Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Crede, Burnett
A few links for Sunday evening…
- Chicago Tribune reporters Todd Lighty and Oscar Avila have more info on the David Wilder bonus-skimming scandal.
- Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to John Smoltz recently about players leaving or choosing not to sign with the Braves.
- SI.com’s Pablo S. Torre digs into Ken Griffey Jr.‘s decision.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel learned that Marlins third baseman Dallas McPherson (42 home runs at Triple A last year) would like 500 at-bats, but a bench role is more likely. McPherson is out of options.
- Joe Crede talked about the White Sox going young, but Ozzie Guillen did not agree.
- Newsday’s Kat O’Brien talked to A.J. Burnett, who was leaning toward the Yankees well before he signed. He chatted often with Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon this winter.
- Speaking of Damon, River Ave. Blues points out a passage in Joe Torre’s book about how the Yankees chose Rondell White over him back in ’02.
- Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo is taking a leave of absence, partially because of the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal. ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr. has much more on the situation, after talking to Gonzalez/Lugo’s trainer.
- South Side Sox takes a stab at fixing free agent compensation.
- Orlando Hudson could’ve had $24MM for 2009-11 if he’d taken an offer the D’Backs made before the ’08 season. Nick Piecoro says Hudson’s counteroffer was "so unrealistic that it actually upset people with the Diamondbacks."
Odds And Ends: Royals, Zimmerman, A-Rod
Links for Saturday…
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney breaks down the 2009 Royals and considers them an improvement over last year’s team.
- According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brendan Ryan is not yet out of options because of the time he spent on the DL back in 2006.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown writes that the Nationals lack stability. He wonders "if the organization really is getting anywhere."
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post heard that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the time is right for a long-term deal with the Nats, despite the weakened market and his 2008 injuries.
- Wallace Matthews of Newsday thinks Hank Steinbrenner should have let Alex Rodriguez sign elsewhere after 2007 because the slugger’s become a "toxic mortgage" to the team. Say what you will about A-Rod, it’s hard to match his production.
- The Tigers don’t have the organizational depth they did when they dealt for Miguel Cabrera, but FanGraphs examines what’s left in the minors.
Odds and Ends: Lester, Arbitration, Beimel
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority hosts a roundtable discussion of the worst fantasy picks of the first three rounds.
- Nationals president Stan Kasten expects "heavy trade talk," given the team’s surplus of first basemen/outfielders. Nick Johnson is the most likely candidate.
- Mark Sweeney may be forced into retirement, according to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News.
- Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal wonders if Jon Lester could be the next Red Sox player to get a long-term extension.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball analyzes the salary arbitration class of 2009.
- Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has Astros GM Ed Wade explain split contracts.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes the Yankees outfielders and Scott Boras clients Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon have been affected by the Stanford financial scandal.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Joe Beimel turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers about a month ago. Tough time to be a lefty reliever.
Padres Closing In On Deal With Walter Silva
1:52pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says the Padres are closing in on a minor league deal with Silva.
11:29am: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Yankees and Padres are in the bidding for pitcher Walter Silva. Olney says the 32 year-old righty "had a strong showing in the Mexican Winter League" and must be purchased from the Monterrey franchise.
Braves Leaning Toward Internal Options In OF
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talked to Braves GM Frank Wren, who says the Braves are more likely to try their young outfielders than acquire a veteran outfielder after failing to sign Ken Griffey Jr.
Crasnick adds that the Braves "aren’t very excited" about Garret Anderson and have little to no interest in Jim Edmonds and Luis Gonzalez. He says the salaries of Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher might be prohibitive. Pure speculation on my part – the Braves could definitely afford Luke Scott if he’s available for trade.
Orlando Hudson Rumors: Thursday
Yesterday we learned from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has ongoing talks for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers appear to be the front-runner for Hudson. Signing him wouldn’t affect their chances of locking up Manny Ramirez. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick says Colletti has also not ruled out relief help from guys like Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, or Jason Isringhausen.
Even as divisional rivals the D’Backs may be rooting for the Dodgers to sign Hudson, since they’d receive L.A.’s #17 pick in the June draft as part of the compensation. Rosenthal says the Royals and other unknown clubs remain in the mix for him, with the White Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, and Mets seemingly not seriously involved. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star discusses the Royals angle in a column today.
Brian Giles Likes Red Sox, Yankees, Angels
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune talked to Padres outfielder Brian Giles today. At $9MM, Giles is the Padres’ second highest-paid player behind Jake Peavy. He’s a trade candidate this season, though he has full no-trade rights. He carries the baggage of a lawsuit with his former girlfriend as well as an additional $2MM in salary if traded. The Padres exercised his ’09 option on November 7th last year, and I’m guessing they’re already regretting it.
Krasovic learned that Giles’ favored trade destinations would be the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels. The Yankees and Angels have surpluses in the outfield currently, though Giles would love to stay in California. Giles vetoed a trade to Boston last year due to playing time issues and an expectation that Theo Epstein would’ve traded him after the season.
Yankees Sign Brett Tomko
The New York Yankees have signed pitcher Brett Tomko to a minor-league deal, Tyler Kepner of The New York Times reports.
Tomko, 36 in April, went 2-7 with a 6.30 ERA for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres in 2008. The right-hander made 10 starts and appeared 12 times in relief.
Braves Rumors: Glavine, Outfielders
1:29pm: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution offers thoughts on the Glavine situation.
10:42am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the Braves.
Rosenthal believes the Braves have $6-8MM to work with, as they try to re-sign Tom Glavine and add an outfielder. The outfield situation is of greater priority.
The Braves had a positive meeting with Glavine on Wednesday; Rosenthal says their offer gives the lefty "the chance to make $3MM — a $1MM guarantee, $1MM if he made the Opening Day roster and $1MM if he was on the roster 60 days." Glavine is said to be seeking $3MM guaranteed plus incentives. He wants to retire a Brave, and is intent on pitching in 2009.
As for the outfield, Rosenthal says the Braves are "checking into" free agents such as Garret Anderson, Luis Gonzalez, Jim Edmonds, and Ken Griffey Jr. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick wrote earlier today that the Mariners are making progress with Griffey. Rosenthal says a Nick Swisher trade "also remains possible, but the Braves almost certainly could land one of the free agents for less than the $5.3MM that Swisher will earn in 2009." Swisher is guaranteed an additional $16.75MM for 2010-11, if his 2012 option for $10.25MM is declined.
Fallout From Abreu And Dunn Deals
Let’s look at the fallout from today’s big news. The Angels have reached an agreement with Bobby Abreu and the Nats have done the same with Adam Dunn, but, as many of our commenters have noted, other teams and players are affected by these deals. Here’s a breakdown:
- The Dodgers lose a lot of leverage in their negotiations with Manny Ramirez. Dunn was their preferred alternative to Manny, and Abreu was another possibility. Unless GM Ned Colletti wants to trade for a bat or sign a much lesser hitter, he may have to give in to Manny and offer three years or an enhanced one or two year deal.
- Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras must be smiling tonight. The two strongest suitors for Manny, the Dodgers and Giants, still need bats, but Manny’s the only top-notch outfielder left.
- The Braves lose leverage. They’ve considered trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher, but with Dunn and Abreu off the board, and Manny out of reach, the Braves might have to give up more in a trade with the Yankees.
- The Yankees, in turn, benefit from these two deals because they can demand more from the Braves. Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should hold onto Swisher and Nady.
- Garret Anderson and Ken Griffey Jr. are now the best remaining alternatives to Manny, so they could both benefit from today’s deals.