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Morgan Ensberg Designated For Assignment

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UPDATE: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Dodgers and Padres have scouted Ensberg recently.  Will Carroll adds that the Twins and Phillies kicked the tires, with the Phils possibly offering up Chris Coste.

To make room for Ty Wigginton, the Astros designated 32 year-old third baseman Morgan Ensberg for assignment today.  They have ten days to trade, release, or send him to the minors.  Tim Purpura is hoping to work out a trade.

2005 was Ensberg’s career year; he hit .283/.388/.557 with 36 home runs.  His bat kind of died after the first two months of 2006, and he may never return to full-time status.  But I do think he deserves one more shot with a new organization.  The Twins, Phillies, Dodgers, or Giants could try him at third base.

Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

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Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.

  • The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it.  They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player.  Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
  • Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
  • Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here.  Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin.  Not gonna happen.  The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close.  I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
  • Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition.  They would’ve used him at first base.  Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
  • Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order.  That ranking is reasonable.  A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.

Latest From Gammons

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The man himself, Peter Gammons, had a blog posting on Saturday that I neglected to mention here.

  • Gammons mentions some suitors for Mark Buehrle: the Mets, Cardinals, and Mariners.  He draws the Jermaine Dye/Padres connection we have seen in the past.
  • Gammons believes the Astros will move one of Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, or Chad Qualls.  However, that was written before Lidge hit the DL for a strained oblique.  Houston would also love to move Morgan Ensberg, but that’s nothing new.
  • The Dodgers are looking for a corner infield slugger, but aren’t interested in Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen.  Adam Dunn isn’t in the Dodgers’ plans, either.  Dunn’s defensive limitations really seem to be hindering a deal.  If they are going to give up multiple young future stars, it’s going to take Mark Teixeira.  In other words, they’d go all-in. 
  • Bill Stoneman is "cautiously looking for a bat."  Cautious is the name of the game with Stoneman.  It’s a seller’s market for power hitters.  Imagine what the Marlins could get for Miguel Cabrera. 

Perrotto’s Latest

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has quickly become another fine source for trade rumors.  Some highlights from his latest column:

  • The Twins would surrender a solid arm – maybe Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, or Scott Baker – in return for a right-handed hitter.  My own speculation: perhaps Wayne Krivsky, looking to stabilize his bullpen, would trade Edwin Encarnacion for Rincon.  Rincon has been one of the best setup men in baseball for the past four years.  On the other hand, Baker could really flourish in the National League and Kyle Lohse may leave via free agency after the season.  Terry Ryan might want a more proven, reliable bat though.  Buster Olney throws out Morgan Ensberg’s name in his blog today.
  • Some clubs already have center fielder Torii Hunter on the radar: the Red Sox, White Sox, Cardinals, and Rangers.  I think there is no doubt the Rangers go in for one of the "name" center fielders this winter.  I can see the Red Sox testing the waters but it would seem odd to block Jacoby Ellsbury for four or five years.  Hunter is making the contract year argument, hitting .324/.358/.618 in 35 games.  His previous career high in slugging was .524 in ’02.
  • Perrotto confirms the finding of Michael Gluskin – Odalis Perez and Chan Ho Park are two names on the Orioles’ target list of starting pitchers.  The O’s might have found some relief in the shrewd Jeremy Guthrie pickup – his last two starts against the Devil Rays and Red Sox were excellent.   

Dodgers Need a Third Baseman

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Ken Rosenthal has a bunch of news and notes, including a bit about the misshapen offense of the Dodgers.  They have plenty of bats and plenty of prospects, but not enough to solve every problem they’ve got.  Rosenthal mentions Morgan Ensberg, Hank Blalock, and Joe Crede as potential trade targets, but rightfully notes that none would make that big of a difference.

The Dodgers recently called up prospect Andy LaRoche, a third baseman, and moved another prospect, Tony Abreu, to third at Triple-A Las Vegas.  So they are at least trying some different things while Wilson Betemit continues to not hit.  Through yesterday’s games, Dodgers 3Bs (mostly Betemit) combined to "hit" 183/291/240, which is barely 80 points of OPS better than Dodgers pitchers! 

The move that would solve all of their problems would be giving Nomar Garciaparra a shot back at the hot corner.  Nomar played some third with the Cubs in 2005, but I certainly understand the team’s reluctance to put any more pressure on his body.  But it would be perfect: Nomar at third would open up first base for James Loney, one of the best blocked prospects in baseball, and one of the guys teams will invariably ask about as the Dodgers try to upgrade during the season.

By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball

Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins

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Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera.  Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity.  The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.

Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins.  Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal.  Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker.  He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely.  I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.

From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar:  Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion.  DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip.  Santana could really blossom in the National League.  With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need.  Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.

As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities.  Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter.  Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.

Carroll: Astros-Rangers Trade?

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Will Carroll’s latest rumor mill is churning up a new trade scenario:  Brad Wilkerson and Rod Barajas for Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, and Fernando Nieve.

Barajas is most certainly expendable with Gerald Laird hitting .347/.380/.579 in 121 at-bats this year.  Barajas will be a member of this offseason’s weak free agent catcher class.

Wilkerson’s been subpar this season even while playing at Ameriquest, so I don’t see how swapping out Ensberg’s bat for his helps the club.  Even Barajas’s below-average hitting would be an improvement upon Brad Ausmus, but the Astros just wouldn’t gain enough in the proposed deal.  I have to think more players from Texas would be involved.

L.A. Times: Angels Inquire About Ramirez, Tracy, Ensberg

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We’ve heard Miguel Tejada as well as various mid-tier firstbasemen bandied about as possible trade targets for Bill Stoneman and the Angels.  Mike DiGiovanna’s article for the Los Angeles Times today also indicates that the Halos could pursue various slugging third basemen.

Specifically, DiGiovanna mentions that the Angels have inquired about Aramis Ramirez, Chad Tracy, and Morgan Ensberg.

Ramirez is on fire, hitting .329/.391/.763 this month with nine home runs.  What some folks may not realize is that Ramirez has every reason and the ability to test the free agent market this winter.  He would most certainly top the money he’d make staying with the Cubs under his current contract.  Ramirez has said he wants to stay in Chicago, so we’ll see.

The Angels would have to offer an excellent young player to pry Tracy away from Arizona.  The 26 year-old has slipped a bit to .279/.343/.454 this season, which is below average for his position.  Still he’s locked up for $13.25MM for 2007-09.  That’s more than fair value.

Ensberg turns 31 next month, yet free agency is still a few years off.  He hit the DL on July 10th with a shoulder contusion.  After a torrid April, Ensberg hit just .194/.355/.382.  The Padres have also expressed interest, but this acquisition would be a gamble.   

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