Odds and Ends: M’s, Giants, Blanton, Maddux
Nothing major yet this afternoon, but a few minor issues worth noting:
- Danny Knobler from CBS Sports writes that former Tigers and Padres GM Randy Smith is now in the running for the GM opening in Seattle after the season. He’s been commended for his scouting work with the Padres recently.
- Mark Dent from MLB.com tells us that Mariners manager Jim Riggleman feels the M’s will be cautious with trade talks, and goes as far as saying he expects very little change. Riggleman says they "won’t move players just to move them." Does this seem like the right strategy for a team with the second-worst record in baseball?
- Chris Haft from MLB.com writes that the Giants have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Rafael Rodriguez for a $2.55MM bonus.
- Joel Sherman weighs in with his thoughts on the current pitching market, particularly why Joe Blanton is still appealing despite a poor start. He also discusses the dilemma the A’s, Rangers, and Yankees all have in deciding whether to buy or sell over the next few weeks.
- Mark Bowman feels that a trade sending Greg Maddux back to Atlanta is unlikely.
What’s Next For D’Backs?
FRIDAY: Milton Bradley is also not on Arizona’s radar.
THURSDAY: D’Backs right fielder Justin Upton may hit the DL with an oblique strain, while left fielder Eric Byrnes is probably out for the season. Will the D’Backs make an acquisition?
The Barry Bonds idea has been dismissed. Beat writer Nick Piecoro wonders about Kenny Lofton, but GM Josh Byrnes prefers either a trade or internal options. Byrnes’ comments:
"There’s sort of a fine line between patience and stubbornness. But if we’re going to do something to improve our offense, it’s sort of [a question of] whose at-bats are we replacing, and what is that saying about an offense that at the end of last year, beginning of this year, looked like it was sort of taking a step forward? It’s not as simple as the last couple of months, although the last couple of months we haven’t swung the bats very well. Certainly sticking with guys who have shown it, and are young enough to start showing progress, is a consideration."
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert notes that with those comments, Byrnes doesn’t rule out pursuing a pitcher. Micah Owings and Randy Johnson both have ERAs over 5.00, but they’ve pitched well at times and an upgrade seems unlikely.
Wesley Baier of AZSnakepit recently asked me who the D’Backs could acquire as a platoon partner for Chad Tracy, and I rattled off some lefty-mashers. Casey Blake is an interesting name, especially if he can fill in at right field.
Molony’s Latest: Mahay, Loretta, Erstad, Guzman
Let’s check in with MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- The Rays are scouting lefty relievers Brian Fuentes and Ron Mahay. The issue? The price for Fuentes seems exorbitant, and Mahay may not be available. Troy E. Renck names the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Marlins as the main suitors for Fuentes aside from the Rays.
- A few contenders have inquired with the Astros as to the availability of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad.
- As you might imagine, the Rangers are open to trading Frank Catalanotto. We mentioned yesterday that his contract is a bit of a burden.
- It seems that Jim Bowden is listening to offers for Cristian Guzman while also trying to sign him to an extension. From Guzman’s point of view, it might make sense to enter a weak shortstop market this winter.
- The Matt Capps injury apparently affects Damaso Marte‘s availability.
- The Marlins may make Mark Hendrickson available. The big lefty was replaced in the rotation by top prospect Chris Volstad.
Nelson Cruz Drawing Interest
28 year-old Rangers minor league outfielder Nelson Cruz has a career line of .231/.282/.385 in 478 plate appearances. So why is he drawing trade interest right now?
Cruz has utterly destroyed Triple A pitching this year, hitting a monstrous .343/.444/.689 in 80 games. He’s even cut down on the strikeouts somewhat. Of course, this is his fourth extended stint at Triple A and he’s mashed there before. But perhaps after Jack Cust last year teams will give these Quad-A types a closer look. Cruz, unlike Cust, can play right field. He does not appear to be in the Rangers’ plans.
Odds and Ends: Jack Wilson, Victor Zambrano, Bedard
Time to round up some non-Sabathia links.
- The Dodgers are restructuring their offer for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Ken Rosenthal.
- Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times has sources who believe at least one general manager is under suspicion as part of the Dominican player bonus-skimming investigation. Additionally, MLB might look into the Michel Inoa signing on the Rangers’ behalf.
- The Yankees plan to scout starter Victor Zambrano. He’ll be 33 soon, and has a 9.45 ERA in 40 Triple A innings.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times talks about Erik Bedard, who is now the best available southpaw starter.
- The Brad Lidge extension means Brett Myers will not close for the Phillies again.
Odds and Ends: LaRoche, Bonds, Salazar
As America collectively recovers from yesterday’s festivities, here are some odds and ends from the world of baseball.
- The Rangers signed 33 year-old reliever Kiko Calero to a minor league deal. Calero is currently pitching with a torn rotator cuff.
- The Dodgers’ Andy LaRoche commented to XM Radio on the idea of a C.C. Sabathia acquisition. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge that he could be part of such a deal.
- Larry King chatted with Barry Bonds a couple of weeks ago. His impression is that Bonds would like to play but doesn’t expect an offer. King also mentions an interesting unsubstantiated Boston rumor.
- Joe Frisaro of MLB.com thinks newly-DFA’ed Joe Borowski could be an option for the Marlins.
- The D-Backs DFA’d Jeff Salazar. The 27 year-old outfielder hit .202/.319/.333 in 117 plate appearances this year.
- With his salary due to more than double next year, Bronson Arroyo knows that this is "the prime year for me to be traded."
Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.
Odds and Ends: Yorman, Hamilton, Ng, Carrasco
Some odds and ends before you fire up the grill…
- The Twins signed their other first round pick, Carlos Gutierrez.
- According to Jeff Passan, 15 year-old Venezuelan center fielder Yorman Rodriguez may have already agreed to a deal with the Reds.
- MLB.com’s Jim Molony notes that the Phillies’ director of Major League scouting watched a recent Red Sox-Astros game.
- Like Brian Bannister, Arizona’s Max Scherzer uses an understanding of BABIP to his advantage.
- Josh Hamilton sensed jealousy in the Reds’ clubhouse. Wayne Krivsky says it wasn’t a factor in the trade but that "there were issues in the clubhouse."
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown has an article on Kim Ng.
- Phillies’ pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco has "mild soreness" in his pitching shoulder.
- Jeff Francoeur has been sent to Double A to reboot his swing.
- I chatted with Eric DeLash over at his blog. I also answered some questions from The Blog Of Champions.
Draft Roundup: Kelly, Scheppers, Inoa
Some draft notes for the morning…
- The Reds are still negotiating with Yonder Alonso.
- Boston’s first round pick, Casey Kelly, was seen wearing a Red Sox cap and hanging out around the team recently. However, negotiations have yet to begin and Kelly hasn’t decided between baseball and football. Baseball America says the Red Sox hope to develop Kelly as a pitcher if he signs, but Kelly appears to lean toward shortstop.
- Pirates pick Tanner Scheppers will undergo medical exams in Pittsburgh later this month. The results on his shoulder should guide negotiations. Meanwhile, the Bucs are expected to sign 16 year-old shortstop Jonathan Barrios on the international front.
- 16 year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa turned down a $5MM Major League deal from the Reds and a $5.2MM bonus from the Rangers to sign for $4.25MM with the A’s. It takes more than just money with these international free agents. Reds and Rangers fans should at least be pleased with the effort. By the way, the A’s are encouraging Inoa to go by Michael instead of Michel.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Padilla, Manny, Beltre, Dunn
Rumor man Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.
- At least three teams have inquired on the Rangers’ Vicente Padilla: the Mets, Yankees, and Brewers. Jon Daniels is looking for "quality young pitching."
- Manny Ramirez‘s $20MM option for ’09 isn’t a lock. It’s a tough call – .900 OPS players on one-year deals don’t grow on trees.
- Rosenthal suggests David DeJesus or Melky Cabrera would be nice fits for the Diamondbacks, who aren’t looking for a rental. He also speculates on names like Brian Giles, David Dellucci, and Randy Winn. Note: Rosenthal is playing GM here, not relaying inside info of trade talks.
- Rosenthal believes Matt Stairs would be a nice addition for the Dodgers, and notes that the Dodgers and Blue Jays have spoken. The Jays’ direction for ’08 is still uncertain though.
- Still sounds like it’d take a "knockout offer" to pry Rich Harden loose from the A’s.
- The A’s are said to like Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. He can block trades to eight unknown clubs though.
- Adam Dunn isn’t generating much trade interest yet.
- KC’s Ron Mahay is "drawing significant interest." The trade market for lefty relievers is fairly robust.
Gammons On The Cubs’ Starter Pursuit
ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog entry up, with the focus on the Cubs’ desire to add a starting pitcher. Gammons talked to a Cubs official who said, "We almost certainly will do something. But we really don’t want to give up Sean Gallagher at this point."
Here’s a quick rundown of the candidates:
- C.C. Sabathia – Cubs don’t believe they have enough to get him.
- Rich Harden – Gammons doesn’t specifically say the Cubs are interested, just that they’re monitoring Oakland.
- Randy Wolf – The Cubs have interest, and Gammons says Wolf would waive his no-trade to go to a contender. Plus, Wolf treated the Cubs well when they courted him in the 2006-07 offseason. Gammons adds that the Padres still like Matt Murton. History has shown that Jim Hendry and Kevin Towers work well together on trades.
- A.J. Burnett – The Cubs "also keep looking" at him. Last Thursday, Gammons’ colleague Jayson Stark hadn’t found "any indication that the Cubs have even batted his name around."
- Aaron Cook – Gammons says the Cubs would love him, but Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd said earlier this month, "We’re not doing anything with Cookie."
- Bronson Arroyo, Kevin Millwood – Gammons says the Cubs have "kicked around" these names.