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Odds and Ends: Howard, Cormier, Gerut

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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.

Yadier Molina Signs Extension With Cards

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The Cardinals signed catcher Yadier Molina to a four-year deal today.  The 25 year-old defensive whiz hit .275/.340/.368 in ’07.

The specifics: the package is worth $15.5MM.  The salaries are $1.75MM in ’08, $3.25MM in ’09, $4.25MM in ’10, and $5.25MM in ’11.  The 2012 option is for $7MM.  It’s hard (at least for me) to place a dollar value on catcher defense.  But we know Molina is very good, and there are signs he could even become a plus with the bat.  This seems a decent signing by John Mozeliak.

Rolen, Glaus Can Opt Out After ’08

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As a player traded in the middle of a multiyear deal, new Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has the right to opt for free agency or demand a trade after one year with Toronto.  This right has since been eliminated but players who signed their deals before October ’06 are grandfathered in.  Troy Glaus has the same right.

The stipulations make it less likely for players to opt for free agency or demand a trade.  If the player chooses free agency he has to wait until mid-March to leave and also give up three years of free agent eligibility.  If he chooses a trade he can only block six teams.  That said, we have seen this happen before when a guy just wants out.  The most recent example I can think of is Javier Vazquez in November of ’05.

It seems the Jays still expect to have Rolen through 2010, and he’d have to really hate it there to back out of his deal.

Odds and Ends: Gregg, Howard, Shingo, Valentin, Ankiel

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Some loose ends and links from today…

Cardinals Considering Juan Gonzalez

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This one isn’t a prank…the Cardinals are considering signing Juan Gonzalez and inviting him to Spring Training.  Every year there are rumors about comeback attempts.  It would be surprising to see Gonzalez in the St. Louis outfield at any point in 2008, but you never know.

Juan-Gone is 38 now, and hasn’t been in the Majors since that infamous one at-bat in 2005 with the Tribe.  He’s 66 home runs away from 500. 

Glaus Asked For Trade

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According to Buster Olney, Troy Glaus told J.P. Ricciardi several months ago that he’d like to be traded.  Apparently he really wanted to get away from artificial turf.

Olney says Ricciardi made no promises, and set about finding good value for Glaus.  Glaus had wanted to play for St. Louis for years, and Scott Rolen’s rift with Tony La Russa created an opportunity.

Rolen For Glaus Finalized

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UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 5:44pm: And it’s official, news conference Wednesday.

UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 2:15pm: Both players passed their physicals, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  This could be officially a done deal later today.  By the way, the Belleville News-Democrat discusses some of the failed Rolen scenarios here (including one that involved Jhonny Peralta, Cliff Lee, and Anthony Reyes).

UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 10:57am: A small amount of money will change hands – the Jays will send $1.8MM to the Cards, pending commissioner approval.  Given that Rolen has more money on his contract, it’s surprising to see the Jays sending money.

UPDATE, 1-13-08 at 12:12pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the agreement has been reached; the deal will be done if both third basemen pass physicals on Monday.  The Cardinals required that Glaus exercise his $11.25MM player option for ’09 as part of the trade – they didn’t want him to have a big ’08 and then opt for free agency.  No money changed hands, which makes the deal look like a win for St. Louis.

FROM 1-12-08 at 11:00am:

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Blue Jays and Cardinals are "closing in" on a trade of Troy Glaus for Scott Rolen.  Both would have to pass physicals first.  Rosenthal adds that both players agreed to waive their no-trade clauses and the Cardinals might need to cough up some cash as well.

Glaus, 31, hit .262/.366/.473 in an abbreviated 2007 season.  He had nerve decompression surgery for his foot in September, which will hopefully relieve his plantar fasciitis.  Also that month, Sports Illustrated reported that Glaus received multiple shipments of steroids as a member of the Angels.  Glaus is set to earn $12.75MM in ’08 and $11.25MM in ’09.

Rolen, who will turn 33 in April, hit .265/.331/.398 in a similarly abbreviated season.  He also had September surgery, a shoulder cleaning that involved removing scar tissue.  Rolen also had shoulder surgery in ’05, but did show good power for the first five months of ’06.  His other wart is a strained relationship with Tony La Russa.  He’ll earn $12MM in ’08, ’09, and ’10.   

It’s hard to say which team won the swap, though I lean towards the Cardinals.  They get a younger player with a less serious health issue and a shorter commitment.  The reason I think it’s close is that Rolen is a superior defender.  Can you imagine hitting a groundball to the left side when Rolen and John McDonald are both on the field?

Odds and Ends: Adam Jones, Weaver, Jocketty

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You know how it works…random rumors and links to clear out my inbox.

Odds and Ends: Phelps, Mirabelli, Varitek

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Random rumors and links for your perusal…

  • The Cardinals inked Josh Phelps to a minor league deal that could be worth up to $1MM.  I always liked Phelps; he’s a more than capable bench guy.
  • The Red Sox bit the bullet and brought Doug Mirabelli back for another round.  Tony Massarotti notes that the Red Sox may sign Jason Varitek to an extension this spring worth upward of $10MM annually.  I still like the idea of going after Kenji Johjima next winter.
  • RotoAuthority ranks the shortstops for fantasy leagues, hot off the press.

Giants’ Talks With Feliz Stall

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According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, talks between the Giants and free agent third baseman Pedro Feliz are stalling.  The parties have now passed a Giants-imposed deadline, apparently because the Giants wouldn’t go three years on him.  Even a two-year offer would be a mistake.  Bringing him back in general seems an odd idea.

Schulman suggests that Scott Rolen or Joe Crede could now become trade targets for Brian Sabean.  What is this team’s direction?

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