Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Stairs, Lowell, Darvish
Links for Monday…
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi spoke to one executive who thinks the lack of open 40-man roster spots is inhibiting trades. There are only 28 open spots across the league, and more than half of the teams are maxed out.
- Chad Gaudin said he considered "a couple" of other teams before deciding to rejoin the A's, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reminds us that the Padres will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster before Opening Day to make room for Matt Stairs.
- The Rangers have a scout on hand to watch Mike Lowell play third base tonight, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. This deal has to get done eventually, right?
- The Braves were concerned the Marlins would take Jason Heyward at #12 in the 2007 draft, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Yu Darvish hinted for the first time that he might be willing to come to MLB, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman passes along a Sponichi report in which Darvish said, "Well, I’m planning on climbing the ladder, step by step," when asked about moving to MLB one day. Newman notes that Darvish isn't close to free agency, so the Nippon Ham Fighters would have to post him.
- SI's Jon Heyman writes that the Mariners and Jarrod Washburn "are believed to remain apart on the dollars for a new deal."
- Brian Cashman and Johnny Damon met in person for the first time since Damon left the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons names six clubs that might be better than you think.
Pirates Claim Hayden Penn
The Pirates claimed pitcher Hayden Penn off waivers from the Marlins, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Penn is out of options, and the Marlins weren't able to get him through.
Penn, 25, posted a 4.11 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 70 Triple A innings last year. The Marlins acquired him a year ago from the Orioles for Robert Andino. Penn was a highly-regarded prospect four years ago, as Baseball America said he had "three plus pitches that he throws for strikes." Nice pickup by Neal Huntington.
Red Sox Would Move Lowell; Not Close To A Deal
SATURDAY, 1:58pm: Buster Olney tweets that the Marlins are unsure as to why they've been linked to Lowell. According to Olney, the Marlins weren't even interested in Lowell prior to his recent injury.
FRIDAY, 1:20pm: The Red Sox aren't close to dealing Lowell, who left today's Spring Training game after fouling a pitch off of his left knee, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Via Twitter, ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes notes that the Rangers and Marlins weren't scouting Lowell today.
9:25am: The Red Sox are still interested in dealing Mike Lowell and the infielder would consider a trade, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Major league sources tell Abraham that the club remains interested in moving Lowell, who has one year and $12MM remaining on his contract with Boston. Lowell has no-trade protection, but he says he'd listen if the Red Sox come to him with a deal.
"If I was traded to another team, I would definitely evaluate it," Lowell said. "Obviously it's human nature to think about things."
Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Marlins' interest in the Miami product was "barely above zero." Scouts doubt his mobility and Lowell is aware that he's a better fit in the American League.
Odds & Ends: Braun, Reds, Marlins, Washburn
A few more Friday links for your browsing pleasure…
- Speaking to Tim Allen of 1250 WSSP in Milwaukee (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), Ryan Braun said he has no regrets about signing an eight-year $45MM deal with the Brewers in 2008.
- The Reds haven't been very involved in trade discussions during the spring, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (Twitter link) thinks the Marlins will fill out their bullpen via a waiver claim or trade.
- Larry Stone of The Seattle Times would like to see the Mariners get something done with Jarrod Washburn.
- Cristian Guzman is making a case to be the Nationals' starting shortstop, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. If the Nats named Guzman the starter, Ian Desmond would start the season at Triple-A so he could play every day.
- In his latest mailbag, Scott Merkin of MLB.com answers questions about the futures of A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye. He also gives his opinion on which player would be the ideal big-name trade target for the White Sox.
Odds & Ends: Kim, Dukes, Adrian
Links for Thursday…
- The Giants' Byung-Hyun Kim experiment is over, as the pitcher asked the Giants for his release according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
- Multiple teams are interested in free agent outfielder Elijah Dukes, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Murray Chass chatted with agent Ron Shapiro about the Joe Mauer deal. Speaking of Mauer, 620 WTMJ's Dan O'Donnell spoke to MLBTR's Mike Axisa about how the catcher's deal might impact Prince Fielder.
- The Marlins' interest in Mike Lowell is "barely above zero," learned MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Lowell told Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald today that he's not sure if a move back to the NL would work.
- The Diamondbacks don't expect to sign Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
- Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune spoke to Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, who wouldn't be surprised to see Adrian Gonzalez play two more seasons for his team.
- In reference to Mets rookie Jenrry Mejia, ESPN's Keith Law notes that "promoting prospects who aren't ready is a hallmark of GMs in fear for their jobs."
- Tracy Ringolsby is now on Twitter, give him a follow.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post examines the Mets' reconfiguration of Hisanori Takahashi's contract.
- I'll be participating in an NFBC fantasy league Sunday evening. They've got all kinds of events and prizes, check it out.
Odds & Ends: Stanton, Daigle, Bell, Mariners
A round-up of some of Wednesday's newsbits….
- The Marlins assigned top prospect Mike Stanton to Double-A, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes that by keeping Stanton in the minors until "around Memorial Day, or June 1," the club can delay Stanton's Super Two status.
- RHP Casey Daigle, a non-roster invitee signed by the Astros in December, has a shot at winning a spot on the Houston roster, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Daigle last pitched in the majors in 2006.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter) hears from GM Jed Hoyer that the Padres haven't heard from other teams interested in Heath Bell, nor are they "actively shopping" the closer themselves.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls the Mariners "a disappointment waiting to happen" and feels they won't live up to the hype generated by their busy offseason.
- Carroll Rogers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on new TBS analyst John Smoltz popping by the Braves camp. Smoltz said he is "not officially [retired], but close" and noted that the Nationals offered a deal over the winter for him to pitch and eventually coach for the club.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert writes that Arizona GM Josh Byrnes' interest in Kelly Johnson dated back to the infielder's high school days, and that Byrnes tried to deal for Johnson back in 2006.
- LHP Danny Duffy, one of Kansas City's top pitching prospects, is quitting baseball, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star.
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports that reliever Joe Nelson has an opt-out clause in his contract with the Red Sox that allows him to become a free agent if he isn't on Boston's major league roster by June 1.
- Prospective Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg won't have the deal finalized to buy the team by Opening Day, reports Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. Mid-April is the new target date.
- Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs looks at the battle for the last spot on the Oakland roster, while also dropping several hints that the A's would be helping themselves by releasing Eric Chavez.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America looks at seven out-of-options players who he figures will either make their team's roster or be traded in the coming days. Eddy also gave us a shout-out by linking to MLBTR's full list of players who are out of options.
Scouts Doubt Mike Lowell’s Mobility
Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald talked to some scouts present at Boston's spring training game with Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and reports that the scouts are skeptical of Mike Lowell's ability to play in the field or swing the bat in the wake of the veteran infielder's numerous injury problems.
Lauber quotes an unnamed NL scout who says "how [Lowell] looked today, I would not have any interest in him…I don’t think he’s moving very well at all. Right now, his swing is very upper-body dominant. I don’t think he’s popping his hips or using his legs very much."
While Lauber admits that Lowell hasn't had enough field time for scouts to make a full evaluation on his health, any indication that Lowell isn't able to play a position will certainly hurt his trade value, especially to National League clubs. We've heard that Florida has looked into re-acquiring Lowell, but Lauber hears from a source that “the club’s interest is 'minimal at best.' ”
Boston has been trying to deal Lowell for months, and had a trade worked out with Texas in December before it was discovered that Lowell needed thumb surgery. Not only is Lowell an expensive bench option, but his continued presence is holding up some of Boston's other moves. ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes writes that the Red Sox are in need of shortstop depth and "have communicated to other teams that they're in the market for a backup at short, but there's no spot unless Lowell goes."
Given that the Sox will surely have to eat a big piece of Lowell's $12MM contract for 2010 in any trade, they might be forced to pay the whole price and release Lowell to free up roster space.
Odds & Ends: Orioles, Harper, Hanley
Links for Wednesday…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports presents a slideshow of ten trades he thinks would make sense.
- In another article, Morosi says Bryce Harper is "one terrible role model." Morosi contrasts Harper with Joe Mauer, who he says had an "uncontrived upbringing" but still became a well-paid star.
- The Mariners acquired minor league infielder Edgar Trejo from the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Over at RotoAuthority, I took a look at 2009's top position players and pitchers in terms of fantasy baseball earnings, and what rounds those players were drafted in.
- The Orioles are replacing farm director David Stockstill, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Tony Pente of Orioles Hangout first hinted Monday of impending front office changes.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that March 31st at 2pm is "the deadline to release players with non-guaranteed contracts and owe just 45-day’s pay." The Yankees' Chad Gaudin is one example, though a year ago with the Cubs Gaudin had a guaranteed contract.
- In light of the news that the Giants are shopping infielder Kevin Frandsen, Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner explains why the Mariners acquiring him "seems like the most obvious move ever."
- Marlins president David Samson told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post he'd like Hanley Ramirez to retire a Marlin. Fortunately, Ramirez is already signed through 2014.
Marlins To Keep An Eye On Lowell
The idea of a reunion between the Marlins and Mike Lowell has been in the air since the Miami Herald reported the team sent scouts to watch the 36-year-old's Grapefruit League debut on March 15. This morning, Jorge Ebro at the Nuevo Herald (link in Spanish) provided a more specific picture of the team's interest level and what situations could bring Lowell back to Florida after talking with a source inside the organization.
"We've talked about that subject, and everyone within the organization is aware of the significance of bringing back Lowell from all points of view," explains Ebro's source. He adds that much remains "unclear" about Lowell for the team's scouts, particularly the status of his hip and "the lateral movement that made him one of the best defenders of his time." Reports on Lowell's mobility haven't been glowing, and he started the spring at first base for the first time since he was in the Yankees minor league system. But even with the potential of changing positions on occasion, Lowell's role would likely be much clearer outside of Boston, where he is currently either the first option off of the Red Sox's bench, especially in the case of another slow start by David Ortiz, or a $12MM odd man out in the race for starts at the infield corners and DH.
If Lowell were to join the Marlins, the source says, he would fill the same corner-to-corner role currently held by Jorge Cantu: a potential starter at third base who occasionally spells the starting first baseman. That starter increasingly looks like Gaby Sanchez, who has hit .387 this spring and looked "more relaxed" at the plate and in the field, according the source. "But having a veteran like Lowell in the bank never hurts," he adds. "It's a long season, injuries happen. If the price is good, a return by Lowell would not be unreasonable." As Ebro notes, the Marlins' idea of a good price—or that of the Twins, or White Sox, or whatever team looks seriously at Lowell—would likely include the Red Sox picking up most of the cost.
Marlins Release Mike MacDougal
The Marlins released reliever Mike MacDougal, according to the team's media relations department. MacDougal had signed a minor league deal on February 18th. He was knocked around in five spring appearances.
MacDougal provided an interesting test case for how highly teams value saves, as he saved 20 in 21 tries last year but walked more than he struck out. The save total didn't get MacDougal very far, though Fernando Rodney appears to have earned several million extra for his. MacDougal does share a couple of positive traits with Rodney: he averages over 95 mph on his fastball, and he gets tons of groundballs.