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A.J. Burnett

Odds and Ends: Vizquel, Saito, Burnett, K-Rod

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So many links, so little time.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burnett, Ibanez

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Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video Saturday covered many interesting topics; yesterday he put the info into column form and added even more.

  • Same old story with Adam Dunn – he’s just not drawing much interest.  Even with the whiffs and ugly defense, this is surprising to me.  Rosenthal says the Reds "will take a considerable risk" if they offer Dunn arbitration after the season and he accepts.  Would having Dunn on a one-year deal at market price really be so bad?
  • Rosenthal says "it remains to be seen whether Jim Bowden’s authority will be compromised" in the wake of his involvement in the FBI’s bonus-skimming investigation.  The Nationals have a couple of mildly interesting starters to shop in Tim Redding and Odalis Perez, plus perhaps the top righty reliever in Jon Rauch.  Maybe Rauch will be packaged with a starter.
  • The Angels will try to retain Francisco Rodriguez after the season.
  • The Blue Jays started A.J. Burnett on three days rest in an attempt to maximize his starts before the trade deadline, though the J.P. denies it. Burnett responded well against the Yankees.  Rosenthal wonders whether he would abandon his opt-out clause if his contract was extended through 2011 upon a trade.  A dissenting opinion – Jon Heyman talked to one GM who does not expect Burnett to opt out.
  • The D’Backs apparently do not see Raul Ibanez as much of an upgrade over Chad Tracy. However, Jack Magruder wrote Saturday that the Mariners and D’Backs had discussions on Ibanez.
  • The Dodgers are still interested in Jack Wilson.
  • Rosenthal says some teams are skeptical that the Pirates would offer Damaso Marte arbitration after this season.   Why wouldn’t they?  The Red Sox are interested in the lefty.

Yankees Roundup: Nady, Sexson, Fuentes, Marte

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Over the next 10 days, the Yankees will determine whether they are buyers or sellers. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, if they think they are still in it then they will target "a lefty reliever and a secondary starting pitcher."  That starting pitcher could be Eric Milton, however he’s 6 weeks away from starting. I’ll add a right handed bat to that list as the Yankees need help against lefties.

Sherman says the Rockies are interested enough in Ian Kennedy to deal Brian Fuentes for him and the Yankees will need to choose both whether they’re in it and how much they want to retain Kennedy.  A cheaper option they’re considering is Damaso Marte, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Dejan Kovacevic.  The fact that Marte is now closing in Pittsburgh may have either decreased his availability or increased his price tag, or both.  The Cardinals, Mets, Rays and Red Sox are all in the hunt for the lefty.

Kovacevic says the Yankees are suitors for Xavier Nady as well. Nady is a career .320 hitter against lefties and has played in New York before.  And then there’s Richie Sexson, who Tim discussed here, and who George A. King III of the New York Post says the Yankees could sign if/when he clears waivers this week.

A compromise of sorts could be to make a move for A.J. Burnett.  The opt-out risk at the end of the year is alarming, but the Yankees could use his services this year and beyond, as well as manage his salary and the upside is still tremendous.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Burnett, Rauch, Ibanez

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Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up.

  • The Angels are not interest in Matt Holliday, while the Dodgers and Red Sox "could play" on him.  Rosenthal names the Nationals as an "intriguing dark horse," saying they’ve been checking up on Holliday.  They like the idea of having him for ’09, and could even entertain signing him long-term.
  • The Phillies have minimal interest in A.J. Burnett, plus they’re on his 15 team no-trade list.  Rosenthal notes that Burnett nearly signed with the Cardinals a few years back, but their interest is not mutual.
  • Jon Rauch is a hot commodity, drawing interest from the Rays, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks.  His price will exceed that of Brian Fuentes, since he’s under team control through 2010.
  • The D’Backs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder, and Raul Ibanez is under consideration.  Rosenthal suggests Matt Stairs or Tony Clark as possible bench additions.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

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FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.

THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.

  • The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia.  The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window.  The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees.  The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
  • Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
  • Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams.  It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
  • The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision.  If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target.  If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip.  Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
  • The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
  • The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
  • The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden.  Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
  • Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
  • Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.

Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

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Friday linkage…

Jays Ready To Throw In The Towel

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THURSDAY, 3:15pm: Blair talked to Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who admitted he’s yet to have talks with the Phillies about Burnett.  But the Jays are scouting the Phillies and other clubs.  Ricciardi talked about improving the team for the future, and doesn’t think Burnett’s poor start last night affects his value.

Blair says the Jays are also getting calls on Matt Stairs.

THURSDAY, 11:29am: Terrible news for the Jays – McGowan has a rotator cuff tear.  Meanwhile, Burnett has allowed 19 hits and 15 runs in his last two starts.

WEDNESDAY: The Blue Jays are now 12.5 games out in the AL East and 9.5 games out of the wild card.  Baseball Prospectus puts their playoff chances at roughly 1%.  GM J.P. Ricciardi admitted yesterday that his team’s playoff chances are "probably not good."

Now comes news that starter Dustin McGowan has been pitching with a sore shoulder for several starts.  An MRI is scheduled today.  Jeff Blair believes a serious injury to McGowan would impact A.J. Burnett’s availability.  I’m not sure exactly what he means by that, but I assume it’d make the Jays more likely to throw in the towel and trade Burnett.

The Phillies seem to be Burnett’s most likely suitor, if they don’t end up getting Erik Bedard.  Or maybe the Cardinals will jump into the NL Central arms race and pursue him.  The Dodgers are another possibility.

Phillies Like Burnett, Lowe

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12:58pm: Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail has details on the Phillies’ pursuit of Burnett.  He says the Jays are scouting the Phils’ Double A club, and like Greg Golson, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald, and Brad Harman.  It seems that Carrasco, Golson, or Marson would have to be in a deal.  Blair says the Phillies might try to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract so he can remain near his Baltimore home for the 2009-10 seasons.

Additionally, the Phillies inquired about Derek Lowe’s availability with the Dodgers.

11:46am: Pitching and hitting…two things you need to win baseball games.  Insightful, eh?  The Philles are looking for both – manager Charlie Manuel wants a "blue-chip pitcher" as well as a "good bat."

Pitching is the team’s priority.  David Murphy bandies about names like A.J. Burnett, Roy Oswalt, and Erik Bedard.  Or the Phillies could look to the B list, like they did last year when they acquired Kyle Lohse.  Lohse, by the way, wasn’t a fan of the "B list" comment by Pat Gillick.

So who’s on the ’08 B list?  I’ll suggest Bronson Arroyo, Joe Blanton, Boof Bonser, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf, Jarrod Washburn, Odalis Perez, Jason Marquis, Tim Redding, and Paul Byrd.  Most of these guys appeared on my June 4th look at the starting pitching market.  I’ll try to revisit that list this afternoon with a fresh post.

On the hitting side, the Phillies don’t have an obvious position to upgrade.  Thoughts?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Sabathia, Burnett, Fuentes, Guillen

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.  I updated the second bullet about Burnett – I had omitted an interesting rumor accidentally.

  • The Dodgers could’ve gotten CC Sabathia, Casey Blake, and Jamey Carroll without giving up Matt Kemp.  Owner Frank McCourt may have killed the deal, though he denies it.  Rosenthal describes the Dodgers as a "near-impossible trading partner."
  • Rosenthal reminds us that A.J. Burnett can veto trades to 15 teams and would probably require compensation to waive that right or his opt-out rights.  Rosenthal also says the Jays offered Burnett to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy, but the Brewers passed and then acquired CC Sabathia.
  • The Rays are named as the frontrunner for Brian Fuentes.  Fuentes has been linked to nine clubs in various reports.
  • Players such as Orlando Cabrera, Cristian Guzman, Jack Wilson, and Hardy may be hot commodities this winter given the large number of teams looking for a shortstop.
  • The Royals received inquiries on Jose Guillen in the wake of his scuffle with the team’s pitching coach.  However, the Royals plan to keep him.
  • The Padres hope to acquire up-the-middle players.  On a related note, Randy Wolf had a nice start last night.

Cubs Pursuing Harden In Wake Of Sabathia Deal

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How will the Cubs counter the Brewers’ C.C. Sabathia acquisition?  They simply can’t match it, but the next best thing might be Rich Harden.  Harden is also a frontline starter, but he lacks Sabathia’s durability.

According to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times, "the Cubs have spent a lot of time on the phone recently with Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane trying to pry away Harden."  De Luca says they’ve been discussed a deal for at least a month.  Plan C is apparently Randy Wolf.  Will Carroll says the Cubs "think they match up well for A.J. Burnett."      

Jayson Stark commented on the Harden situation on Thursday:

The A’s will consider any offers that allow them to add and subtract at the same time. But any Harden deal would have to at least approach last winter’s Dan Haren extravaganza.

A reminder: Baseball America ranked Carlos Gonzalez as the game’s #22 prospect, and Brett Anderson was #36.  The Cubs don’t have two players like that.  Then add Greg Smith and Dana Eveland, who have combined for a 3.52 ERA in 207 innings this year.  Oh, and toss in Chris Carter and Aaron Cunningham for good measure.  That was a haul, even for an ace like Haren. 

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