Odds And Ends: Clemens, Soria, Randolph, Mulder
A couple of notes for this Thursday afternoon.
- Bob Watson, GM of the U.S. Olympic baseball team, says Roger Clemens is not welcome. "We don’t need that type of distraction," said Watson.
- Should the Royals give Joakim Soria a shot as a starter? I’m always inclined to say yes. If he fails in the rotation, just bump him back to the bullpen. Same logic goes for Joba Chamberlain.
- In a minor trade, the Astros have sent 34-year-old lefty Stephen Randolph to the Phillies for a player to be named later. Randolph was 0-1 with a 1.23 ERA in AAA this year.
- Rehabbing Cardinal Mark Mulder will be sidelined for the next week to 10 days with a rotator cuff strain.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.
Olney’s Latest: Benson, Lowell, Chavez, Mulder, Eckstein
Buster Olney’s ESPN Insider blog is always a good source for links from around the league. Let’s see what’s up today.
- Kris Benson’s agent Gregg Clifton says his client will to throw in Arizona about a week after the Winter Meetings.
- He says that the Yankees "haven’t put forth any offers that would give them a serious chance to get Mike Lowell." So did the Yankees pull back their offer, or did they even make one in the first place?
- Eric Chavez just underwent his third surgery in the past two months. With three years and $37 million left guaranteed ($34 million in salary plus a $3 million buyout for 2011).
- Brewers manager Ned Yost is asking NL Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun to take 1,000 groundballs per day this off-season. Maybe this will help Braun improve from his poor defensive year in 2007.
- The Cardinals are calling Mark Mulder’s progress "very positive." He’s slated to start throwing in January, and according to the team will be ready to throw off a mound come Spring Training.
- The Mets are still interested in David Eckstein as their second baseman.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog.
Viva El Birdos On Mulder
Viva El Birdos has an interesting take on the Mark Mulder signing, and I can’t really argue with it. I’ll leave you with Larry’s concluding quote; read his post on rotator cuff surgery survivors. Says Larry:
"To my eye, it’s 50-50 that Ryan Franklin outperforms Mark Mulder in 2007."
Mulder Signs With Cardinals
UPDATE: It’s confirmed – Mulder will return to the Cardinals for a guaranteed contract of two years and $13MM. Incentives can kick in to make it a three-year, $45MM pact if Mulder makes 30 starts in each of the next two seasons. It’s a longshot but it could be done if he returns right in the beginning of May. He had shoulder surgery in September of 2006.
Adam Wainwright might be able to remain in the bullpen as a result of the signing.
UPDATE: Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has once source saying Mulder has signed with the Cards. He’s trying to confirm it with more sources.
Mark Mulder could decide tonight between the Cardinals, Indians, and Rangers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cards have offered two years and potentially $18MM. The lefty probably won’t be ready to pitch until July, but he is looking at two guaranteed years from any of the three clubs.
The Dallas Morning News agrees that a decision is likely today. The three teams have made similar offers. If that’s the case, I don’t know why Mulder would choose to pitch in Texas or even the American League. The Rangers could snag one of Tomo Ohka, Mark Redman, Tony Armas Jr., Steve Trachsel, or Bruce Chen instead. The Rangers could use one more guy so as not to have to go with both Robinson Tejeda and John Koronka.
Boston Globe Trade Rumors
Aside from the aforementioned Roger Clemens tidbit, Nick Cafardo’s recent Boston Globe column is packed with interesting info. A brief summary follows.
Cafardo believes the Red Sox will add one more reliever and then sort out the closer situation in spring. The Cordero, Lidge, and Gonzalez talks didn’t go anywhere. The idea of returning to Jon Papelbon, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense and isn’t out of the question. Failing that, Julian Tavarez could be the favorite. Shaky alternatives (Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen) abound.
A source told Cafardo that Matt Clement wants to prove everyone wrong and could be throwing by springtime. Maybe he just wants to cash in after his walk year. Clement had rotator cuff surgery at the end of September.
Rodrigo Lopez has gotten interest from five teams. A move to St. Louis or somewhere like that could help him quite a bit.
Carl Everett and Sammy Sosa may need to play in the independent leagues to convince some team to give them a shot. Two of baseball’s finest role models, right there.
Mark Mulder is still looking at the Cards, Rangers, and Indians for his options. The Tribe has offered two years and $8MM with another $7MM in incentives. The Rangers offer less than $8MM guaranteed but a possible package of $18.75MM instead of $15MM.
The Giants would still like to recruit David Wells despite their signing of Barry Zito. Such a move would push Jonathan Sanchez to the bullpen. The Phillies, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets may also be interested in Wells.
Indians News: Foulke, Mulder, Westbrook
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer checks in with various Tribe updates.
Keith Foulke still has to take his physical; the Indians probably won’t reach an agreement until next week. Foulke would team with Joe Borowski to take the eighth and ninth innings, which neither pitching three days in a row.
The Indians are waiting to hear back from Mark Mulder‘s agent on their reported two-year offer. Should Mulder be signed and ready in May or June, it might allow for a trade. Paul Byrd, Cliff Lee, or Jake Westbrook could be dealt to clear space.
There’s also a chance the Indians sign Westbrook to an extension; they may speak on the topic before the season starts. Westbrook will be a 30 year-old with probably four consecutive seasons of 210 innings; that should command $11-12MM and four or five years on the open market.
Post-Dispatch Cardinals Update
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently spoke to Cards GM Walt Jocketty, and has an article full of updates.
The Cardinals are still trying to bring back Mark Mulder and/or Jeff Weaver, but aren’t interested in other free agent pitchers. Jeff Suppan would have to offer a discount, which is unlikely. The Cards have a two-year offer out to Mulder. Weaver might wait out both Zito and Suppan before signing. Outside options like Brian Lawrence and Tomo Ohka might be out of the picture.
It also appears that Jocketty doesn’t have any trades on the horizon despite their earlier interest in Carl Pavano. Right now, the rotation appears to be Carpenter, Wells, Reyes, Wainwright, and Looper.
The Cards will bring back Rick Ankiel on a minor league deal. Preston Wilson hopes to return as well.
Mulder Narrows Choices?
According to Kat O’Brien of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "indications are that Mark Mulder is deciding between the Rangers and his previous team, the St. Louis Cardinals, on a two-year deal." Interestingly, the article includes a life-size picture of Mulder’s head.
As far as Mulder’s ERA goes, I don’t think Texas would be a wise choice. Not only is it a tough ballpark, but John Dewan’s recent team defense rankings put the Rangers’ middle infield 23rd in the Majors in 2006. His rankings indicate that the Mets would be a much better choice for a groundball pitcher.
Olney: Tribe A Serious Player For Mulder
According to Buster Olney in his blog for ESPN, "Cleveland has become a very serious player for Mark Mulder." Olney notes that the Indians would have four southpaws in the rotation if Mulder joins up. He considers Paul Byrd to be the probable odd man out. Of course, the Indians could always look to trade impending free agent Jake Westbrook if Mulder is healthy and effective.
Mulder is chilling on a beach somewhere on his honeymoon, but plenty of teams are talking about him. Lately the Rangers and Mets have been in the rumor mill. A billion other teams have been named in the past. Mulder wants a two-year contract.
People talk about how Jeff Suppan wouldn’t survive back in the AL…looking at the numbers, shouldn’t we have the same sentiment about Mulder?
UPDATE: There is an article here from the Dallas Morning News that mentions the Cards and D’Backs as well.
D’Backs Interested In Mulder, David Wells
Something broken, something old. According to the Arizona Republic, the D’Backs have made an offer to free agent Mark Mulder. Additionally, they may try to coax David Wells out of retirement.
At this point, Wells on a one-year deal for less than $10MM sounds reasonable. This ain’t 2005 anymore. Boomer turns 44 in May, but he might be able to provide 180 league average innings. His pinpoint control isn’t going anywhere.
Mulder could actually prefer a one-year deal, as a way of maximizing his earnings. Whatever the offer was, it did not include incentives. What would it take – $7MM guaranteed? I don’t see a Mulder signing as a potential bargain. He won’t be ready for Opening Day and he may struggle upon his return.
The Diamondbacks have also spoken to Tomo Ohka‘s agent. Brandon Webb, Doug Davis, and Livan Hernandez are locks for their rotation. Juan Cruz, Dana Eveland, and Edgar Gonzalez will compete for openings.