Odds and Ends: Morneau, Jocketty, Santana
Your usual dose of random rumors and links…
- Justin Morneau says he has had no extension discussions with the Twins.
- The Reds brought Walt Jocketty aboard as a special advisor to President and CEO Bob Castellini today. For now, Wayne Krivsky’s job appears safe. But jeez, with Walt in the house he has to be feeling a little pressure, doesn’t he? In other news, the Reds talked with Brett Tomko‘s agent this week.
- The Tigers signed Matt Mantei for the league minimum. He can ask for his release if he’s not in the bigs by May 1st. As Jon Paul Morosi notes Mantei hasn’t pitched in the Majors for more than two years.
- RotoAuthority ranks the third basemen for fantasy baseball.
- Buster Olney says the A’s talks with the Braves for Mark Kotsay "have a chance of becoming serious today."
- Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey has a source who believes the Mets will get Johan Santana "no matter what they have to do."
- The Rangers made the Eddie Guardado deal official, and also brought Jamey Wright back on a minor league contract. Guardado got a bit more than I expected – $2MM base plus $4MM in incentives for games pitched and finished.
Odds and Ends: Lima, Clemens, Pagan
Some links of interest this evening…
- RotoAuthority ranks the top 24 catchers for fantasy baseball.
- Eduardo Encina says the Edwin Jackson to Seattle rumor won’t go away, but he’s still not buying it.
- Sox Machine notes that most of Kenny Williams’ trades come without warning.
- Jose Lima has signed on as a top of the rotation starter.
- Roger Clemens, Mike Wallace, blah blah blah. This is officially not interesting.
- Are the Cards looking for a lefty reliever? Does this mean Tyler Johnson is on his way out? Viva El Birdos suggests that Mark Hendrickson could be the acquisition.
- The Cubs shipped fifth outfielder Angel Pagan back to the Mets for a couple of minor leaguers. I tried to ignore this one for lack of interest, but the emails keep comin’ in.
Kosuke Fukudome Projections
For all you fantasy geeks out there, I compiled projections from three sources to try to get a read on Kosuke Fukudome will do in his first season with the Cubs. The Cubs care most about his OBP, and the consensus is that it’ll be at least .370. His stolen base total will be of interest to fantasy owners, and that’s anyone’s guess.
Latest At RotoAuthority
Fantasy baseball never stops, in my opinion. That’s why I try to write something new at RotoAuthority every day. The latest posts:
Fantasy Take On Teixeira Trade
In case you’re new here, I also run a fantasy baseball blog called RotoAuthority. Over there I have a new post discussing the fantasy ramifications of today’s Mark Teixeira trade.
Odds and Ends
Some random links I’ve come across, best categorized as Odds and Ends.
- Tim Marchman of the New York Sun discusses why the Yankees can’t practically pull off any kind of fire sale. Bobby Abreu is the one big name they can move, though Andy Pettitte is worthy of consideration. Marchman likes the Angels, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers as fits for Abreu.
- Shea Hillenbrand was waived today; insert "ship is sinking" reference here. I guess Bill Stoneman couldn’t find a taker for Hillenbrand even while eating most of his remaining salary. Now the Angels will foot the bill while some team picks up the opinionated DH for the league minimum. The Twins are often cited as a team in need of a DH, but Hillenbrand might disrupt the clubhouse chemistry. And of course, the Yankees have been connected to him since this winter.
- RotoAuthority lays out a plan for starting your own keeper fantasy baseball league.
- Torii Hunter would consider playing for the White Sox, for what it’s worth. It’d take a franchise-record contract to sign him.
- Indians reliever Fernando Cabrera is a fine candidate to be traded to a rebuilding team. The Tribe can’t option him to the minors without losing him, but his performance isn’t helping the team and he’s taking up a roster spot. As a 25 year-old with a K/9 over 10 in 129 career innings, there should be plenty of interest. Swapping him for a seasoned reliever like Octavio Dotel, Eric Gagne, or Al Reyes makes sense to me. By the way, the Indians’ Rafael Betancourt is quietly one of the five best relievers in baseball this year.
Yovani Gallardo To Get The Call
Brewers pitching phenom Yovani Gallardo is expected to get the call in place of Chris Capuano. He may not enter the starting rotation, but fantasy owners are salivating nonetheless. RotoAuthority has the analysis.
Dan Haren’s Cy Young Start
What has really changed with Dan Haren‘s Cy Young-type start to the season? RotoAuthority examines his first 90 innings.
RotoAuthority On Litsch, Bergmann
A couple of lesser knowns have had phenomenal starts recently, and fantasy leaguers are wondering whether they’re for real. RotoAuthority has the details and recommendations on Jesse Litsch of the Blue Jays and Jason Bergmann of the Nationals.
U.S.S. Mariner Trade Ideas
Dave Cameron over at U.S.S. Mariner had a very interesting post about a week ago regarding three trades he thinks should be made. Three deals that are designed to benefit both teams involved by examining surpluses and needs.
Coincidentally, I just took a look at an old favorite of mine, Scott Baker, from a fantasy perspective. I’ve also got some Jack Cust analysis up over at RotoAuthority if you’re interested.