca should be there for the signing this winter.
- The Rockies will have around $45MM tied up in Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Brian Fuentes, and Aaron Cook for 2008. Even if the team raises its $55MM payroll, someone has to go. By the way, locking up Holliday long-term will cost a king’s ransom. He’s a Scott Boras client.
- Given the burden of Todd Helton‘s contract and his no-trade clause, he may be immovable. But a .400 OBP is still valuable any way you slice it, so perhaps the Red Sox or Angels will get re-engaged. Renck believes Atkins and Fuentes are the main trading chips to clear payroll though. The Angels and Twins could still use Atkins while the Phils, Red Sox, and Yankees have inquired on Fuentes in the past. Atkins for a Kevin Slowey or Scott Baker just makes too much sense.
Dodgers To Sign David Wells
UPDATE: Dan Graziano’s source says Wells is close to signing with the Dodgers.
Back on Monday, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe broke down the David Wells situation. At the time of his writing Wells seemed likely to retire. The sticking point is $1.13MM in incentives Boomer could’ve earned with San Diego – he wants his new team to pay up. Four clubs inquired, with the Rockies and Dodgers confirmed. When Ken Rosenthal wrote on the topic that same day, he said the Rockies would pass. The Mark Redman signing probably puts the nail in that coffin.
Breaking down the candidates:
- According to the L.A. Times today, the Dodgers still appear interested. Brett Tomko‘s stinker last night didn’t hurt.
- The Mets could be one of the mystery teams.
- The Diamondbacks and Mariners appear to be out.
- I’ve speculated in the past that the Braves might consider signing Wells.
- The Phillies have a heightened need with Cole Hamels‘ injury.
- The Cardinals appear set with Joel Pineiro as their fifth starter for now.
Odds and Ends
Some random rumors and links for Tuesday afternoon…
- The Rockies signed Mark Redman to a minor league contract. It makes sense to add some depth, but I like the team’s plan of using high-octane arms Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales instead of the safe veteran options.
- Rick Sutcliffe‘s thoughts on showboating.
- At one time, it seemed that Jason Jennings would be primed for a big payday this winter. He still could get a Marquis contract despite his 6.45 ERA in 18 starts. But prospective buyers have to be concerned that he replied "I don’t know" when asked if he is healthy. By the way, that link details a failed ballpark marriage proposal that resulted in popcorn being dumped on the guy’s head. On the Jumbotron.
- It wouldn’t be the Kansas City Star without an enormous pixellated close-up of the player in question. This time it’s Mark Grudzielanek, who’s been extended through 2008. Grudz wouldn’t have reached the 500 PAs needed to guarantee his $4MM option for ’08.
- The Red Sox still haven’t spoken to Mike Lowell about a contract extension. He wants to stay, and Nick Cafardo suggests Jermaine Dye could be the comp at two years, $22MM. That’d be a major concession for Lowell, who’d be the best free agent third baseman unless A-Rod opts out. One scenario has Kevin Youkilis moving to third base and some sort of league average first baseman stepping in, like the newly acquired Chris Carter. Another has the Red Sox signing Alex Rodriguez. The middle ground to those extremes is just to agree on a two-year deal with Lowell. It’d make sense for the Red Sox to hold off on Lowell until they see what A-Rod does.
- The Eric Byrnes contract may serve as a model for Jose Guillen.
- Tom Koch-Weser of STATS, Inc. has a new WHIFF profile of San Diego’s Chris Young. A must-read as always.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Damon, Glaus, Wells
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; here are some rumor-related points of interest.
- As you know, it doesn’t make sense for the Yankees to keep both Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon around for 2008. It’s just not an efficent way to spend $29MM. Rosenthal says Damon would be open to waiving his no-trade clause, if the Yankees struck a deal with a team that fell under his 12-team protection. Damon is apparently open to regular playing time on teams not located on the West Coast. The White Sox, Phillies, Braves, or Astros might make sense, in my opinion. The Yanks’ ability to pull an exercise-and-trade with Abreu’s 2008 option is hindered by his full no-trade protection.
- Rosenthal believes the Blue Jays might aggressively shop Troy Glaus this winter. Glaus surprisingly cleared waivers recently. Glaus is holding all the cards – he has a full no-trade clause and a player option for 2009.
- The Rockies will pass on David Wells, but the Dodgers are still interested. The Rox might still go for Steve Trachsel if they opt for experience over potential.
- Craig Monroe seems to be an option for second-tier clubs, especially if he becomes a free agent. The Giants will pass.