Stark’s Latest: Abreu, Arroyo, Hudson
ESPN’s Jayson Stark is back with a look at needs and plans for all 30 teams. I highly recommend you read the article, but here are a few highlights. He’s also got a fresh blog post here.
- The Phillies are eyeing Doug Brocail and Russ Springer.
- The Mets like Bobby Abreu, but not his three year, $45MM asking price.
- The Reds are quietly listening on Bronson Arroyo, and the Rangers may be interested.
- Contrary to previous reports, Stark believes the Mets’ first order of business is getting a starting pitcher.
- Here’s a new one – the Marlins are interested in Orlando Hudson?
- The Astros may be trying to move money, and Stark implies trading Miguel Tejada or Jose Valverde could be one path.
- The Rockies have "actively explored" signing Jeremy Affeldt, who could also wind up back home with the Mariners. A few more interesting names for Seattle: Joe Crede (if Adrian Beltre is traded), Jason Giambi, and Ken Griffey Jr.
Molony’s Latest: K-Rod, Helms, Valverde
Let’s dig into the latest blog post from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- Molony believes the Mets, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, Indians, and Cubs are considering signing Francisco Rodriguez this winter. I think K-Rod’s demands could cause a nice ripple effect for Brian Fuentes, the second-best closer on the market. Regarding Molony’s six teams, a strong case can be made against several of them signing Rodriguez. The Rays and Indians will probably take a careful approach to free agency, while the Tigers may not have room in the budget. The Cubs seem likely to bring Kerry Wood back.
- Also on the topic of K-Rod, ESPN’s Andrew Marchand (via MetsBlog) quotes the pitcher’s agent naming the Cardinals, Tigers, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets as the five likely serious suitors. They’re looking for 5/75.
- Wes Helms would like to return to the Marlins next year. Molony believes the Marlins may want to retain Helms or Luis Gonzalez but perhaps not both.
- The Astros would prefer an extension for closer Jose Valverde rather than a likely eight figure arbitration reward. Valverde, 29, could reasonably demand more than $50MM in a multiyear extension.
Red Sox Eyeing Relief Options
12:51pm: MLB.com’s Jim Molony says Brocail, Geary, and Jose Valverde aren’t going anywhere since the Astros are actually looking to add to their ‘pen.
11:21am: ESPN’s Peter Gammons says the Red Sox have been discussing Doug Brocail with the Astros.
9:57am: Boston’s top priority at the trade deadline seems to be relief help, if anything. They were linked to several relievers this morning.
Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal says the Sox "are interested again and expect expect to get back to the Royals on Ron Mahay." Mahay is generally believed to be unavailable.
Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald has the Red Sox eyeing Geoff Geary, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill, and Will Ohman. Ohman seems the likeliest candidate, though they may have competition for him in the division-rival Rays.
Wade Looking To Add Pitching
MLB.com’s Jim Molony tells us that Astros GM Ed Wade has been working the phones to get a feel for the "general lay of the land." After a busy offseason for Wade, most notably adding Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde, Wade will likely be in the market for pitching upgrades.
The Astros rank 21st in baseball with a team ERA of 4.50, and their rotation is a combined 20-25 with a 4.77 ERA, and a league-worst 65 home runs allowed.
As Wade himself points out though, starting pitching won’t be easy to come by this year. As usual, there are far more clubs looking to add starting pitching than sell it.
Personal speculation here, but with the Padres nearing a fire sale and Randy Wolf going through a particularly strong stretch, he could make sense for Houston and come at a reasonable price. Wolf is 5-4 this season with a 3.83 ERA through 84.2 innings, and has posted a very nice 75:26 K:BB ratio so far. Even more appealing for the home-run prone Astros, Wolf has allowed a sparkling 0.74 HR per nine innings. His numbers away from Petco, however, are far from impressive, having posted a 5.31 ERA through 40.2 innings. Surprisingly, more of his home runs (4) have been allowed at Petco than on the road. Any other possible thoughts?
Posted by Steve Adams
Odds and Ends: Chat, Krivsky, Valverde
Let’s discuss today’s random links.
- We’ll be doing a chat here at 2pm CST, don’t miss it!
- Jon Heyman suggests that the number of unqualified GMs is dwindling. He names seven whose jobs may be in jeopardy.
- Wayne Krivsky cleared the air on various issues, including the signings of Dusty Baker, Josh Fogg, and Corey Patterson.
- Jose Valverde denies the notion that he made outlandish salary demands of the D’Backs.
- Good news on Jorge Posada‘s shoulder; maybe the Yanks won’t have to acquire a catcher.
Astros Win Loretta Case
Arbiters ruled in favor of the Astros over Mark Loretta today, saving the team $2.15MM. I guess the 20% pay cut thing doesn’t apply here. With the Jose Valverde savings, that makes $3.65MM for Houston. That’s probably right around what Shawn Chacon will get.
Three hearings remain undecided; the players will probably snag at least one victory in the cases of Ryan Howard, Oliver Perez, and Francisco Rodriguez. Keith Law explains again why the Phils paying Howard more than they have to does not make sense.
Historically teams have won 57.7% of cases. So we might’ve expected the teams to be 3-2 instead of 5-0 this year but it’s not exactly a huge upset.
Astros Beat Jose Valverde In Arbitration Case
Another reliever bites the dust; Jose Valverde will receive $4.7MM rather than the $6.2MM he was after. That $1.5MM could go toward another starter, as could another $2.15MM saved in the event the Astros beat Mark Loretta (I think they will). Of course, the list of remaining free agent starters ain’t pretty. It shouldn’t be on February 15th.
Valverde is under the Astros’ control through the 2009 season. If he has another 40 save season, he can probably vault past $10MM for ’09.
Astros Beat Jose Valverde In Arbitration Case
Another reliever bites the dust; Jose Valverde will receive $4.7MM rather than the $6.2MM he was after. That $1.5MM could go toward another starter, as could another $2.15MM saved in the event the Astros beat Mark Loretta (I think they will). Of course, the list of remaining free agent starters ain’t pretty. It shouldn’t be on February 15th.
Valverde is under the Astros’ control through the 2009 season. If he has another 40 save season, he can probably vault past $10MM for ’09.
Odds and Ends: Dotel, Valverde, Wilkerson
Some Saturday odds and ends to mull over…
- The Yankees considered bringing Octavio Dotel back, but wouldn’t go two years on him.
- Richard Justice thinks Astros GM Ed Wade is making a mistake by setting a deadline and going to arbitration hearings with Jose Valverde and Mark Loretta. I doubt the Astros wanted Loretta to accept their offer of arbitration in the first place, but they took the $4-5MM gamble hoping to get a draft pick. But they actively sought out Valverde, and this might not bode well for him staying past 2009.
- Can’t promise anything, but my source is saying Brad Wilkerson is likely to become a Mariner on a one-year deal. Put this in the unconfirmed category for now.
- Did the Rangers DFA Armando Galarraga in anticipation of including him in a trade?
- Troy Tulowitzki explanation: he can opt out of his $15MM club option for 2014 if he’s traded. Tracy Ringolsby also reports that Garrett Atkins had unfruitful extension talks with the Rox last year and would still like to stay.
- "No substantive negotiations" on a multiyear deal for Ryan Zimmerman.
- Casey Blake‘s agent put in a counteroffer but hasn’t heard back from the Indians yet; the two sides are $1.5MM apart on his ’08 salary.
Odds and Ends: Cano, Colon, Lowry
Here are some links I’ve rounded up this morning.
- In theory, Robinson Cano would be open to a long-term deal. River Ave. Blues recently took a look at how historically good Cano has been so far, and suggest the Yankees lowballed him with their arbitration submission.
- Baseball Prospectus’ Derek Jacques saw Bartolo Colon pitch in the Dominican League Finals, and lends his evaluation. Colon was not impressive, but not terrible. It doesn’t seem like he will get the two-year deal he wants.
- The Brewers will bring Abraham Nunez to camp. Versatile, but a drain on offense.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune notes that the White Sox aren’t done yet. The Joe Crede situation should linger into spring. Gonzales also mentions that the Giants are "listening to offers for Noah Lowry."
- A factual look at whether Omar Minaya really stockpiles Latin American players.
- The Astros can’t settle their gaps with Mark Loretta or Jose Valverde, and Ed Wade expects the team to go to its first arbitration hearings in over a decade. Wade has set a deadline of this afternoon and will go to hearings otherwise. Loretta asking for $4.9MM seems particularly off.
- Matthew Cerrone takes an educated guess on the current Johan Santana situation.
- Some interesting quotes from XM Radio from Michael Cuddyer and Scott Boras, separately.