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Odds & Ends: Saito, Jaramillo, Marlins

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More Monday linkage…

  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies want catcher Yorvit Torrealba back, but not at his $4MM option price.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier explains that outrighting Takashi Saito makes a Boston re-signing more feasible.
  • Rudy Jaramillo will likely reach an agreement soon with the Cubs for their hitting coach position, according to SI's Jon Heyman.  Heyman says Jaramillo will be near the top of the coach pay scale, at $800K a year for multiple years.  The Cubs are hoping Jaramillo can help Alfonso Soriano. Milton Bradley hit well in Texas, though he's a trade candidate.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro talked to first baseman Nick Johnson, who is approaching free agency for the first time in his career.  Johnson seems unlikely to stay with the Marlins.  (Check out our discussion post on him here).  Frisaro says the Fish could further shake up the infield corners by trading Jorge Cantu.
  • Newsday's David Lennon reminds us the Mets chose Oliver Perez over Randy Wolf last winter.  Wolf supplied 214.3 innings of 3.23 ball for the Dodgers for $8MM.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian talked to Blue Jays defensive whiz/impending free agent John McDonald about the future and his popularity in Toronto.
  • MLB.com's Bill Chastain feels the Rays will at least talk to free agent reliever Billy Wagner.  Nice fit, though VP Andrew Friedman found it unlikely they'd sign a closer when asked a few weeks ago.  It won't help if Wagner turns down an arbitration offer from the Red Sox, which would attach a draft pick cost.

Discussion: Nick Johnson

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Quick: name the OBP leader among this year's free agent class.  Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, or Bobby Abreu perhaps?  Nope.  It's Nick Johnson, who was third in all of baseball this year with a .426 OBP.

The facts about Johnson: he didn't hit for much power this year; in fact, his OBP exceeded his .405 SLG.  Aside from his on-base skills, Johnson is best known for his extensive injury history; he missed all of '07 and had only 147 plate appearances in '08 (due to a broken femur and wrist surgery).  However, he was able to tally 574 PAs this year, 628 in '06, and 547 in '05.  It was Johnson's '05 campaign that prompted former Nationals GM Jim Bowden to give him the three-year, $16.5MM extension that just concluded.  The 31-year-old first baseman projects as a Type B free agent, so the Marlins can snag a draft pick if they're willing to offer him arbitration.

Back in July, MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote that Johnson will seek a two-year deal in free agency.  SI's Jon Heyman guessed two years and $16MM a few weeks ago.  Aside from the Marlins, the Giants and Rangers were eyeing Johnson as a trade target during the summer.  If the Giants non-tender Ryan Garko and want to upgrade on Travis Ishikawa, they could still make sense.  Same goes for the Rangers if they don't trust Chris Davis' strong finish or want to incorporate Johnson as the part-time DH.  The Mets have a first base opening and Omar Minaya is familiar with Johnson, but Heyman believes the team will avoid injury-prone players.  Other possible fits: the Orioles, Braves, Royals, A's, Mariners, and Diamondbacks.

Heyman On Pavano, Gomez, Nick Johnson

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Reggie Jackson tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that Alex Rodriguez will have a big postseason. Jackson says as much every year, but A-Rod did hit well last night – maybe 2009 is his year. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • Like most Yankees people, Jackson is no fan of Carl Pavano.
  • Carlos Gomez is hesitant to call the trade that sent him (and others) to Minnesota for Johan Santana fair. But, as Heyman points out, the Twins beat the Mets to the playoffs.
  • The Mets will look at free agent first basemen this offseason, but don't expect them to sign Nick Johnson. GM Omar Minaya and the Mets are shying away from injury-prone players. I wonder if that applies to pitchers like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden and Erik Bedard.

Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman

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Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign.  At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs.  However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through.  Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player.  As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying for 8 or less DH openings with 11 or so others.

SI.com's Jon Heyman touches on that situation and much more in today's offering.  Here's a look at some of his rumors:

  • Those close to Matsui say his first choice is to stay with the Yanks.  However, the Yankees may have to let him walk as the DH spot will be needed for Jorge Posada and others.
  • Heyman mentions Ken Rosenthal's report that John Farrell will not be able to take a managerial job in 2010 because of a clause in his contract with the BoSox.  Heyman then adds, "Sometimes those clauses can be negotiated away."
  • The Padres are one of the "rare" teams that have a level of interest in Milton Bradley.  Sources indicate that it is a "long shot" that he will wind up in Texas.
  • Heyman addresses some of the lesser-heralded free agents in the upcoming class and estimates how much they will receive in their new deals.  Here are his guesses: Mark DeRosa, $24MM over three years; Nick Johnson, $16MM over two years; Adam LaRoche, $25MM over three years; Joel Pineiro, $15MM over two years.
  • The White Sox will not pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM option in all likelihood.  This should come as no surprise considering the 35-year-old's dismal second half.  Since August 1st, Dye has registered an OPS of .576.
  • One GM told Heyman that he holds Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish in higher regard than highly-touted Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

Fixing The Mets

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The New York Post's Joel Sherman offered up some suggestions for shaking things up in the Mets clubhouse this offseason.  He worries that Luis Castillo won't be able to replicate his strong 2009 and that Jeff Francoeur (.826 OPS with New York) may not be able to build on his solid second half.  Unsurprisingly, his chief concern is the Mets starting rotation.

However, Sherman suggests that the Mets first address their other holes before looking at starting pitchers, considering the weak crop available this winter:

"Put out strong one-year offers with a 2011 option to a group at each position. Say Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher; Nick Johnson/Russ Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first: and Bobby Abreu, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye for left field. The first guy to take the offer in each group gets the contract."

The Mets were linked to Bobby Abreu for some time last offseason, so it would make sense for them to re-visit that idea again this year.  Adam LaRoche looks like a completely different player in Atlanta, posting .354/.432/.618 with 12 HRs in 49 games.  Abreu projects to be a Type A free agent whereas LaRoche should be a Type B. 

Should the Mets address their pitching woes via free agency?  As badly as they need to bolster spots two through five, there won't be a great deal of options available.  Would you extend multi-year deals to the likes of Rich Harden or Joel Pineiro?  Should the Mets pick up where they left off last year and consider Randy Wolf?

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Zambrano, Johnson, Fielder, Felix, Braves

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On this date 39 years ago, the Mets purchased the contract of Dean Chance from the Indians. At the time, the Mets were 1.5 games back in the NL East. The former Cy Young winner would make only three relief appearances down the stretch and the Mets finished six games back in third place. Chance would subsequently be traded in the off-season and play just one more season. With only two weeks remaining before the start of most team's off-season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels the reports that Carlos Zambrano is largely responsible for the Cubs' failures this season are just PR by the Cubs to make it easier to move Zambrano this off-season.
  • Fangraphs makes a case that Nick Johnson's injury history could increase the number of teams that are interested in his services this off-season.
  • Dodgers Rumors wonders if Ned Colletti will be back next season as the Dodgers' GM and whether he deserves to be.
  • MLB Notebook breaks down the possibility of Prince Fielder being traded this off-season.
  • Jorge Says No! writes about the Mariners' inability to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
  • DC Sports Plus looks at some free agent starting pitchers that could help the Nationals next season, with John Lackey, Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro at the top of the wishlist.
  • The Ghost of Midnight Graham suggests that teams avoid Pineiro this winter.
  • UmpBump takes a look at who might be playing first base for the Braves next season.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Odds & Ends: More Deadline Reactions

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A few more links in the aftermath of the trade deadline…

  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that Nationals interm GM Mike Rizzo "didn't have a choice but to trade Nick Johnson because the latter did not want to negotiate an extension with the Nationals." Johnson is looking for a two year deal according to Ladson.
  • ESPN's Keith Law ranks the prospects traded at this year's deadline. Brett Wallace, acquired by Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal, tops the list.
  • John Sickels of Minor League Ball chimes in with his thoughts on all of this year's deadline trades.
  • The Padres signed sixth rounder James Needy to a $298K bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Needy is just the second player this year to sign a deal worth more than $100K over MLB's slot recommendation.
  • As exciting as yesterday was, Ryo at NPB Tracker tells us that the trade deadline in Japan went by rather quietly. There has been exactly one trade made all year in Nippon Professional Baseball, and it involved just two players filling supporting roles. Where's the fun in that?

Odds & Ends: King Felix, Matusz, Johnson

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A hearty batch of links for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure…

  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times takes a deeper look at the Felix Herandez-Red Sox talks that took place just before the trade deadline yesterday.  It seems like a sensitive subject for most Mariners fans.
  • According to Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are having a "vigorous debate" about calling up pitching prospect Brian Matusz.  "The service time issue also is largely moot," Schmuck writes, "because no matter how much time he spends up here this year, he's still under reserve for another six."
  • Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases," reviews the trade deadline's winners and losers.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Nick Johnson did not want to discuss an extension with the Nationals, thus the trade, and is hoping for a two-year deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock, a Padres beat writer, has more on the impending release of Mark Prior.

More Trade Reactions

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A few more trade discussions on a calm Saturday afternoon…

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer believes the Scott Rolen deal has left the Reds with no payroll flexibility heading into 2010.  "That's not good," he writes, "when you need a shortstop and an outfielder with some pop — among other things."
  • Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post writes the Nationals "did absolutely the right thing" in shipping off left-hander Joe Beimel and first baseman Nick Johnson.
  • Longtime Padres beat writer Tom Krasovic has a look at the Jake Peavy trade: "This looks like a potentially big victory for the Padres and new CEO Jeff Moorad — if, and it's a big if, the club can parlay the $56 million saved into good investments throughout its baseball operations and future payrolls."
  • Michael Salfino of SNY thinks the Mets should have made a move or two at the deadline.  "The frustrating thing for Mets fans," Salfino writes, "is that catcher Victor Martinez was there for the taking.  The cost reportedly was one of two Double-A pitchers Brad Holt or Jenrry Mejia plus Jon Niese."
  • For all full look at the deals that went down Friday, check out MLBTR's transactions-only archive. 

Odds And Ends: Blue Jays, Twins, Marlins

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More links to wrap up a busy July 31st…

  • J.P. Ricciardi tells ESPN.com's Peter Gammons that the Jays "may be able to contend" next year with Roy Halladay around. 
  • For all of their pitching injuries, the Jays have had remarkably healthy position players this year. Eight of their position players have appeared in 82 games or more.
  • Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer tell MLB.com's Kelly Thesier they're pleased the Twins' front office added Orlando Cabrera, but they're aware that their division rivals made moves, too.
  • Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Pirates, Tigers and Red Sox are some of this trade deadline's winners. 
  • Juan C. Rodriguez of the Florida Sun-Sentinel gives the Marlins credit for finding a high-OBP hitter to slot into the lineup in Nick Johnson.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reported earlier this evening that the Marlins designated Andy Gonzalez for assignment. The 27-year-old utility man hadn't appeared in a game in almost two weeks and has spent most of his season in Triple A. 
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