Odds and Ends: Zimmerman, Tulo, Hawpe, Wang
Some bits and pieces from today…
- Damian Miller is leaning toward retirement, leaving Johnny Estrada as the one halfway viable catching option out there.
- Talks continue with Ryan Zimmerman on a long-term deal. The Nationals and Zimmerman reportedly discussed this a year ago.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers is upfront about his inquiries on Matt Murton and Xavier Nady. The Cubs aren’t done, by the way.
- Troy Tulowitzki is able to void his contract if he’d traded.
- The Rockies have had preliminary talks with Brad Hawpe about a multiyear deal. Tracy Ringoslby says they might aim for a four-year deal, buying out one year of free agency. The 28 year-old hit .291/.387/.539 in ’07. He was a lot better at Coors and against righties.
- Anthony McCarron says a long-term deal with Chien-Ming Wang looks unlikely, and the Yankees may have to go to a hearing with him regarding his ’08 salary.
Odds and Ends: Foulke, Ordonez, Feliz, Phillips
All sorts of odds and ends to discuss this morning.
- I will be appearing on Rutgers Student Radio this morning at 8:40am CST. You can go here and click the "listen" link to hear it live.
- Keith Foulke threw for the majority of teams in baseball last week, topping out around 84. The D’Backs may make an offer. I don’t believe they have signed a free agent yet.
- The New York Times says Jose Canseco has apparently dragged Magglio Ordonez into the steroid mess, with the FBI getting involved on possible extortion. I have to admit, I am going to read Canseco’s new book. The first one was interesting but poorly written.
- The Giants’ two-year offer to Pedro Feliz was rejected, and they seem inclined to fill third base internally. Joe Crede is not out of the question though.
- Seems that the Reds might be talking about a long-term deal with Brandon Phillips.
- Rewriting history: the Padres almost acquired Mark McGwire in 1995. Speaking of Kevin Towers, here’s a quick look at his trading record. It’s good.
- Team payroll data for ’07 is out; it’s not terribly surprising.
Kevin Towers To Receive Extension
FROM 1-22-08 at 10:20pm: The new deal for Towers will run through 2010.
FROM 1-22-08 at 2:17pm:
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Padres GM Kevin Towers is signed through 2007 with a 2008 club option. MLB.com’s Corey Brock wrote today that Towers is set to receive an extension this week.
I haven’t done any rankings but I think Towers might be the game’s best GM. Maybe I’ll do an MLBTR poll on that.
Odds and Ends: Howard, Cormier, Gerut
I am currently evaluating Phil Hughes‘ playlist. Some of it is solid. Let’s get on to the odds and ends…
- Bill Conlin thinks it’s a mistake for the Phillies to pay Ryan Howard at a rate commensurate with his service time. It’s a slippery slope – shouldn’t Cole Hamels be earning $15MM instead of $500K, then? The system may be broken but it doesn’t make sense for the Phillies to start ignoring service time.
- John Mozeliak is not done yet. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols continued to direct his ire at KTVI-TV of St. Louis.
- The Orioles agreed to a minor league deal with 27 year-old righty Lance Cormier worth around $450K. Cormier doesn’t have much to show for his 244 big league innings, whether starting or relieving. He has a decent groundball rate, at least.
- The Padres signed Jody Gerut to a minor league pact that could be worth as much as $910K. He’s 30 now; his best season was an .830 OPS for Cleveland at age 25. Since then he’s had all sorts of knee problems and even had a grievance with the Pirates.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Boras, Murton, Marquis, Clark
Ken Rosenthal is here to hopefully rescue what’s been a slow day for rumors.
- Rosenthal points out that it seems Scott Boras has been more flexible with his clients’ contracts this year, perhaps even as the result of his "failures" with Alex Rodriguez and Kenny Rogers. A new, gentler Boras? Wait til Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, and Prince Fielder reach free agency.
- The Padres are targeting Matt Murton for left field, a notion that gels with Kevin Towers’ stated quest to acquire a corner outfielder via trade. Plus, Towers gets along well with Cubs GM Jim Hendry. Not sure how the teams would match up, unless things expand to include Khalil Greene. The Cubs would have to be sure they don’t need Murton for other deals or because of other deals.
- Rosenthal agrees with the recent rumor that the Orioles will decide whether to trade Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts by month’s end. He notes that Cubs starter Jason Marquis actually does have trade value, and could be part of a package for Roberts. Other teams are interested in him too – go figure. Innings are innings I guess. Marquis, 29, is owed $16.25MM over the 2008-09 seasons.
- An MLBTR commenter questioned the other day why Troy Tulowitzki‘s deal was said to top Grady Sizemore‘s as the record holder for a player with less than two years service time. The commenter wondered why Brian McCann wasn’t part of the discussion – he signed for more than Sizemore ($26.8MM) in March of ’07 with about a season and a half under his belt. Anyone know why McCann’s name doesn’t come up in this discussion?
- One of Rosenthal’s sources believes progress has been made on a long-term pact with Holliday, and the recent two-year deal is a positive sign.
- Teams inquiring on Tony Clark: Mariners, Giants, and Red Sox. Clark has been mentioned as a Giants target before.
Khalil Greene’s Future
Padres beat writer Corey Brock sums up the Khalil Greene situation on his blog. Greene is due for free agency after the 2009 season, and it does not look like he wants to stay in San Diego longer than that. Despite his Spicoli-like appearance he might prefer to play on the East Coast and/or in a more hitter friendly park. He’s 28, plays strong defense, and has a lot of power. He has been a bit OBP-challenged, whether due to low batting averages, lack of walks, or both. He’s set to earn $4-5MM in ’08.
Plenty of teams could use a shortstop like Greene: the Orioles, Royals, Angels, Nationals, Cubs, and Cardinals come to mind. However the Padres have no replacement for him. Erick Aybar, Felipe Lopez, and Ronny Cedeno are three possibilities where Towers could get a young shortstop in return (Lopez, less so). Are any of those three a sufficient bounty for two years of Greene? Pitching might have to be added to make it viable for San Diego. Towers will be a lot less limited if he can acquire a good young shortstop in a separate deal.
Odds and Ends: Hinske, Doumit, Colon, Greene
It’s up to an impressive 5.7 degrees where I am, but I still don’t think I’ll be going outside much today. Hence, some odds and ends.
- Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald believes Eric Hinske might sign with the Diamondbacks this week. The 30 year-old former ROY has a career line of .255/.336/.434, with much better work against righties.
- John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Red Sox are interested in the Pirates’ Ryan Doumit. However Perrotto says the Bucs are reluctant to trade the versatile Doumit, who turns 27 in April. Only past Doumit rumor I can find was from Will Carroll in May of ’06, saying he and Oliver Perez were being dangled to the Phillies.
- Perrotto believes the Royals could sign Bartolo Colon if he’ll take a one-year deal; that may be true for several clubs. Paul Hoynes reports that the Indians watched Colon pitch, but weren’t impressed with his sub-90 velocity. Hoynes says Kris Benson will have another throwing session and the Tribe will be in attendance.
- According to Marc Topkin, the Rays are talking with lefty reliever Trever Miller. The two sides haven’t agreed on the term yet.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers commented about the team’s rejected long-term overtures toward shortstop Khalil Greene. Towers brought a three or four year proposal to Greene but does not expect anything to get done. He stated Greene’s possible desire to be on the East Coast as a factor.
- Vince Gennaro does an economic analysis of the Johan Santana rumors, indicating that the acquisition makes the most sense for the Mets.
Reggie Sanders Ponders Future
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, free agent outfielder Reggie Sanders is looking at several options for 2008. He could continue his playing career; he’s discussed backup roles with the Padres and Dodgers. The Dodgers don’t seem to need more outfielders, while the Padres are looking to trade for a corner outfielder.
Other options for Sanders include retirement and/or a foray into a TV analyst career.
Olney’s Latest: Barrett, Cameron, Santana
Let’s take a run through Buster Olney’s blog today.
- Olney chatted with Kevin Towers recently. One learning: the Padres plan on keeping Michael Barrett. Never hurts to have a little catching depth.
- The Padres might’ve given Mike Cameron a two-year deal worth at least $17MM, more than he received from the Brewers. Did Cameron want out of San Diego, or did his agent make a miscalculation of the market?
- Olney talked to a talent evaluator who wondered whether the Twins might be concerned about Johan Santana‘s health. Reduced late-season velocity and less use of his slider could be signs.
Padres Looking For Corner OF Via Trade
Padres GM Kevin Towers chatted at MLB.com today. The money quote:
The one position that we still may be looking at would be a corner outfielder. This would most likely come via a trade, rather than a free agent signing.
And then Towers concluded the chat with this:
That is all the time that I have for this chat today. I now need to go find a corner outfielder for you all.
From these clues I have surmised that the Padres may be looking to add a corner outfielder via trade. The Padres missed out on free agent targets Geoff Jenkins and Kosuke Fukudome.
Possibly available left fielders: Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Marcus Thames, Jay Payton, Matt Murton, and Adam Lind. Right fielders who might be available include Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, and Austin Kearns. Nady and Bay have been of interest to San Diego previously this winter. Your thoughts on the most likely targets?