Heyman On Prince, Pavano, Reynolds
The Brewers are leaning toward keeping Prince Fielder this winter, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Not surprisingly, manager Ron Roenicke wants the big first baseman in his Opening Day lineup. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors (all links go to Twitter):
- Heyman hears that the White Sox did mention Logan Morrison when the Marlins asked about manager Ozzie Guillen.
- The Twins seem "very interested" in keeping Carl Pavano, who appears to be looking to match the three-year $33MM deal Ted Lilly signed. The Marlins are also interested in Pavano, but they appear hesitant to offer three years. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirms the Twins' interest in re-signing Pavano.
- He isn't drawing quite as much interest as Justin Upton, but Mark Reynolds is getting a few hits from interested teams. The A's are looking for a third baseman, but Reynolds can block trades to Oakland.
Marlins Pursuing Relief Help; Won’t Deal Morrison
The Marlins are pursuing relief help, but won't deal prospect Logan Morrison to get it, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Marlins executives know that the team needs to improve its 'pen to contend, so they are trying to add relievers, but whenever the Marlins inquire about one, rival teams ask about 22-year-old first baseman Logan Morrison. If that's the price of adding relievers, the Marlins aren't interested.
Now 35-36, the Marlins are thin on relief help after demoting Jorge Sosa and releasing Renyel Pinto and Hunter Jones. It would be a shock to see the Marlins trade Morrison, the team's top prospect now that Mike Stanton is in the majors, for a reliever. The first baseman is hitting .331/.417/.547 so far in 2010.
Last year the cost of acquiring middle relievers varied. The Dodgers gave up Josh Bell for George Sherrill; the White Sox gave up Brandon Allen for Tony Pena; the Rockies gave up Connor Graham for Rafael Betancourt and Robinson Fabian and Ryan Mattheus for Joe Beimel. Bell and Allen are highly-touted prospects, but the Rockies showed that relievers can be acquired more cheaply.
Discussion: Gaby Sanchez
After a battle for the first base job during Spring Training with top prospect Logan Morrison, Gaby Sanchez came out on top. Sanchez had just two major league starts to his credit coming into this season, but he has done well in the full-time position thus far. In 12 games, Sanchez has hit .308/.426/.538.
Meanwhile, as an item on the ESPN MLB Rumors page points out, Morrison is also performing well for the club's Triple-A affiliate. The 22-year-old lefty has an OPS of 1.066 and a pair of home runs in ten games. While sample size is obviously an issue here, one wonders if more of the same from Morrison could make Sanchez expendable. Prior to this season, ESPN.com's Keith Law ranked Morrison as the #21 prospect in baseball.
Dealing the Miami-born Sanchez could certainly help the Marlins get a boost in other areas. In the past, they have managed to catch lightning in a bottle when building their bullpen. However, GM Michael Hill would likely feel more comfortable if he could pick up some additional relief help this season. The Marlins have already parted ways with four of their relief additions from this offseason: Jose Veras, Mike MacDougal, Seth McClung, and Derrick Turnbow.