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Odds and Ends: Howard, Cormier, Gerut

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I am currently evaluating Phil Hughes’ playlist.  Some of it is solid.  Let’s get on to the odds and ends…

  • Bill Conlin thinks it’s a mistake for the Phillies to pay Ryan Howard at a rate commensurate with his service time.  It’s a slippery slope – shouldn’t Cole Hamels be earning $15MM instead of $500K, then?  The system may be broken but it doesn’t make sense for the Phillies to start ignoring service time.
  • John Mozeliak is not done yet.  Meanwhile, Albert Pujols continued to direct his ire at KTVI-TV of St. Louis. 
  • The Orioles agreed to a minor league deal with 27 year-old righty Lance Cormier worth around $450K.  Cormier doesn’t have much to show for his 244 big league innings, whether starting or relieving.  He has a decent groundball rate, at least.
  • The Padres signed Jody Gerut to a minor league pact that could be worth as much as $910K.  He’s 30 now; his best season was an .830 OPS for Cleveland at age 25.  Since then he’s had all sorts of knee problems and even had a grievance with the Pirates.

Odds and Ends: Gregg, Howard, Shingo, Valentin, Ankiel

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Some loose ends and links from today…

Odds and Ends: Hendrickson, Soria, Sherrill

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Here’s today’s random collection of links.

  • The Marlins signed Mark Hendrickson as the veteran leadership guy for ’08, at a cost of $1.5MM.  He was knocked around in 15 starts for the Dodgers in ’07 but was solid in the pen.  The Marlins will put him in the rotation, perhaps to tutor fellow southpaws Andrew Miller and Scott Olsen.
  • Craig Brown would like to see the Royals use Joakim Soria as a starter.
  • There is a theory that the Mariners’ signing of Arthur Rhodes will allow them to trade George Sherrill in an Erik Bedard deal.  Seems a half-baked theory, wherever it originated.  I don’t think Sherrill is holding this deal up.
  • An argument for the Nate Robertson extension from Danny Knobler, and one against from J.C. Bradbury.  Also, Peter Abraham thinks Chien Ming-Wang’s agent will use Robertson as a comparable.
  • The White Sox are still considering Bartolo Colon, according to ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine.
  • Pat Burrell would love to re-sign with the Phillies after this season.  Pat, by the way, doesn’t have a computer and owes his second half success to "more hits."
  • Phil Hughes has a computer, and even a new blog.  Not much going on over there yet though.

Neal On Garza Trade

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I recently named La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as Rumor Royalty for the Twins.  He answered a few questions for MLBTR.

MLBTR: Given the loss of Carlos Silva and probable trade of Santana, was it wise for the Twins to send Matt Garza to the Rays?

Neal: The Twins needed to address their offense. They were deficient last season at third base, left field and, on the days Joe Mauer wasn’t available, designated hitter. Scouts from other organizations keep talking about Delmon Young’s 40-homer potential, and it was nice to hear Brendan Harris say, "everyone has to pull their weight at the dish," on the day of the trade. I’ve covered this team for 10 years and have seen a lot of bad offense.

You can’t blame the Twins for not re-signing Silva, but you wonder why they didn’t trade him during the season when the Phillies and other teams were interested.

Olney’s Latest: Hall, Cameron, Benson

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Buster Olney’s ESPN blog is always a good read.  A few nuggets from today’s posting:

  • Olney wonders whether the Brewers and Dodgers will revisit talks about Bill Hall.  There seems to be this general vibe that Hall is upset about moving positions again, even though he hasn’t said anything publicly.  Plus, he’d have to move back to third as a Dodger anyway.
  • According to Olney: "The Yankees were never seriously engaged in talks to sign Mike Cameron."  However you can’t really say Cameron’s agent used the Yankees to pump up Cameron’s price, since he signed for just one year and $6.2MM.
  • The Phils may send people to watch Kris Benson throw next week.  I believe this would be the second time they’ve observed him, so maybe it’s getting serious.

Astros Close On Runelvys Hernandez

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Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are close to a one-year deal with starter Runelvys Hernandez.  Hernandez will turn 30 in April.  He spent 2007 in Triple A with the Pirates, Yankees, and Red Sox organizations.

None of this seems terribly interesting, but the article also says Hernandez got on a strict training regimen.  Now that he’s in shape, he’s reportedly hitting 97 on the gun (sounds like agent-speak to me).  I’ll believe it when I see it.  But Hernandez chose the right team in the Astros, as they’re hurting for starting pitching.  It’s not a done deal yet; he’s having some last minute discussions with other clubs.  McTaggart says the Rangers, Pirates, Phillies, and Reds have all shown interest. 

Rosenthal’s Latest: Feliz, Ellis, Lohse

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Ken Rosenthal checks in with a new column of hot stove material.

  • Rosenthal says some suitors are popping up for third baseman Pedro Feliz: the Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies, and Giants.  Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed interest today in an MLB.com chat.  Rosenthal admits that the Dodgers don’t seem like a great fit.  He says Bill Hall would have to be traded to make room for Feliz, though Tom Haudricourt implied today that Hall would stay put.  It was said Wednesday that the Giants’ talks with Feliz were stalling over his three-year demand.
  • Rosenthal suggests Mark Ellis would be a nice fit for Colorado, though keep in mind that the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser told us that he was the best bet among veterans to remain with Oakland for 2008.  The Rockies’ current plan is to go with Jayson Nix and keep Marcus Giles around as another option.  I’d be surprised if either pans out.
  • Instead of the four or even five-year demands we were hearing about for Kyle Lohse, Rosenthal says three years with a vesting option for the fourth would now be acceptable.  He believes Lohse’s salary could near $12MM.  Lohse recently said he’s down to about three suitors.
  • Rosenthal still expects the A’s to sign a free agent outfielder, with possible target Mike Cameron headed to Milwaukee.  Take a look at our newly updated free agent list to see who’s out there.

Ruben Amaro Jr. Chats Phillies

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Phils assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. recently did a chat at MLB.com.  I remember Frank Wren did one in mid-November; this is a cool trend. 

  • Amaro admits that the Phils are still considering upgrading at third base.  They’ve had discussions about Pedro Feliz as one such option, while Morgan Ensberg is not on the radar.
  • It’s unlikely that the Phillies re-sign Jose Mesa.
  • Also unlikely would be a Bartolo Colon signing.  On the other hand, discussions with Scott Boras about Kyle Lohse are ongoing.

Ryan Howard Due For Huge Raise

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In March of 2007, Ryan Howard had his contract renewed at $900K.  He had no leverage to expect anything more than the $380K minimum, as he was not yet arbitration-eligible.  When asked about the situation, here’s what Howard said:

"Go ask them," Howard blurted out in a raised voice. "They’re the ones with all the money." 

At that time, it was known that Howard wanted a long-term deal exceeding Chase Utley’s seven years/$85MM and probably exceeding Albert Pujols’ seven years/$100MM as well.

Scott Lauber checks in on this situation in today’s column.  Howard is arb-eligible for the first time, and should jump up past $7MM.  Pat Gillick seemed to suggest at the Winter Meetings that he expected to sign Howard long-term eventually rather than go year-to-year.  Howard doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2011 season, at which point it may be wise to let him walk (he’ll be 31).

Mailbag: Nioka, Crede, Snell

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Let’s dig through the ol’ mailbag once again.  Feel free to shoot an email to mlbtraderumors@gmail.com.

Do you have any news regarding Japanese shortstop Tomohiro Nioka? Is he a free agent and are any teams pursuing him? – Bob

It seems that Nioka turned out to be ineligible for free agency.  We’ll have to keep an eye out for him next year.

What’s up with Joe Crede? Will the ChiSox be looking to deal him this summer if they are struggling? And if so, you have to believe the Phillies would be top contenders for him. – Dan

I’m almost certain Crede will be dealt, I’m just not sure when.  Maybe after a week or two of proving his health in Spring Training?  Josh Fields needs his reps at third base, so I’d be surprised if the Sox started the season with Crede at the hot corner.  The Phillies seem like the perfect fit, especially since Kenny Williams and Pat Gillick have gotten together for many deals.

Have you heard anything about a package of Snell and Bay from Pittsburgh to the M’s for some prospects? – Aaron

Jake at Bucco Blog heard this rumor just a few days ago.  Both of them going to Seattle would represent a whole lot of talent.  Seems that it would require Adam Jones and then some.  Might make more sense for the Mariners to target just Snell, since they’re in fine shape in the outfield.

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