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Troy Glaus

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Torre, Padres, Strasburg

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On this date in 1998, the Mariners traded Joey Cora to the Indians for David Bell. More than a decade later, Cora is still making headlines in Cleveland – sort of. The White Sox coach translated for Manny Ramirez at this afternoon’s Progressive Field press conference. Here are some more links as we await another round of trades…

  • The Braves are listening to offers for Troy Glaus, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). On Sunday we heard that multiple AL teams have some interest in Glaus.
  • The A's re-signed Tommy Everidge, who played for Oakland last year, but hasn't appeared in the majors since, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page.
  • Dodgers manager Joe Torre told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he expects to be able to work out a deal with the Dodgers this offseason if he decides to manage in 2011 (Twitter link).
  • The Padres are still interested in adding a starting pitcher, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). MLBTR's Tim Dierkes provided a list of potentially available starters earlier today. Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Padres claimed a number of pitchers, but weren't able to work out any deals (Twitter link).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Stephen Strasburg will undergo Tommy John surgery this Friday.
  • MLBPA leader Michael Weiner told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork that the hearing between Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets will take place in mid-October (Twitter link).

 

Multiple Teams Interested In Troy Glaus

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Multiple American League teams have some interest in Troy Glaus, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Glaus has been on the disabled list since August 18th, but has been hitting well on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett.

When Glaus returns from the DL, the Braves plan to give him some playing time at third base and as a pinch-hitter. However, given his defensive limitations, he would make more sense for an AL contender in need of some power at first base or designated hitter. The Red Sox, Rays, Twins, White Sox, and Rangers could all be fits, particularly at Glaus' affordable price – he has about $340K remaining on his $1.75MM deal.

We've yet to hear whether or not Glaus has passed through waivers already in August. Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported earlier in the month that players could not clear waivers while on the disabled list, but Morosi later indicated that, as long as the player exhibited good health, he could be placed on waivers prior to being activated. Given Glaus' .391 average and two homers on his rehab assignment, he appears to be healthy, so that shouldn't be a roadblock.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Orioles, Figgins, Papelbon

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Links for Sunday, as Jeremy Hellickson aims for his third win in his third career start….

Free Agent Stock Watch: Troy Glaus

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Troy Glaus was traded to the Cardinals in January of 2008, waiving his no-trade clause and exercising his '09 player option for more than $12MM.  He recovered from surgery to repair a nerve in his foot and posted a fine '08, hitting 27 home runs and playing over 1,200 innings at third base.  A year after the trade Glaus had arthroscopic right shoulder surgery, which ultimately limited him to 135 pro plate appearances in 2009.  Glaus previously had a procedure on that shoulder in May of '04.

The lost '09 season drove Glaus' price down in free agency, as he signed for a base salary of $1.75MM.   He'll get a $250K bonus with 100 days on the active roster and can earn another $2MM based on plate appearances.  Glaus is currently on pace to exceed 600 plate appearances and max out his incentives, which would bring him to $4MM earned in 2010.

After a slow April, Glaus has a scorching .400/.460/.600 line in May.  He seems headed toward 25 home runs and 100 RBIs.  He's also settled in as a regular first baseman.  Though the Braves' offense has shown a surprising lack of power, GM Frank Wren deserves praise for this low-risk signing.  Glaus will turn 34 in August, so he won't be in line for a multiyear deal after the season.  He's nowhere near Type B status, so free agent compensation won't be involved either.  He still may be able to pull off a contract similar to that of Adam LaRoche and Hideki Matsui – around $6MM guaranteed.

Could The Braves Join Adrian Gonzalez Sweepstakes?

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We've been hearing the Adrian Gonzalez-to-Boston rumors for months now, though there have been whispers that Boston may not have the minor league package necessary to extract Gonzalez from San Diego, the Padres might just keep Gonzalez if they don't find a deal to their liking, and that other teams will be taking just as hard a look at the slugging first baseman.

FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi suggests that Atlanta may be one of those other teams.  Morosi spoke to an unnamed scout who said that the Braves "may have the greatest need" for a hitter of Gonzalez's caliber given Atlanta's team-wide struggles at the plate.  The Braves entered Friday's action with a .229 team batting average, tied with the Mets for sixth-lowest in baseball.

Going into the offseason, Atlanta's greatest need was to add a big bat to give more support to one of baseball's strongest starting rotations.  The Braves instead made several small moves to add the likes of Eric Hinske, Melky Cabrera and Troy Glaus rather than splurging on a high-priced free agent.  While it's still too early in the season to fully judge how these moves will pan out, Glaus (as Morosi points out) has particularly struggled at first base, posting a .524 OPS in 58 plate appearances.  Given that Glaus is on a one-year, $1.75MM contract, the Braves would have no hesitations about benching, trading or even releasing Glaus if the right opportunity at Gonzalez came along.

In picking up Gonzalez, Morosi notes that the Braves would be blocking the progress of slugging first base prospect Freddie Freeman.  However, since this is Bobby Cox's final season, could the team be in an all-out "win now" mode?  If the Braves find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in July, Freeman's future promise might be considered a necessary sacrifice for Cox's last postseason push.  Also, Freeman would be a logical addition to the hypothetical package to San Diego. 

Of course, adding a star first baseman is no golden ticket to the playoffs.  The Braves know this all too well — they sent Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Beau Jones to Texas at the 2007 trade deadline for Mark Teixeira.  While Teixeira hit well for Atlanta, the Braves only finished third in the NL East in 2007 and wound up trading Teixeira themselves the next July.  No doubt this recent deal will make the Braves think twice before offering up another big group of prospects for what might end up being a short-term rental of a player.

Odds & Ends: Ruiz, Braves, Offenses, Yankees

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Links for Thursday…

Braves Sign Troy Glaus

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5:45pm: ESPN's Buster Olney specifies the dollar values within Glaus' incentive clauses (via Twitter).

2:24pm: The Braves officially signed Troy Glaus to a one-year today.  He'll get a $1.75MM base, a $250K bonus at 100 games, and another possible $2MM in incentives.  Glaus will play first base for Atlanta.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement on December 23rd, while David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted the value.

The 33-year-old Glaus was limited to 135 plate appearances this year due to the effects of January shoulder surgery.  He's played only 38.6 innings of first base in his career, all of them coming in the last two seasons.  When he's right, Glaus is a threat to slug around .500 and hit 30 home runs.

By itself, I like the Glaus signing.  I did not like the Braves trading Javier Vazquez to free up cash for Glaus and a potential outfield acquisition, however.

Gammons On Bay, Holliday, Gonzalez, Cabrera

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Yesterday, Peter Gammons appeared in-studio on WEEI with Dale & Holley to talk about the state of the offseason in Boston.  Here are some notes from his hour-long chat…

  • It's unlikely that the BoSox will be able to bring back Jason Bay, as they already made him the best offer that he has received.
  • Gammons quips that Bay would "rather play in Beirut than Queens" and adds that he should have taken Boston's offer of $60MM over four years back in July.
  • As for the Mets, if they are unable to land Bay, Gammons doesn't see them adding anybody else of a similar caliber.  With their unwillingness to go over the luxury tax threshold, they are more likely to pocket the money to make a mid-season deal.
  • Gammons calls Scott Boras "brilliant," but questions his wisdom in turning down the five-year $82.5MM offer the Red Sox made Matt Holliday.  That could be the best offer he has seen so far.
  • While we have heard rumors of an Adrian Gonzalez-to-Boston swap for months, the two sides have yet to exchange names.  Gammons says it would be virtually impossible for the Padres to deal him before July.
  • Miguel Cabrera could become available if the Tigers stumble out of the gate.  If he is available, Boston would be interested, despite concerns about him off-the-field.
  • Gammons expects Josh Beckett to be the second most-coveted free agent on the market next winter, behind Cliff Lee.  Naturally, a healthy season would go a long way towards boosting his value.
  • After reading the post here on MLBTradeRumors about Frank Wren saying that the Braves were going to get a major bat, he was surprised to later find out that the slugger was Troy Glaus.  Trading Javier Vazquez and Rafael Soriano was about saving $16MM, not about the players they received.

Discussion: Pat Burrell

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Pat Burrell's move to the American League did not go as smoothly as he or the Rays hoped.  Burrell left the World Series-winning Phillies to sign a two-year, $16MM free agent contract with Tampa Bay last January, and then suffered through a season's worth of injuries and inconsistency to finish with a career-worst .682 OPS (.221/.315/.367) in 476 plate appearances.

With $9MM due to Burrell in 2010, the Rays have been openly shopping the slugger this winter.  Rumors of a deal of Burrell-for-Milton Bradley swirled for months before the Cubs dealt Bradley to Seattle last week.  With seemingly their best trade option gone, it appears as if Tampa Bay will go into next season with Burrell back in the DH spot — which, if 2009 was just an aberration, might not be a bad option given Burrell's 251 homers and .852 OPS over his first nine years in Philadelphia.

If the Rays still want to move Burrell and save some cash, however, here are a few of the clubs that are in need of a DH/LF type and might have the payroll flexibility to absorb some or all of Burrell's contract.

  • The Mets.  Should they give up on signing Jason Bay (or lose him to the Red Sox), New York would still have a hole to fill in left field.  The downside of Burrell going to a National League team, however, is his glove.  He played just two games in the outfield last season, and according to Fangraphs, his defense ranged from mediocre to terrible (a -25.2 UZR/150 in 2007) over his last four years in Philadelphia.
  • The Cardinals.  Just as Burrell is a backup plan for the Mets if they don't sign Bay, he can also be a backup plan for St. Louis if they don't sign Matt Holliday.
  • The Braves.  Atlanta's biggest offseason need was a right-handed power hitter.  While they are close to a deal with Troy Glaus, Glaus made just 32 plate appearances in 2009 after undergoing shoulder surgery last January.  Burrell is perhaps a more reliable option, and may regain his batting stroke back in the NL East.  
  • The White Sox.  Ozzie Guillen likes the idea of a rotating designated hitter, but GM Kenny Williams didn't close the door on the possibility of picking up an everyday DH if the right opportunity presented itself.
  • The Giants.  Mark DeRosa may be coming in as San Francisco's new left fielder, but Burrell could be an interesting alternative should DeRosa not accept the Giants' offer.  Or, the power-starved Giants could acquire Burrell to play in left, and then sign DeRosa to play third base, thus moving Pablo Sandoval over to first.  (Or, Sandoval plays 1B, DeRosa plays 2B and Freddy Sanchez moves over to 3B.)  If the Rays pay some of Burrell's contract, then he is a much cheaper option for San Francisco than Johnny Damon.

Braves Rumors: Lowe, Vazquez, Glaus

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Only a couple teams were interested in trading for Derek Lowe, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The clubs wanted the Braves to eat about half of the $45MM the right-hander will earn over the course of the next three years, so the Braves dealt Javier Vazquez instead. Here are the rest of Bowman's rumors:

  • The Yankees were apparently the only team willing to trade for a pitcher making $10MM or more.
  • There are no hard feelings between Lowe and Braves GM Frank Wren.
  • The Braves don't consider Melky Cabrera the centerpiece of the Vazquez deal and they have yet to determine his role on next year's team.
  • Bowman agrees with Jerry Crasnick, saying that the Troy Glaus agreement won't be finalized for at least a few days.
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