Rosenthal’s Latest: Hunter, Santana, Quentin
It’s Sunday again, so we’ve got some tidbits from Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video:
- Torii Hunter was courted by the White Sox and Rangers before signing with the Angels this past offseason; however, according to Hunter, he had a meeting scheduled with the Dodgers to discuss taking the spot that Andruw Jones would come to occupy. The Angels signed him, preventing the meeting.
- As we enter June, the sky is falling in Seattle…
- Rosenthal doesn’t think there’s a lot of regret in the Yankee organization for not acquiring Johan Santana. One executive notes Santana’s throwing with increased effort this season yet without increased results.
- In this piece, Rosenthal commends the White Sox for their deal for Carlos Quentin. Writes Rosenthal, "’I give Kenny credit — he was on Quentin for a while,’ Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. ‘He believed that the same Carlos Quentin would return now that his shoulder is fixed.’"
By Nat Boyle
Odds and Ends: Bay, Roberts, Cliff Lee
And here we have some random links I’ve collected over the past day or so.
- The Bucs will try to fill their open 40-man spots through low profile moves, not unlike the Jason Michaels one. They won’t move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady until they’re truly out of it. 4.5 games out of the wild card, they still have a prayer here on May 9th.
- Keith Law’s top 60 prospects list for the June draft has been published. Shortstop Tim Beckham heads the list.
- Gordon Wittenmyer looks back on the Cubs players rumored to be traded for Brian Roberts.
- Juan Uribe, partially on the strength of a great takeout slide, still has life with the White Sox.
- Nick Piecoro reminds us that the D’Backs were close to acquiring Cliff Lee in a deal for Carlos Quentin this winter. That would just be unfair, Lee as a part of that rotation. Ken Davidoff notes that the Mets discussed Lee as well.
- So…did the Yankees really have a shot at Micah Owings in the Randy Johnson deal?
Jerry Owens Blocked By Carlos Quentin’s Surprising Start
One of the most pressing needs the White Sox addressed this off-season was finding a permanent center fielder, a position that has given the ChiSox headaches ever since they traded Aaaron Rowand to the Phillies in the Jim Thome deal.
By trading for Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin, as well as with the emergence of rookie Jerry Owens and Brian Anderson’s patently familiar story (highly touted White Sox outfield prospect who doesn’t pan out), White Sox GM Kenny Williams hoped to have that issue put to rest.
The Sox were hoping to give Owens a shot in the outfield this year, but after a strong April (leading his team in four offensive categories), Quentin has effectively blocked what should have been Owens’ season to shine. (Owens did start the year at Triple-A due to injury).
The problem is the Sox offense is not hitting much, with nine of their last home runs being solo jobs (a trend that was common place last year) and even though management knows Owens could be a spark plug, Manager Ozzie Guillen doesn’t want to recall Owens to have him sit on the bench. Unless Quentin cools off, the status quo calls for an uncomfortable log jam in the ChiSox outfield.
Alejandro Leal writes for UmpBump.com. You can reach him here
Odds and Ends: Cliff Lee, Edwin Jackson
You know the drill…
- Nick Piecoro checks in on his blog. Apparently the D’Backs discussed swapping Carlos Quentin for Cliff Lee before sending him to Chicago. As much as he might’ve liked to it seems like Josh Byrnes couldn’t get a starter for Quentin.
- Geoff Baker links the Mariners to Lee, Ben Sheets, Mark Prior, and Edwin Jackson based on yesterday’s buzz. The Sheets one has since been questioned, since the Dodgers were identified as the West Coast team that inquired. Prior could be part of a Raul Ibanez trade, but the Cubs are first focusing on Fukudome. As for Jackson, the Rays would want more than just Ben Broussard.
- John Fay believes the Reds will have to part with Jay Bruce or Homer Bailey to get a frontline starter.
D’Backs Trade Quentin To White Sox For Chris Carter
According to MLB Radio via MetsBlog, the D’Backs will send outfielder Carlos Quentin to the White Sox for first baseman Chris Carter. Here’s the MLB.com link. Kenny Williams and Josh Byrnes have gotten together on many trades in the past.
Carter was recently ranked Chicago’s 4th best prospect by Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein, and their best position player prospect. The 21 year-old first baseman will try his hand at High A in 2008. Goldstein calls him a "true slugger with tremendous strength and power to all fields," while noting that he is poor defensively even at first base. Carter’s a few years off, so Conor Jackson doesn’t have to worry quite yet.
Quentin didn’t have a place on the D’Backs after they signed Eric Byrnes to a contract extension. 2007 was a lost year for Quentin as he dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues. He plans to have labrum surgery to fix the shoulder this winter. The 25 year-old has mashed at Triple A and knows how to take a walk – he is exactly what the White Sox needed. Faith in Kenny Williams has been restored, perhaps.
It’s tough to pick a winner here; I like the deal for both clubs. I love it for the White Sox, who had a strong need for position-playing young talent. The D’Backs did well getting Carter, though they weren’t able to spin Quentin into a starting pitcher. Quentin wouldn’t have gotten a chance to rebuild value with Arizona at the big league level in 2008 anyway. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan is not impressed with the move for Arizona.
Matt Garza For Carlos Quentin?
Shooter! It’s time for some new rumors courtesy of Charley Walters. You like rumors don’t you?
- Walters tosses out the idea of a Matt Garza for Carlos Quentin swap. He’s the guy who was saying previously that Garza for Delmon Young wouldn’t die. I think if Quentin demonstrated good health this could be a fair swap. Meanwhile, Buster Olney suggests Quentin could end up an Athletic if the D’Backs look to acquire Dan Haren or Joe Blanton. However, Nick Piecoro doesn’t see it happening.
- No extension talks going on with Justin Morneau, and it’s arbitration time. Hey, maybe those trade rumors had substance after all. Nah, probably not.
- Walters echoes Ken Rosenthal in suggesting that Joe Nathan will be traded. He believes talks with the Brewers could be forthcoming.
Latest D’Backs Rumors: Bonderman, Ervin Santana
Nick Piecoro has the scoop regarding all things Diamondbacks. Let’s dive in.
- It had slipped my mind that the D’Backs don’t do incentive-laden contracts when I suggested they’d sign Randy Wolf. Bad prediction on my part.
- The team’s best trade chip: outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The 22 year-old hit .286/.330/.476 in Double A last year, and has star potential. Kevin Goldstein recently ranked Gonzalez third among corner outfield prospects behind Travis Snider and Chris Marrero. Gonzalez could bring a coveted starter in a trade. Carlos Quentin is also talked about as a trade candidate, but he needs to get healthy and hit a little first.
- Conor Jackson is also a trade candidate, more so if the D’Backs can sign Tony Clark. They’re thinking something close to the two years, $3.25 Matt Stairs received. Meanwhile Clark’s agent is thinking he could get a near full-time role elsewhere.
- Piecoro brings up the intriguing idea of shopping Jose Valverde. He’s getting pricey soon, and could be at peak value. I like it. A safer trade option from the team’s strong pen is Juan Cruz.
- All these great young players to trade, but who to target? Piecoro tantalizes by telling us Ervin Santana and even Jeremy Bonderman are in the D’Backs’ sights. Santana is known to be available for a bat. Bonderman would be attractive to many teams if not for his late-season elbow woes. He’s signed through 2010.
- I could see the A’s poking their head in on all of this, with Joe Blanton and even Dan Haren to offer.
Will D’Backs Add A Starter?
There are two schools of thought regarding the young, successful Arizona club. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro seems to think Josh Byrnes will stay quiet this winter, re-signing Tony Clark and letting Randy Johnson replace Livan Hernandez. The East Valley Tribune’s Scott Bordow would rather not rely on The Big Unit, instead trading a young position player for a young starter.
Specifically, Bordow notes that Carlos Quentin and Conor Jackson could be expendable. However, injuries complicate possible trades of either player. With Quentin it’s direct – he had surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum of his non-throwing shoulder in October. It’s a six-month timeline for recovery, so he could be ready for Spring Training. Jackson is fine and healthy, but trading him becomes easier if Chad Tracy can prove his health. He had microfracture knee surgery and also expects to be ready in March.
Jackson seems to be the best trading chip – even if Tracy has complications, Clark wouldn’t be a terrible full-time stopgap. Jackson, who turns 26 next May, has a respectable if not spectacular .280/.362/.441 line in 310 games. He slugged .555 after the break this year. Which team has an available young starter and badly needs position players? The Giants, with Noah Lowry. I’m not sure if Lowry would impress the D’Backs, though. Plus, the teams are in the same division. The Twins also make for an interesting match, as they might be able to use Jackson in left field. The D’Backs could ask for Matt Garza or Kevin Slowey. The White Sox could use an outfielder; would one year of Jon Garland be an even swap?
Diamondbacks Sign Byrnes To Extension
According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks have reached an accord with outfielder Eric Byrnes in the $30MM over three years. Piecoro believes that the fallout of the deal will be a trade of right fielder Carlos Quentin.
Byrnes, 31, can play all three outfield positions. He’s having the best season of his career, hitting .303/.365/.497 while shuffling between the first four spots in the batting order. Long-term, it looks like the Diamondbacks plan on using Byrnes in left field, Chris Young in center, and Justin Upton in right. It’s possible Young and Upton will swap positions, but you really can’t go wrong either way.
Was Byrnes worth it? PECOTA would say no, instead valuing Byrnes closer to the Diamondbacks’ original offer of $22.5MM. However, Josh Byrnes ultimately decided to spend the extra $7.5MM to retain one of the team’s veteran leaders and popular players. And 3/30 is undoubtedly a below-market deal given that Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr. each got five years.
The 2008 free agent list is now one outfielder lighter. Center field options remain plentiful though. As for Quentin, the Nationals and White Sox have been mentioned in the past. The Byrnes extension might clear a path for Kenny Williams to make a deal this winter.
Mets Offer Humber For Cordero
UPDATE: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets have offered Philip Humber to the Nationals for Cordero, but are holding fast with their bigger name prospects. He also confirms that the Diamondbacks are in on Cordero and could offer Carlos Quentin.
According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the fates of Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch might be tied to Eric Gagne. Gagne has the lower asking price and limited no-trade protection, and Jim Bowden may wait until that situation is resolved.
Some possible names on the Nats’ radar include Wily Mo Pena, Carlos Quentin, and Philip Humber. Humber is one prospect the Mets are willing to trade, according to Jayson Stark. Those names don’t exactly gel with the previous demands were hearing from Jim Bowden. Will Bowden back down? Will a desperate team offer a top flight prospect like an Adam Jones? Or will Cordero and Rauch just stay put like last year?