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Archives for February 2009

Padres Eyeing Livan Hernandez, Cliff Floyd

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Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune talked to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who said last week he’s interested in starter Livan Hernandez and outfielder Cliff Floyd.  The Padres are no longer targeting a $40MM payroll, so it seems they can afford to add a million or two for these two free agents.  The Padres have two open spots in the rotation.

Hernandez, 34 in February, posted a 6.05 ERA and 3.35 K/9 in 180 innings last year for the Twins and Rockies.  He earned $5MM.  Floyd, 36, hit .268/.349/.455 in 284 plate appearances for the Rays last year; he suffered a slightly torn labrum in the World Series.  He earned $2.75MM and had an ’09 option for the same amount declined in November.

Center adds that the Padres had free agent pitchers Brian Lawrence, Steve Trachsel, and Scott Elarton work out at Petco Park recently but decided not to invite them to Spring Training (Ben mentioned this on Saturday; just a reminder).  Trachsel was designated for assignment by the Orioles in June of last year and was thought to be considering retirement.

Orioles Close To Deal With Cubs For Hill

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9:41pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has more on the Orioles trading for Cubs pitcher Rich Hill.

The deal would be for a player to be named later, Zrebiec writes, and it could be announced as early as Monday.

Hill will be reunited with pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Alan Dunn, who worked with him in the Cubs’ organization, Zrebiec notes.

Hill is out of options, so he’ll have to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster or they could lose him. … Hill will be given an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation, which currently has three vacancies behind Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara.

6:12pm: Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun believes the Baltimore Orioles will complete a trade for Cubs left-handed pitcher Rich Hill by Tuesday — if the Orioles will do the deal at all.

Schmuck writes that now other organizations are aware that Hill could be made available, additional teams — including the Royals and Mariners — could make an offer.

Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail might be waiting to see if he can sign free agent right-handed pitcher Braden Looper, Schmuck adds.

They might be willing to acquire both pitchers, but there is the small matter of moving players off the 40-man roster to make room, so maybe Andy is just going to take one or the other.

Hill, 29 in March, is 18-17 in 57 starts with a 4.37 ERA during a short four-season career. He spend much of 2008 in Triple-A.

Looper, 34, went 12-14 in 33 starts with a 4.16 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals last season.

Guillen Offers Updates at SoxFest

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8:30pm: Gonzales has another story up on the Tribune’s site with regard to Guillen and the Chicago White Sox.

Guillen said catcher A.J. Pierzynski will remain the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, according to Gonzales. Guillen also said Pierzynski will remain the primary catcher, which curbs suggestions that the Sox will go after free agent Ivan Rodriguez.

Guillen also reiterated what pitching coach Don Cooper has stated: Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Bartolo Colon (if healthy) will man the first four rotation spots.

Indications are that prized left-hander Aaron Poreda has an excellent shot at making the Opening Day roster, even if he doesn’t beat out Clayton Richard or Jeff Marquez for the fifth starter’s spot, Gonzales writes.

Guillen told Gonzales that he expects Wilson Betemit to be capable of playing all four infield positions. That, and outside Jim Thome, the White Sox do not have a true backup first baseman for Paul Konerko.

Scott Merkin of MLB.com was also there. He notes that minor league director Buddy Bell said Beckham has the ability to play any position.

5:30pm: Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that 2008 No. 1 pick Gordon Beckham will likely need to change positions.

Guillen expects Alexei Ramirez to be the team’s shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Ramirez, 27, hit .290/.317/.475 with 21 home runs and 77 RBI in 136 games in 2008 — his first year in the Major Leagues.

Of those 136 games, Ramirez spent time at second base (121 games) and at shortstop (16).

Rank The Remaining Free Agents

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News is light tonight — and likely due to a big game happening in another sport — so let’s rank the remaining free agents.

SI.com’s Jon Heyman offered his list a few days ago. Check it out, and add in the comments here your top 10 remaining FAs. In parenthesis next to the players’ names, write the team you believe will sign each player.

Here is a Remaining Free Agents List from right here at MLBTR. (It’s updated.)

Olney’s Latest: Abreu, Manny, Torre

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Buster Olney has a new video up, discussing some of the bigger issues in the MLB world right now:

  • One GM thinks Bobby Abreu may have to settle for a one-year, $7MM deal. Quite the dropoff from the initial three years, $48MM he was asking for to begin the season.
  • If the Mets sign a cheaper alternative to Oliver Perez, they may consider making an offer to Abreu.
  • Olney isn’t sure if the Giants are in on Manny Ramirez, or just trying to drive up the price for the Dodgers. He says that the Giants won’t bring on Manny unless he "fits" offensively, defensively, and contractually. It’s hard to imagine Manny’s bat not fitting in any MLB lineup, but his glove and contract could be another story.
  • Olney wonders if the recent controversy surrounding Joe Torre’s book will affect his relationship with Dodger players.

Joe Crede Workout

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SUNDAY: Christensen says that the Twins will check Crede’s progress again this week. He couldn’t get another update on Crede heading into the weekend.

THURSDAY: Christensen heard Crede looked good at the workout and drew new contract offers (none from the Twins).  Crede apparently wants a base salary above the $5.1MM he earned last year, plus incentives.  Jon Heyman confirms the Giants’ attendance.

WEDNESDAY: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Joe Crede worked out for scouts in Arizona today.  The Twins were apparently in attendance.  We’ll update the post if more attendees are revealed; the Giants were supposed to be there according to Nick Cafardo.

Week in Review: 1/25 – 1/31

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As was the case with the previous week, we saw a lot of young players land extensions with their current clubs. Let’s take a look back at the past seven days and see what’s been going on in the Hot Stove universe:

  • Royals fans had to be pleased Monday morning, when it was announced that Zack Greinke signed a four-year, $38MM extension with the club. Fantastic move for the Royals; Greinke has the makings of an ace and posted a strong overall campaign in 2008. Keeping him around at $9.5MM per year should prove to be a bargain.
  • The Rockies followed the Royals’ example, when they locked up Ubaldo Jimenez for four years as well. Jimenez’s deal is worth $10MM guaranteed, with options that could bring the contract to $22.75MM. Again, I love this signing. For a guy who can throw as hard as Jimenez, the price looks great for Colorado.
  • The Pirates got in on the fun as well; they agreed to a three-year, $13.75MM extension for Paul Maholm, with a $9.75MM option for 2012. Again, nice value for the extension. Some commenters questioned this move, but the Pirates are strapped for pitching, and three years of Maholm at that price provides significantly more upside than hitting the FA market, even if he turns out to just be an innings eater.
  • The Jason Varitek saga is finally over. He agreed to terms with the Red Sox on a one-year, $5MM deal with a dual option for 2010. The Sox can bring him back for $5MM again, and if they decline that option, ’Tek can opt to come back for $3MM. Still seems expensive given Varitek’s production last season, but certainly better than what they’d have paid him had he accepted arbitration.
  • The Yankees also brought back a familiar face when they signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year, $5.5MM deal that could reach $12MM with incentives. Not sure if I like pushing Phil Hughes out of the rotation for the Yanks, but it’s good to have depth, especially if you’ve got A.J. Burnett in your rotation.
  • The Diamondbacks signed Jon Garland to a one-year, $6.25MM contract with a $10MM option for 2010. Here’s Nick Piecoro’s take on the situation. He brings up some points I wouldn’t have initially thought of; nice article.
  • The D’Backs are also getting close to a deal for Tom Gordon.
  • The Cubs continued their offseason flurry when they sent newly-acquired Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno to the Mariners in exchange form Aaron Heilman. I like Seattle’s return in this deal, but the Cubs get more upside from Heilman if you ask me.
  • There’s been talk all week about the Cubs possibly sending Rich Hill to Baltimore as well. Seems like the right type of move for the O’s, and it wouldn’t cost them too much. Hill is out of options.
  • Speaking of Baltimore, Brian Roberts addressed his status with the club, stating that he wants a four-year extension before Spring Training begins. As I asked in my previous post, what do readers think? Is Roberts a better cornerstone or trade piece for Baltimore?
  • We learned the numbers on Jason Kubel’s extension: $7.2MM over the next two years. Pretty affordable for a 26-year-old with an OPS over .800. The Twins also cut off talks with Eric Gagne abruptly, just when Boras and Gagne thought they had a deal. Bill Smith now says he’ll find a reliever through a trade.
  • Bobby Abreu is reportedly ok with accepting a one-year deal. Looks like this will have to become more of a trend for corner outfielders, given the current market. Abreu could potentially become one of the bigger bargains on the market this offseason.

Perrotto’s Latest: Position Battles, Roberts, Pudge

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John Perrotto’s Every Given Sunday column is up over at Baseball Prospectus. This week, he takes a look at some of the position battles teams will face entering Spring Training. And, as always, there’s some interesting items in his Rumors & Rumblings section. Let’s take a look:

  • Some of the more interesting position battles mentioned: 1B/DH/RF in Oakland (Daric Barton, Jack Cust, Jason Giambi, Aaron Cunningham, and Travis Buck all in the mix), Tampa’s closer if Troy Percival gets hurt or falters (Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour), and the White Sox rotation behind John Danks, Mark Buerhle, and Gavin Floyd (Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Bartolo Colon, Jeff Marquez).
  • Brian Roberts still wants a four-year deal before Spring Training starts up, or he’ll cut off negotiations. Does Roberts make more sense as a cornerstone in Baltimore or as a trade chip?
  • Perrotto feels Tom Glavine will inevitably re-sign with the Braves.
  • The White Sox have minor interest in signing Ivan Rodriguez as a backup for A.J. Pierzynski. I’m sure Pudge would prefer a starting gig, but at this point, it’s tough to be picky.
  • We’ve heard a lot about the Orioles having interest in Rich Hill lately, but Perrotto reminds us that the Mariners are interested in the 28-year-old lefty as well.

Rays, Shouse Agree To Deal

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SUNDAY: Marc Lancaster has a conflicting report on the Shouse deal. He says it’s a one-year deal with an option, not a two-year deal. Says Lancaster, "ESPN.com first reported the deal, calling it a two-year contract, but our information is that only 2009 is guaranteed, with a team option for 2010." Shouse’s agent, Slade Mead, was quoted saying, "He will get a two-year deal."

SATURDAY 3:37pm: The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a two-year deal with Brian Shouse, reports Buster Olney.

The deal is pending a physical, which is reportedly scheduled for Thursday.

The 40-year-old lefty went 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 51.3 innings with the Brewers in 2008.  He held lefties to a .180/.196/.290 line in 104 plate appearances.  Since Shouse declined the Brewers’ offer of arbitration in December, Milwaukee will receive a supplemental pick.

Ken Rosenthal believes that the deal would likely be for somewhere between $1-2MM per season.

Odds and Ends: Mets Payroll, Reds, Rangers

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Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone. Some Odds & Ends:

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