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Horacio Ramirez

Angels In Need Of Another Arm?

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At the end of his most recent column Ken Rosenthal posits a nightmare scenario for the Angles, going back to 2001 when the Mariners cracked out to a 20-4 start to seize the AL West crown before May Day. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the shelf for at least 4-6 weeks, should the Angels be concerned going into 2008? Is a move to pick up an extra starter in order?

The team is looking at filling 14-16 starts. With a surplus of outfielders the Angels are certainly in position to make a move. They could opt for a back of rotation innings eater like the Brewers Chris Capuano or the Reds’ Matt Belisle. Or, the team could really make a splash and dive head first into the Joe Blanton sweepstakes. David Bush might fill out the rotation nicely, through April and beyond.

Another possibility is a move toward the scrap heap, which got a slight upgrade this past week with the addition of Horacio Ramirez. Think Horacio might like a shot at the April 11 contest up at Safeco? How about reuniting brothers Jeff and Jared Weaver for one last sentimental run? And then there’s always the possibility of getting Southern Cali comfort David Wells off the couch for a month or two of solid work.

The LA Times sees General Manager Tony Reagins looking in-house to try and bridge the gap. Lefty Joe Saunders and righty Ervin Santana become your No. 3 and 4 starters, and Dustin Moseley, who made eight starts for the team in 2007, becomes your No. 5. Pencil in young gun Nick Adenhart for an outside shot at getting some innings, if not as a starter possibly as a long-reliever.

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Horacio, Willits

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Rumor guru and baseball insider Ken Rosenthal has a new column at FOX Sports.  Let’s discuss.

  • Rosenthal does not see the Cubs taking on the salaries of both Brian Roberts and Coco Crisp, even if they shed their Jason Marquis commitment.  Roberts remains the focus.
  • Horacio Ramirez’s agent says seven clubs have already expressed interest in his client.  Perhaps he meant to say 0.7.
  • Rosenthal runs through many Rocco Baldelli replacement options for the Rays: Reggie Willits, Kenny Lofton, Gabe Gross, and Reed Johnson.  Only Willits seems the perfect fit, and the Angels aren’t making him available. Willits and his .393 career OBP could be headed to Triple A.
  • The Phillies are looking for middle relief help; Rosenthal suggests a possible match with Arizona.  Or, how ’bout signing Bob Wickman?  Is he officially retired?

Mariners Release Horacio Ramirez

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The Mariners released pitcher Horacio Ramirez, closing the door on the Bill Bavasi blunder.  RotoWorld makes a good point – the Mariners wasted $458K by not non-tendering Ramirez back in December.  Nice.  Meanwhile, Rafael Soriano will close for the Braves for the next couple seasons.

Ramirez, a 28 year-old southpaw, brings nothing to the table at this point aside from his groundball rate.

Odds and Ends: Hunter, A-Rod, Bedard

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Sunday morning minor rumor collection…

  • There’s always some skepticism from readers regarding Charley Walters rumors.  Nonetheless I’ll report that he names the Nationals, White Sox, Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers as teams that will bid for Torii Hunter.  I don’t see the Braves getting involved at $15MM per.  And are the Dodgers ready to move Juan Pierre to left field already?  The other clubs named seem reasonable.
  • As expected, the Cardinals interviewed Chris Antonetti for their open GM position.  No doubt it’s an attractive position but you have to wonder what kind of autonomy he’d have with Tony La Russa around.
  • Larry LaRue makes the case for the Mariners tendering a contract to Horacio Ramirez.  He also notes that Jose Guillen is as good as gone and the Ms won’t consider A-Rod.
  • Speaking of that guy, Bill Price suggests the Mets should sign him and move David Wright to first base.  Carlos Delgado I suppose would be a very expensive pinch-hitter in 2008. 
  • Nick Cafardo expects the Orioles to shop Miguel Tejada this winter, which would surprise no one.  But he’s also hearing that Erik Bedard could be available.  Trades of either might be unpopular with the fanbase.  The trade market for starters could be hopping if Johan Santana, Bedard, and C.C. Sabathia are made available.
  • Joel Sherman says Koji Uehara is a free agent, but we have heard differently.  Anyway, the success of Hideki Okajima may create a minor bidding war for Hitoki Iwase.

Thoughts On Horacio Ramirez, Jason Schmidt

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There are a couple of opinions I’m forming that I’m kind of afraid to admit.  They don’t seem to be on bound with most of what I’ve read, though a few might agree.  Might as well ’fess up.

The first one is that the Mariners didn’t get ripped off on the Horacio Ramirez for Rafael Soriano trade.  This opinion began forming before I read about Soriano looking like a lost puppy on the mound and topping out at 91.

There’s been a lot of Horacio-bashing, and obviously the thought of a soft-tossing bottom-rotation guy doesn’t excite the way a flamethrowing setup man does.  But some points on Ramirez first.  He’s left-handed and he just turned 27.  He gets groundballs 54% of the time.  A concussion, hamstring strain, and torn finger ligament marred his ’06 season.  He’ll give up a ton of hits, but could be good for 32-33 starts, tons of grounders for Lopez and Betancourt, and decent control.  I could see a 4.50 ERA from him in 200 innings next season.  He’s got three years before free agency; league average pitchers make a lot more than $3MM these days.  League average guys could cost $10MM in 2008.

I can see how this trade still favors the Braves but it doesn’t seem like a huge rip-off to me.  The bummer is that Bavasi could’ve gotten more for Soriano.

On the other hand, I’m not impressed by the Jason Schmidt signing.  At least here I have some good backup.  I ran my own projection for Schmidt the other day, and arrived at a 3.95 ERA in 198 innings.  The ZiPS projection system at Baseball Think Factory came to a very similar conclusion.  Schmidt’s not an ace anymore, and paying $16MM for the 36 year-old version could be ugly.  I don’t think the Dodgers made a mistake here; they can afford Schmidt and he makes them a better club next year.  I’m just not calling this a bargain or the deal of the winter or something.

LaRoche For Gonzalez Offer Withdrawn

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David O’Brien’s latest for the AJC confirms that the Braves have traded starter Horacio Ramirez to the Mariners for Rafael Soriano.  Unless I’m missing something, John Schuerholz pillaged and maybe even plundered Bill Bavasi.

Additionally, the Braves have withdrawn their offer of Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez.  That makes sense given the completion of the Soriano deal.  O’Brien opines that Atlanta could re-engage the Angels, hoping to acquire some combination of Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman, and a pitcher.

Gonzalez has been cleverly subtracted from the Pirates’ front page, with Ian Snell replacing him.

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