Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Villalona, Johnson
A few Monday evening links….
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues Joe Torre is making the Dodgers worse by giving Ronnie Belliard playing time at the expense of Orlando Hudson. Belliard is outperforming Hudson lately, and keeping Hudson on the bench is saving the Dodgers some money, but Cameron thinks that playing Belliard at second base in October would hurt the team's World Series chances.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that Giants prospect Angel Villalona has pleaded innocent to the charge of murder. Still, Baggarly says it's anyone's guess whether Villalona will ever play baseball again.
- After some recent speculation that the Marlins might attempt to move Josh Johnson, imaginations are already running wild. Roch Kubatko at the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network wonders what kind of prospects it could take to get Johnson to Baltimore.
Benching Costs Orlando Hudson
Talking to Jim Peltz of the L.A. Times, Dodgers manager Joe Torre would not commit to Ronnie Belliard over Orlando Hudson as the team's starting second baseman. Belliard has started at second base in eight of the team's 18 games this month, as well as a few times at third.
Hudson stands to lose money as a bench player, though he was gracious in comments made to Peltz. The way his contract is set up, Hudson is currently earning $10,000 per plate appearance up until his 632nd. He's already earned $7.63MM on the season, despite a base salary of $3.38MM.
The larger effect of the benching may be on Hudson's next contract. He faces strong competition among free agent second basemen, and will have a hard time topping this year's salary.
Heyman’s Latest: Mets, D-Backs, Indians
Jon Heyman takes a look at three teams that underachieved this season and how each might approach the off-season…
New York Mets
- Heyman thinks the payroll will be about the same next season, noting that any attempt to lower the payroll would be a tough sell to the fans.
- Needs include left fielder, first baseman, catcher, starting pitcher and overall depth.
- Mets are looking at Matt Holliday and Jason Bay and could target Adrian Gonzalez and Bengie Molina.
- Starting pitchers the Mets may pursue include Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Jason Marquis as well as Roy Halladay if he's available.
- Mets may try to move Luis Castillo and replace him with Orlando Hudson.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Heyman hears the D-Backs will try to sign Brandon Webb to a new deal at slightly less than the $8.5MM option they have for next season.
- The D-Backs may try to re-sign Doug Davis, but that will still leave a couple of holes in the rotation.
- Arizona may try to fill the second base job via trade. Heyman suggests that Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder could be trade bait and feels Byrnes could be moved for Castillo.
Cleveland Indians
- Heyman says the Indians need to replace Carl Pavano's ability to eat innings.
- The Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee deals saved the Indians $21MM, some of which could be used in free agency.
Other notes…
- It looks like Andy Pettitte will reach most of the incentives in his contract, nearly doubling his base salary of $5.5MM.
- Dan Uggla feels he will be traded this off-season and Heyman says the Marlins won't want to pay his arbitration figure.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Rangers, Cubbies
The first round of links for today…
- The Ronnie Belliard pickup is costing Orlando Hudson some major bucks, as Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times points out. Hudson entered the week with 577 plate appearances, and he'll earn $10K for every PA between 576 and 632 according to his contract. However, Hudson has sat in favor of Belliard four times in the last 11 games.
- Jim Reeves of The Star Telegram writes that the Rangers' financial plight will probably hamstring the team, with no immediate relief in sight. Club president Nolan Ryan said he can't see the team being sold before April or May at the earliest.
- Toni Ginnetti of The Chicago Sun Times says that acquiring a "true leadoff hitter with speed and base-stealing ability" should be on the shopping list for Cubs GM Jim Hendry this winter.
- Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports posted his All-Overachiever and All-Underachiever teams. Is it fair to consider Pablo Sandoval and Aaron Hill overachievers?
- Tyler Kepner of The NY Times has an amusing story about Sean Henn and what he went through when he was traded from Minnesota to Baltimore earlier this month.
Heyman’s Latest: Jeter, Wagner, Delgado, Lackey
No team is successful without good coaching and guidance, so SI.com's Jon Heyman pays homage to those who got the job done behind the scenes by naming his ten most unsung heroes of the 2009 season. Rangers' pitching coach Mike Maddux tops the list, and several other familiar names make an appearance.
Here's the rest of Heyman's rumors…
- Heyman guesses that the Yankees will resign Derek Jeter for at least $60MM over three years once his contract expires after next season. That's a lot of scratch for a guy who would be entering his age-37 season.
- The Red Sox have "every intention" of offering Billy Wagner arbitration, and barring something unexpected, Wagner has every intention of turning it down. He's projected to be a Type-A free agent, so Boston would walk away with two high draft picks in that scenario.
- Out since early May with a hip injury, Carlos Delgado hasn't given up on the idea of playing again this year. The Mets would be happy to accomodate him, because according to Heyman's sources the team has thought about bringing him back on an incentive laden contract. A late season cameo would at least give them a look at what kind of shape he's in.
- Stop me if you've heard this before: the Mets might consider Orlando Hudson this offseason if they can find a taker for Luis Castillo. That's what, three times in the last 24 hours?
- The Angels tried to sign John Lackey for four years and $60MM last offseason. Given the lack of impact starting pitching available this year, Lackey's price has gone up.
- In regards to Ken Griffey Jr. and his .214 AVG, Heyman says "this has to be the end, no?" Griffey hasn't said anything about his future yet, though.
- Kansas City ownership has "often prevented its baseball people from making deadline trades in order to avoid the dreaded 100-loss season." This strategy probably works against them in the long run, but Heyman suggests it may "make them a tougher team than some also-rans who hit the wall."
- There's no evidence that Lou Piniella is a candidate to be fired (his $4MM option for 2010 has already been picked up), but the question about whether he wants to return or not has to be asked. Sweet Lou's body language did not look good last weekend.
Nats Ask Guzman To Move To Second Base
Nats GM Mike Rizzo and manager Jim Riggleman met with Cristian Guzman yesterday to ask the shortstop to move to second base next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Guzman, who has never played second base at the major league level, was apparently shocked and didn't give the Nats an answer.
The Nationals hope to improve their defense up the middle, so they're considering the shift. If Guzman agrees to the move, the Nationals would likely be in the market for a shortstop this offseason. They have had interest in Orlando Hudson before, but if Guzman plays second, they would be looking at one of these shortstops. If they decide not to spend on a free agent, they could pursue one via trade (the Brewers and Rays have shortstop depth) or call on prospect Ian Desmond, who impressed in his MLB debut.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says moving Guzman doesn't necessarily lower his value. Shortstop is considered the more demanding position, but Guzman could potentially help his team by moving to the right side of the infield.
This reminds me of Michael Young's decision to switch positions earlier in the year. The Rangers are in the pennant race thanks, in part, to Elvis Andrus, so Young's choice helped his club.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Byrd
We link, you decide…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Mets might try to trade the incumbent Luis Castillo this offseason, and look at free agent-to-be Orlando Hudson. I feel like we've heard this before. Castillo still has two years and $12MM left on his deal, so good luck trying to move him.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has some quotes from Reds manager Dusty Baker about wanting "dudes that drive in some runs and hopefully don't strikeout so much." Scott Rolen, the Reds big trade deadline pickup, has hit just .278/.360/.380 for Cincy.
- Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News writes that outfielder Marlon Byrd is healthy and hitting again. It comes at a good time for Byrd, who will be a free agent after the season.
Nats Hope To Improve Middle Infield Defense
Amid concerns that Cristian Guzman's defensive abilities are fading, the Nationals will look for improved defense up the middle in 2010, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats would apparently "love" to sign Orlando Hudson, who will be a free agent after the season. But, after last offseason, they realize he may choose to sign elsewhere, so they have a second option in mind.
The team is "seriously thinking" about moving Guzman to second base, where he has yet to play a game at the major league level. This would enable the Nats to upgrade defensively over Guzman, who has been a slightly below average defender every year since 2005, according to UZR/150.
Marco Scutaro and Alex Gonzalez (team option) are among the better defensive shortstops who could be available on the open market and J.J. Hardy could be available in a trade. Alternatively, the Nats could try prospect Ian Desmond at short.
Odds & Ends: Uggla, Royals, New Blood
Here's some links to start off a gorgeous Sunday (at least around these parts)…
- After calling out teammate Hanley Ramirez, Bill Shaikin of The LA Times wonders if Dan Uggla might get a ticket out of Florida. If so, he says Uggla could be a fit for the Dodgers, who he says "are not expected to engage in a bidding war to retain second baseman Orlando Hudson."
- Sam Mellinger of The KC Star presents a few ways to improve the Royals for 2010. In addition to not handing out albatross contracts to players like Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Guillen, Mellinger suggests the team trade Alberto Callaspo, nontender Mike Jacobs, and resign Coco Crisp.
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post rates which teams "succeeded and failed in bringing new blood to their organizations" over the last year. The Yankees take home top honors thanks to additions of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher. The Mets … well they come in last.
- Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter for the fastest rumor updates around.
Dodgers Rumors: Colletti, Thome, Garland, Hudson
The latest from Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times covers the future of Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and also reveals details from the team's acquisitions of Jon Garland and Jim Thome.
- Colletti faces a mutual option for 2010. He says he'd love to be back, but hasn't discussed his future with owner Frank McCourt yet. Sure, Colletti has been able to operate under a budget. But his work as a GM is a mixed bag at best. SI's Jon Heyman recently weighed in on Colletti's recent work; check that out here.
- The White Sox are paying $1.4MM of the $2.4MM still owed to Thome. From Chicago's point of view, the benefit was saving a million bucks. With all the penny-pinching in the Dodgers' trades the past few years, I'm surprised they were willing to spend that million for one month of a bench bat.
- Hernandez heard that Tony Abreu is the player to be named later in the Garland deal, as had been rumored. Abreu, a Scott Boras client, is hitting .351/.382/.609 in 213 Triple A plate appearances.
- Hernandez says the Dodgers are "not expected to retain" second baseman Orlando Hudson. Hudson may not be up for a one-year, incentive-laden contract this time around.