Brad Halsey Wants Out
In case you missed it, A’s pitcher Brad Halsey was less than amused when the team chose to go with Dallas Braden for Tuesday’s start. Halsey believed that the A’s found out about his scheduled MRI, which would have come after the start. He felt that the team chose not to promote him because they don’t want to pay him Major League DL money if he starts Tuesday and turns up injured shortly thereafter.
Additionally, Halsey is probably still annoyed about receiving a $1,000 fine in ’04 for throwing a high and tight one to Dave Roberts, nearly inciting a Red Sox-Yankees brawl. He should at least get to plunk the guy on the back if it’s going to cost him a grand.
Don’t we have to consider the possibility that Billy Beane just wanted to see a screwball live? I know that would factor into my decision. Dallas Braden doesn’t throw hard, but rather relies on deception and the old scroogie. Let’s just hope his arm doesn’t snap off throwing that thing.
Halsey is a hittable, low strikeout southpaw with four unexceptional pitches. He was last traded for a pretty decent pitcher in Juan Cruz. Because of his fifth-starter type success with the D’Backs in ’05, I imagine Beane can find an NL suitor. I guess his new team is going to have to administer the MRI.
Halsey’s complaint may speak to a bigger issue regarding the A’s medical care. Check out the Athletics Nation take on that here.
A Little Help: A’s
More rumors, news, and analysis is always a good thing. Today I’m looking for someone to represent the Oakland Athletics.
What am I looking for in this person?
- Solid writing skills and a style that fits with MLBTradeRumors. Basically, I’ll know it when I see it. I’m looking for the same type of analysis you see here every day.
- Someone who can post up-to-the-minute A’s rumors as they surface. I want a person who follows the team religiously and will have every source (traditional newspapers, high quality blogs, radio) covered. It would make sense to have all the pertinent websites on an RSS reader. You should be near a computer most times and able to hop on and write a post if something happens. You’ll also have the freedom to track down and link to interesting articles and posts from around the Internet.
- While this person is an A’s fan, objective analysis is preferred. Additionally it would be nice to provide the local vibe/sentiment that people might otherwise not know about. That might sound contradictory but I don’t think it is. I should add that we do a little more than just report the news here at MLBTR – you’ll need to provide a little insight along with the rumors.
- The benefit to you: a decent-sized audience and a chance to do a little sportswriting. It could be a nice resume-builder and I would be happy to serve as a reference for you. And I will give you some insight on how I do what I do, for what that’s worth.
- Build your audience: within reason, you can link to your own blog or website and gain some new readers.
- Email me at mlbtraderumors@gmail.com if this interests you and explain why you’re the best candidate. I’ll choose one person and unfortunately won’t be able to reply to all. A sample post of a rumor/signing (whether fake or true) might help make your case. Note: long-winded posts are not my style! Brevity is a plus – I like 3-4 paragraph posts.
NOTE: Please don’t contact me about doing this for other teams. I just want an A’s person at the moment.
A’s Interest in Kim Wanes
The Rockies have been shopping Byung-Hyun Kim with little success and earlier in the week, it’s likely that the Oakland A’s can be crossed off the list of possible trade partners. Oakland had been hoping to solidify the fifth starter’s slot and Joe Kennedy turned in a nice performance on Tuesday.
Kennedy struck out 9 and allowed only one walk and four hits in five innings. Despite the strong performance however, Kennedy’s ERA for the spring stands at 14.11, so don’t be surprised if the A’s feel the need to start browsing the pitching aisles again.
Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".
Rockies Interested In Chad Cordero
Surprisingly, Ken Rosenthal is indicating that the Rockies are interested in Nationals closer Chad Cordero. I didn’t realize the Rockies were that serious about bullpen help, but it makes sense. However, Cordero doesn’t seem like the right target as he is a flyball pitcher.
It may be a moot point in that discussions haven’t occurred for weeks between the two clubs. It seems that Jim Bowden is looking for two of the Rockies’ five best prospects, and they have some excellent ones. Of course, Trader Jim is in the catbird seat. Other highlights of Rosenthal’s article:
- The Rangers want a decent right-handed hitting fourth outfielder like Chris Denorfia or Jason Ellison. Ellison seems more likely to be dealt as he’s out of options. Ellison’s not young, but hitting .400 for a third of a season at Triple A should draw some attention.
- In addition to the Cubs, Marlins, and Rangers, the Twins like Clint Barmes. Despite an awful ’06, Barmes definitely has his uses. PECOTA calls for a fairly solid .277/.321/.421 line.
- Perhaps in an attempt to lead the league in DL days, the A’s inquired on Chris Snelling. Again, Bowden asked for too much in return.
Lieber, Kim Rumors
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has some trade rumor tidbits from around baseball this morning. To summarize:
- Renck does not think the Phils truly want to use Jon Lieber as a reliever, and mentions two scenarios floating around. Lieber could be paired with Aaron Rowand and sent to the White Sox, which I would think would require at least Mike MacDougal. Would be interesting to see Liebs back in Chicago if old pals KW and "Stand Pat" Gillick can work it out. Or, he could go to Milwaukee for Kevin Mench. Such a trade would have to push Claudio Vargas to the bullpen.
- Renck says the Rockies like Mark Hendrickson despite his mediocrity and their stable of starters. The Dodgers would like to include Hendrickson as part of a bigger deal for a slugger.
- Byung-Hyun Kim to Florida is a long shot unless the Rox eat most of his $2.5MM salary. The Rocky Mountain News reiterates that the interested parties are Florida, Oakland, and Texas. You can add the Pirates to that list as well. The Bucs could also trade for Armando Benitez.
- John Thomson seems likely to be released. The A’s have been rumored.
Byung-Hyun Kim On The Block
According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Pirates, Marlins, Dodgers, and A’s have interest in pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. The Denver Post only mentions the A’s, however.
The source I talked to said the Marlins actually have no interest in Kim, and the Dodgers only do if they can move Mark Hendrickson in the trade. It really seems to be the A’s leading the pack because of reservations with Joe Kennedy. Kennedy wasn’t going to pitch 200 innings anyway, so they’ve known for a while that they need a strong sixth man.
If the Pirates were to acquire Kim, they’d quietly have some solid starting pitching depth in the organization.
2007 Oakland Athletics
Next up in our refreshed team outlooks, the A’s.
Billy Beane’s contract obligations:
C – Jason Kendall – $8MM
C – Adam Melhuse – $0.815MM
1B – Dan Johnson – $0.38MM
2B – Mark Ellis – $3.5MM
SS – Bobby Crosby – $2.5MM
3B – Eric Chavez – $9.5MM
IF – Marco Scutaro – $1.55MM
IF – Antonio Perez – $0.5MM
LF – Nick Swisher – $0.38MM
CF – Mark Kotsay – $7.5MM
RF – Milton Bradley – $4MM
OF – Bobby Kielty – $2.1MM
OF – Shannon Stewart – $1MM + incentives
DH – Mike Piazza – $8.5MM
SP – Esteban Loaiza – $7MM
SP – Dan Haren – $2.2MM
SP – Rich Harden – $2MM
SP – Joe Blanton – $0.38MM
SP – Joe Kennedy – $2.8MM
RP – Alan Embree – $2.25MM
RP – Kiko Calero – $1.6MM
RP – Jay Witasick – $1.5MM
RP – Justin Duchscherer – $1.1875MM
RP – Chad Gaudin – $0.38MM
RP – Huston Street – $0.38MM
RP – Brad Halsey – $0.38MM
On the fringe: Halsey, Perez, Lenny Dinardo, Ryan Goleski, Jay Marshall
It appears to be a $72MM payroll. As you’ll notice, the A’s have a bit of a roster crunch if everyone is healthy. I’ve listed 26 players because I’m not sure who gets sent down or dealt. It seems one of Halsey or Perez won’t break camp with the team, as the A’s don’t want Piazza as the backup catcher. One injury or trade may solve this problem. Two injuries/trades could clear space for an interesting Rule 5 project like Goleski.
Johnson seems the favorite to earn the first base job, and maybe correction of his double vision can help him return to average 1B production. I know he’s got it in him. If I’m wrong, Erubiel Durazo or Daric Barton will get a shot.
The position players are otherwise locked in, but how many times will we see that starting eight on the field at once? Johnson, Kendall, and Swisher may be the only guys to avoid the DL this year out of the group. To be fair, Kotsay is always kind of day-to-day with his back but he’s stayed on the field the past few seasons. As for Chavez – is he the picture of health or are his injuries a major concern? Both those articles came out on the same day. And you know all about the issues of Crosby, Ellis, and Bradley. The team’s defense appears well above average when the regulars are on the field.
Haren and Blanton are the two starters who can be counted on for 30+ starts. Loaiza doesn’t scare me much, and Kennedy can be replaced by numerous candidates if he can’t handle the switch to starting. Jason Windsor might be able to hurl some 85mphers past Vlad and co as the sixth man. Harden is the wild card. He’s got ace potential but has been derailed for years since a blister rippled into a sprained elbow ligament. He’s the difference maker, as this is a pitching and defense team in my opinion.
The bullpen is deep; this team should be involved in plenty of low-scoring games. A power core of Swisher/Piazza/Chavez can be quite good, with a solid supporting cast. It’s true the A’s had some bad luck on certain injuries last year, but they’ll need a similar amount of career years healthwise to be an AL superpower.
One More Minor Move
The Athletics have claimed lefty swingman Lenny DiNardo off of waivers from the Red Sox. The Red Sox were going to have to part with somebody, and DiNardo seemed the most likely lefty to go, especially after Boston signed J.C. Romero.
DiNardo wasn’t going to have any chance of contributing in Boston and won’t be much of a factor in Oakland either, but may have a shot if/when injuries strike the A’s. Especially with Joe Kennedy in the rotation mix, the A’s don’t have a lot of good lefty options if Alan Embree goes down…and Embree is old.
By Jeff Sackmann
www.BrewCrewBall.com
One More Minor Move
The Athletics have claimed lefty swingman Lenny DiNardo off of waivers from the Red Sox. The Red Sox were going to have to part with somebody, and DiNardo seemed the most likely lefty to go, especially after Boston signed J.C. Romero.
DiNardo wasn’t going to have any chance of contributing in Boston and won’t be much of a factor in Oakland either, but may have a shot if/when injuries strike the A’s. Especially with Joe Kennedy in the rotation mix, the A’s don’t have a lot of good lefty options if Alan Embree goes down…and Embree is old.
By Jeff Sackmann
www.BrewCrewBall.com
A’s Sign Shannon Stewart
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the A’s have signed outfielder Shannon Stewart to a one-year deal that could reach $2.5MM with incentives. If Stewart can overcome plantar fasciitis in both feet, he can fill Jay Payton‘s role as Oakland’s fourth outfielder. It’s a strong need given the fragility of Mark Kotsay and Milton Bradley.
Stewart, who turns 33 later this month, earned $6.5MM in 2006. PECOTA sees him hitting .276/.332/.383 in 335 plate appearances this year, finding him most similar to the 1987 version of Gary Ward. Another good comp is Brady Clark. ZiPS expects .275/.341/.392 from Stewart in 373 PAs.