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Jermaine Dye

How Will Angels Replace Morales?

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4:28pm: The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham wonders (via Twitter) if Mike Lowell will be traded to the Angels in light of Morales' injury. He notes that the Red Sox would likely have to eat a large portion of Lowell's salary.

2:16pm: ESPN's Mark Saxon tweets that the Angels are saying Morales' injury is not season ending, though he doesn't provide a timetable for the slugger's return. As Saxon points out in another tweet, Mike Napoli will start at first base today for the first time since his minor league days.

10:57am: Following one of the more unusual injuries in recent years, the Angels now face the problem of how to replace their most productive hitter. Kendry Morales, who was hitting .290/.346/.487 with 11 homers, fractured his leg while celebrating a walk-off grand slam last night, and could miss the rest of the season.

Robb Quinlan and Mark Trumbo are in-house candidates to step in for Morales, but the defending AL West champs will likely consider acquiring an impact player to boost an offense that, even with Morales, has hit just .248. After all, despite playing sub-.500 ball so far, they're very much in contention, sitting only 3.5 games out of first place.

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Angels have plenty of options when it comes to finding a new first baseman. He suggests that Paul Konerko and Lance Berkman are the two most attractive and realistic trade targets for the Angels, though he acknowledges that the club won't have much leverage, given their desperate need for a middle-of-the-order bat. The Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales agrees that Konerko could be a fit for the Angels, noting that the White Sox first baseman has a relationship with Mike Scioscia that dates back to their days with the Dodgers.

DiGiovanna names a handful of other possible targets for the Angels, including Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan, and Prince Fielder. Obviously, some of those sluggers are less available than others. Jermaine Dye, Ryan Garko, and Carlos Delgado (when he's healthy) are a few more available, low-cost options the team could look at, according to DiGiovanna.

Even if the Angels decide to make a move, it may not happen for a month or two, coming closer to the trade deadline. However, in the wake of Morales' injury, it's safe to put them near the top of the list of teams who will be shopping for a power hitter this summer.

Pat Burrell Rumors: Thursday

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5:57pm: Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was told that the Giants "have no serious interest" in Burrell, while the Padres apparently "have no interest at all," according to a tweet from MLB.com's Corey Brock.

5:22pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Burrell's preference is to return to the National League.  Rosenthal also notes that Jermaine Dye's chances of finding a deal close to his asking price will be greatly diminished given that Burrell is now on the market and available at the minimum salary. 

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe pretty much eliminates the Red Sox from the Burrell sweepstakes, adding that the club "wouldn't have a space for another one-dimensional player" at DH what with Mike Lowell and David Ortiz currently filling the position.

3:48pm: The Padres and Giants are interested in Pat Burrell, according to the chatter that Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News hears (Twitter link). Burrell, who will cost a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum now that he's a free agent, may be considering offers.

The Giants (14th in the NL in runs) and the Padres (13th in the NL in runs) could both use offense. Andres Torres, Nate Schierholtz and Aubrey Huff are hitting well enough for the Giants in the corner outfield spots and at first. Kyle Blanks has not produced so far for the Padres, but it's hard to imagine the Padres letting Burrell loose in the outfield, since he has played just nine innings there since 2009. 

Burrell, who hit .202/.292/.303 for the Rays this year, is not necessarily a candidate for an everyday job on either team. They may be eyeing him as a potential source of bench power. The Padres could look to replace one former Phillie with another if they don't expect Matt Stairs to emerge from his early-season slump.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday that the Phillies are not interested in bringing Burrell back to Philadelphia.

Odds & Ends: Kearns, Lowell, Dye, Strasburg

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Links for Tuesday, as Hanley Ramirez digs himself into an even bigger hole after last night's jog…

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Griffey, Pena, Dye

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In his latest Full Count video for FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal says that retirement could become a more realistic option for Ken Griffey Jr. if the 40-year-old continues to see less playing time. Rosenthal adds that, during their past two contract negotiations, Griffey and agent Brian Goldberg have discussed with the Mariners "how a phase-out might occur," since Griffey hopes to continue his relationship with the team after his retirement. Here are Rosenthal's other hot stove notes:

  • Although Carl Crawford likely won't be a Ray past this season, the club has a chance to retain Carlos Pena. With Adam Dunn, Derrek Lee, and Paul Konerko eligible for free agency after this year, and Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, and Prince Fielder potentially hitting the open market in 2011, there are a slew of alternatives to Pena. A power-starved club like the Mariners and Orioles could make a run at Pena, but it's still possible he ends up back in Tampa Bay, assuming there's mutual interest.
  • If the White Sox decide to blow up their roster, it may happen sooner rather than later, given the ten and five rights that will kick in for A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle this summer. Pierzynski, Konerko, J.J. Putz, and Andruw Jones would be the most likely trade candidates.
  • Although the Padres spoke to Jermaine Dye in the offseason, they'd prefer to stick to their current, younger players. If they decide to add a bat, it's more likely to be an active outfielder than the inactive Dye.

Dye Would Play For Padres

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Jermaine Dye would play for the Padres, according to Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Dye's agent Bob Bry said earlier this week that the 36-year-old outfielder continues to work out and hit in anticipation of a big league job. The 22-12 Padres, who lead the NL West, appeal to Dye.

"San Diego was one of the places Jermaine was excited about playing," Bry said.

Sullivan reports that the Padres "had dialogue" with Dye and his representatives last offseason, but chose to rely on youth instead. So far, the Padres' offense ranks 13th out of the 16 National League teams with 143 runs scored. Corner outfielders Kyle Blanks and Will Venable have started slowly.

It's not clear that the Padres are interested in Dye or that he could help them win. After hitting 20 homers in the first half last year, Dye slowed down and hit seven in the second half with a .179/.293/.297 line. The advanced fielding metric UZR suggests Dye's outfield defense was considerably worse than average last year. Still, Dye is the most readily-available hitter for teams seeking  25-homer power.

Odds & Ends: Indians, Dunn, Cardona, Giants

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Let's check out some links on a beautiful evening in New Jersey..

  • Indians manager Manny Acta says that he's still focused on developing the team's young talent, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
  • Adam Dunn says that signing another two-year deal wouldn't be his preference, though he's not opposed to it, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • Other clubs are upset over Toronto's reported agreement with Adonis Cardona, writes Jeremy Sandler of the National Post.
  • Even more from Baggarly, as he tells us not to expect the Giants to sign Jermaine Dye or call up Buster Posey in the coming days.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (via Twitter) doesn't think the Giants would benefit from bringing back Ryan Garko.
  • Former Royals manager Trey Hillman said that the team had a lengthy players-only meeting prior to being swept by the Rangers, tweets Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
  • Giants manager Bruce Bochy, GM Brian Sabean, and hitting coach Hensley Meulens are "talking over options"  following a 1-hit loss to San Diego, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (via Twitter).
  • The Reds have promoted Yonder Alonso to Triple-A Louisville, tweets Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Baseball America's 2010 Prospect Handbook rated Alonso ahead of Mike Leake in Cincinnati's farm system but behind Todd Frazier.
  • MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez writes that Major League Baseball is hoping to clean up the sport in Venezuela.

Possible Areas Of Concern: Nationals, Cubs, D’Backs

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It's still early – probably too early to draw definite conclusions about teams' strengths and weaknesses – but let's take a look at some clubs that could look to improve in certain areas. This is purely speculative, and remember – these weaknesses could become strengths in a matter of weeks.

Nationals Notes: Harper, Right Field, Daniel

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The draft is less than a month away and once again, the Nationals appear likely to select the nation's best-known amateur with the first overall pick. Here are the details on the team's draft strategy and a couple other Nats-related notes:

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Howard, Francisco, Mendoza

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Links to check out as we await Cliff Lee's Mariners debut…

Dye Thinks He Could Help White Sox

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The White Sox rank 11th in the American League with four runs scored per game.  Their .309 OBP ranks 12th; their .390 SLG places 9th.  Like most teams, the Sox have several players hitting above their ability (Paul Konerko, Andruw Jones), and several players below (Juan Pierre, Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, A.J. Pierzynski).  The Sox projected to have a below-average offense from the start, but if they just wait it out they'll improve on the current output.

Pierre has been particularly disappointing, as has the team's production from their DH rotation.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes free agent Jermaine Dye could help, and Dye agrees.  He wants to do more than just DH, potentially helping at outfield and first base.  Dye also clarified recent rumors, saying the Cubs' $3MM offer wasn't formal and he spoke last to the Brewers.  He added, "I'm not going to a bad team, and I'm not playing for $1.5 million."

It doesn't make sense for the Sox to bid much more than that, so money would be one issue.  Manager Ozzie Guillen isn't sure where he'd put Dye, and thinks the player might need a month to be ready (Dye says two weeks).  Whether or not there's a fit with the White Sox, Guillen wants to see Dye come back and play for a big league team.

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