Mariners Listening On Sexson
Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson hit a painful .205/.295/.399 last year. He’s got one more year on his contract at $14MM, and most feel that he can’t help but be better in 2008. Mariners GM Bill Bavasi recently acknowledged that some teams have inquired about Sexson.
According to the link above, one option could be swapping Sexson for another supposed bad contract, Vicente Padilla. Padilla makes $11MM in ’08, $12MM in ’09, and has a $12MM club option for 2010 with a $1.75MM buyout. So he has $24.75MM guaranteed left on his contract. Padilla had an injury-plagued year but at least came on strong in September. He’s fairly risky in general, but the fact that he’s crazy is an added burden. Still, I imagine he’s looking interesting to several teams.
Another place to send Sexson could be Kansas City. The Royals don’t have a bad contract to swap, so the Ms would have to eat money. I’m guessing the Royals would take a chance on Sexson if they only had to pay half his salary.
The Giants are one other team that has been linked to Sexson, and they do have the Ray Durham contract to swap. Durham makes $7.5MM in ’08 in the last year of his deal.
Rangers Rumors: DeJesus, Lamb, Millar
Evan Grant writes for the Dallas Morning News, but he posted this column at night. Go figure. He’s got some new info regarding the Rangers.
- As you know, the Rangers have had difficulty finding a long-term center fielder. That’s the main focus of this offseason. The team has already shown interest in Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand, the top center fielders available. Other free agents such as Andruw Jones and Mike Cameron appear to be in play as well. Grant’s trade candidates: Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, Mark Kotsay, and Carlos Beltran. We’ve speculated on DeJesus to Atlanta in the past. With DeJesus signed cheaply through 2011 and the market at the position robust this winter, it might make sense for Dayton Moore to wait a year to shop him aggressively.
- Grant adds that Jon Daniels is considering some affordable options for first base. They’ve already talked to Mike Lamb‘s agent and like Kevin Millar as well. Lamb came up through the Rangers’ system but was traded to the Yankees in ’04. Millar is under contract for ’08 but it’s in the $3-4MM range and the Orioles should be open to a trade. Grant says Ben Broussard could pique the Rangers’ interest if he’s non-tendered.
- Grant concludes with five Rangers whose names will be bandied about in trade talks: Gerald Laird, Vicente Padilla, Joaquin Arias, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Nelson Cruz. Salty’s not being shopped but Grant expects teams to ask. He proposes some kind of bad contract swap for Padilla – Jason Giambi, Richie Sexson, or Adam Eaton are named. I still think it’s funny the way Padilla crawled away from the brawl he started this year.
More Mariners Info
I just learned that Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune has his own blog. Here’s some recent info from him to complement our Mariners Needs and Luxuries post.
- Regarding that starter they need to add this winter…how about Johan Santana? LaRue had a post a couple of weeks ago indicating the Twins have scouted the Mariners and would start the discussion with Adam Jones. With a negotiating window, it’s something the Ms would have to consider. Santana and Felix Hernandez fronting the rotation would get all of Venezuela tuning in for 40% of Mariners games.
- LaRue seemingly takes a shot at Jayson Stark, saying that Stark’s note about a team claiming Richie Sexson and the Mariners pulling him back was false. LaRue probably did not realize the rumor started with a respected baseball writer.
Will Mariners Finally Move Sexson?
Call it educated speculation, but U.S.S. Mariner is wondering whether the Ms will try to trade Richie Sexson this winter. Derek Zumsteg suggests that recent vibes put out by the team’s broadcast crew may portend a future trade of Sexson or even Jose Lopez.
Even more interesting to me is the note that the Mariners "could have let Detroit pick [Sexson] up on waivers." We learned back in August that Sexson was claimed off waivers but withdrawn. It puzzled us at the time, because most GMs would be dying to unload Sexson’s $14MM for 2008. Anyway this is the first indication I’ve seen of which team actually won the claim. The Tigers were apparently willing to take the risk.
Stark On Waiver Happenings
Jayson Stark’s column today was a goldmine of waiver-related material. I updated my Players Who Have Cleared Waivers post with his new info. Two thoughts from that group:
- I was surprised to see that no one wanted a piece of Troy Glaus‘s contract, which really isn’t scary at $24MM over 2008-09 (assuming he exercises his player option). I’m sure his no-trade clause would’ve been a pricey obstacle, but what’s the harm in making a claim? Why would the Angels, Phillies, and Dodgers pass on him? Maybe clubs talked to J.P. Ricciardi and decided it just wasn’t worth it. And to be fair, Glaus hasn’t done anything since June and is dealing with plantar fasciitis.
- I wonder if Jim Bowden was embarrassed that no one would touch Dmitri Young‘s silly new contract.
Another group Stark had was the Claimed But Withdrawn. Here they are:
Jon Garland
Scott Hatteberg
Kei Igawa
Jacque Jones
Mike Lamb
Mark Loretta
Corey Patterson
Chad Qualls
David Riske
Richie Sexson
Miguel Tejada
Matt Thornton
Javier Vazquez
Dan Wheeler
Just one jumps out at me here. Richie Sexson is a huge burden at $14MM next year. And Bill Bavasi passed on the chance to unload that contract. The guy is hitting .208/.299/.405 as a 32 year-old; his OPS has cracked .800 in only one month this year. This is a team that can’t find playing time for Adam Jones. What’s the logic here? $14MM could’ve bought something nice in 2008.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Sexson, Dye
I feel bad for Ken Rosenthal’s family, as they won’t be seeing much of him until August 1st. He’s got another update for us tonight.
- The Mariners are hoping to unload Richie Sexson; can you blame them? To trade for Sexson now would be insane, even with the Ms eating half of the $14MM he’s owed in 2008. He has shown almost no signs of life this season. Rosenthal suggests a Sexson for Matt Morris swap but I’d much rather have Morris.
- The Brewers have considered the possibility of a Jermaine Dye trade. Kenny Williams apparently wants Derrick Turnbow or Manny Parra, which actually sounds reasonable.
- Rosenthal also has some info regarding role players Jeff Conine and Mark Loretta. But even I have a hard time getting worked up over that. I’d like to see a new, interesting name tossed into the rumor mill. Like when Roy Oswalt came up a year ago. How about Rafael Furcal or Jim Thome? They’re free agents after the ’08 season, they should be semi-available.
Richie Sexson Could Be Dealt
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the Mariners may consider trading Richie Sexson, a move that would please many Mariner fans. The Ms would presumably acquire a pitcher in the deal and move Raul Ibanez to first base.
John Hickey mentions Noah Lowry, Tim Hudson, and Dontrelle Willis as possible targets.
U.S.S. Mariner has a bunch of winter meeting predictions for Seattle; check it out.