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Odds & Ends: Giants, Harper, Heyward, Padres

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Some links as the weekend draws closer…

The 2012 Free Agent Class

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Jeff Euston of Cot's Baseball Contracts recently posted an unofficial list of players who will become free agents after the 2011 season. That free agent class will be highlighted by a trio of first basemen: Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, and Ryan Howard, though there's a chance Albert Pujols will join them if he and the Cardinals can't work out an extension. 

Some other notable players scheduled to become free agents after 2011 include Jason Bartlett, Carlos Beltran, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon. Robinson Cano, Yadier Molina, Grady Sizemore, and Matt Cain may also become free agents if their club options for 2012 are declined. 

Obviously a lot will change between now and then, but it's never too early to look ahead!

2011 Vesting Options

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Vesting options are always fun for hot stove junkies to follow during the season.  Last year we had Kevin Millwood's $12 Million Out and the Tigers allowing Magglio Ordonez's pricey option to vest.  2011 vesting options to watch this year:

  • Brian Fuentes, Angels: $9MM option vests with 55 games finished.  Fuentes has finished 55+ three times in his career, last year included.  Fernando Rodney will be lurking.
  • Billy Wagner, Braves: $6.5MM option vests with 50 games finished.
  • Trever Miller, Cardinals: $2MM option vests with 45 games, but reverts to a club option with a left arm or shoulder injury.
  • Matt Cain, Giants: $6.25MM option vests with 182.3 innings or 27 starts.  The Giants will exercise this even if it doesn't vest, as the alternative will be going to arbitration with Cain and potentially paying him more.
  • Kerry Wood, Indians: $11MM option vests with 55 games finished.  A trade into a non-closing job could affect Wood's bank account.  That's three closers whose GF totals we'll be monitoring. 
  • Alex Cora, Mets: $2MM option vests with 80 starts.
  • Darren Oliver, Rangers: $3.25MM option vests with 59 appearances.
  • Ramon Hernandez, Reds: $3.25MM option vests with 120 games played.
  • Magglio Ordonez, Tigers: $15MM option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances.
  • Note that a game finished is given to the last non-starting pitcher of record.  Also, thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

California Notes: Headley, Angels, Weaver

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Someone alert Dr. Dre and the Beach Boys, since here's a rundown of news from the Golden State…

  • The Padres are so high on Chase Headley that MLB.com's Corey Brock says the team once turned down a deal with Pittsburgh that would've brought Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady to San Diego.
  • MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports that the Angels will pay their five regular infielders a total of $8.05MM in 2010 — or, almost $1MM less than Chone Figgins by himself will make in Seattle.
  • Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles talks to Jeff Weaver, whose minor league contract with the Dodgers allows him to opt out and become a free agent if he doesn't make the club out of spring training.  Weaver said the escape clause allows him to stay out of the minors: "I am here to make this team. If it doesn't work out…then I don't really want to do the Triple-A thing again."
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Jackson said it's unlikely that Jamie McCourt's claim of half-ownership of the Dodgers will hold up in court.  But if it does, then Jackson predicts Frank McCourt "probably will be forced to sell, whether it's to Jamie and the group she allegedly has lined up to buy the club or to someone else."  One would think that if this divorce halves McCourt's fortune as many predict it will, he may have to sell the team regardless of the result of his ex-wife's claim.
  • Scout X (who may or may not be ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski) previews the 2010 season.  One of the more interesting tidbits in the piece is that Scout X would take Matt Cain over Tim Lincecum if he had to choose between the two Giants aces because "Cain pitches with such ease." 

Olney On Red Sox, Fielder, Cain

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney caught our attention yesterday when he guessed the Brewers would trade Prince Fielder to the Red Sox after the season. Some MLB executives who noticed Olney's post "flatly disagreed" with the suggestion. Here are the details from Olney's latest column:

  • The executives Olney spoke with believe the Red Sox would prefer not to give up the young pitching it would take to acquire Prince. They gave up a lot of pitching in the Victor Martinez trade, so they will want to keep Clay Buchholz and others.
  • The same executives didn't rule out a Matt Cain for Prince Fielder swap. There's no indication that there's even the smallest amount of truth behind the suggestion that the teams could trade stars, but it makes some sense, in theory.
  • The Brewers, who know they need an improved rotation, get a top young starter to pair with Yovani Gallardo. The Giants get a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat to place behind Pablo Sandoval. Both Cain and Fielder are under team control for two more seasons, so the suggestion is imaginable, if unlikely.

Haudricourt On: Hall, Pitching, Cain

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Tom Haudricourt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has some topics of discussion for your reading pleasure this Sunday afternoon:

  • Haudricourt says that there's a best case scenario for Bill Hall, and it's not returning to the Brewers' lineup. Haudricourt feels the best thing for both sides is for Hall to play strongly at the Triple-A level, draw interest from a team needing infield help, and get traded. This would require the Brewers eating a significant portion of the roughly $10MM Hall has left on his deal, but with Casey McGehee's emergence and Mat Gamel waiting in the wings, Hall is an odd man out.
  • It's not fair to blame the Brewers' lack of minor league pitching depth on injuries to first round picks such as Mike Jones and Mark Rogers. As Haudricourt says, at some point, you have to develop a mid- or late-round pick into a viable major leaguer. His example: Randy Wells – a 38th round pick – and his 2.84 ERA.
  • Matt Cain's dominance this season serves as a testimonial as to why the Brewers were unable to acquire him when they were rumored to be pursuing the San Francisco righty in the past. Haudricourt says the Giants never intended to deal Cain, and his 12-2 record and 2.12 ERA are the reasons for that.
  • Haudricourt wonders aloud how nice Zack Greinke would look in a Brewers uniform, and offers this quote from the Kansas City ace: "The way we've been playing, it's as bad as any team I've played for." Strong words from someone who's been with the Royals since 2004. Greinke is just 10-6 despite leading the Majors with a 2.08 ERA, and has a 2.97 ERA over his five no-decision this season. Ouch.
  • Haudricourt discusses the Indians as well, pointing out that no team had ever traded the AL Cy Young winner in back-to-back seasons. He quotes Cliff Lee:
"I'll miss the guys, but this is an opportunity to help a first-place team and the defending world champions. So I'm excited."

Heyman On Peavy, Astros, Greene

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A new column from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • If you are sick of hearing about Jake Peavy now, just wait until later this summer.  The pitcher's no-trade clause has "wreaked havoc" on the Padres, but they'll keep trying to trade him.  There are competing opinions as to which teams Peavy would accept a trade, but the Cubs and Dodgers seem to be named most often.  Neither club is a perfect match.  Over at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Michael Hunt discusses the Brewers possibility; he worries that Peavy's contract could become a burden for the Brew Crew.
  • Heyman discusses the situation with Astros manager Cecil Cooper.  Could he be fired so soon after having his option picked up?  Heyman believes Ed Wade might be a bigger problem, and even suggests that "privately [Shawn Chacon's] inappropriate actions were cheered by some other players."  Astros owner Drayton McLane told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that a dismissal of Cooper is "not in the cards," yet Wade doesn't believe in giving votes of confidence.
  • Heyman talked to one person close to shortstop Khalil Greene who "could see the 29-year-old walking away from the game after this season."  Update: Greene's on the DL.
  • A competing exec told Heyman he wouldn't be stunned to see the Giants dangle Matt Cain, even though they haven't yet.  Heyman suggests gauging the value of Jonathan Sanchez first makes sense.

Rosenthal On Rockies, Cain, Pirates

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Another column from Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports?  Sure, why not.

  • The Rockies, 12 games out in the NL West, "appear headed for a selloff."  Garrett Atkins isn't popular (although deep in today's chat, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested there could be a match with the Cardinals), and Todd Helton is too pricey.  But Brad Hawpe, who has $12MM coming to him from now through 2010, could be an appealing trade chip.  Hawpe has a 2011 club option for $10MM, but he can void it if traded.  Rosenthal likes the Rays; the Braves would also be a nice fit for Hawpe in my opinion.
  • Rosenthal believes it would be hard for the Giants to find a young slugger who would be equal value for Matt Cain, who can be controlled cheaply through 2011.  We learned earlier this week that Cain is not being dangled.
  • The Pirates have no financial need to dump veteran contracts, an idea we've read in the past.  They're getting calls on Jack Wilson, but teams are reluctant to take on all the $5.8MM he still has coming.  They have the same problem for Adam LaRoche.  And Rosenthal says the Bucs are "philosophically opposed to the idea of a low-revenue team sending money to a high-revenue team to secure better prospects in a trade, the way the Indians did last season when they moved third baseman Casey Blake to the Dodgers."

Giants Not Dangling Cain, Not Interested In Holliday

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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an update on a few Giants rumors.

  • Schulman's "very high-level" Giants source says Matt Cain is not being dangled, contrary to an earlier rumor.
  • Schulman agrees with Juan C. Rodriguez's report that the Giants have asked the Marlins about Dan Uggla.
  • Schulman believes the Giants are talking to the Nationals about Nick Johnson.  However, his source said the team has no interest in Matt Holliday.  Much has been made of Holliday's slow start, but keep in mind he's hitting .296/.406/.494 in May.

Giants Inquire On Uggla

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Juan C. Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel says the Giants have had preliminary discussions with the Marlins about second baseman Dan Uggla, "though they are not believed to have reached general manager level."

This jives with reports that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria wants "substantive changes" for his team. Rodriguez says the Giants would almost certainly have to part with Matt Cain or Jonathan Sanchez if such a deal were to go through.

Rodriguez also speculates that the Giants might be kicking the tires on Nick Johnson and Mark DeRosa in their quest for a bat.

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