Hargrove Resignation Could Help Ms Retain Ichiro
Today’s surprising resignation by Mariners manager Mike Hargrove could have a major effect on our world. That is, the trade and signing world of MLBTR.
Ken Rosenthal has a new video up at FOXSports discussing the Hargrove resignation. Rosenthal mentions the well-known fact that Ichiro did not have a great relationship with Hargrove. He speculates that the resignation could affect Ichiro’s decision on whether to stay in Seattle after this season.
Rosenthal adds that Ichiro likes new Mariners manager John McLaren. The bigger factor, though, has likely always been Ichiro’s desire to play for a winning team. The Mariners, at a surprising 45-33, are just one game out of the Wild Card (trailing the Tigers). It’s starting to look like there’s a good chance the Mariners retain Ichiro. Which player would be shifted to right field, Ichiro or superprospect Adam Jones?
By the way, if the season ended today, the playoff matchups would be as follows:
AL:
Tigers vs. Angels
Indians vs. Red Sox
NL:
Brewers vs. Dodgers
Mets vs. Padres
Forgotten Trade Candidates
Amidst all the Buehrle/Jacque rumors floating around this week, we’ve neglected to write about the many other players who could be traded in July. Let’s give a little press to three forgotten players who could be on the move.
Kyle Lohse, SP, CIN – I was pretty high on Lohse after April, thinking he was about to go all Bronson Arroyo on the NL. Good Bronson, that is. But Lohse followed up his first four starts by going 2-10 with a 6.27 ERA and 4.4 K/9. And that actually included a shutout against the Pirates. It’s hard to see how Lohse can help a pennant contender this year, but as a Boras client and impending free agent earning $4.2MM, Wayne Krivsky should dump him off somewhere. OK, so now that I think about it, he’s more of a DFA candidate than a trade candidate.
Joe Kennedy, SP, OAK – Billy Beane might be able to move the 28 year-old southpaw and free agent-to-be for something useful. Kennedy makes only $2.8MM and has an ERA under 4. That might not last with his microscopic strikeout rate though. With Esteban Loaiza on the shelf and Rich Harden questionable, Beane might have to hold off and take the draft picks for Kennedy. But given Kennedy’s strong groundball tendencies and the Phillies’ lousy starting pitching, maybe they could match up.
Jose Guillen, RF, SEA – Guillen is earning $4MM this year with a $9MM club option for ’08. The Mariners are just 2.5 games out of the wild card, and their rotation could use a boost. Guillen has posted a subpar line for a right fielder – .257/.330/.412. I’m not sure how much trade value he has, but the Mariners already have a superior player ready to go at Triple A in Adam Jones. Guillen is on pace for about 20 homers and 90 RBIs, so maybe some GM would bite on that. Teams looking for an outfielder with some pop could include the Royals, Twins, Mets, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Padres.
Griffey Hopes To Retire A Mariner
Ken Griffey Jr. finished his return to Seattle with a flourish, smacking a pair of home runs off Miguel Batista in the final game of the Mariners-Reds series. The performance moved him past Mark McGwire to seventh on the all-time list. Here’s how it looks now:
1. Aaron – 755
2. Bonds – 749
3. Ruth – 714
4. Mays – 660
5. Sosa – 601
6. Robinson – 586
7. Griffey – 584
Junior should move into sixth very soon. Griffey has more staying power than Sammy Sosa, and should pass him in due time. I can see Griffey retiring fourth on the all-time list, passing Mays as well. He is the man America wishes was chasing Aaron right now.
Let’s be realistic about Sosa, by the way. He has a .305 OBP. He’s having a terrible year, well below average for his position. Sosa is about the 200th best hitter in baseball right now, based on VORP. His performance has been roughly on par with that of Alex Cora. He has been out-hit by many pitchers. He is a sideshow and should not be starting for any team.
Anyway, back to Griffey. He recently created a stir in Seattle, saying he’d like to retire as a Mariner. However, it was unclear whether he wanted to play another season or two in Seattle or if he just wanted a one-day contract on his last day.
U.S.S. Mariner likes the idea, but hopes it happens in 2009 instead of anytime soon. Adam Jones and Wladimir Balentien comprise two-thirds of the Tacoma Ranier outfield right now, and the tandem will remain together in Seattle for many years. There are better ways for the Mariners to spend money and talent right now than bringing Griffey back, even as a DH.
Rosenthal’s Latest – Buehrle To Brewers?
Ken Rosenthal has a new article, and as usual he’s broken several brand new trade rumors. A brief summary:
- Here’s a good one: the Brewers have "kicked the tires" on Mark Buehrle. You can never have too much pitching, I guess. It’s a long shot that Doug Melvin could pull it off without involving Yovani Gallardo or Ryan Braun, and he won’t trade those two. Without either player, the Brewers would pretty much be offering quantity over quality in terms of prospects. My own speculation: Corey Hart might intrigue Kenny Williams, but he’d be hard to part with.
- Rosenthal estimates ten teams are looking at Buehrle. He names the Mets, Braves, Mariners, and Cardinals. Add the Brewers and we’re still five short. The five Rosenthal doesn’t mention could include the Red Sox, Yankees, Marlins, Rockies, Dodgers, and Phillies. Just guessing on the last five.
- The Blue Jays have changed their tune on Troy Glaus – they’ll now listen to offers for him. It is believed Glaus might waive his no-trade clause to play close to home for the Padres, Angels, or Dodgers. Glaus is owed about $5.9MM more this year and $12.75MM in 2008. He also negotiated an $11.25MM player option for ’09 when he was traded to Toronto. Perhaps to agree to a trade he’d want his deal extended through ’09 for $13MM or so. Rosenthal says the package for Glaus would likely involve a young third baseman, like Chase Headley, Brandon Wood, or Andy LaRoche. Such a deal would be hard to ignore for J.P. Ricciardi. Of the three teams mentioned, Ricciardi has only previously dealt with Bill Stoneman (on the Brad Fullmer trade).
- Rosenthal says the Cubs are not involved in a trade for Ken Griffey Jr. The ownership change will prohibit them from taking on his contract. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cubs are having difficulties finding a taker for Jacque Jones.
- The Angels still like Adam Dunn, though I still don’t see how he fits into their roster.
- The prospect going to the Tigers for Mike Maroth won’t be anything special; the point was to unload his $3MM salary.
Latest From Gammons
The man himself, Peter Gammons, had a blog posting on Saturday that I neglected to mention here.
- Gammons mentions some suitors for Mark Buehrle: the Mets, Cardinals, and Mariners. He draws the Jermaine Dye/Padres connection we have seen in the past.
- Gammons believes the Astros will move one of Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, or Chad Qualls. However, that was written before Lidge hit the DL for a strained oblique. Houston would also love to move Morgan Ensberg, but that’s nothing new.
- The Dodgers are looking for a corner infield slugger, but aren’t interested in Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen. Adam Dunn isn’t in the Dodgers’ plans, either. Dunn’s defensive limitations really seem to be hindering a deal. If they are going to give up multiple young future stars, it’s going to take Mark Teixeira. In other words, they’d go all-in.
- Bill Stoneman is "cautiously looking for a bat." Cautious is the name of the game with Stoneman. It’s a seller’s market for power hitters. Imagine what the Marlins could get for Miguel Cabrera.
Colletti Talks To Ichiro’s Agent
Word via the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday was that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti spent an hour talking to Tony Attanasio, the agent for impending free agent Ichiro Suzuki. Attanasio also represents Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
The Dodgers won’t have an opening in center field next year given the Juan Pierre contract. But Ichiro, of course, can play a fine right field. It wouldn’t be hard to replace Andre Ethier‘s .711 OPS, though it would lock the Dodgers into two powerless players in their outfield.
Several NL West teams may go toe-to-toe for Ichiro, including the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants. All could make room for him. Still, it seems a long shot that Colletti and Attanasio were discussing Ichiro. That seems like tampering. Attanasio has, in the past, suggested that the Mariners trade Ichiro this summer if they don’t plan on signing him. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this situation in the coming months.
Cards Won’t Reacquire Weaver
While previous reports indicated the Cardinals had interest in Mariners starter Jeff Weaver, Cards GM Walt Jocketty firmly debunked the rumor when asked by Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Jocketty seems mildly bitter about Weaver’s decision, and won’t give him a second chance.
Weaver currently sports a 14.32 ERA in six starts for the Mariners, and he’s on the DL for shoulder tendinitis. That’s historically bad. Worst ever performance (six start minimum) belongs to Jaret Wright in 2002 (15.71 ERA). Hayden Penn comes next with a 15.10 ERA in six starts last year, and then Weaver’s ’07. Worst performance with a ten start minimum: Roy Halladay in 2000 with a 10.64 ERA in 13 starts.
USA Today Interviews Ichiro
Jon Saraceno of USA Today was granted an extensive interview with the Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki, through an interpreter. While Ichiro doesn’t say anything groundbreaking regarding his future after the 2007 season, a few quotes have negative connotations for Seattle. For example:
The Mariners say they want to extend his deal and have him retire in a Seattle uniform. Asked if he prefers to stay, Ichiro demurs: "It’s a very touchy subject right now, so I’d prefer not to answer."
It doesn’t sound like Ichiro is going to grant the Mariners a discount, either:
"How much a team would offer a player is an expression of how much the team cares — respects — him," Ichiro says. "It’s very important. How important? Hard to say."
He did have one particularly odd thing to say about his future, though. Ichiro wants to become a pitcher when he’s 40 and is "kind of serious about it." Still seems like a joke, but it would just be cool to see him switch to the mound. Or play center field most of the time and pitch on occasion. We need more guys like that, and to see a superstar do it would be incredible. The article says Ichiro might play until he’s 45.
Back in February, Ichiro’s agent publicly discussed the possibility that trading him might make the most sense this summer. Feel free to speculate wildly on that one.
Rosenthal On Slugger Market
Yesterday’s Ken Rosenthal article does a great job breaking down the market for sluggers this summer. As usual there are some big names for the taking, and as usual many of them come with hefty salaries or other flaws like injury history or Scott Boras.
A couple of AL West teams, the A’s and Angels, have been particularly powerless this year (both slugging less than .395). The Twins and White Sox could use some pop too. Over on the NL side, the Cardinals, Dodgers, Padres, and D’Backs could look to add a power bat. One of the three NL West teams mentioned could pull away with a major addition.
The most intriguing name in Rosenthal’s article is Sammy Sosa. He is having a respectable resurgence so far at .268/.331/.512. While it would be fun to see him back in the NL, his right field defense could prohibit it. But come on – how funny would it be to see Sosa don Cardinal red? Another interesting subplot thrown out by Rosenthal would be Ken Griffey Jr. back to Seattle, something that seems to come up every year if Junior is healthy.
Mariners Acquire Jason Davis
The Mariners acquired 27 year-old pitcher Jason Davis today from the Indians for a player to be named later. As I mentioned in a previous post, Davis is a healthy, cheap pitcher with good control and groundball tendencies. Unless something valuable was given up, this looks like a nice little move for Bill Bavasi.
I have to be honest, I was hoping to see Davis end up with an NL team short on starting pitching (I picked him up in my AL-only league based on this speculation). He wants to return to starting, but that would probably only work in the weaker league. For the Ms, Davis will settle into the bullpen and probably pitch around the sixth inning.
Click here to read U.S.S. Mariner’s take on the acquisition.