Olney’s Latest: Sabathia, Ellis, Embree, Giles
Buster Olney brings the rumors:
- If the Yankees want CC Sabathia, they will not lose in any bidding war now that a new ballpark puts them in the position to "throw unlimited dollars" at CC. Unless CC wants to play in the NL, or avoid the media circus of New York City, Olney seems convinced the Yankees will land him.
- The A’s have begun contract negotiations with Mark Ellis. No details yet.
- Before the trade deadline, no teams expressed interest in Alan Embree and his $2.25MM salary. This could indicate that the A’s will not pick up his $3MM option. The 38 year old lefthander struggled with a 4.96 ERA this season.
- The Padres are going to pick up Brian Giles $9MM option at the deadline, shortly after the World Series, rather than buy him out for $3MM. This was expected.
Padres Likely To Exercise Giles’ Option
According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, the Padres are leaning toward exercising right fielder Brian Giles‘ $9MM option as opposed to the $3MM buyout. It’s been odd to see the Padres waver on this decision. Giles hit .306/.398/.456 this year, his OBP ranking sixth in the league. His defense was also a major plus.
Given the impending non-tender for Josh Bard, the Padres can probably retain both Giles and Trevor Hoffman without going too far past a $50MM payroll. Still, it’ll be a shame if the Padres reduce payroll to that level.
Padres Rumors: Bell, Hensley, Giles
A couple of Padres rumors this morning from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune…
- Reliever Heath Bell says talks on a multiyear deal didn’t get very far and he’s content using the arbitration process for the first time. Bell stands to earn a million or two in ’09.
- The Reds are interested in Padres pitcher Clay Hensley. Hensley, 29, posted a 5.31 ERA in 39 big league innings. He pitched another 48 innings in Triple A. His strong groundball rate could make a nice fit for the Reds. Jeff from Cot’s Baseball Contracts told me Hensley has enough service time to qualify as a Super Two, meaning he’ll be arbitration-eligible this winter.
- Tim Sullivan of the U-T says Brian Giles is the Padres’ primary offseason issue. In my opinion, it’d be embarrassingly cheap for the Padres to choose the $3MM buyout over the $9MM option.
- Nothing imminent on the Trevor Hoffman front.
Padres Rumors: Moores, Giles, Hoffman
MLB.com’s Barry Bloom talked to Padres owner John Moores recently. Highlights:
- Moores doesn’t expect to be out of the picture next year despite his divorce. Word was his wife Becky wanted to gain control of the Padres.
- Moores expects Sandy Alderson and Kevin Towers back in 2009, and Paul DePodesta was recently extended for three more years.
- Moores says it’s "more likely than not" that the Padres exercise Brian Giles‘ $9MM option as opposed to the $3MM buyout. Moores acknowledges that the Padres probably cannot find a player like Giles for $6MM.
- Trevor Hoffman may be the tougher call, as the Padres love him but he may require a multiyear deal.
Padres Were “Livid” When Giles Nixed Trade
San Diego Union Tribune’s Bill Center talked to Padres manager Bud Black about Brian Giles, who could be a free agent after the season.
And do you pick up Giles $9 million option for 2009 or let him walk into free agency with a $3 million buyout?
“Brian still gets it done,” Padres manager Bud Black said last night after the Brewers snapped a four-game losing streak and inched to within four games of the plummeting Chicago Cubs in the National League Central race.
“Brian is a mainstay player.”
While Black thinks Giles is a mainstay, the Padres front office obviously feels differently. Buster Olney says he heard that "the Padres were livid when Giles vetoed the trade that they pursued with the Red Sox in August."
Will San Diego buy out Giles after this season? If you believe the rumors that the franchise is looking to cut payroll, then it makes sense that they would.
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.
Odds and Ends: Kendall, Laird, Giles, Manny
Today’s linkage…
- A friend pointed out to me how strange it is that the Twins were willing to take on Jarrod Washburn‘s salary and give up Boof Bonser but chose to trade Johan Santana before the season. If Bill Smith could go back in time, would he still make that deal?
- A Gary Sheffield acquisition by the Rays is "unlikely but not impossible," according to one Buster Olney source.
- As expected, Jason Kendall‘s option for ’09 vested. He’s off the list!
- The Rangers were willing to trade Gerald Laird and a solid prospect to the Marlins for Chris Volstad.
- The Padres are wavering on Brian Giles‘ 2009 option. Scott Miller also wonders if they’ll be able to take on Trevor Hoffman for another year.
- Miller says the Marlins had a deal for Manny Ramirez worked out, but the commissioner’s office killed it because the Marlins would’ve been getting draft picks rather than a second player. Manny would’ve vetoed it anyway.
- Rob Neyer thinks the Yankees will exceed a $200MM payroll if need be next year.
- There seems a good chance Randy Johnson pitches next year.
- Randy Winn and Bengie Molina may be traded this winter.
- Missed this one from Monday – the White Sox acquired reliever Franklyn German from the Pirates for a player to be named later.
Heyman’s Latest: Washburn, Cashman, Garcia, Lofton
SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in with a new column.
- Jarrod Washburn reportedly cleared waivers, though Heyman’s use of the word "reportedly" makes me think the statement came from one of the shaky reports floating about. We’ll wait for definitive word on that one.
- Heyman’s sources say the Yankees plan to offer a new contract to GM Brian Cashman after the season. Hank Steinbrenner has apparently warmed to Cashman. Additionally, "club higherups" expect Cashman will want to stay rather than jump to the Seattle job.
- Heyman loves the Freddy Garcia acquisition; he wonders if Garcia will be motivated by Ozzie Guillen’s comments. The White Sox weren’t interested; Guillen doesn’t think Garcia will be ready for the playoffs. There’s a chance Garcia could return to the Tigers in ’09.
- Heyman says it was a 2-2 vote whether to keep Manny Ramirez in Boston – Theo Epstein and Tom Werner advocating a trade, and Larry Lucchino and John Henry preferring to keep him. Henry changed his mind and the deal was made. Lucchino recently denied Heyman’s speculation that he might leave after the season.
- The Rays made an offer to Kenny Lofton in spring and even gave Barry Bonds consideration. But now a signing of either is "highly unlikely." Giants GM Brian Sabean thinks the Rays should sign Bonds.
- Heyman continues to speculate that Jim Bowden could be fired.
- One GM expects the Padres to pick up Brian Giles‘ $9MM option for ’09. It’s an easy decision since it has a $3MM buyout. However, Peter Gammons says it will be declined.
Odds and Ends: Kielty, Ellis, Bonds, Poreda
Time to for today’s link collection.
- The Twins signed Bobby Kielty to a minor league deal. The former Twin was released by the Red Sox in July. When he’s going good, he can hit lefties pretty well.
- Peter Magowan is glad the Giants didn’t successfully pull off an attempted trade for Manny Ramirez before the ’07 season. However, as Henry Schulman notes, that might’ve prevented the Barry Zito contract.
- The Reds haven’t talked to the agents for any of their potential free agents, and no decision has been made on Adam Dunn.
- Susan Slusser wonders if the D’Backs will try to acquire second baseman Mark Ellis in the wake of Orlando Hudson‘s season-ending injury, though manager Bob Melvin does not expect an acquisition.
- It’s a moot point since they’re not interested, but Astros manager Cecil Cooper would quit if the team signed Barry Bonds.
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune notes that the Rockies asked for ’07 first-rounder Aaron Poreda for Brian Fuentes. Instead, Rogers believes he could get a big-league look.
- Ken Davidoff talks to agent Joe Bick about how Brian Giles went about choosing the teams on his no-trade list.
- The Rangers made their first Korean amateur signing, inking a high school righty named Tae-kyeong Ahn. They also signed Dominican outfielder Esdras Abreu, among others.
Padres To Slash Payroll In ’09?
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes of a rumor that the Padres might slash payroll from this year’s $73.6MM way down to $40MM. The Padres reportedly explained this scenario to Brian Giles in an attempt to get him to accept a trade to Boston last week. Krasovic heard about the pitch via Giles’ teammates, but wasn’t able to draw any comments from GM Kevin Towers. Scott Miller believes owner John Moores’ divorce is a factor.
The Padres don’t have any large contracts on the books for ’09; Giles would be their most expensive player at $9MM unless they choose his $3MM buyout. After that it’s Jake Peavy at $8MM, Khalil Greene at $6.5MM, Chris Young at $4.5MM, and Adrian Gonzalez at $3MM. By my count they have six arbitration-eligible players, including Josh Bard, Heath Bell, Scott Hairston, and Jody Gerut. The Padres could retain Giles and still be under $45MM, though that’d leave no money for free agents.
Week In Review: 8/3 – 8/9
Here’s a quick look back at some of the bigger stories on MLBTR over the past week:
- D’Backs ace Dan Haren signed a very affordable extension with the team, which would keep him in Arizona through 2012 with an option for 2013. Great deal for the D’Backs and their fans.
- Brian Giles was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, which is now believed to have been an effort to block the Rays from acquiring him. Giles blocked the trade to Boston with his no-trade clause.
- The Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. Minnesota won’t receive a player in return, but unloads Hernandez’s remaining $1.5MM on his contract, as well as his 5.48 ERA. Seems fine to me.
- Fifteen teams watched a throwing session from Freddy Garcia. Here are a few reactions.
- Relievers on the move: The Cubs DFA’ed Scott Eyre, and traded him to the Phillies the next day. The Rays acquired Chad Bradford from the Orioles, and DFA’ed Al Reyes in order to make room for him. In a rare inter-division trade, the Royals traded Horacio Ramirez to the White Sox. Huston Street was claimed, but is staying put.
- Position players on the move: Felipe Lopez signed with the Cardinals, the Mariners released Jose Vidro, and the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca in addition to claiming Brad Ausmus off waivers. No word on whether or not a deal will be worked out for Ausmus yet.
- A few glimpses into 2009? Rafael Furcal hopes to re-sign with the Dodgers. Bobby Abreu hopes to be wearing Yankee pinstripes again, and the Nationals hope Willie Harris is a part of the organization again as well.
- Tim made a list of waiver trade candidates for both the American League and National League and compiled a list of players who were known to have cleared waivers in 2007. Remember, these are just players who would likely clear waivers, whether because of their talent level or contractual status. Teams often place big-name players on waivers that they have no intention of trading.