Biggio Re-Signs, Huff Close?
A reader reports in with some info from Sports Radio 610 out of Houston.
Apparently the Craig Biggio deal is done, at a price of $4MM plus incentives. Is a .700 OPS from a 41 year-old worth that money? That might be what the Astros are getting here. Unfortunately loyalty and goodwill do not translate to wins.
In addition, Sports Radio 610 mentioned that Aubrey Huff was "close" to re-signing as well. Reportedly the deal is for three years with an option for the fourth.
Astros Acquire Aubrey Huff
The Astros finally got their bat, and they didn’t have to give up their top prospects. Read all about their trade for Aubrey Huff at MLB.com.
If you recall, the Astros have had Huff on their radar as far back as January of this year. The D-Rays got decent prospects in the trade, but Huff’s value has been declining for a while now.
Ben Zobrist is a solid but not spectacular shortstop prospect. He may be ready to try Triple A for the first time with his new club. He kind of reminds me of Craig Counsell after reading about him a bit. Good guy to have around, gets on base, but not a star. The B.J. Upton as a shortstop experiment has officially ended because of Zobrist, and Upton should be in the bigs to stay by August if he takes to third base.
Talbot projects as a tolerable fifth starter perhaps; he’ll give up a good share of hits but stay around the plate. He’s got a 1.36 WHIP in Double A right now.
Looking at the numbers, the Astros might stand to gain one game in the standings from this trade when it’s all said and done. That could be the difference with the team currently 3.5 games out of the wild card.
I was just reading an excellent chapter in Dayn Perry’s book Winners. The biggest post-trading deadline gain ever from an outfielder was Jermaine Dye for the 2001 A’s, and that accounted for maybe two extra wins. Best ever trading deadline acquisition? Doyle Alexander for the 1987 Tigers, who went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA after the trade. Of course, a young nobody named John Smoltz went the other way. Still, no trading deadline acquisition has ever contributed more than Alexander (Randy Johnson included).
Aubrey Huff and the Tigers
The Detroit press seems to think Aubrey Huff is the perfect left-handed bat to add via trade. I’m assuming Huff would move to the DH spot, as the outfield of Marcus Thames, Curtis Granderson, and Magglio Ordonez seems pretty well set.
Would the Tigers really gain anything by adding Huff? Let’s assume Dmitri Young doesn’t play anymore this year. That still leaves Detroit with 29 year-old outfielder Craig Monroe on the roster. Monroe is pretty much back to game shape after missing some time with a sprained right ankle.
Monroe has hit .228/.271/.405 so far in 215 ABs this year. Among American League left fielders, only Nick Markakis has been worse. However, Monroe should ultimately come closer to his .273/.320/.451 projection. He makes less than $3MM.
Aubrey Huff has been even worse, hitting .200/.294/.303 in 155 ABs after missing about a month with a knee sprain. The lack of power is disturbing. Most people think getting Huff out of Tampa Bay would help him hit closer to his projection of .283/.340/.468.
Certainly, replacing Monroe with Huff would mean simply banking that Huff will play up to his projection and Monroe won’t. The difference between the players is less than one win based on preseason projections. Huff’s got the name value and the $6.75MM salary. Still, it wouldn’t be a terrible gamble if the price is right.
But if the Tigers actually want to pick up a couple of wins by improving their DH spot, they should think bigger than Huff or Jeromy Burnitz. Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, or Pat Burrell would make a measurable difference, handedness be damned. This is a legitimate World Series contender, right? Replacing Monroe with some other second tier player would be much ado about nothing.
Huff Staying Put For Now
Apparently the Devil Rays have not found a deal they like for Aubrey Huff. He’s not going anywhere right now, and we can put the Houston rumor to rest. These things change quickly; that’s the latest on it.
Aubrey Huff To Houston?
Got a good one today. I admit I was skeptical at first, but an independent source verified the rumor.
It seems that Arizona, Houston, Los Angeles, and Tampa Bay have some sort of deal in the works. It is known that Jayson Werth and Aubrey Huff are involved, but the other players have not yet been revealed. Apparently Werth is headed to Tampa Bay or Arizona – my sources differ in opinion here.
Both sources indicated that Aubrey Huff will be joining the Astros. Such a move would certainly cloud up the Astros’ 1B/OF situation. They’d have Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Jason Lane, Willy Taveras, Preston Wilson, and Huff. We know that Bagwell may not be able to play, and Lane and Taveras are trade candidates. Huff mainly played right field and first base for the Devil Rays this year.
UPDATE: It now looks to be a three team deal with the Diamondbacks, Devil Rays, and Astros involved (Werth is out of the picture). Huff to the Astros is still the main piece, and the deal supposedly is contingent on Bagwell retiring and freeing up the insurance money. That’s all for now.
Cubs Still Chasing Aubrey Huff
Eduardo Encina is a Devil Rays beat writer for the Tampa Tribune. In today’s article, Encina makes it clear that Aubrey Huff is prepared to leave Tampa Bay this winter. He mentions the Cubs, Mariners, Red Sox, Angels, and Orioles as the interested parties.
I spoke to Encina late last night, and he elaborated on some of the details concerning Huff. Encina listed five different suitors for Huff in his article, but mentioned to me that there are actually seven teams hot on his trail. He told me the Cubs are the "most interested team." One team not mentioned in his article that is in play is the Mets.
Encina mentioned that Huff rumors get complicated mainly because of all the possibilities for a package deal with Julio Lugo, Toby Hall, or Danys Baez. He said Huff is the player the Rays are most eager to deal, but they require a "top-prospect pitcher and a position player add in." This quote from Huff in Encina’s article makes it clear that Aubrey has packed his bags:
"It always seems like they’re shopping me around to see what they’re going to get. You don’t shop unless you mean it."
Given that the Cubs are the frontrunners at the moment, who could they send over to acquire Huff? In my estimation, the pitcher required would be one of Angel Guzman, Rich Hill, and Sean Marshall. In perusing the position players on the Cubs’ 40 man roster, it makes sense that catcher Geovany Soto could be involved as well.
UPDATE: I spoke to Encina a little bit more, and he told me a trade of Toby Hall is becoming "more unlikely by the day." Given that and an impending Lugo deal, the Rays could try to obtain a shortstop as part of a Huff trade. Regardless, the focus of the Devil Rays will continue to be pitching.