Rockies Still After Julian Tavarez
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
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
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
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
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
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
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".
A’s Interest in Kim Wanes
The Rockies have been shopping Byung-Hyun Kim with little success and earlier in the week, it’s likely that the Oakland A’s can be crossed off the list of possible trade partners. Oakland had been hoping to solidify the fifth starter’s slot and Joe Kennedy turned in a nice performance on Tuesday.
Kennedy struck out 9 and allowed only one walk and four hits in five innings. Despite the strong performance however, Kennedy’s ERA for the spring stands at 14.11, so don’t be surprised if the A’s feel the need to start browsing the pitching aisles again.
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 Offer Kim To Orioles
Ken Rosenthal’s recent column is chock full o’ rumors as usual. The highlights:
- The Rockies offered Byung-Hyun Kim to the Orioles for reliever Todd Williams but were turned down. The O’s may yet work out a deal with the Mets for Williams. Kim, meanwhile, may end up a bargain for some team if the price is that low. Really, he’s better than most teams’ fifth starters.
- Rosenthal agrees with most that Carlos Zambrano will sign with the Cubs by Opening Day. However, a couple of other big-name free-agent starters to be probably will hit the market. Jason Jennings and Jake Westbrook are two of the younger members of the ’08 free agent starter class. Mark Buehrle, Joe Kennedy, Kyle Lohse, and Kim will all be under 30 as well.
Rockies Trade Rumors
The Rockies have several rumors cooking on the hot stove as we approach the season.
First there’s infielder Clint Barmes, recently demoted to Triple A. Patrick Saunders writes that the Rangers are still interested, but the Rockies are asking for too much given his performance last year. A few days ago Ken Rosenthal linked the Twins, Cubs, Marlins, and Royals to Barmes. I imagine the Royals are no longer interested.
Saunders also reports that the Rangers are out on Byung-Hyun Kim. The unhappy pitcher could still end up in Oakland or Pittsburgh.
Also, as reported a week ago, the Rockies have liked Mark Hendrickson for some time and could swing a deal with the Dodgers.