Stark’s Latest: Patterson, Lohse, Lofton, Clemens
Finally, new info regarding some of the remaining free agents. Jayson Stark has the scoop.
- Seems there’s a chance Corey Patterson takes a cheap deal to return to Baltimore. He could be relegated to fourth outfielder duty in that case. Stark says the Marlins have discussed Patterson internally, but aren’t sure if they could afford the Boras client. Patterson would be a nice stopgap for Cameron Maybin, who’d be well-served with some time in Triple A. Ken Rosenthal also mentioned the Florida possibility.
- One of the most surprising free agents at this point is Kyle Lohse. Stark shoots down the notion of Lohse signing with the Met or Phillies on a one-year deal. Rosenthal tossed out the Cards and O’s as slight possibilities. It’s tough to be impressed with Boras’ work with Patterson and Lohse this year. Stark’s colleague Buster Olney even speaks of rumors that Lohse could ditch Boras.
- Kenny Lofton wants a Major League deal, and the offers so far have been minor league (including one from the Reds). I don’t find this an unreasonable demand on Lofton’s part; he’s still a useful player. He’s OK with starting the season late and coming in as a mercenary when a spot opens up.
- Stark talked to a friend of Drayton McLane who believes the Astros’ owner could roll the dice on Roger Clemens at the right price.
Odds and Ends: Spiezio, Pavano, Gross, Jackson
Links, rumors…
- Scott Spiezio is in trouble with the law, and the Cardinals decided to release him for it. Joe Ostermeier notes that the Cards now have about $20MM in dead money on the payroll for ’08.
- Evan Grant believes the Rangers would want Jose Ceda or Donald Veal in a deal for Marlon Byrd.
- Call it informed speculation, but Mike Berardino wonders whether Carl Pavano could end up back with the Marlins eventually.
- Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that the Padres were eyeing Gabe Gross. Tom Haudricourt found out that Kevin Towers never inquired on the Brewers outfielder, but that doesn’t mean the Friars weren’t eyeing him.
- Ken Davidoff makes a case for why the Astros should sign Roger Clemens.
- Sadly, the Rockies pulled the plug on a deal with Neifi Perez at the last minute.
- We hear "best shape of his life" often in Spring Training, but not with the newly signed Bartolo Colon. The Red Sox have some history pursuing Colon, as noted by Rob Bradford.
- Conor Jackson switched agents.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Roger Clemens
Last week we looked at one face of the steroid era (Barry Bonds) and wondered where he might end up playing in 2008. Today let’s take a look at the newest face of the steroid era, Roger Clemens. Clemens has yet to decide whether to pitch in 2008.
While his friends believe that the Astros are the only option, Buster Olney suggested the Cardinals could also be an option. And while the Yankees and the Red Sox have shown zero interest, we can’t rule out a mid-season return to either team. Both have question marks in their rotations, and if the proposed solutions don’t pan out, they will be in the market for a proven pitcher in July, no matter what Hank Steinbrenner says now. Another team that could be a darkhorse after the All-Star break is the New York Mets. We learned yesterday that they have tried trading Orlando Hernandez, as there appear to be serious concerns about his health. And if the Mets are fighting for a playoff spot in July, memories of last year’s collapse with the added pressure of having added Johan Santana will fuel the effort to win "at any cost." Let’s also not forget that 11 more wins would put Rocket into the Top 5 all-time and 20 wins (2009?) would make Clemens the third winningest pitcher ever, behind only Cy Young and Walter Johnson. Let’s take a look at what some are thinking about Clemens in the Blogosphere.
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- The Redbird Blog does not see Clemens as a difference-maker for the Cardinals, and wonder if it is worth signing him.
- C70 At The Bat does not think that the Cardinals pitching situation is as dire as some have portrayed, so the need for Clemens may be minimal.
- My Baseball Bias reiterates what Hank Steinbrenner stated…Clemens will not pitch for the Yankees. They also think that the Astros are the only logical destination for Clemens.
- Center Field feels that the Phillies would be a good match based on an actual letter sent from PETA to Clemens urging him to become a vegetarian.
And that’s it from the Blogosphere. Is Roger Clemens pitching in ’08 a non-story? Is there a team out there that we are not considering that the Rocket could help this season? Let us know in the comments.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Gross, Weaver, Encarnacion
Ken Rosenthal is on the scene with some new rumors.
- Astros president Tal Smith arguing other teams’ arbitration cases. Rosenthal finds it a bit awkward, while Keith Law finds it to be a hilarious conflict of interest.
- Possible trades of Matt Murton to the Padres or Rangers seem to have fizzled. The Padres may turn to the Brewers’ Gabe Gross, a player who previously caught the eye of the A’s, Indians, and Braves. Our good friend PECOTA sees a .267/.366/.467 line from Gross this year. With Gross and various veteran starters, the Brewers have some surpluses to work with.
- Rosenthal believes the Cardinals’ interest in Jeff Weaver to be not especially serious. They’ve got in-house candidates to start, and Matt Clement needing some time is not a revelation.
- We’ve read about extension possibilities for Matt Capps and Alex Rios. To that mix, Rosenthal adds Edwin Encarnacion. The Reds might want to do it now; he seems primed for a big year.
Will Clemens Play In ’08?
The tolerance for Roger Clemens‘ annual "will he, won’t he" saga will be much lower this year in the wake of the steroid mess. But the fact remains that we still don’t know whether he’ll try to play.
Buster Olney devotes a portion of today’s blog to this question. He thinks it’s in Clemens’ nature to defiantly keep pitching. Olney says Clemens’ friends indicate he’d only pitch for Houston. Olney speculates that the Cardinals might be one other club that would consider it. He could certainly help either team if he came with a price tag below $10MM.
In case you were wondering, Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system sees the Rocket posting a 4.43 ERA in 107 innings this year (in the AL East it seems). Somewhat related fact: Clemens appears in Joba Chamberlain‘s comparables list.
Astros Sign Chacon
WEDNESDAY, 2:42pm:The deal is finalized at one year, $2MM.
MONDAY, 9:55pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are close to a one-year deal with Shawn Chacon. He’d join the team’s rotation.
I like the idea of adding some depth. But is depth really added if the pitcher posts a 5.50 ERA? Chacon has been over that mark as a starter in ’06 and ’07. The Astros hope Chacon can find his Yankees’ magic of ’05, when he posted a 3.44 ERA in 24 starts despite a 1.25 K/BB ratio. On the plus side, Chacon was legitimately solid as a reliever in ’07 and can be shifted to the pen if necessary.
Astros Sign Chacon
WEDNESDAY, 2:42pm: The deal is finalized at one year, $2MM.
MONDAY, 9:55pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are close to a one-year deal with Shawn Chacon. He’d join the team’s rotation.
I like the idea of adding some depth. But is depth really added if the pitcher posts a 5.50 ERA? Chacon has been over that mark as a starter in ’06 and ’07. The Astros hope Chacon can find his Yankees’ magic of ’05, when he posted a 3.44 ERA in 24 starts despite a 1.25 K/BB ratio. On the plus side, Chacon was legitimately solid as a reliever in ’07 and can be shifted to the pen if necessary.
Astros Win Loretta Case
Arbiters ruled in favor of the Astros over Mark Loretta today, saving the team $2.15MM. I guess the 20% pay cut thing doesn’t apply here. With the Jose Valverde savings, that makes $3.65MM for Houston. That’s probably right around what Shawn Chacon will get.
Three hearings remain undecided; the players will probably snag at least one victory in the cases of Ryan Howard, Oliver Perez, and Francisco Rodriguez. Keith Law explains again why the Phils paying Howard more than they have to does not make sense.
Historically teams have won 57.7% of cases. So we might’ve expected the teams to be 3-2 instead of 5-0 this year but it’s not exactly a huge upset.
Astros Win Loretta Case
Arbiters ruled in favor of the Astros over Mark Loretta today, saving the team $2.15MM. I guess the 20% pay cut thing doesn’t apply here. With the Jose Valverde savings, that makes $3.65MM for Houston. That’s probably right around what Shawn Chacon will get.
Three hearings remain undecided; the players will probably snag at least one victory in the cases of Ryan Howard, Oliver Perez, and Francisco Rodriguez. Keith Law explains again why the Phils paying Howard more than they have to does not make sense.
Historically teams have won 57.7% of cases. So we might’ve expected the teams to be 3-2 instead of 5-0 this year but it’s not exactly a huge upset.
Astros Beat Jose Valverde In Arbitration Case
Another reliever bites the dust; Jose Valverde will receive $4.7MM rather than the $6.2MM he was after. That $1.5MM could go toward another starter, as could another $2.15MM saved in the event the Astros beat Mark Loretta (I think they will). Of course, the list of remaining free agent starters ain’t pretty. It shouldn’t be on February 15th.
Valverde is under the Astros’ control through the 2009 season. If he has another 40 save season, he can probably vault past $10MM for ’09.