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Montero Drawing Interest

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According to Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune, D’Backs catcher Miguel Montero is a popular name in trade discussions.  He may be traded to address the team’s second base vacancy.  Mark Loretta and Adam Kennedy, who are in the $4MM or less range, were deemed too expensive.

Montero, 25, hit .255/.330/.435 in 207 plate appearances this year.  He’s under team control through 2012.  Magruder suggests the Red Sox, Tigers, Reds, Astros, and Brewers as possible matches.  Some of those clubs do have decent second base prospects.

Magruder adds that the D’Backs have received inquiries on Eric Byrnes, but don’t see a contract swap that’d make sense.

D’Backs Rumors: Johnson, Webb, Byrnes

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Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes talked to the media Monday afternoon; the transcript can be found here along with comments from beat writer Nick Piecoro.  Let’s discuss.

  • The D’Backs want to improve the offense and have good positional flexibility.  However, Piecoro thinks it’s possible the team relies on improvement from young players rather than acquisitions.
  • The team will wait a few more weeks before really engaging with free agent Randy Johnson.  You get the impression the D’Backs have their limit for him, maybe in the $10MM range.
  • Byrnes intends to be more active in free agency than he has in the past.
  • The D’Backs will continue to talk with Brandon Webb about a contract extension (they can control him through 2010 already).  Byrnes said Webb may want to see what C.C. Sabathia gets.
  • In another post, Piecoro talks about Eric Byrnes’ no-trade clause.  Byrnes gives the impression he might waive it if he feels he’s not wanted.  If Conor Jackson stays in left Byrnes could be the fourth outfielder heading into ’09.

Odds and Ends: Byrnes, Teixeira, Swisher

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Random links for Tuesday…

Week in Review

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Here’s a look back at the biggest stories MLBTR covered for the week of July 6 – 13:

  • The Brewers completed a deal for C.C. Sabathia, sending Matt LaPorta and other prospects to Cleveland in return. Sabathia’s looked great so far, and LaPorta’s already making an impact in the Indians minor league system. Looks good for both teams right now if you ask this guy.
  • The Cubs answered their division rival quickly, landing Oakland ace Rich Harden along with Chad Gaudin in exchange for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson. Harden was brilliant in his debut. I think this could be another win-win trade, if Harden stays healthy.
  • It was once again made clear that no one has interest in Barry Bonds, even at this juncture of the season. Seems like we’ve heard this once or twice before…
  • It was a long time coming: The Mariners released Richie Sexson. Could the Yankees be interested?
  • With likely season-ending injuries to both Eric Byrnes and Moises Alou (possibly career-ending in Alou’s case), both the D’Backs and Mets are in the market for corner outfielders. Raul Ibanez should be appealing to both clubs, though the Mariners may not be interested in trading him, Jim Riggleman says. Carlos Beltran voiced his support of acquiring Ibanez. I personally don’t see why Seattle wouldn’t pull the trigger, but I’m not a Major League GM, I suppose.
  • Tim updated both the first base and catcher markets in the Trade Market Series.
  • The Twins had internal discussions on Adrian Beltre. A third base upgrade would certainly be nice, but they’re not known for making big moves at the deadline. Could Bill Smith change that reputation in his first year as GM?

D’Backs Not Interested In Bonds

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WEDNESDAY, 7:43pm: Magruder talked to Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris.  Borris says the D’Backs have never had interest in Bonds, based on conversations with the team.  However, Bonds would love to play for them.  Borris says he could be ready to go in a week to ten days.

WEDNESDAY, 9:17am: Jack Magruder takes this rumor a step further, saying the D’Backs have had internal discussions about Bonds.

TUESDAY: It seems that D’Backs outfielder Eric Byrnes is out for the season.  The team could certainly continue to get by with Conor Jackson in left field and Chad Tracy at first.  Or, they could just pick up a lefty-masher on the cheap to complement Tracy.

GM Josh Byrnes admits he’s looking at outside options, and seems to crave more than a platoon bat to give the offense a jolt.  When asked about Barry Bonds, Byrnes responded:

He and maybe a couple of others are sort of sitting out there.  I think it’s a bit of assessing any players’ readiness, then knocking somebody out of the lineup, dollars, etc. I don’t want to talk about him specifically, but, believe me, we’ve considered a lot of options. There is sort of no one obvious option right now, but there are a lot of considerations.

Maybe we’re reaching, but this is the closest we’ve seen to consideration of Bonds in a long time.  Piecoro believes Bonds has been discussed.  Piecoro tosses out Kenny Lofton as another option.  The D’Backs could also consider some of the same corner outfielders I named for the Mets – Adam Dunn, for example.  Will Carroll on the Dunn-to-AZ idea:  Dunn would be a great fit in Arizona, but no one seems to think that’s going to happen.

Diamondbacks Sign Byrnes To Extension

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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.

Byrnes Extension Seems Unlikely

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It seems unlikely that the Diamondbacks will sign 31 year-old outfielder Eric Byrnes to a contract extension.  According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the team won’t even approach Juan Pierre’s five-year, $45MM deal.  And Juan Pierre isn’t good.

It’s just the business reality – the Diamondbacks have way too much outfield talent in their system to give Byrnes anything near what he’s worth.  He’d probably have to take something like two years, $20MM to remain in Arizona.  Earlier I said 4/32 might do it but now I’m thinking even that wouldn’t work.  I still like him as a possible White Sox next year.

Piecoro also mentioned that Josh Byrnes inquired on Bobby Abreu and Jermaine Dye, but is backing off because Carlos Gonzalez was requested.  Buster Olney proposes Shannon Stewart as a lower-cost alternative.

Byrnes Offers Discount, Hopes To Stay With Arizona

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Eric Byrnes is having a fine season, even correcting the one knock on his offense.  He’s on pace to easily set a career high in walks, and his .363 OBP would stand as a career best.  And of course the 31 year-old is endearing to fans with his style of play and personality.  Now he’s offering the Diamondbacks a home team discount on a contract extension.

Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune says preliminary talks have already taken place.  The Arizona Republic has Byrnes comparing himself to various outfielders who snagged five-year contracts for $9-14MM annually.  Byrnes would be willing to backload the contract.

Magruder doesn’t think the D’Backs could commit even $8MM annually to Byrnes, which would be a large discount in itself.  Throw in the scary five-year commitment and something has to give.  Ultimately I imagine Arizona might do 4/32, but Byrnes would really be selling himself short.  He could probably get $11-12MM annually on the open market.  With all the outfield talent in Arizona, I still think they’ll let him go.

Rosenthal’s Latest

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Time for another Rosenthal column!  Some of this is just a writeup from his recent video; here’s the new stuff.

  • A little elaboration on the Adam Dunn to San Diego idea – Rosenthal throws Clay Hensley’s name into the mix.  Hensley has had a rough couple of months, with a nasty blister, a groin strain, and some awful starts.  His 54% groundball rate would be a nice fit in Chicago or Cincinnati.  Another player I could see catching Wayne Krivsky’s eye is Cla Meredith.
  • The Cubs continue to shop Jacque Jones, hoping to slide Felix Pie in every day.  Pie is ready for the show, but the Cubs would like something to show for Jones.  He is earning $4MM this year and $5MM in ’08.  It looked like a bargain after Jones hit .285/.334/.499 last year, but he’s tanked in the Cubs’ crowded outfield.  He could fit well with the Padres, a team that doesn’t hit lefties or righties.  Jones normally just struggles with lefties.  Jacque was born in San Diego, too.  Kevin Towers and Jim Hendry matched up for a couple of smaller deals last summer with Todd Walker and Scott Williamson.
  • Mike Lowell may leave Boston after this season as a free agent.  He’s easily the best affordable 3B on the market.  Perhaps the Yankees want him back.  Other possibilities include the Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Phillies, and Astros according to Rosenthal.  Hard to believe Lowell is so popular and successful after he was a throw-in forced upon the Red Sox in the Josh Beckett deal.
  • Eric Byrnes is probably headed out of Arizona, and he’d be a valuable center field addition who won’t break the bank.  He’ll be 32 in ’08, and on a reasonable three-year deal could be a better value than Ichiro, Torii, or Andruw.  Wouldn’t be surprised to see the White Sox get involved.

Buzz Around The Game

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Let’s see what we’ve got going on today in a potpourri-style format.

As predicted, Eric Byrnes was non-tendered last night.  I can’t possibly think of a better way for the Cubs to turn the Jacque Jones signing into a positive.  If you sum up Byrnes and Jones’ salaries, you’ll be getting solid stats from RF for the price.  Assuming Dusty Baker understands what a platoon is and how all that works. 

Of course, it’s probably one more roster spot than the Cubs wanted to use on this type of thing since they already have John Mabry.  But Mabry can back up Aramis Ramirez, and the Cubs can carry one less pitcher and make it work.  I put a word in to a Cubs source of mine, and he agreed that the idea makes sense (who wouldn’t agree) and mentioned that the Cubs have liked Byrnes in the past. 

UPDATE: Just talked to a second Cubs source, and he echoed the sentiment held by many readers of the site: Hendry didn’t give Jones $16MM to platoon him.  He’s a full-timer for the most part.

Kirby Arnold reports that the Mariners offered Gil Meche to the Cubs for Corey Patterson.  At first, I said, "Sure, why not."  But then I looked at Meche’s numbers,  and I realized there’s no way he can help the ballclub.  When a pitcher loses his ability to strike batters out, as Meche may have, he has to counter the increased hits he’s surrendering with good control.  Or the ability to keep the ball in the park.  Meche appears to have none of these traits, and would be a frustrating spot starter who would allow tons of baserunners. I might rather have Josh Fogg at this point.  There’s got to be something slightly better out there for the Cubs.

Alfonso Soriano won’t move off second base for the Nationals and is pretty much raising a stink about being dealt to Washington.  Let’s see here, are there any teams with GMs dumber than Jim Bowden who might make a trade for Sori?  Dan O’Brien’s club doesn’t have a need for a 2B; Placido Polanco is firmly entrenched in Detroit…maybe Littlefield is interested?

Is Millwood really getting a five year deal from someone?  Insane.  Incredible timing to have your 2.86 ERA season.  Best timing award for the NL: Todd Jones.

My Mets guy is saying the club is still talking to the Dodgers about Jeff Kent, but right now it’s a "pipe dream."  Doesn’t seem like the two teams will agree on anything.  The Mets still have some faith in Victor Zambrano (or maybe they’re just trying to save face), but Omar feels that after adding Julian Tavarez his bullpen will be pretty much set.

The Mariners seem desperate to get rid of Jeremy Reed after pushing hard to obtain him for Freddy Garcia.  I guess they don’t understand that center fielders are hard to find and Reed will get better.  After the masterstroke that was the Johjima signing, Bill Bavasi has taken a step backward with Jarrod Washburn.

   

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