Padres Rumors

Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Nomar, Lowe, Penny, Kent

By Tim Dierkes | October 17, 2008 at 9:09am CDT

Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times discusses the Dodgers’ upcoming busy offseason, while Bill Shaikin focuses on Manny Ramirez.

Nomar Garciaparra is undecided about playing next year. He hit .264/.326/.466 in 181 plate appearances in 2008 while earning $8.5MM.
Manager Joe Torre seems to consider pitching the top offseason priority. Makes sense, with the statuses of Derek Lowe and Brad Penny in question. Hernandez’s sources say Lowe felt underappreciated during his time in L.A., and he is expected to leave. It’s unknown whether the Dodgers will choose Penny’s $9.25MM option or the $2MM buyout.
Hernandez doesn’t see GM Ned Colletti breaking up his core group of young players to acquire Jake Peavy.
The departure of Jeff Kent is near-certain Blake DeWitt can step in at second or third base.
The Manny situation is difficult, because the Dodgers will take a lot of heat if they won’t meet his asking price (perhaps $100MM+). Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire suggests a more reasonable offer of three years, $60MM.

Latest On Peavy

By Tim Dierkes | October 16, 2008 at 9:56pm CDT

9:53pm: More from Olney. The Padres are aggressively shopping Peavy, with the Braves and Dodgers two possible suitors. Olney’s sources believe Peavy will be dealt "in the weeks ahead." The Padres want two young pitchers and a near MLB-ready center fielder in return. The Braves and Dodgers could both meet that demand.

7:07pm: O’Brien has a new article up; he says the Braves and Padres have discussed Peavy. Not much is known beyond that. Paul DePodesta offers his thoughts on the situation, basically explaining that any player should be available for a compelling return. Thus far, the Padres haven’t received a compelling offer for Peavy.

10:04am: It’s early in the process, but Jake Peavy’s availability has baseball fans all worked up. As a reminder, Peavy prefers the NL. He specifically likes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. He considers L.A. a particularly good fit and therefore is open to the Angels. Peavy controls his fate, as he has a full no-trade clause. On to today’s links:

Dylan Hernandez reminds us that the Dodgers are on Peavy’s short list, and they could lose ace Derek Lowe.
Dave Cameron looks at the numbers and questions whether Peavy will continue to pitch like an ace. Are the Padres selling high?
You may recall Buster Olney’s rumor yesterday that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if that team is instead the Braves, offering Yunel Escobar.

Latest Peavy Chatter

By Tim Dierkes | October 15, 2008 at 10:39am CDT

10:39am: More from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy has a strong preference for the NL, and wants to play for a winner. Axelrod mentioned Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis as cities that fit for Peavy and his family. Because of Peavy’s willingness to pitch in L.A., the Angels were named as a possibility by Axelrod.

8:27am: Let’s catch up on recent Jake Peavy articles. Dan Hayes of the North County Times wrote about Peavy Monday, quoting Padres GM Kevin Towers saying nothing is imminent. Hayes talked to several sources who say Peavy prefers to stay in the National League. The Padres have already approached him with hypothetical trade scenarios (Peavy has to approve any trade).

Regarding that no-trade clause – Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod is on record saying three AL teams could entice his client. But at the end of the season, Peavy said he wouldn’t accept a deal to the AL. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to someone claiming to be an old friend of Peavy’s. The friend agrees that Peavy wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for an AL team, despite his agent’s statement.

The friend gave O’Brien all kinds of info, making the Braves sound like Peavy’s top choice. O’Brien adds that the Braves let Towers know they’re interested. Even if Peavy is picky about his destination, though, there is no reason for Towers to accept a package that does not begin with Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. He has plenty of time to explore possible Peavy trades.

The Cardinals may also be in the mix, according to Buster Olney. Olney says that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal.

Peavy Trade Talks Begin

By Tim Dierkes | October 13, 2008 at 1:42pm CDT

A nugget from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Kevin Towers said he has heard from clubs interested in trading for ace pitcher Jake Peavy. "We’re having talks," he said. The GM said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Peavy talks heat up next month.

MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote today that Peavy said he will only waive his no-trade clause for a National League team. However, Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod said Friday that three teams in the American League could entice his client. The Yankees could be one; we discussed the possibility here. A possible Peavy trade will be one of the biggest stories at the Winter Meetings in December.

Odds and Ends: Hoyer, Denker, Manny

By Tim Dierkes | October 13, 2008 at 11:55am CDT

Links for Monday…

Baseball America ranks the teams by their total draft expenditures. The Royals spent over $11MM, leading the pack.
SI’s Tom Verducci talked to one "club pitching expert" who considers free agent Chan Ho Park a sleeper starter for next year.
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan figures a long-term extension for Josh Hamilton will be a top priority for the Rangers this winter. Sullivan also has a note about Jake Peavy only wanting to go to an NL team, despite the recent article about Peavy being open to three AL clubs.
Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer turned down a chance to interview for the Mariners job, according to Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald.
McCovey Chronicles is baffled by the Giants’ decision to let second baseman Travis Denker go.
Chad Durbin suggests Manny Ramirez charged in aggressively from left field yesterday for show.
We took a look at Ryan Dempster from a fantasy baseball perspective a few days ago.

Catcher Michael Barrett Now Free Agent

By Paul Moro | October 11, 2008 at 4:12pm CDT

The San Diego Padres have announced that Michael Barrett has opted for free agency after clearing waivers. As an eleven-year MLB veteran, Barrett has the right to decline being optioned to the minors and has instead decided to hit the open market.

During a 2008 season that saw him hit the DL twice, limiting him to only 107 plate appearances, the 31-year old had a poor .202/.274/.298 line. These numbers are a far cry from what he had done as a Cub between 2004-2006, during which he had an OPS of at least .824. While getting out of San Diego should do him some good, it’s becoming quite clear that Barrett no longer hits well enough to compensate for his defensive deficiencies.

Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: Paul *at* umpbump *dot* com.

Would Peavy Play For Yankees?

By Tim Dierkes | October 10, 2008 at 2:18pm CDT

Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record recently chatted with Jake Peavy’s agent, Barry Axelrod. Peavy prefers to stay in San Diego, but not if they decide to rebuild. In that case, he’d apparently considering waiving his no-trade clause for three unknown American League teams (his National League number is not known). Axelrod spoke in generalities about the appeal of pinstripes, which could be seen as an indication Peavy might be willing to play for the Yankees.

Peavy would need some kind of extra compensation to approve any trade. Caldera speculates that guaranteeing the pitcher’s 2013 option might satisfy him. That’d put him under contract for $81MM over five years – still a market discount. A.J. Burnett might be seeking that kind of contract.

Acquiring Peavy could be the next best thing to signing C.C. Sabathia. Tough to say how Peavy would fare at the new Yankee Stadium – his home/road splits were pronounced in ’08, ’06, and ’03. It’s hard to see the Padres trading Peavy to the Yankees without Phil Hughes being involved. Kevin Towers has been Brian Cashman’s most frequent trading partner – they’ve matched up on nine deals (but none since ’05).

Odds and Ends: Beltran, Brewers, Padres

By Tim Dierkes | October 10, 2008 at 1:56pm CDT

Links for Friday…

The Padres claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Surprising to see the Giants let him go.
Ted Berg at MetsBlog explains how a Carlos Beltran rumbling spun out of control.
I recently did a Brewers Q&A with Bernie’s Crew.
The Padres called yesterday’s report about John Moores selling his share of the team "highly speculative." Tim Sullivan considers the statement revealing, and notes that this is a bad time to sell.
Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times chatted with Scott Boras.
Mark Cuban mentions that the struggling economy is slowing down the sale of the Cubs.
Terry Pluto believes the Indians should pursue Brian Roberts.
David Brown at Yahoo profiles Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman.
Freddy Garcia is headed to winter ball. The Tigers will have the first crack at signing him. Andruw Jones will also play winter ball; he seems to want a trade if he’s not a starter next year.
Elbow surgery for Tom Gordon, which probably means the Phillies will buy out his ’09 option for $1MM.

Odds and Ends: Moore, Manny, Hudson

By Tim Dierkes | October 9, 2008 at 11:06am CDT

Reading material for Thursday…

NBC San Diego reports that John Moores plans to sell his 49% of the Padres as part of his divorce settlement.
Derrick Goold looks at the many teams that might consider Rafael Furcal, including the Cardinals. Imagine the kind of contract he’d be looking at if he’d been healthy all year.
I did a Q&A with Sox and Pinstripes recently.
According to Mariners president Chuck Armstrong, the new GM will have less power and a smaller payroll than Bill Bavasi. The list of candidates is down to ten.
MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel talked to Royals GM Dayton Moore, who wants to add an offensive player (a hitter, not a guy who offends). Moore won’t be moving Joakim Soria to the rotation, though some in the organization support it. Also, MLB Interviews chatted Royals with Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post sees a parallel between Mike Mussina and Jimmy Key. Some Yankees officials expect Mussina to file for free agency to keep his options open.
In another article, Sherman warns suitors that Manny Ramirez is a "con man."
ESPN’s Buster Olney runs through possible destinations for Orlando Hudson, including the Mets, White Sox, Indians, and Angels.
Anthony Marenna of DC Metroblog provides an offseason plan for the Nationals, while Jacob Jackson takes on the A’s at Athletics Nation.

Braves May Consider Peavy

By Tim Dierkes | October 7, 2008 at 9:31am CDT

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about the possibility of the Braves pursuing Padres ace Jake Peavy this winter in a blog post yesterday. He notes that Peavy, an Alabama native, might be particularly amenable to waiving his no-trade clause to play for Atlanta.

Personally I do not see Peavy’s no-trade clause as an obstacle for most clubs. In the majority of cases, the player accepts compensation and waives the no-trade power.

Peavy is a 27 year-old relatively healthy ace who is under contract for four years at a below-market price. I would look to the recent trades of Erik Bedard (two years), Dan Haren (three years), and C.C. Sabathia (three months) as precedents. All of these trades were built around a top-25 prospect (Adam Jones, Carlos Gonzalez, and Matt LaPorta). Given that information, I would be quite surprised to see the Braves acquire Peavy without surrending Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. If you’re Kevin Towers, why wouldn’t you insist on that caliber of player? Towers can easily wait until July or the ’09 winter meetings.

I will grant that Johan Santana (one year) and Rich Harden (one year and two months) were acquired for less than most people expected. But with Santana, the requirement of a $137.5MM extension limited the field. And, it may be true that Jon Lester and Phil Hughes were offered at various points. With Harden, you had the ever-present injury risk and a quality player in Chad Gaudin joining the Cubs.

In addition to the Braves, the Red Sox, Rockies, Rays, and Rangers would have the prospects to make a Peavy trade. The Yankees will probably be in the mix, though it’s hard to see a deal without Hughes. The White Sox, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Phillies, Brewers, Astros, and Dodgers are other teams that will be searching for pitching this winter. Many top prospects and young players are deemed "untouchable," but an ace like Peavy may cause teams to reconsider.

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