Schilling Names Targets
UPDATE, 10-31-07: Gordon Edes and Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe spoke to a Red Sox source who does not expect Schilling to return to the team. The Red Sox will offer an incentive-based contract. The source added that Tim Wakefield‘s option is likely to be exercised.
FROM 10/30/07:
Interesting. After Boston, Curt Schilling has 12 teams he’d consider pitching for in 2008. Here they are:
Indians
Tigers
Angels
Mets
Phillies
Braves
Dodgers
Padres
Diamondbacks
Cubs
Cardinals
Brewers
Schilling had talked about the idea of going somewhere he could tutor young pitchers, like Tampa Bay. But it sounds like that idea is out and he wants to play for a contender. Not that the Rays can’t contend in ’08. I’m curious as to why the White Sox and Rockies were excluded, but who knows.
That’s a nice extensive list, so it should be fun if Boston passes. At a reasonable one-year commitment, any of the dozen should have interest no matter what their rotation looks like.
Dunn, Hatteberg Option Decisions Due Sunday
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have to make decisions on the options for Adam Dunn, Scott Hatteberg, Eddie Guardado, and Javier Valentin by November 4th.
- Dunn is the big one; his is for $13MM with a $0.5MM buyout. This is an easy decision to exercise, though it will cause full no-trade protection to kick in until June 15th. After that he gets to choose 10 clubs to which he would accept a trade. But I think that if the Reds want him out of town the two parties will find a way to make it work (ie, they’ll give him a million or two extra).
- Hatteberg’s option is for $1.85MM with a $0.15MM buyout. This is so cheap it’s hard to decline, even if Joey Votto is ready. The Reds could definitely exercise it and trade Hatteberg at their discretion. The market for first basemen is weak.
- Everyday Eddie has a $3MM club option with no apparent buyout. He didn’t show anything, so I’m guessing the Reds will pass.
- Valentin’s option is for $1.35MM with a $75K buyout. I imagine they’ll exercise it.
- Since we are talking about options, I should add that Moises Alou‘s is due on November 15th. His is for $7.5MM vs. a $1MM buyout.
- Additionally in that same Fay article, Baker denies any tampering with Kerry Wood or Mark Prior. They didn’t talk about coming to the Reds, and Baker has spoken to over 40 players since he was hired.
Mets, Marlins Interested In Torrealba
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Mets and Marlins have interest in free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba. The Rockies would like to bring him back, but otherwise they’ll look at Paul Lo Duca or Michael Barrett.
The 29 year-old Torrealba hit .255/.323/.376 in 396 ABs this year. Typically he hits for a touch more power. Meanwhile the average NL catcher hit .257/.318/.394 in 2007, so Torrealba’s bat is tolerable.
Torrealba was lousy at throwing out baserunners this year, checking in at just 19.7% caught stealing. Only Jason Kendall and Johnny Estrada were worse among qualifiers. Oddly Torrealba threw out 40.4% of baserunners in 2006 and 35.7% the year before. The reason for the decline is most likely a strained shoulder that lingered into the season.
Torrealba earned $1.075MM in ’07, and he might be looking for $3MM or more in ’08. Regarding the Marlins, they’re also interested in Barrett, Kendall, and Ramon Castro if they don’t keep Miguel Olivo.
A-Rod Aftermath
Lost in the shuffle of Alex Rodriguez‘s opt-out media frenzy – the Yankees should be able to snag some nice draft picks for him. They’ll undoubtedly offer him arbitration, and he’ll decline that offer. If that does happen and he’s signed by the Cubs, Tigers, Mets, Angels, or Red Sox, the Yankees will get that team’s first-round pick. The Giants and Dodgers’ first round picks are protected however.
Joel Sherman names the Angels, Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Red Sox, and Tigers as teams to watch in this bidding war. Kat O’Brien adds the White Sox to the mix, while Peter Abraham adds the Giants. My best guess is the Halos. Another thought – does it have to be Lowell or A-Rod for Boston? Couldn’t it be both if they believe Rodriguez can play a capable shortstop?
Odds and Ends: Hunter, A-Rod, Bedard
Sunday morning minor rumor collection…
- There’s always some skepticism from readers regarding Charley Walters rumors. Nonetheless I’ll report that he names the Nationals, White Sox, Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers as teams that will bid for Torii Hunter. I don’t see the Braves getting involved at $15MM per. And are the Dodgers ready to move Juan Pierre to left field already? The other clubs named seem reasonable.
- As expected, the Cardinals interviewed Chris Antonetti for their open GM position. No doubt it’s an attractive position but you have to wonder what kind of autonomy he’d have with Tony La Russa around.
- Larry LaRue makes the case for the Mariners tendering a contract to Horacio Ramirez. He also notes that Jose Guillen is as good as gone and the Ms won’t consider A-Rod.
- Speaking of that guy, Bill Price suggests the Mets should sign him and move David Wright to first base. Carlos Delgado I suppose would be a very expensive pinch-hitter in 2008.
- Nick Cafardo expects the Orioles to shop Miguel Tejada this winter, which would surprise no one. But he’s also hearing that Erik Bedard could be available. Trades of either might be unpopular with the fanbase. The trade market for starters could be hopping if Johan Santana, Bedard, and C.C. Sabathia are made available.
- Joel Sherman says Koji Uehara is a free agent, but we have heard differently. Anyway, the success of Hideki Okajima may create a minor bidding war for Hitoki Iwase.
Posada Could Join Mets, Marlins
George King has some Yankee info for us this morning, much of it involving Jorge Posada.
Mark Feinsand noted yesterday that the Yanks plan to offer a three-year, $40MM contract to Posada. King is on board, indicating that he expects a three-year deal in the $39-44MM range for the catcher. I’m sticking to my guns – I think this requires four guaranteed years in the end. But upping the average annual value to arrive at a 3/45 deal seems plausible.
King also mentions that the Mets and Marlins are both likely to be interested in Posada. The Mets are no surprise. But King indicates that the Fish have been "stockpiling dollars," which is news to me. Mostly we’ve been hearing that they want to make a low-level veteran signing or two but don’t figure to be able to afford both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera for 2008.
Glavine Interested In Cards?
Sounds like Tom Glavine is considering more options than just the Mets, Braves, and retirement.
According to Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Glavine has interest in finishing his career as a Cardinal. While he might not be the "ace" the team is looking for, he might be the next best thing.
We also noted earlier this month that the Washington Nationals might be in the mix.
All that said, the Braves are probably still the favorite for Glavine. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently expressed near certainty that the Braves would sign him.
Needs and Luxuries: New York Mets
Next up in our Needs and Luxuries series, the Mets.
C –
1B – Carlos Delgado
2B – Ruben Gotay
SS – Jose Reyes
3B – David Wright
LF – Carlos Gomez
CF – Carlos Beltran
RF – Lastings Milledge
SP – Pedro Martinez
SP – Orlando Hernandez
SP – Oliver Perez
SP – John Maine
SP – Mike Pelfrey/Philip Humber
Setup: Aaron Heilman/Duaner Sanchez
Closer: Billy Wagner
The Mets had a strong offense in ’07, basically the third best in the NL. Their starting pitching was above average, and their bullpen was roughly in the middle. They ranked second in the league in defensive efficiency.
Needs
As you can see above, the Mets have vacancies at catcher, second base, left field, and perhaps in the rotation. That’s because Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Castro, Luis Castillo, Moises Alou, and Tom Glavine could all be playing for different teams in 2008.
It’s probably time to move on from Lo Duca, who stopped hitting. The viable free agent options are Jorge Posada, Castro, Michael Barrett, and Miguel Olivo, in that order. Overpaying to lure Posada is an interesting idea. Otherwise, you go for a bargain with one of the others. Trade options include Gerald Laird, Kelly Shoppach, Bengie Molina, and Ramon Hernandez. The latter two would be salary dumps, so the price in players might be negligible.
I discussed the Castillo situation here. I’d probably bring him back, but I’d first learn the asking price for Orlando Hudson, Mark Ellis, and Freddy Sanchez. The first two are free agents after the ’08 season.
Left field, you gotta exercise Mo at $7.5MM (effectively $6.5MM). Easy choice, and Endy Chavez is a nice fourth outfielder. Right field is Milledge’s, no questions asked. I wouldn’t go after a center fielder and then try to shift Beltran over. That sets the outfield in my mind, though Mike Nichols of MetsBlog advocates an Adam Dunn trade.
A starting pitcher is a must, as no one in the ’08 rotation pitched 200 innings. Glavine is OK, but he already declined a $13MM option to stay. He’s probably not worth much more than $10MM. I think the goal is a big, grand starting pitcher acquisition like Johan Santana. I imagine Milledge, Maine, or Gomez would have to be part of such a deal, and the Mets would require a window for an extension.
A solid alternative would be to sign Curt Schilling, though that is a fairly brittle rotation. I’m recommending Schilling for a lot of teams, because he’s still effective and comes on a one-year deal. Not too many guys fit that description (Clemens might be the other, but I don’t like him for the Mets). Otherwise, it’s the usual suspects from the free agent market. And we’ve discussed the trade candidates many times before: Garland, Blanton, Lowry, Willis, Burnett, Igawa, Robertson. Can’t see the Astros making Oswalt available.
Some have advocated the Mets signing a Francisco Cordero type to anchor the pen and succeed Wagner. Signing Cordero or Mariano Rivera seems extravagant; the team has bigger needs. Maybe Omar can dip his feet in with a Troy Percival or someone like that. Good pens are usually built on the cheap. Plus, Duaner Sanchez should be back.
Luxuries
The Mets’ biggest luxury is probably money. Thing is, the free agent market doesn’t offer many star players to suit their needs. Posada and Schilling might be the only "star" players the Mets can acquire without giving up players.
The other luxury is prospects. Gomez’s star is still bright, while those of Pelfrey, Humber, Mike Carp, and Fernando Martinez have faded a touch. Gomez in particular might become a star, and could fetch one of the better players listed above. Omar Minaya’s been in a bit of a slump; can he spin some magic this winter?
Odds and Ends: Wakefield, Guillen, Lowell
Some random rumorage not quite worthy of individual posts…
- Jeff Goldberg of the Hartford Courant speculates that Tim Wakefield could be making his final start for Boston tonight. With Wakefield, the Red Sox possess one of the most lopsided contracts in baseball history. They have a perpetual $4MM club option with him, one that never goes away until they decline it. But $4MM is nothing to the Sox, and Wakefield was certainly worth that much in ’07. They’ll exercise it.
- The Mariners were once close to an extension for Jose Guillen, but currently it’s on the backburner. Even if the team exercises his $9MM option, Guillen can and probably will void it. He’s going to want at least three years, $30MM. The Mariners could get by without him.
- Mike Lowell has more Philly connections than I realized. The Phils definitely seem like his second choice if the Red Sox let him go. I think the Phillies should just sign Mike Lamb and spend the excess money on pitching.
- Neal Huntington’s first move: a waiver claim of Kevin Thompson. It’s over now.
- Joel Pineiro gets a $500K signing bonus, $5MM in ’08, and $7.5MM in ’09. Originally he wanted to test the market, but he appreciated the Cardinals giving him a chance.
- John Schuerholz found Scott Boras’ suggestions obnoxious and idiotic. Also, Steve Phillips comments on the A-Rod/Mets situation back in 2000.
Luis Castillo Hopes To Stay With Mets
Luis Castillo had wanted to play for the Mets for some time before they brought him aboard in a summer trade. By most accounts he fulfilled his obligations: he got on base, played sound defense, and did those #2 hitter things that always draw praise. John Delcos of The Journal News quotes Castillo as saying he wants to come back in 2008.
Presumably the deal would be for something like two years, $10MM. It would add a little stability to second base for the Mets. Delcos says the only other free agent 2B who might rival Castillo is Kaz Matsui, and the Mets won’t be trying that again. I also think Tadahito Iguchi would be comparable to Castillo in many ways. In-house, Ruben Gotay would be the choice.
Don’t forget the trade market though. Orlando Hudson, Freddy Sanchez, Mark Ellis, Jose Lopez, Ray Durham, and Mark Grudzielanek might be available this winter.