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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?

Pirates Interested In Brad Thompson?

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Scott Wuerz of the Belleville News-Democrat suggests that Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson is a rumored target for the Pirates.  He could be part of a larger package, where players such as Jack Wilson, Matt Morris, and/or Jason Bay could be involved.

Thompson turns 26 soon.  The Cardinals tried him as a starter last year, and he posted a 4.66 ERA in that role.  He was at 4.91 in relief, but for his career he’s been better coming out of the pen.  Thompson lost his groundball mojo a bit in ’07, and as a result his HR rate rose dramatically.

At one point, the Cards and Bucs discussed a Wilson-for-Chris Duncan deal.  About a month ago Dejan Kovacevic said he expected Wilson to stay put this winter.  Morris was a Cardinals’ target at various times in ’07.   There hasn’t been much buzz about the Pirates trading Bay to St. Louis.

Cardinals Rumors: Ankiel, Molina

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Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a new column up this morning regarding the Cardinals’ arbitration-eligible players.  This year they have Rick Ankiel, Yadier Molina, and Todd Wellemeyer.

Goold spoke to Scott Boras regarding Ankiel’s situation, which is definitely a unique one.  Salaries for arb-eligible players are often determined by looking at comparables, but Ankiel doesn’t really have any (Babe Ruth doesn’t quite fit).  Ankiel has four years of service time; he’ll be a free agent after the 2009 season.

Molina has three years of service time, so he’s under team control through 2010.  Goold says a multiyear deal for Molina is likely to be discussed.

Odds and Ends: Cameron, Inge, Bay

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Here are some random rumors and links I’ve cobbled together today.

  • The Fish officially signed Jorge Cantu to a minor-league deal worth $500K with $100K in incentives.
  • The Cardinals re-upped Aaron Miles for $1.4 mil.  This team needs some good middle infielders.
  • According to Tyler Kepner, Alex Rodriguez has been "privately endorsing" Mike Cameron.  Well, it’s not private anymore!  The Yankees could entertain such a signing if they trade Melky Cabrera but don’t want to move Johnny Damon back to center.  Kepner’s article also discusses the internal struggle between Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.  Hank wants Johan Santana, Hal wants to show a little financial restraint.

  • Lynn Henning digs into the Brandon Inge situation, with help from the always-insightful Keith Law.  Henning believes Inge would view a shift back to catcher "with contempt."
  • Scott Wuerz runs through various possible Cardinals targets.  He notes that the Pirates had considered the White Sox their best possible trade partner for Jason Bay, and are disappointed by Chicago’s Nick Swisher acquisition.
  • Seems that Bartolo Colon has yet to crack 90 mph in the Dominican Winter League.
  • There are rumblings that the Astros are considering bringing Freddy Garcia back.
  • R.J. Anderson snagged an interesting interview with Paul DePodesta.
  • Minor League guru and MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo has a new book coming out about what it’s like to face Roger Clemens.  I’m going to do a Q&A with Jonathan next week; if you have any good question ideas leave ’em in the comments.  By the way, Mayo finished his book before the Mitchell Report came out.
  • Yankees fans – Ray Istorico has an illustrated history of the early Yankees coming out in a few months.
  • I will be appearing on XM Radio’s MLB Home Plate show on Sunday around 2:25 CST.

Matt Clement Signs With Cardinals

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UPDATE, 1-3-08 at 6:20pm: Clement gets a $1.25MM base with another $5.25MM in incentives for ’08.  The ’09 option is for $8.75MM, an amount that can increase based on innings pitched.  Seems a low-risk deal for the Cards. 

UPDATE, 1-3-08 at 3:21pm: The deal includes a club option for ’09 and as you’d expect is heavy on incentives.  The base salary is not known yet.

FROM 1-3-08 at 2:27pm:

According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have signed Matt Clement to a Major League deal.

Clement, 33, jumps back to the NL Central after spending 2002-04 with the Cubs.  He had rotator cuff surgery in September of ’06, so he’s a complete unknown at this point.  He joins Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, and Braden Looper in the Cards’ rotation, with Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder due at various points during the season.  They still might have money for one more starter.

Matt Clement Rumors

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FROM 12-31-07 at 11:20am: Wuerz says Clement balked at the idea of a minor league deal with the Cardinals.

FROM 12-30-07 at 12:26pm: John Perrotto believes Clement is leaning towards the Pirates or Indians, partly because of a new home he built in Butler, PA (same place he was born).

FROM 12-30-07 at 2:10am:

Here’s a rumor I missed from a couple of days ago.  Scott Wuerz of the Belleville News-Democrat, a Southern Illinois newspaper, indicated in his blog that the Cardinals were close to signing Matt Clement.  Haven’t seen recent buzz about this in the Post-Dispatch, but maybe Wuerz has the scoop.

Other teams previously linked to Clement: the Royals, Mariners, Blue Jays, Rockies, Pirates, Indians, and Phillies.  The Astros pulled out and the Padres seem full.  Clement underwent rotator cuff surgery in September of 2006, with his agent comparing the procedure to that of Drew Brees.

More Prior Details

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Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune has more details on Mark Prior’s contract and suitors.

Prior cited the Astros, Cardinals, Mets, and Rangers as the most aggressive; about half the teams in baseball contacted his agent.

Contract details: it has a $1MM base with another possible $3.5MM in incentives.  However, much of the incentive money is tied to the number of starts he makes, so he’ll probably end up earning $3MM or less in 2008.

How bad was the shoulder injury?  How far along is Prior in his rehab?  I’ve talked to some people and read published reports and am unable to draw any consistent conclusion.  Rick Wilton of Baseball Injury Report thinks the chance of a meaningful contribution from Prior in ’08 is close to zero.  Others are a bit more optimistic, but we’ll just have to wait and see.   

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