A’s May Consider Bonds
It was suggested yesterday that the Cardinals had a little bit of interest in free agent Barry Bonds. Not so, according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Miklasz was told a while back by team owner Bill DeWitt that it wasn’t happening.
However, Susan Slusser’s article this morning indicates the A’s will consider signing Bonds. Billy Beane recently indicated he was leaning toward playing to win in ’08, so Bonds makes sense. Slusser talked to a Major League exec who said he’d be shocked if it didn’t happen.
Slusser’s industry source says two other teams have expressed interest, and Bonds’ agent said he’s talking to teams from both leagues. Any guesses? It’s known that the Rangers, Twins, Mariners, and Tigers aren’t interested.
Odds and Ends: Bonds, Rusch, Iguchi, Nathan
The Winter Meetings are over and I have a nice case of carpal tunnel. Let’s round up some odds and ends anyway, I can always type with my toes.
- In a chat today, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus said the only team besides the A’s with a modicum of interest in Barry Bonds is the Cardinals (a week ago).
- Couple of Phils notes per Scott Lauber. Glendon Rusch asked for a big league deal and a rotation spot, neither of which the Phils are keen on. Also that Tadahito Iguchi waiver? No chance.
- Joel Sherman noted today that the Twins and Yankees briefly discussed expanding the Johan Santana talks to include Joe Nathan. I heard this one at the beginning of the Meetings but I was skeptical. I wonder if including Nathan ever came up with the Red Sox? Maybe that would compel them to put both Ellsbury and Lester in the deal.
Bonds Wants To Play In ’08
Barry Bonds‘ agent, Jeff Borris, said this evening that his client still wants to play in 2008 despite his legal troubles. It seems that his trial is unlikely to begin until after the season ends, so he’ll be available.
A team willing to take on the baggage should be given a huge discount. Maybe a half price deal – $8MM or so. Signing Barry might be unpopular with the fanbase, but winning would probably overrule it.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Bonds, Broussard, Hunter, Rowand, More
We missed an installment from good ol’ Kenny Rosenthal yesterday. He’s back today in full force (unlike another great rumor source, Buster Olney, who posted nothing really new in his blog today).
- The A’s, once considered the best bet for Barry Bonds, are no longer interested in the indicted slugger. Rosenthal thinks it’s likely that Bond’s trial will start after Opening Day, causing him to miss time regardless of the verdict. And then there’s the whole prison issue.
- The Rangers spoke to the Mariners at the GM meetings regarding the availability of Ben Broussard. Talks didn’t really go anywhere, since Broussard is a non-tender candidate. The Mariners might not be too keen on offering Broussard a raise over the $3.55 million he made last year, in which he managed just 264 plate appearances.
- Teams, including the Dodgers, might be more interested in Aaron Rowand over Torii Hunter because of one year and $30 million. Rowand is seeking five years, $60 million, while Hunter wants six and $90 mil. Hunter is far more proven a commodity, though, and is more athletic than Rowand. The negative in Hunter’s corner is that he’s two years older than Rowand.
- He mentions that the Cubs are interested in Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui, both switch hitters, to play second base next year. The Astros and Mets are also in on Castillo, while the Rockies would like to re-sign Kaz — though they have a number of internal candidates, including Ian Stewart.
- The Padres are considering offering arbitration to Mike Cameron and Mike Barrett. Barrett seems like a no-brainer. He’s a Type A free agent, and would probably be worth a one-year deal. He could be pricey, though, as Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are making $13 million or more. Cameron also makes sense. The Padres still need a center fielder for 2008, and they’d do well to sign Cam to a one-year deal should he accept arbitration. Otherwise, the supplemental pick would be nice.
- Reggie Sanders will consider retirement if he can’t land a deal with the Dodgers, Giants, or Padres. Sanders missed most of the 2007 season with hamstring problems.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Barry Bonds Indicted
Per The Big Lead, Barry Bonds has been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice. Keep in mind that if Bonds is convicted of perjury, he could get several months of jail time.
Rob Becker does a nice job of breaking down this situation. He considers five years in prison the worst possible outcome for Bonds (even if found guilty of all charges). Most likely he’ll get little or no prison time, since he doesn’t have a criminal record and may plea bargain.
Cardinals Interested In Silva, Lohse
Joe Strauss has the latest regarding the Cardinals’ pursuit for starting pitching. The team is interested in free agents Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse. Matthew Leach recently quoted John Mozeliak as searching for a starter with some upside, so maybe the Cards favor Lohse. They’d have to tangle with Scott Boras to get him – I’ve heard some speculate that Lohse could get a Gil Meche 5/55 deal.
Strauss’s article also mentions that the Cards are exploring options besides David Eckstein for shortstop. They’ve recently been linked to Cesar Izturis. Maybe the Cardinals could try to get a shortstop in return for Scott Rolen, someone like Erick Aybar or Rafael Furcal. Derrick Goold recently had a nice breakdown of the available shortstop options.
Finally, Strauss’s report adds that Mozeliak "downplayed any interest in Barry Bonds." It might be tough to fit both Chris Duncan and Bonds into the outfield.
Heyman’s Latest: Cabrera, Blalock, Bonds
Rumor-man Jon Heyman has some good info from the GM meetings.
- Miguel Cabrera is officially available, as the Marlins have made calls to selected teams describing what they’d want in return. The main contenders for Cabrera are the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, and Angels. Also, Paul Hoynes suggested this morning that the Indians could be in the mix. You know the drill – it takes 2-3 top flight prospects, at least one of them a blue chip pitcher. Heyman even says Cabrera could be combined with Dontrelle Willis to create the mother of all blockbusters. This package will exceed the one Texas got for Mark Teixeira. Cabrera has two full years left before free agency.
- Heyman names 12 other trade candidates, most of which we’ve discussed before. He mentions under Hank Blalock that the Dodgers and Red Sox have called. Suddenly there are tons of third basemen available.
- Mariano Rivera received a three-year, $39MM offer from the Yankees, about what we expected. He hasn’t responded; he has all the leverage as the best free agent closer.
- The Rangers aren’t interested in Barry Bonds, according to Jon Daniels.
Odds and Ends: Cook, Benoit, Griffey, Riske
Some random tidbits that didn’t get their own posts today…
- The Rockies picked up Aaron Cook‘s $4.5MM option as expected. The bigger question is whether they can sign him long-term, maybe for three years. They also passed on LaTroy Hawkins for $3.75MM but may still sign him.
- The Rangers agreed to a two-year contract with reliever Joaquin Benoit for two years and $6MM. He would’ve hit free agency after 2008. Smart move would be to let him rack up 10-15 saves next season and then trade him for something good.
- The Braves aren’t expected to get their next center fielder through free agency, and Terence Moore suggests trading for Ken Griffey Jr. to fill the position. More reasonable targets might be David DeJesus or Coco Crisp.
- The Royals may yet retain David Riske, who wants a multiyear deal and would like to stay. They’ll definitely offer him arbitration, since he’s a Type B free agent. Also, longtime Royal Mike Sweeney might finally play elsewhere.
- Free agent Shawn Chacon is looking to start in 2008, and he’ll make over $4MM.
- Charley Walters says the Twins won’t pursue Barry Bonds. If Bonds is to land in the AL, the Orioles, Devil Rays, Royals, Angels, and A’s may be his only options.
- McCovey Chronicles suggests a Noah Lowry for Bill Hall swap.
Bonds Comments
Barry Bonds made a few comments on his future at a recent speech. As usual, Barry’s comments seemed kind of weird. He was asked whether he’d play for the Giants for $5MM, and replied:
I told Peter Magowan that if I’m a part-time player, I’m still better than your full-time player, and it’s a wise idea to keep me. There’s still time. Things might change.
Hmm. OK. I don’t think that really means anything. I won’t believe the Giants are leaving the door open until I hear it from them. And Bonds never answered the $5MM question.
Meanwhile, Bonds associate and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal opined that the home run king might retire this winter. Bonds said a month ago that he plans on continuing his career.
How About Bonds To The Reds?
Here’s one we haven’t considered: could Barry Bonds join the Reds? Home Run Derby discusses the Dusty Baker connection, while Sabernomics believes the Reds hired Dusty partially to show free agents they’re serious. Sabernomics believes the Reds could even make a run at Alex Rodriguez. (Hat tip to Bleed Cubbie Blue on both links).
Bonds would be a welcome addition to any offense. But he only fits in with an NL team in left field. Adam Dunn resides there currently for Cincy, playing some of the worst LF defense in the game. So the loss on defense would be minimal. Dunn could then be moved to first base or sent packing. The latter option makes the most sense, since Joey Votto is ready and Scott Hatteberg is under contract.
The possible problem is that exercising Dunn’s option for 2008 gives him full no-trade protection until June 15th. Last we heard, the Reds are likely to go for it. A Dunn-for-Bonds exchange only makes sense if the Reds score a good young pitcher for Dunn. Anyone have any reasonable trade scenarios involving Dunn?