Cubs Considering Manny?
From the speculative rumor mill, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune suggests Manny Ramirez could be what the Cubs are missing, and the opportunity to bring him to Chicago could be there this offseason. Says Rogers,
"With the aggressive nature of general manager Jim Hendry and the anything-to-win approach in the Lou Piniella era, don’t rule this out—not if the Dodgers would take on a big contract or two from the Cubs…
There’s no way the Cubs can play two left fielders, so [Alfonso] Soriano would have to go for Ramirez to come. Soriano seems to be essentially an immovable object with six years and $106 million left on his contract, but the Dodgers will need two things if they don’t re-sign Ramirez—power hitting and another buzz guy."
Rogers cites bad contracts on both teams that could facilitate a deal, but I think this is a reach. The Cubs would need to deal Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both with no-trade clauses, specifically to the Dodgers to free up enough cash to sign Manny who’s seeking a 6 year contract with "iconic money". This would also hinge on the contingency that the Dodgers would pass on Manny to acquire Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both of whom paled in comparison this offseason.
Latest Peavy Rumors
9:03pm: Lots of good stuff from yesterday’s San Diego Union-Tribune that we haven’t covered. First, Kevin Towers says he’s looking for young controllable pitching and then middle infielders in a package for Peavy. No mention of a center field focus, which had been mentioned previously.
Additionally, Towers explained that the Astros do not match up well given his stated desire for multiple young pitchers. So far the Braves look like the best fit.
On the Cardinals front, Joe Strauss says the team’s scouts met this week and are enthusiastic about pursuing Peavy. Strauss’s sources say Peavy’s availability "loosened the organization’s grip on younger talent." Viva El Birdos believes Peavy would cost top prospect Colby Rasmus and then some. Despite Towers’ stated focus on starting pitching, an offer including Rasmus would have to give him pause.
3:26pm: The latest from the Jake Peavy universe:
While the Astros were high on the list of contenders yesterday, MLB.com Astros beat writer Alyson Footer isn’t so sure. According to Footer, sources named the Dodgers and the Braves as the two teams drawing the most interest, and said a deal could be in place within a week.
12:00pm: We had a good running mill of Jake Peavy rumors yesterday, but the stove is still hot. According to MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman, the Braves are preparing a pitch for the Padres ace.
Citing a team official knowledgeable on the situation, Bowman reports the Braves have already had preliminary discussions with the Padres to gauge what kind of package would have to be put together to land the former Cy Young winner.
At this point, writes Bowman, the Braves are essentially in a holding pattern, waiting for the Padres to consider other deals from other teams. And it might be a long wait.
According to the report, the package the Braves are preparing would include top prospects, but it could also be improved if either second baseman Kelly Johnson or shortstop Yunel Escobar are included. Bowman thinks the Padres would have to include Khalil Greene for the Braves to consider dealing Escobar.
Peavy has said he’d waive his no-trade clause to pitch for Atlanta.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.
Odds and Ends: Pitt, Manny, White Sox
Links for Friday…
- The Red Sox claimed pitcher Dewon Day off waivers from the White Sox, and also designated pitcher Chris Smith for assignment.
- Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ponders trading Colby Rasmus to get Jake Peavy and Khalil Greene.
- Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in the Moneyball movie? Beane hopes to add offense this winter.
- J.C. Bradbury estimates Manny Ramirez‘s value at $128MM over the next six years. I think Manny and Boras would happily accept such an offer.
- Dave Cameron laments the lack of respect for Ryan Langerhans.
- South Side Sox presents an offseason plan for the White Sox.
- Jacob Jackson at Athletics Nation predicts destinations for his top 12 free agents. My Top 50 will come out after the World Series. I disagree with a few of Jacob’s picks – Derek Lowe and Jason Giambi re-signing and the Cubs signing Adam Dunn.
- I attempted to find some over/undervalued starting pitchers for fantasy baseball over at RotoAuthority.
Player-Coach Role For Maddux?
Interesting note from Mel Antonen and Bob Nightengale at USA Today, found via Shysterball:
The San Diego Padres have talked to Greg Maddux about of becoming a player-coach in the organization, general manager Kevin Towers said Thursday. Yet Towers anticipates that Maddux might retire instead.
Maddux seems to already serve that type of role, making his 32 starts while tutoring young pitchers. Might as well make it official if he sticks around in 2009. The Padres might have a hard time fitting Maddux in the budget, but the Dodgers or Giants could be alternatives if the Professor wants to make a run at fifth all-time in wins.
He’ll have to get past Pud Galvin. The game hasn’t changed much since Pud’s day. Did you know he pitched 656.3 innings in 75 starts as a 26 year-old in 1883?
Randy Johnson’s Future
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has an in-depth look at the Randy Johnson situation. The legendary 45 year-old lefty was effective this year in 30 starts. It seems highly unlikely that he’ll retire just five wins from 300. There are concerns he would remain committed after winning those five games.
Piecoro says D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes hinted that he is not willing to go as high as $10MM for Johnson in 2009. The team seemingly doesn’t have much more than that to spend in total, and they have other needs. Also, the Diamondbacks are against incentive-based contracts. Still, Piecoro wonders if ownership could step in and mandate re-signing Johnson.
Johnson is right on the borderline for Type B status, but the D’Backs stand to pick up many draft picks for other players so they may not risk offering arbitration. Would Johnson pitch elsewhere? Piecoro feels that he favors the West Coast, making the Dodgers and Angels intriguing possibilities.
Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Nomar, Lowe, Penny, Kent
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times discusses the Dodgers’ upcoming busy offseason, while Bill Shaikin focuses on Manny Ramirez.
- Nomar Garciaparra is undecided about playing next year. He hit .264/.326/.466 in 181 plate appearances in 2008 while earning $8.5MM.
- Manager Joe Torre seems to consider pitching the top offseason priority. Makes sense, with the statuses of Derek Lowe and Brad Penny in question. Hernandez’s sources say Lowe felt underappreciated during his time in L.A., and he is expected to leave. It’s unknown whether the Dodgers will choose Penny’s $9.25MM option or the $2MM buyout.
- Hernandez doesn’t see GM Ned Colletti breaking up his core group of young players to acquire Jake Peavy.
- The departure of Jeff Kent is near-certain Blake DeWitt can step in at second or third base.
- The Manny situation is difficult, because the Dodgers will take a lot of heat if they won’t meet his asking price (perhaps $100MM+). Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire suggests a more reasonable offer of three years, $60MM.
Latest On Peavy
9:53pm: More from Olney. The Padres are aggressively shopping Peavy, with the Braves and Dodgers two possible suitors. Olney’s sources believe Peavy will be dealt "in the weeks ahead." The Padres want two young pitchers and a near MLB-ready center fielder in return. The Braves and Dodgers could both meet that demand.
7:07pm: O’Brien has a new article up; he says the Braves and Padres have discussed Peavy. Not much is known beyond that. Paul DePodesta offers his thoughts on the situation, basically explaining that any player should be available for a compelling return. Thus far, the Padres haven’t received a compelling offer for Peavy.
10:04am: It’s early in the process, but Jake Peavy‘s availability has baseball fans all worked up. As a reminder, Peavy prefers the NL. He specifically likes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. He considers L.A. a particularly good fit and therefore is open to the Angels. Peavy controls his fate, as he has a full no-trade clause. On to today’s links:
- Dylan Hernandez reminds us that the Dodgers are on Peavy’s short list, and they could lose ace Derek Lowe.
- Dave Cameron looks at the numbers and questions whether Peavy will continue to pitch like an ace. Are the Padres selling high?
- You may recall Buster Olney’s rumor yesterday that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if that team is instead the Braves, offering Yunel Escobar.
Pierre Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause
MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick talked to Juan Pierre‘s agent Mark Pieper, who said Pierre would prefer a trade to a team where he can play more often. He’s willing to waive his no-trade clause. Pierre is singing the same tune as Andruw Jones, but both players have negative trade value.
Pierre’s biggest asset is staying healthy; that’s been true for many years. He doesn’t help much on offense or defense. His stolen bases don’t really add value. Pierre has three years and $28.5MM left on his deal. Perhaps he can be swapped for another bad contract. Any suggestions?
Colletti Will Return As Dodgers GM
After the Dodgers were eliminated last night, owner Frank McCourt said GM Ned Colletti will be back for the final year of his contract. McCourt would not say whether he plans to discuss an extension with Colletti.
Colletti has a huge offseason ahead of him. He has 14 potential free agents and important first-time arbitration cases for Russell Martin, Jonathan Broxton, and Andre Ethier.
Manny Quotes
Manny Ramirez gave a few quotes last night after the Dodgers were eliminated:
"I just want to go home and spend some time with my family. I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I."
Manny on whether he wants to be in L.A.: "We’ll see." Manny asked what he’s worth: "I guess you got to talk to my agent now. I’m a five-tool player. That’s me now." Hmmm…even Boras can’t convince anyone Manny brings speed or defense to the table.
On the high end, a six-year, $150MM deal has been suggested for Ramirez. T.J. Simers suspects owner Frank McCourt would prefer to make a valiant effort and finish second in the bidding. Buster Olney believes the Dodgers are better suited signing C.C. Sabathia.