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Jon Garland

Garland For Renteria Discussed?

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Found via Buster Olney’s blog: Peter Gammons suggested that the White Sox and Braves have discussed a Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria swap.

Renteria, soon to turn 32, is hitting better this year than he ever has.  He’s quite a bargain for Atlanta, because the Red Sox are footing much of the bill.  Assuming Boston’s $8MM contribution was spread evenly for 2006-08, the Braves are paying Renteria about 6.66MM this year and the same in 2008.  Renteria also has an $11MM option for 2009 on which Boston would pay the $3MM buyout if necessary.  At present it seems very likely to be exercised though.  Yunel Escobar can handle shortstop defensively, so the Braves have an in-house replacement.  Kelly Johnson deserves to be playing every day.

Garland will turn 28 in September.  He’s making $10MM this year and $12MM in ’08.  He’d give the Braves some much-needed stability, and the team would have a formidable front four of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Chuck James, and Garland.  Despite a lack of strikeouts, Garland should be able to keep his ERA under 4 in the NL.  One concern is that Garland has a persistent knot in his throwing shoulder, though it doesn’t hurt and he thinks he will just pitch through it for the rest of his career.

If Kenny Williams can’t come up with a shortstop this summer, I could see him going after Omar Vizquel, who he tried to sign in the winter of 2004-05.

McAdam On Red Sox Trade Possibilities

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Yesterday, Sean McAdam of The Providence Journal posted an article discussing trade possibilities for the Red Sox.  Let’s discuss.

  • It seems that the Red Sox will add a bullpen arm despite the fine work of Manny Delcarmen.  Apparently they want someone with experience.  Eric Gagne doesn’t seem likely, nor does Brad Lidge.  Instead, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and maybe Salomon Torres or Scott Linebrink could be acquired.  The focus is said to be on the Houston relievers.  Wheeler seems like a solid buy-low option.  You can add Octavio Dotel to the radar as well.  And let’s throw Brian Fuentes into the mix.  UPDATE: Today, McAdam added Damaso Marte as a reliever the Red Sox like.  He says the price for Torres is "way too high" at present.  And according to the Boston Globe, Drayton McLane will not even consider moving Lidge.
  • The Sox would get involved on a top-flight starter like Roy Oswalt or Dontrelle Willis.  Calling Willis "top-flight" is a stretch, but that’s what McAdam said.  They also like Jon Garland, if they can pry him loose for a reasonable price.  Other available starters don’t seem markedly better than internal options.
  • The Royals would love to pawn Reggie Sanders off, but the Red Sox don’t have interest.  Instead, they could reacquire Kevin Millar or even go after Jermaine Dye.  Is Dye really a perfect fit, though?  Wouldn’t his acquisition make he and J.D. Drew part-time players?  That wouldn’t be good for the clubhouse.  UPDATE: McAdam says today that this playing time issue will indeed thwart a trade.  On the Millar front, the Boston Globe debunks that rumor on the basis that the Sox want someone who can play center field.
  • Speaking of people who can play center field, the Boston Herald mentions Randy Winn and Dave Roberts as possibilities.  The fans would love a Roberts acquisition, I imagine. 
  • The trade Mike Lowell/acquire Mark Teixeira scenario is highly unlikely.
  • The Boston Globe is saying that the Red Sox are "actively shopping" Wily Mo Pena.  I discussed Wily Mo in a post yesterday.  The Boston Herald today said that he might be the trading chip for a deal with Houston.

Conor Jackson Showcased For White Sox?

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You may have noticed Conor Jackson oddly playing left field last night.  On the surface, the idea was just to get Jackson, Mark Reynolds, and Chad Tracy into the same lineup against Dave Bush.

However, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Diamondbacks’ real motivation was to showcase Jackson for the White Sox.  Left field is the only place the Sox could use him.

Rogers writes that while the D’Backs scouted Jose Contreras, they’re after Jon Garland or even John Danks.  Javier Vazquez’s name did not come up, but wouldn’t it be crazy to see the Chris Young trade reversed?  [As the always sharp commenters immediately noted, Vazquez has a no-trade clause allowing him to block trades to all nine AL/NL West teams.  But it would still be cool to see the trade reversed.]  Baseball America had some interesting thoughts on the impending Young/Justin Upton center field logjam today (the On The Brink section).

Rogers also adds that the D’Backs would trade right fielder Carlos Quentin.  Quentin is 10 for 22 since his return to Triple A Tucson.  Keep in mind that he was dealing with a small labrum tear in his left shoulder in the beginning of the season, which probably contributed to his poor play.

Either player would be a nice pickup for the Sox, who desperately need outfielders for 2008.  If you’re a PECOTA fan, here are the projections for ’08 in the AVG/OBP/SLG format:

Jackson: .305/.389/.512
Quentin: .288/.380/.491

Josh Byrnes and Kenny Williams work well together, and match up nicely for another deal this summer.

Rockies Inquired On White Sox Starters

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In June, the main trade buzz around the Rockies was that they had interest in Octavio Dotel.  Today, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune added some intriguing names also on Colorado’s wish list: Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Jon Garland.  Obviously Buehrle is off limits now.

It wasn’t too long ago that Dan O’Dowd expressed his interest in adding a White Sox hurler.  Apparently talks stalled when Kenny Williams wanted southpaw starter Franklin Morales or third baseman Ian Stewart from the Rox.  Morales has frontline stuff and is trying to hone his control at Double A Tulsa.  He missed some time in May with a strained hamstring, but recovered and made the Futures Game.  Stewart, playing at Triple A, made the team as well.  He started off slow in the power department but smacked seven home runs in June.  The Rockies may have a longjam soon with both Stewart and Garrett Atkins at the hot corner. 

Garland would be a useful addition for Colorado.  I imagine Williams would only trade Garland if O’Dowd gave in on Morales or Stewart.  Maybe the teams could agree on Contreras for Ubaldo Jimenez instead.  Jimenez has a lot of talent but has shown poor control for most of his minor league career, especially in ’07.  Such a swap still seems advantageous to Chicago but I could imagine Williams asking for Jimenez.  Pitching coach Don Cooper has a knack for fixing control problems.

What About Other White Sox Pitchers?

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A couple of Chicago newspapers raised a logical possibility today: what if the impending White Sox fire sale extends beyond those who will become free agents?  Specifically, the Sox have three veteran starting pitchers under contract and any of them could be traded. 

Take Javier Vazquez.  He’s a fine addition to any team looking for a complementary, solid, healthy pitcher.  Vazquez is signed through 2010 at $11.5MM annually, about the market rate.  He’ll turn 31 soon, and has no health issues.  His strikeout rate is strong, his walk rate low.  Granted he’s HR prone and his ERA never quite seems to match his other stats, but he’s plenty valuable.

There’s Jon Garland, who’s only 27 and has quietly posted a 3.51 ERA.  I’m quite skeptical, because his strikeout rate is at a career low but his hit rate is too.  That’s not sustainable.  Nonetheless, he can really eat up innings and has been healthy for years aside from minor concerns this spring.  Garland makes $10MM this year and $12MM in ’08.   

Jose Contreras is the riskiest White Sox pitcher.  Contreras earns $9MM this year, $10MM in ’08, and $10MM in ’09.  His control this year has been his worst since ’04, and his strikeout rate is a career worst.  He’s 35 and looks like he’s 40.  He is compensating for his declining skills by getting more groundballs. 

Any of these three could be available in the coming weeks.  Williams might find that he can get much better prospects in return for pitchers who will not walk after 2007.  Imagine what he could get if he were to package two of them.  That would be almost unprecedented.

Gammons Rumors: Qualls, Garland

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In today’s blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons slips in a couple of trade tidbits.

While discussing the Boston bullpen, Gammons remarks:

"They’ll keep looking at relievers on other teams — like Houston’s Chad Qualls — and figure they’ll get a mess of innings out of the starting rotation."

Gammons may be speaking in the hypothetical, but he may be implying that the Red Sox are looking into Qualls’ availability.  The 28 year-old righty has been tough to hit the last two seasons, but a K/9 below 6 isn’t closer material.

Another Gammons bullet point regarding the Red Sox:

"The Red Sox were told that Jon Garland is not available. Period."

That suggests they called on him, though I’m not sure at what point.  There’s something to be said for a 210 inning, 4.50 ERA guy to add some stability to the rotation.  The Astros seemed inches from acquiring Garland in December, but got Jason Jennings instead.

Astros Interested In Paul Wilson, Pedro Astacio

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Some interesting rumor bits courtesy of the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice this morning…

Justice mentions that Tim Purpura is discussing a contract with Paul Wilson and examining Pedro Astacio’s medical records.  Wilson had a second labrum surgery in June and has been unable to regain velocity.  Astacio tossed just 90 innings this year because of a strained forearm (often a precursor to an elbow injury).

The Astros could invite right fielder Richard Hidalgo to compete for a fourth outfielder job.  I like the idea; Hidalgo has always been one of the game’s best defensive RFs.

Justice also adds that after reviewing Taylor Buchholz’s medical reports, the White Sox requested that Hunter Pence be added to the package of Jason Hirsh, Willy Taveras, and Buchholz for Jon Garland.  Now that’s just silly.

Astros’ Options Remain Wide Open

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One way or another, Tim Purpura is going to acquire a decent starting pitcher. 

The Houston Chronicle reports that Purpura is still in touch with the White Sox, but has a host of other active scenarios as well.  In the article, Purpura goes to great lengths to confirm that starter Taylor Buchholz is healthy without actually confirming that he could be involved in a trade.  It remains possible that the Astros trade for Jon Garland.

They won’t, however, acquire both Garland and Andy Pettitte.  The Astros still have a one-year, $12MM offer out there.  The Yankees have already blown that away, even offering to add a second year.  It seems clear that Pettitte will only stay in Houston for geographical reasons.  Richard Justice

Check out Jose de Jesus Ortiz’s take on the whole Garland thing yesterday.  He initially reported the deal was close, based on info from Astros President Tal Smith.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests that the Astros could take another run at Jason Jennings, perhaps offering Jason Hirsh, Willy Taveras, and Dan Wheeler.  As I said earlier, that far outweighs Freddy Garcia’s price and they are comparable pitchers.

Astros/White Sox Jon Garland Confusion

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UPDATES AT BOTTOM.

Now this is a shocker.  The Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are set to announce a trade for Jon Garland. The righty turned 27 in September.  He makes $10MM in ’07 and $12MM in ’08.

Jose De Jesus Ortiz mentions that the buzz is that Willy Taveras and Taylor Buchholz may be involved.

Can you believe it?  In two days Kenny Williams has sent away 40% of his rotation.  While I find the Garcia bounty reasonable, it doesn’t seem to be the best possible return.  Same here, if it’s really Buchholz/Taveras.

There will be all sorts of competition in spring as the Sox try to get younger in the rotation with Gavin Floyd, Brandon McCarthy, Taylor Buchholz, and Charlie Haeger.

UPDATES:  Ken Rosenthal reports that Jason Hirsh is in the deal too.  Ahhhh, MUCH better.  Kenny Williams says no deal is close, however.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday reports that the teams are leaving Orlando without a deal in place yet.

Jayson Stark notes that a Taveras/Buchholz package wouldn’t cut it.

Jon Heyman at SI.com says the deal has fallen through because Buchholz failed his physical. 

Buchholz himself says he did not fail a physical, though.  He didn’t even take one.  Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says the talks have stalled or even died nonetheless.

Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline reports that the deal appears "more dead than alive."  Kenny Williams is disturbed by the way the media has handled this.  Williams tells MLB.com, "we’ve got nothing going on."

Assorted updates: Alou, Hudson, Garland, Okajima

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Earlier today, we found a report that Moises Alou was about to sign with the Mets.  Now Rosenthal is saying that it could be a two-year deal.  With Carlos Gomez right behind Lastings Milledge, putting two established vets in the outfield through 2008 would seem to make Milledge expendable. 

Yesterday, Phil Rogers speculated that Mark Buehrle could be headed to Texas.  Rosenthal says it’s Jon Garland, and hints (as Rogers did) that John Danks and Brian Anderson could be part of the package, especially if the deal gets bigger.

And, Buster Olney is reporting chatter about Tim Hudson heading to the Orioles.  If, as Olney speculates, the return could include Adam Loewen or Hayden Penn, it would seem to be ideal for Atlanta: free up payroll for Tom Glavine, and get another (cheap) potentially decent starter in the deal as well.

And here’s something out of nowhere: Hideki Okajima, a lefty reliever, may be coming to the states.  Okajima, a longtime Yomiuri Giant and recently a Nippon Ham Fighter, had a great 2006 but a mediocre ’05.  Sounds like your typical middle-bullpen fodder.

By Jeff Sackmann

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