Ed Wade Hired As Astros GM
Jayson Stark confirms it: Ed Wade is the new Astros GM. Wade came in for his second interview today.
The Phillies promoted Wade to GM in December of 1997, and fired him in October of 2005 after the team failed to reach the playoffs during that span.
An attempt to compile some of Wade’s bigger moves (I’ve yet to form an opinion on his overall performance):
- 12-23-97: Traded Mickey Morandini to Cubs for Doug Glanville
- Failed to sign J.D. Drew; drafted Pat Burrell first overall in 1998
- 11-19-98: Traded Ricky Bottalico and Garrett Stephenson to Cardinals for Ron Gant, Jeff Brantley, and Cliff Politte
- 11-13-98: Traded Jerry Spradlin for Chad Ogea
- 5-5-99: Traded Paul Spoljaric to Blue Jays for Robert Person
- Drafted Brett Myers 12th overall in 1999
- 11-10-99: Traded Steve Montgomery, Carlton Loewer, and Adam Eaton to Padres for Andy Ashby
- 12-7-99: Signed Mike Jackson to be closer (spent entire year on DL)
- 7-12-00: Traded Ashby to Braves for Jimmy Osting and Bruce Chen
- Drafted Chase Utley 15th overall in 2000
- 7-26-00: Traded Curt Schilling to Diamondbacks for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee, and Vicente Padilla
- 7-29-00: Traded Gant to Angels for Kent Bottenfield
- Drafted Gavin Floyd 4th overall in 2001
- Fired Terry Francona, hired Larry Bowa
- 2000: Signed Ricky Bottalico, Rheal Cormier, and Jose Mesa
- 1-29-01: Signed Paul Byrd
- 6-5-01: Traded Byrd to Royals for Jose Santiago
- Drafted Ryan Howard in 5th round in 2001
- 7-27-01: Traded Chen for Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell
- Signed Terry Adams
- 7-29-02: Traded Scott Rolen for Bud Smith, Mike Timlin, and Placido Polanco
- Drafted Cole Hamels 17th overall in 2002
- 2-20:02: Signed Bobby Abreu to five-year, $64MM extension
- 11-24-02: Signed David Bell to a four-year, $17MM contract
- 12-3-02: Signed Jim Thome to a six-year, $85MM contract in December 2002
- 12-20-02: Traded Johnny Estrada to Braves for Kevin Millwood
- 2-3-03: Signed Pat Burrell to a six-year, $50MM contract in February 2003
- 11-3-03: Traded Brandon Duckworth, Taylor Buchholz, and Ezequiel Astacio to Astros for Billy Wagner
- 12-3-03: Traded Carlos Silva, Nick Punto, and a PTBNL to Twins for Eric Milton
- 12-9-03: Signed Tim Worrell in December 2003
- Drafted Greg Golson 21st overall in 2004
- 8-9-04: Traded Elizardo Ramirez, Javon Moran and Joe Wilson for Cory Lidle
- 12-3-04: Traded Felix Rodriguez to Yankees for Kenny Lofton
- 12-8-04: Signed Jon Lieber to a three-year, $21MM contract in December of 2004
- 12-13-04: Selected Shane Victorino from Dodgers in Rule V draft
- 5-14-05: Traded Marlon Byrd to Nationals for Endy Chavez
- 6-8-05: Traded Placido Polanco to Tigers for Ugueth Urbina and Ramon Martinez
- 6-13-05: Signed Jimmy Rollins to a five-year, $40MM extension in June 2005
Clemens Back In Houston Next Year?
Astros fans: would you welcome Roger Clemens back with open arms in 2008? Would this be a good way to spend $15-20MM? Do you think the new general manager would entertain the possibility?
I ask because of this note in Will Carroll’s column today:
Clemens was reported to have avoided Torre’s calls, and while their relationship has never been close, it’s never been unprofessional. On top of this are some whispers that the Hendricks’ have started asking around regarding interest in Clemens’ services for next year, notably back in Houston.
Another winter, another round of Roger? If Clemens does want to return in 2008, there’s no better place to leave on a high note than the NL Central. But first he’ll have to prove his elbow is OK; he recently deemed it "pretty nasty" in there. Clemens has a chance to climb to third all-time for career wins if he can manage another two seasons.
Stark’s Latest: Clemens, Pettitte, Lowell
Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up at ESPN. Let’s discuss.
- Most folks think Roger Clemens will retire after the season. The "will he, won’t he" storyline is one I won’t mind avoiding this winter. Remember, back in February Roger said he told his son it was "80-20 that I wasn’t going to play." He also said, "I’m not leaving anybody hanging. I don’t want to play." Good riddance.
- Andy Pettitte has a $16MM player option for 2008. This is similar to an out clause, where it’s win-win for the player. He only exercises it if he couldn’t get it on the open market. Pettitte’s the best free agent starting pitcher if he opts out. Stark seems to think he’d decline the option but then just re-up with the Yankees for more money and/or years.
- Word is that Mike Lowell would enjoy playing for the Phillies if the Red Sox don’t re-sign him. Gordon Edes isn’t sure if the Red Sox would offer him three years, and believes another team might go four. A four-year deal would cover his age 34-37 seasons…probably a bad move. Then again, what do I know? I thought he was toast after 2005.
Needs and Luxuries: Houston Astros
Today, we’ll take a look at the Astros. They’ll install a fresh regime this winter and may do some major retooling. It’s about time.
C – J.R. Towles
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Chris Burke
SS – Adam Everett
3B – Ty Wigginton
LF – Carlos Lee
CF – Hunter Pence
RF – Luke Scott
SP – Roy Oswalt
SP – Wandy Rodriguez
SP – Woody Williams
SP – Chris Sampson
SP – Brandon Backe/Matt Albers/Troy Patton/Juan Gutierrez
Closer – Brad Lidge
Setup – Chad Qualls
Needs
Houston’s needs aren’t as bad as I originally suspected, but they still have some holes. Can J.R. Towles take over as the full-time catcher in 2008 despite just 11 games in Triple A and a month in the bigs? He plays good defense, mashed at Double A this year, and is athletic for a catcher. He’s had some injury problems and it’d be asking a lot for him to handle the pitching staff as a rookie. I wouldn’t mind seeing Brad Ausmus return strictly as a backup or a defensive-minded backup like Jose Molina signed. The kid will need some tutelage but they can’t keep going back to Ausmus.
Biggio is retiring, and he’s been a drain on the offense this year. But Burke hasn’t been much better. I like the idea of importing a veteran, hopefully one with more pop than Loretta. Tadahito Iguchi would be a nice fit and his solid presence would help the team move on from Biggio.
Everett has been mentioned as a non-tender candidate. It takes a whole lotta defense to support a .600 OPS, and he’ll have to regain his stride after breaking his leg this season. It seems kind of cruel to cut him, but hey, this is a business. Nice guys finish last. The problem is that the free agent market for shortstops is bleak. Tim Purpura had many trade discussions about Miguel Tejada; will the new GM resume those talks? That kind of acquisition would really get people talking in Houston; a package could center around Troy Patton or Wandy Rodriguez. Edgar Renteria would be another fine option.
Luxuries
I wouldn’t go so far as to call the outfield situation a luxury, but I think the Astros are fine here. Lee is entrenched in left field. I feel Scott is underrated. Pence has obviously arrived. While he’s better suited for right field, playing him in center again isn’t the end of the world. Scott has been named as trade bait in the past but he’s a good player and his loss would create a new hole to fill. An ugly April has masked his work since: .266/.362/.529 in 263 ABs.
The closest the Astros have to a luxury might be starting pitching, something I never expected to be saying after their losses of Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Oswalt is the rock. Wandy makes a nice #3, Williams a respectable #4. In my mind there’s no real #2 (Jason Jennings was supposed to fill that role). But they have a lot of respectable options for the last two spots in Sampson, Albers, Backe, and Patton. Sampson hasn’t been talked about much this year but he was doing a nice job until a sprained elbow ligament got the best of him in July. There’s talk of bringing Jennings back on a one-year make good deal, an idea I like.
It’s true that you can never have too much pitching but if the Astros have to part with Wandy, Albers, or Patton to get Tejada or Renteria I support it. A new regime could make the Astros’ offense respectable again just by plugging in some league average bats. It’ll be addition by subtraction to ditch Loretta, Ausmus, Biggio, Burke, and Everett. This year those five combined for 1675 ABs. The highest OPS of the bunch was Loretta’s .688.
Garner/Purpura Fired
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal confirms the firing of both Garner and Purpura. Cecil Cooper will take over for the rest of the season.
790 AM The Sports Animal is reporting that the Astros have fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura, with a press conference coming up.
Purpura and Garner pretty much received a vote of confidence from Drayton McLane back in May, but their tenures have come to a short end. Purpura was hired on November 1, 2004 and Garner on the following day. Garner had taken over from Jimy Williams as interim manager in July of that year.
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: Possible Waiver Deals
Ken Rosenthal has a new post up; below are some points of interest for rumor-hounds like us.
- Josh Towers and Steve Trachsel have both cleared waivers. You’ll find their contract info as well as a complete list of those who have cleared waivers here. Rosenthal says the Rockies are monitoring both pitchers; they were forced to start journeyman Tim Harikkala today. The Rox also called the A’s about Chad Gaudin but found the price prohibitive. Another reason a Gaudin trade wouldn’t make sense is that he wouldn’t pass through waivers.
- Towers is attracting multiple suitors. I think he’ll have moderate success in the NL as a #4 starter.
- Mark Loretta and Mike Lamb were both claimed on waivers and then pulled back, so they’re not going anywhere.
- The Yankees have no reason to throw down a chunk of change on a free agent starter this winter. They’re all set for 2008 with a formidable rotation of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte. I think we’ve learned by now that there’s really no such thing as a surplus of starting pitching, so I imagine the Yanks will only trade Kei Igawa in the right deal. Buster Olney said this morning that there was a 50% chance of Igawa going to the Padres soon. Additionally, it will be nice to have Ian Kennedy around as the sixth starter.
Multiple Teams Looking At Kielty
UPDATE: The Red Sox signed Kielty.
Bobby Kielty is a 31 year-old switch-hitting outfielder. He can typically draw a few walks and hit lefties. He can handle the corner outfield positions but hasn’t played center with any regularity since 2002. Kielty is a free agent now after being released by the A’s.
According to the Boston Herald, Kielty is receiving interest from the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Astros. The Herald mentions Kielty’s ties to New England, while the San Francisco Chronicle considers him the favorite. Question: why would the Astros be interested?
Failed Trades
Let’s take a look at some deals that almost happened yesterday.
Kyle Farnsworth for Bob Wickman. This would’ve been fun, reunions with former teams for both players. However, the Braves wanted the Yankees to pick up all of Farnsworth’s salary, apparently. Brian Cashman didn’t want to make him go away that badly, and Wickman would probably be a nonfactor back in the AL.
Mariners acquire Mark Loretta. Eh. Let’s not overstate the abilities of Loretta. It sounds like Tim Purpura wanted some kind of legitimate prospect for him.
Rockies send Jeff Baker and others to Tampa Bay for Dan Wheeler. We can’t really evaluate this one without knowing who else would’ve been involved. And the Rays don’t really have a place to play Baker; they’re already squeezed finding playing time for Jonny Gomes. If Rocco Baldelli ever gets healthy they’ll really have a pickle. I mentioned in a recent interview at D-Rays Bay – Wheeler would probably be one of the ten best relievers available if he was a free agent after the season. The Rays can pump up his value and get a promising young pitcher next year, as the Royals did with Octavio Dotel.
Brewers send Tony Gwynn Jr., Zach Jackson, and another minor league for Eric Gagne. This could’ve been the difference-maker that Scott Linebrink ain’t in a tight NL Central race. But it doesn’t seem like Doug Melvin got a chance to counter the Red Sox offer, so you can’t really fault him.
Red Sox send Wily Mo Pena and Craig Hansen to White Sox for Jermaine Dye. Well, there has to be some statistical way to evaluate whether this pair beats two draft picks. You’d have to know the attrition rates of first/second rounders, and get some scouts on Pena and Hansen to see if they can ever reach their potential. If I was the Kenny Williams I probably would’ve made the deal. I think Pena gets docked in value from where he was two years ago, but still has pretty much the same upside if you manage him right. Who knows, maybe Williams will go after Pena again this winter.
Padres Interested In Igawa, Lamb, Loretta
UPDATE: Will Carroll reports that the Padres appear to be close to a deal for both Lamb and Loretta. Not sure if the Ensberg acquisition changes this.
I’m not sure when it was published, but Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres have interest in Mark Loretta or Mike Lamb from the Astros. That we knew, but Krasovic also mentions that the Padres would like to buy low on Kei Igawa but the Yankees aren’t shopping him.