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Odds & Ends: Pirates, Schneider, Claggett

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A few links to start the evening off…

  • When asked if the Pirates might pursue a free agent this winter to address their lack of power, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette said the team has indicated "that they will wait until they see which of the current players might take a step forward, then identifying needs." That sounds like a "no," or at least a "probably not."
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson said he would not be surprised if Brian Schneider returned to the Nationals as a backup catcher next year, but he would have to take a big paycut. Schneider has already said he doesn't expect to return to the Mets next year, and after making $4.9MM this year, he should be prepared to take a big paycut wherever he goes.
  • The Yankees designated reliever Anthony Claggett for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Freddy Guzman, reports Peter Abraham of The Journal News. Claggett was originally acquired in the deal that sent Gary Sheffield to Detroit, and got annihilated in his brief callup (33.75 ERA & 5.62 WHIP in 2.2 IP) this year.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Perez, Pedro

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A few items to peruse as the Red Sox and Yankees grind it out on Sunday Night Baseball…

  • Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com continues his "Restoring the Rosters" series with a look at the Cardinals. "Producing the game's best player and one of the top five pitchers only goes so far," writes Pouliot. "The Cardinals' lack of pitching depth leaves them right in the middle of these rankings."
  • As Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, reliever Chris Perez has now thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings out of the Tribe's bullpen.  He was acquired from the Cardinals in early July (along with Jess Todd) for third baseman Mark DeRosa, who is batting .234/.303/.445 with eight home runs and 15 RBI in 128 at-bats for St. Louis.
  • Pedro Martinez allowed four earned runs over six innings Sunday in his return to Flushing, New York, but escaped with his second victory in three starts with the Phillies.  Interestingly, he was given a standing ovation when he first took the mound.  “The ovation, that’s exactly the response I expected because of the mutual bond I have here,” Martinez said. “I respect them and I love them."  (Quote courtesy of the Associated Press).

Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa

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SUNDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi has written about a couple possible PTBNLs for the Indians:

"One official with knowledge of the transaction said minor league right-handers Jess Todd and Francisco Samuel are on the list of possibilities. It's not known if other players are on the list agreed upon by the clubs. But Todd and Samuel are hard throwers who could fit into Cleveland's bullpen next year. And anyone who has watched the Indians play recently is aware that they have an immediate need for power arms at the end of the game."

Morosi notes Todd has a 2.73 ERA in 28 Triple-A appearances with one big league game this season. The PTBNL will be received on or before September 1.

SATURDAY, 9:58pm: According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Cardinals have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Indians for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

DeRosa, 34, wasn't in tonight's lineup though this was supposedly a "standard day off," according to Castrovince. DeRosa posted a .270/.342/.457 line in 314 plate appearances for the Indians and is making $5.5MM in the final year of his contract (about $2.9MM remains). He's been the subject of rumors for weeks, and it looks like the Indians are officially sellers.

Perez turns 24 soon.  He posted a 4.18 ERA and 30/15 K/BB ratio for the Cardinals in 23.2 innings this year. He was one of the Cardinals' top relief prospects and profiles as a future closer.

It's a little early to make a final judgment on this deal until we find out who the PTNBL is–Castrovince notes that "the PTBN component is an important one," according to Indians GM Mark Shapiro–but for now it looks like a solid deal for both teams, as they each fill in their respective needs.

Cardinals Pursuing Matt Holliday

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SATURDAY, 7:05pm: Peter Gammons tweets (account protected) that any discussions would have to start with Brett Wallace, as the A's don't need to trade Holliday.

FRIDAY, 11:13pm: The Cardinals are "redoubling efforts to acquire" Matt Holliday, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Strauss says the Cards have warmed to the idea of offering a multiplayer package.  They were previously reluctant to send a Ryan Ludwick-fronted package to Colorado in November.  Strauss believes that the Cardinals would now probably be willing to offer Ludwick, one of Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Kyle McClellan, and a prospect to Holliday's current team, the Athletics.  Strauss adds:

Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., who opposed the November deal for Holliday, is apparently on board with assuming the remainder of Holliday's $13.5 million salary.

Only about $7.6MM remains on Holliday's contract, and he is of course a free agent after the season.  Holliday, a Scott Boras client, currently profiles as a Type A free agent despite a decrease in production with Oakland.

Ludwick has about $2MM remaining on his contract this year.  He's under team control through 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.  Ludwick was actually drafted by the A's in 1999, 60th overall.  In 2002, they sent him to the Rangers with Gerald Laird and others for Carlos Pena and Mike Venafro.  Ludwick, like Holliday, has dropped off significantly from his huge 2008 season.

Gammons’ Latest: Red Sox, Washburn, DeRosa

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In his latest blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons writes that "unless someone comes up with a Justin Smoak, Matt LaPorta or Brett Wallace," the Red Sox will hold on to Brad Penny and enjoy the depth. He says no one will offer up a prospect like that for a few months of Penny.

Here's the rest of Gammons' rumors:

  • Takashi Saito is the pitcher on Boston's staff most likely to be traded.
  • Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard "probably won't be tradeable before Aug. 1" because of their injuries.
  • Jarrod Washburn could be had.
  • The Red Sox have talked to the Angels about infielder Maicer Izturis, but the talks haven't gone anywhere
  • Mark Mulder "made considerable progress refinding his delivery after one session with pitching coach Rick Peterson."
  • The Mets are looking for an outfield bat. They made a run at Mark DeRosa, but wouldn't discuss Bobby Parnell.
  • The Cardinals wouldn't discuss Jason Motte or Chris Perez in exchange for DeRosa.
  • The uncertain situation surrounding the Cubs' ownership will likely prohibit any major additions.

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