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Dan Johnson

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Johnson, Bonds, Piazza

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So far during the 2008 regular season, 28 players have either been DFA’d or released. At the same point last year, that list only included 14 players. In the past four seasons, only 2006 (22) had more than 14 players DFA’d or released this early in the season.

This will be an interesting trend to watch the rest of this season and into the early portion of 2009. It appears to be an indication that teams are showing less patience to work trades for fringe players or teams may be placing higher premiums on prospects, unwilling to move even mid-level prospects for a guy that might be the 24th or 25th man on a 25-man roster. Either way, it could mean fewer trades in 2008 and beyond.

The list of players DFA’d so far this year includes some that have been productive Major Leaguers at some point in their career and could be again, including Kirk Saarloos, Juan Castro, Dan Johnson and Hideo Nomo. OK, maybe Nomo is a stretch. With players like this being made available it is even more reason for teams to avoid trades and wait. And of course Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza are still sitting out there. Let’s take a look at what is being said about these players in the Blogosphere…

  • Mets Fever wonders if Johnson is worth a flyer from the Mets but wonders who would go to make room.
  • Fanhouse sees Johnson ending up right back where he started (almost), signing with the Giants.
  • Beyond the Boxscore wrote this prior to Frank Thomas signing with the A’s, but the question, "Who Needs a DH?" is still relevant with Piazza, Bonds and Johnson. They take a look at several teams that could be in the market.
  • I am convinced that by the All-Star break, we will have seen 30 different versions of "Why [insert MLB team] should sign Barry Bonds". The latest comes from Jays Nest who argues for the Blue Jays signing the all-time home run king.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Odds and Ends: Tejada, Howard, Johnson

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Couple more odds and ends this evening…

  • Orioles executive VP Mike Flanagan admitted he wouldn’t have signed Miguel Tejada to a six-year deal if he knew the shortstop’s proper age.  But he still would’ve signed him (if possible).  People are debating whether ESPN ambushed Tejada with his birth certificate…of course they did.
  • Ken Rosenthal believes the optimal course of action for the Phillies is to just let Ryan Howard play out the string and then let him walk as a free agent after the 2011 season.
  • Rays Index says the Dan Johnson acquisition signals a "win-now" attitude for the Rays.

Rays Claim Dan Johnson

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According to Susan Slusser, the Rays have claimed first baseman Dan Johnson off waivers.  She expects him to put in time at DH while Cliff Floyd is out for the next month or so. Johnson moves from McAfee Coliseum (deflates LH HRs by 10%) to Tropicana Field (inflates LH HR by 4%).

You can read Johnson’s story here.  He should be a decent stopgap for Tampa Bay.

Dan Johnson Designated

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THURSDAY, 10:00am: The Giants have no interest in Johnson, according to Henry Schulman.

WEDNEDAY, 3:11pm: As expected, Johnson was designated for assignment today.

11:14am: Susan Slusser believes first baseman Dan Johnson’s Oakland career might be over, as the A’s need a roster spot for rookie starter Greg Smith.  Speculation is that Billy Beane could try to trade him to the Giants, where he’d be free to play regularly and bat in the middle of the order.

Johnson, 28, has a .249/.344/.419 career line in 318 games.  He was a late bloomer, earning a September call-up in ’04 as a 25 year-old.  He didn’t appear in any big league games because of vertigo, though.  Yes, vertigo.  Baseball America’s 2005 handbook had Johnson sixth among A’s prospects, between Joe Blanton and Huston Street.

Johnson got the call in May of ’05 when DH Erubiel Durazo hit the DL.  His rookie season resulted in a solid .806 OPS.  He didn’t snag any ROY votes, but Street won it while Nick Swisher and Blanton received votes.  It was downhill from there for Johnson.

When the A’s signed Frank Thomas in the offseason, Johnson became the everyday first baseman.  He was lousy in every month aside from June, and even started the season 0 for 27.  He was demoted to Triple A in July and came back in September.  Double vision was later cited as a factor in the poor season.

The Shannon Stewart acquisition before the ’07 season pushed Johnson into a bench role.  He then tore hip cartilage in March, missing most of April.  He had a very strong May but was otherwise unimpressive.

Johnson lost 15 pounds this past offseason due to an illness, and then the Mike Sweeney acquisition pretty much ended his time in Oakland.  A trade to San Francisco might represent his last shot at lasting as a big league regular.

Giants Interested In Nick Johnson?

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Henry Schulman at The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Giants GM Brian Sabean is seeking a left-handed hitting 1B to complement the aging Rich Aurilia, and lists Nick Johnson and the Braves’ Scott Thorman as points of interest.

Nick Johnson is off to a hot start hitting .368/.455/.688 in 19 ABs, and for this reason Schulman suggests he could be off the market; however, contrary to that rationale, the Nationals might want to take advantage of Johnson’s sudden upswing in value.  They do have Dmitri Young sitting idly by.  If the Giants want to spend $11MM over the next 2 years on Johnson, he would be a solid addition to a lackluster offense.  Johnson would almost certainly make a bench player of Aurilia.

Scott Thorman, who the Braves have been shopping for over a month, is 26, and hit 11 homeruns in 268 ABs last season.  With Mark Teixeira locked in at 1B this season, and plenty of guys who can be moved to 1B next year (Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, et al), Thorman no longer seems to be the heir apparent should Teixeira not re-sign.

While I’m always hesitant to suggest a team should deal with Billy Beane, Dan Johnson needs a new home.  Sure his value has collapsed over the past couple seasons, but he hits lefty, could provide power, and is only 28.  He’s on a one year contract for $410,000, so there’s not much risk, and Beane’s asking price can’t be high.  If the Giants don’t want to commit $11MM to a player as they try to rebuild, DJ could be a good alternative.

Any other 1B options you think would be a good fit?

By Nat Boyle
 

Decision On Johnson Could Come This Week

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There just doesn’t seem to be a spot in Oakland for Dan Johnson. Once seen as a solution at first base, ineffectiveness and injuries have slowed him down a bit. While the 28-year-old still has some promise, he’s blocked in Oakland at first base by Daric Barton and Mike Sweeney, and at DH by Sweeney and Jack Cust.

There’s been some speculation of a Johnson trade, and that might be coming soon. Chad Gaudin can come off the DL on April 12, and Johnson could be the casualty. It depends, really, on whether Billy Beane and Bob Geren want to continue carrying 11 pitchers, or they want to up it to 12.

Apparently, Giants GM Brian Sabean told a sports radio program that he’s looking for a left-hand-hitting first baseman. They seem like a good fit from one end, but do the Giants have the chips the A’s are looking for? Other than that, I can’t see too many other teams that would be interested in him as a starter. Maybe as a backup, but then I suppose most teams wouldn’t be willing to part with much value for a backup first baseman.

I’m thinking that the A’s stick with 11 pitchers for the foreseeable future, and wait for a better opportunity to trade Johnson — probably an injury.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski. Please, email me rumors.

Odds and Ends: Dan Johnson, Baldelli, Soria

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Let’s round up some linkage.

Odds and Ends: Johnson, Ponson, Nady

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Ever lose a contact in the bathroom and scour for it for hours?  That was my morning.  Good times.  On to the links.

  • Friend of MLBTR Susan Slusser notes that the Giants had two scouts watching the A’s on Wednesday.  One guy they might have been eyeing is first baseman Dan Johnson.  It seems that Johnson, who is out of options, may be able to linger around on the A’s roster until at least mid-April given the expanded rosters for the Japan series.  And since Slusser’s article we’ve learned that Daric Barton’s hand injury is more serious than initially thought.  That could buy Johnson even more time if the A’s aren’t ready to trade him.
  • The Cardinals, Mariners, Royals, and Diamondbacks, Astros, and Rangers were among teams with scouts watching Sidney Ponson touch 94mph today.  He’s stopped drinking and lost some weight; who knows, maybe he can help an NL club.
  • Peter Abraham views Joba Chamberlain’s recent comments with a little skepticism.
  • MLB.com’s Marty Noble calls a Mets trade for Xavier Nady "quite unlikely," though an anonymous Mets player likes the idea.

Odds and Ends: Ponson, Inge, Papelbon

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Let’s round up some Monday morning links.

  • The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson.  Insert your own punchline in the comments.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O’s making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs.
  • Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town.  The Dodgers’ recently reported nibble hasn’t been publicly shot down, so that’s a plus.
  • South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the White Sox could desire for Joe Crede.
  • Jonathan Papelbon wants $900K in his last year before arbitration eligibility.  Ryan Howard set a scary precedent last year.  If Papelbon doesn’t get offered something close, he’d rather make a statement and be renewed near the minimum.
  • Buster Olney suggests Dan Johnson and Doug Mientkiewicz could be possibilities for the Mets in their quest for a backup first baseman.  Olney speculated on Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, and Kevin Millar the day before.

Santana/Reyes/Haren Rumor Quashed

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UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 5:45pm: Billy Beane, who rarely comments on trade rumors, actually went out of his way to call mine below a "total fabrication."  I guess I should be proud, right?  I was the subject of an elaborate hoax/impersonated sportswriter (thanks, Fake John Delcos!).  I apologize – not sure why someone would go to such lengths, but lesson learned. 

FROM 12-5-07 at 3:36pm:

Just got an incredible rumor from a trusted New York sportswriter.  Stay with me, because this one’s crazy.  But rest assured that if the source wasn’t good, I wouldn’t post it.

Minnesota has initiated talks for a three-way blockbuster with the Twins and A’s.  Here’s how it would go down:

Mets send Jose Reyes, Kevin Mulvey to A’s
Mets send Hector Pellot to Twins
A’s send Bobby Crosby and Dan Johnson to Mets
A’s send Dan Haren to Twins
Twins send Johan Santana to Mets

Mets get Johan Santana, Bobby Crosby and Dan Johnson
A’s get Jose Reyes and Kevin Mulvey
Twins get Dan Haren and Hector Pellot

The source says Haren is exactly the type of player the Twins want for Santana, a cheap frontline starter. It’s known the Mets would hate to deal Reyes but they would get some value beyond Santana.  Billy Beane is happy because he gets Reyes for one more year than he had Haren plus longtime favorite Mulvey.  And, he’s out of Crosby’s contract.

Thoughts?

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