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Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez Not Available

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One name we can keep out of the rumor mill this summer: Adrian Gonzalez.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports quotes Padres CEO Jeff Moorad:

I've said publicly that no player is untouchable, but I would be hard-pressed to imagine a deal that could ever make sense for Adrian Gonzalez.

In a recent chat at MLB.com, when asked whether the Padres might sign Gonzalez to an extension next year, Moorad replied, "Why wait until 2010?"  SI.com's Jon Heyman asked GM Kevin Towers about trading Gonzalez, and Towers said, "Not at this point in time."

Heyman On Adrian Gonzalez, Peavy, Sabathia

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman believes the Padres could bring in a haul for Adrian Gonzalez beyond what the Rangers received for Mark Teixeira.  However, when asked if he's considering trading his slugging first baseman, Padres GM Kevin Towers responded, "Not at this point in time." 
  • The Cubs don't seem anxious to make a deal for Jake Peavy, and the Dodgers have the same-division hurdle.  The Brewers might not have the pitching (or inclination) to get it done.  Towers will continue to try to find a team Peavy likes while also matching the package offered by the White Sox: Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, and two minor league pitchers.
  • Heyman says the Angels bid about $140MM for C.C. Sabathia last winter, making the Yankees' $161MM winning bid appear more appropriate.

Odds And Ends: Padres, Takatsu, Sano

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Links for Friday afternoon…

  • SI.com's Tom Verducci heard one GM argue that the Padres should trade Jake Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez to re-stock the farm system.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo breaks down what will happen after Stephen Strasburg's drafted by the Nationals. He predicts that eight or nine college arms could go in the first 20 picks, if you count redrafts like Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers. 
  • According to Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun, Travis Snider was sent to Triple A by the Blue Jays. Snider was hitting .242/.292/.394, with 25 strikeouts in 99 at bats.
  • According to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, Shingo Takatsu auditioned in front of the D'Backs and Giants. He threw as hard as 86 mph and impressed scouts with his breaking balls. If the name sounds familiar it's because the 40-year-old sidearmer used to close for the White Sox.
  • Steve Melewski of MASN wonders if Nolan Reimold has seen the last of the minor leagues. After a slow start, the left fielder is seven for his last 18, including a homer off Mariano Rviera.
  • Via Twitter, Keith Law suggests pitcher Sonny Gray would go in the top three picks of this year's draft if he were eligible.
  • Live to Play suggests the list of suitors for Miguel Angel Sano will soon "thin out to the very serious contenders" for the 16-year-old shortstop prospect.
  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes that the ideal trade for the Royals might be Mike Jacobs or Jose Guillen for a "capable shortstop."

Jeff Moorad Chat At MLB.com

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New Padres CEO Jeff Moorad did an online chat with fans for MLB.com today.  A few highlights:

  • When asked about the idea of signing Adrian Gonzalez to an extension in 2010, Moorad replied, "Why wait until 2010?"
  • Moorad reiterated that he is willing to keep Jake Peavy, but tossed in the caveat that "no one player is untouchable."
  • In reference to the July 31st trade deadline, Moorad would be "open to adding an appropriate player or two" if the team is within striking range.

At this writing, the Padres are 11-10, three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.  They rank 10th in the NL at 4.33 runs scored per game and 13th with a 4.77 ERA.  Bright spots: Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Nick Hundley, Scott Hairston, and Heath Bell. 

The biggest needs appear to be a shortstop and starting pitching.  Just for fun: what do you think about a midseason run at Miguel Tejada?  What pitcher would you like to see Kevin Towers target?

Jake Peavy Rumors: Saturday

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Jake Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod explains his client’s preferences:

"Jake has a strong preference to stay in the National League. If Jake’s ever going to accept anything to the American League – and I don’t want this to be taken wrong – I can safely say that it’s going to be the Yankees or Red Sox or maybe the Angels. Those teams are going to be in contention and are going to spend money. If there were circumstances where he would be asked to go to the AL, kicking and screaming, those are the three places."

Also, Padres GM Kevin Towers revealed in a radio interview that the Angels asked about a Peavy-Adrian Gonzalez package deal, but the Padres don’t want to trade Gonzalez.  As a baseball fan, I like it when Towers reveals things like this.  It must be incredibly frustrating for rival GMs though.

Nationals Rumors: Dunn, Votto, Greinke

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ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talks about the Nationals in today’s column.  A few hot stove nuggets:

  • Crasnick talked to several agents and execs who just can’t see the Nationals ponying up $20MM+ per year for Mark Teixeira.
  • The Nats crave a lefthanded slugging first baseman, so Adam Dunn could fit the bill.  Crasnick talked to a couple of officials who suggested Dunn might have to settle in the three-year, $36MM range.  However, the Nationals may have to pay a premium to convince any prominent free agent to sign.
  • Crasnick says the Nationals have explored many interesting names: Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, James Loney, Joey Votto, and Zack Greinke.  They may not have the young talent to pull off that kind of deal though.
  • The Nats are "looking forward to the opportunity" to select Scott Boras client Stephen Strasburg in next June’s draft.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Sunday

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Jake Peavy, on the block:

  • According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, the Braves have told the Padres they will not deal Tommy Hanson in a package for Jake Peavy. This despite heavy scouting of Hanson by the Padres in recent days. MLBTR touched on this topic on Friday, but it seems the Braves are standing pat that even Peavy won’t loosen their grip on their prospects. If the Padres are putting something together with the Braves, it’s not likely to be structured around Hanson, or Jair Jurrjens, Jason Heyward and Julio Teheran for that matter. As MLBTR noted before, it could all be speculation from rival GMs.
  • Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune brings us information from Baseball America: Peavy would waive his no trade clause to play for the Cubs. While Rogers notes there’s not much of a fit he suggests a package that includes a swap of Adrian Gonzalez and Derrek Lee. Intriguing, but far fetched.

Sherman’s Latest: Gonzalez, Guillen, Castillo, Martin

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Let’s take a little break from Peavy-mania and look at some other situations around the big leagues, courtesy of Joel Sherman.

  • Padres GM Kevin Towers can’t see any circumstances under which he’d trade first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.  He’s signed cheaply, and the Padres already have offensive problems.
  • Sherman knows that it will be extremely difficult for the Mets to move Luis Castillo this offseason, but offers one scenario that has been discussed before: Trade Castillo to the Royals for perennial hothead Jose Guillen. Guillen would bring the Mets a power bat and arm to put in left field, while Castillo would bring the Royals some much-needed OBP and a replacement for free agent Mark Grudzielanek. The difference would be the Royals saving $6MM over Castillo’s remaining three seasons, with the Mets taking on $6MM more, but only having two years of a bad contract. Personally, I think this move could make a lot of sense for both teams, although I’d prefer to have Guillen over Castillo. Also, the Mets apparently have no interest in an Eric Byrnes/Castillo swap.
  • The Phillies may be looking for a way to replace Pat Burrell cheaply in order to pursue a free agent starter. One proposed method would be to move Greg Dobbs to left field. Sherman notes that there wouldn’t be much difference in range between Burrell and Dobbs. Dobbs posted an .824 OPS this season in 226 ABs, but the alarming thing is that 217 of those ABs came against right-handed pitching. Dobbs was just 1 for 9 against lefties in 2008, and has just 52 career ABs against LHP, in which he’s posted a .579 OPS. A plattoon with Eric Brutnlett could work, but if I were a Philadelphia fan, I’d be hoping for an alternative solution. Sherman reminds us that the Phils were players for Manny Ramirez in July…
  • This one surprised me, but Sherman throws a new name as a possibility on the trade market: Russell Martin. Sherman cites rival executives in saying that the Dodgers aren’t "enamored with his makeup" and that with frontline catchers being hot commodities, the Dodgers could explore the market to see what Martin could bring in return. Personally, I think moving Martin would be a mistake, but I have to admit, Martin would indeed fetch a very nice return.

Young Players Covet Long-Term Security

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Locking up promising young players to avoid their arbitration years has become all the rage these days.  It can be argued as win-win, as the player trades some risk for a smaller AAV than he could get going year to year.

  • The Padres are looking to give first baseman Adrian Gonzalez a long-term deal after a contract renewal near the league minimum.  They did this with Jake Peavy, though Kevin Towers renewed him in after each of his first two seasons.
  • The Nationals will meet with Ryan Zimmerman’s agent tomorrow.  Barry Svrluga thinks David Wright’s contract could be the benchmark.
  • Felix Hernandez told John Hickey he’d been hoping for a multiyear deal with the Mariners rather than a renewal.  If he improves upon his 2006 season and stays healthy, he might get around four years and $10MM.  The Mariners have actually had talks with second baseman Jose Lopez regarding a multiyear deal.
  • Keep in mind that it’s definitely not a risk-free proposition for the team.  Look no further than the four-year, $11MM contract given to Royals shortstop Angel Berroa following his Rookie of the Year 2003 season.

Adam Eaton Dealt To Rangers

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Kevin Towers made a great trade today, acquiring promising youngsters Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez (plus Terrmel Sledge) for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka.  I didn’t think a deal was imminent yesterday, but I also didn’t think Jon Daniels would surrender a comparable, younger pitcher in the trade.

In what way is Adam Eaton better than Chris Young?  Putting their numbers side by side, I’d say Young is already the preferable pitcher.  Their strikeout rates are comparable, and Young’s superior control results in fewer baserunners.  Young’s durability is an unknown, but it couldn’t be much worse than Eaton’s.  Eaton’s had a nice assist from Petco, while Young threw well in his initial exposure to the pitchers’ hell that is Ameriquest.  Throw in the fact that Young is four years away from a big payday while Eaton is right around the corner, and this looks like Jon Daniels’s first misstep.

What’s more, Adrian Gonzalez is a better bet than Akinori Otsuka.  Gonzalez hit .338/.399/.561 in his third crack at Triple A this year.  He never stuck with the Rangers, but only received 192 at-bats in the Majors.  He’s a useful player at his current level, and at 23 years old he can certainly improve.

Otsuka showed some serious signs of decline in his second Major League season.  He’s 33 years old and had a dangerously bad walk rate in ’05.  Strikeouts were down as well.  He still may be helpful to the Texas bullpen, as he appears to keep the ball in the yard.  But keep in mind that’s based on just 66 non-Petco Major League innings. 

The Otsuka-Gonzalez part of the deal is still fairly reasonable in light of each team’s needs.  Replacing Eaton with Young, however, heavily favors the Padres. 

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