Odds & Ends: Orioles, Beckett, Brewers, Giants
Saturday night linkage..
- The Orioles are in search of a lefty reliever, writes The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. The guy the O's really want is Will Ohman, as they extended him a minor league contract offer in late January. Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi and Joe Beimel are also options for the club.
- Joe McDonald and Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal take a look at the big decision Boston will face – whether or not to re-sign Josh Beckett. If the BoSox choose not to retain the 29-year-old, they'll have to recognize that his replacement likely won't be found in free agency.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel praises GM Doug Melvin for stocking up on hurlers this offseason. Free agent pickups Randy Wolf and Doug Davis were brought aboard to help support Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Yovani Gallardo.
- Giants managing general partner Bill Neukom is not sure that the Giants' payroll will reach $100MM as has been originally reported, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco's payroll was $82.6MM to start the 2009 season.
Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine
The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."
He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…
- Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
- Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
- Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
- J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
- Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
- Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
- Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.
The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.
Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…
- Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
- The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
- Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
- Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
- Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.
Brewers Sign Jeff Suppan
The Brewers have added righty Jeff Suppan to their rotation at a cost of four years, $42MM. There’s a club option for 2011. So much for waiting out Zito. You can read the press release here.
This is may be the best rotation in the NL Central:
Ben Sheets
Chris Capuano
Dave Bush
Jeff Suppan
Claudio Vargas
Oddly, I am projecting Suppan to be the worst pitcher on the staff. Overall I expect a 3.95 ERA from these five.
Post-Dispatch Cardinals Update
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently spoke to Cards GM Walt Jocketty, and has an article full of updates.
The Cardinals are still trying to bring back Mark Mulder and/or Jeff Weaver, but aren’t interested in other free agent pitchers. Jeff Suppan would have to offer a discount, which is unlikely. The Cards have a two-year offer out to Mulder. Weaver might wait out both Zito and Suppan before signing. Outside options like Brian Lawrence and Tomo Ohka might be out of the picture.
It also appears that Jocketty doesn’t have any trades on the horizon despite their earlier interest in Carl Pavano. Right now, the rotation appears to be Carpenter, Wells, Reyes, Wainwright, and Looper.
The Cards will bring back Rick Ankiel on a minor league deal. Preston Wilson hopes to return as well.
Mets Visit Jeff Suppan, Brewers Make Offer
It’s old news at this point, but I should mention that the Mets visited with free agent starter Jeff Suppan and his agent in California yesterday morning.
Suppan is the backup plan for teams like the Mets and Giants, one of which won’t get Barry Zito. A few small-market clubs who can’t afford Zito hope to swoop in and snag Suppan as well. Also, I forgot to write a soup-related pun so please feel free to do that in the comments. Have we seen "No Soup For You!" as a headline yet? Suppan should spurn some team so we can watch sixteen newspapers say that.
UPDATE: Cheese Soup? Seriously, that is well done.
Pirates Back In Mix For Suppan
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates, Brewers, and a mystery team are the top suitors for Jeff Suppan. One team, not the Brewers according to Dejan Kovacevic, has already made an offer to Suppan. Could be the Bucs with their two-year idea to get negotiations rolling.
The Pirates have the cash, and a homecoming could be enjoyable for the fans. Suppan has said he probably won’t sign until after Zito does.
Brewers To Make Suppan An Offer
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers will be putting together a proposal for free agent starter Jeff Suppan. I have heard from a source that the offer could be $33MM for three years plus a fourth year option. The Crew currently has Sheets, Capuano, Bush, and Vargas in the rotation. I think that’s quite solid if healthy.
The article also mentions the Giants, Mets, Rockies, Pirates, and Royals as suitors. And don’t forget the Cards, who could still re-sign him. I’ve heard that the Bucs only want to go two years on Suppan, offering a higher annual average value.