Cafardo’s Latest: Oswalt, Bruney, Pedro
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the state of the designated hitter in his latest column, wondering if the game is better off with or without it. He also shares a few hot stove notes:
- Roy Oswalt would want to play for the Cardinals, but the Astros are unlikely to trade their ace to a division rival.
- Members of the Astros organization feel like Oswalt would prefer not to be dealt to an American League club, though he may be open to playing with his friend Jake Peavy in Chicago.
- There are a few clubs interested in Brian Bruney, who was released by the Nationals last week.
- Pedro Martinez is still mulling whether or not to make a comeback, and is staying in shape in the meantime. Cafardo says that the right-hander enjoyed pitching for the Phillies last year, but that it appears Pedro "has one foot under the mango tree."
Odds & Ends: Burrell, Diamondbacks, Oswalt
Some links to check out following Roy Halladay's perfect night..
- MLB.com's Cash Kruth passes along a quote from Giants' manager Bruce Bochy regarding the signing of Pat Burrell: "The thought of signing him to help us off the bench, give us a right-handed bat, some power, a good threat coming off the bench and help us late in games and maybe play against certain pitchers. Right now he needs some at-bats in the Minor Leagues, and we'll see where he's at in the next ten days or so."
- The Diamondbacks are leaning towards taking a pitcher with the 6th overall pick in next month's draft, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Scouting director Tom Allison has seen Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz and Georgia Tech righty Deck McGuire in the last few days.
- The Astros and Roy Oswalt are in an uncertain state of limbo, writes Tyler Kepner of The New York times.
- The A's knew about Justin Duchscherer's hip troubles before signing him to a one-year deal this offseason, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The righty will earn the base pay of $2MM but now will not have the opportunity to earn up to $3.5MM in incentives.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates as to why the Giants are calling up Buster Posey today.
- Roberto Alomar is looking for a front office job and would like for it to be with Toronto, writes MLB.com's James Hall.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Braves, Mets, Oswalt
On this date 12 years ago, Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter ordered closer Gregg Olsen to intentionally walk Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Arizona was leading the Giants 8-6 at the time, and the move not only forced in a run, but also put the winning run in scoring position. The next batter, Brent Mayne, flew out to deep center field to end the inning and give the D'Backs the 8-7 win. It was just the third time in history that a batter was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, though the Rays' Joe Maddon turned the same trick with Josh Hamilton in August 2008.
Coincidentally, Bonds hit his 715th career homer to pass Babe Ruth for sole possession of second place on the all-time list on this same date back in 2006. Anyway, here's a collection of links from around the baseball blogiverse…
- Prospect Insider examines the Cliff Lee trade market.
- Capitol Avenue Club lists six players the Braves could select with their first pick, #35 overall, in next month's draft. Atlanta sent their first round pick, #20 overall, to the Red Sox as compensation for signing Billy Wagner.
- Mets Paradise looks at the internal candidates the Mets could turn to if they need to fill another rotation spot.
- Yankeeist reviews some players the Yankees either let go or passed on last offseason, plus some players they could pursue next winter.
- Dodger Dugout tries to figure out what Ned Colletti might be thinking as the trade deadline slowly approaches.
- Meanwhile, The Baseball Opinion speculates about Roy Oswalt landing with the Dodgers.
- The Bottom Line says that John Lackey's curve has been lacking with the Red Sox.
- River Ave. Blues takes a deeper look at some draft prospects the Yankees have been linked to.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Stark On Oswalt, Braves, Carmona, Yankees
Astros scouts haven't been told to watch specific teams or players, so Roy Oswalt doesn't need to start preparing for life after Houston just yet. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has the details on Oswalt and more rumblings from around the major leagues:
- Oswalt has told friends he'd love to play in St. Louis and it's believed that he would be interested in joining the Dodgers and Braves.
- We've heard lots about the $29MM remaining on Oswalt's deal, but the Angels have some money, according to an official Stark spoke to. The Nationals may be "the one team that would pay the whole freight on the contract."
- GM Andrew Friedman says he wasn't sure how Rafael Soriano's National League experience would translate to the American League East when the Rays dealt for him last offseason. Needless to say, the Rays have been pleased with Soriano's dominant start to the season.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Stark that other teams offered Jose Contreras "much more money" last winter.
- Braves GM Frank Wren says he's pleased with Eric Hinske's play and notes that teams probably don't pay enough attention to their benches.
- Wren says the Braves would not have interest in adding a starting pitcher. Besides their current rotation, they have the injured Jair Jurrjens and Triple A pitcher Chris Resop.
- GM Jon Daniels says the Rangers saw "a guy with major league ability and pedigree" when they scouted Colby Lewis in Japan last year.
- One scout says the Blue Jays are definitely tracking Fausto Carmona and have watched his last 12 starts.
- The Red Sox have tried trading Mike Lowell unsuccessfully, but they aren't eager to eat the $8MM-plus remaining on his salary.
- Rival clubs say the Yankees haven't decided what their trade deadline needs are, though they're showing some interest in versatile outfield bats.
Yankees Not Likely To Pursue Oswalt
The Yankees are not likely to pursue Roy Oswalt, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). One Yankees official told Heyman "we like our starters," which isn't a surprise considering how they've pitched this year.
Javier Vazquez has a high ERA and is walking twice as many batters as usual, but C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes have pitched well. The rotation has combined for a 3.70 ERA and helped the Yankees prevent more runs than any AL team except the Twins and Rays.
Ken Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Yankees would rather pursue Cliff Lee as a free agent than give up prospects for Oswalt. Since we're still two months away from the trade deadline, it's too early to predict what teams like the Yankees will need down the stretch. The Astros have told at least one club that they're not shopping Oswalt yet, so they don't figure to be too surprised or disappointed by the Yankees' lack of current interest.
Olney On Pitching, Benoit, Rangers, Managers
We could very well see a buyer's market for pitching this summer, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Veterans like Ben Sheets, Jake Westbrook, Kevin Millwood and Cliff Lee could join Roy Oswalt on the trade market and give interested teams plenty of choice. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- There's not much of a chance that the Dodgers will have the money to pursue Oswalt during the season, though they did call to inquire about him. Lee would be more affordable, but the Mariners would have to make him available and the Dodgers would have to out-bid other suitors.
- The Rays had a pair of scouts tracking the now-dominant Joaquin Benoit last winter, before they signed him. That signing has worked out for the Rays and for Benoit, who has yet to allow an earned run.
- The Rangers are apparently looking for catching help. This comes as no surprise, since we've heard that they have some interest in A.J. Pierzynski and Rod Barajas.
- Third base coaches Chip Hale (Mets) and Mike Quade (Cubs) may have futures as big league managers.
Dodgers Inquire On Roy Oswalt And Cliff Lee
The Dodgers inquired on both Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee and got similar responses from the Astros and Mariners, reports Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Both clubs told the Dodgers that they're not about to deal their respective aces now, but assured GM Ned Colletti that he would hear about it if anything changes.
The Dodgers have a rotation of Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, John Ely, Chad Billingsley and, eventually, Vicente Padilla. That group, plus Carlos Monasterios, Charlie Haeger and Ramon Ortiz, has combined for a 4.20 ERA.
The Dodgers have less payroll flexibility than some teams, but Colletti says the club could take on payroll in the right trade.
"I think it really depends on the deal," Colletti said.
Lee has about $5.7MM remaining on his deal, and Oswalt has about $29MM remaining on his. That could make Lee the more coveted pitcher, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained earlier tonight. It seems likely that the Astros will listen to offers for Oswalt, but there's no guarantee that the Mariners will shop Lee.
Cliff Lee’s Availability And Roy Oswalt’s Value
If Cliff Lee becomes available, the Astros will have a harder time obtaining value for Roy Oswalt, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Lee is younger, pitched better in 2008-09, makes less money, has succeeded in both leagues and could help a team obtain picks in next year’s draft.
Rosenthal’s sources say the Yankees are among the teams that would rather pursue Lee when he becomes a free agent after 2010 than part with prospects for Oswalt. The Yankees spent on Lee's former teammate, free agent C.C. Sabathia after passing on the chance to deal for Johan Santana and that decision has worked out well.
In theory, the Astros could take on salary to shrink the gap between the two aces’ salaries, but Rosenthal hears that Astros owner Drayton McLane would probably not cover a substantial amount of the $29MM or so Oswalt will earn before his contract expires.
High-revenue clubs could afford Lee’s $8MM contract and some mid-revenue teams could become involved, too. If the 18-28 Mariners, who rallied to beat the Tigers today, do not become sellers, the point is moot. If the Mariners start playing better, Oswalt remains the most attractive arm around, though it doesn't appear that the Astros are looking to deal him at this point.
Rangers Inquire On Roy Oswalt?
Rangers President Nolan Ryan called to inquire on Roy Oswalt, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Sports. Yesterday, however, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wrote that the Rangers are not going to get involved in Oswalt trade talks, as it's unlikely they could even take on a fraction of his contract. Plus, Sullivan learned from GM Jon Daniels that adding starting pitching is not a high priority. Also yesterday, ESPN's Tony Jackson said the Astros are not looking to trade Oswalt at this point.
Buster Olney wondered today if the Rangers could take on a less-expensive player like Cliff Lee. Olney's example: if the Rangers convinced the Mariners to take Rich Harden and his contract, they could offer better prospects for Lee. We've seen the Dodgers make payroll-neutral trades in recent years, even giving up Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan for Casey Blake in 2008.
Roy Oswalt Rumors: Tuesday
9:00pm: The Astros are not looking to trade Oswalt now, according to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Dodgers are not in active talks to trade for the right-hander at this point.
8:15pm: The Rangers are content with their current pitchers and have limited financial flexibility, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. GM Jon Daniels told Sullivan that the club is not looking for pitching – at least for now.
"That could always change," Daniels said. "You've got to be open-minded about adding an impact pitcher."
8:34am: Prepare yourself for a couple months of Roy Oswalt rumors. Today's batch:
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Commissioner's Office would have to approve an increased payroll for the Rangers to take on Oswalt. Such approval would likely displease other teams.
- Olney tweets that he's in agreement with colleague Jayson Stark that the Twins are worth monitoring in the Oswalt derby. The Twins have a solid rotation of Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, and Kevin Slowey. They'd be better-served pursuing a third baseman.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke to Oswalt's friend Andy Pettitte, who said, "Roy doesn't want to guess. He would only leave to take a real shot at the World Series." Sherman says Oswalt also craves stability. Sherman does not feel the Mets are currently a viable option, but there is no clear contender with the need and the money. In a blog post, Sherman favors the Angels for Oswalt.
- Bernardo Fallas and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle analyze eight possible suitors.