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Rays Mulling Plans For Pena, Baldelli

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We’ll start with the positive vibes: the Rays unearthed Carlos Pena from the free talent pool this year, and he’s got a decent shot at besting the franchise home record of 34 (held jointly by Jose Canseco and Aubrey Huff).  He could also top Canseco’s team-best .563 SLG from 1999.

Pena, a Scott Boras client, is making just $800,000 this year.  Talk about bang for your buck.  He’ll have about four years of big league service time after this season, meaning he’s under team control and could go to arbitration.  He’s set to reach free agency after the 2009 season, in my estimation.  Going to arbitration with him is the low-risk option, as the Rays would just be on the hook for one year.  The two sides might be able to come to an agreement in the $4MM range, even. 

Another option, suggested by Marc Topkin, is to sign Pena to a three-year deal with an option.  Pena is loves Tampa Bay; he’s up for the idea.  A three-year pact would buy out the first year of free agency.  Would $21MM be enough?  Most commenters at D-Rays Bay seem in favor of a multiyear contract.

The negative vibes: what to do with Rocco Baldelli?  He’s locked in at $2.25MM for ’08.  Then he’s got a $6MM club option with an unfortunate $4MM buyout for ’09.  The 2010 and 2011 options ($8MM and $9MM) must be exercised together and come with a $2MM buyout.  Baldelli seemed ready to break out after a strong 92 game stint last year.  But this season has been completely lost to injuries.  B.J. Upton now owns center field, leaving Baldelli to share DH with Jonny Gomes if he can take the field. 

I don’t see how the Rays can trade Baldelli until he puts together a couple of healthy months to start 2008.  That’d probably be at the expense of Gomes unless an outfielder is injured.  Hindsight being 20/20, the Rays should’ve taken what the Braves were offering back in December.

Schilling Would Consider Devil Rays In 2008

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Curt Schilling acts as his own agent, and he has a list of less than ten teams he’d like to play for in 2008.  He actually prefers a one-year deal over two.  His main priority, as you might expect, is joining a team with a strong chance to win the World Series.  Almost any team in baseball would benefit from signing Schilling to a one-year deal.

But an intriguing possibility surfaced yesterday.  Schilling would be open to playing for an up-and-coming young team like the Devil Rays.  He’d love to join their rotation and work with young hurlers like Scott Kazmir, Jamie Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, and Edwin Jackson.  That could actually make a formidable rotation.  Granted it may have just been a throwaway comment by Schilling, made mainly because the Red Sox are in Tampa Bay right now.

Could you imagine if the Devil Rays raised their payroll from the $25MM range to $75MM?  They could add Schilling, maybe a Francisco Cordero, and even make Jorge Posada an offer he couldn’t refuse.  And they’d still have plenty of cash left over to build some depth.

Random Rumors And Signings

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We have a bunch of rumor-related tidbits today, and for now I’ll put them into one post.

  • There’s a mini-controversy afoot regarding Cubs lefty Will Ohman.  Ohman has indicated that the Cubs have been letting him pitch while hurt, and the Cubs contend that he never visited the trainer.  No matter who you side with, Ohman’s days in the organization are numbered.
  • The Cubs indeed won the Scott Podsednik claim, but the White Sox want a legitimate prospect in return.  I’ve heard Sean Gallagher mentioned.  There’s not much time for posturing here as the teams probably have until today or tomorrow to make a trade.  The White Sox were considered nontendering Pods last offseason, and he didn’t do anything this year that should’ve changed their mind.  Ozzie Guillen even called him "unreliable" publicly.  Kenny Williams should take what he can get and give the playing time to someone else.
  • Casey Fossum’s been released by the Devil Rays; he’ll hook on somewhere.  The little lefty used to throw in the mid-90s with Boston.  Not so much anymore, but he does boast one of the slowest curveballs you’ll find (slower than 50 mph).  Back in ’03, the Red Sox offered him to Toronto for Kelvim Escobar, unwilling to give up Trot Nixon.  He eventually went to Arizona in the Curt Schilling deal and later was traded to the Devil Rays for Jose Cruz Jr.  Fossum’s battled shoulder woes for most of his career, having labrum surgery in ’06.  He’s still only 29.
  • The Rockies signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league deal.  They might have to throw the 34 year-old into the rotation for lack of better options. 
  • Carlos Silva wants to stay in Minnesota, and would sign at a discount before hitting the open market if the Twins are interested.  Unfortunately, a discount for a Silva-type these days might be three years, $18MM.  Jason Marquis’s contract was something of a benchmark.  If Silva backs it up to two years, $10MM, I can see the Twins going for it. 
  • Victor Zambrano now finds himself toiling for the Pirates’ Triple A affiliate.

Devil Rays Interested In Fernando Cabrera

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According to Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune, the Devil Rays are interested in recently released 25 year-old reliever Fernando Cabrera.  In the past, it was revealed that the Orioles inquired on him.

Since he was released, Cabrera is eligible to sign with any team.  According to R.J. Anderson of Drays Bay:

"Cabrera throws a 92-95 fastball with a good hard splitter and a slider that produces a load of swings and misses."

Failed Trades

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Let’s take a look at some deals that almost happened yesterday.

Kyle Farnsworth for Bob Wickman.  This would’ve been fun, reunions with former teams for both players.  However, the Braves wanted the Yankees to pick up all of Farnsworth’s salary, apparently.  Brian Cashman didn’t want to make him go away that badly, and Wickman would probably be a nonfactor back in the AL.

Mariners acquire Mark Loretta.  Eh.  Let’s not overstate the abilities of Loretta.  It sounds like Tim Purpura wanted some kind of legitimate prospect for him.

Rockies send Jeff Baker and others to Tampa Bay for Dan Wheeler.  We can’t really evaluate this one without knowing who else would’ve been involved.  And the Rays don’t really have a place to play Baker; they’re already squeezed finding playing time for Jonny Gomes.  If Rocco Baldelli ever gets healthy they’ll really have a pickle.  I mentioned in a recent interview at D-Rays Bay – Wheeler would probably be one of the ten best relievers available if he was a free agent after the season.  The Rays can pump up his value and get a promising young pitcher next year, as the Royals did with Octavio Dotel.    

Brewers send Tony Gwynn Jr., Zach Jackson, and another minor league for Eric Gagne.  This could’ve been the difference-maker that Scott Linebrink ain’t in a tight NL Central race.  But it doesn’t seem like Doug Melvin got a chance to counter the Red Sox offer, so you can’t really fault him.

Red Sox send Wily Mo Pena and Craig Hansen to White Sox for Jermaine Dye.  Well, there has to be some statistical way to evaluate whether this pair beats two draft picks.  You’d have to know the attrition rates of first/second rounders, and get some scouts on Pena and Hansen to see if they can ever reach their potential.  If I was the Kenny Williams I probably would’ve made the deal.  I think Pena gets docked in value from where he was two years ago, but still has pretty much the same upside if you manage him right.  Who knows, maybe Williams will go after Pena again this winter.

Rays Willing To Trade Jonny Gomes

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Here’s a new name for you, courtesy of ESPN’s Jayson Stark: Tampa Bay’s Jonny Gomes.  I’ve always been a huge Gomes fan; he mashed .282/.372/.534 as a rookie in 2005.  Then he had a ridiculous 11 HR April before succumbing to a shoulder injury.  Gomes had offseason surgery and started off slow for the D-Rays, earning a demotion to Triple A. 

Gomes hit five homers in June and another five this month, despite getting just 132 ABs over that span.  The Devil Rays are finally starting to play him regularly, but that’s partially because of Carl Crawford’s injury.  I would not be shocked to see Gomes offer similar production to Jermaine Dye for the balance of the season, and you can keep him for several years cheaply.  He’s going to be the steal of the day if traded.

Stark says that the Rays are getting more calls on Elijah Dukes than Gomes, however.

Mariners Discussing Jeff Clement For Al Reyes?

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It was established yesterday that the Mariners are after Devil Rays reliever Al Reyes, desiring a young catcher in return.   Naturally, we raised Jeff Clement’s name.

Today U.S.S. Mariner comments on that idea, saying that Clement for Reyes has legs.  Needless to say they don’t like the idea.  I agree – it would be a steal for the Rays.  As noted yesterday, Reyes hasn’t been effective since mid-June.

Mariners Targeting Al Reyes

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Recent reports had indicated that Tampa Bay closer Al Reyes was off the market. Maybe those were false, or maybe the Dan Wheeler acquisition has increased the Rays’ willingness to listen.  At any rate, interest is growing in Reyes.

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times notes the Mariners’ interest; they had two scouts at Tropicana Field yesterday.  Reyes did not pitch, however.  One of those scouts was Norm Charlton on a special assignment.  Topkin seems to imply that the Rays would want young catcher Jeff Clement in return for Reyes.  He also alludes to the Mets’ interest but believes a three-team deal could be necessary to get the Rays what they want.

From the start of the season through June 17th, Reyes was a revelation for the Devil Rays.  During that time period Reyes had a 2.17 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 2.5 BB/9 with 16 saves in 29 innings.  But since then Reyes has allowed 12 earned runs in nine innings, all of them coming from three separate four-run blowups.  He gave up four home runs during the span.  That time period also included a couple of weeks off for a rotation cuff strain, so there’s a definite correlation with his performance.

To give up a player like Clement for a reliever as shaky as Reyes would be a very questionable move.  The idea that the Rays could get him is pure speculation on my part.  As I mentioned earlier, expanding the trade to include Carlos Pena could really sweeten the deal for Seattle. 

By the way, the Devil Rays hold a club option on Reyes for 2008 that tops out at $2.25MM.

Mets Hunting For Reliever, Second Baseman

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Pretty much the same old story with the Mets, though Joel Sherman and Mark Hale of the New York Post do have some new tidbits.

  • The authors name Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Eric Gagne as relievers on the radar.  However it seems the asking price is too high for Gagne and the Indians have become the frontrunner for Dotel (they may have passed the Dodgers).  Shawn Chacon doesn’t catch the Mets’ eye, and they don’t want Chad Bradford’s three-year commitment.  They had that option with Bradford this winter.  I think that logic is silly – Bradford’s pitched well this year, and acquiring him now would be akin to a two-year contract.  Sometimes it seems GMs pass over certain players because they simply want to add a fresh name.
  • You can add Al Reyes to the mix for the Mets, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
  • The Mets think many of the available starting pitchers could be traded in August – Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, and Steve Trachsel for example.  I don’t agree on Lohse – he’ll be traded today or tomorrow.  But Contreras’s contract would probably get through waivers without a claim.
  • The Post reports no substantive talks to the Royals about Mark Grudzielanek.  An inquiry has been made on Mark Loretta. 
  • Meanwhile, Newsday says the Twins are open to trading Luis Castillo but don’t want any of the current Major League Mets.  Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger seems to disagree, citing a Twins scout at Shea yesterday.  Graziano does not believe Castillo would get through waivers unclaimed.  He believes the Twins want Double A starter Kevin Mulvey and then some (perhaps Ruben Gotay).
  • Graziano says a deal for Castillo could be expanded to include 28 year-old righty reliever Juan Rincon.  Rincon had been consistently solid for three years (perhaps aided by steroids) but has seen his strikeout rate and overall performance plummet in 2007.  Rincon is under control next year and will make at least $2MM again.
  • Graziano notes that the Mets have talked to the A’s about Joe Blanton, but Billy Beane wants Lastings Milledge.  The Mets can’t do that without damaging the current team.  The Mets could actually add an outfielder in Jay Payton; the Cubs’ interest has waned.  The Sammy Sosa rumor also has some legs, as the Mets could bring him in to platoon with Shawn Green if they decide they can tolerate the sideshow.
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