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A.J. Burnett

Week In Review

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Continuing with Tim’s new tradition, here’s my take on some of the top rumors of the week from June 29 – July 6:

  • The C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes is nearing an end, with the Brewers’ Matt LaPorta package being the frontrunner. We’ll let everyone know the full story as soon as possible.
  • The Phillies extended Brad Lidge to a three-year contract. Lidge looks like his old self – great deal for Philadelphia. Looks like this means Brett Myers will remain in the rotation if he can get back on track.
  • We heard a lot about the Rays’ growing interest for Colorado closer Brian Fuentes. They could be preparing an offer. Troy Percival has been good, but injury prone, and you almost hate to move Dan Wheeler from the eighth inning where he’s been so good all year.
  • The shortstop market is hot, as the Dodgers, Orioles, and Jays would all like to upgrade. The Dodgers are interested in Jack Wilson, while the Orioles are looking at David Eckstein and possibly Juan Uribe or Felipe Lopez. The Jays could look to move A.J. Burnett and his contract for an upgrade there as well. Interesting that Toronto wants an upgrade over Eckstein, while Baltimore looks at him as an upgrade…
  • The Indians finally cut Joe Borowski loose, designating him for assignment. Was this too little too late? They tried to sneak Craig Breslow through waivers earlier this year. I’m guessing they’d rather have the 1.42 ERA he’s posted this season than Borowski’s 7.56, but the Twins are enjoying Breslow’s benefits.
  • Could the Angels add Matt Holliday? Seems unlikely with the stockpile of large contracts they already have in their outfield if you ask me.
  • The A’s signed Michel Inoa for $4.25MM on Thursday.
  • The Padres will be sellers this July. The onslaught of injuries have made this a frustrating season for San Diego. If you’d been able to see Adrian Gonzalez’s monster numbers through July 1 before the season started, who would’ve believed this team wasn’t contending? Wow.
  • For those who are interested, Tim looked at this past years’ offseason moves and compiled an All-Star lineup of free agent hitters signed prior to the 2008 season. That’d be a heck of a team to try to beat right now…

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Yankees, Padres, Fish

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And now, the latest from Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video:
  • If the Braves decide to shop Mark Teixeira, they may have a tough time getting as much as they’d like. The Red Sox, Angels, and Diamondbacks – among other contenders – are set at 1B/DH with David Ortiz, Casey Kotchman, and Conor Jackson respectively. Rosenthal notes Boston will only pursue Teixeira if Ortiz’s wrist fails to heal.
  • Brian Cashman isn’t sure whether the Yankees are buyers or sellers.  Most of their high paid players have no-trade clauses.  Should they want to buy, Rosenthal suggests A.J. Burnett is a guy they could make a play for: an underperformer with a contract the Blue Jays would be happy to pass off.
  • The Padres are planning to hold onto Brian Giles with the anticipation that a better replacement will not be available this winter. They continue to shop Randy Wolf, who can veto up to 14 clubs, and Greg Maddux to the Cubs continues to be bandied about.
  • The Marlins need help in the bullpen, at catcher, and particularly centerfield. They could pursue Willy Taveras, Scott Podsednik, or potentially free agent Kenny Lofton, 41, who has generated interest but not signed anywhere.

Jays Shopping Burnett For Shortstop?

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5:55pm: Robert MacLeod talked to Jays President Paul Godfrey, who said J.P. Ricciardi is not shopping Burnett but has received calls.

2:23pm: According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays are shopping starter A.J. Burnett for a shortstop.  Elliott notes that the Phillies and Orioles have had scouts at recent Burnett starts.  Neither of those organizations figures to match up on the shortstop front though.

Any contenders with an MLB-ready shortstop to spare?  The Cubs have Ronny Cedeno, who may or may not have a future as a regular.  The Brewers have J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar in the organization.  The Braves have Brent Lillibridge, and the Dodgers have Chin-lung Hu.  The Dodgers might need to hang on to Hu, however.

Gammons On The Cubs’ Starter Pursuit

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog entry up, with the focus on the Cubs’ desire to add a starting pitcher.  Gammons talked to a Cubs official who said, "We almost certainly will do something.  But we really don’t want to give up Sean Gallagher at this point."

Here’s a quick rundown of the candidates:

  • C.C. Sabathia – Cubs don’t believe they have enough to get him.
  • Rich Harden – Gammons doesn’t specifically say the Cubs are interested, just that they’re monitoring Oakland.
  • Randy Wolf – The Cubs have interest, and Gammons says Wolf would waive his no-trade to go to a contender.  Plus, Wolf treated the Cubs well when they courted him in the 2006-07 offseason.  Gammons adds that the Padres still like Matt Murton.  History has shown that Jim Hendry and Kevin Towers work well together on trades.
  • A.J. Burnett – The Cubs "also keep looking" at him.  Last Thursday, Gammons’ colleague Jayson Stark hadn’t found "any indication that the Cubs have even batted his name around."
  • Aaron Cook – Gammons says the Cubs would love him, but Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd said earlier this month, "We’re not doing anything with Cookie."
  • Bronson Arroyo, Kevin Millwood – Gammons says the Cubs have "kicked around" these names.

Stark’s Latest: K-Rod, Burnett, Oliver Perez, Bedard

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It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to dig in and feast on Jayson Stark’s latest rumor-packed column.

  • The Braves have shifted their focus from starting pitching to an impact bat in left field.  Stark suggests Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay, and Xavier Nady would make sense.  Matt Holliday would be too costly; Adam Dunn is not mentioned.
  • We have seen the surprising rumor that the Angels could pursue C.C. Sabathia.  However, Stark’s sources are in agreement with Bill Plunkett – the Angels are likely to stand pat.
  • Francisco Rodriguez wants four years and more than $60MM, a dangerous record-breaking commitment.  The Halos aren’t even sure if they’d do three years and a vesting option.
  • There have been no recent extension talks between the Angels and Vladimir Guerrero, but his $15MM option for ’09 is an easy call.
  • As we’ve written before, A.J. Burnett is like a rental, but worse.  He either pitches well and opts out or pitches poorly and you’re stuck with him.  Stark adds that despite Burnett’s willingness to pitch for the Cubs, he’s not on their list.  The Cubs are still planning a run at Sabathia.  The Brewers are also serious about the Cleveland ace.
  • The Mets might shop Oliver Perez, but I’d be surprised if he draws much interest.
  • The Blue Jays were already one of Adam Dunn’s ten no-trade teams.  His no-trade rights switched from full to ten teams on June 15th.
  • Bill Bavasi talked to the Reds about bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back to Seattle, but Lee Pelekoudas isn’t interested.
  • Interesting Indians players who might be available: Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, and Franklin Gutierrez.
  • The Yankees aren’t interested in Erik Bedard, but the Phillies are.  The teams have differing opinions on whether Bedard’s surly demeanor would present a problem.

Salisbury On Phillies’ Trade Chips

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Back on June 19th, ESPN’s Jayson Stark said the Phillies had "at least kicked the tires on C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Jarrod Washburn."  He also expected them to inquire on Erik Bedard.  Scott Lauber says the Phils have scouted Sabathia, Burnett, Ben Sheets, and Greg Maddux recently.

Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer weighs in this morning on the Phillies’ trade chips.  He names Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Greg Golson, and Adrian Cardenas as Phillies players other teams may covet.  However, Salisbury believes Pat Gillick might opt for a midlevel acquisition and hang on to his top young players.  Check out our starting pitcher trade market post for ideas.

Salisbury speculates on possible targets aside from the aforementioned names: Roy Oswalt and Rich Harden.  Salisbury is speculating with these names, but notes that "the Astros had a high-ranking scout in Philadelphia on Sunday."

Phillies Trade Strategy Mired By Parity

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Scott Lauber of the Delaware News-Journal writes in the Phillies/baseball blog about the team’s trade strategy in the looming trade-deadline season.

He spoke to Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and GM Pat Gillick, both of whom reiterated the notion that it’ll be tough to trade this year because of the parity among some clubs. There are 15 teams with a .500 record or better, which means some of those teams may still be in contention in mid July. Of course, it also means some of those teams will be out of it by the trade deadline.

To wit: The Brewers reportedly have told teams that they aren’t willing to move Ben Sheets, even though they’re 6-1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL [Central]. Of course, one losing streak could force them to change their strategy. Within the past week, Gillick has dispatched scouts to evaluate Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo and Toronto’s A.J. Burnett, a former pupil of pitching coach Rich Dubee in Florida.

This echoes what Buster Olney wrote in his blog about some of the teams contending in the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes and how some of them may think they’re in it, but may actually be testing the waters.

***
Speaking of Ruben Amaro Jr., Doc at Balls, Sticks & Stuff writes that a new book by Bob Gordon introduces Amaro Jr. as "currently the club’s general manager." Last year, the actual, current GM, Pat Gillick, said he may step down at the end of the season. Typo? Food for thought?

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me, alexo05 [at] umpbump [dot] com.

Phillies Scouting Rumors

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All of these "team X scouts team Y" type reports should be taken with a grain of salt, because scouting does not necessarily imply trade interest.  But hey, this is MLB Trade Rumors.

Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies sent special assistant Charley Kerfeld to watch the Brewers play the Blue Jays.  Hagen notes that Kerfeld may have observed Ben Sheets and A.J. Burnett.

Jayson Stark told us Thursday that the Brewers would have to be "way out of it" before making Sheets available.  But Burnett might be fair game, and Stark said the Phillies have already kicked the tires on him.  Stark said the Phils are also eyeing Bronson Arroyo and Jarrod Washburn.  Jim Salisbury believes the best acquisition the Phillies could make is an effective Brett Myers.

Stark’s Latest: Sabathia, Bedard, Phillies, Freel

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It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.  Time for another installment of Jayson Stark’s Rumblings and Grumblings at ESPN.com.

  • Stark runs through a laundry list of candidates for the Mariners’ and Mets’ manager and GM vacancies.
  • The Indians will not be giving a negotiation window for a team hoping to sign C.C. Sabathia while acquiring him.
  • Erik Bedard is "now officially on the market."  Bedard’s value has diminished since the Mariners acquired him, however.
  • The Phillies have already inquired on Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Jarrod Washburn.  Stark sees Bedard joining that group, but believes it’d require Carlos Carrasco and Antonio Bastardo.
  • Ryan Freel is drawing strong interest; Stark names the Phillies, Braves, Mets, and Marlins as suitors.
  • Ken Griffey Jr. apparently still wants to finish his career in Seattle.
  • Stark agrees with Ken Rosenthal – Mark Teixeira is not available.  Nor is Ben Sheets, by the way.
  • The Marlins are looking for center field, catcher, and bullpen help.  Stark believes they’d be willing to give up a near-arb Josh Willingham type for players with less service time.
  • The Yankees seem open to bringing back Jason Giambi next year, after they buy out his option.  Giambi is currently third in the AL in OPS at .979.

More On Burnett

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Jeff Blair notes today that any team acquiring A.J. Burnett would be getting a hired gun.  He says the Blue Jays will not allow a window for the acquiring team to potentially renegotiate Burnett’s out clause.  In a way, Burnett’s out clause makes him less valuable than a normal impending free agent.  If Burnett is injured or awful in August and September, the team could be stuck with him for 2009-10.  Is there any chance Burnett pitches well from here on out but doesn’t exercise the clause?

Garth Woolsey didn’t like Burnett’s comments, considering it a slap in the face to Jays fans.  Here’s a look back at Burnett’s history of injuries and incidents (innings totals include minor and Major Leagues):

  • 1999: Made Major League debut.  162 innings.
  • 2000: Penciled in for Marlins’ rotation, but ruptured thumb ligament pushes season debut to late July.  95 innings.
  • 2001: Broken foot pushes season debut to May.  Pitches nine-walk no-hitter in second start.  182.6 innings.
  • 2002: Ranks second in baseball in Pitcher Abuse Points per start (thanks to Jeff Torborg).  Threw 122 or more pitches nine times.  Late in year, has DL stint for an elbow bruise.  204.3 innings.
  • 2003: Burnett goes to arbitration with Marlins and loses.  Forearm tightness leads to a cortisone shot in the elbow in March; starts season on DL.  Has Tommy John surgery April 29th.  In November, Larry Beinfest says the Marlins will be able to afford to retain Burnett after shedding Derrek Lee.  23 innings.
  • 2004: A setback pushes his season debut to June 3rd.  Says arm is stronger than it was before surgery, but elbow inflammation surfaces by September.  Included in December trade talks with Yankees, D’Backs. 127.3 innings.
  • 2005: Burnett’s last year before free agency.  He sought a three-year, $21MM deal, but the Marlins offered $16MM and no agreement was reached.  Has laser eye surgery in offseason.  Elbow inflammation in May, misses one turn.  In June-July, trade rumors link him to Orioles, Jays, and White Sox.  Burnett’s unwillingness to sign an extension and the Marlins’ insistence on packaging him with Mike Lowell nixes all deals.  September: Burnett rips team and Jack McKeon and is asked to leave the team.  209 innings.
  • 2006: Pursued as free agent by Rangers, Tigers, Mets, Cardinals, Nationals, and five other teams.  Signs widely panned five-year, $55MM deal with Jays.  Starts season on DL with elbow soreness.  Makes a few starts and is placed back on DL.  Returns in June.  154.6 innings.
  • 2007: DL stint for shoulder strain in June.  Makes one start and returns to DL.  170.6 innings.
  • 2008: Broken fingernail prevents curveballs in spring, but it doesn’t become an issue.  Mockingly doffs cap while Jays fan boo after poor start.  Admits he wouldn’t mind playing for Cubs.
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