Athletics Rumors

Shannon Stewart Signs With Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes | February 26, 2008 at 11:07am CDT

TODAY: Fun fact/correction, courtesy of Susan Slusser. Turns out the A’s will not be receiving a compensation pick for Stewart, since he signed a minor league deal. It also seems a long shot that they get one for Mike Piazza, as he could retire, settle for a minor league deal, or head to Japan.

2-24-08: According to Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail, Shannon Stewart has signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays. It seems that Stewart’s agent switch helped facilitate the contract, as the Jays made an offer earlier in the winter. My guess is that this is around a million bucks, and you really can’t complain about that. Stewart is a fine defender in left and a solid fourth outfielder. Stewart was originally drafted by the Jays 19th overall in ’92. That draft also had Derek Jeter, Jason Kendall, and Johnny Damon in the first round.

By the way, the A’s are set to receive the 39th or 46th overall pick as compensation for Stewart, depending on what Mike Piazza does.

Meanwhile, Adam Lind joins the class of expendable young outfielders with MLB experience. Lind, 24, didn’t hit much last year but projects at .267/.324/.443 according to PECOTA. That’s a notch below other available guys like Matt Murton and Gabe Gross.

Odds and Ends: Choo, Inge, Lohse, Francona

By Tim Dierkes | February 25, 2008 at 9:42am CDT

Let’s round up some rumors and links.

Not only is Shin-Soo Choo out of options, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and may have to join the South Korean military.
Brandon Inge sat out a demanding drill on Friday, causing Tom Gage to wonder if trade talks are ongoing. Dave Dombrowski spoke on the topic recently, saying all the right things about Inge.
Kyle Lohse is not interested in a minor league deal or playing in another country. He’s still waiting by the phone though.
Funny anecdote involving J.P. Ricciardi’s son.
Terry Francona was extended through 2011, with club options for ’12 and ’13.
Kenny Williams and Billy Beane: opposites attract. Given their strong relationship, perhaps the Sox could look to acquire Mark Ellis during the season if the current options fall through.
Wow – Scott Rolen would’ve accepted a trade to the Phillies. The Phils discussed him internally but decided not to pursue it.
The Giants briefly considered Sean Casey, who is "really good at life" according to Aaron Boone.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2008 at 1:52pm CDT

He has 762 home runs and 7 MVPs. In 2007, he hit 28 home runs in only 126 games and posted a 170 OPS+, which would have led the NL if he had not come up 27 plate appearances short of qualifying. Still, Barry Bonds is without a job for 2008. Some would argue it is because he is 43 years and has bad knees that limit him to DH duty. Others would say it is because he is an unwanted distraction. Some are even beginning to whisper that Bonds is being blackballed by baseball…The Cardinals and the A’s have been linked to Bonds. The Padres were rumored to be in the mix, but publicly have said they are not interested. Marc Topkin wondered if the Rays would be interested, which seems unlikely as the Rays just traded Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young in part because they were headaches. The latest rumor has Bonds possibly playing in Japan in 2008. Could the enticement of setting another home run record convince Bonds to head to the land of the rising sun? With camps in full-swing and Bonds recliner still without a home, let’s take a look at what is being said about Bonds in the Blogosphere…If you think there is a team that is the perfect fit for Bonds in 2008 let us know in the comments.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

Giants Cove is willing to admit that the Giants chemistry will be better in 2008, but there is one glaring problem with the new found chemistry. The Giants cleanup hitter will be Benjie Molina.
Athletics Nation notes that signing Bonds would be a smart business decision for the A’s.
Catfish Stew wonders if A’s fans will be just as hard on Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report as they say they will be on Bonds if he signs with Oakland.
Yankees Chick finds it curious that so many Yankees fans are clamoring for the Bombers to sign Bonds.
Rays of Light notes that baggage aside, DH is already crowded for the Rays with Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli sharing at bats.
Metstradamus feels that the chances of the Mets signing Bonds to play the outfield are about 2,000,000 to 1.
Gaslamp Ball
is not surprised the Padres passed on Bonds, noting that San Diego is
where the giant syringe was thrown at Bonds during a game.
Babes Love Baseball can’t understand why Bonds is without a job, but they understand he comes with a bit of a circus and the occasional ’booing’.

By Cork Gaines

Fogg Signs With Reds

By Tim Dierkes | February 21, 2008 at 2:21pm CDT

THURSDAY, 2:20pm: It’s official – Fogg has signed with the Reds. He’s no lock for the rotation though.

WEDNESDAY, 10:43pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Reds are just one of three teams pursuing Fogg. The other two are unknown, but Boston is not one of them. I wonder if these mystery teams are coming from Fogg’s agent.

7:04pm: Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Reds are on the verge of a one-year deal with Josh Fogg, with a base salary of just $1MM. Ringolsby was not able to get confirmation from Wayne Krivsky quite yet, but Krivsky isn’t one to show his hand. Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News is also reporting the expected signing.

I had Fogg pegged for a $20MM deal at the beginning of the offseason. Many have suggested that GMs are simply being smarter about free agent valuations. I don’t think there’s collusion going on here.

The Reds now set up with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, and Fogg in the first four spots. They could use Jeremy Affeldt as a starter, or go with one of Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, or Johnny Cueto. As one MLBTR commenter pointed out, this might signal and end to the Reds’ pursuit of Joe Blanton.

Odds and Ends: Crisp, Stewart, Meyer

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2008 at 11:28am CDT

Let’s round ’em up!

I’m doing a fantasy baseball mailbag feature at The Hardball Times. Check out the first entry.
Nothing really new from Coco Crisp…if he loses the center field battle, he’ll probably prefer a trade.
The Brewers are close to a minor league deal with Russell Branyan, who might have a hard time sniffing the big league roster anytime this season.
The Toronto Star relays from J.P. Ricciardi that the Blue Jays no longer have an offer on the table for Shannon Stewart.
Turns out Oakland’s Dan Meyer has a fourth option, meaning he’s likely to lose the fifth starter battle to Dana Eveland.
I can’t help it…I love the Juan Gonzalez story. I’m rooting for him for no apparent reason.
Mark Teixeira didn’t offer much info regarding extension talks with the Braves. He did refute that report about building a home in Atlanta and another about a rift with Scott Boras.
Peter Abraham thinks the Yanks should trade Hideki Matsui.

Odds and Ends: Papelbon, Bonds

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2008 at 2:58pm CDT

Your collection of links and rumors…

Interestingly, Pirates GM Neal Huntington put out a statement for Pirates’ fans. He explains why the Pirates have been inactive this winter, and I agree with the logic. This team doesn’t need to be wasting money on mediocre free agents.
Justin Huber is out of options, so he’ll either make the Royals or end up elsewhere.
Athletics Nation paints a picture in which the A’s are buyers at this year’s trade deadline. A parallel universe with a healthy Rich Harden, if you will.
The Red Sox are exploring a multiyear deal for Jonathan Papelbon, according to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe.
With 20/20 hindsight, Viva El Birdos rewrites how they might have conducted the Cardinals’ offseason moves.
No one wants Barry Bonds. He’s in game shape, but one exec Andrew Baggarly talked to has heard no rumors at all. Baggarly has talked to some baseball officials who believe Bonds might play in Japan in 2008. Now that would be something.

Where Will The Starters Go? AL West Edition

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2008 at 2:03pm CDT

Sorry for the delay from the last edition of Where Will The Starters Go. Since then, we’ve seen two guys come off the market in Kris Benson and Odalis Perez, and another strongly speculated to sign: Shawn Chacon with the Astros. So here’s what we’ve got left:

Bartolo Colon, Josh Fogg, Freddy Garcia, Byung-Hyun Kim, Kyle Lohse, Rodrigo Lopez, Eric Milton, Tomo Ohka, Russ Ortiz, John Thomson, Jeff Weaver, David Wells

Once again, I’m open to corrections on my pitching depth charts. I tried to cull as much information from blogs and sites like Baseball America as possible.

Anaheim Angels: John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, Dustin Mosely, Kelvim Escobar, Nick Adenhart, Nick Green

Seattle Mariners: Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, Miguel Batista, Jarrod Washburn, Horacio Ramirez, Cha Seung Baek, Ryan Feierabend

Oakland A’s: Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, Justin Duchscherer, Lenny DiNardo, Dana Eveland, Dan Meyer, Chad Gaudin, Dallas Braden, Jerry Blevins, Gio Gonzalez

Texas Rangers: Brandon McCarthy, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Jason Jennings, Kason Gabbard, Luis Mendoza, Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison, Elizardo Ramirez

The Angels look to open the season with Lackey, Weaver, Santana, Saunders, and Garland in the rotation, thanks to a Kelvim Escobar injury. So they’ve got five solid starters, with a sixth coming in time for May. Mosely will likely start the year in the bullpen, but can start in a pinch. Nick Green had a decently impressive year at AA in 2007, and is on the 40-man roster, so you have to figure he’s in the succession plans should the team befall an injury. Adenhart would require some manuevering, since he’s not on the 40-man. Yet, this all might be moot, as Mike Scioscia has said that the team won’t be signing any free agent starters.

I’m kind of disappointed not to put Brandon Morrow on this list, but it’s been made pretty clear that he’ll be in the bullpen this year. I personally don’t see the sense in drafting a guy at No. 5 then going and signing Carlos Silva to start over him. But, again, I don’t follow the M’s specifically, so I might be missing something here. There’s some depth there for certain, with six guys projected. They also have Eric O’Flaherty on the 40-man. So it appears Seattle has some decent depth, though I’m not so sure they’re keen on giving starts to Baek, Ramirez, and Feieraband. Would the M’s consider bringing back Weaver? Probably not, unless they were in a real bind. Josh Fogg? Once again, it’s tough to see them signing anyone unless there is an injury.

The list might be able to go on longer for Oakland, but I’ll stop it there. They have a ton of options, and since Billy Beane has basically indicated that this is a rebuilding year, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to sign a free agent starter. Then again, he did go out and get Keith Foulke, and he made that surprise move to get Esteban Loaiza a couple of years ago. So he could definitely surprise and bring in someone. Maybe Colon on a one-year with an option? Beane has done stranger things.

The Rangers are another team with a ton of depth beyond their set starters. Yes, we’ll see Millwood, McCarthy, Padilla, Jennings, and probably Gabbard start in the rotation. I’d add Kameron Loe and Robinson Tejeda to the list, but it appears they’ll start in the bullpen. They do have starters in case of an injury, once again, including Tejeda and Loe, but none have the experience or track record you’d really look for. I can see them jumping in on Colon or Fogg in case of injury. But barring that, they could look to add some depth, maybe with Kim. I don’t see them making a commitment to a guy like Kyle Lohse, though.

A note before continuing on to the NL: It doesn’t look like this crop fits in well anywhere yet. Teams are for the most part filled out five-deep with starters, so these guys are really looking for an injury or some ineffectiveness come game time in March. I’ve been opening up the "in case of injury" portion, because it appears that’s what it will take for one of these guys to land somewhere, especially if it’s a Major League deal.

– Joe

Dusty Talks To Lofton, Patterson

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2008 at 10:37pm CDT

Cubs center fielders hit a fine .302/.344/.466 for Dusty Baker’s 2003 club, which came within five outs of a World Series appearance. Most of the ABs at the position went to Corey Patterson and Kenny Lofton that year.

Dusty’s managing the Reds now, and both center fielders remain free agents as of February 17th. The Reds have some uncertainty in center field, though Jay Bruce is a stud and Ryan Freel is said to be 100%. According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Baker has spoken to both Lofton and Patterson recently. They are options for the Reds; Baker says Lofton seeks a Major League deal. In that case someone would have to be booted off the team’s 40 man roster. Six days ago, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Reds’ interest in Lofton might depend on who they might trade for another starter (with Joe Blanton as the main target).

The Reds currently have Kent Mercker and Paul Bako in camp as non-roster invitees; both played for Baker in ’03.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Joe Blanton

By Tim Dierkes | February 12, 2008 at 10:34am CDT

After letting Barry Zito walk last year and trading Danny Haren in December, the A’s appear to be entertaining offers for Joe Blanton. While the Reds and the Dodgers appear to be the most aggressive suitors, Ken Rosenthal speculated that Blanton would be a good fit for the Twins or the Rays and Buster Olney named several other clubs that could be interested in acquiring the right-hander. Blanton, 27, is still three years from free agency, and will make $3.7MM this season. With pitchers and catchers due to report this week, let’s take a look at reactions to the Blanton rumors from the blogosphere.

Athletics Nation is surprised that Blanton has not been moved yet. They expect that a deal is more likely now that Johan Santana has been traded, and the free agent market is drying up.
Redleg Nation thinks the Reds should be willing to part with Homer Bailey or Johnny Cueto in addition to Joey Votto for a proven pitcher.
On the other hand, Red Reporter believes the Reds should only take Blanton if they do not have to surrender one of their top prospects.
Pinstripe Alley wouldn’t mind the Yankees acquiring Blanton as long as the trade does not require Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. The would be willing to part with Alan Horne or Austin Jackson from the lower levels.
Rays Anatomy believes that Blanton is an asset that the Rays could use (an innings eater), but ultimately does not think the trade makes sense for the Rays. They are hesitant With so many pitching prospects knocking on the Rays’ door and do not want to part with prospects such as Wade Davis, Jake McGee or Desmond Jennings.
Over the Monster does not see the Red Sox giving up Coco Crisp for Blanton as that would be a deviation from their plan to develop pitchers in their system. Rather, they think it is more likely that the Sox sign a free agent or move Julian Tavarez to the rotation.

By Cork Gaines

Dodgers, Reds Pursuing Blanton

By Tim Dierkes | February 10, 2008 at 10:28am CDT

The Dodgers’ rotation stands at Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Jason Schmidt, and Esteban Loaiza – six deep on the surface. But Kuroda has never pitched in the Majors, Schmidt is a question mark, and Loaiza may not have much left. More and more, it’s looking like Ned Colletti wants to add one more veteran starter.

Troy E. Renck believes the Dodgers are after Joe Blanton, with the A’s asking for Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, and a prospect. I could see this happening. Ethier is fairly expendable, and the Dodgers have not seemed keen on LaRoche recently. Maybe L.A. would move separately to acquire Joe Crede or even try to get Eric Chavez along with Blanton. Renck thinks the Dodgers may be interested in Livan Hernandez as an alternative to Blanton.

He also says the Reds are "pushing hard" for Blanton, which jives with the previous info. The Reds are still kind of shaky behind Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.

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