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Yankees Not Scouting Joe Blanton?

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5:05pm: Joel Sherman of the New York post says the Yankees were not watching Blanton specifically.  The scouts were just doing normal coverage.

12:22am: According to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Yankees had a scout watching Oakland starter Joe Blanton on Sunday.

Blanton, 27, saw his salary escalate to $3.7MM this year as he reached his arbitration years.  He’ll remain under team control through the 2010 season.  The projection would change if Blanton switched to pinstripes, but PECOTA sees a 4.36 ERA in 187 innings from him this year (a performance valued at $8.8MM).

The Yankees are relying on Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte to front their rotation.  They’ll round it out with Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina, and Ian Kennedy.  Joba Chamberlain is expected to join the rotation mid-summer.  I imagine the Yanks are just doing their due diligence with Blanton; a preseason trade doesn’t seem likely.

Odds and Ends: Garland, Linden, A-Rod

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Time to round up various tidbits and rumors.

Odds and Ends: Johnson, Ponson, Nady

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Ever lose a contact in the bathroom and scour for it for hours?  That was my morning.  Good times.  On to the links.

  • Friend of MLBTR Susan Slusser notes that the Giants had two scouts watching the A’s on Wednesday.  One guy they might have been eyeing is first baseman Dan Johnson.  It seems that Johnson, who is out of options, may be able to linger around on the A’s roster until at least mid-April given the expanded rosters for the Japan series.  And since Slusser’s article we’ve learned that Daric Barton’s hand injury is more serious than initially thought.  That could buy Johnson even more time if the A’s aren’t ready to trade him.
  • The Cardinals, Mariners, Royals, and Diamondbacks, Astros, and Rangers were among teams with scouts watching Sidney Ponson touch 94mph today.  He’s stopped drinking and lost some weight; who knows, maybe he can help an NL club.
  • Peter Abraham views Joba Chamberlain’s recent comments with a little skepticism.
  • MLB.com’s Marty Noble calls a Mets trade for Xavier Nady "quite unlikely," though an anonymous Mets player likes the idea.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Thames, Konerko, Ellis, Atkins

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let’s take a look.

  • Rosenthal dissects the outfield options for the Mets, many of the names we’ve been speculating.  He notes that the Mets’ talks for Marcus Thames fizzled during the Winter Meetings.
  • He says Paul Konerko "remains quietly available," and expresses the opinion that the Mets or Yankees could both use him.  Rosenthal believes Chicago’s biggest need is starting pitching.
  • Rosenthal speculates that six years at $18MM per might be the Rockies’ limit for Matt Holliday.  Will the Scott Boras client demand full market value?  Also, Colorado doesn’t seem to have any plans to lock up Garrett Atkins.
  • Signing Mark Ellis to an extension rather than trading him is a possibility for the A’s.  Three or four years at $5MM per would be the going rate.
  • Though Dylan Hernandez wrote that the Dodgers "don’t appear to be interested in Brandon Inge," Rosenthal says they’re "indeed intrigued."

Odds and Ends: Thames, Sosa, Inge, Crisp

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Here’s today’s link roundup.

A’s Not Interested In Pierre

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11:50am: Slusser says A’s sources are thoroughly denying this rumor.  It was fun while it lasted!  She is also skeptical of the Mark Ellis rumblings.

8:01am: There’s a headline I didn’t expect to write, given that the Dodgers’ Juan Pierre comes with a $36.5MM commitment over the next four years.  Susan Slusser reports that the Athletics have inquired on him, proof that they may be looking to acquire a veteran center fielder.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the surface.  Either the A’s would want the Dodgers to absorb a significant portion of the money, or they’d like to pass back their own questionable contract.  Front row center would be Eric Chavez, owed $37MM over the next three seasons.  Chavez’s ten and five no-trade rights haven’t kicked in yet, and the Dodgers aren’t among the teams on his current limited clause.   The oft-injured Chavez isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Odds and Ends: Ponson, Inge, Papelbon

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Let’s round up some Monday morning links.

  • The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson.  Insert your own punchline in the comments.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O’s making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs.
  • Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town.  The Dodgers’ recently reported nibble hasn’t been publicly shot down, so that’s a plus.
  • South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the White Sox could desire for Joe Crede.
  • Jonathan Papelbon wants $900K in his last year before arbitration eligibility.  Ryan Howard set a scary precedent last year.  If Papelbon doesn’t get offered something close, he’d rather make a statement and be renewed near the minimum.
  • Buster Olney suggests Dan Johnson and Doug Mientkiewicz could be possibilities for the Mets in their quest for a backup first baseman.  Olney speculated on Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, and Kevin Millar the day before.

White Sox Interested In Mark Ellis

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About a week ago, I speculated that the White Sox could go after Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis if their in-house options don’t work out.  Billy Beane and Kenny Williams have a great relationship.  Today, Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto says the White Sox reportedly have interest in Ellis.

If the White Sox are pushing all-in for ’08, Ellis makes a lot of sense.  The Sox have interesting candidates for second base, but none who could be expected to post a .775 OPS with Gold Glove caliber defense as Ellis can.  The 30 year-old will earn $5MM this year before reaching free agency for the first time. The White Sox don’t have much in the farm system, but the two clubs could still work something out.  It would have to be a solid return, as Ellis has a decent shot at Type A status after the season.

Managers On The Hot Seat

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It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.

Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)

  • Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
  • Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
  • John Gibbons, TOR (1)
  • Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
  • Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
  • Tony LaRussa (2)
  • Bruce Bochy (2)
  • John McLaren, SEA (1)
  • Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
  • Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
  • Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
  • Joe Maddon, TB (2)
  • Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
  • Jim Leyland, DET (2)
  • Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)

Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.

By Cork Gaines

Piazza Considering Two Teams

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Mark Hale of the New York Post recently spoke to Mike Piazza’s agent, Dan Lozano.  Piazza may retire if he doesn’t find the right opportunity, but he is currently mulling two interested teams.  Lozano indicated that there is one team from each league under consideration.  Japan is not a possibility for Piazza.

Piazza, 39, hit .275/.313/.414 in 329 plate appearances last year as Oakland’s DH.  He was limited by a shoulder strain and bruised triceps.  Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system has him at .255/.310/.426 in 294 PAs this year, a performance worth $675K.  If Piazza gets a Major League deal, the A’s will get a decent draft pick.   

Tampa Bay would be a reasonable guess for the AL club.  Could the Marlins make sense in the NL?  If I recall correctly Piazza didn’t fare too well in his stint at first base with the Mets, so I’m not sure if that’s an option.

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