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Milton Bradley

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Podsednik, Duchscherer

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Links for Monday…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals still have money left to sign Matt Capps, assuming he wants to go there. Morosi expects Capps to decide on his next team this week.
  • In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that the Tigers are only interested in Scott Podsednik if it's a one-year deal. Detroit has no interest in Rick Ankiel.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Justin Duchscherer has received contract offers from three unnamed teams, and he expects to decide on his 2010 home within a week.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Royals are interested in free agent outfielder Brian Anderson on a minor league deal.
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney retaining starting jobs in the wake of the impending Coco Crisp signing.  Slusser suggests a possible reduced role or trade for Scott Hairston.  FanGraphs' Dave Cameron doesn't understand the move, noting that Davis and Sweeney are similar to Crisp.  Crisp's physical will take place tomorrow, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. 
  • Matthew Carruth of Lookout Landing explains that Mariners fans fully understand the dangers of Milton Bradley.  The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reflects on Carlos Silva's time with the club.
  • Patrick Newman joins FanGraphs with a look at Japanese baseball imports and exports for 2010.  Speaking of which, new Met Ryota Igarashi would like to be Francisco Rodriguez's set-up man.

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Bradley, Hamels

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Let's have a look at some miscellaneous Sunday links….

  • The Tigers purchased the contract of catcher Andy Bouchie from the Long Beach Armada. Bouchie, 24, was a seventh round pick by the Brewers after his junior season at Oral Roberts University, but was released due to catching depth in the Milwaukee system. He hit .290 with 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games in the Golden Baseball League this year.
  • Jon Paul Morosi explains why the Padres should wait until July 31 to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Larry Stone offers some optimism for Seattle fans with concerns about newly-acquired Milton Bradley in a nice article, reminding us that Bradley has had non-problematic stops over the course of his career. Stone quotes Eddie Guardado, Bud Black, and Ken Macha, all of whom support Bradley.
  • Scott Lauber writes that amidst the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pandemonium, it's easy to forget about Cole Hamels, but the Phillies haven't. They still see Hamels as a top-of-the-rotation arm and are confident in his ability to rebound from a forgettable 2009.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that Oakland's potential deal with Coco Crisp reflects the value the A's place on defense.
  • In his usual lengthy Sunday column, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo focuses primarily on the Red Sox' moves, past, present, and future. He provides at least one interesting hot stove note though: Mark DeRosa's asking price has come down, and Cafardo wonders if the Mets could sign the infielder and play him at first base.
  • Cafardo also mentions that, while plenty of teams are interested in Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees hope to match any final offer the right-hander receives.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff can't see any other teams taking a chance on Mike Lowell unless he exhibits good health in Spring Training.
  • In a separate article, Davidoff examines the next move for Johnny Damon. Davidoff lists the Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Mets as possible destinations, but concedes there are roadblocks in each case.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the remaining names on the closing market, concluding that there are too many arms and not enough teams in need of a closer.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says there's nothing wrong with any of the Orioles' recent signings, but that they aren't the big splashes fans may have hoped to see.

Cubs Rumors: Byrd, Capps, Bradley

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After finally trading Milton Bradley, the Cubs are in position to move forward and address the rest of their offseason priorities. Let's round up some Cubs-related links….

  • Jon Heyman tweets that before the Cubs traded Bradley, their choices for center fielders were Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, Melky Cabrera, and Scott Podsednik.
  • A center fielder and a setup man are two of the Cubs' most pressing needs, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. There is mutual interest between Marlon Byrd and the Cubs, and the team could also be one of two finalists for Matt Capps (the other being the Nationals).
  • Wittenmyer also points out that, of the $9MM coming to Chicago in the Bradley-Carlos Silva swap, $5.5MM will be applied this season, giving the team a little more flexibility for 2010 salaries.
  • Erik Manning of Fangraphs wonders if moving Bradley is actually addition by subtraction for the Cubs.
  • Yesterday we heard via a FOX Sports report that the Cubs might look into acquiring Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. LoHud.com's Chad Jennings examines the Yankees' perspective of such a move, arguing that the world champions' center field depth is a necessity, rather than a luxury.

Odds & Ends: Bedard, Phillies, Yankees

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Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but these links are so delightful…

  • Don't count on Erik Bedard signing anytime soon, says Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Until teams get a better handle on when he will be healthy enough to pitch again, you won't see money being thrown his way.  When he does sign, Baker expects his deal to be heavily loaded with incentives – even more so than the contract given to Rich Harden by the Rangers.
  • With Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero recovering from elbow surgeries, the Phillies are turning their attention to the bullpen, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  While common sense dictates that GM Ruben Amaro would sign two relievers to fill the void, he says that the team might just ink one and let their younger pitchers take the remaining jobs.  Zolecki floats the names of three potential free agent targets: Bob Howry, Miguel Batista, and Kiko Calero, adding that the club has liked Howry and Batista in the past.
  • The Cubs are in need of a center fielder after the trade of Milton Bradley, but they are not leaning towards any particular candidate, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  According to sources, Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik are the strongest options on the open market.  However, the duo writes that GM Jim Hendry may also look into striking a deal with the Yankees for Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera if they become available.
  • Speaking of Bradley, Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports says that the Mariners will come to regret dealing for the troubled outfielder. 

Olney’s Latest: Bradley, Damon, Yankees, Harang

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In today’s blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney writes that the presence of Ken Griffey Jr. should help Milton Bradley and the clubhouse culture in Seattle, however this might be the final straw for Bradley because he’s running out of second chances.

Let’s round up the rest of Olney’s rumors…

  • One GM said the Bradley deal “means that one more chair just got taken away,” referring to another corner outfielder being taken off the market.
  • Olney says that Johnny Damon might be a perfect fit for the Cardinals, who continue to talk with Matt Holliday. 
  • Meanwhile, there was some concern in the Yankees’ organization that if Damon took a paycut to return, he would have come into the season very unhappy.
  • The rumored Aaron Harang to the Dodgers deal was never a good match, because LA doesn’t have much to spend and the Reds are trying to shed payroll.

Cubs, Mariners Swap Bradley For Silva

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The Cubs and Mariners swapped bad contracts today, with outfielder Milton Bradley heading to Seattle and pitcher Carlos Silva to Chicago.  SI's Jon Heyman first reported the reignited trade talks, and then Larry Stone of the Seattle Times broke news of the agreement.  According to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, the Mariners also sent $9MM to the Cubs.

Bradley is owed $21MM over the next two seasons, while Silva will earn $25MM.  The Cubs net $5MM overall.  Silva missed most of the season with a shoulder injury; he hasn't had big league success since the '07 contract year.  His ability to contribute anything in the next two seasons is highly questionable.  Bradley we know can hit; he had a .378 OBP for the Cubs even in a down year.  The Mariners are the clear winners here, noting the big caveat that they must keep Bradley from becoming a distraction.

The Cubs are now out $8.5MM a year for Silva due to GM Jim Hendry's Bradley folly.  It was said Bradley badly wanted to come to Chicago, but Hendry paid full price at three years and $30MM.  Bradley was signed in part to bring fire to the Cubs' clubhouse, but a year later they were desperate to unload him.  Talking to Sullivan, Hendry took responsibility, but added "no one could have really predicted how it turned out." 

Hendry now has to add an outfielder to replace Bradley.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that Scott Podsednik could be the Cubs' choice, though the Royals and Giants are also interested.  The Cubs were tied up with the Bradley situation and unable to move on the top free agent center field option, Mike Cameron.

This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.

Cubs Still Not Close To Dealing Bradley

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Although at least three teams are still interested in Milton Bradley, no trade is close, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The FOX duo names the Rays, Rangers, and Mariners as interested parties, but notes that there are roadblocks in each instance.

The Rays have been unwilling to budge for weeks in negotiations involving Bradley and Pat Burrell. The Rangers have some interest, but Bradley's last stint in Texas didn't end on "the best of terms." The Mariners, meanwhile, may be reluctant to acquire a controversial player like Bradley on the heels of making positive news with the Chone Figgins signing and the Cliff Lee trade.

Rosenthal's and Morosi's sources indicate that the Cubs are unwilling to pay the majority of Bradley's contract, or to release the disgruntled outfielder. It's hard to imagine a scenario where Bradley returns to Chicago in 2010, so you have to think that his potential suitors are waiting for the Cubs to bite the bullet and pay for a bigger chunk of the 31-year-old's remaining salary.

Cubs Step Up Pursuit Of Marlon Byrd, Others

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5:19pm: Carrie Muskat says that while Byrd is the Cubs first choice among free agent outfielders, they haven't ruled out bringing Reed Johnson back. Muskat also notes that Byrd and Bradley have the same agent.

4:23pm: The Cubs are considering Rick Ankiel, Reed Johnson and Scott Podsednik, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.

3:38pm: The Cubs don't necessarily have to trade Bradley before signing a free agent like Byrd, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Byrd remains the club's top choice and talks with his representatives are ongoing, but nothing is imminent. Coco Crisp is lower on the Cubs' list and he could also be a fit.

1:06pm: The Cubs are pursuing Marlon Byrd more intensely, now that Mike Cameron is off the market, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Cubs, who wanted Cameron, are still trying to gain payroll flexibility by trading Milton Bradley and at least some of the $21MM he'll make before the end of the 2011 season.

The Rangers stand to gain a supplementary round selection if Byrd signs with another team (though Byrd won't cost the Cubs or anyone else a pick).

Cafardo On Gonzalez, Rodney, Valverde

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In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo applauds the Yankees' offseason moves so far, but writes that they still have some major decisions ahead of them. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo:

  • According to a source, talks between the Red Sox and Padres about Adrian Gonzalez aren't progressing. Padres GM Jed Hoyer is asking for at least Clay Buchholz and either Casey Kelly or Ryan Westmoreland, and the Sox would prefer not to give up that much.
  • Cafardo likes Mike Cameron, but not Milton Bradley, as a fit in Boston.
  • An NL scout views Boof Bonser as a reliever with closing potential, rather than as a starter.
  • Before signing Brandon Lyon, the Astros were talking to Fernando Rodney as well. Apparently his asking price was near $30MM over three years. If that's true, he'll probably end up disappointed this winter.
  • Jose Valverde may be "pricing himself out of the market" as well. Teams like the Tigers and Orioles seem unwilling to commit $10MM+ annually to Valverde in a long-term deal.

Odds & Ends: Jacobs, Bradley, Lackey, Lyon

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Some links to start the weekend…

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