Rockies Not Planning Starter Acquisition
FRIDAY: Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the Rockies aren’t looking to acquire a starter at this time. As of yesterday Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald said the Rox remained interested in Tavarez but that no advancements had been made.
THURSDAY: On Tuesday we found out that the Rockies have been looking into a number of trade options for their starting rotation. The two most common names in the conversation are Josh Fogg and Julian Tavarez, both former Rox. Fogg has given up over a run an inning for the last place Reds, and could be DFA if the team opts to go with youngster Homer Bailey, who has a 2.72 ERA in AAA. Tavarez might be expendable for the Sox, though that would mean depending on David Aardsma.
Today, Jack Etkin of the Rocky Mountain News tells us that the Rox have inquired on Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes. We’ve heard the rumor that the Cardinals are shopping the former USC star, though they are looking for "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece." Any Rox fans want to toss out names of trade candidates? Could Brian Fuentes be the other piece?
After a poor major league showing in 2007, Reyes broke camp with the Cardinals this year as a reliever. He didn’t fare very well, allowing eight runs in 13.2 IP, though of course that’s a measly sample size. He’s since been optioned to AAA, where he’ll be showcased as a starter. He has yet to make an appearance.
Etkin further notes that the Rox have had no substantial talks with the A’s about Joe Blanton or Rich Harden, nor the Rangers about Kevin Millwood. It’s unlikely any of that crop will be traded until much later in the season, if at all. The Boston Herald confirms the team’s interest in Tavarez, and as Tim noted, Walt Jocketty didn’t deny the Fogg rumors.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski. If you see any rumors, send ’em over.
Rockies Looking For Starting Pitching
7:22pm: Walt Jocketty did not deny the Fogg-Rockies rumor when asked. Maybe he’ll be a little more loose with the rumors than Krivsky was.
9:18am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on the Rockies’ pursuit of starting pitching. Their search includes some familiar names.
- Josh Fogg seems like the most likely acquisition; he’s a DFA candidate for the Reds. Fogg received an early one-year offer from the Rockies this winter that was later pulled back.
- Julian Tavarez, another former Rockie, is on the radar again. The Red Sox don’t seem to have much use for him.
- Kevin Millwood figures to be a popular name in the coming months. Renck says the Rangers want "the right players in return, not salary relief." Millwood makes $8.5MM in ’08, $11MM in ’09, and $12MM in ’10 (if he reaches certain innings incentives). He also has a limited no-trade clause.
- Rich Harden may come off the DL soon, but he’d have to remain healthy for probably a month before teams become seriously interested.
- Renck says Joe Blanton is "currently not available." The A’s are the current Wild Card leader, after all.
Fogg Signs With Reds
THURSDAY, 2:20pm: It’s official – Fogg has signed with the Reds. He’s no lock for the rotation though.
WEDNESDAY, 10:43pm:Ken Rosenthal says the Reds are just one of three teams pursuing Fogg. The other two are unknown, but Boston is not one of them. I wonder if these mystery teams are coming from Fogg’s agent.
7:04pm:Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Reds are on the verge of a one-year deal with Josh Fogg, with a base salary of just $1MM. Ringolsby was not able to get confirmation from Wayne Krivsky quite yet, but Krivsky isn’t one to show his hand. Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News is also reporting the expected signing.
I had Fogg pegged for a $20MM deal at the beginning of the offseason. Many have suggested that GMs are simply being smarter about free agent valuations. I don’t think there’s collusion going on here.
The Reds now set up with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, and Fogg in the first four spots. They could use Jeremy Affeldt as a starter, or go with one of Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, or Johnny Cueto. As one MLBTR commenter pointed out, this might signal and end to the Reds’ pursuit of Joe Blanton.
Fogg Signs With Reds
THURSDAY, 2:20pm: It’s official – Fogg has signed with the Reds. He’s no lock for the rotation though.
WEDNESDAY, 10:43pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Reds are just one of three teams pursuing Fogg. The other two are unknown, but Boston is not one of them. I wonder if these mystery teams are coming from Fogg’s agent.
7:04pm: Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Reds are on the verge of a one-year deal with Josh Fogg, with a base salary of just $1MM. Ringolsby was not able to get confirmation from Wayne Krivsky quite yet, but Krivsky isn’t one to show his hand. Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News is also reporting the expected signing.
I had Fogg pegged for a $20MM deal at the beginning of the offseason. Many have suggested that GMs are simply being smarter about free agent valuations. I don’t think there’s collusion going on here.
The Reds now set up with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, and Fogg in the first four spots. They could use Jeremy Affeldt as a starter, or go with one of Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, or Johnny Cueto. As one MLBTR commenter pointed out, this might signal and end to the Reds’ pursuit of Joe Blanton.
Fogg Still Looking For Work
Every year some free agent unexpectedly finds himself without a job in late February. This year, that guy is Josh Fogg. To rejoin the Rockies, Fogg would have to take a pay cut from his ’07 salary of $3.625MM, and he’d have to be open to bullpen work.
Will anyone take Fogg in for $4MM and give him a rotation spot? The Nationals, Reds, Astros, and Cardinals seem like viable options. Viva El Birdos isn’t thrilled with the Cardinals’ portrayal of Matt Clement’s health. Since Clement won’t be ready for the start of the season, maybe St. Louis will add some depth with Fogg. However, John Mozeliak implied a couple of days ago that he wasn’t going to make anymore acquisitions.
Fogg Still Looking For Work
Every year some free agent unexpectedly finds himself without a job in late February. This year, that guy is Josh Fogg. To rejoin the Rockies, Fogg would have to take a pay cut from his ’07 salary of $3.625MM, and he’d have to be open to bullpen work.
Will anyone take Fogg in for $4MM and give him a rotation spot? The Nationals, Reds, Astros, and Cardinals seem like viable options. Viva El Birdos isn’t thrilled with the Cardinals’ portrayal of Matt Clement’s health. Since Clement won’t be ready for the start of the season, maybe St. Louis will add some depth with Fogg. However, John Mozeliak implied a couple of days ago that he wasn’t going to make anymore acquisitions.
Fogg Turns Down Rockies
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney:
The Rockies talked again about re-signing Josh Fogg, but again, Fogg’s side has turned down a one-year offer. The Rockies dangled a $5 million deal, while Fogg has been looking for a multi-year contract.
As each day goes by, the remaining free agents lose what little leverage they have left. I predicted Fogg would get a three-year, $21MM deal. Instead, only five starters received deals worth $7MM or more annually: Tom Glavine, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Kenny Rogers, and Carlos Silva. Pettitte at $16MM seems a little out there, doesn’t it?
I think we’re going to see some solid free agent bargains next week. Maybe a free agent bargain just means paying a guy what he’s worth instead of significantly more than that.
Fogg Turns Down Rockies
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney:
The Rockies talked again about re-signing Josh Fogg, but again, Fogg’s side has turned down a one-year offer. The Rockies dangled a $5 million deal, while Fogg has been looking for a multi-year contract.
As each day goes by, the remaining free agents lose what little leverage they have left. I predicted Fogg would get a three-year, $21MM deal. Instead, only five starters received deals worth $7MM or more annually: Tom Glavine, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Kenny Rogers, and Carlos Silva. Pettitte at $16MM seems a little out there, doesn’t it?
I think we’re going to see some solid free agent bargains next week. Maybe a free agent bargain just means paying a guy what he’s worth instead of significantly more than that.
Odds and Ends: Interview, Felix , Fujikawa
Let’s kick things off today with odds and ends.
- Charley Walters says that "it wouldn’t be surprising" if the Twins go after Josh Fogg for some veteran stability. I could see that.
- I did an interview with Baseball Zealot Radio yesterday, which can be found here in mp3 form.
- Bleeding Blue and Teal talks Mariners with KOMO Radio’s Shannon Drayer. One interesting note, she wondered whether the Mariners might start thinking about a long-term deal for Felix Hernandez.
- JapanBall.com says top reliever Kyuji Fujikawa signed with the Hansin Tigers for about $2.64MM. The top-notch closer hoped to be posted, but the Tigers would not honor that request.
- Anyone having problems viewing MLBTradeRumors.com? I few people have emailed me saying it won’t load. Let me know in the comments or at mlbtraderumors@gmail.com (which browser you use would be helpful). I am hearing that FireFox users are having problems but clearing cookies and cache should solve them.
- For those wondering, the times on MLBTR are in the Central Standard Time Zone, because that’s where I am.
Erik Bedard Mariners/Reds Rumors
UPDATE, 1-10-08 at 5:38pm: Churchill has further updated his right-hand sidebar referencing the Reds possibility. He says the O’s want Bailey, Votto, Cueto, and Edwin Encarnacion. This is particularly lopsided, and pushing Melvin Mora back to Cincy wouldn’t make it any less so. Mora may have negative value at this point. Meanwhile John Fay says nothing new has happened on the Reds/Bedard front.
UPDATE, 1-09-08 at 9:07pm: Rosenthal checks in with an update. If the Mariners would give up Chris Tillman, they could have a done deal. Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein ranks the 19 year-old righty as Seattle’s second best prospect, giving him a number two starter ceiling. Rosenthal confirms that Jones is the centerpiece, while George Sherrill and Carlos Triunfel are in play.
Meanwhile, Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider says on the right-hand sidebar of this page that the Reds might step up their offer in an attempt to make a late play. He thinks they could give up Homer Bailey, Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, and a fourth player, which would be absurd.
FROM 1-09-08 at 9:03am:
On Tuesday, both Ken Rosenthal and Jason Churchill carefully stated that the Orioles and Mariners were making progress on an Erik Bedard trade. The deal would center around Adam Jones but include other good young players as well. The Reds and Indians were named as other lingering Bedard suitors.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times checked in on the Bedard situation today. His MLB source agreed that talks between the Mariners and Orioles have heated up. Andy MacPhail, however, would not use the words "heating up." Stone goes on to mention that the Mets "could be players" for Bedard in addition to the Ohio teams. Contrary to earlier reports, Stone was able to extract a quote from Ms GM Bill Bavasi that indicated Brandon Morrow was not off limits.
John Hickey admits that the rumors won’t die but doesn’t think the Mariners have made any actual progress on a deal. He agrees that Morrow seems a bit more available than he did before. Hickey suggests Josh Fogg could be a backup plan to Bedard for Seattle, noting that Fogg likes the idea of pitching in Safeco. The Reds are also believed to have interest in Fogg.