Discussion: J.J. Hardy
When the Brewers demoted slumping shortstop J.J. Hardy on August 12th, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the move was performance-based and was not done to delay his free agency by a year. Talking to Anthony Witrado of the JS yesterday, Hardy and his agent Mike Seal publicly called BS on Melvin. After all, the Brewers chose the latest possible date to demote Hardy and still ensure he would not become a free agent until after the 2011 season. Melvin would point to Hardy's .229/.300/.367 batting line. Which side are you on?
Hardy was initially OK with the demotion, until his agent informed him of the Brewers' perfect timing. The Brewers may prefer the younger, cheaper Alcides Escobar as their shortstop moving forward, making Hardy a prime offseason trade candidate. Even with a pay cut, Hardy will make at least $3.7MM in 2010 if tendered a contract. That seems a worthwhile gamble – FanGraphs had Hardy as a 4+ win player in each of the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Which teams might pursue the 27 year-old shortstop? Rumors linking Boston to Hardy date back to at least June. Perhaps the Twins could renew their winter interest. The Blue Jays and A's may also make sense.
Odds & Ends: Scutaro, Hardy, Glaus, Giants
Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and link to something like this… and totally redeem yourself!
- MLB.com's Drew Davison mentions that Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston expressed his desire about having shortstop Marco Scutaro around next year. "Well, I hope we get him back," Gaston said. "I don't know, maybe we have got a shot. It's just one of those things." Scutaro projects to be a Type-A free agent, so the Jays could stand to gain two draft picks if they offer him arbitration and he signs elsewhere.
- Anthony Witrado of The Journal Sentinel has a quote from Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who felt like his demotion to Triple-A was a punishment. Because of how long he was sent down, Hardy's free agency was delayed by a year until after the 2011 season. As you can imagine, he's upset about it.
- Meanwhile, Tom Haudricourt tweets that he's not "expecting any last-minute deals tonight involving the Brewers," and that "all is quiet" on their front.
- Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes that one of the Cardinals first callups will be third baseman Troy Glaus, who's been out all season due to injury.
- After signing Brad Penny earlier today, Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News says that he's "told the Giants don’t expect any more moves this evening." There was some speculation that the Giants could be interested in one of the White Sox veterans that suddenly became available tonight.
- Last night we learned that the Mets cancelled fall instructional league in a cost cutting move, but today Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News noted that the team will instead have its minor leaguers work out at their academy in the Dominican because "there's not enough competition in Florida, especially with the Cards purportedly no longer fielding an instructional league team in nearby Jupiter."
Teams Interested In Mike Cameron
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that there has been interest in Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, and that the Tigers may be one of the teams that checked in on him. Cameron cleared trade waivers late last week, likely due to the fact that he's still owed about $1.75MM of his $10MM base salary, not to mention another $750K in easily reachable bonuses based on plate appearances.
Cameron, 36, is hitting .258-.358-.459 in 517 plate appearances this year, his best offensive season since 2006. His once outstanding defense in center has declined a bit, but his +7.7 UZR/150 is still well above average. The Yankees expressed interest in his services last offseason. If a team acquired Cameron after today, he would be ineligible for the postseason roster.
Odds And Ends: Hardy, Johnson, Mets
More links as we await the next waiver trade…
- The Brewers put off J.J. Hardy's free agency until after 2011 by keeping him in the minors for 20 days, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out. This should boost Hardy's trade value after the season, when the Brewers will presumably listen to trade offers, now that Alcides Escobar is contributing in the majors.
- Randy Johnson expects to return to the Giants as a reliever, according to the AP (via FOX Sports).
- MLB.com's Marty Noble suggests Jayson Werth and Derrek Lee would be good fits for the Mets this offseason.
Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:
- When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
- The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
- The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
- The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin‘s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
- The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
- Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
- Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
- For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
- The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
- The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
- Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
- After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Rays, Hoffman, Byrd
We can link to it, we have the technology…
- ESPN's Keith Law feels the Rays received "a tremendous return for a pitcher whose value had really nose-dived over the past 10 months" when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels late Friday evening.
- Manager Joe Maddon says that the team feels they have the depth to cover the loss of Kazmir, and that it won't hurt their chances of getting back to playoffs this year. The depth Maddon speaks of comes in the form of Andy Sonnanstine and prospect Wade Davis, though Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says Sonnanstine will get the call against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
- Topkin was all over the Kazmir saga yesterday, and now that the dust has settled he says the team can use the savings to keep it's core intact. Several veterans, such as Carl Crawford, have raises built into their contracts, and several of the club's young players will be due big raises in arbitration.
- When asked if closer Trevor Hoffman might go to the Giants after being claimed on waivers, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said "probably not," according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
- Boston reportedly agreed to give Paul Byrd a September callup, but it looks like his shot may come sooner than that. With Tim Wakefield's back acting up again, the Sox will send Byrd to the mound tomorrow night according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald.
- Sheldon Ocker of The Akron Beacon Journal takes an early look at some of the players that could help get the Indians back on track in 2010.
- The Marlins officially introduced first round pick Chad James to the masses this afternoon, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Brew Crew, Rosters
A few links for Saturday evening…
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Rays had to make the Scott Kazmir deal because they "simply couldn't afford" to keep him.
- According to Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers, who stand just 62-66, are on pace to draw around 3 million fans this season. Maintaining a solid amount of revenue could help the club make a play for a top free agent this offseason.
- Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports continues his "Restoring the Rosters" series with a look at the Diamondbacks, who he ranked 11th, and the Twins, who he ranked 12th in the what-could-have-been collection of columns.
- If you haven't already, join MLBTR on Twitter for even more year-round updates and discussion.
Giants Claimed Hoffman; Trade Unlikely
The Giants claimed Trevor Hoffman, but it appears that the Brewers will pull the reliever off waivers instead of negotiating a trade, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The Giants made the claim partly because Hoffman would help their bullpen and partly because they didn't want to give the Rockies or Dodgers a chance to acquire him.
The Brewers seem more likely to hold onto Hoffman than trade him. Speaking in general terms, GM Doug Melvin told Olney that he would "probably not" compromise the club's bullpen in the coming days.
Four Brewers Clear Waivers
Jason Kendall, Craig Counsell, Mike Cameron and Braden Looper all cleared waivers yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Now, the Brewers can trade those players to any team. Interested clubs will want to complete deals by Monday because players acquired after August 31st aren't eligible to play in the postseason.
Kendall, Cameron and Counsell all hit free agency after the season, while Looper has a $6MM mutual option for next year. According to the latest rankings, Kendall, Cameron and Looper project as Type B free agents and Counsell will likely be unranked. The Brewers could receive draft picks in compensation for departing free agents, but they'd have to be willing to offer arbitration to receive the picks.
The Brewers placed Trevor Hoffman on waivers and he was claimed, but they don't appear likely to trade him.
Hoffman, Harden & Heilman Claimed On Waivers
7:30pm: According to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, "An American League source with knowledge of the process indicated the Minnesota Twins may be the team that claimed Harden."
2:47pm: An unknown team claimed Trevor Hoffman off waivers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi, who notes that Hoffman would like to return to Milwaukee next year, says the chances of a deal are slim. Hoffman projects as a Type A free agent, so the Brewers can receive compensation picks if they offer Hoffman arbitration and he signs elsewhere.
Meanwhile, two players on the division rival Cubs have also been claimed, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. A National League team claimed Aaron Heilman and Rich Harden was claimed by an unknown team.
Harden earns $7MM this year, but, like Hoffman, he projects as a Type A free agent, so his value is high. Teams such as the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers would all figure to have interest in Harden, but the Cubs would be in a position to command a lot for him.