Rosenthal’s Latest: Angels, D’Backs, Giambi, Ellis
Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Many important Angels will reach free agency this winter: Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Jon Garland, and Juan Rivera. Rosenthal doesn’t expect any of these four back. Garret Anderson‘s $14MM option will not be exercised, but he could be re-signed. John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero both have reasonable club options for ’09, but the Halos need to plan beyond that.
- Several journalists have noted the D’Backs may restock the farm system if they let Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, Brandon Lyon, and Juan Cruz depart as free agents after the season. They’re not worried about Dunn accepting an offer of arbitration. Why would he want a one-year deal?
- Rosenthal guesses the Indians, Mariners, Blue Jays, and A’s might have interest in Jason Giambi this winter. Giambi’s .398 OBP ranks 7th in the AL. The leader: fellow free agent Milton Bradley at a staggering .446.
- Mark Ellis surprisingly postponed negotiations with the A’s on an extension. It had been said Ellis wanted to figure out a contract before season’s end. He’s the affordable free agent alternative to Hudson.
- The Twins are trying to get creative to find bullpen help. GM Bill Smith says he’s made many waiver claims and won some.
- Rosenthal says "speculation persists" that J.P. Ricciardi will be canned after the season.
- The Tigers aren’t considering trading Magglio Ordonez, but Nate Robertson could be moved this winter. Robertson seems due for a move back to the NL. He earns $7MM in ’09 and $10MM in ’10.
- The Reds are being questioned for holding on to relievers David Weathers and Jeremy Affeldt.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Giles, Dodgers, Indians, Fielder
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up over at FOX Sports. Here’s the highlights:
- The Red Sox wanted to use Brian Giles in right field against certain right-handers, and shift J.D. Drew over to center field for those games. Giles blocked the trade for family reasons, according to Rosenthal, despite the chance at an increased pay day and an opportunity to play in the postseason.
- Rosenthal says that while the Dodgers are under pressure to re-sign Manny Ramirez, there may be more pressure to sign Casey Blake after this season. Rosenthal points out that Blake is batting .333 in his first 16 games in Dodger blue, and the Dodgers traded away their best young third baseman in Andy LaRoche in order to get Manny. The Dodgers aren’t sold on Blake DeWitt as a long-term option.
- Rosenthal feels that the Brewers are now less likely to shop Prince Fielder in the offseason, though he points out they could fetch quite a nice haul of Major-League-ready talent if they shopped Fielder as an alternative to Mark Teixeira. Rosenthal feels that J.J. Hardy is a much better bet to be shopped though, as Alcides Escobar could be used to replace him in 2009.
- Rosenthal wonders if, given Kelly Shoppach’s emergence, the Indians could try to trade him for a top-end starter. Rosenthal offers two scenarios for Cleveland: Trade Shoppach and sign Jason Giambi, or keep Shoppach, sign Orlando Hudson, move Victor Martinez to first base. Both scenarios have the same goal of adding offense and allowing Matt LaPorta to remain in the outfield.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Giles, Teixeira, Dunn, Manny
A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere…
- Orioles Outsider projects what Mark Teixeira should be worth on the open-market and wonders how much above that number the O’s should be willing to go.
- Baltimore Birds Nest thinks that the only way Teixeira ends up in an O’s uniform next season is if Peter Angelos opens the wallet and makes the biggest offer.
- Camden Chat would prefer to have Adam Dunn over Teixeira.
- The Shadow of Manny Ramirez compares the Manny Ramirez trade to a scene from "Sex and the City"…Don’t worry. It went over my head also.
- Not to be outdone, Soxaholix wonders why every time one of the Sox best players leaves town, it is like an episode of the new "90210".
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Mark Teixeira Rumors
It’s not fair to lump all Orioles fans into one big group. But as you might expect, some of the team’s fans are pushing for a signing of Maryland native Mark Teixeira. Teixeira, for his part, said all the right things while remaining noncommittal. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun expects the Orioles to at least make a run at him.
Free agent megadeals are generally frowned upon for non-contenders. The Orioles, especially, face an uphill battle in the AL East. Craig Calcaterra thinks Teixeira would be a mistake for the Orioles, and such a signing would deviate from Andy MacPhail’s plan. I tend to agree. But to play devil’s advocate, we have seen some successful big money free agent deals signed in advance of contention. For example, the Tigers’ signing of Ivan Rodriguez in ’04 and (hopefully) the Royals’ signing of Gil Meche in ’06. The Orioles signing Tex would be in the same mold, only with more risk attached.
Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says to treat the "ten year contract" talk with skepticism in regard to Teixeira. Tex answered a question from Ken Rosenthal specifically about whether he’d like a ten-year deal – who wouldn’t? There is no sign that Teixeira, even represented by Scott Boras, will actually demand ten years. And even if he does, I doubt he’ll get it.
Odds and Ends: Delgado, Heilman, Teixeira, Alvarez
Time for today’s linkage.
- Geoff Baker tries to determine who "won" the Jose Vidro trade.
- Ken Davidoff doesn’t expect anyone of value to clear waivers. We didn’t have much August trade action last year either. Some decent names were dealt in August of ’06 though – David Wells, Shawn Green, Jamie Moyer, Livan Hernandez, Ryan Franklin, Eric Hinske, and Scott Schoeweneis.
- The Mets can retain Carlos Delgado for ’09 at essentially $8MM, since there’s a hefty $4MM buyout on his $12MM option. Back in May Delgado’s agent said it was a $16MM option. However, MetsBlog‘s Matthew Cerrone told me that is only the case with a top five MVP finish.
- Joel Sherman wonders whether Aaron Heilman will be a non-tender candidate this winter. Seems unlikely; he won’t be that expensive.
- Mark Teixeira‘s three favorite places to play are New York, Seattle, and Anaheim, for what it’s worth.
- Yahoo’s Kevin Kaduk considers "Dr. James Andrews" the worst three words in baseball. He also lists some other three-word contenders.
- The Pirates will not "grossly exceed" the market to sign Pedro Alvarez. They seem to be hoping Scott Boras will come down to the $4-6MM net present value range on August 15th.
- The Nationals are thinking around $2.15MM for Aaron Crow.
- RotoAuthority discusses trading injured players in fantasy leagues.
Week in Review: 7/27 – 8/2
We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let’s recap the big moves of the week:
- The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won’t necessarily replace Manny’s production, he’s much more affordable, signed through ’09, and doesn’t disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push in the NL West, though are now overloaded with overpaid outfielders. All in all, I don’t think any team made a bad deal in this one.
- The Angels made a big move in adding Mark Teixeira to their lineup, sending Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta in exchange. The Angels didn’t need help at the time – they’re running away with the AL West – but this move will undoubtedly be significant in the postseason. Great boost to the Halos’ lineup.
- The White Sox and Reds completed a trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Nick Masset and Danny Richar. I don’t understand this trade from the Sox perspective. Griffey was only hitting .245 at the time of the trade, and his range in center field isn’t close to what it once was. Still, he’s a presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. Will playing for a contender rejuvenate him?
- The Yankees acquired future hall-of-famer Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth. With Jorge Posada out for the season, New York did a good job of solidifying their catcher’s spot, while the Tigers got some much-needed improvement in their bullpen.
- The Twins aren’t known for making big trades at the deadline, and they held true to that in 2008. However, they made a move that could be bigger than any trade they might have made, when they designated Livan Hernandez for assignment, and recalled Francisco Liriano from Triple-A Rochester. The Twins DFA’ed Craig Monroe as well. The Rockies are looking for a fifth starter, and could have interest in Hernandez.
- Relievers on the move: Arthur Rhodes was traded to the Marlins, giving them another effective lefty option in the bullpen. The Astros acquired LaTroy Hawkins, still buying despite being 9.5 games out of the wildcard race at the time.
- The Nationals released Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez. Both were highly unsuccessful this season, though they could generate interest from other teams.
- Tim explained the rules behind waiver trades for those who are unfamiliar with how the process works after the July 31st non-waiver deadline. He also takes a look at some noteable names who stayed put at the deadline.
- Minor moves: The Yankees signed Victor Zambrano to a minor league contract, while the Red Sox did the same with former Cleveland closer Joe Borowski.
- The Diamondbacks are talking extension with their second ace, Dan Haren.
- USA Today wrote an article on MLBTR. Check it out!
More Rosenthal: Furcal, Dunn, Yankees, Mets
And more from Ken Rosenthal, this time his Full Count video:
- The Dodgers will have an opening at shortstop in the offseason and could re-sign Rafael Furcal. They like his work ethic and what he’s brought their team, offensively and defensively, during his stay.
- The bigger the contract for Mark Teixeira, the pricier Adam Dunn becomes. Yet, Dunn will cost less and may just be more appealing than Teixeira.
- The Yankees and Mets will be looking to solve roster holes by promoting prospects. Carl Pavano, on a rehab assignment, is not being counted on.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Washburn, Teixeira, Griffey
Rumor-wellspring Ken Rosenthal has another Inside Pitch video:
- Jarrod Washburn to the Yankees has been put to bed. It won’t happen through waivers.
- Mark Teixeira wants a 10 year deal and that might limit his options to one city: New York. Only Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have 10 year deals. The Yankees and Mets may be the only players willing to go that high. Teixeira’s turned down a lot of money before, and indicated he wants to play for a place he likes and a team that contends every year.
- Ken Griffey Jr. could remain in the American League next year, and Rosenthal suggests a return to Seattle. He’s open to playing OF and DH but has also considered some 1B.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Ohman, Kotsay, Eyre
Rumor roundup…
- ESPN’s Buster Olney implies that another website backdates timestamps in an attempt to fake scoops. I was following the Mark Teixeira rumors like a hawk; I gave the scoop to ESPN’s Jayson Stark with an assist to MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer.
- Joe Christensen says Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is not available.
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman guesses Will Ohman will land with the Cardinals. He also puts the odds of a Mark Kotsay deal at 50%.
- With Mark Teixeira out of the picture, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes doesn’t expect to make any more trades.
- Will Carroll says the Dodgers had a "passing discussion" with the Cubs about Scott Eyre and Ronny Cedeno.
- Nothing cooking with the Royals.
- Talked to Eddie Bajek, who is working on reverse-engineering the Elias formula. He has A.J. Burnett on the Type A/Type B borderline. Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Renteria should both be Type As.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Ibanez, Ohman, Fuentes
The latest from rumor guru Ken Rosenthal:
- The Mariners are not having much luck stirring interest in Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez. Only the Mets are seriously looking at Ibanez, and they don’t like the price. The D’Backs aren’t interested. Exacerbating the situation is that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas may feel compelled to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
- The Braves chose Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek over an offer of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the D’Backs. I’m surprised the Diamondbacks didn’t go a little further. The Braves tried to expand the deal and send Will Ohman to the Angels, but a match could not be found. Ohman remains likely to go, with the Rays, Cardinals, and Red Sox named as suitors.
- Rosenthal notes that the Angels have a ton of offseason decisions to make, with club options and free agents all over the place.
- The Rockies might be slightly more willing to trade Brian Fuentes following recent losses. However, they still want a young starting pitcher for him.