Odds and Ends: Pavano, Lima, Sabathia
Today’s link collection contains a trio of awesome pitchers. Enjoy.
- Carl Pavano is talking about five or six more seasons; his new agent calls him a "1-2 starter." You can chuckle, but some team will probably toss him a million bucks this winter.
- The Kia Tigers have already had enough of Jose Lima. Coincidentally here’s a funny quote from Lima regarding his Atlantic League paycheck from ’03.
- Ken Rosenthal discusses C.C. Sabathia‘s situation, noting that the Indians could probably sign him if they’d give five years.
- Rany Jazayerli writes in praise of Dayton Moore.
- Rule V pick Fernando Hernandez is headed back to the White Sox.
Odds and Ends: Schilling, Piazza, Howard
Tax day roundup…
- Some mild drama over whether Curt Schilling would consider pitching for the Yankees next year. He reiterated that he won’t. It takes two to tango, anyway.
- Pedro Martinez may be out until June. Nelson Figueroa‘s chance continues, with Claudio Vargas as the backup plan. The Mets still have a solid rotation without Pedro.
- Mark Healey has heard rumblings that the Reds and Yankees are looking at Mike Piazza.
- Phillies Nation on why they would trade Ryan Howard.
- Bill Barnwell looks at the four trades Randy Johnson trades. I thought the Unit looked respectable last night, though it’s hard to gauge against the Giants.
- Susan Slusser believes a recent roster move indicates that the A’s are playing to win in ’08. They’re in first place at the moment.
- The Dodgers rolled out the red carpet for bloggers.
Yanks Face Catching Woes
Buster Olney wonders whether Jorge Posada will have to spend most of the season DHing, and at the same time his backup Jose Molina may be DL-bound. Sure, the Yankees could just make do with internal options until Molina returns in a few weeks. But it’s also possible that Brian Cashman will look for outside help.
Trade possibilities include Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Humberto Quintero, Brayan Pena, and Gerald Laird. Laird may be off the table, as the Rangers wait to see if his offensive resurgence lasts and give Jarrod Saltalamacchia more time. Molina and Hernandez carry commitments through ’09, while Pena and Quintero are backups and could be easily acquired.
The Reds may be considering a similar list of available catchers, though they are looking for more than a short-term fix.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
Bunch of random topics so let’s just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere…
- Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup…Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds would already be in uniform if he had come out said he would play 2008 for $3-5MM plus incentives? The baggage is what it is, but teams might find it easier to deal with it at a price Bonds is not likely to accept.
- Rockin’ The Red takes a look at the five Cardinals that are most likely to be traded during the season…Chris Duncan is an interesting name on the list. With all the outfielders that the Cards have, Duncan is a solid bat that is likely to be a Super-2 at the end of the year.
- The Yankees: Minors to Majors looks at the pending free agents for the Yankees and concludes that there is plenty of compensation picks to be had giving the Yankees plenty of flexibility to sign a high-end free agent like C.C. Sabathia…Of course, that is assuming the Yankees would let something like draft pick compensation stand in the way of signing a free agent. Not likely.
- Wrigleyville23 has had enough of the Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs media reports…Who?
- The Bronx Zoo would love to see Nick Johnson back in a Yankees’ uniform but notes that Dmitri Young may not be a dependable replacement for the Nats.
- Mets Fever notes that eight players have moved among the Brewers, Mets and Nats since this offseason…Let’s just say that the Brewers did not get the best of that "three-way trade".
- One writer at DRays Bay is hoping the Rays and M’s can re-engage talks for Edwin Jackson…The M’s may be interested once again after being two-hit by Jackson yesterday, but maybe the price just went up.
- One name that kept popping up recently as a possible trade piece in the near future was Rich Harden. Well, Harden has once again found himself on the DL and Athletics Nation is not taking it well.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Cashman, Matsuo, Durham
Some random links to ponder today…
- Peter Abraham submitted nine reader questions to Yankees GM Brian Cashman. I liked reading about how Cashman deals with agents who lie to him.
- The Red Sox signed free agent Terumasa Matsuo, who was pitching in a Japanese independent league. I have no idea what the 26 year-old pitcher is capable of.
- Tracy Ringolsby says the Giants really want to move Ray Durham and Dave Roberts, and will pick up some salary to do so. Durham makes $7.5MM in ’08. Roberts gets $6.5MM in each of the ’08 and ’09 seasons.
- The Big Lead interviewed ESPN’s Keith Law.
Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod
Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends.
- Doesn’t look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles.
- Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country’s best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star’s Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog.
- Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he’s heard: Cubs, Sox, A’s, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning.
- John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money and feared he was going down that road again this past winter.
- Roch Kubatko writes that Brian Roberts was pulled from the lineup today for back pain, hoping to nip trade speculation in the bud.
- The Phillies have to make a decision on Kris Benson today.
- Aaron Gleeman weighs in on the Joe Nathan extension. Buster Olney talked to baseball execs who felt the Twins should’ve added Nathan’s money to their Johan offer.
Dodgers Scrambling for Infield Help
With veteran infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent both likely to miss opening day, the Dodgers are scrambling to find themselves some backups. Ken Rosenthal says that since the Astros are unlikely to trade Mark Loretta while Kaz Matsui is out, L.A. is considering Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals. Another possibility, Morgan Ensberg, seems unlikely, as the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster yesterday. Joe Crede of the White Sox and Brandon Inge of the Tigers are both probably too expensive.
This could impact roster decisions Los Angeles will make on Monday, when they decide whether they can afford to carry twelve pitchers with so much uncertainty around their infield.
Ned Colletti, meanwhile, says he expects Monday to mark an uptick in trade chatter—but also that he’s content, for now, to fill his third base hole from within. It’s worth noting that Ensberg’s spot on the opening day roster is still not guaranteed, and that Matsui is expected to return in two to three weeks, perhaps freeing up Loretta.
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Loretta, Ensberg, Lopez, Ring
Ken Rosenthal has some Spring Training odds and ends this morning.
- Rosenthal adds Mark Loretta as a possible third base acquisition for the Dodgers. Given their desire for a relatively affordable guy who can also handle second, Rosenthal has linked them to Ron Belliard and Esteban German previously. Loretta shouldn’t be too hard to pry away from the Astros. Though he can’t play second, Morgan Ensberg could be an option if the Yankees let him leave.
- The Nats are shopping Felipe Lopez, who’s said he wouldn’t be content on the bench. Rosenthal says the Nationals have their eye on awful shortstop Angel Berroa as a possible replacement, which is strange on multiple levels. Not only is Berroa not a Major Leaguer at this point, but the Nats plan to use Cristian Guzman at short.
- Royce Ring is said to be "perhaps the most available of the Braves’ out of options relievers." Who needs a lefty?
Yankees Interested In Harden?
According to a source of Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, "the Yankees have apparently expressed interest in Rich Harden." Slusser believes the A’s would demand full price for Harden, perhaps asking for Ian Kennedy and young pitchers.
If you look at this from each party’s point of view, it doesn’t seem like a trade could be reached anytime soon. Harden would be a tantalizing #1 starter for the Yankees, but why pay full price for a guy who’s pitched 200 innings over the last three years? Replacing Kennedy with Harden could deplete the team’s starting pitching depth.
On the other hand, if you’re Billy Beane, why trade Harden at a discount right now? He is nowhere near his peak value. The one reason to do it might be if Beane does not believe Harden will return to good health this year or next. Joe Pawlikowski weighs in on this rumor over at River Ave. Blues.
Cafardo’s Latest: Fuentes, Sowers, Laffey
Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo’s Sunday column has new hot stove material, as usual.
- Cafardo notes that Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, and Bryan Corey have all been heavily scouted by other clubs. Snyder is out of options, so he’s a good trade candidate. Cafardo mentioned on Thursday that the Orioles were taking a look at Corey, who might return to Japan if he doesn’t join a big league ‘pen. I imagine the Sox are going to want the insurance Tavarez provides.
- The Phils are hunting for a southpaw reliever and another starter. Brian Fuentes remains on their radar, but they’re competing with the Tigers and Yankees for him.
- The Indians could make southpaws Jeremy Sowers and/or Aaron Laffey available, if Cliff Lee maintains his spring success. Cafardo says the Cardinals, Phillies, and Astros are eyeing them.