Blue Jays Rumors

Odds And Ends: Cuban, Zaun, Hall, Mariners

By Alejandro Leal | October 11, 2008 at 10:55am CDT

Saturday morning linkage:

Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn’t consult the prospective new owners before picking up Rich Harden’s option, and that’s fine by Mark Cuban.
The Blue Jays are expected to pick up Rod Barajas’ option; there’s still a possibility that Gregg Zaun will return. The 37-year old Zaun is eligible to become a free agent.
Speaking of catchers, Sox Machine analyzes the pros/cons of the White Sox keeping or moving backup catcher Toby Hall.
The Yankees are correctly focusing on their rotation and will sign one or two free agent pitchers, thinks the LoHud Journal News’ Peter Abraham, which in turn may prohibit them from going after Mark Teixeira.
A’s assistant GM David Forst will not interview with the Mariners for their vacant GM position.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached hre: alexo05 *at* umpbump *dot* com.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Manny, Burnett

By Cork Gaines | October 10, 2008 at 12:36pm CDT

A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…

Royals Authority feels it will take a Johan Santana-type deal to trade Zack Greinke this offseason.
Goat Riders Of The Apocalypse takes an in depth look at the Cubs ’09 roster and what changes could be made.
Mets Geek (or is it Rays Geek?) thinks the most important move for the Mets this winter is to sign Manny Ramirez, but only for three-years and an option.
River Ave. Blues agree that Manny should only be signed by the Yankees if it can be done for less than five years.
MetsBlog calls Orlando Hudson a "must sign" this off-season.
The Chuck Knoblog doesn’t see how the Yankees can sign two big free agent pitchers and a first baseman and still get the payroll down to $180-185MM.
Drunk Jays Fans does not see any way A.J. Burnett will return to the Jays next season.
First And Goal From Second Base wants to see the Twins trade Jason Kubel for a reliever.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Burnett’s Opt-Out Decision Comes First

By Tim Dierkes | October 10, 2008 at 9:36am CDT

Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star talked to A.J. Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker. Braunecker says Burnett has until fifteen days after the World Series to decide whether to opt out, and there will be no contract discussions with the Blue Jays until that decision is made. So now the Jays play the waiting game…even though it’s obvious Burnett will opt out.

Kelly says Toronto is preparing an offer that would equate to four years, $54MM. That’s unlikely to get it done, though Braunecker says years are more important than dollars. His words:

"The primary issue would be how many years they would be willing to go. It’s difficult to get five years on a pitcher…but if indeed he says he wants another five-year deal, we may have to go out on the market to get that."

Burnett expects Braunecker to tell him what he’s worth, and it’s probably five years and more than $80MM.

Burnett’s Agent Speaks

By Tim Dierkes | October 7, 2008 at 1:37pm CDT

George King of the New York Post chatted with A.J. Burnett’s agent Darek Braunecker recently. Braunecker says Burnett does not want the free agent process to drag all winter if he does opt out. Burnett has a list of teams he does not want to play for, and the Yankees aren’t on it.

King notes that the Nationals were the only team besides the Blue Jays to offer Burnett five years back in ’05. This year King sees the Yanks, Red Sox, and Orioles in the mix. Burnett’s preference to be close to his Maryland home could be a factor. A few of other eastern teams that may be looking for pitching include the Braves, Mets, and Phillies.

Odds And Ends: Cardinals, Astros, K-Rod

By Alejandro Leal | October 4, 2008 at 10:32am CDT

Links for Saturday…

It doesn’t sound like Jon Daniels has autonomy in Texas.
Ian Hunter of Country 103.9 in Ontario recently talked to MLBTR about the Blue Jays. Click here to download the mp3.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty has talked to three or four of the Reds’ nine free agents. John Fay speculates those players are David Weathers, Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Lincoln, and Jeremy Affeldt.
The Padres’ grievance against shortstop Khalil Greene won’t be heard until spring. The case of Doyle Alexander may be a precedent; the Yankees were not able to recover any money after Alexander broke a knuckle by attacking a dugout wall in ’82.
Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at the Redbirds’ upcoming offseason. Leach estimates that after all the contract and arbitration items are settled, the Cards will have around $25MM to look for a middle infielder, a middle reliever, and perhaps a new closer or #4 or #5 type slugger.
Likewise, earlier this week Astros MLB.com beat writer Alyson Footer reported on GM Ed Wade’s offseason plans. Wade is expected to make some tweaks to the roster, but it’s unlikely he’ll make any major moves. Footer suggests the Astros could look for a couple of rotation arms, and speculates on the possibility of signing Ben Sheets.
The O.C. Register’s Mark Whicker doesn’t see Francisco Rodriguez coming back to the Angels.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 {at} umpbump {dot} com. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.

Offseason Outlook: Toronto Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes | October 3, 2008 at 3:23pm CDT

Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Blue Jays. Here’s the roster:

C – Rod Barajas – $2.5MM (club option)
C – Curtis Thigpen – $400K
1B – Lyle Overbay – $7MM
2B – Aaron Hill – $2.59MM (cleared for physical activity in October?)
SS – Marco Scutaro – $1.1MM
3B – Scott Rolen – $11MM
IF – John McDonald – $1.9MM
IF – Jose Bautista – $1.8MM+
IF/OF – Joe Inglett – $400K
LF – Travis Snider – $400K
CF – Vernon Wells – $10MM
RF – Alex Rios – $5.9MM
DH – Adam Lind – $400K

SP – Roy Halladay – $14.25MM
SP – Jesse Litsch – $400K
SP – Dustin McGowan – $404K (shoulder surgery July ’08)
SP – Casey Janssen – $404K (shoulder surgery March ’08)
SP – David Purcey – $400K

RP – B.J. Ryan – $10MM
RP/SP – Scott Downs – $3.75MM
RP – Jesse Carlson – $400K
RP – Jason Frasor – $1.125MM+
RP – Brian Tallet – $640K+
RP – Jeremy Accardo – $400K
RP – Brandon League – $400K+

Other bullpen candidates: Brian Wolfe – $400K, Shawn Camp – $412K+

Other rotation candidates: Scott Downs, Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil

I have the Jays with about $80MM committed plus arbitration raises to Bautista, Frasor, and League. After that they’ll still be under $85MM. The Blue Jays entered ’08 with a $98MM payroll, so they should have over $13MM+ to spend. ’09 payroll will apparently be "appropriate, but not significantly higher" than in ’08.

Let’s start with the rotation. Looks shaky, which shows you how quickly starting pitching depth can evaporate. The Jays will need one of McGowan and Janssen to return successfully from shoulder surgery, or for Downs to convert successfully back to starting. They’d look a lot better with another veteran starter. But do the math – if payroll stays the same the Jays will barely be able to squeeze in A.J. Burnett at $15-18MM. I don’t see Burnett remaining with the Jays.

The Blue Jays had a below-average offense in 2008. Maybe full seasons of Wells, Lind, Hill, and Snider can remedy that. The clearest position to upgrade via free agency is shortstop, where Rafael Furcal is tempting. A DH type like Milton Bradley, Jason Giambi, or Raul Ibanez could work if the Jays don’t mind sitting Snider or Lind.

Toronto seems to have a surplus in the bullpen, though not as much if Downs goes to the rotation. If he stays in the pen, J.P. Ricciardi should aggressively shop Ryan. Ryan at two years, $20MM looks decent in a weak closer market. That’d free up $10MM in ’09 payroll without weakening the team much. With that the Jays might be able to afford Furcal plus a free agent starter. Even then they’d need a lot of things to go right to snag a playoff spot in 2009.

Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Sabathia, Gillick

By Tim Dierkes | October 2, 2008 at 11:56am CDT

Your hot stove links for Thursday…

Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun thinks the Blue Jays should consider Rafael Furcal. I concur. But even after missing most of ’08, Furcal probably won’t have to take a one-year deal unless he wants to.
Phillies GM Pat Gillick didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to Toronto as the team president.
River Ave. Blues doesn’t see the Yankees or Red Sox acquiring Matt Holliday.
The Mariners are down to 10-12 names in their GM seach, before conducting a single interview.
David Steele of the Baltimore Sun wants the Orioles to give Daniel Cabrera one more chance. Cabrera is arbitration-eligible and should earn at least $3MM in 2009.
Jim Baumbach of Newsday looks at free agent considerations for the Yankees and Mets.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says there are indications the Giants will gauge C.C. Sabathia’s interest in signing with them. I would be surprised to see the Giants win the bidding.
Angels owner Arte Moreno seems willing to stretch payroll past $124MM for the right players. The Angels’ postseason performance will be a big factor.
Central Maine Sports Blog talked to Gary Carter, Buster Olney, Brad Wilkerson, and others about the Montreal Expos.

Odds and Ends: LaCava, Colletti, Andruw

By Tim Dierkes | October 1, 2008 at 12:00pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

I did a Q&A with the Roselle Press. The article includes a sweet picture of me hacking the Internet.
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald speculates on the new-look 2009 Marlins. If defense is a goal, they could look to acquire Adrian Beltre and try Jorge Cantu at first base. Randy Winn could improve the defense in right.
John Fay runs through the Reds’ nine free agents. He believes Jerry Hairston Jr. wants to return.
Brian Cashman wants to acquire a real first baseman, rather than have Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui spend time there.
The Mariners received permission to interview Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, according to Geoff Baker.
It’s still not known whether the Dodgers will bring GM Ned Colletti back for the final year of his contract. Interesting note from ESPN’s Buster Olney – the Andruw Jones signing was engineered by owner Frank McCourt rather than Colletti.
Olney feels Brian Cashman is more likely to pursue Derek Lowe than Mark Teixeira.
Will Joe Girardi’s presence discourage free agents from signing with the Yankees?
McCovey Chronicles sees the Giants trading for a second or third baseman this winter. I tossed out a bunch of names in my Offseason Outlook.
Pedro Alvarez clammed up when asked precisely what time he accepted the original deal from the Pirates.
MetsBlog tries to figure out whether Ryan Church loves or hates New York.
Oliver Perez predicts a tough offseason following the Mets’ final-day elimination. On the bright side, he stands to earn a ridiculous amount of money as a free agent.

Odds and Ends: Byrnes, Teixeira, Swisher

By Tim Dierkes | September 30, 2008 at 3:25pm CDT

Random links for Tuesday…

SI.com’s Jon Heyman notes that a Cy Young award for Johan Santana would lock in his 2014 option at $25MM.
Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball wonders if the Mets might end up signing Ivan Rodriguez.
The Jays officially received Fabio Castro to complete the Matt Stairs deal. Buster Olney had this one in August.
Bummer to see Larry Borowsky of Viva El Birdos stepping down from blogging. He’s been my favorite Cardinals writer.
Nick Piecoro wonders if Eric Byrnes could be traded for another bad contract player like Luis Castillo.
The Red Sox treated Mark Teixeira poorly when he was drafted as an 18 year-old. That will have no bearing this winter, though.
From last Friday…Nick Swisher is frustrated with his lack of playing time in Chicago. Doesn’t make him trade bait, though.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mariners GM, Burnett

By Tim Dierkes | September 29, 2008 at 3:18pm CDT

Check out Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video from last weekend. Some highlights:

The Mariners are looking for fresh blood in their GM search. A few names in the mix: Kim Ng, Jerry DiPoto, and Tony LaCava. If the Mariners opt for experience they could try to lure Brian Cashman or even Brian Sabean.
Rosenthal notes that an offer of essentially four years, $54MM from the Jays won’t cut it for A.J. Burnett. Instead of $13.5MM a year, he’ll receive $15-20MM per according to Rosenthal. Ken sees the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets in the mix if C.C. Sabathia winds up on the West Coast.
Jeff Blair muses on Burnett in the Globe and Mail today. He sees Burnett getting between $15-18MM per year, and more than the four years the Jays are willing to give. Interesting note from Buster Olney last weekend – he says the Braves have been scouting Burnett closely.

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