Sunday night linkage..
- Despite their budget constraints, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times expects the Rays to upgrade their roster. Topkin mentions several quality free agents who may have to accept minor league deals such as Jim Edmonds, Rocco Baldelli, and ex-Ray Jonny Gomes as proof that the market is rife with valuable players.
- At the Mariners Fan Fest event, pitcher Mark Lowe told the crowd in attendance that he keeps up on all of the latest transactions with MLBTradeRumors (video from MLB.com, :40 mark). Dave Sims – the television voice of the M's – followed that up with his own mention of MLBTR. Thanks guys!
- Tim brings us the terms of Jamey Carroll's contract with the Dodgers via Twitter. Carroll will earn $1.35MM in 2010 and $2.5MM in 2011. The 35-year-old could also earn up to $525K per year in plate appearance incentives.
- The Dodgers are among the teams that have reviewed Chien-Ming Wang's medical records, according to a tweet from Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Recently, ESPN's Jayson Stark pegged the Dodgers as a possible destination for the 29-year-old.
- Washington GM Mike Rizzo and Orlando's Hudson's representative haven't talked in a couple of days, according to MLB.com's William Ladson (via Twitter). Furthermore, Rizzo says that if Hudson has brought his price down, it's news to him (also via Twitter).
- In response to a fan asking how much he thinks Prince Fielder will sign for, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that he doesn't think he will sign at all and will instead opt to hit the open market after the 2011 season (via Twitter).
- Jon Weisman of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Dodgers' rumored signing of Reed Johnson likely means that Ronnie Belliard will get the nod over Blake DeWitt at second base. Weisman's reasoning is that the roster, as it stands now, would feature an all right-handed bench without DeWitt's inclusion. Weisman wonders if this overload of righty sluggers means that the Dodgers will pursue another free agent backup outfielder.
It does appear that this situation is going forward without the typical discretion which precede Rizzo signings. Either it isn’t going to happen, or the Nats feel that they are the team with an unassailable advantage to sign Hudson. I hope they can make it happen, and I hope that Hudson will be reasonable and be satisfied with an offer more realistic than the one he requested.
+1/2St.
I agree. This process seems like Rizzo is pulling teeth but hopefully things are just “moving forward”.I think the Dodgers should still go and get Garret Anderson.
Why? Anderson can only play LF. With Anderson, we would need to also have Paul or Repko on the roster to play CF once in a while for Kemp.
Thats what Reed Johnson is for…Center Field and Right Field.
yea, with Reed Johnson, why would we sign Anderson? Reed has better defense in LF and is at least a similar hitter. What the point of also signing Anderson, except to simply sign him for the hell of it?
because right now Blake Dewitt is the only lefty on the bench.
Won’t Mientkiewicz be on that bench as a lefty?
Doug Mientkiewicz will be our lefty off the bench. This is how it seems right now:
Carroll-2B/3B
Mientkiewicz-1B/LF
R. Johnson-OF
Hu-SS
Ausmus-C
Trade fielder to the mets for David Wright. Move Casey to first and have wright play 3rd.
he will hit 40 in miller park.
First of all Wright’s power needs to return for the Brewers to agree to the deal. Secondly if his power did return then Wright is signed for the next 3 years under market value so the Mets wouldn’t like the deal… so basically you have a lose/lose proposition. If Fielder gets traded it’ll probably be for an army of soon to be major league ready prospects.
I think the Mets would do anything for Prince. Completely disagree with you saying the Mets wouldn’t like the deal because Wright is under contract for 3 years while Fielder is under contract for 2. I don’t think this is a bad trade but I think the Mets would do anything for Prince Fielder to be in their lineup.
The point for the Mets would be to get better and I wouldn’t be the only person outside New York to make the argument that Wright on his best years is potentially a more valuable player than Fielder. That said while Fielder would bring more home runs to the Mets lineup, who exactly would replace Wright at third? I don’t see how the Mets would gain anything. Besides in a year the point could be moot depending on the development of Davis in the minors.
what about a potential trade involving Davis?
Jhonny Peralta could be had for Ike Davis…
Peralta doesn’t have the bat of a full time third baseman and if Davis is traded it’d be as part of a package for a big name.
Fielders weight issue could be a problem, it stopped Moe Vaughns career, and it also has affected Dimitri Young. Fielders father could have played a few more years at a higher level if his weight was under control so there is a big risk with Fielder.
Kelly, Pimentel, Lin, Kalish, Fife and Pimentel ? too little ?
I don’t thinkWright would hit 40 home runs although this trade (if it had a bit more to it) doesn’t seem that bad. Possibly David Wright and Jennry Mejia.
I wonder if the Twins and the Dodgers could match up in a trade involving DeWitt and one of the Twins starters like Duensing or Swarzak or even Perkins and another lesser prospect.
It seems like the Dodgers don’t want to rely on DeWitt and that may be waranted as his bat doesn’t really impress at third and as far as I can gather his glove isn’t good enough to be an everyday second baseman.
Who would be getting the better end of the deal in DeWitt/Perkins swap?
I dont know enough about Perkins to talk on the trade, but I dont think DeWitt is dealt. He has fantastic 3B defense and learned 2b mid season in 08. He has worked all offseason on his 2B defense. His bat plays to 2b, because of his line drive, patient hitting approach. He has raw power where he could hit 15-20Hrs as a starter.
Like I said, he either needs to start in AAA or in the majors. The bench would be a waste.
Oh, one more thing. DeWitt wasnt supposed to be MLB ready until sometime this season. The fact that he has already gone through starting as a MLB player for most of the year and has been on the bench is quite amazing. He was rushed because of injury and held his own. If he gets a chance, I really think he will be a good MLB player.
Oh, thanks for the response. I didn’t know he was working full time on fielding second base. If his glove really does fit there then he becomes much more valuable and should be left in AAA to play 2B so he can take over the spot in 2011.
yep. The Dodgers realized they wanted him to see what he could do as a 2B full time. I guess they wanted him to get time at AAA at 2b where he would be able to make some mistakes and get a lot of ABs…
Why would we have DeWitt on the bench? That would be SUCH a waste. He either needs to start in the majors or in the minors. He needs ABs and time at 2B to perfect his defense. He shouldnt sit on the bench to get 4 ABs a week…
Is Doug Mientkiewicz coming back? I thought he was.. there is our Lefty bench bat. Dewitt needs ABs so if he needs to play AAA, so be it.
Belliard for a Million is gonna be one of the best deals this offseason, making the Carroll signing looking like one of the worst.
yea, he is on a minor league deal w/ and invite. As of right now, he will make the bench, IMO.
I posted this below, but in case you didnt see it, this is my guess on what the bench will look like:
Carroll-2B/3B
Mientkiewicz-1B/LF
R. Johnson-OF
Hu-SS
Ausmus-C
Belliard will be starting at 2B and DeWitt in AAA…
Looks like a decent bench to me. Thanks
no problem. I just hope we take Hu over Green and let DeWitt play everyday in AAA…
Dewitt needs to be traded to a team that can give him a chance. Not sure the guy will
be able to hit much if he starts for a whole season some team needs to find out. Xavier Paul looked like a decent ballplayer until he came down with a nasty infection that sidelined him the rest of the season. I hope he has recovered and he is alright.Prehaps the dodgers could give Xavier the 4th outfielder spot.
DeWitt proved, as a 22 year old, that he can handle the majors. While his average went down as he didnt adjust well to the pitchers, his OBP was very solid with great defense. It is known that his bat plays better for 2b. He came up as a 3B and his defense is already elite there. If he learns 2B(as he has been working all offseason on 2B), he will be a very solid player.
He needs ABs, somewhere. Right now, it could be the majors or minors. The minors allow him to go through growing pains of a new position, but the majors give him the MLB experience. Obviously, the Dodgers wanted him to be in AAA.
With Paul, he seems to be completley healed. I agree, Id like to have him be our 4th OF, but it seems Reed will at least go into camp with the position…
Time will tell.If they are not going to call up Paul or Dewitt prehaps they could package them in a trade for a decent starting pitcher. I am sure a team like the pirates whould not mind having a couple of young players.
I really do think that the Dodgers see DeWitt as part of their long term plans. Like I said, he has tremendous defense at one of the toughest positions on the diamond and has a solid bat.
About trading them, it seems dumb to trade two guys that have some future in this game to a team like the Pirates. What will they give back? They really dont have a decent SP that is better than someone we have or is someone theyd give us. I really hate the idea of trading a guy for the sake of trading him. Just because they may not make the team out of spring training(at the age of 24) doesnt mean they have no shot with us and should be dealt. I think they are both held onto. I feel that Paul will have an impact on the team this year(If anyone gets hurt or if Reed sucks) and that DeWitt will be a starter in 2011…
They will only stay if they can make the roster. They are worth nothing in the minors other then organizational depth and it appears that the dodgers may not be sold on either one as they are signing veterans as backups. If the players have value and do not fit in the dodgers plans you might see them moved if the dodgers are in the hunt at trade deadline. Dewitt was hitting OK the first time around the league and then his numbers started to drop. I would like to see him start at second and have the other guys as backup. Perhaps he will win the job in spring training. Belliard is a lifetime .275 hitter so we will see. Not sure what happened between Hudson and the Dodgers, but the Dodgers soured on Hudson. He seemed like a good clubhouse guy and a decent ballplayer. Torre benched him the last few weeks of the season and into the playoffs.
Im sorry, but you are 100% wrong. They specifically got Reed Johnson because they see Paul as an everyday player down the road and wanted him to get Abs after his injury(link- bleacherreport.com/articles/337136-xavier-paul-bei… ). They signed DeWitt, IMO, because they decided they wanted him to get full time ABs where he could make mistakes and it wouldnt affect the big league team. He can do that in AAA.
DeWitt began struggling in the majors in 08 because he wasnt able to make the correct adjustments to pitchers. It simply happened because he was rushed. He was supposed to debut in the majors this year(2010) but debuted in 08 because of injury.
What does Hudson have to do with this? He left because he was benched. He was benched because he sucked on the field and Belliard was tearing the cover off the ball. Simple..
Your opinion
Not about Paul. The link is an interview from Donnie. I think he knows what they plan on doing with prospects.
And I highly doubt we trade DeWitt because Logan White loves him. His comments immediately following picking DeWitt were him raving about his work ethnic, his potential power and his already good defense(and that was a few years ago).
Now, it is always possible we trade guys, but I doubt we trade them unless they are part of a package for a very good SP, not a decent one
You have to give up minor league Prospects to get talent, so any player who is not part of the current team will be moved for talent. Bell was traded for Sherill, Santana for Blake. and Abreu for a very ineffective three weeks of Jon Garland.
I agree on the first part, but not the ladder. You do have to give up talent to get talent.
However, just because they arent on the team that doesnt mean they are destined to be traded. You really believe that? So the Rangers are going to make trade after trade simply because they have extra minor league talent?
And it is obvious you didnt look at the stats before posting. Garland had a 2.72 ERA in Dodger Blue, walked just 2.2/9 and his strikeouts went from 4.5 to 6.4.. fairly effective
Garland pitched for the dodgers for three weeks,in my opinion it was a bad trade. Abreu would at very least if he stayed healthy had a utility role on the Dodgers if not the 2nd. base job. He lost a couple of years due to injury plus there were some internal issues between him and the orginization. And by trading Abreu to Arizona it makes a division rival stronger.The key to the trade was Garland had a $10 million dollar option that the dodgers declined . By declining Garlands option Garland had a $3 million buy out clause that was due to Garland. Arizona included the three million in the deal. Garland had a 2 w and 3 loss record with the dodgers. The dodgers did not think enough of Garland to keep him on the playoff roster.
I think we agree and disagree on this point. The TRADE was dumb,yes, but Garland did great for us. His ERA, walks and strikeouts all went in the correct direction(ERA/Walks down, strikeouts went up). His record means nothing. His record simply states how well his team did for him that day, not what he did. He pitched 36 innings of 2.72 ball. Thats a great ERA. Do i think he does it again this year for the whole year, hell no, but he preformed for us when Kuroda, Billz and Kershaw all had injuries.
He was negative one for a three week period he might have pitched a few games where he only gave up a run but he had a losing record. The dodgers gave up Abreu for three weeks of nothing.
RECORD MEANS NOTHING! When you are trying to see how good a PITCHER performed, you look at stats he controls(ERA, hits, walks, etc). Record is how he pitches, how the offense does and how the pen holds his leads
Garland pitched for the dodgers for three weeks,in my opinion it was a bad trade. Abreu would at very least if he stayed healthy had a utility role on the Dodgers if not the 2nd. base job. He lost a couple of years due to injury plus there were some internal issues between him and the orginization. And by trading Abreu to Arizona it makes a division rival stronger.The key to the trade was Garland had a $10 million dollar option that the dodgers declined . By declining Garlands option Garland had a $3 million buy out clause that was due to Garland. Arizona included the three million in the deal. Garland had a 2 w and 3 loss record with the dodgers. The dodgers did not think enough of Garland to keep him on the playoff roster.
If LAD is in need of a lefty bat off the bench I think they should look bring in Jacobs or Blalock.
Blalock hit .239/.294/.471 vsRHP last year with 19 HR in 331 AB. So obviously thats very good power but poor contact and he can play both 1B and 3B.
Jacobs hit .243/.311/.447 vsRHP last year with 18 HR in 333 AB. So he has a bit more contact ability and a bit less power but can barely even play 1B.
Belliard/Carroll MI R
Ausmus C R
Blalock/Jacobs PH/CI L
Johnson 4OF R
Repko 5OF R
Seems like a decent bench.
with the nationals talks slowing down the twins have a perfect oppurtunity to grab hudson
I think Wang, if helthy, would be ideal for the Dodgers. Torre’s familiar with him and he would benefit from the NL pitching in pitcher friendly parks like DOdger Stadium, Petco and AT&T park. At worse he could be a solid back of rotation starter. Best case scenario he regains his pre-09 form and gives Torre a solid 1-2-3 punch of Clay, Bills and the Wangster.
Id love to have Wang, but my guess is it would have to be on a minor league deal with a clause that says if he isnt on the roster ‘X’ number of weeks into the season, he can ask for his release. Right now, we have Kershaw, Billz, Kuroda, Padilla, Haeger/Elbert. I think they want to give one of Elbert or Haeger a legit shot at starting in the majors and I believe that Haeger is out of options. So he has to stay up. Id love to see Wang replace Padilla, but I dont know if that would happen. With Wang, Id love to see this rotation:
Kershaw
Billz
Wang
Kuroda
Haeger/Elbert
With Padilla in the pen.
Unless Padilla completely loses his mind he will outpitch Wang. IMO
I really think that Padilla wont do what he did in LA last year. He has always had that talent, but has never done it for more than a short while at any one time. If Wang comes back healthy, he will easily outpitch Padilla, IMO. However, Wang’s health is a big question…
Looks like the Nats are offering 1 yr, $3-4 mil. This makes Polanco’s deal for 3 yrs, $18M look ridiculous. It was. Phils could have had Polanco for 2 yrs, $10M.
Twins should make a run at the O-Dawg. He would prob jump at 1 yr $5M. Perfect #2 hitter in front of Mauer. Twins can leave 3b as a soft spot. Instead of signing 2 bums for 2 holes, sign 1 good player for 1 hole, and leave 3b to internal resources.
I would give that contract with a team option for 7 million
Does anyone else not like Zach Links? There’s just something about his writing that I don’t like. And to me, he doesn’t seem that knowledgeable. Might just be me.
And him not writing like everyone else is annoying. And link the player names.
If you’re looking for an Aardsma hedge, I’d look more towards Brandon League than Mark Lowe.
I kind of stumbled across MLBTR a few years ago and it is now the first site I look at after work. Thanks Tim and crew, you guys are tops in my book. I’ll bet that there are a lot of players that look up this site too. Keep up the great work.
I think a lot of us found it the same way. I remember I was bored one summer and knew it was close to the trade deadline. I typed in MLB trade rumors into google and this was the first option.. the greatest accidental find in internet history
LOL.. that is basically how I found this site. Just looking for deadline rumors and this popped up.
I wouldnt be surprised if 90% of the readers found it that way. The name of the site is basic enough where when you type it into Google, it is one of the first things to pop up..
Does Topkin know something we don’t? When did Baldelli agree to a minor league deal?
Re-read what he wrote. He said Baldelli may have to accept a minor league deal.
That’s what i read the first time as well. It’s worded kind of confusedly.
In that interview w/ Mariners, Johnson, Aardsma, Lowe and Byrnes each there, an interesting point was made:
4 guys out of the bullpen can throw in triple digits. That’s pretty sick.
I don’t know if I would go so far as to call Baldelli a quality player – over the last three years, his WAR averages out to -1. A team would will one game more a season with a AAAA player in the position than having him. Being a Red Sox fan, I am kind of hoping the Yankees pick him up. LOL.