Olney’s Latest: Dodgers, Yankees, Pedro, Strasburg
ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that it "is said by others" that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is searching for pitching. Olney outlines the heavy workload endured by the Dodgers' bullpen early on, and wonders how it will hold up down the stretch.
Here's some other bits that Olney's heard:
- The Yankees are unlikely to trade Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady when the latter returns from an elbow injury because of the club's needs. Olney also mentions that they wouldn't be able to get full market value for Nady because of his injury.
- The Yanks did discuss Nady with other clubs during the offseason after signing Mark Teixeira.
- Several teams walked away from Pedro Martinez's workout yesterday unimpressed and uninterested in signing him.
- Olney says that several teams would be interested in the future Hall of Famer if he decides to pitch for something close to the pro-rated minimum with incentives, and is willing to work his way back up through the minors.
- Early talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Stephen Strasburg "are off to a sluggish start."
Odds & Ends: Nady, Doumit, Boyer
Links for Tuesday…
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says Xavier Nady will not require elbow surgery and may return within a month.
- Bad news for the Pirates: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says catcher Ryan Doumit will likely miss 8-10 weeks due to wrist surgery.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Matt Murton belongs in the Majors.
- Wallace Matthews and Ken Davidoff of Newsday each write about Jason Giambi's time in New York.
- With news that Demetri Martin will play Paul DePodesta in the Moneyball movie, Jon Weisman says not to judge the film before watching it. Personally I am looking forward to the movie. Martin is hilarious and Brad Pitt can be very good (12 Monkeys being the best example).
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders why the Mets paid Fernando Tatis $1.7MM if they weren't committed to using him.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has quotes from Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the Brian Barton–Blaine Boyer swap.
- Via NPB Tracker, a comeback for Hideki Irabu?
- RotoAuthority looks at Geovany Soto's slow start.
Yankees Issues
The Yankees' 7-6 record puts them 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays. With only 8% of the season finished, here are the issues currently facing the Yanks.
- Chien-Ming Wang has allowed 23 hits and 23 earned runs in six innings spanning three starts. He'd need to pitch four shutouts to get his ERA under 5.00…that has to affect a guy's confidence. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees will skip Wang's next start. He believes the team attributes the poor start to a lack of arm strength. Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News says the Yankees found mechanical issues, though Wang says everything's the same as last year. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times notes that Wang is out of options, so the Yankees won't end up sending him to the minors. Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues suggests the Yankees saw this coming, given their reluctance to lock Wang up long-term. Kabak believes a DL stint would make sense.
- Is the new stadium a launching pad? It's early, but many say the ball is flying out to right field. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the stadium and other issues, including the bullpen. ESPN's Buster Olney calls the park "a veritable wind tunnel that is rocketing balls over fences." He notes that the team cannot structurally alter the park this season.
- Regarding Xavier Nady's elbow injury, Sherman says "the Yanks were privately a lot more optimistic by Sunday that Nady could avoid Tommy John surgery and that he might be able to return in June and form a righty-lefty DH platoon with Hideki Matsui." Nady had a second MRI on Saturday, and the team doctor will speak with Dr. Lewis Yocum.
Geoff Jenkins Wants To Play
According to ESPN's Buster Olney:
Geoff Jenkins remains unsigned and continues to work out in Arizona, preparing for his next opportunity, says Damon Lapa, his agent. "He definitely wants to play," said Lapa. "I just [think] he's being constructively selective." Jenkins, 34, was released by the Phillies near the end of spring training. He batted .246 last season, with nine homers, doing most of his damage against right-handed pitchers. With the Yankees having just lost Xavier Nady—possibly for the year—he might possibly be a fit for New York, although General Manager Brian Cashman might prefer a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace the right-handed hitting Nady; Jenkins bats left-handed.
Jenkins will probably cost around $400K to employ, with the Phillies on the hook for the rest of his $8MM salary this year. The Marlins and Reds were linked to him a few weeks ago, but it's been quiet lately. Jenkins hit .256/.313/.415 against right-handed pitching last year.
Nady Injury Depletes Depth
The hot topic this morning: the injury to Xavier Nady. The Yankees' right-fielder may need season-ending elbow surgery, with an exam scheduled for today.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Yankees will be in trouble if an additional injury is to occur. This just shows how quickly a surplus can turn into a deficit in baseball. Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes about the situation as well. He feels the Yankees will have to bring in a right-handed hitting outfielder from outside the organization. Fortunately, he believes this type of player is in abundance. Sherman also wonders if Andruw Jones regrets his decision not to sign with the Yankees.
Nady May Be Out For The Season
According to Peter Abraham of The Journal News:
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE, 12:55 p.m.: Nothing official yet, but the word is that Xavier Nady will need surgery and miss the season.
UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: We just spoke to Nady. He didn’t want to say too much until he sees the team doctor in NYC tomorrow. But he indicated that the MRI showed a tear and surgery will be needed.
Nady left Tuesday's game with elbow pain; he had Tommy John surgery on it back in '01. The injury doesn't affect the Yankees as much as it affects Nady. The Yanks fortunately chose not to trade Nick Swisher this winter, so they'll be OK. But Nady is eligible for free agency after the season.
Odds & Ends: Fogg, Payrolls, Padres, Nady
Links for Friday…
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Orioles have "mild interest" in Josh Fogg. If Fogg can't find an appealing job elsewhere he'll report to Triple A Colorado Springs for the Rockies.
- Via the Twitter feed of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds have talked about Geoff Jenkins and Frank Catalanotto but nothing is close.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Sports Hochi report saying recently released pitcher Ken Kadokura is reaching out to the Cardinals and Orioles.
- Ryan Shealy cleared waivers and was sent to Triple A, clearing up the Royals' first base/DH logjam.
- The website FINalternatives.com says Rangers owner Tom Hicks defaulted on more than $500MM in loans.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at the payrolls for the Mets and Yankees.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says Hal Steinbrenner "told close friends he plans on hiring Lou Piniella as a consultant when his managerial contract with the Cubs runs out after the 2010 season."
- According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers said he still might add another starting pitcher.
- Albert Chen of Sports Illustrated writes about the advanced defensive metrics that are becoming prevalent in the game.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs writes about the ethics of service time manipulation.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman noted yesterday that "The Giants like Xavier Nady and wouldn't mind bringing the University of California product home at some point."
MRI On Pirates Prospect Reveals Inflammation
6:59pm: Apparently, the Pirates couldn’t wait until Tuesday. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review found out from Huntington that Tabata had the MRI today and everything looks fine.
“He does have some mild rotator cuff inflammation, but is able to return to activities as (the pain is) tolerated.”
6:11pm: Highly-touted prospect Jose Tabata will have an MRI done on his right shoulder Tuesday after alerting the Pittsburgh Pirates’ medical staff to some recent soreness, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
General manager Neal Huntington told Langosch that the team’s medical staff does not believe there is reason for serious concern. The MRI should help identify to doctors what is causing the outfielder discomfort.
Tabata was the marquee piece in last summer’s trade that sent Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees. He quickly became one of the Pirates’ top prospects and has already drawn unsolicited praise from manager John Russell this spring.
Tabata, 20, is 0-for-3 with three walks this spring.
Rosenthal On Cabrera, Cruz, Nady, Swisher
Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The A’s are offering more at-bats to Nomar Garciaparra than the Phillies. If the A’s sign Nomar, that wouldn’t stop them from adding Orlando Cabrera. However, Rosenthal’s source says Cabrera and the A’s "are not even close" in terms of his value.
- Nothing is close with the Juan Cruz situation; "New teams entered the mix after the sign-and-trade option became more realistic." Rosenthal says it’s still possible that a team will simply sign Cruz and give up a draft pick. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have made an offer to Cruz, but did not speak to his agent yesterday.
- Even with the Orlando Hudson signing, Blake DeWitt still has a role with the Dodgers pitching in at second base, third base, and even shortstop.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman "didn’t particularly like" any of the offers he’s received for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
- Rosenthal leaves the door slightly ajar for the Astros and Pudge: "the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly." Astros GM Ed Wade said on Wednesday: "We’re not signing Pudge. Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."
Odds and Ends: Lester, Arbitration, Beimel
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority hosts a roundtable discussion of the worst fantasy picks of the first three rounds.
- Nationals president Stan Kasten expects "heavy trade talk," given the team’s surplus of first basemen/outfielders. Nick Johnson is the most likely candidate.
- Mark Sweeney may be forced into retirement, according to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News.
- Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal wonders if Jon Lester could be the next Red Sox player to get a long-term extension.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball analyzes the salary arbitration class of 2009.
- Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has Astros GM Ed Wade explain split contracts.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes the Yankees outfielders and Scott Boras clients Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon have been affected by the Stanford financial scandal.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Joe Beimel turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers about a month ago. Tough time to be a lefty reliever.