Odds and Ends: Hawkins, Pettitte, Strasburg
Rounding up the day’s links…
- Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News talks about the future of Garrett Atkins. We discussed the possibility of an Atkins trade in this post.
- MLB.com’s Jim Molony says the Astros would like to re-sign reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Amazingly, Hawkins has thrown 17 scoreless innings as an Astro.
- This is a popular link lately…Vegas Watch examines April predictions from various analysts. Meanwhile, Scott Long digs in deeper on PECOTA’s American League predictions. Personally I am more interested in the logic behind projections. Did anyone predict Rays starters to post a 3.88 ERA? Did anyone peg Dioner Navarro and Carl Crawford‘s seasons?
- Viva El Birdos hopes the Cardinals do not sign Jon Garland this winter.
- Sam Mellinger wonders how the Royals would replace David DeJesus if they traded him.
- Andy Pettitte remains undecided on 2009. He’s hinted a desire to come back, but it’s unknown whether the Yankees want him. Houston could make sense.
- The Mariners are currently in line to have first crack at drafting Stephen Strasburg. They could even use Erik Bedard‘s money to sign him.
- Javier Valentin hasn’t heard from the Reds regarding 2009.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Roberts, Cain
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- One "Yankees person" believes it will take "crazy money" to convince C.C. Sabathia to pitch in New York and in the American League.
- The following three names are being bandied about in the Yankees’ clubhouse for center field next year: Nate McLouth, David DeJesus, and Matt Kemp. DeJesus seems the most reasonable target, though Robinson Cano could be part of a package for Kemp. DeJesus, it should be noted, played a poor center field this year according to the plus/minus system.
- Heyman doesn’t see the Yankees re-signing Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu due to defensive concerns.
- Heyman says the Brewers’ efforts to acquire Brian Roberts were more under the radar than the Cubs’. GM Doug Melvin admitted Roberts’ name came up last spring, as the Orioles "were wanting to get [the Brewers] involved."
- Heyman speculation…could the Giants send Matt Cain and another player to Milwaukee for Prince Fielder, and then sign Sabathia? Or could the Rockies jump into the bidding for C.C.?
Pedro Alvarez Agrees To New Deal
1:08pm: Kovacevic has more. He says talks have begun toward resolving the grievance filed by the players union. He also indicates Alvarez has yet to take his physical. Meanwhile the Royals hope this means they can get Eric Hosmer back out on the field soon.
8:42am: Good news for Pirates fans – top draft pick Pedro Alvarez agreed to terms on a new contract with the Pirates. It’s a four-year Major League deal worth $6.355MM, with a couple of option years after that. The union’s grievance may no longer be an issue.
Dejan Kovacevic says that with interest and inflation Alvarez is getting around $5.67MM (less than the $6MM minor league deal he originally signed). On the other hand, Alvarez will now be added to the 40-man roster.
On deadline day, Alvarez and other players did not receive big league deals partially because the two parties no longer had time to conduct a physical. I’m wondering if the Pirates and Alvarez met up and did this recently. And when did they find the time to do this post-deadline renegotiation? I’m surprised it was allowed.
Week in Review: 9/14 – 9/20
Another week down here at MLBTR, here’s your review!
- The Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on Monday. Yost has taken a lot of criticism, and while I personally don’t feel like it’s a bad move, it seems like an odd time to disrupt the clubhouse, given that the Brewers are right in the wild card race. Perhaps this was intended to spark the Brewers and act as a wakeup call, but they have just two wins since the move.
- In an attempt to cut payroll, the Tigers may have to move Magglio Ordonez this offseason. Ordonez will make $18MM next year and has options for 2010 and 2011. Anyone else think the Reds should make a serious run at Maggs? A lineup filled with Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ordonez could be extremely potent, to go along with a rotation anchored by Edinson Volquez, Aaron Harang, and Johnny Cueto.
- Despite their bullpen woes, the Mets are not likely to make a run at either Francisco Rodriguez, or Brian Fuentes either. The Mets’ internal options have been bad, but K-Rod is in for a record-setting deal, and aside from the sheer number of saves, I don’t feel that his numbers stand out to the point where the team that lands him is going to get the full value of that contract. Personally, I think passing is a good decision.
- Are the Royals currently interested in making a move for Braves’ right fielder Jeff Francoeur? The Royals have very few guys with solid OBPs, and adding Francoeur to the everyday lineup doesn’t seem like the route to go. Still, he has a long-standing relationship with Royals GM Dayton Moore, so it could be a valid possibility. The Royals have said they are willing to part with anyone aside from Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, and Joakim Soria.
- The Red Sox and Theo Epstein have agreed to a contract extension.
- Things to think about for in the offseason: Kevin Gregg expects to be traded, Matt Cain wants to stay in San Francisco, Milton Bradley wants a long-term deal and feels he has a 50-50 chance at returning to the Rangers. In the meantime, likely non-tender candidates include both Josh Bard and Erik Bedard.
- Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series with entries for the Athletics, Braves, and Tigers. He also took a look at the Third Base Market, led by Casey Blake.
- And for anyone curious about Manny Ramirez’s end in Boston, here’s Curt Schilling’s take on the situation.
Francoeur to the Royals?
Pure speculation here, but the Jeff Francoeur-to-the-Royals rumors continue. Joe Posnanski had a throwaway line in this post about "Jeff Francoeur, who I predict will be a Royal soon." An eagle-eyed reader emailed Atlanta writer David O’Brien to ask if this was supposed to be a joke. O’Brien responded:
"…that’s not tongue-in-cheek by Posnanski. As we’ve mentioned a few times, KC is the one team I wouldn’t be surprised to see Francoeur traded to, simply because of Dayton Moore and his long association with Francoeur. They remain friends who stay in contact, from my understanding. But more importantly, Dayton was here when the Braves drafted and developed Francoeur, and he’s going to have a lot better memory/impression of the player than other teams/GMs who’d just Francoeur on his performance slide and or what they’ve heard from scouts or through the grapevine…"
Another potential factor favoring Francoeur in KC: though the right fielder has never managed to walk a lot in the big leagues (.312 OBP), the Royals don’t seem to value walks at all, anyway.
Francoeur has gone from hometown favorite to disappointment in Atlanta—though to be fair to Frenchy, expectations could not have been higher. Perhaps he’s just another one of those top prospects who never pan out. But maybe the 24-year old would flourish away from an atmosphere that’s become toxic.
Atlanta obviously has a long shopping list of things they’d like. So any ideas on what the Royals might be willing to part with?
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Huff, Hardy, Russ Ortiz
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up.
- Mark Attanasio set a dangerous precedent by firing Ned Yost. Will he interfere with GM Doug Melvin’s plans in the future?
- Rosenthal considers Aubrey Huff a "highly desirable trade commodity" this winter. That begs the question – why did Huff pass through waivers unclaimed in August?
- Trading J.J. Hardy is more likely than moving him to third base. Hardy is under team control for two more seasons. The Jays, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Giants, Dodgers, and Cardinals could be in the market for a shortstop. Demand certainly outstrips supply.
- Rosenthal believes Rafael Furcal would be a nice fit for the Blue Jays. He agrees that GM J.P. Ricciardi is likely to return.
- The Orioles might prefer affordable veterans to A.J. Burnett as they try to improve their pitching staff this winter.
- Russ Ortiz wants to pitch in 2009, and he worked out for ten days a week ago. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported the workout yesterday. He says the Royals, Astros, Brewers, and Red Sox had scouts at the audition.
Odds and Ends: Alvarez, Williams, Tazawa
Today’s links…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Great stuff on the Pedro Alvarez situation from Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein. Goldstein’s source says the union will claim that the Pirates and MLB engaged in a premeditated conspiracy, perhaps designed to take Scott Boras out of the picture by negotiating past midnight. The article is subscription-only. At $40 a year, BP is well worth it.
- It seems that Type B status is slipping away for Tigers reliever Kyle Farnsworth. Ivan Rodriguez recently fell from A to B, but the Yankees may choose not to offer him arbitration.
- Baseball America’s Jim Callis says Mariners top draft pick Joshua Fields wants $2MM, while the team is holding firm at $1.5MM. Fields is advised by Scott Boras.
- Interesting note from last week…Bernie Williams is training and does not consider himself retired.
- Patrick Newman discusses the Junichi Tazawa situation in-depth. He says NPB’s commissioner plans to meet with Bud Selig. One reason MLB looks extra-appealing to Tazawa: NPB limits draft pick bonuses to $1MM.
- Geoff Baker discusses Jose Guillen.
Perrotto’s Latest: Royals, Ibanez, Rauch, Gregg
It’s Sunday, which means that John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Here’s the highlights…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore will likely make a big splash in the free agent market once again. Two years ago, he signed Gil Meche to a five-year, $55MM deal. Last year, he signed Jose Guillen to a three-year, $36MM contract. This year, his big target appears to be Rafael Furcal, which would allow the Royals to move Mike Aviles to second base. Moore is also believed to be willing to trade anyone on the team with the exceptions of Meche, Zack Greinke, and Joakim Soria.
- Raul Ibanez isn’t likely to be back with the Mariners as a free agent next season. Perrotto feels that Ibanez is a good bet to become the Rays’ designated hitter for 2009.
- The Diamondbacks originally wanted to use Jon Rauch as their closer for 2009 and let Brandon Lyon leave through free agency. Rauch’s recent string of rough outings has them reconsidering that train of thought.
- The Marlins will try to trade Kevin Gregg this offseason, and will likely non-tender him if they don’t find match.
- The Braves are looking to add two starters for the 2009 campaign. General manager Frank Wren has traveled overseas to scout Japanese pitchers Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami already this year.
- The Nationals have a crowded situation at first base with both Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young under contract, but they’ll still be looking to improve at the position in the offseason.
Royals To Look Outside for 2009 Help
Royals manager Trey Hillman told MLB.com that when it comes to improving the team for next year, he won’t be looking for much help from the farm system:
Hillman said Kansas City doesn’t "have a plethora of talent at our Triple-A level," so the Royals will "have to try to improve possibly in the free-agent market as much as we can and continue to evaluate what we have and go from there."
In his Royals’ Offseason Outlook, Tim suggested that with the right additions, they could be a sleeper. What could those additions be?
Rany Jazayerli, in a very detailed post, is actually rather bullish on the much-maligned back of the rotation. Rather than make significant changes there, he’d like to see the Royals trade a good pitching prospect "to get a legitimate, long-term solution in centerfield or behind the plate."
And hiring a hitting coach who preaches patience wouldn’t hurt, either.
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and Umpbump.
Offseason Outlook: Kansas City Royals
Next up in our offseason outlook series, the Royals. Here’s how they set up for 2009:
C – John Buck – $2.2MM+
C – Brayan Pena – $400K
1B – Kila Ka’aihue – $400K
2B – Alberto Callaspo – $400K
SS – Mike Aviles – $400K
3B – Alex Gordon – $406K
IF – Ross Gload – $1.9MM
IF – Esteban German – $1MM+
LF – Mark Teahen – $2.3375MM+
CF – David DeJesus – $3.6MM
RF – Jose Guillen – $12MM
OF – Joey Gathright – $427K+
DH – Billy Butler – $400K
SP – Gil Meche – $11MM
SP – Zack Greinke – $1.4MM+
SP – Brian Bannister – $421K+
SP – Luke Hochevar – $1.325MM
SP – Kyle Davies – $427K+
RP – Ron Mahay – $4MM
RP – Jimmy Gobble – $1.3125MM+
RP – Joel Peralta – $450K+
RP – Robinson Tejeda – $400K
RP – Joakim Soria – $1MM
RP – Leo Nunez – $405K
RP – Ramon Ramirez – $400K
Other commitments: Yasuhiko Yabuta – $3MM, Luke Hudson – $475K+, Miguel Olivo – $2.7MM club option with $100K buyout; can be voided by Olivo
Non-tender candidates: John Bale, Mark Teahen, Brandon Duckworth, Jason Smith, Ryan Shealy, Tony Pena Jr.
This setup has the Royals committed for $52MM plus arbitration raises to Buck, German, Teahen, Gathright, Greinke, Bannister, Davies, Gobble, and Peralta. Some of these players may be non-tendered. The Royals should come in under $60MM, regardless. They began ’08 with a $58MM payroll and peaked at $67MM to start ’07.
Rany Jazayerli has already provided an intelligent take on the ’09 lineup. Shifting Aviles to second base and signing Rafael Furcal or Orlando Cabrera seems a distinct possibility. Plus, the free agent market is loaded with interesting left fielders. A few things would have to click, but the Royals could have a solid offense next year. I also agree with Jazayerli that Dayton Moore may target a young catcher this winter. I’m sure the Rangers would love to get Greinke, but I don’t see him going anywhere.
Two situations to monitor in ’09: Ka’aihue’s playing time and Teahen’s contract. Ka’aihue, 24, posted a .314/.456/.628 line between Double and Triple A, and deserves a 300 plate appearance audition at first. Teahen has a .692 OPS this year – does his versatility make him worth $3MM in ’09?
The Royals have a fantastic front two in the rotation, and question marks beyond that. Given Moore’s success digging up relievers on the cheap, I’d like to see Soria moved to the rotation. Or, the Royals could sign Brian Fuentes to fill the void.
The Royals have been awful this year, but they could be a sleeper in ’09 with the right additions and a couple of breakout seasons. Stranger things have happened.