Rosenthal On Pavano, A’s, Jays, Astros
As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out, closers Brian Fuentes and Ryan Franklin seem just as shaky as Brad Lidge these days. Rosenthal also covers some hot-stove themed issues. Here are the highlights:
- Carl Pavano, who will earn close to $4MM this year if enough incentives kick in, could sign a one-year deal worth $5-7MM this offseason, according to an MLB executive.
- Cliff Pennington's emergence suggests there's very little chance the A's bring shortstop Orlando Cabrera back after the season.
- Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays wanted pitcher-shortstop Casey Kelly more than any of the prospects the Red Sox apparently offered for Roy Halladay.
- Rosenthal hears that the Astros are likely to hire an experienced manager to permanently replace Cecil Cooper. Former Astro Jeff Bagwell would be a tempting choice, and he would probably consider the job if the Astros were interested, but the team appears more likely to pursue skippers with significant MLB experience.
- The Indians have lost 17 of their last 20 games under Eric Wedge, who will not likely be out of work for long if he gets fired.
Jack Cust Hopes To Return To Athletics
September is lean for rumors, hence the "player hopes to return next year" articles we're seeing on a daily basis. Next up: Jack Cust of the Athletics. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to Cust, who wants to return in 2010 but knows the A's might have other ideas for their DH and outfield corner spots. Assistant GM David Forst was noncommittal:
"We know what Jack can do. That doesn't mean Jack is not in our plans."
Cust, 31 in January, is hitting .237/.356/.407 in 565 plate appearances this year, marking a three-year decline in his walk rate/OBP and SLG. He earned $2.8MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility. It probably does not make sense for the A's to pay him $3MM+ next year, so he is a candidate to be non-tendered. That'd allow Cust to explore Major League free agency with only four years of service time.
The free agent market has potential DHs in Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, Jim Thome, and Vladimir Guerrero. At the least, three of the remaining 14 DH jobs are tied up with Travis Hafner, David Ortiz, and Pat Burrell. Mike Jacobs, Adam Lind, and Jason Kubel all spent significant time at DH for their respective teams as well.
Odds & Ends: A’s, Villalona, Millwood, Bradley
A few links to peruse as the Cubs and Cardinals prepare to do battle on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball…
- A scout told the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser last week that the A's "got smoked" on July's Scott Hairston deal. As you may remember, Oakland sent pitchers Ryan Webb, Sean Gallagher and Craig Italiano to the Padres this summer for the 29-year-old outfielder. An AL scout used the same terminology when speaking with Tom Krasovic about the deal earlier this month.
- According to the Associated Press, Giants first base prospect Angel Villalona is the main suspect in the killing of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic. As Tim noted on MLBTR's Twitter feed this afternoon, "a 20 year sentence would probably affect" his prospect status. Villalona, 19, hit .267/.306/.397 in 74 games this season at Single-A San Jose.
- As Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press points out, Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 will vest if he reaches 4 1/3 innings in his Monday start against the A's.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has reaction from several Cubs regarding the suspension of teammate Milton Bradley. "Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror," said right-hander Ryan Dempster, "and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and wanting to have some fun."
Odds & Ends: Mateo, Sano, Crow, Ethier
Some more links for the afternoon or, if you're on the East Coast, the early evening…
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. hears that a vision issue could affect the status of the contract Wagner Mateo signed with the Cardinals earlier in the summer. If Mateo has a degenerative eye condition, the Cards may look to reclaim some of the $3.1MM they awarded the 16-year-old. Mateo's agent says it's a non-issue.
- Miguel Angel Sano doesn't appear to be near a deal with any club, but Arangure Jr. hears that the shortstop seeks $3.2MM.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes Aaron Crow's long holdout will hurt the pitcher more than it helped him. The Royals completed their deal with Crow just yesterday.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer knows it's painful for the A's to see Andre Ethier's 30-homer season in LA, but he reminds his readers that Milton Bradley helped the A's win a division title after Billy Beane traded Ethier to acquire Bradley before the 2006 season.
Tomko Would Consider Returning To A’s In 2010
Brett Tomko won the 100th game of his career last night, continuing his impressive 2009 campaign. It was more than just a milestone, however. Tomko tells Drew Davison of the San Jose Mercury News he's hoping the A's will want him back next year if he finishes the season strong.
"It's a huge deal for me now and hopefully we'll talk here about a deal," Tomko said. "But it's definitely important because you want to set yourself up going into free agency."
Tomko has pitched to an ERA of 3.77 in 57.1 innings for the A's and Yankees. The 36-year-old righty has struck out 33 and walked just 13 along the way, so he should draw some interest as a back-of-the-rotation option this offseason.
Phillies Release Rodrigo Lopez; A’s Interested
3:41pm: The A's have some interest in Lopez for the season's final few weeks, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
9:57am: The Phillies released pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (via Twitter). The 34 year-old righty tallied 30 innings, posting a 5.70 ERA and 19 strikeouts against 11 walks. He was solid in his five starts, with a 3.62 ERA. Lopez was bumped from the rotation when the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee.
Prior to his stint in the bigs, Lopez showed sparkling control en route to a 4.31 ERA in 18 Triple A starts. The Scott Boras client had Tommy John surgery in late '07 and had a minor league stint with the Braves in '08 before signing with the Phillies in March of this year.
Odds & Ends: Chen, Mets, White Sox
An action-packed set of links for Wednesday…
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report about MLB teams, the Cubs included, watching Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's last start. It's possible Chen will be a free agent after the season. The Taiwanese southpaw has a 1.45 ERA this year and would be in high demand.
- MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone does not believe the team will non-tender starter John Maine after the season. Maine, coming back from a shoulder injury, may start Sunday.
- SNY's Ted Berg says this is a terrible time to trade Jose Reyes.
- R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay sees a trade more likely than a non-tender for catcher Dioner Navarro.
- Over at FanGraphs, Anderson notes that Kiko Calero (10.8 K/9) is a "nice sleeper candidate" among free agent relievers. Calero's strikeout rate ranks behind only Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Rich Harden, and Octavio Dotel among free agent pitchers with at least 40 innings.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck the Magglio Ordonez vesting option situation "speaks for itself." 23 more plate appearances for Maggs, and the Tigers have him at $18MM for 2010.
- Among the topics in Mark Gonzales' Chicago Tribune White Sox mailbag: the Brandon Allen–Tony Pena swap and the possibility of the Sox pursuing Chone Figgins. In another article, Gonzales notes that Ozzie Guillen wants Freddy Garcia ($1MM club option) as his fifth starter next year.
- Jack Curry of the New York Times has the story on the Newark Bears, and independent league club that has chosen to stock its roster with recognizable former big leaguers trying to claw their way back to the Show.
- An AL scout told Tom Krasovic "Oakland got smoked" in the Scott Hairston trade. The Padres received pitchers Sean Gallagher, Ryan Webb, and Craig Italiano in the July 5th trade (Gallagher was named later).
- WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox announced the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major League deal beginning next year (it's worth $8.25MM).
Odds and Ends: Nomar, Astros, Kazmir
A few links to get the evening started…
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Phillies are still "mildly following" Nomar Garciaparra. Though Nomar would not be eligible to play in the postseason for Philadelphia, he might provide some depth down the stretch.
- Astros owner Drayton McLane "has fired more managers, general managers and coaches the last five years than any other owner in baseball," according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Justice posits that the axe might drop on someone new during the Astros' off day tomorrow.
- The Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster talked to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, who argued that the team's trade of Scott Kazmir was "not a salary dump" but "a reallocation of resources."
Athletics Claim Jon Meloan
The Athletics claimed 25 year-old righty Jon Meloan off waivers from the Pirates, according to CSN Bay Area (via Twitter). The A's are Meloan's fourth club this year, after he bounced around from the Indians to the Rays to the Pirates. And last year he went from the Dodgers to the Tribe in the Casey Blake deal. At three different Triple A stops this year he compiled a 4.57 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 28 walks in 65 innings. Meloan was considered a "potential power set-up man" for the Dodgers by Baseball America a few years ago.
Rosenthal On Abreu, Royals, Garland
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Bobby Abreu and the Angels have mutual interest in continuing their relationship, according to his agent Peter Greenberg. Greenberg says there have been discussions but they'll probably wait until after the season. Abreu, 36 in March, is hitting .297/.391/.428 in 547 plate appearances while playing subpar defense. He should end up earning $6MM given his plate appearance incentives. He'll easily achieve Type A status again.
- Rosenthal praises the Royals for extending GM Dayton Moore, and suggests the team should commit to a full-bore rebuild. Rosenthal believes it would've been wise to trade Mark Teahen and Gil Meche.
- Rosenthal says to expect another overloaded 1B/DH market this winter. Survey the free agent market here. I think we might find a .400 OBP on the cheap in Nick Johnson, while Jason Giambi is in for a minor league deal. Carlos Delgado, Russell Branyan, Hank Blalock, Ken Griffey Jr., Hideki Matsui, Aubrey Huff, Gary Sheffield, and Jim Thome are some of the other names.
- The Phillies decided to stick with Miguel Cairo as their right-handed bench bat, rather than pursue Nomar Garciaparra.
- A rival exec Rosenthal spoke to feels that Tony Abreu is not enough for Jon Garland, since the D'Backs are picking up all of Garland's contract.