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Schilling Names Targets

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UPDATE, 10-31-07: Gordon Edes and Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe spoke to a Red Sox source who does not expect Schilling to return to the team.  The Red Sox will offer an incentive-based contract.  The source added that Tim Wakefield’s option is likely to be exercised.

FROM 10/30/07:

Interesting.  After Boston, Curt Schilling has 12 teams he’d consider pitching for in 2008.  Here they are:

Indians
Tigers
Angels
Mets
Phillies
Braves
Dodgers
Padres
Diamondbacks
Cubs
Cardinals
Brewers

Schilling had talked about the idea of going somewhere he could tutor young pitchers, like Tampa Bay.  But it sounds like that idea is out and he wants to play for a contender.  Not that the Rays can’t contend in ’08.  I’m curious as to why the White Sox and Rockies were excluded, but who knows.

That’s a nice extensive list, so it should be fun if Boston passes.  At a reasonable one-year commitment, any of the dozen should have interest no matter what their rotation looks like.

Needs and Luxuries: San Diego Padres

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As promised, here is the Padres’ entry in the Needs and Luxuries series.

C – Josh Bard
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
2B – Matt Antonelli
SS – Khalil Greene
3B – Kevin Kouzmanoff
LF – Scott Hairston
CF – Jason Lane
RF – Brian Giles

SP – Jake Peavy
SP – Chris Young
SP – Greg Maddux
SP – Justin Germano
SP –

Setup: Heath Bell
Closer: Trevor Hoffman

Needs

The 2007 Padres were 15th of 16 NL teams with a .322 OBP.  They were 12th with a .411 SLG.  Those numbers may be misleading – looking only at road games, the Padres were 6th in OBP and 3rd in SLG.  Still, you’d like to have a few regulars top a .760 OPS at home next year (no one pulled it off in ’07).

Center field, left field, and second base are question marks heading into ’08.  There are viable in-house options.  Antonelli was named "the best second base prospect in the game" by Kevin Goldstein after a breakout year.  He played college ball; he’ll be 23 in April.  He’s only got 49 games of Double A experience under his belt, so the Padres could bring in some veteran competition this spring.

Hairston and Lane are both interesting outfield candidates, perhaps for a left field platoon.  If Hairston can stay healthy he may finally establish himself as a regular.  Kouzmanoff could enter the LF mix as well with third base prospect Chase Headley coming on strong.  Intriguing one-year option: Barry Bonds.

As for center field, that’ll be filled from the outside.  Kosuke Fukudome could play there for a year and shift to right field after that.  Kevin Towers may make a huge one-year offer to Andruw Jones; Boras has scoffed at the one-year idea but you never know.  Trading for Coco Crisp doesn’t make sense; the Friars need to add offense.  Aaron Rowand could be a consideration.   

It’ll be interesting to see how Kevin Towers fills his fifth starter spot.  He could sign Josh Towers if he’s non-tendered.  He could go for rehab projects like Matt Clement, Mark Prior, or a million others. 

Luxuries

Towers continues to create solid relievers out of nowhere.  Many have seen success vanish after San Diego, but there will still be a market for guys like Heath Bell (1.46 ERA in 49 road innings).  The Padres could use Bell to pursue Adam Dunn or Jason Bay.  It would take more, but that could be a starting point.

Kouzmanoff or Hairston could also be expendable.  Chase Headley hit .330/.437/.580 in 433 Double A at-bats and plays solid defense (Kouz does not, by most accounts).  Kouzmanoff has more value than Hairston right now, and this is a great time to have an extra third baseman.  The Twins and Phillies could have interest.  After an awful April, Kouzmanoff hit .303/.355/.504 in 110 games.

The Padres entered ’07 with a $58MM payroll, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see $10-12MM added to that.  Expect one major acquisition this winter, with Fukudome the favorite.

Giles Released, Snelling Claimed

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Some odds and ends to catch us up in the minor-moves department:

  • ESPN reports Marcus Giles was released by the Padres after an abysmal .229/.304/.317 in 420 at-bats.  They declined his $4MM club option and bought out his contract for $500,000.  He joins the 2B free agent market on the lower end of the talent spectrum.
  • The Mercury News notes Oakland OF Chris Snelling was claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay.

Posted by Nat Boyle

Red Sox Rumors

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The Boston Globe’s Gordon Edes has some mild hot stove chatter today.

  • Tim Wakefield’s $4MM option is likely to be exercised. There was some speculation a week ago that it could be declined, but no one really believed it.  It’s still a bargain.
  • Julian Tavarez’s $3.85MM option is a borderline call, and Edes seems to think it will be declined.
  • Nothing new with Mike Lowell – he wants to return, but the door’s open for the Phillies or Yankees if the Red Sox won’t pony up enough years.
  • Most folks expect Curt Schilling to leave.  But if he’s still up for one year and $13MM the Sox should do it.
  • Mike Timlin will pitch again but it might be elsewhere.  Timlin hasn’t been with another club since ’02, when he pitched for the Cardinals and Phillies.
  • Matt Clement will depart.  If his tryouts and MRIs come up clean and he can hit 90 mph there will definitely be teams offering him incentivized contracts.  Here’s one I missed from a few weeks ago: the Padres may make a play for him.  Tom Krasovic also throws Mark Prior into the mix for the Friars in that article.  Back in December of ’04, Clement talked with the Angels, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Indians, and Blue Jays before signing with Boston.

Padres To Push For Fukudome?

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One National League exec has indicated to a source of mine that the Padres plan to go hard for Kosuke Fukudome.  Apparently, Kevin Towers nearly signed him out of high school as a shortstop.

We’ve heard Fukudome mentioned mainly as a right fielder, but the Friars have Brian Giles signed through 2008.  Perhaps they’d try him in center field for one year, where he’d probably be adequate at best.  Fukudome is currently recovering from endoscopic elbow surgery, but he should be ready for spring.

Previously we’ve seen the White Sox, Giants, Red Sox, Cubs, and Yankees linked to Fukudome at varying levels of speculation.

Padres Acquire Jason Lane

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Ed Wade’s first move as Astros GM was something of a favor to his former boss, Kevin Towers.  He dealt 30 year-old outfielder Jason Lane to the Padres for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  MLB.com’s Alyson Footer expects the Astros to take the cash.

Lane was featured in our non-tender candidate list written back in August.  He has a bit more than three years of service time and makes $1.05MM this year.  I believe he’ll reach arbitration for the first time this winter.

The Padres apparently want Lane for more than just this week (he won’t be eligible for the postseason should they make it).  Towers says Lane will be in the mix with Scott Hairston and Brian Giles for next year’s outfield.  They might use Lane in center field.

So far Lane has a .241/.315/.458 line in about 1200 big league at-bats.  The average NL center fielder is hitting .273/.336/.427 this year.  If Lane can play to his career averages and not embarrass himself defensively the Padres might have something here.  He has some interesting comparables in his list, including Jermaine Dye and Eric Byrnes on the optimistic end.  This is a typical Towers stathead-type move.  There’s really no downside to it.

More On Bonds

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All the sportswriters have had a chance to weigh in on possible destinations for Barry Bonds in 2008. Here’s a summary.

Padres Like Josh Towers

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Throw 30 year-old starter Josh Towers into a big ol’ ballpark in the National League, and he could be a very useful back-rotation guy.  The Jays already saw this happen with Dave Bush.  With a 3.6 K/BB and a home run problem, Towers is definitely San Diego’s type.

Turns out that Padres GM Kevin Towers pursued Josh Towers this summer but wouldn’t part with Nick Hundley, Will Venable, or David Freese.  The Jays can either go to arbitration with Towers this winter or nontender him.  Even if arbitration would result in a salary around $4MM, it might make sense to sign and then trade him.

You can view my complete list of non-tender candidates here.

Another tidbit: the same San Diego Union-Tribune column linked above mentions that the Padres asked for Tony Gwynn Jr. from the Brewers during the Scott Linebrink discussions.

Dodgers, Rockies Interested In David Wells

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Who wants seven starts from David Wells?  Apparently the Rockies and Dodgers do, as both teams have already inquired.  Wells is now a free agent.

I say seven starts because Boomer still has a seven-game suspension to serve.  We knew from this morning’s Denver Post that the Rockies were considering Wells, though that article cited only "internal discussions."  Well it’s external now, baby.  The Dodgers were also under heavy speculation with the whole West Coast thing, and now they’re officially in the game.

Rockies Rotation In Shambles

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The Rockies are five games out in the NL West and two out in the Wild Card.  Baseball Prospectus sets their playoff odds at a healthy 22-27%.  Their main strength has been team OBP (second best in the league).  The Rockies’ offense has dominated at Coors Field.  They’ve also had some fine relief work from Manny Corpas, Jeremy Affeldt, and even Jorge Julio. 

But to have a legitimate shot, the Rockies need to sort out their starting rotation.  According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, injuries to Jason Hirsh, Rodrigo Lopez, and Aaron Cook have decimated the starting staff.  The current five consists of Jeff Francis, Josh Fogg, Ubaldo Jimenez, Elmer Dessens, and maybe rookie Franklin Morales.  Recently-acquired Ramon Ortiz will stay in the pen for now.  There doesn’t seem to be talk of using Taylor Buchholz in the rotation again.

While Jimenez was dominant yesterday against the Padres, control figures to remain a problem for him.  Same deal with Morales.  Cook should only miss three starts, and the Rockies desperately need him back.  Lopez is out for the season and Hirsh’s contribution will be minimal.  Fogg and Dessens are mostly just filler.

Since it’s August, the only real trade possibility is to acquire more filler.  Renck specifically mentions Steve Trachsel and David Wells as pitchers on the radar.  We’ve also seen the Rox linked to Josh Towers.  Trachsel and Towers have already cleared waivers, and Wells probably will soon.  As always, good starting pitching is hard to find.

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