Rockies Pursuing Ian Snell?
I hate to tap from the same well twice in a row, but I felt the rumor at the bottom of Jake from Bucco Blog’s post deserved it’s own mention. Jake writes,
"Lastly, are the Rockies going to go after Ian Snell? One NL exec thinks so.. and hard.
I was surprised when I heard this one knowing the Rockies have a pretty solid core of young pitchers in their farm, but if Dave Holliday does come to work as player development or scouting director, well…"
A lot of teams come off World Series trips with a truckload of veterans and the need to rebuild. The Rockies are not one of those teams. In fact, with the added confidence of a pennant (and World Series?), I wouldn’t be surprised if these now-seasoned youngsters kept competitive with the Diamondbacks up-and-coming talent over the next few years; however, they will need more starting pitching to do so (’07 starters had a 4.58 team ERA), especially if the Diamondbacks are focusing on upgrading a rotation consisting of Brandon Webb. So let’s look at Ian Snell as a fit.
Snell can dominate. He was arguably the Pirates best starter this year (3.76 ERA, 177 K in 208 IP), edging out Tom Gorzelanny in everything except Wins. He will turn 26 this Tuesday and just completed his second tour of duty. He is slated to make near-minimum in ’08, and becomes arbitration eligible in ’09-’11. Free agency is 5 years away. For that reason, it seems unlikely a rebuilding franchise would trade this cornerstone. Still, Jake from Bucco Blog doesn’t consider him untouchable.
And now let’s speculate on the Rockies: They have one of the deepest farm systems in the game, a key that will keep them competitive in the NL West. Troy Tulowitzki has got to be untouchable. But Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas may be at their respective pinnacles of value. Chris Ianetta, a promising catching prospect, Ian Stewart, Franklin Morales, Jeff Baker… the list of major league ready prospects goes on. If one team could persuade the Bucs to deal Snell, perhaps it’s the Rockies. Thoughts?
More on Jason Bay to the Twins
Yesterday, Joe Nathan said his re-signing was contingent on the Twins remaining competitive. Today, Jake at Bucco Blog discusses a rumor to that fact: The Twins’ interest in Jason Bay is real and hinges on whether or not they retain Torii Hunter.
Tim breaks it down here. Hunter wants 5/75. The Twins are offering 3/45. If the they are serious about retaining him and Hunter in fact wants to stay then that discrepancy doesn’t seem insurmountable. However, if Hunter leaves…
Jason Bay had a down year (.248/.328/.420) and yet almost certain to be dealt by new Pirates GM Neil Huntington this winter. Shipping Bay is a launch pad for restructuring the Pirates’ system. Tim notes the viability of a Bay for Matt Garza deal. He’s signed for a mere $5.75MM in ’08 and an only slightly less mere $7.5MM in ’09, so the Twins would have no financial qualms if Hunter walks.
Posted by Nat Boyle
Tigers Hot Stove Talk
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News runs down all of the big names rumored to be possibilities for the Tigers this winter and assesses the likelihood of each. It’s a well-written article so be sure to read it. Here are the players, ranked by the percent chance of playing for Detroit next year:
Kenny Rogers – 90%
Todd Jones – 80%
Geoff Jenkins – 75%
Edgar Renteria – 50%
Jack Wilson – 30%
Francisco Cordero – 5%
Alex Rodriguez – 3%
Mariano Rivera – 3%
Raul Ibanez – 0.5%
Torii Hunter – 0%
Andruw Jones – 0%
- Henning believes Jenkins is quite likely to become a Tiger on a two-year deal. He only costs money, as the Brewers won’t be offering him arbitration if they decline his option. The Twins may be in the mix for him as well.
- Henning notes that new Braves GM Frank Wren and current Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski have a connection and could easily work together on a Renteria trade. Pitching would be the requirement. Jeremy Bonderman seems like too much; Nate Robertson perhaps too little.
- The Tigers badly want to bring Rogers back; that seems very likely.
- Henning expects Jones back unless he receives an offer from the Braves, located somewhat near his home. That’s not expected.
Pirates Rebuilding, Shipping Bay?
Pirates fans, get ready for some big changes. Rob Biertempfel reports:
Over the new couple of weeks, the Pirates will hire a new manager, scouting director, director of player development and assistant general manager. The turnover could extend to coaches and scouts throughout the system.
New facilities are rising in Bradenton, Fla., and the Dominican Republic. The club also plans to develop a leaner, more efficient data storage system.
Red Sox Pitching Coach John Farrell is the reported favorite to be the Buc’s skipper and Theo Epstein has been singing his praises, writes John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times:
"John has brought so much to our organization," Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said. "He’s brought a sense of accountability to the pitching staff and he is just so organized in everything he does. He prepares our pitchers both mentally and physically every day of the season. He is an extremely sharp guy and the only thing he lacks is much major-league experience as a coach."
Indeed it’s an exciting time to be a Pirates fan after a bit of a dry spell. Tim noted that the Pirates may shop Jason Bay this winter. With these structural changes taking place at the developmental levels it seems even more likely.
Posted By Nat Boyle
Odds and Ends: Wakefield, Guillen, Lowell
Some random rumorage not quite worthy of individual posts…
- Jeff Goldberg of the Hartford Courant speculates that Tim Wakefield could be making his final start for Boston tonight. With Wakefield, the Red Sox possess one of the most lopsided contracts in baseball history. They have a perpetual $4MM club option with him, one that never goes away until they decline it. But $4MM is nothing to the Sox, and Wakefield was certainly worth that much in ’07. They’ll exercise it.
- The Mariners were once close to an extension for Jose Guillen, but currently it’s on the backburner. Even if the team exercises his $9MM option, Guillen can and probably will void it. He’s going to want at least three years, $30MM. The Mariners could get by without him.
- Mike Lowell has more Philly connections than I realized. The Phils definitely seem like his second choice if the Red Sox let him go. I think the Phillies should just sign Mike Lamb and spend the excess money on pitching.
- Neal Huntington’s first move: a waiver claim of Kevin Thompson. It’s over now.
- Joel Pineiro gets a $500K signing bonus, $5MM in ’08, and $7.5MM in ’09. Originally he wanted to test the market, but he appreciated the Cardinals giving him a chance.
- John Schuerholz found Scott Boras’ suggestions obnoxious and idiotic. Also, Steve Phillips comments on the A-Rod/Mets situation back in 2000.
Twins Interested In Jason Bay?
Bucco Blog reports that the Twins may have some interest in Pirates outfielder Jason Bay. It’s possible the Bucs would want Matt Garza in return. It would be a blockbuster introduction for Neal Huntington and Bill Smith.
It’s always hard to part with young pitching (especially with the likely departure of Johan Santana), but the Twins have needed an offensive boost for a while now. Bay is signed for 2008-09 at just $13.25MM, so the Twins can definitely squeeze him into the budget. Garza looks like at least a #3, especially in the NL Central. This seems like a trade that could benefit both teams. Thoughts?
Odds and Ends
Here are some various trade rumors that didn’t quite have enough behind them for individual posts.
- There’s a gossip section in the Boston Herald called Inside Track, written by Gayle Fee, Laura Raposa, and Erin Hayes. They heard that Coco Crisp told fans at the recent Division Champs celebration that he expects to be dealt this winter to make room for Jacoby Ellsbury. By most accounts Crisp has developed into a fine defensive center fielder, and he’s under contract for $4.75MM in ’08, $5.75MM in ’09, and an $8MM club option in ’10. Perhaps Crisp could be used to acquire a third baseman in the event that Mike Lowell leaves and the Red Sox can’t sign A-Rod.
- Phil Wood of the Washington Examiner speculates that the Nationals could get in on Jason Bay. Not the worst idea, but the Nats don’t seem to have the available young pitching for the deal.
- Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution likes the Nate Robertson to Atlanta idea, tossing Joe Blanton and Shaun Marcum into the mix as other options.
- Bob Wickman may quietly retire, bumming out these guys.
- El Lefty Malo dissects recent comments from Giants GM Brian Sabean.
- Peter Abraham suggests the Mets trade Carlos Beltran for pitching.
Pirates Could Shop Jason Bay
Read between the lines in new Pirate GM Neal Huntington’s recent comments, and it certainly seems like the Bucs might consider trading left fielder Jason Bay this winter. Bay wouldn’t be surprised to go.
The 29 year-old has experienced by far the worst season of his career this year. After posting OPSs above .900 in his first three seasons, he’s down to just .748 this year (.248/.328/.420). He only really looked like himself in May.
Back in December, Bay had arthroscopic knee surgery. However, Bay has said that this has only affected his explosiveness on the basepaths and not his hitting or defense this year. He’s missed time in September with tendinitis, but it’s been his other knee. Bay’s not blaming his health at all for his down year, though he admits he’s slowed down. It could be a confidence issue, it could be that he’s burnt out on all the losing. It could be a good old-fashioned off-year, similar to those experienced by top comparables Tim Salmon and Dale Murphy.
At an incredibly affordable $5.75MM for ’08 and $7.5MM in ’09, many teams would love to acquire Bay. He could certainly return to his elite level of 2004-06. He’d be a nice addition for the White Sox, Twins, Padres (his former club), Orioles, Padres, Dodgers, A’s, Rangers, Angels…OK, almost any team. I’m guessing the price would be two very good young players, one or both a pitcher. It’ll be interesting to see if Huntington makes a blockbuster deal in his first offseason as GM, possibly at the Winter Meetings.
Bucs To Let Chacon, Armas, Izturis Go
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are likely to cut ties with three of their veteran players this winter: Shawn Chacon, Tony Armas Jr., and Cesar Izturis. As it should be.
Chacon, 29, has been decent in relief (3.52 ERA in 76.2 innings). His 1.7 K/BB is worrisome, but Chacon has always been prone to the free pass. One change is that Chacon is back to getting groundballs near a league average rate, as he did when he succeeded with the Yankees in ’05. While Chacon wanted to stay, a contract of at least two years, $8MM would be required. Such a deal just doesn’t make sense for Pittsburgh. $3.8MM off the books when Chacon leaves.
Armas was a bad move by Dave Littlefield in the first place. He was predictably bad this year. Then again, I didn’t think much of Steve Trachsel in the AL East and the O’s spun him into two useful players (Scott Moore and Rocky Cherry). Anyway, the Pirates will give those 93 innings Armas ate up to a younger player in 2008. That’s $3.5MM off the books.
Izturis was an odd acquisition. I think Littlefield expected to move Jack Wilson when he acquired Izturis. When that fell through the Pirates just looked silly. The Cubs paid the Pirates an undisclosed amount of cash to take Izturis so I can’t say how much is off the books here.
The result of dumping this trio is $8MM to play with for the next Pirates’ GM. Let’s hope he or she uses it wisely for once.
Pirates Aim To Extend Capps, Sanchez
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the next Pirates GM will approach closer Matt Capps and second baseman Freddy Sanchez about multiyear contracts.
It certainly makes sense to lock up Capps. The 24 year-old is having a spectacular season, his first as the Bucs’ closer. He’s got a 2.04 ERA and 3.9 K/BB. Kovacevic says the plan appears to be to throw him some extra bucks in ’08 in return for a discount covering his three arbitration years. I wonder whether the Red Sox will consider a similar contract offer for Jonathan Papelbon, who has the same amount of service time.
Sanchez turns 30 in December. He’s hitting .312/.352/.454 this year in 570 ABs. Kovacevic believes the goal for him is to cover his final two years before free agency (2008-09). However it’s not out of the question that the Bucs try to tack on 2010 as well. His current $2.75MM salary will definitely increase next year through arbitration if a multiyear pact isn’t reached. I could see an offer something like two years, $10MM or three years, $18MM.