Odds And Ends: Hinch, Manny, Longoria
Links for Friday…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes the D'Backs' new manager, A.J. Hinch, is a "strange choice" because he has no managerial or coaching experience.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff says signing Manny Ramirez was the best move the Mets never made.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller and Ken Gurnick sift through a year's worth of Ramirez-related drama.
- Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders if the Dodgers will have enough payroll flexibility to take on Jake Peavy's contract, now that Manny has been suspended without pay.
- Kirk Kenney of the Union-Tribune asks where Stephen Strasburg belongs in college baseball history.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle has a plan to fix the Astros. He'd like to see them trade veterans like Jose Valverde and Carlos Lee and try to win with youth, even if it means losing first.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says the contrast between what the Yankees owe Alex Rodriguez and what the Rays owe Evan Longoria illustrates the difference between the AL East rivals.
- Buster Olney profiled Longoria for ESPN the Magazine.
- More sad news for baseball: Dom Dimaggio died this morning, as MLB.com's Bobbie Dittmeier reports.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Teixeira, Ligtenberg
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority looks at the April offensive stat leaders.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America discussed Jim Bowden's Stephen Strasburg comments. Bowden says the Nationals' decision to draft Strasburg has been made, and predicts they'll sign him for around $15MM minutes before the deadline.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. talked to Nats interim GM Mike Rizzo about their revamped Latin American plan.
- Mark Teixeira talked to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times about his decision to sign with the Yankees.
- Brian Stensaas of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes about Kerry Ligtenberg, who is attempting a comeback with the St. Paul Saints.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci spoke with one GM who points to struggling older teams and says "it's better to be young these days."
- Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers are being patient with pitchers Ryan Perry and Rick Porcello.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock doesn't expect GM Kevin Towers to sit back and watch if the Padres continues to struggle.
- Here's Baseball America's list of the hottest prospects in the minors right now.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law scouts a pair of college players who could turn up on BA's list next year: Tim Wheeler and Drew Storen.
- Twins reliever Juan Morillo cleared waivers, so he'll head to Triple A according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Jeff Moorad Chat At MLB.com
New Padres CEO Jeff Moorad did an online chat with fans for MLB.com today. A few highlights:
- When asked about the idea of signing Adrian Gonzalez to an extension in 2010, Moorad replied, "Why wait until 2010?"
- Moorad reiterated that he is willing to keep Jake Peavy, but tossed in the caveat that "no one player is untouchable."
- In reference to the July 31st trade deadline, Moorad would be "open to adding an appropriate player or two" if the team is within striking range.
At this writing, the Padres are 11-10, three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They rank 10th in the NL at 4.33 runs scored per game and 13th with a 4.77 ERA. Bright spots: Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Nick Hundley, Scott Hairston, and Heath Bell.
The biggest needs appear to be a shortstop and starting pitching. Just for fun: what do you think about a midseason run at Miguel Tejada? What pitcher would you like to see Kevin Towers target?
Padres Designate Eulogio De La Cruz
According to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, the Padres designated pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz for assignment today to make room on the roster for Chad Gaudin. The Padres had acquired De La Cruz from the Marlins a month ago for a player to be named later or cash. Paul DePodesta had a glowing review at that time.
Padres Will Solve Pitching Problem From Within
Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres will promote right-hander Chad Gaudin before Monday's game for a start on Tuesday against the Rockies.
According to Brock, Padres GM Kevin Towers said Sunday that he will not seek to acquire pitching help in a trade.
The Padres have been hit hard by injuries to their rotation, placing three starters on the disabled list in the last month. Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva have strained forearms, and Shawn Hill was moved to the DL after leaving a game with inflammation in his elbow.
Padres Acquire Chris Burke
8:31pm: Dan Hayes of the North County Times says the Padres have arranged to reacquire Chris Burke. The Padres signed Burke to a minor league deal this offseason but traded him to Seattle on March 25th. MLB.com's Corey Brock has the story as well.
1:37pm: According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera may be out for two months due to a hand injury suffered Sunday. The Padres snagged Cabrera from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft back in December.
Krasovic talked to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who "said he probably will look outside of the organization for a shortstop." The current starter for San Diego is Luis Rodriguez.
So who's available? Reader Chris F. suggested Oakland's Bobby Crosby. I imagine that would require the A's eating most of his $5.25MM salary. I'd expect something lower profile, like Angel Berroa or Luis Rivas.
Odds & Ends: Bonifacio, Jimenez, Darvish
Links for Friday…
- Royals third baseman Alex Gordon is out 10-12 weeks due to hip surgery. Mark Teahen will slide over to take his place.
- Ken Rosenthal examines the Indians.
- I did a Q&A with But The Game Is On.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post gets into the Emilio Bonifacio trade.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. writes about how the Yankees' signing of D'Angelo Jimenez changed everything.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Yu Darvish velocity chart.
- The Big Lead talked to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Paul DePodesta explains the Padres' decision to expose Travis Denker to waivers.
Heyman On Eckstein, Peavy, Pedro
SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column up…
- The Mets apparently had interest last winter in signing David Eckstein as a backup for $1-2MM, but he preferred to take $850K to start at second base for the Padres.
- Heyman looks at the Jake Peavy situation. He learned that new CEO Jeff Moorad "didn't believe the economic downturn and slumping late-winter market would inhibit suitors for Peavy, who has $63 million and four years left on his contract." That said, we know Moorad is willing to keep Peavy this year. And Peavy may be happiest in San Diego, according to Heyman.
- Pedro Martinez has fielded calls from several teams since the season began. Heyman speculates on the Dodgers, Indians, Phillies, Brewers, Pirates, D'Backs, and Mets as possibilities. And what about the Cardinals, who just lost Chris Carpenter for a while?
Padres Have Payroll Flexibility
How about those first-place Padres? At 6-2, San Diego sits atop the NL West. Of course, 95% of the season remains. What if the Padres can somehow remain in contention this summer? Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune talked to new CEO Jeff Moorad about it:
Whether the Padres can contend for a playoff berth remains to be seen. If they do, the club has the financial flexibility, Moorad said, to increase its payroll should General Manager Kevin Towers find a suitable player. The CEO added that the club also is comfortable with paying the $11 million salary due this year to ace Jake Peavy, who, according to people close to him, expects the Padres to try to trade him if the team falls out of contention. Peavy's salary is to rise to $15 million in 2010, the first year of the three-year, $52 million extension brokered in December 2007.
It's a shame that the Padres didn't bring in any big names during the offseason, as 2009 represents a nice window of opportunity. Keeping the positive vibe going, you may recall that the CHONE projection system predicted 80 wins for the Padres this year. The team is already two wins ahead of that pace.
Red Sox Claim Travis Denker
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Red Sox claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Padres today. Denker had been designated for assignment to clear a spot for Luis Perdomo.
Denker, 23, hit .282/.373/.468 at Triple A last year as a member of the Giants organization. Baseball America envisioned him as an offense-first second baseman in their '08 Handbook, writing, "his value lies in his bat and his tenacity."