Padres Rumors

Stark On Bell, Nathan, Oswalt, Dunn

By Tim Dierkes | April 15, 2010 at 12:56pm CDT

Let's check in on the Rumblings and Grumblings of ESPN's Jayson Stark…

One exec Stark spoke to implied the Padres may not be motivated to trade closer Heath Bell because he's under team control through 2011 and signed at $4MM for 2010. Bell's salary could double in '11, though, and I'm not convinced the Padres will want to pay it.
Stark talked to a GM who thinks Bell makes sense for the Twins as a backup plan in case Joe Nathan needs a 16-month Tommy John recovery period to get back to normal. Stark learned that a significant part of Nathan's salary this year is insured, so that frees up some money this year. But again, will the Twins want to pay nearly $20MM to two relievers in 2011?
Should Houston's troubles continue, Stark wonders if Roy Oswalt would consider waiving his no-trade clause. He says a friend of Oswalt believes the pitcher's preferred destinations are Atlanta, St. Louis, and Texas. It's hard to see those clubs making a play for Oswalt, especially with his large salaries for '10 and '11.
Stark guesses the Nationals are more likely to trade Adam Dunn before the deadline than sign him to an extension. Last we heard, ESPN's Buster Olney said there were no ongoing extension talks.
Twins catching prospect Wilson Ramos has been labeled as one of the game's best trade chips, but assistant GM Rob Antony says that "right now, we'd lean toward keeping him."
If he can't find a big league job, Kevin Millar could sign with the St. Paul Saints, where his pro career began. Millar was released by the Cubs on March 30th.

Fred Lewis Decision Coming Soon

By Tim Dierkes | April 13, 2010 at 8:16pm CDT

8:16pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) predicts that Lewis will still be with the Giants this weekend. Schulman is hearing that there is little or no trade interest in the market for the outfielder.

8:24am: Giants outfielder Fred Lewis will be activated or traded by the weekend, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Lewis is in Triple A rehabbing a sore rib cage, but his assignment won't last past Thursday. Lewis is out of options, so the Giants can't keep him in the minors.

Baggarly notes that the Giants' roster is stocked with six outfielders, implying that a trade is more likely than a call-up. He says that while the Padres and Athletics have expressed past interest in Lewis, the Blue Jays may be "the most likely destination." New GM Alex Anthopoulos is familiar with the Giants, already having claimed Brian Bocock and traded for Merkin Valdez in his six months on the job. Bocock was claimed again by the Phillies.

Lewis, 29, has a .277/.355/.420 career line, with a walk rate over 10%. He's played all three outfield positions in the Majors, but mostly left field. Three years ago Baseball America called him "the best all-around athlete in the system," a player with star-level raw skills. BA questioned his outfield routes, though Lewis' left field defense comes out strong in terms of UZR/150. Baggarly noted that Lewis has been getting some recent starts in center, so perhaps that's not a lost cause. Obviously Lewis' bat plays better there if he can hold his own defensively.

Cafardo On Gonzalez, Oswalt, Crawford, Granderson

By Luke Adams 2 | April 11, 2010 at 9:36am CDT

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is now on Twitter, under the handle @nickcafardo, so be sure to follow him. In the meantime, Cafardo also has a new column up for the Globe, in which he addresses the possibility of an Adrian Gonzalez trade and touches on a few other hot stove topics. Let's check out the highlights….

Cafardo isn't bullish on the Red Sox' chances of acquiring Gonzalez, noting that a trade would deplete Boston's farm system. Plus, they should face stiff competition from teams like the Mariners and Orioles.
The consensus among a few baseball people who spoke to Cafardo is that Padres GM Jed Hoyer will field trade offers for Gonzalez but won't necessarily deal the slugger. The situation could be similar to the Jays shopping Roy Halladay at last year's deadline, when Toronto wasn't sufficiently blown away by any offer.
The Padres are more likely to move Chris Young and Heath Bell.
Assuming the Sox don't land Gonzalez, Cafardo wonders if Carlos Pena might be an offseason target for Theo Epstein.
Roy Oswalt could be an attractive trade chip for the Astros, given the lack of top starting pitchers that will be available during the season. Cafardo thinks Houston will move their ace if they have to, adding that "it looks like they may have to."
The Brewers' extension of Yovani Gallardo is a good sign that they'll be aggressive in attempting to lock up Prince Fielder, though it will likely take a Mark Teixeira-esque contract to get it done.
Cafardo's "dark horse candidate" in this winter's Carl Crawford sweepstakes? The Angels.
The Red Sox looked into acquiring Curtis Granderson to replace Jason Bay, but were outbid by the Yankees.

Discussion: Chris Young

By Zachary Links | April 10, 2010 at 2:02pm CDT

The Padres' trade block was discussed quite a bit this winter, with Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell being talked about as potential trade candidates. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports recently tweeted that 6'10 hurler Chris Young is also likely to be dealt this season.

The soon-to-be 31-year-old was extremely limited by shoulder troubles in 2009, pitching just 76 innings across 14 starts. However, in the three years prior to that, Young posted an ERA of 3.44 with 8.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

Young is in the final year of a four-year, $14.5MM deal and is set to earn $6.5MM this season. While his price tag certainly hinders his trade value, if he can demonstrate that he is healthy, he could be an attractive option for a contender at mid-season. One has to wonder how much a team might be willing to surrender for a rental of Young.

Top Trade Chips: NL West

By Mike Axisa | April 9, 2010 at 7:10pm CDT

Let's take stock of each team's top trade chips, starting today with the NL West…

Diamondbacks: Arizona moved two of its best trade chips this winter in Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth, and there's obviously no way Justin Upton will be moved. The cupboard is a little bare right now, but Stephen Drew could be available for the right price. He has two more years of team control left after 2010. Conor Jackson, who won't be a free agent until after 2011, could be attractive as well. Top prospect Jarrod Parker is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Dodgers: Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are deal breakers, but Chad Billingsley could be dangled after popping up in rumors during the offseason. The 25-year-old posted a 5.21 ERA in his final 19 appearances last year, though his peripheral stats were in line with what they had been in previous seasons. He won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.
Giants: Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval aren't going anywhere and Matt Cain just signed a new extension, so Brian Sabean's best trade chip is lefty Jonathan Sanchez. The 27-year-old owns a career 9.3 K/9 and won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2012 season. Madison Bumgarner's stock is down while he battles with Missing Velocity Disease, and Buster Posey isn't going anywhere.
Padres: Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell aren't just San Diego's two best trade chips, they're among the best in the game. Gonzalez is one of the baseball's premier power hitters at age 27, and will make just $4.75MM in 2010 with a $5.5MM club option for 2011. Bell has emerged as one of the league's most dominant closers, and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season.
Rockies: Everyone wants to get their hands on Troy Tulowitzki, but it's just not happening. Brad Hawpe is the player most likely to be moved, and there should be interest given his annual .890 OPS's and 25+ homers. He has a $10MM option for the 2011 season with a cheap $500K buyout, and Colorado has a glut of young and productive outfielders to replace him.

Odds & Ends: Embree, Rizzo, Votto, Rollins, Huffman

By Tim Dierkes | April 8, 2010 at 9:58pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

If you're viewing MLBTR on your cell phone, try mlbtraderumors.mobi!
Alan Embree expects to exercise the opt out clause in his contract if he's not added to the Red Sox's big league roster by April 15th, reports WEEI.com's Ethan Landy.
MASNSports.com about how a Major League trade comes together. Check it out, very interesting stuff.
C. Trent Rosecrans of CNATI.com learned from Reds GM Walt Jocketty last night that the team has yet to have contract extension discussions with first baseman Joey Votto. Yesterday we speculated on what it might take to lock Votto up long-term.
An interesting Rays-centric back-and-forth continues, with Jeff Passan filing a reubttal on Jonah Keri's site.
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy looks at the recent instances of teams signing home-grown pitchers to extensions.
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was on the Dan Patrick Show talking about the surprise he and Jayson Werth felt when Cliff Lee was dealt. Rollins said the Yankees would've kept Lee and Roy Halladay and made a run with the pair of aces.
Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains that while it was painful to lose Chad Huffman to a waiver claim, there's a silver lining in the organization's improved depth.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the details on Josh Beckett's new contract with the Red Sox, which totals $68,520,403.
Many lesser-known players have been released in recent days; Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the details.

Yankees Claim Chad Huffman

By Steve Adams | April 7, 2010 at 1:28pm CDT

WEDNESDAY, 1:28pm: The Yankees claimed Huffman off waivers from the Padres, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Huffman will head to Triple A. Baseball America ranked Huffman 21st among Padres prospects, noting his strong batting eye and good power but various limitations. Their bottom line quote: "He looks like a future regular on his best days and a part-timer on his worst." Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues and MLBTR has a hunch Kevin Towers' fingerprints are all over this pickup.

SUNDAY, 3:09pm: The Padres designated outfielder Chad Huffman for assignment in order to clear a space on the 40-man roster for veteran slugger Matt Stairs, according to a team press release.

Huffman, 25 later this month, was a second-round pick for the Friars back in 2006. He hit .269/.361/.469 for the Padres Triple-A affiliate in Portland last season, but managed just one hit in 23 spring at-bats. For his career in the minors, Huffman owns a respectable .289/.385/.474 line over four seasons and 1885 plate appearances.

Odds & Ends: Rays, Indians, Padres

By Zachary Links | April 6, 2010 at 10:11pm CDT

Tuesday night links..

MLB announced today that the number of foreign-born players on Opening Day rosters has dipped to its lowest level in four years, according to Reuters. Just 27.7% of players in 2010 were born outside of the United States compared to the league's all-time high of 29.2% in 2005.
Rays owner Stu Sternberg believes that his club is built for the long haul, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain. It will be interesting to see what happens with Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena, who are in the final year of their contracts.
Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer writes that the Indians' farm system is chock full of solid prospects. Hoynes breaks down the players to watch, from Triple-A to Single-A.
Padres prospect Logan Forsythe will be shifting from third base to second base when Double-A San Antonio opens the season, wrote Tom Krasovic a few days ago. The 23-year-old, who is considered to be one of San Diego's top prospects, is being moved to ease a glut of third basemen in the Padres' system.

Offseason Questions For The NL West

By Tim Dierkes | April 6, 2010 at 1:43pm CDT

The Offseason In Review series is complete, and now the NL West steps up to the plate for a series of questions.

Did the Diamondbacks upgrade in going from Max Scherzer to the more expensive Edwin Jackson? Will Brandon Webb supply five strong months and justify his $6.5MM net option price?
Was it necessary for the Rockies to sign Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street to multiyear deals, since they controlled both for 2009 already? Are the Rockies sending mixed messages at the catcher position, signing Miguel Olivo weeks after extending Chris Iannetta?
Was the risk of the Dodgers offering Randy Wolf arbitration worth the possible reward of the #36 and #65 picks in the 2010 draft? Can Vicente Padilla fill Wolf's shoes? Did Jamey Carroll's two-year deal represent the best use of $3.85MM?
Could the Padres have added offense and made a legitimate run at a 2010 pennant? On the flip side, would seriously shopping Adrian Gonzalez during the offseason have maximized the return?
Did the signings of Mark DeRosa, Freddy Sanchez, Bengie Molina, Juan Uribe, and Aubrey Huff for $34.75MM improve the Giants' offense?

Odds & Ends: Giants, Beckett, DePaula, Aubrey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 5, 2010 at 8:30pm CDT

Some links on what promises to be one of the best days of the year…

Chris Haft of MLB.com writes that the Giants' bench is lacking in right-handed bats, though he doesn't suggest they'll look to make a trade.
The Red Sox have expressed reluctance in the past to sign pitchers to long-term contracts, but MLB.com's Ian Browne notes that Josh Beckett's extension means the club has four important starters under team control through 2014.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Beckett extension was directly motivated by the Red Sox' rivalry with the Yankees.
Beckett told reporters that he focuses on the security that comes with his extension, not the money he could potentially have obtained on the open market, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
The San Francisco Chronicle had some nice things to say about MLBTR in its business report. Check it out.
The Mariners remain the favorites to sign Dominican pitcher Rafael DePaula, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Michael Aubrey cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minors, according to an Orioles press release. The team designated Aubrey for assignment last week.
Check out this two-sport star: the White Sox hired former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause to oversee the team's scouting in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette points out that the Pirates will have the lowest Opening Day payroll in baseball and asks when the future starts for the Pirates. His answer? Once Pedro Alvarez takes over third base at PNC Park. If all goes well for Pittsburgh, that could happen before midseason.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has the Mariners' payroll at about $89MM, a little higher than USA Today's $86.5MM figure.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that speculation that the Rangers are looking for reasons to fire manager Ron Washington is "silly."
As Jeff Powalisz of the Boston Globe points out, Boston's free agent acquisitions are already contributing.
Matt Stairs will become the first modern-day position player to suit up for 12 different teams when he takes the field for the Padres, as MLB.com's Corey Brock points out.

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