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Cantu Asks For Trade

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Former 117 RBI man Jorge Cantu doesn’t view himself as a Triple A player, and has asked for a trade.  Unfortunately for him that request carries no weight.  The Devil Rays have decided to again sacrifice defense at second base, but this time at the hands of B.J. Upton.  At the least, this pleases fantasy baseball geeks.

Cantu, who I should mention once drove in 117 runs, saw his slugging slip from .497 to .404 last year.  He played in the WBC for Mexico and things went downhill from there.  He fouled a ball off his foot and broke a bone, then tried to play through it.  He returned in June, but his neck started bothering him in August after a collision. 

I think Cantu is proof that a lot of guys can drive in 100 runs, and that doesn’t mean much by itself.  If he’d driven in 87 that year we’d look at him differently as a player. Even 90 runs seems to add some sort of credibility.  The worst SLG for a 100 RBI season was when Bill Brubaker slugged .384 with 6 HR and 102 RBIs for the 1936 Pirates, by the way.  Joe Carter has two 100 RBI seasons where he slugged under .400, an exclusive honor.

As far as the market for Cantu…a corner guy with no plate discipline, no defensive abilities, and decent pop is not that rare.  Think Josh Phelps.      

Latest On Jorge Julio

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.  Well, actually it went up 12 hours ago.  If it’s whispered, (or just written on FOXSports.com), we hear it (once we wake up, eat some Arby’s, and get situated).

Ken’s main rumor:

The current suitors for the relief ace known as Jorge Julio are the Cardinals and Marlins, with the Bucs and D-Rays on the fringes.  For the sake of my Al Reyes sleeper pick let’s keep him out of Tampa Bay.  I think the Cardinals could really use a guy like Julio.  The acquiring team will be on the hook for all $3.6MM, unless they pony up a top-notch prospect.  The Marlins get special treatment I guess.

Rays Interested In Jorge Julio

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You can add another Florida team to the mix for Arizona reliever Jorge Julio – the Devil Rays.  Ken Rosenthal updated this article with the rumor. 

Rosenthal adds that Julio is not Tampa Bay’s first option, and that the goal could be to flip him for prospects.  Makes me wonder if they might try something similar with Al Reyes given the current market for relievers.

The Marlins, Cardinals, and Giants have expressed interest in Julio in the past.

Hat tip to DRays Bay for passing it along.

Yankees Won’t Renegotiate With A-Rod

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In case you missed Jon Heyman’s scoop yesterday: Brian Cashman won’t renegotiate Alex Rodriguez’s contract after this season.  I imagine he went public with it in attempt to put the onus back on A-Rod when he leaves after the season.  For once, Rodriguez is not biting and won’t discuss it further with the media.  Heyman reiterates that Rodriguez will not consent to a trade if the Yankees are in contention.  Other notes from the column:

  • Out of all the relievers on the market, Jorge Julio seems the most likely to be dealt.
  • Heyman thinks John Smoltz is done with team-friendly contracts and will leave the Braves after 2007.  Could the Red Sox replace Curt Schilling with him?
  • Devil Rays "second baseman" Jorge Cantu is on the block.  I think he has been for some time.  I believe there is a federal law mandating mention of his 117 RBI season in any Cantu trade rumor.  Ooh boy, look at all those ribbies!  Perhaps the Rays would shift Akinori Iwamura or B.J. Upton to second base.  In any case, I don’t think Cantu is part of the long-term plan.

Florida Teams Talking Trade?

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Here’s a rumor I missed from Jayson Stark’s column on Friday.  Stark notes:

"Despite talk of the Marlins and Devil Rays reviving their long-rumored deal involving Rocco Baldelli, Florida actually appears to be more focused on the younger (and cheaper) B.J. Upton and Elijah Dukes as center field possibilities."

That makes sense, but what would Florida give up at this point?  Scott Olsen has to be off-limits.  Josh Johnson is hurting.  Anibal Sanchez’s shoulder inflammation has died down, but he’s still a risk.  Ricky Nolasco might be reasonable, though it would chip away at the team’s strength.  Nolasco for Dukes seems fair.  Nolasco has maybe a 20% chance at becoming a star, while Dukes hovers around 40-50% (based on BP’s Stars and Scrubs charts).  Dukes’s off the field stuff would even out the trade.

Meanwhile, Peter Gammons wrote on February 28th:

"[The Marlins] are not trading any of their good young pitchers to fill center field. They know every good team has flaws, and it’s a lot more difficult to get by with a pitching hole than with a center fielder like Eric Reed who, at worst, runs down balls."

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus mentions another lower-cost possibility for Florida – Cory Sullivan of Colorado.

Devil Rays Acquire Jae-Kuk Ryu

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The Devil Rays acquired 23 year-old righty Korean pitching prospect Jae-Kuk Ryu today for a couple of minor leaguers. 

Ryu was pretty solid at Triple A last year, but the Cubs had to make some room on the roster for new acquisitions.  The projection reflects the NL Central, but PECOTA had him posting a 4.71 ERA in 121 innings in 2007.  Ryu’s top comparable is pre-surgery Wade Miller, not a bad thing.

The interesting angle to this acquisition, though, is that the D-Rays have added to their stable of villains.  Ryu is best known for intentionally throwing a baseball at Ozzy the Osprey back in 2003.  The bird, team mascot of the Daytona Cubs, died several days after Ryu nailed it.  And this wasn’t a Randy Johnson/Dave Winfield type deal – Ryu tried repeatedly to intentionally peg this thing (click on Johnson’s name to watch his incident).  One source even indicates that Ryu was trying to hit the osprey all year long.  Ryu sparked quite a bit of outrage.  You can click here to read Jeff Merron’s definitive work on athletes abusing animals, including Kevin Mitchell beheading a cat.

Devil Rays Acquire Jae-Kuk Ryu

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The Devil Rays acquired 23 year-old righty Korean pitching prospect Jae-Kuk Ryu today for a couple of minor leaguers. 

Ryu was pretty solid at Triple A last year, but the Cubs had to make some room on the roster for new acquisitions.  The projection reflects the NL Central, but PECOTA had him posting a 4.71 ERA in 121 innings in 2007.  Ryu’s top comparable is pre-surgery Wade Miller, not a bad thing.

The interesting angle to this acquisition, though, is that the D-Rays have added to their stable of villains.  Ryu is best known for intentionally throwing a baseball at Ozzy the Osprey back in 2003.  The bird, team mascot of the Daytona Cubs, died several days after Ryu nailed it.  And this wasn’t a Randy Johnson/Dave Winfield type deal – Ryu tried repeatedly to intentionally peg this thing (click on Johnson’s name to watch his incident).  One source even indicates that Ryu was trying to hit the osprey all year long.  Ryu sparked quite a bit of outrage.  You can click here to read Jeff Merron’s definitive work on athletes abusing animals, including Kevin Mitchell beheading a cat.

Devil Rays Close On Carlos Pena

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Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times writes that the Devil Rays are close to signing first baseman Carlos Pena to a minor league deal.  Tampa Bay wanted him last year too after Detroit released him.  The Yankees picked him up but he didn’t get the call. He then exercised his option to become a free agent and signed with Boston.  Pena’s best season was 2004, when he hit .241/.338/.472 in 142 games.  He’ll turn 29 in May.

Pena will join a contingent of first basemen competing for time in Tampa Bay.  They’ve got Ty Wigginton, Greg Norton, Hee Seop Choi, and Elijah Dukes as other possibilities.

D-Rays Willing To Trade Upton, Young?

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According to Mike Berardino of the Sporting News, the Rays have been willing to discuss trades for both Delmon Young and B.J. Upton this winter.  (Berardino also writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel).  Apparently Upton’s attitude and shaky defense scare rival teams more than Young’s attitude alone.

It’s tough to envision Young going anywhere.  Despite the bat-throwing, the 21 year-old has star written all over him.  He’s got some interesting comparables, according to Baseball Prospectus.  The most similar player is the very solid former Astros and Reds CF Cesar Cedeno.  His list also includes Rocco Baldelli, Orlando Cepeda, Elijah Dukes, Ruben Sierra, Milton Bradley, Sammy Sosa, Hank Aaron, and Jeff Francoeur.  I didn’t know PECOTA used attitude as a variable (Dukes, Bradley).

PECOTA is less enthused with Upton, likening him to Carlos Febles.  However, his list is quite impressive overall, with Alan Trammell, Willie Randolph, Pete Rose, Derek Jeter, and Tim Raines.  At 22, Upton still has plenty of time to find a position and blossom into a star.

Elijah Dukes In Trouble Again

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Oh, Elijah.  This time, it’s marijuana possession.  At least, that’s the charge. 

Elijah Dukes is an interesting player – a world of talent, a complete wild card in terms of behavior.  PECOTA sees him hitting .283/.349/.454 as a 23 year-old this year.  I think the D-Rays should just grin and bear it rather than trade him, as dealing now would be selling low.

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