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Kerry Wood

Odds and Ends: Glavine, Kent, Kuroda

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Picking up some rumors and tidbits that haven’t been otherwise posted during this busy day…

Latest Cubs Rumors: Crawford, Crisp, Ibanez

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Cubs rumors abound today.  Some sensible, some not.  Let’s catch up. 

  • According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs want to re-sign Kerry Wood and possibly give him the closer job.  Ryan Dempster could be pushed down the reliever totem pole or traded (he makes $5.5MM in the last year of his deal).  Dempster has expressed a desire to start in the past, but the Cubs don’t seem keen on it.  UPDATE: The Cubs are keen on Dempster as a starter, as Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 reported today that he will be switched to that role in ’08.  Carlos Marmol, Bob Howry, or Kerry Wood will close.
  • Rogers also notes that the Cubs will bring Mark Prior back on the condition that he’ll accept an option for the 2009 season.  That way they won’t get burned if he does have a useful 2008.
  • Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs have interest in trading for Carl Crawford.  Problem is, that would require a king’s ransom in young players.  Miles adds that the Cubs are serious about Kosuke Fukudome, and signing him would leave the team with plenty of outfielders.  Phil Rogers echoes the Fukudome interest, also mentioning that the Rangers and Giants like him.
  • Michael Silverman says the Cubs are among several teams interested in Coco Crisp.  Within this piece Silverman says the Rangers are in on Crisp and the Red Sox like expendable catcher Gerald Laird. 
  • Another name on the Cubs’ radar: Raul Ibanez.  He makes $5.5MM in the last year of his deal, though he’s a liability in left field.  And the Cubs have Alfonso Soriano there already.  Larry LaRue also says the Tigers and Indians like Ibanez; the Tribe could offer Aaron Laffey.
  • Not sure why, but the Cubs are also interested in free agent second baseman Kaz Matsui.  Would the plan be to use him at shortstop?  The Padres also have an eye on Matsui.

Cubs Rumors: Wood, Schilling

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a Cubs update for us this morning.

Let’s start with Kerry Wood, who would garner plenty of interest on the open market.  Despite rumors that Wood might look elsewhere for a chance to start, he’s likely to stay with the Cubs as a starter.

The Cubs are on Curt Schilling’s list, and they’ll be in the mix for him if his price is reasonable.  I take that to mean not much more than $12-13MM.  A cheaper option might be Hiroki Kuroda, though that could take a three-year commitment.  So, perhaps a larger cash outlay. 

The Cubs will probably pass on Alex Rodriguez, though he would’ve been a nice fit at shortstop in my opinion. 

Options: the Cubs exercised Daryle Ward’s for $1.2MM.  They passed on Steve Trachsel’s $4.75MM option, which is a relief since there had been rumors of exercising it.  Cliff Floyd is probably gone as well.

Kerry Wood May Be A Hot Commodity

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I’ve followed Kerry Wood throughout his career, and I’ve always been a fan.  He seems to get a special admiration from Cubs fans despite his injury-plagued career.  Mark Prior doesn’t get the same reception.

The Cubs are at a crossroads with both of their former aces.  Wood made his "miracle" return to a big league mound on August 5th as a reliever, and looked sharp for the most part.  Now there are rumblings that he might want to try starting again.  I would be truly surprised if he made 25 starts, but I’m rooting for him.

Wood is going to be tantalizing to teams in the same way A.J. Burnett was.  That could mean maybe $12-14MM guaranteed over two years plus incentives.  I could really see such a contract in this market.  In the above-linked article, Paul Sullivan cites a Joe Girardi connection as a reason Wood could sign with the Yankees.  He also names other teams that "figure to be interested": both Texas teams, the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Reds.  Interest could be widespread as teams might see Wood as a possible bargain with swingman potential.  However I can’t see Wood making switching between starting and relieving midseason without health issues.   

Dunn, Hatteberg Option Decisions Due Sunday

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According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have to make decisions on the options for Adam Dunn, Scott Hatteberg, Eddie Guardado, and Javier Valentin by November 4th.

  • Dunn is the big one; his is for $13MM with a $0.5MM buyout.  This is an easy decision to exercise, though it will cause full no-trade protection to kick in until June 15th.  After that he gets to choose 10 clubs to which he would accept a trade.  But I think that if the Reds want him out of town the two parties will find a way to make it work (ie, they’ll give him a million or two extra).
  • Hatteberg’s option is for $1.85MM with a $0.15MM buyout.  This is so cheap it’s hard to decline, even if Joey Votto is ready.  The Reds could definitely exercise it and trade Hatteberg at their discretion.  The market for first basemen is weak.
  • Everyday Eddie has a $3MM club option with no apparent buyout.  He didn’t show anything, so I’m guessing the Reds will pass.
  • Valentin’s option is for $1.35MM with a $75K buyout.  I imagine they’ll exercise it.
  • Since we are talking about options, I should add that Moises Alou’s is due on November 15th.  His is for $7.5MM vs. a $1MM buyout.
  • Additionally in that same Fay article, Baker denies any tampering with Kerry Wood or Mark Prior.  They didn’t talk about coming to the Reds, and Baker has spoken to over 40 players since he was hired.

Could Reds Pursue Prior, Wood?

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Dusty, Prior, and Wood back together again?  Chris De Luca’s article today discusses the possibility, though it should be classified as speculation.

New Reds manager Dusty Baker apparently keeps in touch with his former 1-2 punch, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.  Baker would like to know exactly what was wrong with Prior’s shoulder, if he is going to be blamed for it.  As a 22 year-old in 2003, Prior ranked third in the game in Pitcher Abuse Points per start.  Wood ranked first (and rankings don’t take the postseason into account).

De Luca notes that the Cubs are likely to non-tender Prior, who would have to be paid at least $2.86MM otherwise.  I’ve contended that Prior remains worth that small investment for 2008, but De Luca’s sources speculate that he might not be ready until June.  That would change things.  There’s been some speculation that Prior could sign with his hometown Padres if the Cubs cut him loose.

As for Wood, he looked solid in 24 innings after experiencing a miracle recovery.  De Luca suggests that Wood, who is a free agent, would have to go to another team if he desires a chance to start again.  A lot of folks are advocating Wood as some kind of swingman bargain this winter.  I’ve always been a fan of the guy, but counting on/paying him for even 50 innings from him is very risky.

Orioles Claim Novoa; More Ex-Cubs To Come?

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As far as historians can tell, the Ex-Cub Factor curse was broken in 2001 by the Diamondbacks.  If you’re not familiar, the Ex-Cub Factor says that a team with three or more ex-Cubs cannot win the World Series.  Regardless, the Indians are in decent shape as they have only two (Joe Borowski and Kenny Lofton).  I think the Rockies only have LaTroy Hawkins.

The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan recently noted that the Orioles are stocking up on ex-Cubs, the latest being nondescript reliever Roberto Novoa.  Former Cubs president and GM Andy MacPhail has already added three to the four that were previously on the roster.

I mention all of this because of Sullivan’s last line, that MacPhail might take a look at free agents Kerry Wood and Michael Barrett this winter.  Wood I can see – he fits in with most teams at the right price as an intriguing yet high-risk swingman.  As for Barrett – perhaps the O’s would pursue him on a bargain one-year deal if they manage to trade Ramon Hernandez.  Hernandez makes $7.5MM in ’08, $8MM in ’09, and probably a $1MM buyout in ’10.  So, $16.5MM over the next two years.  If the O’s pay $5MM or so, teams like the Mets, Yankees, Rockies, or Marlins could be interested.    

Crazy Cubs Speculation

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My apologies in advance for those who think this site is a little too Cubs-centric.  The Needs and Luxuries post was my fault, but it’s only natural for all of the local writers to speculate on ways to improve the club for 2008.

I know some of the Cubs fans who frequent MLBTR take some abuse for off-the-wall speculation.  Jacque Jones for someone of value, for example.  But honestly, the published newspaper speculation isn’t any better.

  • Barry Rozner takes his knee-jerk shots at Aramis Ramirez, who was awful in the three-game set against Arizona.  According to Rozner, A-Rod is a "better guy, better fielder, and better hitter."  That’s why the newly signed Ramirez should be dealt to make room for him.
  • Jeff Vorva wants to sign A-Rod for shortstop, move Theriot to second base, move Mark DeRosa to right field, and sign Torii Hunter for center field.  That’s message-board type stuff.  And I say again, Theriot’s not a starter.
  • Paul Sullivan wants to trade Jason Marquis.  Sure, that would be nice.  But come on – the Cubs got exactly what everyone expected in Marquis’ first year, maybe even a little better.  If Marquis is over 5.00 for the next two years, that should come as no surprise.  Sullivan would also like to sign Aaron Rowand off a career year, blocking the Cubs’ best prospect for around $55-60MM.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer wants Ryan Theriot leading off, though he was one of the few regular Cubs with an OBP worse than Soriano.  Wittenmyer expects the Cubs to cut Mark Prior loose rather than gamble $3MM on him.         
  • Phil Rogers notes Kerry Wood’s resurgence as a reliever.  If the Cubs want to keep him, it’ll cost more than a million or two this time.

CubDumb On Pierre, Wood

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CubDumb has consulted its insiders and uncovered a couple of near-certainties for the Cubs.  (The post begins with a look at the questionable past effects of Gerald Perry, new Cubs hitting coach). 

The first certainty is that Juan Pierre won’t return.  This pleases me, even if it means the Cubs are three pitchers lighter for just one year of service.  Is it just me, or does it seem like teams just aren’t interested in Pierre’s bag of tricks this offseason?  I guess that’s progress.  Perhaps the Cubs will now turn their attention to Dave Roberts or better yet J.D. Drew. 

The second is that Kerry Wood will be back.  C’mon Kerry, give us 60 dominant innings before your arm falls off.

Bob Wickman Stays With Braves

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Finding a return to the NL to his liking, 37 year-old closer Bob Wickman has re-upped with the Braves for one year and $6.5MM.  It seems a little pricey for a guy valued at about a million bucks for 2007 by Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA projection system.  Still, he was the best option in a thin market. 

Some teams are already thinking outside the box when looking for closers.  The Red Sox are considering trying hard-thrower Matt Clement in the role.  His stuff is nasty, so maybe a move to the ’pen would do him good.  Other possible converts include Adam Eaton, Randy Wolf, and Kerry Wood.  Wood is the most likely to make the switch, and he could find some interested parties despite pitching only 85 innings over the past two seasons.

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