Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine
The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."
He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…
- Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
- Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
- Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
- J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
- Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
- Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
- Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.
The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.
Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…
- Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
- The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
- Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
- Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
- Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.
Red Sox Discussing Shortstop Options
According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have "left no stone unturned" in their search for a shortstop. Rounding out the list of names are Omar Vizquel, Jack Wilson, J.J. Hardy, the aforementioned Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Jason Donald, Miguel Tejada and a mystery shortstop with the Braves. Ideally, Jed Lowrie would make a speedy return from the DL before they begin making any decisions.
As noted earlier, the Sox inquired on Cabrera but apparently aren't interested.
What should the Sox do? Just speculation–could the Braves' shortstop be Yunel Escobar or is it someone else?
Odds And Ends: Hamilton, Vizquel, Draft
Why not rattle off a few more links to wrap up this Monday afternoon…
- As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports, Josh Hamilton will miss 4-6 weeks to repair a partially torn abdominal muscle.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes the Rangers are for real.
- He says Jon Daniels is not looking to trade Omar Vizquel.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes Stephen Strasburg will sign this year. He could be in line for a September debut, perhaps as a reliever.
- Law's high on Tyler Matzek, a polished high schooler who should go early in the first round.
- As Baseball America's J.J. Cooper reports, Tanner Scheppers boosted his draft stock by pitching in the upper 90s in his final start for the St. Paul Saints.
- Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins could go after pitching with their first round pick, especially since the draft is pitching-heavy early on.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says the Padres will take Dustin Ackley if the Mariners don't.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says Josh Fields found his recent demotion "hard to swallow."
Vizquel Willing To Play For Boston
Omar Vizquel expressed a willingness to play for the Red Sox, should the opportunity for a trade arise at some point this season, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
In the piece, Tomasse says that Vizquel "wishes the Red Sox made a play for him when they had a chance." Vizquel said the Red Sox had not called. Tomasse says the Red Sox did inquire about Vizquel earlier this year, but that the Rangers are not interested in dealing the veteran shortstop.
Vizquel, Melhuse Sign With Rangers
8:29pm: T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com is reporting that the Rangers have also signed catcher Adam Melhuse to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
6:19pm: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Rangers have signed Omar Vizquel to a minor league contract.
Vizquel, 41, hit .222/.283/.267 with 23 RBI in 92 games for the Giants last season. He will be invited to spring training and given a chance to make the roster as a utility infielder and backup to rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Rangers Sign Francisco, Close With Vizquel
11:37pm: An agreement has been reached with Francisco, according to the AP. He gets $1.615MM.
9:56pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers will avoid an arbitration hearing with reliever Frank Francisco. He is expected to sign a one-year contract on Tuesday.
Sullivan is also reporting that free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel is close to signing with the club and that a deal could be done as soon as Tuesday. Vizquel will be invited to spring training as a utility infielder and backup to rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Rangers Interested In Vizquel
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Texas Rangers are interested in signing Omar Vizquel to a one-year deal.
Vizquel would help the Rangers for a year in the event that Elvis Andrus isn’t major league ready in 2009. It again appears that Michael Young will not be playing shortstop for the Rangers anytime soon.
Writes Sullivan, "A source said there is a good chance the deal will get done."
Padres To Pass On Omar Vizquel
Ken Rosenthal suggested yesterday that the David Eckstein signing might mean the Padres will pass on Omar Vizquel. Jenny Cavnar of Channel 4 San Diego spoke to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who told her the Padres will go in-house at shortstop, probably with Luis Rodriguez or Chris Burke.
Padres Agree To Terms With David Eckstein
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres agreed to terms with David Eckstein on a one-year deal worth $850k. He’ll play second base. Eckstein, 34 in a few days, hit .265/.343/.349 in 376 plate appearances for the Blue Jays and D’Backs in ’08. He played an above-average second base in 197 innings there.
A Ken Rosenthal source suggests that the Padres might decide to pass on signing Omar Vizquel.
Padres Considering Eckstein, Vizquel
1:23pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick heard the Padres prefer David Eckstein over Vizquel. He suggests the Padres may not be able to offer a base salary much beyond $1MM. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal says the Padres are in serious discussions with Eckstein to play second base.
THURSDAY, 8:50am: MLB.com’s Corey Brock confirmed that the Padres hope to sign a shortstop this week and Vizquel is on the radar. Vizquel admitted San Diego could be a great fit.
WEDNESDAY: According to Channel 4 San Diego anchor and Padres pre/post-game host John Weisbarth:
I’m hearing today that Omar Vizquel (owner of 11 gold-gloves) could be the Friars shortstop as soon as tomorrow.