Three Teams Interested In Lawrence
Brian Lawrence couldn’t crack Colorado’s rotation, so the 31 year-old soft-tosser is now a free agent. Since teams aren’t willing to give up much on May 2nd, Lawrence has multiple suitors. The Denver Post reports that the Orioles, Tigers, and Padres have interest.
Tim Brown reported yesterday that Detroit is on the prowl for pitching, and the loss of Jaret Wright created a vacancy for the O’s. Most likely, though, Lawrence returns to the Padres and tries to re-establish himself at Triple A. He had flirted with San Diego in the offseason before David Wells signed. Boomer has not fared well in the early going. Nor has Clay Hensley, but both have earned another month to set things right based on past results.
The Padres may feel an extra need for pitching depth if top pitching prospect Cesar Carrillo needs elbow surgery. A healthy Carrillo likely would’ve been better than Hensley, Wells, or Lawrence (PECOTA called for a 4.63 ERA; ZiPS said 4.21).
Tim Brown’s Latest
I hadn’t really noticed the MLB Experts Blog from Tim Brown and Jeff Passan until recently. Yahoo’s main baseball guys have some quality rumors, and I’ve been missing out. Let’s catch up by digging through some recent posts:
- Seems like mostly educated speculation, but Brown named Shawn Green as a player the Angels might be able to acquire to fill the void with Howie Kendrick out. However, Lastings Milledge will miss most of May, so that Green may no longer be available.
- The Tigers, worried about their fourth and fifth starters, are already on the lookout for starting pitching help.
- The Indians are looking to acquire a closer, though I think they have some decent internal options. The Tribe isn’t looking to spend big bucks so it would have to be a bargain type guy.
- If Jeff Weaver continues to bomb, could the Mariners trade him back to St. Louis?
Rosenthal’s Latest
The always-interesting Ken Rosenthal has another column up, chock full of rumory goodness. The man knows how to work the phones like no other. Some highlights:
- Rosenthal considers the possibility that Curt Schilling could be the easy choice for the best available free agent starter after this season, with John Smoltz off the board. Even if Carlos Zambrano is out there, Schill would be a better option for teams looking to go short-term. Rosenthal says the Red Sox could revisit extension talks, even though it seemed just a month ago that Schilling was certain to hit the open market. One year and $13MM still looks pretty solid for the Sox.
- The Orioles may make an offer to Alex Rodriguez, should he opt out of his contract at year’s end. It’s admittedly a longshot, though the O’s did win the bidding for Miguel Tejada back in December of ’03. If not A-Rod, then the Orioles will chase a "premium center fielder." Translation: Ichiro, Andruw, or Torii. Seems unlikely that Corey Patterson, a Scott Boras client, returns to Baltimore in 2008.
- Rosenthal feels that the Tigers are "almost certain" to exercise Ivan Rodriguez‘s $13MM option for 2008. I agree with that one, especially given the $3MM buyout price. If the best available catchers are indeed Michael Barrett and Paul Lo Duca, Barrett has the clear advantage. The Cubs don’t have any catchers in the pipeline (most teams don’t) so I can’t see why they wouldn’t just give him what he wants. Most likely the Cubs would get a discount.
Let’s Make A Deal: Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Double A catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a rare player: a bona fide top prospect at the position. The Braves might be able to maximize his value not by switching Salty or Brian McCann to first base, but by trading the minor leaguer. Saltalamacchia is off to a hot start after a lost ’06, and one team especially interested in acquiring a young catcher is the Tigers.
As a 22 year-old in Double A, Salty is at the perfect stage in his career as the Tigers would be able to exercise Pudge’s 2008 option and have Saltalamacchia ready to take over in 2009. So what do the Braves need?
So far Atlanta is getting on base well and hitting for power, and whatever regression Kelly Johnson experiences will be matched by Andruw Jones hitting his stride. With a healthy Chipper Jones and an improved Jeff Francoeur, this team can hit.
John Schuerholz already went all-in to improve the bullpen, leaving starting pitching as the most glaring weakness. It’s looking good on the front end – two possible aces plus a solid third in Chuck James. Still, giving 40% of the starts to Kyle Davies/Mark Redman/Lance Cormier is undesirable.
David O’Brien says there are no good pitchers on the trade market for Atlanta, but a month or two from now some opportunities will probably appear. One nice fit could be Carlos Zambrano; Michael Barrett is a free agent after this season. I’ll discuss Rich Harden in another post, but the A’s have Kurt Suzuki waiting in the wings.
Back to the Tigers – I doubt Justin Verlander or Jeremy Bonderman can be had. Could Nate Robertson plus a good prospect be enough to snag Salty? The 29 year-old southpaw doesn’t reach free agency until after 2009, and he’s been a healthy 32 start guy. Bring him over to the National League, and we could see the Ted Lilly/Bronson Arroyo/Kyle Lohse effect.
The White Sox have A.J. Pierzynski signed through 2008, which gels nicely with Saltalamacchia’s ETA. If Mark Buehrle has another solid month or two, the Braves might covet the lefty and his playoff experience. Plus, an acquisition and possible extension could keep Buehrle away from the NL rival Cardinals. Moving Salty to the Marlins for Dontrelle Willis could work as well.
Really, with a commodity like Saltalamacchia, one could devise many different scenarios where he’s swapped for a frontline starter.
Tigers Interested In Ohman
Look, it’s a real live trade rumor in April. Phil Rogers reports that the Tigers might make a move for a left-handed reliever, and the Cubs’ Will Ohman is on their radar.
Oddly, the Cubs are carrying three lefties right now in the pen – Ohman, Scott Eyre, and Neal Cotts. Last year, the 29 year-old Ohman put up 65 innings of 4.13 ERA ball, which included a K/9 over 10. He was excellent against lefties, but for some reason faced righties over half the time.
Ohman has done poorly in six appearances for the Cubs this year. Manager Lou Piniella recently commented on his 30 and 40-foot curveballs. If the Cubs don’t trade him, they’ll probably demote him soon enough. Ohman’s contract calls for $2.5MM over 2007-08, plus incentives.
Curtis Granderson Interview
Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson was kind enough to answer a few questions for MLBTradeRumors.com. He seems like a smart guy; I was impressed by the content and honesty of his answers. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Cubs uniform ten years from now.
Curtis writes an MLBlog and has a MySpace page as well. On to the Q&A:
When did you first realize that you might one day play in the Major Leagues?
Honestly the first time was when I got called up in 2004 after our final game in AA Erie. Up until that point, I thought about and hoped I would be able to, but never thought I would get a chance to do it so fast.
You grew up near Chicago. What would it be like for you to play for the Cubs or White Sox one day?
For me it would be a little rough to play for one of the Chicago teams, because I know so many people there. A lot of the people that I know there are also big fans of one or both of those teams, and would try to get a lot of information out of me. I’m not sure if I would want to play there, but towards the end of my career I could see it possibly. I know I will always have a house in Chicago, so you can never discount anything.
Do you have any lineup preference? Do you take a different approach leading off than if you are hitting in another spot?
Honestly my favorite spot to hit is the second spot, but I haven’t done that in almost two years. The second spot gives you a lot of freedom especially if your leadoff hitter gets on. The second hitter can move a runner over by bunting, hit and run, or getting a hit through the hole at 1 st base. In the leadoff spot my approach really only changes in the leadoff spot later in the game when our team really needs me to get on base. I have to try my best to get on base any way possible. That is really the only time, and when I lead the game off, I’m not trying to draw a walk, I’m not trying to see pitches, I’m trying to get a hit and get on base.
I’ve read that you’re trying a new batting stance. How is that going so far? Do you think you’ll stick with it?
The new stance is very simple. All we (Lloyd McClendon and I) did was try to eliminate a lot of wasted movement before I swing at the baseball. Hopefully this will make me quicker to the ball and allow for easy correction if something wrong starts happening over a period of time. It has worked out pretty well for the most part this spring, but it is only spring training. Pitchers aren’t at 100 percent yet, so when the season starts and we get a month into it, we will see how it is. I like it right now though.
Are there any players on the club who serve as mentors for you?
I’m not sure if there is one particular mentor for me on this team because a lot of people have been teaching me different things since I made my debut in 2004. Nate Robertson and Vance Wilson have taught me different things about the Players Union. Craig Monroe, Gary Sheffield, and Marcus Thames are teaching me different things about hitting situations. Andy Van Slyke has taught me a lot about baserunning and also playing the outfield. Kenny Rogers teaches me different things about how opposing pitchers might pitch me. So you can see that everyone has been taking a role in trying to develop and build me into a better player.
Tigers Sign Carlos Guillen
The Tigers signed shortstop Carlos Guillen for four years and $48MM, starting in 2008. An excellent bargain, and $8MM less than MLBTR readers guessed.
This despite the huge discount he’s giving them in 2007 ($5MM salary). Guillen must really love Detroit. Hopefully the Tigers keep him at short most of the time for the length of the deal, but at $12MM annually it’s not the end of the world if they don’t.
The Pudge Option
In today’s column, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press names the many milestones Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez is approaching. Lowe mentions at the end of his column:
"Right now, it seems automatic that the club will exercise the option and have him catch next season — and maybe into the season after that, when he could be passing Fisk for the most games caught all-time."
That is an interesting statement as Rodriguez’s option for 2008 is probably not a no-brainer. It’s for a hefty $13MM. But it should be noted that it includes a $3MM buyout, so the question is whether he’s worth $10MM to the Tigers. PECOTA says $8.125MM, but might not fully value his defense and intangibles.
Some other catchers could be available after this season: Jorge Posada, Paul Lo Duca, Michael Barrett, and Jason Kendall. Since all would require at least a two-year deal, I think Pudge’s 2008 option should be exercised. As far as keeping him in 2009 as well…only for the right price (less than $10MM).
Carlos Guillen Doesn’t Change Tune
Back in February, I praised Carlos Guillen as the rare marquee free agent who refused to impose a deadline for his next contract. However, Guillen has since changed that stance.
The Tiger shortstop said yesterday that he would not negotiate a contract after the season starts. He does wish to stay in Detroit, and talks are ongoing.
The general feeling of MLBTR readers when last surveyed was that Guillen will land a four-year, $56MM contract. If he remains mostly at shortstop, that’s a bargain.
UPDATE: We’re back where we started – The Detroit News reports that Guillen will negotiate into the season as long as it’s not a distraction. Tom Gage learned that there has not been a recent offer from the Tigers.
More Ken Rosenthal
Ken Rosenthal has been working overtime, posting a second column tonight. To summarize:
- The Astros plan on keeping their relief core of Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Trever Miller, despite interest from the Red Sox in Lidge and Qualls.
- In Marcus Thames, Chris Shelton, and Ramon Santiago, the Tigers appear to have a surplus of players. However, Rosenthal spoke to another team’s exec who thinks the trio will stay with the club. It’s nice to have depth. Speaking of which, top pitching prospect Andrew Miller will start his season in A ball but could make an impact in the second half.
- The Cubs and Rangers would like to add shortstop Clint Barmes as a utility man (might even make sense for the Cubs to start him). The Rox still like Barmes though and may keep him around as a 2B option for ’08. Rosenthal mentions the Royals as another fit for Barmes. The Royals need a shortstop like the Marlins need a center fielder.
- The Dodgers want to add a right-handed slugger. Assuming the price tag on Rocco Baldelli remains too high, L.A. could go after Kevin Mench or Reggie Sanders. The Royals would love to get rid of Sanders or Emil Brown. The O’s have some mild interest in Sanders. I guess the offseason helped the Dodgers and Orioles forget that Sanders is 39, makes $5MM, and posted a .729 OPS last year.