Padres Interested In Loretta, Iguchi
The Padres have gotten a woeful .244/.315/.328 line out of their second baseman, most of it from Marcus Giles. They’re starting to work Geoff Blum in more often, but it’s a clear area for an upgrade.
The two names on the radar, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, are Mark Loretta and Tadahito Iguchi.
Iguchi’s slugging percentage is down this year, mostly from an awful May. But he still represents an upgrade on Giles.
The more versatile Loretta is hitting .297/.373/.390 this year; he’s done a nice job drawing walks. Loretta pushed to sign with the Padres, but Kevin Towers stood him up. Now the Friars have come crawling back. The problem is that the Phillies and Mets have sustained injuries to their second basemen and could get in on him.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Nats After Dunn
Ken Rosenthal’s got a new column up; let’s dive in.
- Fun new rumor: the Nationals are pursuing Adam Dunn. Huh? Makes no sense on the surface. Jim Bowden’s possible motivation would be to sign Dunn long-term and make him the cornerstone of the franchise. If he fails at that, all would not be lost given the draft pick compensation. Rosenthal says the market for Dunn beyond Washington is a bit foggy – the Twins, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Padres could all get involved but none stand out.
- Rosenthal adds some color to my recent Nationals post. He mentions that Ron Belliard is a name that might interest the Mets, an idea that has come up before. Rosenthal says the Mets will not do a Lastings Milledge for Chad Cordero trade.
- The Dodgers have jumped to the forefront on Octavio Dotel, with Takashi Saito ailing. According to Rosenthal, the Royals aren’t demanding the very specific bounty Joel Sherman claimed. Instead, they just want a near MLB-ready player. Rosenthal says Tony Abreu is out of reach but Chin-Lung Hu might not be. He suggests moving Hu to second base to accomodate Tony Pena Jr., which should probably be reversed. It appears the Indians wouldn’t surrender Franklin Gutierrez or Ben Francisco for Dotel. I’d give one up, personally.
- I didn’t know this: Jermaine Dye can veto a deal to four clubs. With his solid play, interest is picking up. As are Kenny Williams’ demands; he wants an elite prospect. The Indians and Red Sox have inquired; the Cubs might make sense too. I thought we had ruled out the Red Sox earlier though.
- The Padres are looking for bench help, perhaps in the name of Ryan Klesko, Mike Piazza, Mark Loretta, or Mike Lamb. Couple of prodigal sons there. Would Piazza be happy as a pricey bench player? Rosenthal says Matt Stairs isn’t available. Why not?
Mets Mulling Options At Second Base
Jose Valentin‘s fractured tibia on Friday should knock him out about six weeks. Unfortunately for Valentin, this injury and a previous one will stop him from reaching 400 plate appearances this year. That means his $4.3MM option for 2008 will not vest.
The Mets have a number of internal options: Anderson Hernandez, Marlon Anderson, Ruben Gotay, and Damion Easley can all handle second base and offer different skills. Willie Randolph didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of Gotay as the everyday guy, though Omar Minaya expects him to play the most.
Minaya’s not actively looking to trade for a second baseman, but he will listen. Jose de Jesus Ortiz believes Minaya covets Mark Loretta, even speculating on expanded deals involving Chad Qualls or Wandy Rodriguez. I had not previously known that Wandy was on Omar’s radar last winter. Still, it doesn’t make much sense for the Astros to give him up in the midst of a possible breakout season.
Dejan Kovacevic mentions Jose Castillo as another option, though there’s no indication the Mets are after him. Two other options for the Mets are impending free agents Luis Castillo and Tadahito Iguchi. There’s been speculation that the Mets will sign Castillo this winter.
Loretta Drawing Interest From Padres, Yankees
According to Buster Olney, Astros infielder Mark Loretta is drawing interest from the Padres and Yankees. The soon-to-be 36 year-old is hitting .307/.383/.402 in 264 ABs this year. He’s played all four infield positions this year. Loretta’s ’07 salary is $2.5MM with an additional $1MM in incentives. So at most, there’s about $1.4MM left on the deal this year.
Marcus Giles has been a disappointment for the Padres, hitting .237/.309/.329 on the year. That’s really bad. Loretta would probably play second regularly for San Diego. Olney believes the Yankees would continue to use Loretta in the supersub role. You may recall that the Yanks had interest in him back in December.
Loretta To Sign With Astros
According to Mark Loretta‘s agent, the second baseman will sign with the Astros. Assuming Chris Burke stays in center field, Loretta would only have to battle a 41 year-old Craig Biggio for playing time at second. The deal is for $2.5MM with another $1MM in incentives.
The signing leaves only Ron Belliard without a home among the formerly large free agent 2B crop.
Rangers Make Offer To Mark Loretta
According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers have made an offer to free agent infielder Mark Loretta but have been told he’s likely to sign elsewhere. Apparently the Rangers aren’t offering enough playing time. They’re looking for someone to back up Teixeira, Kinsler, Young, and Blalock in the dog days of summer. Mark DeRosa filled the role nicely last year.
Two free agent second basemen are still standing: Loretta and Ron Belliard. The Braves could sign one of the two but are more likely to go the low-cost route and try Kelly Johnson, Martin Prado, or Willy Aybar. There aren’t any other open 2B spots that I can find, though the Mets might want some Jose Valentin insurance.
Yanks, D’Backs Close On Unit?
According to the New York Daily News, the Diamondbacks and Yankees could finish a Randy Johnson trade this weekend.
Arizona will need to talk to Johnson to extend his contract through 2008, pretty much guaranteeing he gets his 300th win as a Diamondback. The Yankees want one of Dustin Nippert, Micah Owings, and Ross Ohlendorf. Nippert seems to be the prize of the trio.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are getting closer to signing Doug Mientkiewicz to play first base and could also snag Mark Loretta as a utility infielder.
On the other hand, a source told the Newark Star-Ledger that there’s "nothing imminent" on RJ but things could be resolved within a week anyway.