Mariners Rumors

Top Trade Chips: AL West

By Mike Axisa | April 16, 2010 at 8:41am CDT

We've completed the National League, so now it's time to jump over to the so-called junior circuit…

Angels: They moved three pretty good young players to get Scott Kazmir last season, so they might prefer to hold onto the rest of their top prospects. Their best chip is someone you may not have heard of, out of options catcher Bobby Wilson. He's on the 25-man roster but has barely played as the third stringer, yet how many teams would love to have a 27-year old catcher with a very good defensive rep, a .290/.345/.425 batting line in 820 Triple-A plate appearances, and six years of team control left? Pretty much all of them. He'll never clear waivers if the Halos try to send him back to the minors.
Athletics: Oakland has plenty of young pitching, but Billy Beane likes to hang on to those kind of guys, and for good reason. With ten infielders on the 40-man roster, someone like Jake Fox or Eric Patterson could be moved, as could outfielders Travis Buck or Gabe Gross since Michael Taylor is coming fast. Plus there's always Ben Sheets.
Mariners: Jack Zduriencik surrendered a good amount of prospect depth this offseason by acquiring Cliff Lee, but no one will argue with that move. Dustin Ackley, the second overall pick in 2009, will make Jose Lopez expendable in short order, and they could choose to make one of two minor league outfielders – Michael Saunders or Greg Halman – available. Seattle's best trade chip might be their potential ability to absorb some money.
Rangers: Texas is absolutely loaded with young players, so they have plenty of pieces to offer. They can move Chris Davis because Justin Smoak is knocking on the door, or they could move Derek Holland because Martin Perez isn't too far away. They dangled Max Ramirez this winter, and outfielder David Murphy is about to get expensive through arbitration, so he could find himself on the block. Bottom line: the Rangers have the pieces to go out and get anything they need or want.

Relief Trade Candidates

By Tim Dierkes | April 15, 2010 at 9:24am CDT

Eleven bullpens currently sport ERAs over 5.00, but it'd be silly to draw conclusions from 25-inning samples. Still, certain contenders are probably already surveying the field of available relievers. The Rays, Cubs, and Marlins are three teams that had bullpen concerns heading into the season. Which relievers might be available a month or two from now?

The Blue Jays are riding high, in a first-place tie after their first nine games. Still, GM Alex Anthopoulos will probably think about the big picture and shop his three priciest relievers: Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, and Scott Downs. The Jays would need Gregg's consent to deal him prior to June 15th.
The Pirates have the worst bullpen ERA in the NL right now, but most of that can be attributed to Hayden Penn's 2.3 inning stint. Down the road all the veterans will be fair game – Octavio Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, D.J. Carrasco, Jack Taschner, and Javier Lopez.
The Padres have the big prize in closer Heath Bell. His save total will allow them to demand a premium for him, and he can be retained for 2011 (albeit with a raise upon this year's $4MM).
The Nationals may also make a few veterans available: Matt Capps, Brian Bruney, and Tyler Walker would make sense. The June 15th rule applies to Capps and Walker. They'll both be arbitration-eligible after the season.
The Royals have a couple of contracts to move in Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz. Tracy Ringolsby tweets that the Royals are "looking to unload Cruz and willing to pick up salary."
Chad Cordero is a name to consider; the 28-year-old off to a good start for the Mariners' Triple A club.

Dye Hopes For Interest From Mariners

By Tim Dierkes | April 13, 2010 at 1:40pm CDT

Free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye has the Mariners on the list of teams he'd consider, reports ESPN's Mike Salk. Unfortunately, the interest has not been mutual. Dye's agent Bob Bry had this to say:

"Seattle is a team he focused on this off-season. He was disappointed that there was not more interest from the club."

Salk says Dye would be willing to take less than a full-time role with the Mariners, and guesses that he'd sign for $3-4MM. Dye turned down a $3MM offer from the Cubs a few months ago and recently rejected an unknown offer from the Nationals. He also had talks with the Brewers in late March. Dye suggested to MLB.com's Bill Ladson that many of his offers were in the $1MM range, which he seemed to find insulting.

Rather than sign Dye, the Mariners brought in Milton Bradley, Eric Byrnes, Casey Kotchman, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Sweeney for offensive spots. I wasn't a fan of the approach, but the Ms figure to give the group more than eight games before turning to someone like Dye.

Odds & Ends: Stanton, Hechavarria, Cordero, Haeger

By Zachary Links | April 12, 2010 at 9:05pm CDT

Monday night links..

The Marlins won't rush prospect Mike Stanton to the majors, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club is hoping to make an announcement in the next day or two, tweets Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press. However, Anthopoulos wouldn't confirm that the announcement could have to do with the signing of Adeiny Hechavarria. Last week, Hechavarria's visa was approved, opening the door for him to take his physical.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer believes that Chad Cordero could be a "useful" major leaguer again. The 28-year-old has been out of MLB for nearly two years and is attempting to mount a comeback with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate.
Charlie Haeger went through a long journey before becoming a member of the Dodgers' rotation, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

Ryan Langerhans Clears Waivers

By Tim Dierkes | April 12, 2010 at 2:52pm CDT

MONDAY, 2:52pm: Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune tweets that Langerhans has cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Tacoma.

THURSDAY, 2:14pm: The Mariners designated outfielder Ryan Langerhans for assignment to make room for reliever Jesus Colome, tweets ESPN's Shannon Drayer. This ends the Mariners' six-man bullpen experiment. U.S.S. Mariner's Dave Cameron wrote yesterday that while he feels a six-man pen can work, he's not sure the Mariners are presently built for one. Talking to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Ms GM Jack Zduriencik explained why Langerhans was cut instead of Mike Sweeney.

Langerhans, 30, hit .218/.311/.386 in 122 big league plate appearances last year. He hit .278/.371/.488 at Triple A. Langerhans was non-tendered by the Mariners in December but re-signed a week later.

Interest In Washburn Heating Up?

By Tim Dierkes | April 9, 2010 at 9:45pm CDT

9:45pm: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Cleveland and Arizona are possibilities for Washburn but Seattle is becoming a bit of a long shot.

3:27pm: Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse provides a few quotes from Scott Boras on his free agent client Jarrod Washburn:

"As many as five clubs are after him. A lot of teams are interested. The reality has struck."

Of course, Boras has never been known to exaggerate. The superagent says the lefty would need three weeks to be Major League ready.

Washburn reportedly turned down a small offer from the Mariners, his preferred destination. The Royals may also be in the mix. MLBTR's Mike Axisa attempted to help Washburn find work with this March 29th post, in case Boras has his hands full with Joe Crede or his draft advisees. One could name a half-dozen teams that'd make sense in the $2MM range, but it'd have to be a city that works for Washburn and his family.

Odds & Ends: Lerew, Cuba, Coonelly, Hechavarria

By Tim Dierkes | April 7, 2010 at 9:02pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

Anthony Lerew cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The Royals designated Lerew for assignment over the weekend.
Kat O'Brien of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a very interesting piece about what happens in Cuba once their players defect. Said one local cab driver: "[Aroldis] Chapman doesn't exist. He never existed."
Pirates' team president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans at MLB.com. He fielded a question about what the Pirates would do with the second overall pick in June's draft if for some reason the Nationals pass on Bryce Harper.
The Tigers released minor leaguer Kory Casto, reports Tom Gage of The Detroit News. Casto had been signed to a minor league deal after a .271/.334/.378 performance for the Nationals' Triple A club. Baseball America ranked him fourth among Nats prospects heading into the '07 season.
Which of Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, and Ryan Doumit is most likely to be traded this summer? Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tackles the question.
SI's Jon Heyman speculates that the Phillies would probably have to trade Raul Ibanez to be able to retain Jayson Werth after this season.
Adeiny Hechavarria's visa has been approved and he's headed to the U.S. to take his physical this week for the Blue Jays, tweets ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan suggests the Rays will have long-term difficulty competing, while Jonah Keri offers a rebuttal.
Rocco Baldelli still has hopes of playing baseball, according to this FOX Sports Florida article. He's currently rehabbing a shoulder injury and working with Rays minor leaguers.
ESPN's Adam Rubin says the Mets will not place Canadian third base prospect Shawn Bowman on waivers until they've exhausted trade possibilites.
In search of an accurate Mariners payroll number, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times arrives at about $93MM.
Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies explains why free agent Braden Looper would be a good fit for Colorado. On a related note, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post learned that the Rockies are not interested in Jarrod Washburn.
Elsewhere on the "nothing brewing" front, Jim Bowden of FOX Sports tweets that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told him the team has had no discussions regarding Pedro Martinez.

Pedro Will Start Throwing, Plans To Pitch

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 6, 2010 at 7:06pm CDT

TUESDAY, 7:06pm: Martinez has been linked to the Mariners, Twins, and Dodgers in recent days, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo notes that Martinez still harbors bad feelings towards the Dodgers organization.

MONDAY, 2:30pm: Pedro Martinez plans to pitch in 2010 and will start throwing this week, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Pedro will work towards a midseason signing like the one the Phillies added him on last summer. He says he can be ready soon.

“I’m in good shape, real good – it doesn’t take me that long to get ready,’’ he said.

He would prefer to pitch for a contender, on or near the East coast in the National League. Right now, the Phillies sound like a fit, given their interest in pitching. A few days ago, I wrote that Pedro could help somebody in 2010. He pitched well last year, but it wasn't until a month after he signed that Pedro appeared in the majors.

Odds & Ends: Giants, Beckett, DePaula, Aubrey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 5, 2010 at 8:30pm CDT

Some links on what promises to be one of the best days of the year…

Chris Haft of MLB.com writes that the Giants' bench is lacking in right-handed bats, though he doesn't suggest they'll look to make a trade.
The Red Sox have expressed reluctance in the past to sign pitchers to long-term contracts, but MLB.com's Ian Browne notes that Josh Beckett's extension means the club has four important starters under team control through 2014.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Beckett extension was directly motivated by the Red Sox' rivalry with the Yankees.
Beckett told reporters that he focuses on the security that comes with his extension, not the money he could potentially have obtained on the open market, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
The San Francisco Chronicle had some nice things to say about MLBTR in its business report. Check it out.
The Mariners remain the favorites to sign Dominican pitcher Rafael DePaula, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Michael Aubrey cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minors, according to an Orioles press release. The team designated Aubrey for assignment last week.
Check out this two-sport star: the White Sox hired former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause to oversee the team's scouting in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette points out that the Pirates will have the lowest Opening Day payroll in baseball and asks when the future starts for the Pirates. His answer? Once Pedro Alvarez takes over third base at PNC Park. If all goes well for Pittsburgh, that could happen before midseason.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has the Mariners' payroll at about $89MM, a little higher than USA Today's $86.5MM figure.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that speculation that the Rangers are looking for reasons to fire manager Ron Washington is "silly."
As Jeff Powalisz of the Boston Globe points out, Boston's free agent acquisitions are already contributing.
Matt Stairs will become the first modern-day position player to suit up for 12 different teams when he takes the field for the Padres, as MLB.com's Corey Brock points out.

Odds & Ends: Rule 5, Jones, Hechevarria, Brewers

By Steve Adams | April 4, 2010 at 4:28pm CDT

Links for Easter Sunday…

Baseball America's John Manuel provides updates on five Rule 5 picks: Carlos Monasterios with the Dodgers, John Raynor with the Pirates, Zachary Kroenke, who was optioned to the minors by the D'Backs, Kanekoa Texeira with the Mariners, and David Herndon with the Phillies.
Peter Gammons previews storylines for the 2010 season, such as emerging stars, prospects of the future, a slew of contenders, and the ever-present unpredictability of baseball.
Dave Campbell of the AP looks at Jacque Jones and how Minnesota's late-season surge in 2009 inspired a comeback attempt for 2010 when he was on the verge of retirement. Jones is reporting to Triple-A Rochester after hitting .366/.409/.585 with the Twins this spring.
In an interview with Mike Wilner of the FAN 590 in Toronto, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said while the team hasn't officially said anything about Adeiny Hechevarria, international cases like his are often slowed by visa issues and other approval processes.
Tom Haudricourt tweets that there will be no last-minute changes to the Brewers 25-man roster.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser spoke with recently-DFA'ed Jack Cust, who is shocked and offended by the move. Cust says he will accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers, but won't let Oakland "walk all over" him. The 31-year-old slugger has led the A's in home runs the past three seasons. Slusser takes a deeper look at the Cust move in a separate piece.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times looks at what the Cubs' performance in 2010 means to Jim Hendry's job, and talks to several players about their positive relationships with the Chicago GM.
Elliot Johnson cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin. He adds that the Rays have set their roster and are waiting to hear from Hank Blalock on whether or not he'll accept a minor league assignment.

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