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A Look At Nathan Haynes

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As you know, the Rays snagged outfielder Nathan Haynes off waivers yesterday from the Angels.  I liked this move; let’s take a closer look at the 28 year-old outfielder.

MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer speaks of Haynes’ "sprinter’s speed" and defensive talents at all three outfield positions.  Haynes’ prospect status expired years ago, but he seems equally as valuable as many free agents signed for millions in the last few years.  I think there’s still a lot of talented late-20s players who just need a chance, guys like Haynes, Marcus Thames, and Jack Cust.  Haynes’ path has been slowed by many knee and hernia issues.

PECOTA has Haynes hitting .265/.334/.405 this year; ZiPS is far less optimistic.  I’ll be curious to see how this no-risk move pans out.

Odds And Ends: Gotay, Register, Haynes

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A couple of minor pickups this afternoon:

  • The Rays have claimed left-hand-hitting Nathan Haynes off waivers from the Angels. Rocco Baldelli will be moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man. Marc Lancaster speculates that Haynes, who is out of options, will take a roster spot that was presumed to be Eric Hinske’s.
  • The Mets have given up trying to trade for Rule V pick Steven Register, and are letting him go back to Colorado. He’ll report to Triple A.
  • Ruben Gotay, who had been DFA’d by the Mets, has been picked up by the Braves. Adam Rubin also notes that Anderson Hernandez has been optioned to AAA. UPDATE: To make room for Gotay on the 25-man, the Braves have asked for waivers on Scott Thorman. He has cleared, and will report to Triple A Richmond.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski

Kelvim Escobar’s Season May Be Over

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Kelvim Escobar’s season, and perhaps even career, may be in jeopardy because of his shoulder issue.  A contribution this year is a long shot.  Baseball Injury Report’s Rick Wilton guesses it is related to the rotator cuff.  By the way, Baseball Injury Report was all over this last night; check it out and consider subscribing.

John Lackey’s triceps strain takes on heightened importance with the probable loss of Escobar.  Lackey, Jered Weaver, and Jon Garland is still a competitive front three.  And between Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, Dustin Moseley, and Nick Adenhart, the Halos can figure out the last two slots.

If Tony Reagins does look externally for more pitching, here are some options off the top of my head: Claudio Vargas, Jason Marquis, Matt Morris, Matt Belisle, David Wells, Jorge de la Rosa, Byung-Hyun Kim, Horacio Ramirez, Anthony Reyes, and Cliff Lee.  In other words, slim pickens right now.

Giants Like Kotchman And Mathis

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Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants recently inquired with the Angels about first baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis.  Baggarly speculates that the Halos might like the idea of a reunion with Bengie Molina (owed $12MM over the next two seasons).

Of course, the value of the two Angels players far exceeds that of Molina.  No deal is close; Angels GM Tony Reagins was frank about that.  The Giants don’t have much in the way of valuable trade chips.  They’ve got overpriced, undesirable veterans plus a strong core of young pitching that they need to keep.

The Angels theoretically could part with Kotchman if they think Kendry Morales is ready (or if they wanted to shift Garret Anderson or Juan Rivera over to first, though neither has played there).  Mathis could be traded now; a separate deal with the Giants could make sense.

Odds and Ends: Rivera, Hamels, Sherrill

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Here’s today’s gathering of links.

  • John Shea examines the Giants’ roster crunch, which would be greatly relieved by trading Dave Roberts and Steve Kline.
  • Adam Rubin implies that the Angels want too much from the Mets for Juan Rivera – Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell.  A deal seems unlikely.
  • Cole Hamels, accused by a heckler of being a cross between Casey Fossum and Shawn Camp.  BURNED!
  • Buster Olney is hearing from other teams that the Orioles may shop 30 year-old newly anointed closer George Sherrill this summer.
  • Joe Christensen believes that we’ll learn about Joe Nathan’s future with the Twins by week’s end.
  • Brock For Broglio posted an interesting interview with Voros McCracken.  This quote from McCracken caught my eye: "One of the things that kind of bugged me with the Red Sox was a somewhat implied expectation that I’d come up with something like DIPS on a regular basis."

Odds and Ends: Jerome Williams, Linden, Lo Duca

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Below you’ll find the day’s random rumors and links.

Angels In Need Of Another Arm?

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At the end of his most recent column Ken Rosenthal posits a nightmare scenario for the Angles, going back to 2001 when the Mariners cracked out to a 20-4 start to seize the AL West crown before May Day. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the shelf for at least 4-6 weeks, should the Angels be concerned going into 2008? Is a move to pick up an extra starter in order?

The team is looking at filling 14-16 starts. With a surplus of outfielders the Angels are certainly in position to make a move. They could opt for a back of rotation innings eater like the Brewers Chris Capuano or the Reds’ Matt Belisle. Or, the team could really make a splash and dive head first into the Joe Blanton sweepstakes. David Bush might fill out the rotation nicely, through April and beyond.

Another possibility is a move toward the scrap heap, which got a slight upgrade this past week with the addition of Horacio Ramirez. Think Horacio might like a shot at the April 11 contest up at Safeco? How about reuniting brothers Jeff and Jared Weaver for one last sentimental run? And then there’s always the possibility of getting Southern Cali comfort David Wells off the couch for a month or two of solid work.

The LA Times sees General Manager Tony Reagins looking in-house to try and bridge the gap. Lefty Joe Saunders and righty Ervin Santana become your No. 3 and 4 starters, and Dustin Moseley, who made eight starts for the team in 2007, becomes your No. 5. Pencil in young gun Nick Adenhart for an outside shot at getting some innings, if not as a starter possibly as a long-reliever.

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Odds And Ends: White Sox, Angels, Crisp, Gillick

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Here are a few links to whet your appetite, including a Brian Roberts sighting. You didn’t think we could go two days without a Robert update, did you?

  • Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune notes that the White Sox are looking for a middle infielder and wonders if they might get involved in the Roberts sweepstakes. However, Rogers wonders if there is anything left in the system to intrigue the Orioles.
  • Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline looks at the recent rash of injuries plaguing the Angels pitching staff and wonders if it was a blessing that they did not trade for Miguel Cabrera. Considering the staff should be healthy by May, this sounds a little like when some try to put a positive spin on the Scott Kazmir trade for the Mets. They really do.
  • Coco Crisp spoke to the media about recent trade rumors and noted that he is not worried about being able to audition for other teams do his injury status saying that he hopes other teams already believe in him and what he is capable of.
  • The Deleware News-Journal interviews Phillies GM Pat Gillick, who is retiring at the end of the year, about his career.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Rangers Were Close To Acquiring Johan

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in with some inside info from the What Might’ve Been file.  He says the Rangers and Twins were close to an agreement on the players involved in a trade that would’ve sent Johan Santana to Texas.  The Twins pulled the plug when Santana was noncommital about whether he’d approve a trade to the Rangers.  They felt that this would’ve decreased his market value (instead the Twins ended up overplaying their hand and accepting the second or third-best offer).

Heyman speculates that the Rangers could’ve offered Eric Hurley and/or Edinson Volquez, for starters.  A Taylor Teagarden and various high-ceiling types could’ve been in there too, I imagine.  Would’ve been interesting to see Minnesota get Teagarden and shift Joe Mauer to third base in ’09.

The Rangers hoped to pair Johan with Torii Hunter, but Hunter couldn’t pass on the Angels’ offer.  Five years, $90MM is the kind of offer he had to pounce on. 

Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Horacio, Willits

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Rumor guru and baseball insider Ken Rosenthal has a new column at FOX Sports.  Let’s discuss.

  • Rosenthal does not see the Cubs taking on the salaries of both Brian Roberts and Coco Crisp, even if they shed their Jason Marquis commitment.  Roberts remains the focus.
  • Horacio Ramirez’s agent says seven clubs have already expressed interest in his client.  Perhaps he meant to say 0.7.
  • Rosenthal runs through many Rocco Baldelli replacement options for the Rays: Reggie Willits, Kenny Lofton, Gabe Gross, and Reed Johnson.  Only Willits seems the perfect fit, and the Angels aren’t making him available. Willits and his .393 career OBP could be headed to Triple A.
  • The Phillies are looking for middle relief help; Rosenthal suggests a possible match with Arizona.  Or, how ’bout signing Bob Wickman?  Is he officially retired?
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