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Adam LaRoche

Atlanta’s Offseason Needs

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If and when Tim Hudson signs an extension with the Braves, MLB.com's Mark Bowman says GM Frank Wren appears likely to shop Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez. Moving one of the two veterans would create the financial flexibility to allow the Braves to pursue a first baseman, a closer and, possibly, an outfielder.

It's a "strong possibility" that Adam LaRoche, Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano will all sign elsewhere as free agents. Bowman says the Braves may consider signing Billy Wagner or trading for Matt Capps if they don't retain Gonzalez and Soriano. 

Jason Heyward looms in the minor leagues. He's arguably the game's top prospect, but the Braves may choose to sign an outfielder. This would enable Heyward to pick up more minor league experience – he's only played 50 games in the upper minors – and would allow the Braves to prevent Heyward from becoming a Super Two. It's the strategy they used with Tommy Hanson this year and it makes sense to do the same with Heyward.

Last week, Tim suggested the Braves spend on a first baseman and a left fielder. To cut costs, he recommends the Braves save on the bullpen. Trading Vazquez would free up $11.5MM for the upcoming season and trading Lowe would free up $15MM, but the Braves may ultimately need the pitching depth.

Odds & Ends: Torre, Braves, Blue Jays

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In the midst of a tight Dodgers-Phillies game, here are some news tidbits from around the baseball world….

  • Before Game Five, Joe Torre said he wants to (and believes he will) be the Dodgers' manager next season, reports Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Frank Wren is in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to re-signing Tim Hudson and Adam LaRoche, and/or trading Kenshin Kawakami or Derek Lowe for hitting help.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has spent his first few weeks on the job talking to the team's coaches and players.  After talking to pending free agents Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas and John McDonald, Anthopoulos said he wants to speak to their respective agents in the coming weeks.
  • As reported by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mark Cuban told a group of Pitt students that he won't be buying the Pirates.
  • Speaking of Pittsburgh natives looking to be involved in MLB ownership, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Pittsburgh lawyer Check Greenberg's investment team made with members of the Hicks Sports Group on Wednesday to discuss buying the Rangers. 
  • Tommy Rancel of the DRaysBay blog outlines why he thinks the Rays should look into signing Kelvim Escobar this off-season.

Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman

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Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign.  At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs.  However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through.  Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player.  As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying for 8 or less DH openings with 11 or so others.

SI.com's Jon Heyman touches on that situation and much more in today's offering.  Here's a look at some of his rumors:

  • Those close to Matsui say his first choice is to stay with the Yanks.  However, the Yankees may have to let him walk as the DH spot will be needed for Jorge Posada and others.
  • Heyman mentions Ken Rosenthal's report that John Farrell will not be able to take a managerial job in 2010 because of a clause in his contract with the BoSox.  Heyman then adds, "Sometimes those clauses can be negotiated away."
  • The Padres are one of the "rare" teams that have a level of interest in Milton Bradley.  Sources indicate that it is a "long shot" that he will wind up in Texas.
  • Heyman addresses some of the lesser-heralded free agents in the upcoming class and estimates how much they will receive in their new deals.  Here are his guesses: Mark DeRosa, $24MM over three years; Nick Johnson, $16MM over two years; Adam LaRoche, $25MM over three years; Joel Pineiro, $15MM over two years.
  • The White Sox will not pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM option in all likelihood.  This should come as no surprise considering the 35-year-old's dismal second half.  Since August 1st, Dye has registered an OPS of .576.
  • One GM told Heyman that he holds Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish in higher regard than highly-touted Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

Fixing The Mets

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The New York Post's Joel Sherman offered up some suggestions for shaking things up in the Mets clubhouse this offseason.  He worries that Luis Castillo won't be able to replicate his strong 2009 and that Jeff Francoeur (.826 OPS with New York) may not be able to build on his solid second half.  Unsurprisingly, his chief concern is the Mets starting rotation.

However, Sherman suggests that the Mets first address their other holes before looking at starting pitchers, considering the weak crop available this winter:

"Put out strong one-year offers with a 2011 option to a group at each position. Say Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher; Nick Johnson/Russ Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first: and Bobby Abreu, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye for left field. The first guy to take the offer in each group gets the contract."

The Mets were linked to Bobby Abreu for some time last offseason, so it would make sense for them to re-visit that idea again this year.  Adam LaRoche looks like a completely different player in Atlanta, posting .354/.432/.618 with 12 HRs in 49 games.  Abreu projects to be a Type A free agent whereas LaRoche should be a Type B. 

Should the Mets address their pitching woes via free agency?  As badly as they need to bolster spots two through five, there won't be a great deal of options available.  Would you extend multi-year deals to the likes of Rich Harden or Joel Pineiro?  Should the Mets pick up where they left off last year and consider Randy Wolf?

Odds & Ends: Webb, Griffey, Hoffman

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Links for Monday…

Discussion: Should Atlanta Re-Sign LaRoche?

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Adam LaRoche has certainly thrived in his return to Atlanta. He's hitting a ridiculous .356/.429/.638 with the Braves in 2009 – a monstrous second half in his contract year. The Braves will face an interesting decision in what to do with LaRoche this offseason, but according to Carroll Rogers, you can count teammate Chipper Jones among those who want to see LaRoche back with the Braves in 2010 and beyond:

"…[Y]ou have the best first baseman that’s going to be on the market in house now. So why not do all you can to lock him up. What else does a guy have to do? He’s produced since he’s been here. He’s been one of the key reasons we’ve gone from a .500 club to 10 games over since he got here. He’s an incredible defender. A 30-home run guy in a pitcher’s ballpark is a commodity that needs to be treasured.”

Jones acknowledges that the Braves #5 prospect, Freddie Freeman, is moving up through the minors. Freeman, however, just turned 20, and has struggled in his move from High-A to Class AA, putting up a line of just .248/.308/.342 through 41 games.

Rogers spoke with both Jones and LaRoche about LaRoche's desire for the security of a multi-year deal. Looking for three years or more, LaRoche says his ideal situation would be to stay in Atlanta, but he recognizes that it might not happen.

The Braves also have decisions to make on the back of their bullpen, as well as with what Javier Vazquez's future with the organization looks like. This year's free agent class of first basemen will likely be headed by names such as Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Russell Branyan. Will LaRoche outperform these names over the coming years?

If you were Frank Wren, how would you handle the situation? Should LaRoche be counted on as a long-term solution, or do you spend on other holes and try to find a quick stopgap at first base for a season? 

Odds & Ends: Reynolds, Gammons, Orioles

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Some late night links after Jake Peavy allowed three runs in five innings in his first start for the White Sox…

  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic notes that Mark Reynolds is likely to fall short of qualifying as a Super Two, meaning he'll have to wait until after 2010 to become arbitration eligible. He also says that it "does not appear there have been any discussions about a long-term deal with Reynolds, but the club does not seem averse to the idea of an extension."
  • ESPN's Peter Gammons writes about how great Victor Martinez has been for the Red Sox since being acquired at the trade deadline. He also praises Casey Kotchman, but I think I'd rather have Adam LaRoche, who has a 1.053 OPS since the trade.
  • Orioles Manager Dave Trembley indicated that the team needs someone to hit behind Nick Markakis until some younger players like Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are ready to do it, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. 
  • If you aren't already, make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter.

Stark On Smoltz, Reds, Strasburg, Thome

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark adds the Astros to the list of teams interested in John Smoltz. Here are the rest of his rumors:

  • The Cubs could look for another bat and another starter, but it depends on how healthy Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano are.
  • Stark points out that Aaron Harang's 2011 club option becomes a more expensive $14MM mutual option if he's traded. The Reds haven't seemed willing to take on cash in a trade involving Harang or rotation-mate Bronson Arroyo. 
  • The Yanks don't appear to have interest in either Reds starter, or John Smoltz, for that matter. 
  • Don't expect any serious negotiating to occur between the Nationals, Scott Boras and Stephen Strasburg before the last minute. Most execs who Stark surveyed expect Strasburg to sign in the end.
  • The Braves could re-sign Adam LaRoche after the season, when the first baseman will hit free agency. 
  • Jim Thome still impresses scouts and should be able to find work as a DH after the season. 
  • Some teams doubt Vicente Padilla's character because the Rangers are ready to part with him even though they need pitching.
  • Some of Alex Rios' former teammates question the outfielder's work ethic and desire.  
  • Stark hears that Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann were claimed on waivers and quickly pulled back by the Rays. 
  • The Braves made a quick run at Victor Martinez before the Red Sox acquired him, but didn't get very far. 
  • Though their negotiations with Aaron Crow could theoretically continue into late spring, the Royals may impose a deadline of their own to sign their top pick.  

Rosenthal On Bell, Mets, Padilla, Braves

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Dodgers were on the brink of acquiring Heath Bell before the July 31st trade deadline. The Padres will listen to offers for Bell and Adrian Gonzalez again after the season, but they're under less pressure to deal those players with Jake Peavy's contract off the books. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Mets are not considering replacing Omar Minaya with assistant GM John Ricco right now, but we could see Ricco deal with the media more.
  • A pair of NL teams, possibly the Dodgers and Brewers, are "kicking the tires" on Vicente Padilla. Teams are more likely to wait for him to clear waivers than strike a deal now, however.
  • The Braves offered Casey Kotchman to the Pirates for Adam LaRoche before acquiring LaRoche from the Red Sox.  
  • The Rays and Rangers have been claiming players off of waivers aggressively. 
  • Rosenthal notes that the Rockies' revamped 'pen has pitched well so far.  

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Deadline Deals

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On this date nine years ago the Rangers traded Dave Martinez to the Blue Jays. It was the third time Martinez had been traded since the beginning of the season. That night, Martinez would tie a big league record by playing for his fourth franchise in one season. He also appeared with the Devil Rays and the Cubs. Martinez' current club, the Rays, did not make any trade deadline deals, but plenty of other teams did. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • MLB Notebook hosted a round-table discussing the trade deadline winners and losers.
  • Sully Baseball says declaring winners and losers this soon is meaningless.
  • Zells Pinstripe Blog says the trade deadline was not as bad for the Yankees as many think.
  • Rays Revolutionary explains why it was not important for the Rays to make any deadline deals.
  • UmpBump wonders how Adam LaRoche makes the Braves better in 2010, as some have suggested.
  • Capitol Avenue Club explains the reasoning behind the Adam LaRoche deal for the Braves.
  • Talking Chop looks at what the Adam LaRoche trade means for Chipper Jones' future in Atlanta.
  • Dodgers Rumors looks at some August waiver-wire trade targets for the Dodgers.
  • MLB Insights makes a case that J.P. Ricciardi's tenure has been a successful one.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

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