Odds and Ends: Kazmir, Thomas, Sweeney
We’ll kick it off with a few links today and add more bullets periodically.
- Cole Hamels feels that he handled his contract renewal last year immaturely.
- Over at The Hardball Times, Geoff Young looks at the best compensation picks of the 20th century.
- Geoff Blum‘s ’09 option vests with one more plate appearance.
- Bronson Arroyo has a plan to make the Reds competitive.
- Matthew Cerrone explains Carlos Delgado‘s ’09 option.
- Jeff Passan on the Cardinals’ brilliant signing of Ryan Ludwick.
- Baseball Prospectus profiles #26-50 on their list of players to build a team around.
- Twins reliever Brian Bass accepted a Triple A assignment, so he won’t become a free agent.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo takes a preliminary look at the ’09 draft order.
- Jamey Newberg wonders if the Rangers could pry Scott Kazmir loose this winter. It’s hard to see the Rays trading him.
- Susan Slusser expects the A’s to add an impact bat this winter, but free agent DHs Frank Thomas and Mike Sweeney will probably be let go. In a related note, ESPN’s Buster Olney says the A’s had a chance earlier this year to acquire Jason Bay for a package including pitching prospect Vin Mazzaro.
Odds And Ends: Mets, Embree, Olsen, Hoffman, Izzy, Phillies
A few notes from around the MLBiverse…
- Bill Madden says the Mets may be out of luck for a closer, even if Huston Street and Brian Fuentes have cleared waivers and are available. Madden says the price tags are just too high for the Mets.
- Alan Embree hopes that not being traded is a sign the A’s are going to pick up his $3MM option for next season.
- Scott Olsen said he prefers to be back with the Marlins in ’09 but conceded that the Marlins may prefer to move him due to his arbitration eligibility.
- Kevin Towers would not answer questions when asked if the Padres would bring free agent-to-be, Trevor Hoffman, back in ’09. We had heard previously that Towers wants Hoffman to end his career with the Padres.
- Jason Isringhausen’s agent said that his client’s "desire is to play [next season]," and they will wait to see if he needs surgery before deciding how to make that happen. Isringhausen is a free agent following this season.
- Jimmy Rollins made comments to reporters that suggested free agents may avoid signing with the Phillies because of the fans.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Red Sox Sign Dave Ross
THURSDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox signed Ross to a minor league deal.
WEDNESDAY: Ross became a free agent today, and the Phillies made contact to express their interest.
MONDAY, 8:13pm: Rosenthal has added the Red Sox to the mix for Ross.
3:27pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are interested in recently-released catcher Dave Ross. Rosenthal says they could send him to the minors and bring him up when rosters expand. The Marlins seemingly chose Paul Lo Duca over Ross earlier this year.
The 31 year-old backstop hit .231/.381/.366 in 173 plate appearances this year. He flashed prodigious power in ’06, but not much since then. Ross threw out 29% of attempted basestealers this year and 41% in ’07.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Millar, Sheffield, Dunn, Rangers, Salty
A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere…
- Beerleaguer feels that Kevin Millar would make a nice addition to the Phillies’ bench.
- MetsBlog says Gary Sheffield is the right-handed outfield bat the Mets need and this is the best time to add a player with something to prove.
- True Blue LA is angered that the Dodgers did not block the D’Backs’ claim of Adam Dunn.
- Newberg Report discusses which players the Rangers must be willing to part with if they are to land an "All-Star level, legitimate number one" pitcher or even a pitcher from the next level of starters.
- Over The Monster wonders if the Red Sox will replace Jason Varitek with Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Stark’s Latest: Manny, Fuentes, Livan, Dunn
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up.
- Some teams won’t go anywhere near Manny Ramirez given the way he exited Boston. Opinions range on whether he’ll get two, three, or four years this winter. Will he turn it off again after signing a long-term deal? And will other players use the same strategy to escape their contracts?
- The Rays are likely to stand pat, despite recent injuries.
- Rockies players haven’t hit the waiver wire yet; Dan O’Dowd plans to wait until month’s end. Stark wonders whether the Cards could win a claim on Brian Fuentes. Not likely, given the contenders in front of them in waiver order.
- All kinds of near-deals in the final minutes on deadline day – John Grabow to the Phillies, Ian Snell to the Rockies, and Jason Bay to the Rays.
- Livan Hernandez‘s incentives get expensive in a hurry once he hits 160 innings, and the Twins are on the hook for those.
- Stark talked to officials from two teams who didn’t think the Reds would’ve offered Adam Dunn arbitration.
Odds and Ends: Ibanez, Dunn, Blake, Stewart
Let’s kick off the morning with some random links.
- Live chat here today at 2pm CST.
- Brian Matusz is hopeful about striking a deal with the Orioles by Friday’s deadline. Roch Kubatko has a source saying it’s likely.
- Baseball America’s Jim Callis warns us not to listen to the posturing – he still expects all the first-round draft picks to sign with the possible exception of Allan Dykstra.
- Should the Mariners offer Raul Ibanez a three-year deal at $10-11MM per?
- No word yet on possible Rays acquisitions in wake of the Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria injuries. Marc Lancaster wonders if Kenny Lofton or…don’t say it…Barry Bonds would make sense.
- The Mets had no interest in Adam Dunn. They wonder about his passion, according to Joel Sherman. Did you know he doesn’t like baseball?
- The Phillies were more interested in Casey Blake than Manny Ramirez.
- Athletics Nation looks at some free agent options for ’09.
- Shannon Stewart didn’t understand his latest Blue Jay Experience.
- The Yankees, Mets, Angels, and Padres have scouts at the Olympics to watch Hitoki Iwase, Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Yu Darvish, and Kyuji Fujikawa.
Could Moyer Pitch To 50?
MLB.com’s Joseph Santoliquito talked to Pirates manager John Russell, who opined that Phillies lefty Jamie Moyer could pitch til he’s 50. When asked about the idea, Moyer wouldn’t rule it out.
At the least, Moyer intends to pitch next year. He said:
"I have an obligation here that I plan on upholding next year with the Phillies, so I will be back at 46."
The quote comes as a surprise to me, because I had Moyer listed as a free agent after the season. Perhaps he is referring to a verbal, rather than contractual, agreement in place with the Phillies for ’09? The old dog learned a new trick this year, bumping his groundball rate to 44.8% to push down his home run rate. His average fastball velocity is holding steady at 81 mph.
Week In Review: 8/3 – 8/9
Here’s a quick look back at some of the bigger stories on MLBTR over the past week:
- D’Backs ace Dan Haren signed a very affordable extension with the team, which would keep him in Arizona through 2012 with an option for 2013. Great deal for the D’Backs and their fans.
- Brian Giles was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, which is now believed to have been an effort to block the Rays from acquiring him. Giles blocked the trade to Boston with his no-trade clause.
- The Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. Minnesota won’t receive a player in return, but unloads Hernandez’s remaining $1.5MM on his contract, as well as his 5.48 ERA. Seems fine to me.
- Fifteen teams watched a throwing session from Freddy Garcia. Here are a few reactions.
- Relievers on the move: The Cubs DFA’ed Scott Eyre, and traded him to the Phillies the next day. The Rays acquired Chad Bradford from the Orioles, and DFA’ed Al Reyes in order to make room for him. In a rare inter-division trade, the Royals traded Horacio Ramirez to the White Sox. Huston Street was claimed, but is staying put.
- Position players on the move: Felipe Lopez signed with the Cardinals, the Mariners released Jose Vidro, and the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca in addition to claiming Brad Ausmus off waivers. No word on whether or not a deal will be worked out for Ausmus yet.
- A few glimpses into 2009? Rafael Furcal hopes to re-sign with the Dodgers. Bobby Abreu hopes to be wearing Yankee pinstripes again, and the Nationals hope Willie Harris is a part of the organization again as well.
- Tim made a list of waiver trade candidates for both the American League and National League and compiled a list of players who were known to have cleared waivers in 2007. Remember, these are just players who would likely clear waivers, whether because of their talent level or contractual status. Teams often place big-name players on waivers that they have no intention of trading.
Odds and Ends: Garcia, Gordon, and Falkenborg
Astros GM Ed Wade is taking a close look at pitcher Freddy Garcia, currently rehabbing in Miami. Houston is currently 13.5 games out of first place. About 15 teams in all watched Garcia work out, leading to much speculation. His agent told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick that the 33-year old "would prefer to sign a contract for the rest of 2008, show that he’s fully recovered from shoulder surgery, then go on the open market as a free agent in November." Here’s the full list of teams who watched him work out: The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Tigers, Rangers, Mets, Phillies, Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Rockies, and Dodgers, and possibly the White Sox and Marlins. The Phillies aren’t interested. Garcia is expected to make a decision soon.
It’s looking like Tom Gordon‘s season is done. He was on the DL for inflammation in his elbow, but it’s now starting to look like he’ll need surgery. Philadelphia was hoping the righty set-up man would be back in time for their stretch run.
The Dodgers have DFA’d Brian Falkenborg to make room for Brad Penny. The thirty-year-old righty has a 6.17 ERA in 11 and two-thirds innings with LA this year. He has never pitched more than 20 innings per season in the big leagues.
Phillies Acquire Scott Eyre
According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies acquired lefty Scott Eyre for A ball pitcher Brian Schlitter.
Eyre, 36, posted a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings with the Cubs. He spent time on the DL with elbow and groin problems. Eyre had a nice run in the second half last year as well as May this year. He still has about $1.15MM left on his contract; the Phillies will pay all of it. The Red Sox had also been interested in Eyre.