Where Could Prince Land?
Prince Fielder will be an intriguing name if he hits the trade market. Many teams will not be able to afford Mark Teixeira, while Ryan Howard is apparently unavailable. So three years of Prince at a reasonable price looks pretty good. Which teams have a vacancy at first base?
- Orioles. Consolation prize to the Tex sweepstakes? Brian Roberts, George Sherrill, and Melvin Mora would add depth for the Brewers, and Roberts gets you two draft picks if he leaves after the season.
- Yankees. The Brewers would probably want MLB-ready talent, meaning Phil Hughes.
- Blue Jays. The Brewers sent the Jays their current first baseman, Lyle Overbay. Not sure how they’d match up on players.
- Indians. The Brewers would probably ask for some quality pitching, and it doesn’t seem like the Indians should part with theirs.
- Angels. If Tex leaves, perhaps.
- Giants. The Fielder for Matt Cain rumor is popular, but has it been discussed by Melvin and Brian Sabean? Who wins a straight-up swap?
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Hardy, Manny
Let’s take a look at Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday.
- The Yankees will go "all in" for C.C. Sabathia. Heyman sees the Dodgers, Mets, and Giants as other possible suitors.
- Heyman dismisses a rumor of J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and another player for Matt Cain.
- He predicts a "feeding frenzy" for Hardy. I’m with Heyman though, I wouldn’t be quick to trade him this winter.
- Heyman talked to a GM who feels the Mets will go after Boras client Manny Ramirez. If the five-year demand is accurate, the list of suitors will probably shrink significantly.
- Manny quote: "I gotta thank Scott for bringing me to L.A." Hmmm.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Roberts, Cain
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- One "Yankees person" believes it will take "crazy money" to convince C.C. Sabathia to pitch in New York and in the American League.
- The following three names are being bandied about in the Yankees’ clubhouse for center field next year: Nate McLouth, David DeJesus, and Matt Kemp. DeJesus seems the most reasonable target, though Robinson Cano could be part of a package for Kemp. DeJesus, it should be noted, played a poor center field this year according to the plus/minus system.
- Heyman doesn’t see the Yankees re-signing Jason Giambi or Bobby Abreu due to defensive concerns.
- Heyman says the Brewers’ efforts to acquire Brian Roberts were more under the radar than the Cubs’. GM Doug Melvin admitted Roberts’ name came up last spring, as the Orioles "were wanting to get [the Brewers] involved."
- Heyman speculation…could the Giants send Matt Cain and another player to Milwaukee for Prince Fielder, and then sign Sabathia? Or could the Rockies jump into the bidding for C.C.?
Cain Hopes To Stay
According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Giants pitcher Matt Cain doesn’t want to be traded this winter. Baggarly says the Giants don’t want to trade him, but "they will have to keep an open mind to add a power hitter to their offense."
Baggarly cites the Cain-for-Prince Fielder rumor, noting that the Giants want more than that. Cain can be under contract for the next three seasons, so the Giants should demand more than the Orioles received for Erik Bedard. The Brewers could certainly match up, with a possible surplus of young infielders. Chris Davis and Dan Uggla could be other powerful targets for the Giants (not that Davis is available).
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hudson, Ordonez, Fielder, Howard
Let’s swing through Ken Rosenthal’s latest column.
- Rosenthal names the Mets, Yankees, Rangers, White Sox, Indians, Rockies, and Cardinals as speculative fits for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. Obviously several of those scenarios would involve shuffling players to other positions or trades. The Yankees’ infield defense could certainly use the boost.
- Rosenthal considers Frank Wren’s midseason trip to Japan a sign that he might be active in that market.
- The Tigers may shop Magglio Ordonez for pitching this winter. Maggs will need fewer than 500 plate appearances next year to cause his 2010 and 2011 options to vest. So he’s essentially owed $48MM over three years.
- Don’t forget two other sluggers who may be available this winter: Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard. It works well for the Brewers and Phillies, as the free agent market is weak at first base.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Mets, Brewers, Astros
Ken Rosenthal has a lot to offer in his latest Full Count video:
- The Mets will prefer to pickup Carlos Delgado‘s $12MM option rather than buy him out for $4MM. That’s a guarantee for a guy who should finish the year around 35-100 despite not contributing for the first two months.
- According to sources, Manny Ramirez is unlikely to go the Mets. They will more likely focus their spending on pitching. John Maine has a bone spur in his right shoulder. Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez are free agents. The Mets will need to go after starting pitching.
- If the Mets go after Francisco Rodriguez, would they dangle Billy Wagner on the trade market in his contract year?
- If the Astros sign Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf, they’d become immediate contenders, if not division favorites.
- To recoup the loss of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia, the Brewers might want to trade J.J. Hardy or even Prince Fielder for a pitcher to join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush. I can’t see them trading Fielder and a lot will be determined by how they fare in the playoffs.
- Casey Blake will be in high demand this offseason. As a third baseman, his only real competition is the fragile Joe Crede. Blake can play 1B, 3B, RF and LF. He’s a good fit for the Dodgers to re-sign but, according to Rosenthal, he may want to go closer to his Iowa home.
Stark’s Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton
Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB’s apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal.
- Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation. However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive). The Giants are known to like the big first baseman. The hangup is Brian Sabean’s reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain.
- The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre. The Mariners want starting pitching, but one year of Beltre is not equal to four of Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Phillies still don’t want to go past two guaranteed years for Pat Burrell. Stark points out another complication – Burrell would gain 10-and-5 rights early in a Phillies contract. Any NL team inking Burrell for four years is a risky proposition given his defense. If Burrell leaves the Phillies, Stark doesn’t expect the team to sign a major free agent as his replacement.
- The Indians deserve props for acquiring Anthony Reyes. Let’s not overdo it though – it’s only been five starts, and his strikeout rate is just 4.0 per nine in Cleveland.
- The Indians talked to multiple teams about Cliff Lee last winter. Interestingly, they thought the hardest about swapping him for Carlos Quentin.
- The Astros were quite willing to trade Ty Wigginton, prior to his massive August.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Giles, Dodgers, Indians, Fielder
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up over at FOX Sports. Here’s the highlights:
- The Red Sox wanted to use Brian Giles in right field against certain right-handers, and shift J.D. Drew over to center field for those games. Giles blocked the trade for family reasons, according to Rosenthal, despite the chance at an increased pay day and an opportunity to play in the postseason.
- Rosenthal says that while the Dodgers are under pressure to re-sign Manny Ramirez, there may be more pressure to sign Casey Blake after this season. Rosenthal points out that Blake is batting .333 in his first 16 games in Dodger blue, and the Dodgers traded away their best young third baseman in Andy LaRoche in order to get Manny. The Dodgers aren’t sold on Blake DeWitt as a long-term option.
- Rosenthal feels that the Brewers are now less likely to shop Prince Fielder in the offseason, though he points out they could fetch quite a nice haul of Major-League-ready talent if they shopped Fielder as an alternative to Mark Teixeira. Rosenthal feels that J.J. Hardy is a much better bet to be shopped though, as Alcides Escobar could be used to replace him in 2009.
- Rosenthal wonders if, given Kelly Shoppach’s emergence, the Indians could try to trade him for a top-end starter. Rosenthal offers two scenarios for Cleveland: Trade Shoppach and sign Jason Giambi, or keep Shoppach, sign Orlando Hudson, move Victor Martinez to first base. Both scenarios have the same goal of adding offense and allowing Matt LaPorta to remain in the outfield.
Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Teixeira, Ibanez, Giles, Lee
CC Sabathia is 6-0 since getting traded to the Brewers, and naturally his teammates are thrilled to have him. Especially Prince Fielder, who said of his new ace, "I’m like his mini-me."
Angels owner Arte Moreno said it was "emotional" for him to trade home-grown first baseman Casey Kotchman, but that he won’t regret the move even if new Angel Mark Teixeira leaves as a free agent after the season. He mentioned budding AAA star Kendry Morales as a possible replacement.
The News Tribune’s Larry LaRue worries that the Mariners won’t be able to keep Raul Ibanez after the season. Ibanez has said he’d like a 4-year deal, but LaRue sees the M’s offering three at most. Plus, he notes that it’s a little late for them to start talking about a contract extension.
Brian Giles is annoyed that details of his vetoed trade to Boston became public. "I didn’t know everybody was supposed to know, especially when it wasn’t a done deal and it wouldn’t go down," Giles said. "It’s kind of between myself and my agent and Boston and the Padres." He also expressed a desire to stay with the Pads—a preference that was greeted with suspicion by the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
And President George W. Bush thinks Carlos Lee‘s contract is just fine.
Odds and Ends: Livan, Maddux, Meredith, Fielder
Here are today’s links.
- Live chat today here at 2pm CST.
- MiLB.com is holding a charity auction with all kinds of memorabilia. Check it out.
- NPB Tracker takes a look at Japanese closer Hitoki Iwase, who should draw plenty of interest from MLB teams this winter.
- Trading Greg Maddux to the Dodgers is still possible, though unlikely. There’s also word that the Padres "tested the trade value" of Cla Meredith last week.
- Livan Hernandez is expected to clear waivers today. We know the Rockies have discussed him internally, and Buster Olney speculates the Mets might be interested. The D’Backs are not likely to bring him back.
- The Tigers reportedly asked for Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for Ivan Rodriguez.
- I did a Q&A with Philly Sports 101.
- Tom Haudricourt has details on Prince Fielder‘s dugout shoves of teammate Manny Parra.
- Joba Chamberlain is experiencing shoulder stiffness and will probably end up on the DL. It appears his labrum and rotator cuff are OK, at least.