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Stark On Lee, Prince, Braves, Nationals

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ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark debated the pros and cons of moving back the trade deadline with a number of MLB general managers. The group was divided on whether to move the deadline to August, but Stark suggests we’re not likely to see MLB make such changes any time soon. Here are some more hot stove updates from around the league:

  • One source told Stark that Cliff Lee will follow the money this winter: “Cliff would go to Siberia if they offered him the biggest contract."
  • Rival teams expect the Brewers to look into trading Prince Fielder this winter. One executive told Stark that the Brewers were “shocked” not to see more interest in Prince before the trade deadline.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren has often jokingly told Billy Wagner that it’s too soon for him to retire. The lefty maintains that his playing days are over after 2010.
  • Wren says the Braves are assuming that Chipper Jones, who is under contract next year, will be back in 2011.
  • Nationals president Stan Kasten told Stark that Washington will be "more aggressive than we've ever been" this offseason. Presumably that means they’ll try to re-sign Adam Dunn and offer Carl Crawford a contract.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Torre, Padres, Strasburg

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On this date in 1998, the Mariners traded Joey Cora to the Indians for David Bell. More than a decade later, Cora is still making headlines in Cleveland – sort of. The White Sox coach translated for Manny Ramirez at this afternoon’s Progressive Field press conference. Here are some more links as we await another round of trades…

  • The Braves are listening to offers for Troy Glaus, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). On Sunday we heard that multiple AL teams have some interest in Glaus.
  • The A's re-signed Tommy Everidge, who played for Oakland last year, but hasn't appeared in the majors since, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page.
  • Dodgers manager Joe Torre told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he expects to be able to work out a deal with the Dodgers this offseason if he decides to manage in 2011 (Twitter link).
  • The Padres are still interested in adding a starting pitcher, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). MLBTR's Tim Dierkes provided a list of potentially available starters earlier today. Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Padres claimed a number of pitchers, but weren't able to work out any deals (Twitter link).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Stephen Strasburg will undergo Tommy John surgery this Friday.
  • MLBPA leader Michael Weiner told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork that the hearing between Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets will take place in mid-October (Twitter link).

 

Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman

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More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Ramirez, Hernandez, Orioles

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Sunday night linkage..

  • The risk factor in signing Carl Crawford depends on the length of the deal given to him, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • In a pinch-hitting appearance, Manny Ramirez was ejected from today's game after the very first pitch for arguing balls and strikes.  Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News wonders (via Twitter) if the slugger intentionally got himself tossed.
  • Nats GM Mike Rizzo says that Livan Hernandez deserved to receive a contract extension before the season's end, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post.
  • The Orioles will end their 53-season relationship with Bluefield, West Virginia where the club has its Rookie-level affiliate, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.

Nationals Extend Livan Hernandez

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4:21pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Hernandez received an incentive-laden contract with a $1MM base salary. If he can come anywhere near his 2010 performance, he'll be a steal at that price. Livan's been a 2.7 WAR pitcher so far, and Fangraphs values his performance at $10.7MM.

3:44pm: The Nationals have signed Livan Hernandez to a contract for 2011, tweets MASN's Ben Goessling. The team has confirmed the deal through a press release.

Hernandez has been a pleasant surprise for the Nationals in 2010, to say the very least. Expected to be a marginal innings eater at best, he's instead posted a 3.49 ERA through 175.1 innings. His minimal strikeout totals (4.7 K/9) are expected, but complemented with Hernandez's usual strong control (2.8 BB/9).

The Nationals can use all the rotation help they can get, on the heels of the news that phenom Stephen Strasburg has a significant tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery.

It may be unfair to expect an encore performance of the reborn Hernandez in 2011; he's allowing his fewest number of hits (almost exactly one per inning) since his All-Star campaign in 2004 with the Washington franchise when they were still based in Montreal. Still, if he can continue to limit the walks and home runs, he's a low-risk option to be a serviceable rotation arm at a reasonable price.

Dunn Likely Headed For Free Agency

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Even though Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has spoken about his desire to sign Adam Dunn to a contract extension, the first baseman seems headed for free agency after the season. Dunn told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that nothing is imminent, and that he "assumes" he will end the season without an extension in place.

Dunn, 30, was reportedly seeking a three or four year deal to stick with the Nationals, but it doesn't seem as if the two sides ever got all that close to reaching an agreement on an extension. An unknown team claimed Dunn off waivers earlier this month, but no trade was made. Interest in the slugger was abundant before the trade deadline as well.

With offense and power trending downward throughout the league, Dunn's consistent homerun prowess has become increasingly more valuable despite his well-publicized defensive shortcomings. He's currently on pace for 39 homers, which would make 2010 the seventh consecutive season in which he's gone deep at least 38 times. Similar to the deadline, there would be a long line of teams bidding for Dunn's services as a free agent after the season.

Will The Cubs Sign Adam Dunn?

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With the caveat that free agent destinations are difficult to predict in August, Adam Dunn and the Cubs are an agreeable match.  The Cubs badly need a left-handed power bat at first base, and Dunn is a fan of Wrigley Field and Cubs GM Jim Hendry, based on comments he made to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  ESPN's Buster Olney guesses that a four-year offer from the Cubs would seal the deal.  The Cubs currently project to have the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft, which will be protected if they sign a Type A free agent who turned down an arbitration offer.

Dunn twice mentioned his ongoing contract talks with the Nationals in his conversation with Wittenmyer.  How likely is an extension?  According to MASN's Ben Goessling, team sources "are skeptical that the Nationals will re-sign the first baseman before he hits free agency."  What's more, one Nationals source says the team's braintrust "loves" Carlos Pena.  Pena has slumped to a .213/.338/.439 line in 2010, but he won't require a four-year deal.  As a Scott Boras client, I wonder if Pena prefers a one-year pact.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Ross, Lee, White Sox, Dodgers

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Sunday night linkage..

  • The Nats still expect to see Yunesky Maya pitch for them before the end of the year, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Pirates opened up their books to the media and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the goods.
  • Florida held on to Cody Ross until August because they had hoped to reassert themselves in the playoff chase, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • It doesn't sound as though Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter) likes the Mets chances of landing Cliff Lee this offseason.
  • Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that Ken Williams isn't on the road with the White Sox but he doesn't know if the GM is going after someone on the waiver wire.
  • Dodgers skipper Joe Torre thinks that late season callups can create an unfair advantage, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.

Odds & Ends: Barajas, Piniella, Nats, Ramirez, Jackson

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From the South Bay to the Valley, from the West Side to the East Side, everybody is very happy because Vin Scully will return in 2011.  Let's check out some links from around the web..

Discussion: The Nationals’ 2011 First Baseman

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Adam Dunn's defensive limitations are under scrutiny again today after a pair of plays he failed to make in last night's 1-0 loss to Philadelphia, writes Ben Goessling of MASN.com. It's "no secret," according to Goessling, that as the Nationals decide whether or not to extend Dunn past this season, his defense is one of their primary concerns.

Dunn's prowess at the plate is undisputed; with 31 home runs and a slash line of .266/.354/.557 this year, The 30-year-old is poised to match or top last year's .267/.398/.529, 38-homer campaign. And his defense at first base has actually improved, according to UZR. Playing the infield on a full-time basis for the first time this season, Dunn's UZR/150 is only slightly below average, at -1.3. Still, UZR is a statistic best evaluated over multiple seasons, and Dunn's career numbers aren't flattering.

It could cost Washington in excess of $40MM to lock up Dunn to a multi-year extension, and it's unclear whether they'd want to commit that money to a player some observers feel is more suited to DHing. Additionally, Dunn projects as a Type A free agent and could net the Nats compensation picks if he signs elsewhere. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted, the club figures to offer Dunn arbitration even if they think he may accept, since they could live with having him for one year at around $15MM.

Goessling indicates that the Nats would have some interest in Carlos Pena, who will also be a free agent this winter. Pena isn't as dangerous offensively as Dunn, but he has a similar power stroke and is more adept in the field. Other above-average defensive players available this offseason in an overcrowded first base market include Derrek Lee and Lyle Overbay. Both players have struggled offensively at times this year, but are still helping their teams defensively.

Will concerns about Dunn's defense mean the Nats let him walk this winter? How much money and how many years would you commit to the slugger if you were running the organization? Or would you elect to pursue another corner infielder instead?

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