Odds and Ends : Snyder, Ludwick, Bradley
Reading material for Tuesday…
- Chris Carpenter is reportedly dealing with a unique and career-threatening nerve injury, which could increase the Cardinals’ need for starting pitching this winter.
- Viva El Birdos says the Cardinals should offer Ryan Ludwick and others for Matt Cain. Can’t hurt to ask.
- The Cubs claimed outfielder Brad Snyder off waivers from the Indians. He was the 18th overall pick in 2003, but hasn’t produced enough in the minors.
- Milton Bradley stands to earn another half-million bucks if he can snag seven more plate appearances. Bradley met with the Rangers a few months ago to discuss a long-term deal, but nothing is close. Bradley feels the Rangers are dragging their feet, and gives 50-50 odds on a return. He said he’d quit baseball if he couldn’t find a multiyear deal somewhere.
- Sam Mellinger reminds Royals fans that their long-term success hinges on the development of in-house youngsters rather than free agent signings.
- Steven Goldman notes that the Red Sox are far better prepared for the future than the Yankees.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Roberts, Cain
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- One "Yankees person" believes it will take "crazy money" to convince C.C. Sabathia to pitch in New York and in the American League.
- The following three names are being bandied about in the Yankees’ clubhouse for center field next year: Nate McLouth, David DeJesus, and Matt Kemp. DeJesus seems the most reasonable target, though Robinson Cano could be part of a package for Kemp. DeJesus, it should be noted, played a poor center field this year according to the plus/minus system.
- Heyman doesn’t see the Yankees re-signing Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu due to defensive concerns.
- Heyman says the Brewers’ efforts to acquire Brian Roberts were more under the radar than the Cubs’. GM Doug Melvin admitted Roberts’ name came up last spring, as the Orioles "were wanting to get [the Brewers] involved."
- Heyman speculation…could the Giants send Matt Cain and another player to Milwaukee for Prince Fielder, and then sign Sabathia? Or could the Rockies jump into the bidding for C.C.?
Week in Review: 9/14 – 9/20
Another week down here at MLBTR, here’s your review!
- The Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on Monday. Yost has taken a lot of criticism, and while I personally don’t feel like it’s a bad move, it seems like an odd time to disrupt the clubhouse, given that the Brewers are right in the wild card race. Perhaps this was intended to spark the Brewers and act as a wakeup call, but they have just two wins since the move.
- In an attempt to cut payroll, the Tigers may have to move Magglio Ordonez this offseason. Ordonez will make $18MM next year and has options for 2010 and 2011. Anyone else think the Reds should make a serious run at Maggs? A lineup filled with Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ordonez could be extremely potent, to go along with a rotation anchored by Edinson Volquez, Aaron Harang, and Johnny Cueto.
- Despite their bullpen woes, the Mets are not likely to make a run at either Francisco Rodriguez, or Brian Fuentes either. The Mets’ internal options have been bad, but K-Rod is in for a record-setting deal, and aside from the sheer number of saves, I don’t feel that his numbers stand out to the point where the team that lands him is going to get the full value of that contract. Personally, I think passing is a good decision.
- Are the Royals currently interested in making a move for Braves’ right fielder Jeff Francoeur? The Royals have very few guys with solid OBPs, and adding Francoeur to the everyday lineup doesn’t seem like the route to go. Still, he has a long-standing relationship with Royals GM Dayton Moore, so it could be a valid possibility. The Royals have said they are willing to part with anyone aside from Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, and Joakim Soria.
- The Red Sox and Theo Epstein have agreed to a contract extension.
- Things to think about for in the offseason: Kevin Gregg expects to be traded, Matt Cain wants to stay in San Francisco, Milton Bradley wants a long-term deal and feels he has a 50-50 chance at returning to the Rangers. In the meantime, likely non-tender candidates include both Josh Bard and Erik Bedard.
- Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series with entries for the Athletics, Braves, and Tigers. He also took a look at the Third Base Market, led by Casey Blake.
- And for anyone curious about Manny Ramirez’s end in Boston, here’s Curt Schilling’s take on the situation.
Perrotto’s Latest: GMs, Angels, Offseason Moves
John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up, let’s take a look at what he has to say:
- Perrotto believes that there’s a good chance that the only GM change baseball will see this offseason may be the one we already know about, as Pat Gillick has already announced his retirement. Perrotto cites Assitant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as a likely replacement. The most likely other change is in Seattle, and cites Dodgers’ Assistant GM Kim Ng as a possible replacement, which would make her the first female general manager in the game’s history. Perrotto believes Cashman and the Yankees will work something out, though notes that if Cashman leaves, he will ascend to the top of both the Mariners’ and Phillies’ lists.
- Angels’ owner Arte Moreno says that the 2009 club will not exceed the current $123MM payroll. This leaves the Angels with hard decisions on Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Garrett Anderson, Juan Rivera, and Jon Garland. Of all those options, I see Teixeira as the top priority, as well as the most likely to return. Garland and Rivera seem like certainties to be gone, with Garland being one of the more appealing starters on the free agent market.
- The Robinson Cano trade rumors continue, as Perrotto expects the Yankees to make a run at Orlando Hudson. Giving up on Cano seems like a mistake to me, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the expectations he set when he nearly won a batting title in 2006. The Yankees are also not likely to re-sign Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu.
- The Tigers feel they have a good chance at re-signing Freddy Garcia for 2009. Garcia could potentially be a nice rebound candidate in a rotation that desperately needs help. Perrotto mentions that Detroit has considered Derek Lowe as a possibility, but I don’t see how that could work with the Tigers trying to cut payroll at the same time. One thing seems certain: Kenny Rogers will not be pitching for Detroit in 2009.
- The White Sox have removed the nameplate from Joe Crede’s locker. Doesn’t seem like he’ll be back in 2009, not that that’s necessarily a new revelation.
- The Royals/Jeff Francouer rumors continue in Perrotto’s column. It’s been written all over the site, but doesn’t it seem like the Royals should actually be pursuing people who have a career OBP that isn’t lower than several good hitters’ career average?
- The Giants are willing to trade Matt Cain for a solid power hitter in return. Again, I think keeping a rotation headed by Cain and Tim Lincecum for the next few years is a far better option than trading Cain.
- The Pirates have said that the only guarantee for their rotation next season is Paul Maholm. It’s been a rough season for Ian Snell, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot as well, unless they’re not positive he’ll still be with the club.
- The Mariners will likely non-tender Erik Bedard, completing the downward spiral on what has been one of the worst trades in recent history. Bedard will have shoulder surgery and likely miss a good portion of 2009.
- Speaking of disappointing moves: Both Greg Maddux and Kosuke Fukudome are in danger of being left off their respective teams’ postseason rosters.
Cain Hopes To Stay
According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Giants pitcher Matt Cain doesn’t want to be traded this winter. Baggarly says the Giants don’t want to trade him, but "they will have to keep an open mind to add a power hitter to their offense."
Baggarly cites the Cain-for-Prince Fielder rumor, noting that the Giants want more than that. Cain can be under contract for the next three seasons, so the Giants should demand more than the Orioles received for Erik Bedard. The Brewers could certainly match up, with a possible surplus of young infielders. Chris Davis and Dan Uggla could be other powerful targets for the Giants (not that Davis is available).
Stark’s Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton
Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB’s apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal.
- Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation. However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive). The Giants are known to like the big first baseman. The hangup is Brian Sabean’s reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain.
- The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre. The Mariners want starting pitching, but one year of Beltre is not equal to four of Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Phillies still don’t want to go past two guaranteed years for Pat Burrell. Stark points out another complication – Burrell would gain 10-and-5 rights early in a Phillies contract. Any NL team inking Burrell for four years is a risky proposition given his defense. If Burrell leaves the Phillies, Stark doesn’t expect the team to sign a major free agent as his replacement.
- The Indians deserve props for acquiring Anthony Reyes. Let’s not overdo it though – it’s only been five starts, and his strikeout rate is just 4.0 per nine in Cleveland.
- The Indians talked to multiple teams about Cliff Lee last winter. Interestingly, they thought the hardest about swapping him for Carlos Quentin.
- The Astros were quite willing to trade Ty Wigginton, prior to his massive August.
Sherman’s Latest: Yankees’ Off-Season Plans
Earlier this week Hank Steinbrenner promised changes this off-season for the Yankees. Today Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates on what those changes could look like…
- Sources tell Sherman that Steinbrenner wants to make CC Sabathia the highest paid pitcher ever.
- Sherman thinks Shane Victorino would be a nice fit for the Yankees in center field.
- Some Yankees officials are toying with the idea of trading some of their young pitching if the Yankees do land Sabathia and another veteran such as AJ Burnett. Sherman thinks a player like Phil Hughes could be used to land a young center fielder or first baseman such as Joey Votto of the Reds.
- Sherman feels giving Mark Teixeira a 10-year deal would be a mistake.
- Sherman also wonders if Robinson Cano should be dangled this off-season in an attempt to land a starting pitcher like Zach Greinke, Chad Billingsley or Matt Cain.
- Sherman thinks the Yankees should offer Bobby Abreu arbitration in hopes of landing two draft picks, and says if Abreu accepts the arbitration it would not be a terrible thing, but would force somebody else to be moved.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Phillies Eyeing Cain, Blanton
Randy Miller had some interesting Phillies rumors yesterday. According to Miller:
The latest has the Phils hoping San Francisco, an NL West pretender, will shop 23-year-old right-hander Matt Cain. Word is the Giants might part with Cain, who is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 20 starts, if offered an intriguing package of young talent.
However, Jayson Stark wrote on Thursday:
We keep hearing people speculate about the Giants trading Matt Cain. But we can’t find a team that has gotten anywhere in its attempts to even get the Giants to discuss him. "I don’t know who got that rumor rolling," said an official of one club. "But they told us, emphatically, no."
Moving on, Miller says the Phils aren’t interested in A.J. Burnett. Buster Olney said the same on Wednesday. Miller also notes that the Phils have interest in lefty relievers John Grabow and Brian Fuentes.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Phillies’ talks for Joe Blanton are "gaining momentum." Olney believes this deal makes sense, and that it could come together quickly.
Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell
FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.
THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.
- The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia. The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window. The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees. The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
- Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
- Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams. It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
- The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision. If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target. If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip. Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
- The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
- The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
- The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden. Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
- Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
- Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.
Sabean Explains Giants’ Trade Strategy
Giants GM Brian Sabean explained his trade deadline strategy to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman.
- As you might expect, starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez are off-limits. The trio has 331 Ks already.
- The Giants aren’t interested in a rental, even though they are in the race at five games out.
- Sabean is likely to keep Bengie Molina and Randy Winn, but Ray Durham, Omar Vizquel, and Rich Aurilia are available.