Padres Rumors

Odds & Ends: Fogg, Payrolls, Padres, Nady

By Tim Dierkes | April 3, 2009 at 8:35pm CDT

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."

Heyman On Peavy, Tigers, Cliff Lee

By Tim Dierkes | April 3, 2009 at 12:30pm CDT

The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…

Heyman lists 30 breakout candidates for 2009, headed by Paul Maholm of the Pirates.
Padres GM Kevin Towers had this to say regarding trading Jake Peavy midseason: "If we start spinning our wheels, we might engage in discussions." ESPN's Buster Olney also wrote about Peavy this morning, noting that the Cubs were "much closer than anybody realized at the time" to acquiring Peavy this winter. Towers gave Olney a similar quote about Peavy – he doesn't want to think about it right now but if the team is out of contention it's possible.
Heyman names the Tigers and Blue Jays as teams that may look to dump salary this summer. He speculates on names such as Jeremy Bonderman, Brandon Inge, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, and Scott Rolen.
Cliff Lee is a tricky case for an extension, but the Indians told his agent Darek Braunecker they'd let him throw out a bid. Braunecker didn't bite, and negotiations are not expected to take place during the season. You have to wonder if Lee will be traded next winter or at the 2010 trade deadline.

Odds & Ends: Minor Deals, Catalanotto, Gwynn Jr.

By | April 2, 2009 at 12:07pm CDT

Your Thursday links, with more to come…

Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies have acquired RHP Manny Ayala from the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later. Ayala will probably spend the entire '09 season in the minors.
According to Steve Holley of Scout.com, the A's have plucked right-hander Rocky Roquet from the Cubs for a player to be named later. He's another minor league guy.
The Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti would like the Red Sox to pursure Frank Catalanotto, but writes that there's "no indication that they plan to do so."
Marc Hulet over at BaseballAnalysts.com reviews the production of the 2008 Rule 5 Draft class. It's not a very impressive group.
SI.com's Jon Heyman explores the Rays' and Phillies' offseasons.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders if Tony Gwynn Jr. could be on the way out.
Even with the loss of Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes, the Rockies will come close to setting a franchise payroll record this season.

Padres Acquire Edward Mujica

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2009 at 10:11am CDT

WEDNESDAY: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres acquired Mujica from the Indians. Brock reports the same. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians will receive a player to be named later or cash. Click here to read Paul DePodesta's thoughts on Mujica.

Additionally, Krasovic says the Padres shipped minor league pitcher Manny Ayala to the Phillies.

TUESDAY: According to MLB.com's Corey Brock, the Padres continue to eye the trade market for a hard-throwing reliever with late-inning potential. Like recent acquisition Eulogio De La Cruz, the focus is on pitchers who are out of options.

Brock says the Padres might have interest in Cleveland's Ed Mujica. Mujica, 25 in May, hasn't had big league success in recent years but did average 92.5 mph on his fastball in '08.

My own speculation – another name to watch might be Fernando Nieve, who the Mets recently claimed from the Astros but then placed back on waivers. Here's the partial list of other out of options players I cobbled together earlier this year.

Niemann/Hammel Rumors: Padres, Pirates, Rockies

By Tim Dierkes | March 30, 2009 at 4:53pm CDT

4:53pm: According to John Perrotto of Pirates Report, the Pirates are also interested in Niemann. He says the Bucs also remain interested in Robert Andino and Jeff Baker.

Additionally, Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says the Rockies have jumped in on Hammel.

11:16am: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote Saturday regarding the Padres' interest in Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann:

In return, the defending American League champions have inquired about Padres prospects Simon Castro, Wynn Pelzer, Juedy Valdez and Nick Schmidt. The Padres have deemed the price too high. Niemann is out of minor league options, reducing the Rays' trade leverage.

Out of those four Baseball America likes righty Castro the most, ranking him 14th among Padres prospects. Pitchers Pelzer (16) and Schmidt (21) also make their top 30.

Niemann will make a minor league start today, perhaps his last chance to win the fifth starter job. The decision will probably be made today; Jason Hammel appears to be the favorite. UPDATE: Niemann tossed six scoreless innings.

Mariners Acquire Chris Burke

By Steve Adams | March 29, 2009 at 2:54pm CDT

Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Chris Burke, who was told by the Padres on Saturday that he wouldn't make the team, has been traded to the Mariners for cash or a player to be named later.

Burke, 29, hit just .194/.310/.273 last season in 86 games for Arizona. He saw time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners for the D'Backs in 2008.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Rockies, Yankees

By Nat Boyle | March 29, 2009 at 11:14am CDT

Ed Price at FanHouse.com has some Odds & Ends of his own in the Overheard and Understood section of his column.

The Twins are looking for a setup man who can provide good control. Internally, it's a big deal for them.
The Rockies could wind up dumping contracts midseason if they find themselves out of contention. Price quotes one exec saying, "Unless they move ($3.5-million salaried backup catcher Yorvit) Torrealba, they're not taking on any money."
The Mariners say no player is untouchable. The M's are seeking "athletes" says Price.
Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill will get the last two spots in Oakland's rotation.
The Padres are "dying for pitching" and "will claim anybody" on waivers, says Price.
If Cody Ransom gets exposed by playing on a daily basis, then the Yankees may need a stopgap to fill third base until Alex Rodriguez's mid-may return.

Odds And Ends: Braves, Bernie, Boras

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 28, 2009 at 11:07am CDT

Links for Saturday…

MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that the Braves are considering dealing outfielder Josh Anderson. Bowman suggests the White Sox could be a fit even though Ozzie Guillen said he expects to find a center fielder internally. Bowman also passes along some fun anecdotes about Chipper Jones and Santonio Holmes.
MLB.com's Sarah D. Morris likes the bench assembled by Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
MLB.com's Ed Eagle reports that Bernie Williams wants to play in the majors again, but not if it means playing in the minors or an independent league first.
In this article by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune Scott Boras says the Padres will spend more liberally on amateur talent now that Jeff Moorad's taking over the club.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer offers his take on a female knuckleballer from Japan.
Tim recently did a Q&A about the Jays at The Blue Jay Hunter blog.
Steve Melewski of MASN Sports breaks down the minor league free agents in Orioles camp.
ESPN The Magazine's Jeff Bradley profiled Manny Ramirez.
The Astros, Marlins and Pirates made decisions about their respective backup catchers.

Orioles Face Hayden Penn Decision

By Tim Dierkes | March 27, 2009 at 3:33pm CDT

According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, 24 year-old Hayden Penn is one of five candidates for three open rotation spots on the Orioles (Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson may secure two of those). The O's may also consider putting Penn in the bullpen. The problem is that Penn is out of options and has had a lousy spring. Zrebiec notes that the Padres have expressed interest in Penn in the past, so the Orioles probably can't slip him through waivers.

On Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list, Penn ranked 94th in '05 and 81st in '06. Back in '06 BA said Penn threw three plus pitches for strikes and touched 96 with his fastball.

Moorad Takes Over Padres

By Tim Dierkes | March 27, 2009 at 10:13am CDT

The sale of the Padres to a group led by Jeff Moorad may take several years to complete, but Moorad is now running the team according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Moorad's group owns 35% of the team currently.

Moorad plans to invest in the draft, but he wouldn't commit to anything regarding the team's payroll. Tom Krasovic of the Union-Tribune sums up the contracts Moorad will inherit in the front office:

GM Kevin Towers, whose salary is well within the Top 10 among GMs, is under contract through 2010. Executive vice president Paul DePodesta, who had reported to Sandy Alderson, is guaranteed an average well above $500,000 per year through 2011. Director of player development and scouting Grady Fuson, who was hired by Towers in early 2005, is under contract through 2010. As for manager Bud Black, he is in the final year of his contract.

What about Jake Peavy? Moorad told Center:

"It would be premature for me to say what is going to happen. The goal is to build this for the long term. I don't know how that impacts the Peavy situation. But we're going to do whatever we can to improve the team."

Holden Kushner of XM Radio snagged more Moorad comments on Peavy:

"Peavy has been a terrific performer for the club at the same time I don't think any player is untouchable. I think at some point I am sure Kevin Towers and I will visit about the issue and Kevin will have a point of view and frankly I'll defer to it. I certainly want to be kept informed but I think Kevin will have a perspective on the Peavy situation and I really looking forward hearing it."

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