Uncategorized News & Rumors

If you enjoy MLBTradeRumors, go vote for us in the Blogger’s Choice Awards!  I noticed we have only two votes.  We can do better than that.  You will have to create a login but it’s brief and I would appreciate it.  And leave some comments over there too! 

Let’s review the sidebar content here at MLBTR.

Here’s an important one: the MLBTR search box.  Scroll down a bit and you can’t miss it on the lefthand sidebar.  Type in any player, word, phrase, team, fragment, whatever.  Use it like you would Google.

Below that we have the MLBTR Features.  These are mostly the "series" type posts I do when I have some down time – Needs and Luxuries, GM Trade Profiles, and Team Outlooks.  I’ve also got the go-to list type posts, with the most popular being the 2008 Free Agents.  That one will always be kept up-to-date as players sign.

Then I’ve got our network, which basically consists of this site, RotoAuthority, and AllCubs.  RotoAuthority is my fantasy baseball site.  I try to post there at least once daily, and Adam Howe also pitches in.  Unfortunately I haven’t had time to post at AllCubs in quite a while.  That site instead relies on a roster of Cubs fans/writers I’ve recruited. 

Then you’ve got the 20 most recent posts.  Self-explanatory. 

After that is the Browse All Rumors section.  This is a great way to browse through player names.  Before the search bar I used this often to recall what I’d written on certain players.  For example, here are all the posts I’ve written that reference Hiroki Kuroda.

Then we have the Archives.  This contains the last 15 months, though if you click on the Archives hyperlink you’ll see that the site actually goes back to November of 2005.

Got A Rumor links to my main email address.  Feel free to drop me a line if you’ve got a rumor you haven’t seen on the site.  I read every email and appreciate 99.9% of them.  Sometimes I can take a while to reply though.

Then we’ve got the MLBTR Mailing List.  If you sign up for this, you’ll receive a daily email with all of my posts in full.  Your email adress will never be used for anything else.

Below that is Syndication.  Some of you know how "feeds," work, some don’t.  I just started using a feed reader a few months ago.  I’m glad I did.  Click here to read more about how these work.  We have over 4,000 feed subscribers currently.  Even if it’s new to you, give it a try!

Then we have Team Rumors.  Clicking on a team will show all posts that reference that team.  If you really only care about one club, you could just bookmark your team link and refresh that regularly.

Yet another collection of random recommended links…

• East Windup Chronicle discusses Chien-Ming Wang‘s fame.  I hadn’t realized he boycotted the Taiwanese press.
• RotoAuthority takes a look at Mets starters in its Danger Zone series.  The feature is designed to identify starters whose innings have escalated by 30 or more this year.
• If the Dodgers don’t exercise his $1.4MM option for ’08, Mike Lieberthal will retire. 
• ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently mentioned that if the Royals are sold on Joey Gathright in center field, they could shop David DeJesus this winter.
• Could you imagine the Dodgers with Clay Buchholz?  L.A. scouting director Logan White wanted to use the 40th pick on him in the ’05 draft, but the Dodgers took Luke Hochevar instead (and failed to sign him).
• It will be the Padres or retirement for Greg Maddux next year.  He’s a fine deal at one-year, $10MM.  How has Mad Dog been so remarkably durable throughout his career?  What’s his secret? 
• Speaking of the over-40 crowd, Luis Gonzalez hopes to play two more seasons.

My apologies for the lack of posts the last couple of days.  I went on a mini-vacation, and as you know this is a slow time for trade and signing rumors anyway.  Things will pick up again in November.

In the meantime, let’s use this post for suggestions on some topics you’d like to see covered here at MLBTR during September and October.  Free agent player profiles and free agent position breakdowns are probably coming soon.  Also I received a suggestion for breaking down each position in terms of needs.  For example: who needs a catcher this winter, and which teams have a surplus?

Let me know any other ideas for posts for the next couple of months.

Some random rumor tidbits for the weekend…

• Buster Olney checked with some execs on the trade value of Eric Chavez.  Given the player’s declining health, indications are that the A’s would have to eat some money and would not receive any top prospects in return.  Might be better just to hang onto him for 2008 and hope he can rebuild some value.
• The Cardinals acquired Russell Branyan.  Branyan’s been well-traveled this year.  It looks like Scott Rolen may miss the rest of the season, so Branyan will add some depth there.  Brendan Ryan is still the starter at present though.
• Apparently a Ryan Klesko to Detroit rumor surfaced yesterday, but it didn’t happen.  The Giants did a nice job moving Matt Morris but are stuck with many, many overpaid aging veterans.  I fear this team might try to win and rebuild in ’08, and that rarely works.
• Randy Wolf signed a below-market deal guaranteeing him $8MM in ’07 with a $9MM club option for ’08.  Now that he’s having shoulder surgery, that option will be declined.  At the minimum Wolf could’ve snagged three years, $24MM last winter. Let this be a lesson to Matt Clement, Freddy Garcia, Jason Jennings, and Rodrigo Lopez – get the best deal you can.  Though to be fair, Wolf’s discount was more of the hometown variety than injury-related.
• Bucco Blog is endorsing Tony LaCava for the next Pirates CEO/President.  Support is building for this guy.  Too bad it’s not an election.

Here’s a random smattering of links and rumors for your enjoyment.

• Joba Chamberlain‘s slider gives a whole new meaning to the term "unhittable."
• There’s informed speculation that the player to be named later going to Detroit in the Craig Monroe deal will be Clay Rapada.
• A source tells me the Braves have had internal discussions about trading Edgar Renteria in the offseason and giving the shortstop job to Yunel Escobar.  The Cardinals, Tigers, and A’s could be interested.
• Word on the street is that the Diamondbacks plan on re-signing first baseman/pinch-hitter Tony Clark for 2008.  He’s a good clubhouse guy with pop off the bench from both sides of the plate.
• The Red Sox signed Royce Clayton to a minor-league deal.  Why?  No one knows.
• Out with Brett Tomko, in with David Wells for the Dodgers. Jon Weisman reflects on a signing that never made sense.  Funny to hear Wells wisecracking about his replacement while standing a few feet away from Tomko.
• Jose Guillen‘s now talking three years guaranteed for his next deal, and he’s no longer in a rush.  Talks are ongoing.

Now that Carlos Zambrano is officially an $18MM a year pitcher – and the open market would’ve given him more – the future of other top starters is the hot topic of discussion.  Even at a discount Zambrano’s average annual value is the highest ever for a pitcher’s multiyear contract.

We’ll start with the best of the best, Johan Santana.  We might as well get used to the Johan speculation, because it’s going to be filling newspapers until he signs his next contract.  As much as he’d like to stay, how can the Twins possibly sign him if the starting point is 5/90?  The Seattle Times’ Larry Stone dreams on the possibility of a Johan/Felix combo, but of course it’d require gutting the farm system (and Santana waiving his no-trade clause).  Not enough talk about his NTC.  Anyway, let’s face it.  Santana gives the Twins the best chance to win in 2008, so they’ll keep him through the end of his contract.  Minnesota’s staff looks excellent for ’08 with Francisco Liriano returning.

C.C. Sabathia also reaches free agency after the ’08 season.  The Indians haven’t begun active negotiations with him, and Paul Hoynes believes he could only fit into the payroll if the Tribe goes deep into the postseason this year.  Like Santana, the Indians would keep Sabathia through the end of his contract to try to win next year.  Jon Garland, Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets are the other big names in the 2008-09 class.

Jake Peavy knows he won’t get a fair offer from the Padres.  He’ll be a free agent after ’09.  Erik Bedard, Kelvim Escobar, John Lackey, and Brad Penny are all set to join his free agent class.  I can see Bedard and Penny hitting the open market, while the Halo hurlers might sign extensions.      

Some good lunchtime readin’ for you today…

• This column is about a week old, but worth a read.  Tim Marchman believes the trade deadline should be abolished.  What do you think?  Obviously we here at MLBTR form a biased sample; you probably love deadline day if you read this site regularly.  While I agree that there is no great reason to set a July 31 deadline, it does generate concentrated trade and rumor activity and draw a lot of interest.  A lot of baseball’s rules and systems seem kind of arbitrary, so if the fans love the trade deadline I think that’s reason enough to keep it.
• Jamey Newberg gives us the details of the Rick Helling trades in 1996 and 1997; as always, it’s an interesting account.
• The Cardinals called up their sixth outfielder – Rick Ankiel.  He was given very little chance to crack the Majors as an outfielder, but here we are.  Maybe he can log a few garbage innings if needed, too.
• The Indians flipped Russell Branyan over to the Phillies.
• DRays Bay interviews a young Devil Rays executive. 
• Jacob Jackson at The Hardball Times has a plan to fix the Pirates.
• How about Kevin Millar for Wily Mo?  Could the Orioles even get Millar through waivers?
• Some players to consider if your fantasy team needs Ks.
• This could be useful.

Many trade candidates weren’t moved today.  We’ll get into the August possibilities tomorrow, but for now let’s review who stayed put.

White Sox: Jose Contreras, Jon Garland, Javier Vazquez, Jermaine Dye.  It seems that teams just couldn’t find a market for their crappy starters like Contreras and Steve Trachsel.  As for Garland and Vazquez, Kenny Williams can still trade one of them this winter for an outfielder.  Seems like Dye was nearly a member of the Red Sox, but Williams prefers two good draft picks to Wily Mo Pena and Craig Hansen.  The White Sox, though, required one of Justin Masterson and Manny Delcarmen instead of Pena.  I would be surprised if the Sox sign Dye to an extension.

Nationals: Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Ryan Church.  Another situation where the GM asked for the moon at the deadline and decided to just hold off.  These three will also be worth just as much this winter, but may seem more appealing compared to pricey free agents.  Plus, more teams will be in the mix.  Jim Bowden wanted more than just Philip Humber for Cordero from the Mets.

Reds: Bronson Arroyo, David Weathers, Jeff Conine, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr.  Wayne Krivsky had some opportunities to blow this team up and try to rebuild in 2008.  Waiting until winter makes sense with Junior, though I don’t buy Steve Phillips’ assertion that the fans will stop showing up if he’s traded.  Dunn, I would’ve dealt.  Some no-trade protection kicks in if and when they exercise his $13MM option for ’08.  As Arroyo and Weathers, you keep them around if you expect to win in ’08.  I guess that’s the plan.  I would’ve taken Reyes and Escobar for Arroyo if it was truly offered.

Twins: Torii Hunter, Carlos Silva.  Haven’t really hard of any concrete offers on Hunter, so it’s hard to say whether Terry Ryan was better served to just take draft picks.  Plus, he may want to make some kind of three-year, $40MM offer for PR’s sake.  Keeping Silva, though, I don’t get.  He should’ve fetched something useful and doesn’t need to be on the 2008 team.

Marlins: Armando Benitez, Byung-Hyun Kim.  No one wants these dudes – both have walk problems. 

Devil Rays: Dan Wheeler, Al Reyes, Jonny Gomes.  What was the best offer for Reyes?  Sounds like the Mariners didn’t get desperate and offer Jeff Clement.  As for Gomes, he represents a surplus.  But maybe he can get out of Joe Maddon’s doghouse and be the team’s full-time DH in 2008.  There’s no rush to trade him.

Giants: Steve Kline, Ray Durham, Dave Roberts, Omar Vizquel, Ryan Klesko.  Props to Sabean for ditching Matt Morris’s contract – better late than never.  As McCovey Chronicles points out, a shrewd GM might have shopped Noah Lowry for a sweet bounty of much-needed position players.  I imagine there just wasn’t a market at all for some of the vets listed here.

Pirates: Shawn Chacon, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Jack Wilson.  It’s easy to rip on the Pirates, so I will.  I can’t believe Dave Littlefield couldn’t get something decent for Marte, who is a premium lefty-killer.  And it seems like the Tigers really wanted Wilson – eat some salary and get him outta there!

Rangers: Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson.  Still liked either for the Mets, but overall the Rangers done good for themselves.

Royals: Odalis Perez, Reggie Sanders, Emil Brown, Mark Grudzielanek.  I’m sure the market was zip for most of these guys, but I would’ve really liked to see Dayton Moore clear ’em out to give more playing time to the kids in the last two months.  Out with the old, in with the nucleus, to quote the Simpsons.  Benching or cutting some of these players might be embarrassing.

Orioles: Steve Trachsel, Chad Bradford, Kevin Millar, Jay Payton.  Trading these four might’ve been akin to admitting their signings were a mistake.  Maybe that’s why the O’s couldn’t get anything done.

Athletics: Mike Piazza, Joe Kennedy, Joe Blanton, Dan Johnson, Shannon Stewart.  The A’s are notorious for collecting draft picks, so it’s not a surprise to see them hang on to Piazza and Kennedy.  Piazza may be moved in August anyway.  We don’t know what offers were out there for Blanton, but he can be shopped this winter when guys like Jeff Weaver are signing for $9MM.  The A’s didn’t unload Johnson, and his value will probably drop if he sits on the bench.

Buster Olney just reported on ESPN that the Mark Teixeira trade is officially complete and does not involve Kyle Davies.  And then Jayson Stark reported that the Davies for Dotel deal is complete.