By Tim Dierkes | at
The Royals’ Brett Tomko experiment has ended after 60.6 lousy innings. He was designated for assignment to make room for Carlos Rosa.
The Royals spent $3MM on Tomko, and he posted a 6.97 ERA in ten starts and six relief appearances. It was worth a shot.
By Tim Dierkes | at
ESPN’s Peter Gammons names ten starting pitchers who could be available in the coming months. We’ll try to devise a comprehensive list when we get to the position in our Trade Market series.
Gammons’ trade possibilities: Paul Byrd, Jeremy Sowers, Derek Lowe, Rich Harden, Odalis Perez, Brett Tomko, Jarrod Washburn, Zach Duke, Vicente Padilla, and Kevin Millwood. Byrd, Lowe, Perez, and Tomko will be free agents after the season. Sowers and Duke are the kids. Harden is the oft-injured ace. Washburn, Padilla, and Millwood bring burdensome contracts.
Gammons also five "unlikely, but not impossible" scenarios. He suggests A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon, Joe Blanton, Greg Maddux, and Ben Sheets could be moved under the right circumstances.
By Tim Dierkes | at
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new column up; it’s a must-read.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Royals have signed Brett Tomko to a one-year, $3MM deal. He can earn another $1.5MM in incentives. Tomko seems likely to get an initial shot at starting. The odds are stacked against 30 league average starts, but Tomko is regarded as one of those enigma guys who has decent stuff. So he has slightly more upside than some of the other free agent starters.
It could make sense to look at Tomko for the closer job and switch Joakim Soria to the rotation. Tomko’s flexibility might come in handy. Fun subplot: Tomko will see a whole lot of A.J. Pierzynski now, his former Giant teammate who he called a "cancer" several years ago. As far as I can tell Tomko has never pitched to him.
Crasnick names the Athletics, Astros, Rockies, Nationals, and Reds as other interested parties in Tomko. As an MLBTR commenter mentioned, the Royals are probably out of the hunt for Bartolo Colon now. The Reds are probably done after the Affeldt signing. But the Astros and Nats might still be looking for a starter.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Time for this week’s mailbag. You can hit it up at mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com to get in your question for next week.
Do you see the Twins signing a big name middle of the order bopper or trading for one before the opening of the new stadium in 2010? – Jordan
Funny you ask this. I recently asked LEN3 whether the Twins would have a $100MM payroll for the 2010 season, and he said, "I don’t see it." So I’ll go with his wisdom and say business as usual for the Twins despite the stadium.
Why are the White Sox not aggressively pursuing any pitching? Do they realistically think that Gavin Floyd and John Danks can hold down the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation on a contender? I believe we need to fill the holes with some veteran pitching such as Livan Hernandez who can eat up innings and possibly add Corey Patterson at center field. – Joel
I was just discussing this with a former coworker of mine. I can’t see the White Sox sneaking into a Wild Card berth with this rotation, but what’s the alternative? I don’t like the Livan idea. I would consider signing a couple of swingmen/injury risk types such as Brett Tomko or Bartolo Colon if he looks decent. Just a few low risk/OK reward guys with good stuff who could pay off. There’s no place for Patterson in the current Chicago outfield, I wouldn’t do that.
Were the Cubs holding off on the Brian Roberts trade until they got Lieber? – Bryant
The Cubs/Roberts thing still seems possible, and trading both Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher is slightly easier to stomach with Lieber on board. If I were Jim Hendry I would let the whole Roberts idea go though.
What is the likelihood of the Braves signing Mark Teixeira long-term? – Matthew
I’ll put it at a 10% chance. This is a $100MM+ contract and he’s represented by Scott Boras. He’ll probably want to test the open market, and there could be some ridiculous bids.
When, just when will this Santana situation be over?! It’s just killing me! – Dan
We all feel your pain Dan. Most folks seem sick of reading similar rehashed rumors about this. I would be surprised if we don’t know Santana’s fate one month from now. Of course if his fate is to start the season with the Twins, then the rumors will restart in June.
Are there any trade rumors involving Joe Nathan? – Justin
C’mon Justin, you know I’d never hold out rumors on you. If Bill Smith is shopping Nathan around or getting inquiries, all parties are running very tight ships. Desperation for closers seems to kick in midseason, when certain bullpens are established as clearly crappy. So guys like Nathan and Huston Street may be more likely to be moved in June or July.
Why did the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell for Hank Blalock/John Danks deal fall through back in November of ’05? – Oliver
The Rangers believed the deal was done, and hoped to avoid any leaks before it was official. However, a source tipped off the Palm Beach Post. The Post and a Texas newspaper ran with it. It was at that point the Boston front office found out, swooped in, and beat the Rangers’ offer. Those reporters altered history.
What do you see the Milwaukee Brewers doing with their pitching surplus? Do you see them maybe using some of their excess pitchers like Capuano and Bush to acquire a young catcher with some upside? – Tyler
We’ve seen it a million times – these winter pitching surpluses turn into deficits by May. There is certainly a case to be made for the Brewers to just stand pat, though all those arms would be tough to squeeze in given the bullpen acquisitions. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy expects some of the surplus to be traded before Spring Training. I like the catcher idea – Jeff Clement (Mariners), Bryan Anderson (Cardinals), or Taylor Teagarden/Gerald Laird (Rangers) seem like possible matches.
Do the Yankees sign Bobby Abreu after the 2008 season? – Andrew
Andrew notes that the Yanks have some money coming off the books after the ’08 season. The right field alternatives are weak, so Abreu could make sense. If he’d take a two or three-year extension midseason I could see Cashman doing it.
Did you ever sell your place in Lombard? – Steve
Thankfully I did. I tried selling by owner for a month and barely got any bites. Then I hired an agent and she sold it in three days.
By Tim Dierkes | at
You know the drill, here’s a roundup of some rumor nuggets. I’ll update the post continuously throughout the day.
By Tim Dierkes | at
MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch jumps into the fray with her own set of Pirates rumors.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Yahoo’s Tim Brown checks in with his own set of rumors after working the floor a bit.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a new column up with some good Padres info.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Tom Krasovic reported today that Padres GM Kevin Towers expects to sign Brett Tomko for a relief role. Tomko was quoted as saying "Of course, we’re interested."
To clear things up, ESPN’s Amy Nelson spoke to Tomko today. He’s not close to signing with the Padres. In an ideal world he’d get a multiyear deal and a chance to start. The Padres offered one year and a bullpen job. Said Tomko: "It’s not like I’m looking to be the highest-paid 4-12 pitcher ever. But I don’t feel like I’m desperate. I’m willing to wait for a couple of other guys to sign." Nelson adds that more than six teams have inquired on Tomko, including the Nationals, Rockies, Astros, and Marlins. He’s an intriguing bargain buy.
But this begs the question: who was the highest paid 4-12 pitcher ever? Tomko made $4.1MM this year, $5.1MM if you count his buyout. Since 1901, 27 pitchers have gone 4-12. Since 1990, only Tomko, Mark Gubicza, and Darryl Kile have done it. Gubicza earned $1.6MM in ’96, while Kile earned $1.272MM in ’95. So Tomko technically already is the highest paid 4-12 pitcher ever.
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