Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Floyd, Winn
Here’s a look at the latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- Heyman heard recent "scuttlebutt" that C.C. Sabathia does not want to play for the Yankees. They’re still expected to make a large offer, and Heyman also expects a big play from the Angels. Sabathia reportedly prefers California but has become more open-minded to other locations.
- Cliff Floyd plans to play next year, hopefully for the Rays. The team has a $2.75MM option with a $250K buyout. He’s worth it.
- Heyman notes that Randy Winn would’ve made a fine acquisition for another club. The 34 year-old is hitting .315/.372/.438 in 611 plate appearances. He’s set to earn $8.25MM in ’09 and can block deals to ten teams.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rasmus, Tazawa, Manny
Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Cardinals Diaspora reads between the lines and feels the Cards will shop their top prospect, Colby Rasmus, this winter.
- The Detroit Tigers Weblog would like to see the Tigers go after Japanese amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa.
- East Windup Chronicle looks at the Japanese free agent crop.
- River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees and Manny Ramirez would be a "perfect fit" despite those that say it won’t happen.
- Drunk Jays Fans thinks the Mets should inquire with the Jays about the availability of B.J. Ryan.
- Rays Index takes a look at the Rays’ ’09 roster and sees too many starting pitchers and not enough chairs, which could lead to one or two being traded this off-season.
- McCovey Chronicles projects the Giants’ ’09 roster and sees all positions spoken for except possibly third base, but still wonders if Brian Sabean will feel the need to sign an impact free agent.
- Lone Star Ball takes a look at the Rangers’ ’09 40-man roster.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Ellis, Patterson, Sweeney
Rounding up today’s links…
- Willie Bloomquist may have played his last game with the Mariners.
- The Rays feel they can be consistent contenders with a new stadium, as they could raise their payroll to the $80MM range.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire takes a look at the free agent market.
- Athletics Nation notes the price on second baseman Mark Ellis has dropped.
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman explains the Braves’ working agreement with the Hanshin Tigers. The Tigers don’t have any of the big name free agents, but Frank Wren could still consider adding Koji Uehara or Kenshin Kawakami to his rotation.
- The Padres added pitcher Scott Patterson, formerly of the Yankees. Paul DePodesta weighs in on Patterson and Charlie Haeger.
- Mike Sweeney hopes to sign with another club for the final few weeks of the season.
- Andrew Baggarly would be surprised to see the Giants trade Randy Winn this winter.
- Mike Hindman on Michael Young‘s huge contract extension, which kicks in next year. Click here to see the reaction from MLBTR readers at the time of the signing.
Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Pavano, Penny, Burnett
Random links to start the morning…
- Ben Shpigel says Billy Wagner‘s $10.5MM for ’09 is not covered by insurance, making the Mets unlikely suitors for K-Rod (hat tip to MetsBlog).
- The Padres claimed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. You have to like the move; he’s only 24.
- Ken Davidoff writes about Nationals pitcher Tim Redding, who dreams about returning to the Yankees one day.
- Davidoff also says that contrary to popular belief, C.C. Sabathia did not buy a home in Southern California.
- In another post, Davidoff lists the worst trades of ’08.
- Nats GM Jim Bowden will probably bring in a veteran first baseman next year due to health concerns with Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young.
- Not much cooking on the Pedro Alvarez front…Bud Selig testified yesterday, and the next part of the hearing isn’t until September 23rd.
- Andrew Baggarly explains Bengie Molina‘s contentious relationship with the Giants.
- From Saturday: Carl Pavano‘s side of the story. Can Pavano be a useful pitcher next year?
- Larry Borowsky would like to see the Cardinals enterain an extension for Todd Wellemeyer. He’s eligible for free agency after the ’09 season.
- Joel Sherman isn’t sure the Yankees will invite Andy Pettitte back next year.
- Brad Penny says he pitched through a shoulder injury because of uncertainty around his ’09 option.
- Interesting fact…A.J. Burnett is second in MLB with 3286 pitches thrown (Sabathia jumped into the lead last night). Many of the ’07 leaders in pitches thrown came down with injuries this year.
- Michael O’Keefe sits down with agent Scott Boras.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney notes that the Blue Jays will pursue a shortstop this winter.
- All you ever wanted to know about Dr. James Andrews.
- Jed Hoyer explains where Curt Schilling learned his negotiating tactics.
Odds and Ends: Pujols, Isringhausen, K-Rod
I am going to toss up some links as I come across them, so check back on this post.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has an excellent piece on the Pedro Alvarez situation, including quotes from Scott Boras and Max Scherzer. The grievance will be heard tomorrow, but the entire process could take months.
- The big news of the day is not hot stove related. Albert Pujols is considering offseason Tommy John surgery, which would require seven to nine months of recovery time. It could cause him to miss April of ’09. UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal’s sources say Pujols does not intend to have the surgery this offseason.
- In the same article, reliever Jason Isringhausen says he hopes to be ready for spring training after elbow surgery. He spoke of getting "an incentive-based deal with someone."
- Joel Sherman doesn’t buy into the speculation that the Mets will be aggressive in pursuing Francisco Rodriguez due to Billy Wagner‘s injury. K-Rod has had 61 save opportunities this year, 14 more than anyone else. No other pitcher has reached 60 opps this decade. Rodriguez may pursue a five-year, $75MM deal.
- SI.com’s Tom Verducci looks at the dumbing down of bullpen roles.
- Andrew Baggarly offers a possible explanation for Conor Gillaspie‘s call-up: a "predraft understanding." Gillaspie signed for slot as the 37th overall pick. Adding him to the 40-man roster now is less than ideal.
- RotoWorld’s Matthew Pouliot predicts destinations and contracts for free agent pitchers. His article also includes non-tender candidates.
- Cork Gaines gives a rundown of the Rays’ 2009 commitments.
- This week’s chat has been moved to Wednesday at 2pm CST.
Odds And Ends: Millar, Lowe, Jays, Ibanez, Garciaparra, Posey
A few notes from the MLBiverse…
- Kevin Millar wants to return to the Orioles in ’09. Of course, many feel the O’s will make a run at Mark Teixeira this off-season which would decrease Millar’s chances of re-signing, unless both sides feel he can be a full-time DH. Millar made $2.75MM this season.
- Detroit Tiger Thoughts has made an adjustment to the projected Elias ranking for Derek Lowe. He will indeed be a Type A free agent this off-season.
- The original article is missing from the Toronto Sun, but Sportsnet has the piece in which Paul Godfrey says the Jays are unlikely to include opt-out clauses in any future contracts based on the current situation with AJ Burnett. Some believe Burnett will exercise his opt-out clause and declare himself a free agent this winter.
- Jim Street says the value of Raul Ibanez goes beyond stats…However, it remains to be seen if his value to Seattle will go beyond the two draft picks they would receive for letting him walk this off-season.
- Michael Schwartz says another free agent-to-be, Nomar Garciaparra, has proven his worth to the Dodgers in his new role coming off the bench.
- Even though Brian Sabean went to see Buster Posey play in person, he ruled out any chance of Posey making his major league debut this season.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Gillaspie Promoted To Giants
Chris Haft of MLB.com reports the Giants have promoted first round draft pick Conor Gillaspie after just 24 games at the pro-level, making him the first of his class to reach the show:
Manager Bruce Bochy said that Gillaspie wouldn’t start a game immediately but might be available sooner for pinch-hitting. The 21-year-old spent the previous few weeks batting a combined .269 with no home runs and 15 RBIs for the Giants’ Rookie-level Arizona League affiliate and short-season Salem-Keizer, so playing in the Majors would be an ambitious leap.
Gillaspie is a left-handed bat and if he shows anything this month and/or in spring training, he could earn a spot at a position with no given regular projected for 2009. This may be a speculative call up, however. Hitting only .269 with no homeruns, Gillaspie hasn’t shown a whole lot in pro-ball to merit this call up for competitive reasons, and the Giants certainly want to try to be competitive next season, don’t they?
Clay Timpner was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Gillaspie.
Stark’s Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton
Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB’s apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal.
- Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation. However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive). The Giants are known to like the big first baseman. The hangup is Brian Sabean’s reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain.
- The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre. The Mariners want starting pitching, but one year of Beltre is not equal to four of Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Phillies still don’t want to go past two guaranteed years for Pat Burrell. Stark points out another complication – Burrell would gain 10-and-5 rights early in a Phillies contract. Any NL team inking Burrell for four years is a risky proposition given his defense. If Burrell leaves the Phillies, Stark doesn’t expect the team to sign a major free agent as his replacement.
- The Indians deserve props for acquiring Anthony Reyes. Let’s not overdo it though – it’s only been five starts, and his strikeout rate is just 4.0 per nine in Cleveland.
- The Indians talked to multiple teams about Cliff Lee last winter. Interestingly, they thought the hardest about swapping him for Carlos Quentin.
- The Astros were quite willing to trade Ty Wigginton, prior to his massive August.
Offseason Outlook: San Francisco Giants
We’re starting a new series for September/early October called Offseason Outlook. It’s kind of a merger of past series (Needs and Luxuries, Team Outlook).
Here’s how the 2009 Giants stack up (informed greatly by Lefty Malo):
C – Bengie Molina – $6MM
C – Steve Holm or Eliezer Alfonzo – $400K
1B – Travis Ishikawa – $400K
2B – Kevin Frandsen – $400K
SS – Emmanuel Burriss – $400K
3B – Pablo Sandoval – $400K
IF – Eugenio Velez – $400K
IF/OF – John Bowker – $400K
LF – Fred Lewis – $400K+
CF – Aaron Rowand – $8MM
RF – Randy Winn – $8.25MM
OF – Dave Roberts – $6.5MM
OF – Nate Schierholtz – $400K
SP – Tim Lincecum – $405K
SP – Matt Cain – $2.65MM
SP – Jonathan Sanchez – $400K
SP – Noah Lowry – $4.5MM
SP – Barry Zito – $18.5MM
SP/RP – Kevin Correia – $1.075MM+
RP – Brian Wilson – $400K
RP – Keiichi Yabu – $400K
RP – Alex Hinshaw – $400K
RP – Jack Taschner – $400K
RP – Merkin Valdez – $400K
RP – Billy Sadler – $400K
Non-tender candidates: Brad Hennessey – $1.6MM, Tyler Walker – $750K
Buyouts: Omar Vizquel – $300K
By my count, the Giants have roughly $64MM committed for the ’09 squad. The entered the ’08 season with a $76.6MM payroll, so they’ll have $12-13MM to spend if they hold the line.
The ’08 Giants rank 14th of 16 NL teams in OBP and 15th in SLG. Their starters rank 8th in ERA; their relievers 15th. I know ERA has its flaws but there’s no need to get too crazy with stats here.
The infield above is just one possible scenario; all four positions seem wide open. A veteran free agent would add stability; affordable possibilities include Rich Aurilia, Eric Hinske, Kevin Millar, Mark Grudzielanek, Nick Punto, and Adam Everett. If Brian Sabean wants to spend some serious coin, he can consider Jason Giambi, Mark Teixeira, Orlando Hudson, Orlando Cabrera, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, and Joe Crede. You have to figure the Giants acquire some kind of veteran infielder. Aubrey Huff, Adrian Beltre, Mike Jacobs, Kelly Johnson, and Jorge Cantu could be trade targets. They’ll probably add a reliever too.
A slugging infielder could also be targeted via trade, using a veteran outfielder or young pitching as bait. With Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner in the pipeline, the Giants may consider shopping Sanchez. His shoulder strain is a concern, but he’s due off the DL today. The lefty, 26 in November, ranks fifth in the NL in K/9. The Giants could pursue Brandon Wood, Reid Brignac, Dan Uggla, J.J. Hardy, Garrett Atkins, Kevin Kouzmanoff, or one of the Rangers’ catchers.
Latest On Pedro Alvarez
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a source that claims the Player’s Association will only focus on the status of Pedro Alvarez’ contract and not on the contract of Eric Hosmer. Kovacevic says the MLBPA will argue that Hosmer’s contract was only delayed so the Pirates could have more time to negotiate with Alvarez.
However, Jonathan Mayo obtained a copy of the grievance filed by the union which suggests that Alvarez’ contract will not be the sole focus (emphasis Mayo’s).
The Commissioner’s Office, without notice to the MLBPA, unilaterally determined to permit Clubs to negotiate with drafted players after the August 15, 2008 deadline, and unilaterally determined to accept agreements by Clubs after the August 15, 2008 deadline.
Mayo feels that the use of plurals in the grievance indicates the union is contesting more than one contract. Mayo says the grievance, combined with MLB not allowing Hosmer to play until this issue is resolved, suggests that this is about more than just the contract status of Alvarez.
Mayo also speculates that part of the desire to make Alvarez the top-paid draftee, may stem from Buster Posey’s decision to go with an agent other than Boras. Mayo wonders if Boras is in-part driven to prove Posey made a mistake.
Other notes…
- In the above article, Kovacevic also indicates a third team may have submitted their agreement after the midnight deadline. However, Kovacevic does not name the team. Of the teams to announce their agreements to the public after the midnight deadline, includes the Padres (Allan Dykstra), Rangers (Justin Smoak) and Giants (Posey). Could a third player be dragged into this mess?
- Kovacevic has a second piece in which he details the contentious history between the Pirates and Boras, and how this may have led to the current rift between the two sides.
- Kovacevic is also reporting that Pirates’ president Frank Coonelly fired another shot at Boras, blaming the agent for getting Hosmer involved.
- Baseball Prospectus has a list of incidents that could be used as precedents in the Alvarez case.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.