Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe spoke to nearly a dozen scouts and executives and found that there would be substantial interest in Daisuke Matsuzaka if the Red Sox made the righthander available in a trade this offseason. Most of those polled believe Boston would have to kick in some money to offset the two-years and $20MM left on his deal, but it's unclear what they would want in return. As Cafardo reminds us, there's no such thing as too much pitching depth, so the Sox could simply hold onto him.
As far as teams that could have potential interest in Dice-K, Cafardo names the Mariners, Mets, Dodgers, Brewers, Rangers, and Tigers. Here are the rest of his rumors…
- There's talk that the Red Sox might go after Yu Darvish if he's posted this winter, and there is a little bit of a New England connection there: Darvish's father attended school in the area.
- Doug Melvin said he will go outside the organization to replace departed manager Ken Macha, which rules out Dale Sveum and Willie Randolph.
- Jim Hendry and Cubs ownership likes what interim manager Mike Quade got out of his players down the stretch, so the sentiment to retain him is growing.
- Fredi Gonzalez turned down a chance to interview with the Cubbies, and it's looking more and more likely that he will take over for the retiring Bobby Cox in Atlanta.
- Alex Anthopoulos is looking at third base/bench coaches for his next manager, while Neal Huntington might dip into his Indians' roots to fill the Pirates' managerial vacancy.
- Paul Konerko indicated that contract length won't be much of a factor when he hits free agency this winter because he isn't sure how much longer he wants to play. Kenny Williams indicated that there might not be enough room in the budget for the White Sox to bring back their captain, especially if they seeks out a lefty bat as expected.
- Jason Varitek wants to return to the Red Sox but the team is thinking bigger picture with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on board. Cafardo suggests the Marlins as a potential landing spot for Varitek, where he would work with the team's young pitchers.
- Meanwhile, the Sox could sign John Buck as a stopgap while they wait for Salty to establish himself.
- Teams in need of a second baseman are very interested in Jed Lowrie, though at least one scout thinks he can stick at shortstop. The 26-year-old hit .287/.381/.526 in 197 plate appearances this year.
- Despite a strong finish (1.41 ERA in his last ten starts), the Cubs would still like to move Carlos Zambrano. Of course, they're going to have to eat some of the $55MM left of his contract to do so.
- Cafardo thinks that Carl Pavano could command a three-year deal worth $30MM as a free agent this winter, but he'd have to give a bit of a discount to return to Minnesota. The Twins have shown a willingness to spend in the last year, so this will be an interesting negotiation for them.
it depands what the sox want for matzuzaka . if they want a good prospect no one would give that up. if they want a lower level prospect sure id be happy to make that deal.
Matsuzaka, Lowrie and 7 millions for Aardsma, Varvaro, Halman and Langerhans
yeah right. Not a chance they’ll go for that.
I wouldn’t swap Lowrie even for Aardsma. Lowrie has shown he is ready for a starting gig at either SS, or 2B when healthy and has a decent bat and Farrel wore a swath of the turf out between the mound and dugout already when Aardsma was with Boston before.Aardsma reminds me of Calvin Schiraldi to a “T”, he also had 1 really good year. sweated hand grenades on the mound every appearance, had 1 good pitch, little control and quickly faded away.
Agreed. Not a great proposal. It’s almost as bad as the Doubrant/Lars Anderson/Michael Bowden for Felix Hernandez trade proposal I saw on here a few months ago.
Langerhans? Come on man.
Langerhans is arbitration eligible for the first time this year, I have a feeling he will be non-tendered.
Langerhans is arbitration eligible for the first time this year, I have a feeling he will be non-tendered.
I don’t think that’ll work if you’re including Lowrie in the deal. However, it’s a huge overpay for Matsuzaka especially with the contract he’s got. Varvaro and Halman are pretty high upside guys
for the right price i would really want him on the mets, if nothing more than to serve as a great mentor for thole and a rh bat to help rest thole against lefties.
Why go get Darvish? Cant we just knock it off with the Japanese players, the risks never seem to pay off for us with the big ticket names, the only one to pay off is Okajima and he is starting to flame out himself. Trade Matsuzaka if you want, but no more Japanese imports for awhile. We should start getting feelers from clubs about Scutaro if Lowrie plays the first half of the season like he did the last half of this season. Call me crazy as well, i dont trust Salty behind the dish until he puts together two seasons of minimal injuries. Hes young so we can wait but I dont want him to be the everyday starter with his history of odd injuries. The Sox should just admit they are stuck and sign Victor to a 4 year deal, even if he cant last as a catcher for that long
You clearly haven’t watched this kid pitch. He’s young, nasty and hasn’t logged a bunch of innings yet. It makes sense to get him now while he’s young so he can develop good habits in the majors. If the price is right, grab this kid because he has the ability to be the Ichiro of pitchers.
This year Darvish has “thrown 135 or more pitches in six of his 11 starts, topping out at 156 on May 8” And the game before that he reached 150 too.
Yes, right now he’s being used a lot. But he is younger than Dice-K was when he was coming over. He’s not AS worked as the rest of the Japanese pitchers because they come over 26-35 years old.
And they use six-man rotations in Japan.
And that was just earlier this year, if that continued all year that’s even worse. Can’t find the breakdown of his remaining starts though.
Remember, Japanese pithcers only make 25 starts a year- so it’s not really about IP, it’s how he got there. He’s averaged basically 8 innings per start the last few years- which means he’s constantly above 120+ pitches.
its apples and oranges, they train better in between starts and really build up arm strength to allow to pitch more pitches without injury. If you compare injury rates from japanese leagues to the mlb, mlb pitchers have more injuries and more serious injurious, despite pitching less.
Funny because real scouts say that he has the upside of a mid rotation starter. I haven’t seen any sane ones say he is an ace.
I’d like to see some team give Pavano 3+ years, then see him end up on the 60 day DL with a sore fingernail
Yeah. Pavano is a classic example of a guy who nobody should give a multi year contract to period. I foresee whichever team does fans posting blistering comments regarding him also by May of next season also for the next Manny Ramirez type injury he discovers.
I think it would be a good move for the Red Sox to sign Buck, but I don’t think that Saltalamacchia will ever fully develop to the player that people thought he could be. If they sign Buck, I think it should be for a 3 year deal or a two year deal with an option.
Signing Buck would be a good move, but for 2 years, definately not 3. Saltalamachhia was a bad trade for one major reason (imo): the Sox need a catcher who can throw runners out and Salty is notorious for not even being able to throw back to the pitcher….
Thank god this site has “rumors” in the title. 1st if was Sox wanna trade Dice-K, then it was they don’t, now it’s if they do. Jeezus!
does anyone think Dice K could be going to the mets? Mets get dice k, ellsbury, lowrie and maybe a prpspect for wright? not sure if thats enough or not but it would be a good starting point. Mets would get two young position players and a pitcher whom i think would flourish in the NL and sox get a young very talented 3rd baseman. What are your guys thoughts?
There’s no way the Mets would take Matsuzaka, Ellsbury, and Lowrie for Wright. They’d want at least 4 of the Red Sox top 5 prospects.
Nobody is worth even 4 of a teams top 5 prospects. No GM would even bother to ask for that because the other GM would hang up the phone very quickly. And saying that the Mets would want “at least” that is stupid. Wright isn’t as valuable as someone like Pujols and he isn’t even worth that much.
4/5 of the Sox top prospects is far less insane than Daisuke, Ellsbury and Lowrie for Wright. It all depends on how much money the player is going to cost and how many years the team will control that player. Wright will earn $30 million over the next two years, and has a $16 million option for 2013. The Sox would be better off spending that money on 4 years of Beltre and holding onto their prospects. That said, I think it would have been hard to pass up on the opportunity to acquire Pujols if he was locked in at $45 million for 3 years of team control. Even if it cost you four of your top five prospects.
4/5 of the Sox top prospects is far less insane than Daisuke, Ellsbury and Lowrie for Wright. It all depends on how much money the player is going to cost and how many years the team will control that player. Wright will earn $30 million over the next two years, and has a $16 million option for 2013. The Sox would be better off spending that money on 4 years of Beltre and holding onto their prospects. That said, I think it would have been hard to pass up on the opportunity to acquire Pujols if he was locked in at $45 million for 3 years of team control. Even if it cost you four of your top five prospects.
4 top prospects??? really i dont think so
Im not sure but i think the mets have been linked to dice k and ellsbury, plus lowrie is a nice looking middle infielder and with reyes being hurt all the time and castillo not producing then lowrie would look good at ss and or 2nd. The prospect would be a pitcher and both sides win.
They’re good-decent players but if you’re giving Wright, you have to aim for more than an injured 4th starter, injured OF (with no power), and light-hitting infielder.
Agreed, however before you guys get angry i suggested that would be a starting point. Ellsbury would cover a ton of ground in the park and he is young. Lowrie would also play well at either second or ss. I think i would take him over the current mets 2nd. Plus he is also young and this would have the middle of the field covered for years with reyes, lowrie and ellsbury.
Dice K would be more than there #4, he would probably be there number 2 in the current rotation and 3 if they get someone this offseason. Then if redsox through in a pitching prospect like bowden then the deal would look pretty sweet for the mets. They would have a better team and thats the whole point of a trade…..to make your team better. I dont think that its that far fetched personally.
4 top prospects??? really i dont think so
Im not sure but i think the mets have been linked to dice k and ellsbury, plus lowrie is a nice looking middle infielder and with reyes being hurt all the time and castillo not producing then lowrie would look good at ss and or 2nd. The prospect would be a pitcher and both sides win.
If the Mets moved Wright it would signal a shift to complete rebuild mode. In that scenario they would be seeking several very young, very high ceiling prospects, not a couple of utility players and a $20 million #4 starter. Sheesh.
Hmmm…. Zambrano for Dice-K?
No…100% no.
That’s a boatload of payroll to take on for a team that has more pressing needs than pitching.
Zambrano to the Rockies.
Boston unloads, or avoids attitude problems, does not take them on. the Cubs seem to be a beacon for them however.
Are the people that want Buck on board, giving up on V Mart being signed? Or does he become the 1B and slide Youk over to third? I think if V Mart sees Buck coming, he is leaving. He wants to catch.
I think the pro-Buck people just want a solid defensive catcher who can hit a few homers.
Right handed hitters with power do well in Boston, although Buck’s OBP is not good. As for throwing out runners, he was very solid last year, and through his career (CS % notwithstanding) he has not been run on much. That fact speaks to the fact that other teams THINK he can catch base runners.
I think that’s the whole deal with Sox fans – get someone decent in there and worry about a star later. Besides that thought, even if V-Mart comes back, Buck makes a good backup. So what to do with Salty if that happens? Who cares?
The Sox aren’t thinking about a five year plan. They are most similar to the Yanks in outlook: they want to win next year, and winning means World Champs.
Hard to have a different type of outlook with such a high payroll. If you have to go through bridge years with a payroll over 100mil someone has to be fired.
I think the pro-Buck people just want a solid defensive catcher who can hit a few homers.
Right handed hitters with power do well in Boston, although Buck’s OBP is not good. As for throwing out runners, he was very solid last year, and through his career (CS % notwithstanding) he has not been run on much. That fact speaks to the fact that other teams THINK he can catch base runners.
I think that’s the whole deal with Sox fans – get someone decent in there and worry about a star later. Besides that thought, even if V-Mart comes back, Buck makes a good backup. So what to do with Salty if that happens? Who cares?
The Sox aren’t thinking about a five year plan. They are most similar to the Yanks in outlook: they want to win next year, and winning means World Champs.
What kind of posting fee can we expect for Darvish? More than Dice-K’s 51 million? I can understand paying that much the 1st time (increased revenue, increased reach in Asia, increased popularity with Japanese players, etc.) but do they really want to do that a 2nd time?
Last rumor was $20M-$30M. I suspect however that was more of some writer making a statement rather than using any kind of evidence.
I think the best match up for Zambrano is with the Giants.
Carlos Zambrano for Aaron Rowand.
the Giants get the better player, but deal with the attitude and also pay the difference in contracts. Zambrano is owed $35.87 Million in 2011 and 2012 (the 2013 option is only if he finishes 1-4 in Cy Young voting) and Rowand is owed $24 million over the same 2 year span.
Another option would be a big contract swap between the Giants and Cubs:
Zito (owed $64.5 Million) and Rowand (owed $24 Million)
for
Zambrano (owed 35.87 Million) and Alfonso Soriano (owed $72 Million)
This is a difference of 29 Million Dollars owed to the Cubs players. The Giants would get 1 year more of service out of the deal (Zambrano and Rowand both signed through 2012, Zito out in 2013 and Soriano out in 2014), so really this is an additional 11 Million over the next 3 years and then the $18 million dollar season for Soriano’s 2014 Season.
I can’t see the second suggestion happening. Who would want to pay more money over a longer period of time for a bigger headache, especially when that extra year costs them $18 mil?
Wait for Salty to establish himself… when is that ever gonna happen?
I feel sorry for Salty. He was a top proespect for the Braves but they traded him because Brian McCann was already there, then with the Rangers lost pretty much all of his value with his offensive and defensive woes, and now ends up with Boston and is gonna be the subject of much scrutiny with the Media, and will probably not amount to anything special that he was that people projected him to be.
Pavano should only get a one-year deal with a vesting option given his injury history and age.
Matsuzaka could be an interesting piece in a Prince Fielder deal. Everyone expects the Brewers to hold out for prospects, but I’m thinking the market won’t pan out the way the fans want it to.
Dice-K and a prospect for Fielder might be it. As a Brewers fan, I’d be happy if they could get two arms.
If all it took was “Dice-K and a prospect” to land Fielder, Theo would do that in a SECOND.
Dice K and prospect for fielder? Can you give me your dealers number because clearly he’s got the good ish.
It would have to be Dice-K and a couple prospects AND signing Fielder to a deal before FA, which won’t happen because of Boras.
Otherwise, that’s alot to give up for a 1 year rental.
If the RS cant keep Beltre: I’m sure Konerko wants to return/WS. But if he’d take two years the RS would likely give up the #1 (and lots of $$$) and try and sign him. What a –career– year to be a UFA! I’d play him at 1b in ’11 and move him to DH in ’12. I would expect RS to be players in the Pujols and Agon bidding in ’12.