Rangers Sign Padilla
Seems that Vicente Padilla wants to stay in Texas. The Fort-Worth Star Telegram reports that the Rangers are close on a multiyear pact with the righty.
That fourth year is the sticking point. I think he gets it.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal is reporting that it would be a three-year, $34MM deal with a fourth year club option. And now ESPN agrees but Jerry Crasnick does not mention an option yet.
Alright, it’s settled. There’s a fourth year option for $12MM.
Olney: Rangers Closing In On Padilla
Just noticed a nugget from Buster Olney’s blog yesterday morning:
"The Rangers lost out on Adam Eaton; I’m hearing that they are closing in on a deal to re-sign Vicente Padilla."
If true, this is a positive for Texas. Padilla is a much better choice and will probably require one year and a few million more annually. The Jays, Mets, and Cubs may be on the outskirts depending on where various free agents fall.
Braves Rumors
Talking Chop has a nice roundup of trade talks that the Braves could be exploring.
First, the White Sox are interested in Andruw Jones. That seems like a longshot because Andruw has a no-trade and the White Sox hate Scott Boras, but who knows, maybe an extension would get that done. Trading for Jones would make Brian Anderson expendable, and Anderson seems to me like Bobby Cox’s kind of player–young, great defense, could improve at the plate. Maybe Anderson and one of Chicago’s starters would get that deal done.
Second, the Rangers could be looking at Braves pitching. The Rangers could have all sorts of holes depending on how many of their free agents they are able to keep, especially in the rotation. They don’t match up nearly so well with the Braves–this article suggests the Braves would be looking for bullpen help in a deal like that, but after trading away Francisco Cordero last season, the Rangers wouldn’t appear to have the depth to survive losing Akinori Otsuka.
In related news, Vicente Padilla‘s agent doesn’t expect him to sign immediately, but notes that the Rangers are the most interested. I’m not surprised–if both Padilla and Adam Eaton went elsewhere, Jon Daniels would be forced to do a lot of shopping in a very, very expensive store.
By Jeff Sackmann
Cardinals Tidbits
Several good items from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
- Scott Spiezio is resigned to a 2-year deal.
- Jocketty’s focus seems to be on pitching at the moment: talking about Vincente Padilla, Adam Eaton, and Kip Wells, and trying to bring Jeff Weaver back.
- Also looking for a Mark Mulder-like rotation filler–a nice thought, but I would think that a pre-FA starter would be incredibly pricey in this market.
- Luis Gonzalez and Julio Lugo are unlikely.
By Jeff Sackmann
Rangers Snag Vicente Padilla
Spurned in his attempts to trade for Adam Eaton, new Rangers GM settled for right-handed starter Vicente Padilla to fill in the back end of his rotation. Padilla was going to be nontendered by the Phillies anyway, so Daniels only had to give up a player to be named later, likely a C level prospect.
At his best, Padilla went 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA for the 2002 Phillies. That year was marked by low home run and walk rates for Padilla. He’s still only 28, and 2005 was an injury-plagued year. Triceps tendonitis and other maladies may have contributed to Padilla’s worst walk rate since 2000. Ameriquest Field will not be a better pitching environment than Citizens Bank Park; in fact both parks inflate home runs about 20%.
Padilla will probably post an ERA a bit worse than league average (league average is 4.35) and could provide 200 innings for the Rangers. At $4MM or so, that’s quite a bargain. Scott Elarton will be at least that bad and is looking for a three-year deal. Padilla marks a second solid acquisition by Daniels after his fleecing of Jim Bowden for Brad Wilkerson.