C.C. Sabathia

Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy Suitors, Lowe, Cardinals, Marlins

By Steve Adams | October 19, 2008 at 2:33pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, focusing largely on suitors for Jake Peavy, but also touching on some other news at the end… so let’s take a look!

Rosenthal states that the following teams have been speculated to be suitors for the Padres’ ace: Braves, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Cardinals, Brewers, Rays, Rangers. While all of these are not serious possibilities, he elaborates on each team. He mentions Yunel Escobar as a likely centerpiece from Atlanta, and states that the Angels would love to acquire a frontline starter to allow them to send Ervin Santana and/or Joe Saunders to Colorado in a deal for Matt Holliday and/or Garrett Atkins. Rosenthal states that Howie Kendrick could be a big part of any trade, but his health seems like too serious of a concern to me. Rosenthal speculates on the possibility of a dominant rotation for the Yankees if they traded for Peavy and signed C.C. Sabathia. One rival executive’s speculative package for Boston included Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson. The Padres will likely charge the Dodgers considerably more for Peavy’s service, as they are division rivals. He lists Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy as a possible centerpiece for a Milwaukee blockbuster, but also points out that Ben Sheets has made the Brewers wary of injury concerns. The other teams don’t seem to match up well, in Rosenthal’s opinion.
Rosenthal says that he was wrong in stating that Derek Lowe would prefer to remain on the West Coast. Lowe has now told him that he’d prefer to go East, with Boston being his top choice. He reiterated this desire to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
The Cardinals prefer a short-term solution for their closer situation, and will likely give Chris Perez the ninth inning job, or seek a lower-budget option through the trade market. They may also trade a young outfielder for an established bat at a corner OF position.
Kevin Gregg is still likely to be traded (perhaps an option for St. Louis), and four teams have asked Florida about Jeremy Hermida. Rosenthal speculates that the Marlins will begin 2009 with Cameron Maybin in center field and Cody Ross in right.

Perrotto’s Latest: Peavy, Unit, Joba

By Steve Adams | October 19, 2008 at 1:39pm CDT

John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Here’s some highlights from his "Rumors and Rumblings section" this week:

Perrotto expects a Jake Peavy deal to be done before the Winter Meetings, stating that the Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers seem to be the leaders in the race right now. He notes that the Yankees will be willing to include Phil Hughes, while the Braves are willing to move Yunel Escobar. I personally like the Escobar idea for San Diego, as it would allow them to make Atlanta take on Khalil Greene’s salary. A package around Escobar and Tommy Hanson would certainly be tough to ignore.
Perrotto reiterates that a move to the Dodgers or Angels for California-native Randy Johnson seems like a strong possibility. Johnson posted a fine season for the Diamondbacks, despite being 45 years old. He’s maintained a very solid strikeout-rate even at this stage in his career, fanning 8.46 batters per nine innings.
The Yankees are planning on using Joba Chamberlain in their rotation next year, but are not planning on settling for what they have. Perrotto states that the Yankees will "go all-in" on the free agent market, making aggressive offers to C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Mark Teixeira. Add in the pursuit of Peavy, and decisions on numerous free agents, and it looks like a very busy offseason for the Bombers.

Olney’s Latest: Teixeira, Sabathia, Ramirez, Burnett

By Nat Boyle | October 19, 2008 at 11:27am CDT

Buster Olney has some fun-to-read analysis of last night’s game, as well as some solid rumors for our consumption:

The Yankees seem almost destined to sign Mark Teixeira this offseason, but while it’s been suggested that Teixeira is seeking upwards of 10 years, $200MM, the Yankees may be looking to offer half of that, or "a deal in the range of 6 years, $18-20MM a year." Good news for the Orioles who look to be the biggest competitor for the Yankees in pursuing both Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.
The Yankees are gearing up to offer CC Sabathia "an offer that may dwarf those of other clubs, by a factor of 30 or 40 percent." Olney feels that may be a necessary surcharge to convince Sabathia to pitch in the Big Apple.
An interesting note: a few months ago, the suggested numbers for a Manny Ramirez contract were 3 or 4 years and $45MM; however, Scott Boras is effectively "working to change the perception of what is an acceptable offer… trying to raise the bar in the minds of teams, so that in the end, somebody might give him 3 years, $60MM and feel like they’re getting a bargain." I’ll add that Manny has done a lot, if not more, to change this perception as well.
Make of this what you will but Derek Jeter, whether intentional or not, contributed toward restoring Roger Clemens’ image by standing beside him on the sidelines of the nationally televised Longhorns game yesterday. Olney notes, "I know a whole lot of image-conscious players who would not have done that." Clemens is still unsure whether he is officially retired or not.

Brewers Will Make Offer To Sabathia

By Alejandro Leal | October 18, 2008 at 2:07pm CDT

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney is reporting that newly-inked Brewers GM Doug Melvin will extend a contract offer to ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia.

"At least we have a chance," Melvin said in a conference call with reporters, "whereas before, we wouldn’t have any chance with a pitcher of CC’s caliber. I do feel we will make him an offer, and at that point, it will be in his court."

Sabathia is the top free agent pitcher this offseason, and rumors already link the ace southpaw to a number of Major League teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets.

Sabathia will be eligble for free agency after the World Series.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for umpbump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com.

Heyman’s Latest: Yankees Offseason Plans

By Alejandro Leal | October 18, 2008 at 9:45am CDT

The latest column by Jon Heyman of SI.com is full of all kinds of Yankees notes:

They will pursue a top-of-the-rotation starter, and yes, C.C. Sabathia is one of them, but the list also includes A.J. Burnett, Jake Peavy, Derek Lowe, and possibly Ben Sheets. As we wrote yesterday, Peavy’s agent said he’d need "a lot of convincing" to approve a deal to the American League.
According to Heyman the goal is for the Bombers to "secure more than one of them."
The Yankees have targeted Mark Teixeira but may also take a look at Manny Ramirez (Heyman has mentioned the Manny to the Yankees possibility before, as has Ken Rosenthal).
Interest in Teixeira almost certainly means that Jason Giambi is not returning in 2009.
Center field is another position the Yankees hope to fill, but they may go the trade route and Heyman mentions Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy as possible bait.
If Mike Mussina decides to pitch again in 2009, the Yankees would want him back. A couple of weeks ago, Buster Olney wrote about a "growing sense" that Mussina would be returning for another season.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Peavy, Young

By Cork Gaines | October 17, 2008 at 2:08pm CDT

A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…

Goat Riders of the Apocalypse looks at Milton Bradley and sees a clubhouse cancer, but can’t ignore his .999 OPS and wonders if he is the answer in right field for the Cubs.
Pinstripes Published takes a look at the crop of free agent starting pitchers and speculates on who will sign with the Yankees, with the most likely being C.C. Sabathia, Jon Garland and Ryan Dempster.
Chop-n-Change takes a look at which prospects it might take to land Jake Peavy, and wonders if a package built around RHP Tommy Hanson and OF Jordan Schafer could get it done.
Talking Chop does not want to the Braves giving up prospects for Peavy and would rather see the Braves acquire pitching through free agency.
First And Goal From Second Base warns that it will be a mistake for the Twins to trade Delmon Young.
Twinkie Town takes a look at which Twins free agents could return (Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes) and the rest of the Twins offseason.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Manny Quotes

By Tim Dierkes | October 16, 2008 at 9:49am CDT

Manny Ramirez gave a few quotes last night after the Dodgers were eliminated:

"I just want to go home and spend some time with my family. I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I."

Manny on whether he wants to be in L.A.: "We’ll see." Manny asked what he’s worth: "I guess you got to talk to my agent now. I’m a five-tool player. That’s me now." Hmmm…even Boras can’t convince anyone Manny brings speed or defense to the table.

On the high end, a six-year, $150MM deal has been suggested for Ramirez. T.J. Simers suspects owner Frank McCourt would prefer to make a valiant effort and finish second in the bidding. Buster Olney believes the Dodgers are better suited signing C.C. Sabathia.

Week in Review: 10/5 – 10/11

By Steve Adams | October 12, 2008 at 1:45pm CDT

Let’s kick things off this afternoon with the week in review…

Rich Harden doesn’t need surgery, and he also doesn’t need to worry about where he’s pitching next year. The Cubs exercised his $7MM option this week. That one was a no-brainer, good news for Cubs fans.
Elsewhere in the Midwest, the Twins exercised backup catcher Mike Redmond’s option for $950K. While that’s great news for Twins fans, the bigger story for them is that Delmon Young could be available this offseason. Personally, I think trading a 23-year-old outfielder with that kind of upside would be a colossal mistake. I realize the Twins feel the need to acquire some infield help, but trading a former #1 overall pick after one disappointing season when he’s just 23 holds zero logic in my mind. I still like the Young/Matt Garza trade for Minnesota in the long run.
Couple of notes on the Brewers’ 1-2 punch, as C.C. Sabathia told reporters he’s open to playing anywhere, and wants to get his free agency over with quickly, and early in the offseason. As for Ben Sheets, despite his elbow injury, he is likely to be wearing a new uniform when 2009 comes around. His injury is apparently not too serious anyway.
We saw a few different rumblings about a possible Jake Peavy trade. Peavy doesn’t like the idea of a full-scale rebuilding project in San Diego, and an interview with his agent hints that he may be willing to play for the Yankees. If he’d prefer to be somewhere closer to home (Alabama), the Braves could be an interesting suitor.
Ryan Howard’s name has been tossed around as a potential trade candidate, but he’s likely to remain in place. One slugging first baseman from the NL will be available though, it seems: Tim takes a look at several potential landing sites for Prince Fielder. Trading Fielder is only a good idea if they can get a cheap, young, potential ace in my mind. With Sabathia and Sheets on their way out the door, the Brewers are going to need that offense working on all cylinders.
For those teams that need power, but lose out on the Fielder sweepstakes (assuming he’s moved that is), there’s still power to be had. Here’s a list of this year’s free agent home run leaders.
Tim covered his Offseason Outlook for the Twins, White Sox, Cardinals, and Astros.
Curt Schilling will either pitch for a contender in the second half of 2009 or retire.

Odds and Ends: Steinbrenner, Burnett, Sabathia

By Tim Dierkes | October 12, 2008 at 12:48pm CDT

Links for Sunday, before I head out to Chipotle…

Hank Steinbrenner talked to George King of the New York Post. He made it clear that he has not taken a step back in running the Yankees. Hank also mentions Mark Teixeira by name, calling him a "quality player."
Ken Davidoff tries to determine if A.J. Burnett’s injury-prone days are behind him, as his agent would like us to believe.
Henry Schulman chatted with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
John Shea lays odds for the C.C. Sabathia bidding.
Phil Rogers campaigns for an extension for Cubs GM Jim Hendry. He wonders if Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood would follow if Hendry joined a different team.
A’s GM Billy Beane talked to Matthew Lutovsky of the Sporting News about fantasy baseball as well as a new video game.

Heyman’s Latest: Yankees, K-Rod, Moyer

By Tim Dierkes | October 8, 2008 at 11:46am CDT

Notes from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

The Yankees apparently want to sign two free agent starters out of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Derek Lowe. If Sabathia is one of them they’d be looking at a total outlay of $200MM or more. Ken Davidoff of Newsday notes that Sabathia might feel pressure from the players union to take the highest offer.
Heyman believes the nation’s struggling economy might temper spending, but not in the Yankees’ case.
Heyman doesn’t see the Angels as terribly gung-ho about retaining closer Francisco Rodriguez.
People close to Jamie Moyer say he wants to pitch until he’s 50. Moyer didn’t rule it out when asked in August.

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