Astros Notes: Hall, Bullpen, Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart discusses a few hot stove items in his latest mailbag piece…
- The Astros have a limited amount of payroll space to work with, so they would have to free up some money via a trade before they could sign a free agent like Bill Hall or another veteran for depth. We've heard the Dodgers and Yankees are Hall's "most aggressive" suitors, with L.A. allegedly offering Hall the regular left field job, so Houston could be out of luck.
- Houston is looking to add a left-handed reliever either in a trade or from the free agent market.
- McTaggart says it "doesn't make much sense" to deal Michael Bourn since Houston still has two more years of control over him. McTaggart seemed more open to a Wandy Rodriguez trade, noting that the left-hander's age (32 in January) and lousy start to the 2010 season are possible warning signs for the Astros. Rodriguez is entering the last year of his contract and there have been some extension talks, but the Astros might want to see if they can drum up some trade deadline interest in Rodriguez if he has a good start next season.
Astros Notes: Rowland-Smith, Hall, Cust, Rodriguez
The Rangers are grabbing all the headlines, but the other Texas team has been busy, too. The latest on the Astros:
- Houston is interested in Ryan Rowland-Smith, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros think they could get more offense from second base and have expressed interest in Bill Hall, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Yankees and Dodgers have also shown interest in Hall this offseason. Clint Barmes and Jeff Keppinger figure to play short and second for the Astros unless GM Ed Wade makes an addition.
- The Astros and Mariners are pushing for Jack Cust, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Seattle's interested in a number of free agents, including the former A's slugger.
- Hall and Cust are free agents, but the Astros haven't ruled out making a trade or two. Wade told McTaggart that he exchanged trade proposals with teams today, though Houston's advances weren't embraced by rival clubs (Twitter link).
- Wandy Rodriguez changed agents from Barry Praver to Adam Katz, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Rodriguez is set to discuss an extension with Houston.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins
Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
- The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
- The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.
Astros Talk Extension With Wandy, Not Bourn, Pence
Astros GM Ed Wade told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that the team has discussed a multi-year deal with Wandy Rodriguez, but not with Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, who are further away from free agency. Rodriguez hits free agency after the 2011 season, Bourn after the 2012 season and Pence after the 2013 season.
Rodriguez’s representatives approached Wade about a deal during the season, but the sides postponed serious talks until the winter. A year ago, the Astros won their arbitration case against the left-hander, limiting him to a $5MM salary in 2010.
An extension would likely pay Rodriguez $7-8MM in 2011 and $10MM or more for each season of free agency the Astros buy out. Tim Dierkes suggested this summer that Joe Blanton’s three-year $24MM contract could become a model for the Astros and Rodriguez.
The 31-year-old posted a 3.60 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 195 innings last year. It was the third consecutive season he has had an ERA of 3.60 or better and a strikeout rate of 8.0 per nine or better.
What’s Next For Wandy Rodriguez?
The Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers, and Blue Jays tried to acquire lefty Wandy Rodriguez on July 31st, wrote ESPN's Jayson Stark, but the Astros "never seriously entertained trading him." Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle wrote yesterday that Rodriguez, the longest-tenured Astro, had his representatives sit down with GM Ed Wade over the weekend to discuss his future. Wandy hopes to remain with the Astros, but Wade will wait on specific discussions until the offseason.
The Astros have Rodriguez for 2011, as he'll be arbitration-eligible one last time. The team's victory over the pitcher in a February arbitration hearing will continue to benefit them, as his raise will be added to a $5MM salary rather than a $7MM base.
If Rodriguez seeks an extension that buys out free agent years, Joe Blanton's deal might be an apt comparison. Blanton, entering his final arbitration year, signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Phillies in January of 2010. Aside from strikeouts, their numbers stack up quite well. Check out Wandy's projected career numbers through 2010 (with ZiPS projecting the rest of the season) and Blanton's through 2009:
- Innings pitched: 1026.6 for Blanton, 983.6 for Rodriguez
- ERA: 4.21 for Blanton, 4.25 for Rodriguez
- Wins: 63 for Blanton, 63 for Rodriguez
- Strikeouts: 643 for Blanton, 826 for Rodriguez
One other point in Rodriguez's favor is that his ERA in his last three seasons should be around 3.50 while Blanton's was 4.22. Wandy has really turned it around recently after a rough start to the 2010 season. He had a 6.09 ERA as recently as June 19th, but has allowed five earned runs over his last six starts to drop his season ERA to 4.00.
Rodriguez turns 32 in January, so he qualifies as a late bloomer. His agent Barry Praver might suggest that as a southpaw who does not depend on velocity, Wandy figures to age well.
Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang
The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
- GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
- When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
- Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
- Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him.
- A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
- The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.
Astros Expected To Keep Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers
1:33pm: The Astros will not trade Rodriguez or Myers, tweets Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
8:18am: The Astros became more open late Friday to the possibility of trading veteran starter Brett Myers, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Now, Morosi's colleague Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Astros are fielding offers for Wandy Rodriguez too, though they're not that motivated.
Rodriguez, a 31-year-old southpaw, has a 4.80 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 3.4 BB/9 on the season in 114.3 innings. He's under team control through next year. His 2011 salary will be kept lower in part because the Astros beat him in arbitration for 2010, getting him for $5MM instead of $7MM. The sample is small, but Rodriguez's July numbers are reminiscent of his breakout 2009 campaign. He'd be a solid pickup for a team seeking more than a rental, and the Astros shouldn't be afraid to move him. I wouldn't expect the price to be too different from that of Edwin Jackson.
Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers
The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:
- Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
- The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
- The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
- They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
- The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
- The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
- The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
- The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Rockies, Orioles, Matthews
Some links for Saturday night as we take in some night games..
- Yankees special assistant and former Padres GM Kevin Towers was at Petco Park tonight with Cliff Lee pitching, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. However, Brock points out that Towers still lives in San Diego.
- The Rockies have agreed to terms with 11 draft picks, according to Steve Foster of Inside The Rockies. Three of their top ten selections are now in the fold as well as 22nd round pick Mark Tracy, son of manager Jim Tracy.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) wonders aloud if Bobby Valentine will want to manage the O's if he's watching them play.
- A major league source told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the Angels and Red Sox agreed to swap Mike Lowell for Gary Matthews Jr. last December. However, the Angels changed their minds over concerns about Lowell's thumb.
- After a breakout season in 2009, Wandy Rodriguez is struggling mightily in 2010, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. McTaggart writes that if Rodriguez is unable to rebound, the Astros may have to consider his future with the club after this season.
- O's GM Andy MacPhail says that the club may not finish its managerial search before the end of this season, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore has interviewed Bobby Valentine and ex-Indians skipper Eric Wedge thus far.
- Brandon Webb could be valuable trade bait for the D'Backs if he returns healthy, writes USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Astros Win Arbitration Hearing With Wandy
The Astros won their arbitration hearing with Wandy Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's Alyson Footer (via Twitter). Rodriguez will earn $5MM in 2010, instead of the $7MM he was asking for.
Rodriguez, 31, pitched to a 3.02 ERA in 205.2 innings for the Astros last year, with 8.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The lefty won't become a free agent until after the 2011 season.