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Ben Sheets To Throw For Teams Tuesday

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SATURDAY, 8:31pm: The Mets will be in attendance when Sheets throws on Tuesday, according to Ed Price of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter).

Earlier today, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confirmed to fans and reporters that the club will be in Monroe, Louisiana to watch Sheets as well.

FRIDAY, 4:36pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers will watch Sheets next week. Haudricourt suggests the Brewers are just being dilligent.

1:33pm: The Dodgers will watch Sheets pitch, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).

11:42am: The Angels could use Sheets, but will they watch him throw? "Not at this time," GM Tony Reagins tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.

8:40am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the Cards will "likely" watch Sheets throw.

MLB.com's Jordan Bastian adds the Blue Jays to the list of interested teams.

THURSDAY, 1:52pm: The Rangers will be in attendance on Tuesday, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Sheets and Rich Harden would be a high-upside, high-injury risk pair of rotation additions.

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Cardinals Notes: Ludwick, Schumaker, Ankiel

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Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak conducted a Q&A session with fans this afternoon.  Here are some highlights courtesy of Joe Strauss (via Twitter) and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as well as Matthew Leach of MLB.com…

  • Mozeliak says that discussions with Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick – both of whom are arbitration eligible – are confined to one season.  Ludwick had a down year in 2009 as he turned in an OPS of .775, his lowest as a Cardinal.  The two parties avoided arbitration last year by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.7MM.  The figure was an even compromise as the outfielder requested $4.25MM and the organization submitted $2.8MM.  Meanwhile, Schumaker is arbitration eligible for the first time in his career and should see a pay bump as he has had similar offensive production this season at second base after moving in from the outfield.
  • The return of Rick Ankiel would be a "longshot" according to Mozeliak as the club cannot offer him the at-bats that he wants.  We haven't heard any word of Ankiel being close to signing with a club, but his agent Scott Boras claims to be having "a lot of conversation" about the 30-year-old.
  • St. Louis is not entertaining the idea of inviting Jim Edmonds to camp.  The 39-year-old last played in 2008 for the Padres and the Cubs, where he posted .235/.343/.479 and 20 HRs in 401 plate appearances.
  • Mozeliak confirmed that the club will watch Ben Sheets throw next week, though Leach writes that he's not likely to be a fit for St. Louis.

Blue Jays Talking Trades, Will Watch Sheets

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Alex Anthopoulos is back from a productive honeymoon. The Blue Jays GM tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that he worked on three trades and talked to six GMs while vactioning in Hawaii.

The Jays have at least some interest in a notable free agent, too. They will scout Ben Sheets when he throws next week, Anthopoulos confirmed. Toronto doesn't seem like the most logical destination for Sheets, who will see interest from contenders looking to deepen their rotations,but Anthopoulos says the Jays have to do their homework on all players.

"We're not doing our job if we don't at least take a look," he said.

The Jays are tracking players aggressively under Anthopoulos, who upgraded the scouting staff once he became GM.

Orioles Notes: MacPhail On Bedard, Hendrickson

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According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles are simply looking for "any kind of pitching" as the club winds down its winter shopping.  While corner infield help ostensibly remains at the top of Baltimore's shopping list, O's GM Andy MacPhail told Kubatko that it isn't a critical priority given the club's organizational strength at the corners (i.e. prospects Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder).

As for pitching, however, MacPhail said, "we'll always sort of stay in the hunt for pitching."  Here's what MacPhail had to say about two potential free-agent targets…

  • Erik Bedard.  We've heard some rumors about the O's looking to bring the left-hander back to Baltimore, but the lack of activity should not be taken as a decline in interest on the club's part.  Bedard "doesn't seem to be in a rush to sign" with anyone, and MacPhail noted that Bedard was likely to sign "a late-January type deal anyway, if that."  Given how Bedard's probable contract will be a one or two-year, incentive-laden deal, it makes sense that clubs would wait to see how the rest of the offseason pitching market shakes down before making Bedard an offer.  MacPhail added that based on some preliminary medical information the Baltimore staff has received about Bedard, the southpaw will be able to pitch before midseason, contrary to what some reports have suggested. 
  • Mark Hendrickson.  It's been widely assumed that Hendrickson would re-sign with Baltimore, and the pitcher himself said he was hoping to get a deal done quickly back in October.  But now we're a third of the way through January and the left-hander is still a free agent.  MacPhail said the team is still interested in bringing Hendrickson back, but they have been waiting "to see how some of these other things play out, as far as what we do and how extensive it's going to be and how our roster shapes up.  So we can't quite commit yet, but we never pretended that there wasn't interest." 

Kubatko also reported that the door seems to be closed on Ben Sheets joining the Orioles.  Sheets fit the Bedard mold as a pitcher who would sign a short-term deal, but Kubatko said Baltimore asked for (and never received) Sheets' medical records.  Sheets "apparently wants to be paid as if he isn't a health risk," which is a pretty firm negotiating stance for a pitcher who hasn't appeared in a Major League game since 2008.

Rosenthal On Holliday, Sheets, Valverde

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up in which he predicts destinations for ten of the top remaining free agents.  A few worth noting:

  • Rosenthal guesses the Cardinals will sign Matt Holliday for around seven years and $120MM.
  • Rosenthal likes the Marlins for Aroldis Chapman.
  • He sees the Cubs nabbing Ben Sheets, a possibility I hadn't really considered.  It's unclear how much money the Cubs have left and how much Sheets will require.
  • Rosenthal expects the Tigers to sign one of the available DH types (Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Carlos Delgado are out there).
  • Rosenthal's choice for Jose Valverde, the Tigers, makes more sense than my earlier A's prediction.  Rosenthal admits that the Tigers surrendering their #19 pick would be "a significant obstacle," but one person I talked to noted that it might not be since the Tigers traditionally go over slot and could therefore get a big talent later in the draft.

Discussion: Ben Sheets

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After missing all of 2009 with a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow, Ben Sheets is looking to hook on with a club for 2010.  Reportedly, Sheets' agent is seeking roughly $12MM, similar to what he made in his last major league season in 2008 when he posted a 3.09 ERA.

An item on the ESPN Rumors page titled "The Ben Sheets Five" says there are at least five teams which could use the 31-year-old's services.  The New York Mets are obviously in need of starting pitching and could be willing to gamble on his return.  The Cubs are mentioned as a fit, but they could also afford to stand pat with a rotation headlined by Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly.  The Dodgers are also listed, but money is obviously an issue for owner Frank McCourt.

In the American League, the Rays, Mariners, and Angels are mentioned as potential destinations.  The Halos could use Sheets to re-load after losing John Lackey to Boston.  Jack Zduriencik could be looking to add a veteran arm to the rotation as the club has shown a willingness to spend this winter.  Tampa Bay on the other hand might not be willing to spend big on Sheets as they find themselves with a reasonably-priced, yet deep, stable of starters.  The Yankees were once said to be interested, but now that they have acquired Javier Vazquez to round out their rotation, it seems unlikely that they will pursue him.

Now that most of the top starters in a shallow free agent pool have been swallowed up, we're likely to see an increased interest in Sheets.  By the same token, it doesn't appear that there are any great fits for the four-time All-Star.  One has to wonder if he can command anything close to the $12MM he is seeking.

Odds & Ends: Johnson, Kouzmanoff, Berkman

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Here's a stocking stuffed with news items on this Christmas Eve…

  • Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues breaks down the details of Nick Johnson's contract with the Yankees.  If Johnson reaches all of his incentives and his mutual option for 2011 is picked up, he can make a total of $14.5MM over his two-year deal.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock says the Kevin Kouzmanoff trade talks that were swirling at the winter meetings have "cooled," and he thinks Kouzmanoff will remain a Padre unless San Diego receives an overwhelmingly good offer.  Perhaps the Padres want to keep Kouzmanoff to anchor their lineup in case they happen to deal away Adrian Gonzalez. 
  • In a discussion of Lance Berkman's future plans, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com says that "the older [Berkman] gets, I think the less likely he is to play elsewhere."  The Astros star is under contract next season and the team has a $15MM option on Berkman for the 2011 season that it will surely pick up if Berkman matches his 2009 line of .274/.399/.509.  McTaggart notes that the Astros have been hesitant to rebuild since they still feel they can contend with quality veterans like Berkman and Roy Oswalt in their relative primes.  As we learned last September, however, Berkman might rather retire after 2011 than be a burden on the organization.
  • From that same piece, McTaggart says Houston's acquistions of Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz last winter have made the team leery of signing another injury-prone starter like Ben Sheets, especially since Sheets would come at a much higher price.
  • Top Reds prospect Todd Frazier seems to be capable of playing anywhere on the field, but doesn't appear to be Cincinnati's answer at shortstop, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • What team made the best trades in the 20th century?  According to one author, it was the Cleveland Indians.
  • Speaking of Cleveland, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says the Tribe will put Rafael Perez back in the bullpen next season in spite of the left-hander's excellent starting outings in winter ball.

Discussion: Battle Of The Upside Starters

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With the signing of Jason Marquis, the free agent starting pitchers left on the board are all awfully similar in terms of likely value. If you like Doug Davis over Jon Garland, or Joel Pineiro over Davis, you're still not likely to get a frontline starting pitcher, and it is likely to cost a team roughly what Marquis cost the Nationals.

The two remaining starters with the chance to be much better than average- but carrying significant risk- are Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez. With Martinez, we have a better sense of what he is looking for, contract-wise, thanks to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reporting earlier today that he wants "more than Brad Penny got"- more than $7.5MM base salary, in other words. That's still in line with Marquis and company, however.

As for Sheets, he's reportedly seeking $12MM next year. So the question becomes, is Sheets likely to be more than a third better than Martinez?

The major advantages for Sheets: he's posted an ERA of 3.39 since 2007, while Martinez is actually below average during that time, at 4.66. Sheets has also made at least 30 starts as recently as 2008; Martinez last accomplished the feat in 2005.

But Martinez may be a better bet than that would suggest. For one thing, Sheets didn't pitch at all last season, while Martinez was quite effective- a 3.63 ERA in the regular season, 3.70 ERA in the playoffs. Martinez has also had a better strikeout rate than Sheets since 2007, which is a strong indicator of future performance.

If the price tag is significantly lower for Martinez- and as of right now, it appears to be- he might be the more valuable upside candidate of the two.

And if risk isn't your game, there's always Jon Garland.

Yankees Aiming To Add Starter Soon

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman will "almost certainly add a starter by New Year's," reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.  Puma notes that the Yanks inquired on the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, but did not like the asking price.  Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is well-paid – $53.75MM over the next three years.  On the other hand, ESPN's Bruce Levine has a Cubs source that refuted the idea that the Yankees even inquired.

A few other names to consider from our trade market post: Derek Lowe, Aaron Harang, and Gil Meche (we're unsure on the availability of Meche).  Another interesting name could be Jeremy Bonderman, given his $12.5MM salary for 2010.  Note that the Yankees have not been connected to these four in trade rumors; we're just speculating.  And there is the small question of whether the team has $10MM+ in payroll space for a veteran starter.

Puma finds a free agent addition more likely for the Yankees; his speculative targets are Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro, and Ben Sheets.  However, Ken Davidoff of Newsday talked to "a person in the Yankees' loop" who said Sheets is "not even on the board" currently.  Pineiro's contract demands remain steep, and you have to wonder whether a low-strikeout National League lifer like Marquis offers anything over Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin.  The rest of the free agent market is not terribly appealing.

Bottom line: Puma expects Cashman to add a starter in the next eleven days, but we have no idea who that will be.

New York Rumors: Sheets, Bay, Molina

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After reporting earlier tonight that Nick Johnson and the Yankees are on the verge of an agreement, Newsday's Ken Davidoff looks at what that means for the Yankees, and brings us some Mets tidbits as well….

  • Davidoff acknowledges skepticism about the Yanks entering the season with Melky Cabrera manning left field every day, but points out that the team will be getting above-average production from enough other positions to make it work. As Davidoff speculated earlier tonight, it looks likely that the signing of Johnson will signal the end of Johnny Damon's stint as a Yankee.
  • A starting pitcher is the Yankees' next priority. Although they have interest in Ben Sheets, they probably won't get involved in a bidding war over the righty.
  • The Mets, meanwhile, are hoping Jason Bay responds to their contract offer tomorrow, either with an acceptance or, more realistically, with a counter-proposal. The team's current offer is $65MM over four years. It sounds like they'd be willing to add a fifth year, at a slightly lesser annual salary. SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders, via Twitter, who else could be in on the Bay bidding.
  • The Mets' pursuit of Bengie Molina could still take some time. Davidoff indicates that, with other catchers still in play, the club can afford to wait for Molina's demands to lower a little.
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