Rosenthal’s Latest: Reed, Aardsma, Cueto
Rumor king Ken Rosenthal has the latest at FOXSports.com.
- Looks like the Padres will give near-regular playing time to Jody Gerut, at least until Jim Edmonds returns. If Gerut performs, Kevin Towers may be able to stop his outfielder search. Still, Rosenthal notes the Padres’ interest in Seattle’s Jeremy Reed. Reed has two options left, by the way.
- Rosenthal names three Boston players who are out of options and probably available for little: David Aardsma, Bryan Corey, and Kyle Snyder. The O’s are known to be eyeing Corey. You can check out our running out of options list here.
- The A’s wanted spring sensation/top pitching prospect Johnny Cueto from the Reds for Joe Blanton – no deal.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse
Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts‘ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…
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- Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
- Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
- El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
- Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
- Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
- Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
- Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
- Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Perrotto’s Latest: Giles, Crisp, Wells
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has some hot stove tidbits to consider in his Sunday column.
- Perrotto notes that Jeff Baker‘s success this spring for the Rockies could lead to a trade of Marcus Giles. Baker is hitting .316/.350/.579 in a 19 AB sample. Giles is at .385/.500/.615 in 13 ABs (yes, it seems silly to be talking about these stats). Giles hasn’t hit much since ’05, so I doubt he’d bring anything in return.
- Perrotto says the Padres are "considering trying to trade for Coco Crisp." However, Tom Krasovic wrote on Friday that the Padres pursuing Crisp was doubtful for many reasons. Who knows; at the least, Theo Epstein and Kevin Towers get along.
- David Wells is still kicking around wanting to play, and could have to wait and serve as a midseason reinforcement.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Crede, Willits, Rivera, Belliard
Ken Rosenthal checks in with all kinds of hot stove info.
- Continuing on yesterday’s post regarding Joe Crede and the Dodgers , Rosenthal reports that a source close to Dodgers management explained that the team trading for a third baseman like Crede or Brandon Inge is "all about the budget and whether [owner Frank] McCourt will allow them to add money." Rosenthal continues to point out that Crede is a better deal than Inge in terms of their contracts, and that Crede could also be more attractive to Dodgers management because the White Sox might be willing to trade for prospects, while the Tigers are looking for immediate bullpen help.
- The Mariners had been in the market for a veteran right-handed hitting outfielder, but have opted instead for in-house options. It seems Coco Crisp could have filled a need. Sure, he’s a switch-hitter, but his splits suggest it could have made some sense. If they didn’t have to part with too much, it might have worked.
- The Angels have a surplus in the outfield — Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits — and Rosenthal reports that Willits is now untouchable according to the Angels (two teams have inquired after him recently). The two are blocked by Vladimir Guerrero, Garrett Anderson, Torii Hunter, and Gary Matthews Jr. While it sounds as if they’d prefer to move Rivera (a free agent at season’s end), it’s hard to imagine that they’d send Willits to the minors (he has options remaining) if they don’t find a good match for Rivera (Umpbump Coley suggested the Padres or Mets yesterday). As Coley pointed out, the Angels have numerous banged up pitchers, and there are a number of teams out there who are going to be starting center fielders with inferior skill sets compared to Willits (as Tim pointed out a few days ago).
- The Nationals are dealing with a surplus at second base, and Rosenthal believes that Ron Belliard is the most logical piece to move, what with his $1.6MM salary this season, and his $1.9MM for next. Rosenthal pinpoints the Rockies (perhaps too little range on the right side with Jeff Baker and Todd Helton), Cardinals, Twins, and White Sox as potential trade partners.
Crumbling Edmonds Makes Pads Think Trade
The Jim Edmonds Implosion Watch is on in San Diego. The centerfielder is on the shelf until the end of the month with a strained calf muscle, suffered in Thursday’s spring game.
Just a little more impetus for the Pads to get a deal done for an outfielder. Kevin Towers, though, says not so fast. He’ll wait a week or so to see how Edmonds is progressing before pulling the trigger on any trades. Edmonds, who’s in the last year of a two-year deal he signed with the Cardinals, will make $8MM this season. He’s missed 97 games over the last two years with a variety of aches and pains.
The strain may be worse than the one Edmonds suffered in 2003, causing him to miss significant playing time. Towers and Theo Epstein chatted yesterday over email, though Coco Crisp is seen as a long shot. Towers says Boston can’t have either Chase Headley or Matt Antonelli.
San Diego: Pitchers’ Haven
Tom Krasovic pens an interesting article today on the pitchers’ haven that is San Diego. Free agent pitchers love signing with the Padres. Why?
- Petco is tough on offense. According to the Bill James Handbook, the park has reduced runs by 19% over the last couple of seasons.
- The weather is fantastic – no 35 degree Chicago Opening Days.
- Manager Bud Black was a pitcher, as was GM Kevin Towers.
- Krasovic cites Mark Prior and Randy Wolf as two pitchers who spurned bigger offers to pitch in San Diego.
Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona
As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely.
Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I’m not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds was brought to town via trade.
General Manager Kevin Towers claims Cameron’s side was looking for 2-years/$10MM, so the Padres never even made an offer. “Why make an offer if they said they’re not going to take less than $10 million?" Towers said.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com.
Odds and Ends: Ponson, Inge, Papelbon
Let’s round up some Monday morning links.
- The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson. Insert your own punchline in the comments.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O’s making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs.
- Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town. The Dodgers’ recently reported nibble hasn’t been publicly shot down, so that’s a plus.
- South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the White Sox could desire for Joe Crede.
- Jonathan Papelbon wants $900K in his last year before arbitration eligibility. Ryan Howard set a scary precedent last year. If Papelbon doesn’t get offered something close, he’d rather make a statement and be renewed near the minimum.
- Buster Olney suggests Dan Johnson and Doug Mientkiewicz could be possibilities for the Mets in their quest for a backup first baseman. Olney speculated on Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, and Kevin Millar the day before.
Managers On The Hot Seat
It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.
Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)
- Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
- Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
- John Gibbons, TOR (1)
- Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
- Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
- Tony LaRussa (2)
- Bruce Bochy (2)
- John McLaren, SEA (1)
- Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
- Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
- Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
- Joe Maddon, TB (2)
- Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
- Jim Leyland, DET (2)
- Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)
Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.
By Cork Gaines
Hairston Key To Pads’ OF Dealings
The Padres still may need more outfield help. Centerfielder Jim Edmonds and rightfielder Brian Giles both are well into the brittle phases of their careers.
Sean Devaney of the Sporting News has Kevin Towers casting his left field lot with Scott Hairston – for the time being. Look for more chatter about Jason Bay, Matt Murton and any other available outfielder if Hairston fails to lock the job down within three weeks. It’s unclear whether Gabe Gross (who is out of options) is currently of interest. Kenny Lofton could be a free agent possibility.
Would Towers be willing to part with relievers Wilfredo Ledezma (LH) or Clay Hensley (RH) alone or part of a package to fill an outfield hole?
Hairston put in a nice month’s-worth of games with the Pads last year, slugging .644. That spurt was uncharacteristic of the 27-year-old’s major league career, though.