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J.J. Hardy

Odds & Ends: Posey, Maybin, Penny

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Due to Bengie Molina's injury, the Giants have changed their mind and called up top prospect Buster Posey according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  So Posey's clock starts earlier than planned.
  • Speaking of service time, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith tells me Cameron Maybin's call-up gives him 129 days of service time after this year.  That puts him on the fringe of Super Two status after the 2011 season.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick ranks the impact of trades made by contenders in July.  He talked to an exec who thinks Matt Holliday "could make an extra $3MM a year as a free agent this winter because of his strong finish."
  • Yahoo's Gordon Edes has his trade deadline winners and losers.
  • Ryan Doumit's agent Matt Sosnick shot down recent negativity surrounding his client, while Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gets to the bottom of the catcher's recent benching.
  • Brad Penny still hates the Dodgers, a team he'll face twice this month according to Baggarly.  Baggarly also has a quote from Penny ripping on the Marlins.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more from Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who knows he gained trade value when the team delayed his free agency.
  • J.C. Bradbury of Sabernomics wonders whether the Braves should pick up Tim Hudson's $12MM option for 2010.  Hudson has the right to void that option, not that he would.  Back in January Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the Braves "fully intend to exercise it, barring some unexpected turn of events."
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that Kendry Morales has matched the production of the Angels' former first baseman, $180MM man Mark Teixeira.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has comments from Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes on the team's Jon Rauch–Kevin Mulvey swap.  Piecoro says the D'Backs have about $23MM to work with this winter as they presumably look to add pitching.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times guesses Ken Griffey Jr. will retire after this season.

Odds & Ends: Penny, Hardy, Hoffmann

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Some links to check out while you try to figure out what's for dinner…

  • ESPN's Keith Law says that both Jim Thome and Jon Garland have value to Dodgers in the roles they were acquired to fill, pinch hitter and innings eater. KLaw also notes that Jose Contreras is better option than anyone currently in the Rockies' organization, and that he might benefit from a move to the NL.
  • R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs says that people should be focusing more on the draft picks the White Sox gave away (Thome projects to be a Type-A free agent) than the fact that they're throwing in the towel on the season.
  • Brad Penny said he'd be willing to return to the AL East in the future, according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. "I think if I make my pitches against anyone, I'll do fine…Sometimes you don't get breaks. I was making some bad pitches, and leaving some balls up. In the AL East, you can't really do that," said Penny.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy spoke to Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy about whether he'll be traded this offseason or not, and got this response: "It makes sense, not that I want to be traded."
  • Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers have designated outfielder Jamie Hoffmann for assignment. The 25-yr old hit just .182/.167/.409 in his brief stint with LA earlier this year. It's always fun when a guy has a higher batting average than on-base percentage.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America posted last week's minor league transactions. The Brewers signed two former big leaguers – outfielders Jon Knott and Tike Redman – out of the independent Atlantic League.
  • Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter for the fastest rumor updates on the web.

Discussion: J.J. Hardy

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When the Brewers demoted slumping shortstop J.J. Hardy on August 12th, GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the move was performance-based and was not done to delay his free agency by a year.  Talking to Anthony Witrado of the JS yesterday, Hardy and his agent Mike Seal publicly called BS on Melvin.  After all, the Brewers chose the latest possible date to demote Hardy and still ensure he would not become a free agent until after the 2011 season.  Melvin would point to Hardy's .229/.300/.367 batting line.  Which side are you on?

Hardy was initially OK with the demotion, until his agent informed him of the Brewers' perfect timing.  The Brewers may prefer the younger, cheaper Alcides Escobar as their shortstop moving forward, making Hardy a prime offseason trade candidate.  Even with a pay cut, Hardy will make at least $3.7MM in 2010 if tendered a contract.  That seems a worthwhile gamble – FanGraphs had Hardy as a 4+ win player in each of the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Which teams might pursue the 27 year-old shortstop?  Rumors linking Boston to Hardy date back to at least June.  Perhaps the Twins could renew their winter interest.  The Blue Jays and A's may also make sense.

Odds & Ends: Scutaro, Hardy, Glaus, Giants

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Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and link to something like this… and totally redeem yourself!

  • MLB.com's Drew Davison mentions that Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston expressed his desire about having shortstop Marco Scutaro around next year. "Well, I hope we get him back," Gaston said. "I don't know, maybe we have got a shot. It's just one of those things." Scutaro projects to be a Type-A free agent, so the Jays could stand to gain two draft picks if they offer him arbitration and he signs elsewhere.
  • Anthony Witrado of The Journal Sentinel has a quote from Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who felt like his demotion to Triple-A was a punishment. Because of how long he was sent down, Hardy's free agency was delayed by a year until after the 2011 season. As you can imagine, he's upset about it.
  • Meanwhile, Tom Haudricourt tweets that he's not "expecting any last-minute deals tonight involving the Brewers," and that "all is quiet" on their front.
  • Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes that one of the Cardinals first callups will be third baseman Troy Glaus, who's been out all season due to injury.
  • After signing Brad Penny earlier today, Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News says that he's "told the Giants don’t expect any more moves this evening." There was some speculation that the Giants could be interested in one of the White Sox veterans that suddenly became available tonight.
  • Last night we learned that the Mets cancelled fall instructional league in a cost cutting move, but today Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News noted that the team will instead have its minor leaguers work out at their academy in the Dominican because "there's not enough competition in Florida, especially with the Cards purportedly no longer fielding an instructional league team in nearby Jupiter."

Odds And Ends: Hardy, Johnson, Mets

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More links as we await the next waiver trade…

  • The Brewers put off J.J. Hardy's free agency until after 2011 by keeping him in the minors for 20 days, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out. This should boost Hardy's trade value after the season, when the Brewers will presumably listen to trade offers, now that Alcides Escobar is contributing in the majors.
  • Randy Johnson expects to return to the Giants as a reliever, according to the AP (via FOX Sports).
  • MLB.com's Marty Noble suggests Jayson Werth and Derrek Lee would be good fits for the Mets this offseason.  

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Nationals, Padres, Hardy, Smoltz

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FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dig in for some rumory goodness…

  • This coming week may the biggest week in Nationals' history. In addition to Monday's midnight deadline to sign first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, the Nats could pick their next general manager as early as Tuesday.
  • "The buzz in scouting circles" is that Diamondbacks executive Jerry DiPoto is the frontrunner for the job, but the team has given "absolutely no indication of its plans." Acting GM Mike Rizzo has "generally gotten good reviews."
  • The Padres put both Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell on trade waivers Friday. Both are likely to be claimed, but don't count on either getting traded. The team says that the Jake Peavy trade has greatly reduced the pressure on them to move either Gonzalez or Bell.
  • If either player is going to be moved, it would most likely happen in the offseason when the Padres could negotiate will all 29 other teams.
  • If shortstop J.J. Hardy stays in Triple-A for more than 20 days, he'll remain under the Brewers control for two more years instead of one. Such a move would enhance Hardy's trade value, and it would be tough for him to argue it's unfair given his lack of production this year. However, if service time was an issue, the club should have demoted him a lot sooner.
  • Marlins righty Anibal Sanchez was throwing 90-94 in his most recent rehab start, and his return would lessen the pressure on some of the team's other young starters.
  • The Marlins and Cardinals are among the teams looking at John Smoltz as a reliever. The Cards are also looking at a number of other righthanded options for their bullpen.

Gonzalez Clears Waivers; Red Sox Interested?

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Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez has cleared waivers and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Red Sox may be interested. The extent of their interest isn't clear, but Rosenthal says they're considering Gonzalez and other options as they try to solidify the shortstop position. Now that Gonzalez has cleared waivers, the Reds can trade him to any club.

Gonzalez, 32, makes $5.4MM this year and is hitting .210/.258/.296.

The Red Sox showed brief interest in Bill Hall. The Brewers haven't yet placed shortstop J.J. Hardy on waivers and it's unclear if they'd trade him now, while he's in the minors.

J.J. Hardy And Free Agency

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The Brewers optioned J.J. Hardy to Triple A this morning and GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the move isn't intended to put off the shortstop's free agency. If Hardy had stayed in the majors through this year and next, he would have become a free agent after the 2010 season. 

That's still possible for Hardy, but it depends on how long he spends in the minors. If he's down on the farm for less than 20 days, he'll still get credit for a full season of service time. If he misses more than 20 days, he won't have enough service time to become a free agent until after the 2011 season.

Brewers Rumors: Hardy, Escobar, Sheets

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Lots of Brewers news this Wednesday morning. Here's the latest:

  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers fired pitching coach Bill Castro and demoted J.J. Hardy to Triple A. The Alcides Escobar era begins in Milwaukee.
  • In a different article, McCalvy writes that the Brewers are still looking for a starter on the waiver wire, though no top arms are available.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin has not heard from Casey Close, who represents Ben Sheets and wonders if the agent's silence means Sheets won't pitch this year: "I think he would call clubs if [Sheets] were going to pitch, wouldn't he?" 
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files the team's moves under the "What Have We Got to Lose?" category.

Hardy Not Placed On Waivers

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Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who dismisses rumors that J.J. Hardy might have been claimed by the Red Sox, and says in fact Hardy was not placed on waivers at all.

Buster Olney at ESPN had reported yesterday that Hardy had "not passed through waivers yet," but suggested the Sox could have interest should Hardy be put on waivers. It's unclear where rumors that Hardy had been claimed stem from. Earlier today, Melvin indicated that he might be open to exploring deals for Hardy this offseason, however.

Melvin goes on to say that he hasn't found a starter to his liking on the waiver wire. He's not interested in John Smoltz, Mark Mulder, or Vicente Padilla.

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