Odds & Ends: Oeltjen, Hensley, Gload, Halladay
Links for Friday, as team execs and media folk pack their bags for Monday's Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- The Brewers signed Trent Oeltjen to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Oeltjen, 27 in February, hit .303/.362/.500 in his third Triple A tour, playing the outfield corners.
- Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash spells out why his team won't be acquiring Roy Halladay, talking to McCalvy.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets six minor league free agents signed by the Marlins, including Jesse Foppert, Vinny Rottino, and Hector Luna.
- The Pirates expressed "mild interest" in free agent pitcher Clay Hensley, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hensley, 30, spent the year at Triple A in the Astros and Marlins organizations, posting a 3.56 ERA in 124 innings.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post feels there's "still a good chance [Ross] Gload returns [to the Marlins] with a two-year deal."
- Darren Dreifort's five-year, $55MM deal tops Jeff Passan's list of the ten worst contracts of the 2000s for Yahoo.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues explains why the Yankees probably won't sign Rafael Soriano.
- In his Winter Meetings preview for AOL FanHouse, Ed Price says there was some discussion about a Tigers-Diamondbacks trade involving Edwin Jackson and Max Scherzer.
- ESPN's Buster Olney talked to rival executives who say the Tigers have not aggressively shopped Curtis Granderson.
- Olney doesn't think the Mariners will pay up for Jason Bay. He believes the Red Sox are "controlling the market" for Bay and Matt Holliday.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals are "increasingly weighing spreading what it would cost to retain Holliday over several players." Bernie Miklasz of the P-D feels the Cards are "enacting their exit strategy from the Holliday sweepstakes." I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals make their best offer soon - let's say $110MM over six years – and entirely move on if Scott Boras rejects it.
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Nick Johnson is "drawing interest from the Giants, maybe Braves, and a half-dozen more."
- MLB.com's Corey Brock talked to former Padres GM Kevin Towers, who will meet with the Mets, Yankees, Mariners, and Red Sox at the Winter Meetings.
- ESPN's Keith Law isn't impressed with the Phillies' Placido Polanco signing. My initial impression upon hearing about the signing is that no other team would've valued Polanco that highly.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that other teams have been more aggressive on Jamey Carroll than the Marlins. Other Carroll suitors include the Rockies, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Pirates, Reds and Indians.
Diamondbacks Set To Add Payroll, Says CEO
TUESDAY 3:41pm: D-Backs' managing general partner Ken Kendrick says the payroll will likely increase to north of $75MM next year, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. The payroll in 2009 was appoximately $73.5MM.
"We definitely have more than $10 million to spend in the market," Kendrick said. "There are other moves that we may make that could change the money landscape that have yet to be determined."
MONDAY 6:54pm: Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said his team is "definitely adding to the payroll" during a web chat on MLB.com Monday.
Hall weighed in on a huge number of issues, including:
- He wants to look at free agent starting pitchers, relievers, and a bench player. He expects most acquisitions to come through trades.
- He believes both Juan Gutierrez and Esmerling Vasquez can pitch the sixth, seventh or eighth innings next season.
- Only Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Max Scherzer are guaranteed rotation spots in 2010. Billy Buckner, Kevin Mulvey, and possibly free agents could also be in the mix.
- Stephen Drew "would be too tough to replace if we ever moved him."
Check out the full discussion. This is a great example of a team using new media to connect to fans.
Odds And Ends: Wagner, Red Sox, Scherzer
An assortment of links to get the day started…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News hears that one AL contender has at least some interest in adding Billy Wagner for the stretch run. The lefty makes $10.5MM this year and has a $1MM buyout for 2010, so Wagner seems likely to clear waivers.
- Rubin says the Mets won't likely offer Wagner or Carlos Delgado arbitration after the season.
- As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, Max Scherzer uses some pretty advanced stats to judge his performances.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Yanks and Padres almost completed the Chad Gaudin trade before the deadline. When Kenny Williams called about the Jake Peavy deal, Towers had to ignore Cashman, but the teams struck a deal in the end.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says one look at John Smoltz's face suggests he may be done.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says Smoltz looked like a "pitcher turned pinata" last night.
- Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. looks pretty smart right now.
D-Backs Looking For A Fourth Starter?
In this chat with fans, Diamondbacks CEO Jeff Moorad mentions that Max Scherzer will be the No. 5 starter for Arizona in 2009, and that the No. 4 starter will be "a player to be named." Could indicate they’re looking to acquire someone.
For D-Backs fans still hoping that someone will be Randy Johnson…don’t count on it:
We told Randy’s agents that we wanted to meet with him in-person. They told us that they would get back to us after he filed for free agency. We haven’t heard another word on the subject. We offered to pay Randy what we felt was fair and respect the fact that he chose to explore the market – he will always have a place here in Arizona.
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.
Scherzer Open To Fall Ball
Yesterday, Max Scherzer, in hopes of being in the Diamondbacks rotation in 2009, said, "If they want me to get more innings, I would be more than happy to go to the Arizona Fall League to obtain those innings."
In this piece by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, it’s noted the Diamondbacks do not like to increase an innings count by more than 30 per season and Scherzer will be happy to finish around 60. According to Piecoro, Scherzer referenced a Sports Illustrated article – presumably Tom Verducci’s Year After Effect – and understands that having 60 major league innings under his belt does not guarantee he’ll be a starter next season.
The Diamondbacks conditioned Scherzer, a max-effort pitcher, as a starter in Triple-A, where he totaled 53 innings. If the Diamondbacks go ahead with having him pitch in the Arizona Fall League, I would expect them to monitor Scherzer’s workload and arm strength closely in 2009.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday
12:10am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman is hearing the Braves are locked in on the D’Backs, so I’m not sure who to believe. Heyman believes the Rays could be the fallback.
11:42pm: Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune has a source saying there’s "no way" the D’Backs acquire Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. The Braves proposed a package of Scherzer, Parker, and Tracy for Tex. Sounds like these two teams are not close to being on the same page.
11:29pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman checks in. His source says the Yankees, Rays, and Angels are more likely to acquire Teixeira than the D’Backs. Frank Wren isn’t having the Tracy over Jackson idea.
11:06pm: Buster Olney heard from sources that the Braves are leaning toward the D’Backs. He believes a deal could be structured around Tracy and a non-Scherzer pitching prospect. Will Carroll believes the Braves have two solid offers and a third on the way, and Tex could be traded by tomorrow.
10:32pm: Ken Rosenthal has the D’Backs as frontrunners for Tex, noting that they’ll trade Tracy but not Jackson. Micah Owings or a prospect not named Scherzer or Parker could also be included. Tracy and Owings does seem superior to two draft picks. Rosenthal notes that the D’Backs would not attempt to re-sign Teixeira after the season. Meanwhile, Will Carroll heard that the Orioles and Dodgers also inquired.
9:39pm: Steve Gilbert of MLB.com has a source saying the D’Backs don’t want to part with Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer, or Jarrod Parker for Teixeira.
7:12pm: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to GM Frank Wren, who says the Braves have deals on the table right now for Teixeira. Wren is still trying to find the best deal.
6:38pm: The Braves are now taking bids for Teixeira. ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the teams in the mix are the D’Backs, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels. Still, Arizona seems the most logical fit. The Angels won’t trade Casey Kotchman, and the Braves don’t care for Kendry Morales.
5:08pm: According to Yahoo’s Steve Henson, negotiations between the Braves and Diamondbacks for first baseman Mark Teixeira are "pretty far along." Henson talked to a front office source from another team interested in Tex. The Braves reportedly want a prospect plus Chad Tracy or Conor Jackson.
ESPN’s Keith Law wrote earlier today that the Braves have at least four suitors for Teixeira.
Olney’s Latest: Sexson, Ibanez, Ortiz
Buster Olney’s blog post is overloaded with rumors today. Here’s a rundown:
- Olney’s Speculation: Will the Red Sox will express interest in Khalil Greene with Julio Lugo on the DL for 4-6 weeks? Olney also wonders if the Dodgers will seek Huston Street if Takashi Saito is seriously hurt.
- Scout Speculation: Huston Street and Matt Murton to the Rays for prospects?
- Bobby Kielty was granted release by the Red Sox.
- Richie Sexson could decide where to go based on greatest offered playing time. I’d say that’s expected for a veteran starter.
- Olney says that requests for Max Scherzer are keeping the Dbacks from making any moves, such as for Raul Ibanez.
- David Ortiz is slated to return to the lineup on July 25th, which leaves the Red Sox less than a week to evaluate him and make a move if necessary. Olney details some options:
- Acquire a hitter during the waiver period after the deadline. This would rule out comparable replacements such as Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira.
- Make a "preemptive strike" for Holliday or Teixeira costing them "at least one of their best prospects".
- Target a "second or third tier bat" such as Ibanez or Xavier Nady.
- Continue on with or without an effective Ortiz, hoping their offense is good enough.
Odds and Ends: Yorman, Hamilton, Ng, Carrasco
Some odds and ends before you fire up the grill…
- The Twins signed their other first round pick, Carlos Gutierrez.
- According to Jeff Passan, 15 year-old Venezuelan center fielder Yorman Rodriguez may have already agreed to a deal with the Reds.
- MLB.com’s Jim Molony notes that the Phillies’ director of Major League scouting watched a recent Red Sox-Astros game.
- Like Brian Bannister, Arizona’s Max Scherzer uses an understanding of BABIP to his advantage.
- Josh Hamilton sensed jealousy in the Reds’ clubhouse. Wayne Krivsky says it wasn’t a factor in the trade but that "there were issues in the clubhouse."
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown has an article on Kim Ng.
- Phillies’ pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco has "mild soreness" in his pitching shoulder.
- Jeff Francoeur has been sent to Double A to reboot his swing.
- I chatted with Eric DeLash over at his blog. I also answered some questions from The Blog Of Champions.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Krivsky, Scherzer, Edwin Jackson
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let’s take a look.
- Rosenthal gives a good refresher on July trade candidates; pretty much the names you’d expect.
- Reasons for Wayne Krivsky’s firing are discussed. By the way check out John Fay’s blog for some candid final comments from Krivsky. One interesting note is that he had no extension talks with Adam Dunn.
- The D’Backs could use Max Scherzer to strengthen their bullpen, or they could shop Chad Tracy for a reliever.
- Rosenthal wonders whether the Nationals might consider the under-30 segment of the next free agent class.
- Plenty of teams continue to express interest in the Rays’ Edwin Jackson. Something has to give in their rotation when Scott Kazmir returns, but demoting Andy Sonnanstine to the pen would solve the logjam.
Odds and Ends: Lugo, Murton, Scherzer
A handful of random links…
- Josh Kalk did a guest post at RotoAuthority, using PITCHf/x data to analyze C.C. Sabathia‘s early struggles.
- Nick Cafardo comments on Julio Lugo‘s unimpressive Red Sox career, noting that Jed Lowrie is nipping at his heels. Is there any chance the Sox consider guys like Orlando Cabrera or Rafael Furcal this winter?
- Christina Kahrl believes leaving Matt Murton in Triple A was the right move.
- White Sox beat reporter Joe Cowley explains that real baseball is different from fantasy baseball.
- The Scherzer Watch begins, especially for fantasy leaguers.
- Joe Sports Fan offers their list of the seven worst baseball contracts.