Odds And Ends: Reyes, Colon, Indians, Nationals
A few notes from the MLBiverse…
- Anthony Reyes, who has been the object of much trade speculation, made his first start at AAA on Friday night. Reyes pitched 3+ scoreless innings with a strict pitch-count. The Cardinals appear to be reconverting Reyes into a starter in the hopes of increasing his value for potential trade partners.
- Jim Bowden hinted that he may implement a full-fledged youth movement in the near future, noting that a number of top prospects are close to being ready. Specifically, he mentioned two outfielders which would likely mean that Bowden will seek to move Austin Kearns and/or Wily Mo Pena. Kearns is due $8MM next year and there is a $10MM option for 2010 ($1M buyout). Pena may be easier to move with only a $5MM team option for 2009.
- Justice B. Hill suggests that the Indians are now paying the price for their inability to swing a deal this past offseason for another offensive weapon at one of the corner outfield spots or third base. The timing of the story was unfortunate as the Tribe laid a 12-spot on the Jays last night.
- The Red Sox do not have a need for a starting pitcher at this point, but they may soon have one too many arms for the rotation if Bartolo Colon continues to progress. Colon allowed one run in three innings, touching 97 on the radar gun. The obvious move would be to move somebody to the bullpen, but if somebody does go down with an injury, Colon’s availability likely means that the Red Sox will not be in the market for an extra arm down the stretch.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
More Rosenthal’s Latest
Slow day for rumors, and yet Ken Rosenthal gets two posts! No surprise there. This time from his nifty sidebar Notes of Importance:
- With John Smoltz returning as the closer, the Braves will be exploring trades for a starter. Rosenthal says Atlanta could afford to give up prospects but won’t overpay. MLBTR covered this a couple days ago.
- Doing his best Monty Python, Rosenthal looks on the bright of life and sees the Troy Tulowitzki injury as an opportunity for Clint Barmes to rebuild his trade value. If he can produce anywhere near the level of his 80+ games in ’05 then Barmes could generate a lot of interest. If not, then we’ll continue to mention venison whenever Barmes comes up in conversation. I think Barmes has a lot of proving to do to be looked at favorably by scouts as he’d become a bit of a liability for the Rockies both in the field and at the plate.
- At the moment, the Nationals are carrying three catchers: Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, and Wil Nieves. Lo Duca is off the DL and returning to starting. Estrada is making $1.25MM and could be released, suggest Rosenthal. Nieves, however, signed with the Nats for less money over the Yankees in the offseason, hoping for a better opportunity. If the Nats put him on waivers, the Yankees – who wanted to retain Nieves – may indeed claim him if they view him as a better option than Chad Moeller.
By Nat Boyle
Rosenthal’s Latest: Krivsky, Scherzer, Edwin Jackson
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let’s take a look.
- Rosenthal gives a good refresher on July trade candidates; pretty much the names you’d expect.
- Reasons for Wayne Krivsky’s firing are discussed. By the way check out John Fay’s blog for some candid final comments from Krivsky. One interesting note is that he had no extension talks with Adam Dunn.
- The D’Backs could use Max Scherzer to strengthen their bullpen, or they could shop Chad Tracy for a reliever.
- Rosenthal wonders whether the Nationals might consider the under-30 segment of the next free agent class.
- Plenty of teams continue to express interest in the Rays’ Edwin Jackson. Something has to give in their rotation when Scott Kazmir returns, but demoting Andy Sonnanstine to the pen would solve the logjam.
Odds and Ends: Crisp, King, Sweeney
Here’s today’s linkage.
- Bobby Kielty‘s hand injury drastically reduces the chance of a Coco Crisp trade within the next month.
- Who needs a lefty reliever? The Nationals’ Ray King would like to be traded rather than head to Triple A.
- Mike Sweeney was excited about signing with the Twins last winter, but the Craig Monroe trade ended that possibility. Susan Slusser doesn’t expect the A’s to keep both Frank Thomas and Sweeney for very long.
- Joe Sports Fan ranks the seven best long-term contracts. Any additions? How about Dan Haren at four years and $12.65MM?
Free Agent Stock Watch: Cristian Guzman
Time for the first edition of Free Agent Stock Watch. Today we’ll look at the rising stock of 30 year-old Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman, who is eligible for free agency after the ’08 season.
Jim Bowden was heavily criticized for signing the switch-hitting Guzman to a four-year, $16.8MM deal in November of ’04. He was considered an all-glove, no-hit player. Guzman was awful for most of ’05, though poor eyesight was suggested as one explanation.
Guzman then missed all of ’06 with shoulder surgery. The following season was cut short by hamstring and thumb problems. But since ’07 he’s been a surprisingly respectable hitter in a half-season of ABs. He may be the slightly more affordable alternative to Rafael Furcal and Orlando Cabrera next winter. If Guzman stays healthy and somehow posts an .800 OPS (with 90+ runs scored) he could be in line for a three-year, $21MM deal.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
Bunch of random topics so let’s just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere…
- Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup…Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds would already be in uniform if he had come out said he would play 2008 for $3-5MM plus incentives? The baggage is what it is, but teams might find it easier to deal with it at a price Bonds is not likely to accept.
- Rockin’ The Red takes a look at the five Cardinals that are most likely to be traded during the season…Chris Duncan is an interesting name on the list. With all the outfielders that the Cards have, Duncan is a solid bat that is likely to be a Super-2 at the end of the year.
- The Yankees: Minors to Majors looks at the pending free agents for the Yankees and concludes that there is plenty of compensation picks to be had giving the Yankees plenty of flexibility to sign a high-end free agent like C.C. Sabathia…Of course, that is assuming the Yankees would let something like draft pick compensation stand in the way of signing a free agent. Not likely.
- Wrigleyville23 has had enough of the Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs media reports…Who?
- The Bronx Zoo would love to see Nick Johnson back in a Yankees’ uniform but notes that Dmitri Young may not be a dependable replacement for the Nats.
- Mets Fever notes that eight players have moved among the Brewers, Mets and Nats since this offseason…Let’s just say that the Brewers did not get the best of that "three-way trade".
- One writer at DRays Bay is hoping the Rays and M’s can re-engage talks for Edwin Jackson…The M’s may be interested once again after being two-hit by Jackson yesterday, but maybe the price just went up.
- One name that kept popping up recently as a possible trade piece in the near future was Rich Harden. Well, Harden has once again found himself on the DL and Athletics Nation is not taking it well.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Rauch, Fielder, Braun, Garcia
Some links for you to peruse…
- We suggested on Wednesday that Jon Rauch makes sense for Detroit. That same day, the Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga wrote that the Tigers "will watch Rauch very closely."
- You have to appreciate Matt Morris‘ candor regarding his salary.
- We learned on Saturday that the Brewers made offers to sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Today the team’s owner said talks with both are ongoing. Other multiyear offers have been made, though the players are not known. Tom Haudricourt speculates on Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo, J.J. Hardy, and Rickie Weeks.
- Ken Rosenthal sees Freddy Garcia landing with the Mets later this summer. I’ll stick with the opinion that he’s a nonfactor this year.
Tigers Eyeing Chad Cordero?
Matt Palmer and John Keim of the Washington Examiner write that the Nationals and Tigers discussed Chad Cordero this spring. Their source believes the Tigers’ interest will heighten if their bullpen struggles early on. The article doesn’t cover suggest it, but the Tigers could also consider relievers Jon Rauch or Luis Ayala. A look at the three:
- Cordero, 26, earns $6.8MM in ’08. He’ll be a free agent after the ’09 season. Cordero hasn’t pitched yet this season due to shoulder tendinitis, and he wasn’t at his typical velocity in spring. His control was off in ’07 and he was more hittable than ever. Jim Bowden won’t get full value if he trades Cordero soon.
- Rauch, 29, earns $1.2MM in ’08, $2MM in ’09, and has a $2.9MM club option for ’10. He showed the best control of his career in ’07, and he’s second in line for saves in Washington. He has more trade value than Cordero – he’s completely healthy and signed cheaply.
- Ayala, 30, earns $1.7MM in ’08 and then reaches free agency. He may not be a fit for Detroit – he pitches to contact, and their bullpen already has those types. Ayala had Tommy John surgery in March of ’06.
Could Cubs Switch From Roberts To López?
Nationals infielder Felipe López has been adamant about being their starting second baseman, but word out of National’s camp is that Ronnie Belliard is their guy at second. López has played some short this spring, but Cristian Guzman has that position locked up, which all but ensures López a backup role and a warm seat in the bench.
López isn’t too happy about that, but will he demand a trade? The Nats’ front office says it won’t be forced into making a deal. However, according to the Washington Post, the Nats are indeed actively shopping López. The Cubs had scouts in the seats for Friday’s game.
As you’re more than aware, the Cubs have been in constant discussions with the Orioles about Brian Roberts, but both teams are far from reaching a deal. It’s possible the Cubs are considering Plan B.
Alejandro Leal writes for umpbump.com. He can be reached here.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Loretta, Ensberg, Lopez, Ring
Ken Rosenthal has some Spring Training odds and ends this morning.
- Rosenthal adds Mark Loretta as a possible third base acquisition for the Dodgers. Given their desire for a relatively affordable guy who can also handle second, Rosenthal has linked them to Ron Belliard and Esteban German previously. Loretta shouldn’t be too hard to pry away from the Astros. Though he can’t play second, Morgan Ensberg could be an option if the Yankees let him leave.
- The Nats are shopping Felipe Lopez, who’s said he wouldn’t be content on the bench. Rosenthal says the Nationals have their eye on awful shortstop Angel Berroa as a possible replacement, which is strange on multiple levels. Not only is Berroa not a Major Leaguer at this point, but the Nats plan to use Cristian Guzman at short.
- Royce Ring is said to be "perhaps the most available of the Braves’ out of options relievers." Who needs a lefty?