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Orlando Cabrera

Red Sox Show Interest In Orlando Cabrera

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According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Red Sox have "had conversations" with the A's about shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who was Boston's shortstop on their 2004 World Series club. Cabrera is hitting just .235/.286/.303 after signing a one year, $4MM contract this offseason. He will receive a $250,000 bonus if traded. Boston shortstops have hit .235-.311-.325 this season.

Olney also says the Red Sox have also talked to the Pirates about Jack Wilson, but says the two teams don't match up well because "the Red Sox probably would prefer to keep some financial flexibility in the event that they need to acquire a DH type" in case David Ortiz doesn't turn it around. Wilson is still owed close to $6MM this season.

Stark On White Sox, Bedard, A’s, Penny

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A new Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • Even if they don't acquire Jake Peavy, the White Sox are apparently "open for business."  Stark takes that to mean names such as Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Octavio Dotel, and A.J. Pierzynski could hit the market.
  • The Mariners are not quite yet at the point of making Erik Bedard available.  They figure to price him like an ace if they do so.
  • If A's GM Billy Beane decides to fold on 2009, he could make veterans such as Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, and Russ Springer available.
  • It's very unlikely that the D'Backs shop Brandon Webb this summer, since he'll be coming off a shoulder injury.
  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro seems to be leaning toward hanging on to Cliff Lee for now.  Shapiro may look to add pitching by trading Mark DeRosa or an outfielder.
  • The Red Sox are "actively listening" on Brad Penny.  My opinion: the Phillies, Indians, White Sox, or Mets could make sense.

Verducci: “It’s A Young Man’s Game”

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SI.com's Tom Verducci links two of the year's most-discussed trends: the demand for young players and the demand for good defense, writing that "the renewed emphasis on defense hasn't helped the value of older players." As a result, teams are reluctant to sign older free agents like Frank Thomas and Jim Edmonds. Many of the older players who signed contracts this offseason are struggling; Verducci mentions Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera among others. Of course it's too early in the season to make sweeping generalizations, but Verducci concludes that baseball's "a young man's game."

Verducci adds that teams like the Tigers and Rangers are playing better because they're defending better. Elvis Andrus has made his mistakes at short for the Rangers, but they're a stronger defensive team this year. Similarly, Brandon Inge and Adam Everett have strengthened the Tigers' defense and helped the team to an 18-16 start. The Rangers (1st) and the Tigers (3rd) are among the best teams in the league at converting balls in play into outs.

Rosenthal On Royals, Atkins, Baez, Huff

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has trade speculation in the sidebar of his latest column.

  • Rosenthal sees shortstop Mike Aviles as the Royals' weakest link, given his .523 OPS in 97 plate appearances.  Most projection systems had Aviles in the .720-.750 range.  Rosenthal runs through potential trade targets such as Orlando Cabrera, Jack Wilson, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro.  The first three have their flaws, and Scutaro doesn't figure to be available.
  • Rosenthal suggests the Rockies could accomplish their goal of more playing time for Ian Stewart by trading Garrett Atkins.  However, Atkins is fairly pricey and is off to a .224/.287/.367 start through 108 plate appearances.
  • Orioles reliever Danys Baez is generating trade buzz with his 2.30 ERA through 15.6 innings.  Baez is still owed $4.55MM of his $5.5MM '09 salary, and he also gets a $500K bonus if traded.  So just moving the contract might be a feat for Andy MacPhail, in my opinion.
  • Aubrey Huff, with $6.62MM left on his contract, could eventually draw interest from teams like the Royals and Mariners, in Rosenthal's opinion.  Huff seems back to his pre-2008 level; he's hitting .270/.331/.423 in 124 plate appearances.

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Cabrera, Waivers

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Links for Friday…

Rosenthal On Pedro, A-Rod, Beimel, Ohman

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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • One executive tells Rosenthal Pedro Martinez seeks a contract similar to the one John Smoltz received (a $5.5MM base plus $5.5MM incentives). Rosenthal’s speculative candidates for Pedro include the Dodgers, Marlins, Indians, and Mets.  He says the A’s, Orioles, Nationals, and Brewers are out.
  • Rosenthal does not expect a major acquisition by the Yankees to cover for Alex Rodriguez.  He adds that the Yanks will not collect insurance on A-Rod’s salary.
  • In addition to Orlando Cabrera, Manny Ramirez has a clause in his contract prohibiting his team from offering arbitration if he’s a Type A free agent after the season.  Orlando Hudson and Bobby Abreu do not have such clauses.
  • Two GMs told Rosenthal Joe Beimel wants a one-year, $2.5MM deal, but the pitcher’s agent Joe Sroba says they have’t gotten that specific.  Sroba says new teams are in the mix for Beimel and he’s waiting for one to be "aggressive and sincere in their pursuit."
  • The White Sox and Dodgers are two teams in on free agent lefty Will Ohman.

Cabrera, Garciaparra Contract Details

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Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on the newly signed contracts for A’s infielders Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra.

Cabrera has a $4MM base salary, and he’ll receive a $250K bonus if traded.  Interestingly, the A’s agreed not to offer him arbitration if he’s a Type A free agent after the season.  Cabrera is not inclined to let draft pick compensation get in his way the next time around.

Garciaparra gets a $1MM base plus $150K if he gets 300 plate appearances.  He can earn additional money for days spent on the 25-man roster.

Odds & Ends: Gload, Pierre, Beimel

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Links for Friday…

A’s Sign Orlando Cabrera

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According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, the A’s signed shortstop Orlando Cabrera to a one-year, $4MM deal.  Since Cabrera was a Type A free agent offered arbitration, the White Sox will receive Oakland’s second-round pick this June as well as a supplemental pick.  The move leaves Bobby Crosby ($5.5MM) as a pricey backup infielder.  ESPN’s Buster Olney adds that the A’s "have had substantial talks with Nomar Garciaparra in the last 48 hours."  They also remain in talks for Dennys Reyes.

The A’s have been flirting with Cabrera for a while now, and I didn’t think they’d go as high as $4MM (which is still a bargain in general).  Perhaps recent reported interest by the Blue Jays forced them to make a move.

Now seems like a good time to bust out some quotes from John Dewan’s awesome new Fielding Bible Volume II.  Here’s his opinion on Cabrera’s defense:

"Cabrera is a fundamentally sound shortstop who plays with a lot of energy and does everything well.  He has above-average range and makes a lot of sliding plays, but he also led all shortstops in 2008 in defensive misplays (56)."

Toronto Eyeing Orlando Cabrera?

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SUNDAY, 5:15pm: According to Blair, the Blue Jays have discussed the possibility of swinging a "sign-and-trade" deal with the White Sox for Cabrera.

If you’re looking for a refresher on what exactly a "sign-and-trade" deal is, check out Ken Rosenthal and La Velle E. Neal III’s explanations.

SATURDAY, 4:45pm: In a post for The Globe and Mail, Jeff Blair writes about the Blue Jays’ rumored interest in Orlando Cabrera. According to Blair, "The Blue Jays interest in Cabrera extends back for a few seasons."

Blair says the Jays would need to clear some payroll before signing Cabrera. He expects the Jays to trade both Scott Rolen and Lyle Overbay, and depending on how things go this spring, perhaps include a young arm like Brandon League’s to "sweeten" the deal. Certainly, freeing up payroll would be an incredible achievement in this economy.

Whether it’s Orlando Cabrera or someone else, Blair says, "there is a sense among some baseball people that the Blue Jays quiet off-season has ended."

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