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Odds and Ends: Castillo, Marte

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Some random rumorage as the mill slows down a bit…

  • RotoWorld reports that the Pirates have released infielder Jose Castillo.  Castillo has had flashes of brilliance, for example his 7 HR month in ’06.  But he’s been a disappointment overall and doesn’t figure to be anyone’s starting second baseman.
  • The Yankees and Bucs are discussing a Damaso Marte deal.  At the same link a failed Jack Wilson for Chris Duncan rumor is mentioned.

Pirates Rumors: Bay, Morris, McLouth, Nady

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Dejan Kovacevic and John Perrotto have the latest on the plans of Neal Huntington’s Pirates.

  • Both beat writers are saying not to expect Jason Bay to be traded at the Meetings.  It would be a sell-low move with bad PR.
  • Both also agree that Matt Morris staying put.  Kovacevic spins it as if the Pirates should actually want to keep Morris, while Perrotto’s sources suggest the Bucs would have to eat more than 70% of Morris’ contract to ditch him.
  • Kovacevic also suggests that the Pirates need Jack Wilson, and that’s why he won’t be going anywhere.
  • Relievers Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, and John Grabow are available and drawing some interest.  Marte in particular interests the Yankees.
  • Chris Duffy can be had; the Braves and Marlins have previously expressed interest.  Maybe they’ll renew that with center field vacancies and a new Pirates GM.  Duffy will start in Triple A if he’s not dealt.
  • The Pirates are still talking to Shawn Chacon about returning.
  • Perrotto notes that interest in center fielder Nate McLouth is picking up, with the Padres and Marlins interested.
  • Xavier Nady won’t be non-tendered, contrary to previous reports.

Cards Could Get Morris, Wilson From Pirates

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Yesterday Joe Strauss wrote how the Cardinals’ #1 reasonable target for shortstop appears to be the Pirates’ Jack Wilson.  Today, Dejan Kovacevic confirms it and adds Matt Morris as another possibility to head to St. Louis.

Kovacevic notes that the Cardinals tried to acquire Morris last summer, though that wasn’t John Mozeliak.  The Pirates would have to be willing to eat some of Morris’ salary, though they would take on all of Wilson’s.  So far Anthony Reyes, Tyler Johnson, and Brad Thompson are named as the pitchers the Cardinals will trade.  I still have some hope for Reyes.

Kovacevic adds that the Bucs are in on Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori.  The Padres, Rockies, and Red Sox may also have Fukumori in their sights.

Cards Considering Jack Wilson, Izturis, Tejada

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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss has an excellent update on the Cardinals’ pursuit of a new starting shortstop. 

  • Sounds like the end of the David Eckstein Era in St. Louis – Strauss says it’s a widespread belief that Eckstein will not be offered arbitration and probably will not stay around.
  • While the Cards are drawn to Miguel Tejada, a deal seems highly unlikely.  John Mozeliak wants to move quickly to fill the shortstop position and the Orioles are taking their time with Tejada.
  • Sounds like there’s a very good chance the Cards get Jack Wilson from the Bucs.  They’re OK with paying all of the $13.75MM owed to him through 2009.
  • If Wilson doesn’t work out, Cesar Izturis is the one free agent the Cardinals are considering.  They could have some competition from the Rays.
  • There isn’t much interest in acquiring Juan Uribe or going with internal option Brendan Ryan.
  • A few speculative options not mentioned by Strauss: Cristian Guzman, Alexei Ramirez, Jason Bartlett, Adam Everett, Joaquin Arias, Clint Barmes, and Russ Adams.

Pirates Rumors From Bucco Blog

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Jake at Bucco Blog has some hot stove material, in addition to his roundup of Pirates prospects.

The Rays are looking for a shortstop, and Jake hears that they might be interested in Jack Wilson. Jake said he debunked this rumor earlier this month, but there "might be renewed interest." I don’t see it. Wilson has had a few decent years, but with over $14 million left on his contract, I see the Rays taking a cheaper route.

Jake is hearing that the Pirates "we’re not actively shopping any players" line is just a front. According to his source, the Pirates are playing this game in order to generate better trades later on, once the smoke has settled. Teams that missed out on their top targets might be more desperate to trade for, say, Jason Bay or Ian Snell later on.

If the Pirates are willing to gut the roster, would that include fielding offers for Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps, and Freddy Sanchez? Jake thinks, and I agree, that Gorz should be as close to untouchable as you can get. He doesn’t think the numbers indicate that Capps can continue his dominance, though his low walk rate certainly helps his case.

Honestly, if Sanchez can fetch anything decent, he needs to be dished. Yeah, he won the batting title in 2006, but he had an average year at the plate in 2007, albeit above average for a second baseman. He’ll be 30 next year, and will start getting expensive. I’d hang on to Gorz, Capps, and Snell, as they’ll all be 25 and under in 2008.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Odds and Ends: Clark, Izturis, Clemens

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First day for teams to negotiate with free agents, always a good time.  Here are today’s odds and ends.

  • Jeff Blair notes that one athlete may still be better paid than Alex Rodriguez: Kimi Raikkonen, a Formula One driver, earns $51MM per year.  No need to debate on whether race car drivers should be considered athletes, I just thought it was interesting.
  • The D’Backs don’t figure to spend much on free agents, because they’re a smart team. Tony Clark wants two years, $4MM, and the team is thinking it over.
  • The Bucs will probably hold onto Jack Wilson this winter, as they’re cutting Cesar Izturis loose rather than pay him $5.45MM.  The Cardinals have interest in Izturis, by the way.
  • Confirming what we already knew: the Yankees will pursue Mike Lowell and Johan Santana.
  • Marty York has a source saying the Blue Jays might pursue Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.  Say what?
  • Doug Melvin isn’t planning on moving Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun from third base unless the Brewers acquire another "legitimate, bona fide third baseman."
  • Mark Gonzales notes that the White Sox tried to acquire Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel in 2006, implying that Kenny Williams might go after one of them now.  Linebrink is going to be a costly sign, as he’s a Type A and I imagine the Brewers will offer him arbitration.
  • Scott Gregor places odds on various center field possibilities for the White Sox.  He thinks they have a decent chance of trading for Coco Crisp.

Tigers Hot Stove Talk

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Lynn Henning of the Detroit News runs down all of the big names rumored to be possibilities for the Tigers this winter and assesses the likelihood of each.  It’s a well-written article so be sure to read it.  Here are the players, ranked by the percent chance of playing for Detroit next year:

Kenny Rogers – 90%
Todd Jones – 80%
Geoff Jenkins – 75%
Edgar Renteria – 50%
Jack Wilson – 30%
Francisco Cordero – 5%
Alex Rodriguez – 3%
Mariano Rivera – 3%
Raul Ibanez – 0.5%
Torii Hunter – 0%
Andruw Jones – 0%

  • Henning believes Jenkins is quite likely to become a Tiger on a two-year deal.  He only costs money, as the Brewers won’t be offering him arbitration if they decline his option.  The Twins may be in the mix for him as well.
  • Henning notes that new Braves GM Frank Wren and current Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski have a connection and could easily work together on a Renteria trade.  Pitching would be the requirement.  Jeremy Bonderman seems like too much; Nate Robertson perhaps too little.
  • The Tigers badly want to bring Rogers back; that seems very likely.
  • Henning expects Jones back unless he receives an offer from the Braves, located somewhat near his home.  That’s not expected.

Carlos Guillen to Play 1B Next Season

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The Tigers anticipated this.  Carlos Guillen’s okay with it.  Despite signing Guillen in March to a 4 year deal for $48MM to begin next season, the shortstop is going to be moving across the diamond sooner than expected to play first base.  The move is designed to protect his knees from the physical stresses of SS.

Tim argued that 4/48 was a bargain as long as he remained the Tigers’ shortstop.  Unfortunately, it appears Manager Jim Leyland has had to talk him into moving to first, despite Guillen’s condition last week that the Tigers had to bring in a gold glove caliber replacement.  However, Guillen now believes it’ll be better for the team and the longevity of his career.

Who then will be playing short for the Tigers in 2008?  Omar Vizquel, David Eckstein, and Cesar Izturis are free agents that stick out.  The Detroit Free Press notes there "could be other shortstops available in trade."  Edgar Renteria seems to be a popular choice among MLBTR readers.  Or will the Tigers make another attempt at Jack Wilson from Pittsburgh?  Or would they stick with the in-house option of Ramon Santiago?  The apparent good news is there are many options.

This also confirms the obvious:  the Tigers have no plans to bring Sean Casey back.

 

Posted by: Nat Boyle

Jack Wilson Staying Or Going?

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Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel both spoke to Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson recently.  While the quotes gathered from each aren’t mutually exclusive, they don’t seem to gel when compared.

The main point of Kovacevic’s section on Wilson is that he would like to stay in Pittsburgh, mainly because of the change in management.

Biertempfel had an extended Q&A with Wilson.  With him, Wilson speaks of a "very good possibility" this is his last season as a Pirate.  The shortstop has been mulling over some kind of goodbye to Pirates fans at the last home game this year.

Wilson’s OPS was down to .641 on July 28th.  But in 99 ABs since, Wilson hit .414/.474/.677 to raise his overall OPS to a more respectable .757.  The hot streak might make the shortstop’s contract go down a little more easily for another GM.  Wilson makes $6.5MM in ’08 and $7.25MM in ’09.  He has an $8.4MM option for 2010 with a $600K buyout attached.  Wilson can block trades to six clubs each year, but he told the Bucs in August he’d waive the clause for any trade.  The Pirates were in negotiations with the Tigers at one point.

Random Rumors: Erstad, Gagne, Podsednik

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Here’s a smattering of random rumors.

  • The Twins have tried and failed to acquire Mike Piazza, Jermaine Dye, and Kevin Mench.  Instead of Dye, the White Sox offered up 33 year-old outfielder Darin Erstad, he of the .671 OPS. The Twins passed.
  • Eric Gagne will apparently earn Type A status as a free agent, despite pitching only two innings in 2006.  Rob Bradford has the details.  This was apparently a big factor for the Red Sox in making the deal.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times debunks a rumor that the Cubs are trying to trade for Scott Podsednik.  How come I wasn’t told about this rumor previously?  Who started it?  I feel left out. 
  • The Pirates and Tigers are still talking about Jack Wilson.  Apparently the deadline version of the deal died when the Bucs asked for Craig Monroe.  Really?  The deal died over that guy?
  • Gordon Edes has a Major League source indicating that the Orioles are "the kind of team that might have interest" in Wily Mo Pena.  That’s not the same as saying that they do have interest, however.
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