Odds & Ends: Uggla, Royals, New Blood
Here's some links to start off a gorgeous Sunday (at least around these parts)…
- After calling out teammate Hanley Ramirez, Bill Shaikin of The LA Times wonders if Dan Uggla might get a ticket out of Florida. If so, he says Uggla could be a fit for the Dodgers, who he says "are not expected to engage in a bidding war to retain second baseman Orlando Hudson."
- Sam Mellinger of The KC Star presents a few ways to improve the Royals for 2010. In addition to not handing out albatross contracts to players like Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Guillen, Mellinger suggests the team trade Alberto Callaspo, nontender Mike Jacobs, and resign Coco Crisp.
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post rates which teams "succeeded and failed in bringing new blood to their organizations" over the last year. The Yankees take home top honors thanks to additions of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher. The Mets … well they come in last.
- Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter for the fastest rumor updates around.
Odds And Ends: Jeter, Uggla, Cubs, Hall
Links for Thursday morning…
- Derek Jeter, whose contract expires after next season, says he isn't thinking about his next deal or how long he'll keep playing, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel asks: Are the Marlins better off holding onto Dan Uggla after the season and paying him about $7MM in arbitration, or should they trade him?
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he takes resonsibility for his team's frustrating season.
- Jeff Sackmann of the Hardball Times says Doug Melvin was justified in handing Bill Hall a long-term contract, even though it didn't work out for the Brewers.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports expects Vicente Padilla to be on his best behavior with the Dodgers, who need him badly.
- In his latest roundup of top Rangers prospects at MLB.com, Jamey Newberg notes that it doesn't look like Justin Smoak will reach the majors this year.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will audition Luke Scott at first base between now and the end of the season.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros won't see their attendance improve if they put another "old, bad, boring" team on the field next year.
Trade Candidates: Middle Infielders
The Mets, Reds, Cardinals, Twins, Cubs, Brewers and Giants could all potentially look for middle infield help. Here are some trade candidates, listed from largest 2009 salary to smallest:
- Miguel Tejada – His $13MM salary would be too much for some teams if the Astros made him available, but his 32 extra base hits and low strikeout numbers sure look good.
- Julio Lugo – He makes $9MM this year and the same amount next year, so the Red Sox would presumably take on salary in any deal. The 33-year-old is hitting .370 since the beginning of June.
- Cristian Guzman – At $8MM this year and next he's not cheap, but he's consistently hit for a high average in recent years.
- Jack Wilson – He makes $7.25MM this year and his team will have to buy him out for $600k to avoid paying him even more in 2010. However, he's a good defender who puts the ball in play and has doubles power.
- Freddy Sanchez – He'll make over $6MM this year and his 2010 option for $8MM will likely vest. It's a lot of money, but the former batting titlist is a better hitter than most middle infield trade candidates.
- Dan Uggla - The most powerful option available may not be available, after all. The Marlins are in it, so they may keep Uggla and his $3.5MM salary.
- Orlando Cabrera – He's posted a .610 OPS this year and he'll make $4MM- not an enticing combination, but the A's are falling far out of the race.
- Felipe Lopez – At just $3.5MM, his .771 OPS looks good, in spite of the big strikeout total.
- Jamey Carroll - As a free agent-to-be on the Indians, he's a candidate to be moved. The 35-year-old has a .735 OPS to go along with his $2.5MM salary.
- Cesar Izturis – He'll earn $2.4MM this year and $2.6MM in 2010. He's on the DL, recovering from an apendectomy, and his slow recovery is making it less likely that he'll be traded.
- Yuniesky Betancourt – His $2MM salary is deceptive, as he's still guaranteed about $10MM before his deal expires. That figure, plus his .609 OPS mean he'll likely be staying put, but he could be had.
- John McDonald – He's barely played at all for the Jays, but McDonald, who makes $1.9MM, could work for a team looking for a defensive specialist.
- Yunel Escobar – He makes just $425k this year and Buster Olney says the Braves would consider dealing him for a bat.
- Blake DeWitt – The Dodgers have Orlando Hudson playing second base, so DeWitt could be expendable. He's making just $405k, but his Triple A numbers are uninspired.
- Adam Kennedy – The A's are just paying Kennedy the major league minimum and he's produced an OPS approaching .800 for them.
Marlins Rumors: Ross, Hermida, Uggla
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins aren't about to pull the trigger and deal away arbitration-eligible players in an effort to trim payroll. Instead, they feel ready to make a run at a postseason berth. Here are the specifics from Frisaro's blog post:
- The Marlins aren't actively shopping Dan Uggla, Cody Ross or Jeremy Hermida.
- Frisaro suggests the Braves offered Charlie Morton and Jeff Francoeur for Hermida before the Nate McLouth trade.
- The Marlins always look to obtain pitching in return for their players.
- The Braves are still looking to add a bat.
The Marlins are 32-34 now, third in the NL East and just 3.5 games behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. Don't look for them to deal anyone away unless they fall out of contention.
Olney On Mets, Holliday, Snell
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Mets have begun discussing which hitters they want to target. Here's what Olney has heard about the Mets, along with the rest of his rumors:
- It's fair to assume the Mets would like to acquire a "big-time bat."
- Omar Minaya could pursue Nick Johnson. He already traded for him once as the GM of the Expos.
- Other players that could play first and hit: Aubrey Huff, Jorge Cantu, Mark DeRosa and Dan Uggla.
- Uggla's an outside-the-box solution, but the Mets could use his power.
- Don't assume the A's will be able to collect compensation picks for offering arbitration to Matt Holliday if they don't trade him at the deadline. Holliday's numbers have fallen off, making him more likely to accept arbitration if the A's offer it. He could make upwards of $16MM, meaning the surest way for the A's to get something back would be to deal him now.
- Olney says the Rockies don't have interest in Ian Snell. Yesterday John Perrotto suggested they could trade for him.
- Colorado will likely wait another month before deciding whether to deal Huston Street.
- The Mariners don't have to rush their deal-making either, especially since their division looks winnable.
Braves Discussed Ross; Hermida Available Too?
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Braves were in serious discussions to trade for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross before pulling off the Nate McLouth deal yesterday. The Marlins made Ross available, but ultimately decided not to deal him. Some within the Atlanta organization would have preferred to trade for Ross because he wouldn't have commanded as much of a return as McLouth did.
Knobler reports that rival officials believe the Marlins are now "open to" trading Ross and Jeremy Hermida, not just Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Wilson, Marlins, Acta
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has a few evening tidbits…
- The Royals are reportedly "kicking around the idea of adding a shortstop." Rosenthal believes the Pirates' Jack Wilson is the best fit, "but only if the Red Sox don't grab [him] first."
- The Marlins "figure to trade [Dan] Uggla and first baseman Jorge Cantu if they fall out of contention," but, as Rosenthal notes, that hasn't happened yet.
- Nationals manager Manny Acta might hang on to his job for a while longer because his "players have not quit on him, nor are they sniping at him." Sure, but a .265 winning percentage won't sit well with upper management all season.
Odds & Ends: Igarashi, Cubs, Cardinals
Links for Friday…
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker talks about hard-throwing Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, perhaps the top free agent from the country for the 2009-10 offseason.
- I did a Q&A over at Coast to Coast Baseball.
- Some doubt with the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family: Tribune owner Sam Zell said, "We've made it very public that the Cubs don't fit into the long-term picture of the Tribune. So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones."
- In separate articles, Dan Uggla and Octavio Dotel comment on the possibility of being traded.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Edgar Renteria was a good signing for the Giants, if you ignore the actual contract. Eh?
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses various third base trades the Cardinals could make.
- SI's Tom Verducci likes Freddy Sanchez for the Rays. What's wrong with Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist?
- Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to Braves GM Frank Wren about the team's need for a bat.
- FanGraphs' Matthew Carruth asks: Where's Odalis Perez?
Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants
Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy. The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros. The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider. The East Coast is a long shot. Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade. Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract. As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
- Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery. The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
- The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta. He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL. But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat. Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur. His trade value is difficult to gauge.
- The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
- The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled. Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee. Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.
Giants Not Dangling Cain, Not Interested In Holliday
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an update on a few Giants rumors.
- Schulman's "very high-level" Giants source says Matt Cain is not being dangled, contrary to an earlier rumor.
- Schulman agrees with Juan C. Rodriguez's report that the Giants have asked the Marlins about Dan Uggla.
- Schulman believes the Giants are talking to the Nationals about Nick Johnson. However, his source said the team has no interest in Matt Holliday. Much has been made of Holliday's slow start, but keep in mind he's hitting .296/.406/.494 in May.