Beimel Contract Details
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on Joe Beimel's new contract with the Nationals. Renck says it's a one-year, $2MM deal with up to $250K in incentives. The incentives kick in at 60 games and max out at 80. Renck says the Rockies balked at Beimel's asking price. Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies has more:
Beimel signed with Washington, a one-year $2 million deal in the last week. He showed no interest in the Rockies' overtures. He was seeking more than $3 million, and I have seen some reports that he was actually asking for a two-year deal at $4 million a year, but I have not had anyone confirm that.
Does Beimel make sense for the Nationals? Unless they can flip him for something good in July, it seems to be $2MM better spent on the draft.
We have a few other Nationals notes from MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ladson talked to an opposing scout who says the Nats are trying to trade Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns but does not expect them to find a match. Additionally, minor league signee Jorge Sosa hasn't been able to get a work visa in the U.S.
Gammons On Sheffield, Tazawa, Kearns
ESPN’s Peter Gammons posted a new blog entry last night. Let’s take a look.
- Gammons sees Gary Sheffield as a "serious comeback player of the year candidate."
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Gammons his team bid $7MM for Junichi Tazawa, but the Red Sox signed him for $3MM due to their presence in Japan. According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Rangers also offered more money to reliever Chad Cordero but he preferred the West Coast.
- Kicking Jim Bowden while he’s down: Gammons says Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns was claimed on waivers last summer but the Nationals pulled him back.
Odds and Ends: Hudson, Twins, Sisco, Dunn
Links for Friday…
- Tim Hudson wants the Braves to pick up his 2010 option for $12MM, though he has the right to void it if they do.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro has no regrets about signing Kerry Wood for $20.5MM in early December.
- Twins CEO Jim Pohlad says the team is not done, in talking to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He believes signing Joe Crede makes sense, but his baseball people have the final decision.
- Michael Fleming of Variety says Brad Pitt continues to "circle" the Moneyball movie, in which he could play Billy Beane.
- Athletics Nation takes a good look at free agent lefty Andy Sisco.
- Austin Kearns commented on his friend Adam Dunn, in talking with Chico Harlan of the Washington Post.
- An amusing "25 facts about 25 random Yankees" from Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- The Rays signed pitcher Winston Abreu to a minor league deal; he spent last year in Japan.
- RotoAuthority ranks the shortstops for fantasy baseball.
- Deals for Jason Varitek, Brad Wilkerson, and Ken Takahashi were finalized today. Jeff Bailey was shuffled to Triple A to make room for Varitek, says Dan Barbarisi.
Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia
Friday linkage…
- Yesterday I linked to Dave Cameron’s piece, in which he wondered whether Matt Kemp is overrated. Here’s the other side of the debate, a response from Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.
- Joe Sports Fans names the seven worst trades of the decade. I have some arguments here; what do you think? I wrote this post on the Pierzynski/Nathan/Liriano/Bonser deal two years ago, but I still think it holds that Brian Sabean’s trade looked reasonable at the time.
- Joel Sherman wonders if the Mets and Yankees should consider trading for Washington outfielder Austin Kearns.
- Matt Gelb takes a look at Phillies prospect Carlos Carrasco, who does not want to be traded.
- The Yankees rightfully don’t view Freddy Garcia as much of an upgrade, since he won’t be ready until late August at the earliest.
- Tracy Ringolsby runs through various players on the trade market. Interestingly, he does not see A.J. Burnett being traded.
- Cardinals Diaspora suggests the Cards tangle with Billy Beane again, this time for Joe Blanton.
- Dave Dombrowski doesn’t see Ryan Perry in the Tigers’ bullpen this year, after all.
- Armchair GM challenges SI.com’s Jon Heyman to put his money where his mouth is.
Odds And Ends: Reyes, Colon, Indians, Nationals
A few notes from the MLBiverse…
- Anthony Reyes, who has been the object of much trade speculation, made his first start at AAA on Friday night. Reyes pitched 3+ scoreless innings with a strict pitch-count. The Cardinals appear to be reconverting Reyes into a starter in the hopes of increasing his value for potential trade partners.
- Jim Bowden hinted that he may implement a full-fledged youth movement in the near future, noting that a number of top prospects are close to being ready. Specifically, he mentioned two outfielders which would likely mean that Bowden will seek to move Austin Kearns and/or Wily Mo Pena. Kearns is due $8MM next year and there is a $10MM option for 2010 ($1M buyout). Pena may be easier to move with only a $5MM team option for 2009.
- Justice B. Hill suggests that the Indians are now paying the price for their inability to swing a deal this past offseason for another offensive weapon at one of the corner outfield spots or third base. The timing of the story was unfortunate as the Tribe laid a 12-spot on the Jays last night.
- The Red Sox do not have a need for a starting pitcher at this point, but they may soon have one too many arms for the rotation if Bartolo Colon continues to progress. Colon allowed one run in three innings, touching 97 on the radar gun. The obvious move would be to move somebody to the bullpen, but if somebody does go down with an injury, Colon’s availability likely means that the Red Sox will not be in the market for an extra arm down the stretch.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Kearns Unlikely To Be Dealt
It’s hard not to like the Nationals. They have a savvy manager and something of a patchwork team. They’re trying to build a club from the ground up without spending big on free agents. They’re also not scared off by supposed attitude issues, acquiring players like Dmitri Young, Lastings Milledge, and Elijah Dukes.
Given the Nats’ desire to give Wily Mo Pena a full-time job, the team is left with four outfielders for three spots. You might think this would make Austin Kearns available. The 27 year-old hit .266/.355/.411 this year and hasn’t shown much power at RFK. He makes $5MM in ’08, $9MM in ’09, and has a $10MM club option for ’10 with a $1MM buyout.
However, Kearns is unlikely to be traded according to both Jim Bowden and Manny Acta. They’re happy to have four outfielders and hope to get ABs for all. It would be surprising if everyone stayed healthy all year, anyway. With his salary escalating in ’09, it makes sense to wait on Kearns. Plus, he might have better power numbers in the new park.
Nationals Shopping Lopez, Kearns
According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Nationals are shopping shortstop Felipe Lopez and outfielder Austin Kearns. Two targets: Mike Pelfrey of the Mets and Kevin Slowey of the Twins.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Omar Minaya flip Pelfrey for someone with more immediate value. While the Mets could use Kearns in right field, he’s not the type of return one envisions for Pelfrey. Maybe for a Phil Humber though. Kearns will earn $5MM in ’08, and $8MM in ’09 plus a $10MM club option for ’10 with a $1MM buyout. The 27 year-old hit .266/.355/.411 this year.
The match for Slowey seems better – Lopez could play short for the Twins and Kearns might be able to handle center. However, trading Slowey and Matt Garza in the same offseason seems unlikely, and even less likely if Johan Santana is moved. If Lopez’s defense is truly improved, maybe the Rays would have interest.
Another guy who could work for the Rays is Cristian Guzman. Ladson says the Cubs were rumored in on Guzman but that one was shot down.
Reds Send Kearns, Lopez To Nats In Blockbuster
I was fairly baffled by this trade. How in the world does swapping out Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, and Brendan Harris make the Reds a better team this year? (Ryan Wagner and Daryl Thompson were also swapped in the deal). Let’s analyze.
Lopez is a below average defensive shortstop. He’s probably amongst the five worst defensive shortstops in the game, as indicated by The Fielding Bible. The Reds are ranked just 12th in the league in defensive efficiency this year. Still, Royce Clayton is no defensive whiz at this point – he’s probably only a shade better than Lopez. So unless Krivsky has some fielding metrics that say otherwise, the gains on defense are minimal. And if both players keep hitting like they have been this year, the Reds lose a full win on offense.
As for the bullpen additions, I’m less impressed after I look more closely. Majewski is a 26 year-old reliever who does not miss bats (career K rate of 5.3 per nine). He’s also generous with the free passes. While he may have squeezed into the list of the ten best setup men last year, he’s not the most reliable option. 23 year-old southpaw Bray is more potential than results thus far, and he hasn’t shown much ability to shut down left-handed hitters. He’s got good stuff, but he’s still just a reliever.
Brendan Harris is a good little player; maybe he’ll be starting at second base for the Reds next year if Brandon Phillips moves over to shortstop. Righty starter Daryl Thompson is just 20, and adds needed depth to the Reds’ farm system. Still, neither has been making anyone’s top prospect list.
I tried to defend Wayne Krivsky a bit at first, but this trade just looks bad. The more I dig in, the less I like the players he acquired. And if the Reds – 1.5 games out of the wild card – don’t make the playoffs by a couple of wins, this trade is the reason.
For the Nats, Kearns would not be a bad option at all in center field. He’s got good range and a good arm. His power potential remains huge, and though RFK will dampen his stats. Great American Ballpark inflates right-handed home runs by about 15% while RFK deflates them by over 20%. This could cost him 5-6 homers annually.
Lopez is seeing his power numbers slip this season as he continues to pound the ball into the ground more than half the time he makes contact. The steals don’t add much value. Strip it down and mostly you’re left with one asset: the ability to draw a walk in 10-12% of his plate appearances. That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t outweigh the negatives. The idea of unloading Lopez made sense, but the execution was poor.
Go over to the Hardball Times to see Aaron Gleeman’s excellent take on the deal.
Reds Send Kearns, Lopez To Nats In Blockbuster
I was fairly baffled by this trade. How in the world does swapping out Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, and Brendan Harris make the Reds a better team this year? (Ryan Wagner and Daryl Thompson were also swapped in the deal). Let’s analyze.
Lopez is a below average defensive shortstop. He’s probably amongst the five worst defensive shortstops in the game, as indicated by The Fielding Bible. The Reds are ranked just 12th in the league in defensive efficiency this year. Still, Royce Clayton is no defensive whiz at this point – he’s probably only a shade better than Lopez. So unless Krivsky has some fielding metrics that say otherwise, the gains on defense are minimal. And if both players keep hitting like they have been this year, the Reds lose a full win on offense.
As for the bullpen additions, I’m less impressed after I look more closely. Majewski is a 26 year-old reliever who does not miss bats (career K rate of 5.3 per nine). He’s also generous with the free passes. While he may have squeezed into the list of the ten best setup men last year, he’s not the most reliable option. 23 year-old southpaw Bray is more potential than results thus far, and he hasn’t shown much ability to shut down left-handed hitters. He’s got good stuff, but he’s still just a reliever.
Brendan Harris is a good little player; maybe he’ll be starting at second base for the Reds next year if Brandon Phillips moves over to shortstop. Righty starter Daryl Thompson is just 20, and adds needed depth to the Reds’ farm system. Still, neither has been making anyone’s top prospect list.
I tried to defend Wayne Krivsky a bit at first, but this trade just looks bad. The more I dig in, the less I like the players he acquired. And if the Reds – 1.5 games out of the wild card – don’t make the playoffs by a couple of wins, this trade is the reason.
For the Nats, Kearns would not be a bad option at all in center field. He’s got good range and a good arm. His power potential remains huge, and though RFK will dampen his stats. Great American Ballpark inflates right-handed home runs by about 15% while RFK deflates them by over 20%. This could cost him 5-6 homers annually.
Lopez is seeing his power numbers slip this season as he continues to pound the ball into the ground more than half the time he makes contact. The steals don’t add much value. Strip it down and mostly you’re left with one asset: the ability to draw a walk in 10-12% of his plate appearances. That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t outweigh the negatives. The idea of unloading Lopez made sense, but the execution was poor.
Click here to see the fantasy take on this trade over at RotoAuthority.
Go over to the Hardball Times to see Aaron Gleeman’s excellent take on the deal.
Signs of Reds OF Trade Mounting
More and more, it’s looking like the Reds will deal one of their outfielders before the season begins. First off, Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday:
"Now that Scott Hatteberg has been signed for first base, the Reds might shop that extra outfielder they’ve been carrying for a while. They have Adam Dunn, Wily Mo Peña, Austin Kearns and Ken Griffey Jr., with Peña most likely to go for young pitching. Previous owner Carl Lindner rejected deals for Griffey (including one with the Cubs last year), but maybe new owner Rob Castellini will do the right thing."
I must say, I hadn’t heard about that Cubs/Griffey offer before now. Griffey to the White Sox, yes. Anyway, Will Carroll also got in on the act today:
"Adam Dunn in left field? Who’s headed out of Cincinnati?"
I agree with Heyman – Wily Mo seems most likely to go. But we should start with the Reds when figuring this one out. The Reds need pitching. Surprisingly, their rotation is actually already five-deep if Paul Wilson is able to take the hill. The Reds won’t put a timetable on his return.
Possible matches: Boston, Cleveland, Kansas City, Minnesota, Anaheim, Florida, and Los Angeles. OK, that didn’t exactly narrow it down. But all these teams could use an outfielder and could probably come up with a youngster to get it done.