A Tale Of Two Second Basemen: Hudson, Castillo
Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, via MetsBlog, notes that the Mets are looking to shop Luis Castillo this off-season. This comes just one year after the team signed him to a four-year, $25MM deal. His aching knees have limited him to just over 300 plate appearances this year. It’s not clear who would want Castillo, nor how much salary the Mets would need to eat.
One speculated target is Orlando Hudson, who sits atop an uninspiring class of free agent second basemen. He’ll be in high demand, of course. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro talks about Hudson’s fate. He doesn’t seem optimistic that Hudson will return to the Diamondbacks next season. He talks about the team’s options, including moving Mark Reynolds to second and signing a third baseman, or acquiring a second baseman in a trade, possibly Mark Ellis or Robinson Cano.
In my own speculation, I can see the D’backs going for a one-year stopgap like Mark Grudzielanek or Ray Durham, rather than trading away even more of their farm for a longer-term solution. The Yankees would likely ask the moon for Cano, despite his disappointing season. Ellis does sound intriguing, though. Billy Beane and Josh Byrnes hooked up successfully this past off-season in the Dan Haren trade.
Odds and Ends: Bonds, Davis, Chulk, Ichiro
Time for some random linkage.
- I’ll be on XM Radio today at about 5pm CST – channels 176-189 with Mike Ferrin.
- The Dodgers signed Jerome Williams – remember him?
- Viva El Birdos runs through starting pitchers who might be on the Cardinals’ radar.
- Sam Mellinger of the KC Star takes a look at Dayton Moore’s trade record. Meanwhile, Joe Posnanski explains why the Royals should sign Barry Bonds.
- Ken Rosenthal doesn’t want to let Ed Wade off the hook in the Shawn Chacon dustup.
- Red Reporter thinks the Reds are winning the Edinson Volquez–Josh Hamilton swap.
- Rangers first base prospect Chris Davis is getting the call.
- Russell Branyan has been training his eyes.
- "Unsubstantiated report" – the Phillies might have interest in recently-designated reliever Vinnie Chulk.
- Mariners beat writer Geoff Baker expects the team to shop Ichiro.
- Buster Olney sees the Rays as a sleeper in the C.C. Sabathia derby.
- Omar Minaya defends the Luis Castillo signing.
Mets Give Castillo Four Years, $25 Million
UPDATE, 11-19-07: The AP confirms it. Seems like there were more creative ways to fill the second base vacancy. Castillo was playing it safe, and four years is too much.
UPDATE, 11-18-07: Now Ken Rosenthal has this one.
This one just came in from Tim. Dominican sports website Impacto Deportivo is reporting that the Mets and Luis Castillo have agreed to a four-year deal worth $25 million. They say to expect an official announcement shortly.
I got the summary from Tim. If anyone could head to the website and translate, it would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and just because it’s the same thing as we’ve been hearing since yesterday and I didn’t want to give it another post, Glavine’s agent is saying that his client and the Braves are "maybe one or two phone calls away" from a deal.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Bonds, Broussard, Hunter, Rowand, More
We missed an installment from good ol’ Kenny Rosenthal yesterday. He’s back today in full force (unlike another great rumor source, Buster Olney, who posted nothing really new in his blog today).
- The A’s, once considered the best bet for Barry Bonds, are no longer interested in the indicted slugger. Rosenthal thinks it’s likely that Bond’s trial will start after Opening Day, causing him to miss time regardless of the verdict. And then there’s the whole prison issue.
- The Rangers spoke to the Mariners at the GM meetings regarding the availability of Ben Broussard. Talks didn’t really go anywhere, since Broussard is a non-tender candidate. The Mariners might not be too keen on offering Broussard a raise over the $3.55 million he made last year, in which he managed just 264 plate appearances.
- Teams, including the Dodgers, might be more interested in Aaron Rowand over Torii Hunter because of one year and $30 million. Rowand is seeking five years, $60 million, while Hunter wants six and $90 mil. Hunter is far more proven a commodity, though, and is more athletic than Rowand. The negative in Hunter’s corner is that he’s two years older than Rowand.
- He mentions that the Cubs are interested in Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui, both switch hitters, to play second base next year. The Astros and Mets are also in on Castillo, while the Rockies would like to re-sign Kaz — though they have a number of internal candidates, including Ian Stewart.
- The Padres are considering offering arbitration to Mike Cameron and Mike Barrett. Barrett seems like a no-brainer. He’s a Type A free agent, and would probably be worth a one-year deal. He could be pricey, though, as Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are making $13 million or more. Cameron also makes sense. The Padres still need a center fielder for 2008, and they’d do well to sign Cam to a one-year deal should he accept arbitration. Otherwise, the supplemental pick would be nice.
- Reggie Sanders will consider retirement if he can’t land a deal with the Dodgers, Giants, or Padres. Sanders missed most of the 2007 season with hamstring problems.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Eckstein seeking Lugo-esque deal
If Julio Lugo was able to snag four years and $36 million last off-season, well, by golly, David Eckstein wants to do the same this year. You can make some arguments with the comparison — Lugo is a year younger, flashes a bit more power, and has been more consistent in his production (from year-to-year; we’re not counting his huge drop-off after being traded to the Dodgers last year). But it’s tough to argue with Eckstein for wanting to start talks at that level.
This may deter Eckstein’s perceived No. 1 suitor, the New York Mets, who are looking at him to fill their second base vacancy. One has to wonder, though, if the Mets wouldn’t just be better off with Luis Castillo, who performed averagely in his 199 at bats with the Mets last season (.296/.371/.372). On the whole, Castillo is far better Lugo comp than Eckstein; both Lugo and Castillo will be 32 next season, and have seen similar production over the years. The Astros are also reportedly interested in Castillo, though the same can be said for nearly every FA on the list.
The Mets are also looking at Orlando Hudson in possible trade scenarios to fill their second base vacancies. Speculation, though, is that the Mets would like to hold onto their movable prospects in order to acquire a front-line pitcher. Clearly, Johan Santana tops that list.
The Cardinals aren’t officially severing ties with Eckstein, but it appears unlikely that they will dole out a Lugo deal for him. New Cardinals GM John Mozeliak had this to say about the scrappy shortstop:
"We’re going into it looking for a shortstop, and given the fact that David is out there, obviously we have him in mind. One of the things we’re doing internally is trying to get a feel for the supply and the demand of shortstops in this market. David probably is doing the same, and right now there doesn’t appear to be a lot of teams looking for shortstops."
At first, I didn’t think too many teams needed shortstops, but after looking around it seems that there are plenty of teams that could at least use an upgrade at the position. Unfortunately, Eckstein doesn’t represent much of one.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.
Mets Rumors: Eckstein, Dotel
Let’s catch up with the Mets, who are moving on to other needs now that they’ve settled their catching situation.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone says the Mets have some interest in David Eckstein as a second base option, and may meet with him soon to wine and dine him. Eckstein might be the backup option to Luis Castillo. I’ve said all along, I don’t get why Eckstein would market himself as a second baseman. As a shortstop he stands to get $21MM over three years; as a second baseman he doesnt.
- Ben Shpigel of the New York Times adds that the Mets would love to trade for Orlando Hudson but might need to save their top prospects to trade for starting pitching. Shpigel says the Mets have inquired with Octavio Dotel‘s agent. Dotel came up as a starter with the Mets, debuting in 1999. He was dealt to the Astros soon after in a package for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton.
Astros To Make Offers To Cordero, Castillo, Wolf
So far, Ed Wade’s list of targets for the Astros is as follows:
Jeremy Affeldt
Luis Castillo
Francisco Cordero
Tom Glavine
Tadahito Iguchi
Jason Jennings
Troy Percival
Jon Lieber
Scott Linebrink
Kaz Matsui
Dontrelle Willis
Randy Wolf
According to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice, Wade will be making offers today to Cordero, Castillo, Wolf, and more. Wade plans to toss out "multiple offers at multiple positions" until each hole is filled with some kind of warm free agent body. It seems like a strange way to build a team. Sounds like the Astros intend to sign a second baseman, closer, and starting pitcher or two.
Mets Targeting Livan Hernandez?
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has some new Mets info for us today.
- Surprisingly, Shpigel believes the one free agent starter the Mets will seriously consider is Livan Hernandez. That is odd because I had read Livan wasn’t high on Omar Minaya’s list. We’ve seen the Mets connected to free agents Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, and Jason Jennings so far this offseason.
- As far as some unsung trade opportunities, my Mets guy says Ervin Santana, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, and Noah Lowry are being considered.
- According to Shpigel, the Mets hope to re-sign Ramon Castro as their backup catcher. I don’t see that happening, as he’ll probably be able to snag a starting job elsewhere. Options the Mets are considering to start at catcher include Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, and Paul Lo Duca. A source tells me the D’Backs’ Miguel Montero may also be on the radar.
- Shpigel says Luis Castillo might command a four-year deal. Say what? The Mets may yet re-sign Castillo but want to see what the trade market offers first. Shpigel names Orlando Hudson, while I’ve also heard Alberto Callaspo.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Andruw, Rowand, Castillo
Ken Rosenthal has cranked out another rumor-filled column. A summary is below.
- The Marlins are insisting on Howie Kendrick in a Miguel Cabrera deal. The Angels are understandably reluctant.
- The Nationals could sign Andruw Jones long-term if they felt it was a bargain – say, $13MM a year. The Giants, White Sox, and Padres may be in the mix as well. Hmmm, White Sox and Boras? And if Scott Boras changes his tune and hunts for a one-year "rebuild value" contract for Jones, the Red Sox could get involved.
- The Phillies think Aaron Rowand will end up getting a 4/52 contract, though Rosenthal expects him to get the fifth guaranteed year. It’s previously been reported that Rowand is looking for a six-year, $84MM deal. Yikes.
- Aside from the Astros and Mets, the Indians, Padres, and Dodgers could get in on Luis Castillo. In the Tribe’s case, it would involve a scenario where Jhonny Peralta was dealt.
- Interesting note on Curt Schilling‘s $2MM in weight incentives – the target weights are aggressively low, and the weigh-ins will be done randomly. So, no cheating the system. By the way, isn’t it ridiculous that one Cy vote gets him $1MM? Sportswriters have given out single votes on a whim for much dumber reasons.
- The Red Sox are apparently asking a lot for Coco Crisp, more than the Twins are ready to give up.
- The Indians and Brewers have an excess of starters. Names that could hit the market include Cliff Lee, Dave Bush, and Chris Capuano. The Nationals have their eye on Lee. He came up as an Expo through Double A.
- The Nationals might be able to get something good for outfielder Ryan Church. In general, Jim Bowden desires a young MLB-ready starter like Kevin Mulvey or Kevin Slowey.
Astros Hope To Sign Luis Castillo
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are looking to inject some OBP into their leadoff spot by signing second baseman Luis Castillo. He adds that not many teams are looking to fill second base via free agency, so the Mets might be the only team battling for Castillo.
Rosenthal rates Kaz Matsui and David Eckstein as the best second base alternatives behind Castillo. The Rockies are prepared to offer a two-year deal to Matsui but will move on if he wants too much. They can’t be thinking about offering more than $8MM, wouldn’t you say? Rosenthal says Matsui is not on the Mets’ radar because, well, they already gave him a shot.
As for Eckstein – his best bet financially may be to market himself as a shortstop. His estimated take is $6-7MM over two or three years, a figure that would be deemed pricey for second base.