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Cardinals Intensify Third Base Search

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The Cardinals have intensified their search for help at third base, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Felipe Lopez has struggled of late; he's been David Freese's main replacement at the hot corner.  Allen Craig made his first start at the position yesterday, but manager Tony La Russa isn't keen on the idea of using Craig there.  One outside name on the Cardinals' radar is Brandon Inge.  Strauss says they retain interest in the Tigers' third baseman, who returned from a fractured hand on August 4th and should be placed on waivers this week.

Inge is fairly pricey, with $1.76MM of his $6.6MM salary remaining.  All American League teams plus any National League club with a worse winning percentage than the Cardinals will have first crack at him.  The Cards have a .560 winning percentage, so the Phillies, Braves, Reds, Giants, and Padres are behind them in the waiver order currently.

Other veteran infielders who might be candidates for August trades include Pedro Feliz, Geoff Blum, Melvin Mora, Wes Helms, Chone Figgins, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Wilson Betemit, Ty Wigginton, and Edwin Encarnacion.  Encarnacion has already cleared waivers.  Adam Kennedy is another potentially available name, but don't look for the Cardinals to bring him back.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Harper, Rockies, Thomas

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Let's round up a few more leftover Saturday links….

  • Johnny Damon doesn't know whether he'll be back in Detroit next year, but he thinks the club might make a run at Carl Crawford, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
  • The Nationals are "working hard" to lock up Bryce Harper, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com talked about Harper with several executives and scouting directors, all of whom expect the Nats to get a deal done with their first overall pick.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post fielded followers' questions on Twitter this evening, providing his opinion on a few Rockies-related subjects. Renck expects the Rox to pursue a first baseman and corner outfielder this winter, focusing on players with power. Renck also feels that failing to sign first-rounder Kyle Parker wouldn't be a disaster, given the strength of next year's draft (all Twitter links).
  • Michael Thomas, the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade, will be converted to a pitcher by the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Thomas has spent his minor league career to date as a catcher, but his primary strength is his throwing arm rather than his bat.

The Tigers’ Offseason

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Tigers owner Mike Ilitch appears willing to spend some money this offseason to return his team to prominence.  Let's take a look at the team's commitments and needs.

The Tigers would have a payroll in the $65MM range if they filled all their needs internally.  This club could easily add $50MM worth of 2011 salaries to the payroll during the offseason.

At catcher, Gerald Laird and Alex Avila have split time this year.  Avila could take on a larger role in Laird's absence.  In that case GM Dave Dombrowski could just bring in a veteran backup.  If Dombrowski changes his mind, Victor Martinez is the big name on the free agent market.

Aside from Miguel Cabrera at first base, the Tigers' infield picture is uncertain.  Carlos Guillen and Ramon Santiago are signed, while Scott Sizemore, Will Rhymes, and Don Kelly may play roles.  The free agent market offers plenty of middling veterans, but the one big name will be third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Outfield holdovers will include Austin Jackson, Brennan Boesch, Ryan Raburn, and Kelly.  If Magglio Ordonez and Johnny Damon depart, the Tigers could be in the outfield market.  Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth are the premium choices.

The rotation needs work, with question marks after Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.  Maybe the Tigers will join the Cliff Lee bidding, but otherwise secondary hurlers like Jorge de la Rosa, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Carl Pavano, and Javier Vazquez might help.  The problem is that not all of those guys translate well to the American League.  The Tigers' bullpen might only require tinkering.

The Tigers have a ton of money to spend this winter, but their needs are abundant too.  Dombrowski will need to break his recent pattern of avoiding multiyear free agent deals if he's to bring in any top free agents.  Of course, he does have a penchant for big trades.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Blue Jays, Morrow, Delgado

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Some links to check out as Brandon Morrow just misses no-hitting the Rays…

Tigers To Bring Back Dombrowski, Leyland

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Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch says that the club will bring back both manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski in 2011, according to Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press.  After finishing the first half of the season ten games above .500, Detroit has gone 5-18 since that point and fallen nine games back of the division-leading White Sox.

Even though he is disappointed with the club's recent play, Ilitch says that he has faith in what the team can do starting next season.

“[This season] is very disappointing, “ the owner said, “[but] I’m staying with Dave and I’m staying with our manager. I feel that we’re going to move forward.”

Ilitch also admitted that he has been reckless in the past when signing off on large contract commitments.   However, as noted earlier, he still vows to spend in the offseason with as much as $60MM coming off of the books.  Detroit gained extra payroll flexibility when Magglio Ordonez suffered an ankle injury which will prevent his $15MM option from vesting.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Giants, Harper, Dodgers, Prior

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Links for Saturday, as J.P. Arencibia homers on the first pitch he sees in the majors….

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that he has not seen a year in which the Reds have faced so many difficult roster decisions in the last decade.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) expects the Giants to eventually sign their first-round pick, center fielder Gary Brown.
  • Barry Shlachter of the Dallas Morning News examines whether the group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan overpaid for the Rangers.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America passes on news of a pair of draft picks signing for over-slot deals: The Blue Jays signed their second-round pick, while the Pirates locked up their fourth-rounder.
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch acknowledged to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News that he'd signed off on some bad contracts in the past, but said that won't stop him from spending money in the future.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that negotiations between the Nationals and Bryce Harper could "heat up" by Tuesday. The first overall pick in this year's draft enrolled for classes at the College of Southern Nevada, but that doesn't mean he won't end up signing with the Nats.
  • The Dodgers still seem to be buyers, leading Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times to wonder if they put a waiver claim on Adam Dunn.
  • Although he's pitching for the Orange County Flyers now, Mark Prior hopes to make his way back to the bigs, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.

Odds & Ends: Yelich, Harper, Tigers, Minaya, Guillen

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Links on a Friday night…

  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that negotiations between the Marlins and first round pick Christian Yelich are progressing slowly, but all signs point to a deal being reached before the August 16th deadline.
  • Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says there is nothing new to report about talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Bryce Harper. 
  • Like the Marlins and Yelich, talks between the Tigers and their top picks will go down to the wire according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Four of Detroit's top five selections remain unsigned, including their two first rounders Nick Castellanos and Chance Ruffin.
  • When asked about his job security, Omar Minaya responded "The fact of the matter is that I have a contract beyond this year, two years beyond this," according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Owner Jeff Wilpon recently implied that Minaya's job is safe through 2011.
  • Jack Curry of the YES Network says (via Twitter) we shouldn't expect the Yankees to have any interest in Jose Guillen. We heard this morning that they were going to keep an eye on the recently DFA'd outfielder.
  • Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News spoke to an American League GM who said he can't see Derek Jeter signing anywhere but back with the Yankees after the season. I suspect that's the general belief pretty much everywhere.
  • The Tigers have expanded the roles of three front office members, reports Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.

Athletics Claim Jeff Larish

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The Athletics claimed minor league corner infielder Jeff Larish off waivers from the Tigers, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck.  He'd been designated for assignment on Friday to clear a spot for Jeff Frazier.  To make room for Larish on the 40-man roster, the A's designated infielder Adam Heether for assignment.

Larish, 28 in October, hit .275/.373/.497 at Triple A this year, his third stint at the level.  He was coming off September wrist surgery.  He's played both infield corner positions in his minor league career, as the Tigers moved him to third base once he became blocked by Miguel Cabrera at first.  Before the 2009 season, Baseball America ranked Larish fifth among Tigers prospects (just ahead of the recently-traded Wilkin Ramirez).  BA called Larish a "polarizing player among scouts," praising his raw power but questioning his batting stance, ability to cover the outside part of the plate, and problems hitting breaking pitches.

Tigers’ Season Hanging In The Balance

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The Tigers open up a four-game set with a doubleheader against the division-leading White Sox today.  The series represents a crucial chance to gain ground, but a White Sox sweep would close the door on Detroit's season.  One AL exec told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick the Tigers "would have to be pretty far back for something to happen" in terms of GM Dave Dombrowski trading veterans, but ten-plus games out might qualify, in my opinion.

On Wednesday, the Tigers gave up a pitching prospect to acquire Jhonny Peralta, with the Indians paying most of the infielder's salary.  Detroit's only deadline day move was to ship Wilkin Ramirez to the Braves.

Should Dombrowski decide to sell off his impending free agents, he can shop Johnny Damon, Brandon Inge, Jeremy Bonderman, Gerald Laird, and Peralta.  Carlos Guillen, signed through next year, may also be expendable.  Ryan Raburn is another trade candidate, though perhaps such a deal is better suited for the offseason.  Magglio Ordonez should clear waivers, but it's hard to imagine a team acquiring him as he recovers from a broken ankle.

Damon should draw interest if he's made available.  He sports a .281/.373/.432 line, and he raked in July.  He's been battling back spasms, but is in today's lineup.  About $2.7MM remains on his $8MM contract, and he has no-trade protection.

Brandon Inge is ahead of schedule in returning from a broken left hand.  For teams looking for a solid glove at the hot corner, Inge could fit.  Bonderman might be able to fill a fourth starter role, especially in the National League. The $4.2MM owed to him would obviously be prohibitive; the Tigers would have to assume much of it.

Tigers Acquire Brandon Jones

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The Tigers acquired Brandon Jones from the Pirates for a player to be named later, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link). Detroit assigned the minor league veteran to AA Erie, so he won't be an immediate addition to the Tigers' injury-depleted lineup.

Back in January, the Pirates claimed Jones from Atlanta, where he spent parts of three seasons. Jones picked up 166 plate appearances with the Braves, hitting one homer and posting a .257/.313/.365 line. In seven minor league seasons, the 26-year-old has shown more power and patience, as his .276/.353/.435 line shows. Jones has spent most of his time in left field, though he can also play right.

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