Links for Monday evening…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com tweets that the Royals have signed reliever Steven Shell to a minor league deal. Shell, 27, had a 3.59 ERA in 72.2 innings with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate last season.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post lists the Cardinals, Phillies, and Rockies as some of the teams that were interested in Hiroki Kuroda before he re-signed with the Dodgers (Twitter link). Kuroda, however, re-signed without fielding offers from other teams according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
- Add the Rangers to the list of teams showing interest in Victor Martinez says SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that Hideki Okajima is subject to a normal arbitration calendar this offseason. In the past the Red Sox had to offer him a contract by November 20th.
- Non-tender candidate Kyle Davies hopes to remain with the Royals, says MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Davies hasn't heard anything from the team regarding his future.
- Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports that Cliff Lee's agent Darek Braunecker is still unsure if he will attend this week's GM Meetings.
- MLB.com's Jane Lee provides a list of power bat the Athletics could potentially pursue as free agents this offseason.
- The Yankees don't believe that Derek Jeter will ultimately leave New York, but they're prepared for a long negotiation according to Heyman (Twitter link).
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com tweets that there is still no word whether or not Andy Pettitte will return to pitch in 2011.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't expect any roster moves at this week's meetings according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says the team is growing more optimistic about re-signing Jake Westbrook, however (Twitter link).
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer that it's too early in the offseason to tell whether his team's needs will be filled through trades or free agency.
- MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith is on location at this week's GM Meetings in Orlando, and you can follow him on Twitter at @mlbtrorlando for the latest breaking news and analysis.
- There is mutual interest between the Marlins and free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. Capozzi says the team might not be able to afford him, though they could free up payroll space by dealing Dan Uggla.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that the Dodgers are looking to add power to their lineup, and James Loney is the player they're most most willing to trade. They would then turn around and sign one of the many power-hitting first baseman available on the free agent market.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said that the first round of manager interviews includes one or two more candidates while the second round will consist of three or four candidates according to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News (all Twitter links). The second set of interviews could begin in Orlando this week, and Alderson said his father's death on Sunday will not slow things down.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick profiles Giants GM Brian Sabean and the work that lies ahead following his team's World Series victory.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at how signing Lee would impact the Yankees' future payroll. Meanwhile, Brian Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that he doesn't expect to get any deals done this week.
- Best of luck to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. He's trading in the Blue Jays' beat for the Indians' beat.
James Loney to the White Sox for Gavin Floyd and Tyler Flowers.
I’m guessing the Dodgers would do that in a heartbeat.
If the Dodgers re-sign Hiroki Kuroda, then they’ll have 4 men in their rotation set for 2011. They probably won’t re-sign Vincente padilla, so they would in most cases take that, also considering they have a catching problem with Russel Martin. that would be areally good trade for them.
I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t take Padilla back on the same contract they had him on in ’10; they may just wait a while to see what is out there first.
He keeps getting injured. Floyd was better than his numbers tell. He was plagued by inconsistency, and had a span of about 10 starts where his ERA was under 1.00. And he’s on a team friendly contract and you can probably get Padilla for the same amount of money, Floyd makes $5 million in 2011, and $7 million in 2012, with a $9.5 million team option for 2013. I would bet that Floyd improves pitching in Chavez Ravine, too.
I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t take Padilla back on the same contract they had him on in ’10; they may just wait a while to see what is out there first.
I’d love to see that, but why would the White Sox want Loney?
Well, here’s my opinion.
-James Loney is a left handed bat, obviously, and he’s shown he can hit for average.
-Hits in the clutch, .316 batting average with runners on and .327 average with runners in scoring position. The White Sox have been lacking a clutch hitter for quite some time.
-His 41 doubles could turn into some homers in U.S Cellular Field.
-Doesn’t strike out a lot
-Walks a fair amount.
-Can be much cheaper then re-signing Paul Konerko, and is a better long term option.
“Clutch” is a fake skill. Not buying it. Just statistical noise from small sample sizes.
Also, James Loney freaking sucks.
He’s actually ok, I’m not really one to defend him because I haven’t seen him play on a consistent basis, but yeah, he hits with runners in scoring position and the White Sox never ever have that, trust me, this always happens, bases loaded, 0 outs, strikeout, popup, then flyout to the warning track. I’m trying to stress that if there is such thing as “clutch” or not, he still hits with runners in scoring position, which is pretty valuable.
Loney is one of the worst hitting first basemen in baseball and last year he even failed to post an OPS+ greater than or equal to 100. There’s no way the White Sox would give up that much.
Loney is one of the worst hitting first basemen in baseball and last year he even failed to post an OPS+ greater than or equal to 100. There’s no way the White Sox would give up that much.
Any chance Lee Signs before Thanksgiving? I say no…
Is BNS in Orlando as a field reporter for MLBTR, or is he there on his own dime?
Field reporter for MLBTR!
I can’t even begin to explain how awesome it is you’re able to send staff on location to the GM meetings. Kudos to you, Tim. Damn proud to see this site go from a niche market to an industry homepage.
I can’t even begin to explain how awesome it is you’re able to send staff on location to the GM meetings. Kudos to you, Tim. Damn proud to see this site go from a niche market to an industry homepage.
Can I have a blue star next to my username too?
Can I have a blue star next to my username too?
Field reporter for MLBTR!
Wow was a time during the Oswalt trade deadline rumors that Loney was nearly untouchable (of course he was red-hot at the time, an RBI a minute it seemed). Times are a changin’. If he were to move, it’d be nice if he wound back up home in Houston.
What do you do with Wallace?
Ned Colletti’s Telephone Calls
12:01 — Goodbye Mr. Loney.
12:02 — Hello Mr. Dunn.
Nah, Dunn strikes out a lot, has great OBP, and hits homers.
Not a Ned Colletti-type player. He likes guys like Theriot, the kind who don’t strike out, hit for OBP, or hit homers.
If Colletti doesn’t like guys who strike out a lot, why is Matt Kemp still a Dodger?
He won’t be before the new year.
He likes an every day player who comes cheap, that is what the dodgers are looking for . Cheap cheap cheap.
Ned Colletti’s Telephone Calls
12:01 — Goodbye Mr. Loney.
12:02 — Hello Mr. Dunn.
Please AJ don’t come back to the Sox.
I see where you’re coming from. I surprised that I haven’t heard about the white sox trying to make a run for v-mart, he could be a good fit for the sox
I see where you’re coming from. I surprised that I haven’t heard about the white sox trying to make a run for v-mart, he could be a good fit for the sox
I wonder what LA would want from AZ for Loney?
I cant imagine much… Maybe TOny Abreu back?
Kelly Johnson? I’m not sure if this is reasonable or ridiculous in that Loney at least has a few more years of team control and could likely be signed at a reasonable long-term rate. Johnson had a great year, but will likely be gone after next season and AZ doesn’t figure to compete.
However, isn’t Brandon Allen going to play 1st for AZ next year?
Yeah – thats totally unreasonable. Totally. Johnson had a 128 OPS+ last year. Due for some regression, sure – but thats solid for a 2B – vs Loneys 99 OPS+ as a 1B.
Allen might play 1B, but he played a pretty good LF last year as well.
Towers is on record that he will fill both 1B and LF via free agency or trades.
I hope he does (as a dback fan). AZ could certainly use upgrades at both spots. Loney isnt exactly the upgade i would be hoping for.
Towers is on record that he will fill both 1B and LF via free agency or trades.
Yeah – thats totally unreasonable. Totally. Johnson had a 128 OPS+ last year. Due for some regression, sure – but thats solid for a 2B – vs Loneys 99 OPS+ as a 1B.
Allen might play 1B, but he played a pretty good LF last year as well.
Loney 2010 overall : .267/.329/.395/.723
Loney 2010 vs. LHP: .222/.262/.313/.575
Loney’s 2010 salary as an ARB1: $3.1M
Loney may be a good defensive 1B, but offensively (especially vs. LHP) he doesn’t exactly fit the offensive expectations of a 1B. And you will be paying him around $5M in his ARB2 year. I doubt the Dodgers would receive anyone special in a trade for a player who should be platooned.
I cant imagine much… Maybe TOny Abreu back?
I’m guessing they probably won’t trade Loney within their division.
I dont think LA would be too picky… Loney is a pretty tough sell at this point. Three years in a row of 98-103 OPS+, and entering 2nd Arb year?
I’m guessing they probably won’t trade Loney within their division.
Ill give you Ethier and Loney for Upton and Allen, instant results for new GM Towers, mwhahaha!
A C prospect? No reason to give them anything else, frankly…
Wait ’till he gets non-tendered, because we all know it’s coming.
Good point. He probably is a non-tender candidate.
No, he isn’t. Really.
Loney is a solid baseball player, if he was to be traded the only way you get a deal is if it is a salary dump. For every extra dollar the dodgers use for a pitcher it will come out of the everyday player end. With that being the case a few decent prospects might fit the bill.
Loney is not a solid baseball player. No matter how you look at his offensive numbers from 2010, they were bad for a first baseman. He had a .724 OPS, .315 wOBA, SLG of .395 (yuck, below .400?), just nothing going for him…
Money ball, and bill james stats. Nothing going for it.
I wonder what LA would want from AZ for Loney?
Impact on the yanks payroll? Isn’t that like analyzing the impact of a feather dropping on concrete from 5 feet off the ground?
Sabean’s chores:
1. Resign Aubrey Huff 2 yr 12-14 mill. If he gets a better offer, so long Aubrey and Thanks!
2. Bid on Tsuyoshi Nishioka. $5-7 mill post followed by a 3 year 12-14 mill contract.
3. Resign Juan Uribe. 1 yr 4 mill. If he gets a better offer, so long Juan and Thanks!
4. Attempt to trade Aaron Rowand eating 16-18 mill of his remaining 24 mill. Won’t happen but worth a try.
Torres CF
Noshioki SS
Huff 1B/LF
Posey C
Ross RF
Uribe 3B /Sandoval 3B/1B
DeRosa LF/3B
Sanchez 2B
Not a Brandon Belt fan?
I really like Belt’s potential. I think he needs at least the first half of season in AAA unless he kills it in S.T.
I hate to tell you this, but you’re not going to win that post @ $5-7MM.
Also, you lose both Huff and Uribe in this scenario, IMO.
If you eat $16-18MM of Rowand’s deal, though, I imagine you could get a couple of bites on Rowand. As an AZ fan, I’d hope Kevin Towers would get in on that.
Yeah, I just saw the link where his post could be up to $20 mill…Strange, all previous threads said his post would be $4+ mill with him earning $2-3 mill a year.
I think Huff will accept that deal because he really wants to stay and it quadruples his last deal. Uribe will probably get 2 yr deals maybe 3 yr.
The white sox could use a Dan Uggla type player to fill in 3rd if they are not comfortable with Morel. And the Marlins do have curiosity about AJ. Maybe a sign and trade of Pierzynski plus a prospect for Uggla with or without an extension.
It’s a bummer that A.J’s a free agent, isn’t it.
Besides, that’s not enough to get Uggla.
what i ment is since AJ is a type A, the Marlins may not want to surrender the draft pick. and according to Capozzi the Marlins may not even have money for AJ without trading a piece like Uggla. If u have ideas for prospects that the sox would need to trade to get Uggla please write them
But it’s not a foregone conclusion that the White Sox would sign him. We would have to at least center a package around Gordon Beckham or John Danks to acquire Uggla from the Marlins. Sorry, didn’t mean to sound like a jerk in my first response.
It’s a bummer that A.J’s a free agent, isn’t it.
Besides, that’s not enough to get Uggla.
Uggla is a power machine, but I want to see more of Morel. Plus I don’t want to give up what the Marlins probably want.
it sounds that the Marlins may be somewhat desperate to move Uggla now so obviously the cost in players may be actually low for someone at Uggla’s calibre. But offering AJ in a sign and trade might bring the most major league ready talent to Florida. And if the Fish struggle they can easily flip Aj for a good prospect. Catchers with pop are hard to come by and someone will overpay for AJ midseason.
Huff is definitely gonna stay. All that talk about “the happiest moment of my life” and “if I could do it all over again I would in a heartbeat”…it just wouldn’t make sense for him not to agree on some kind of deal.
The Indians fans are getting a fantastic beat reporter.
If the Dodgers are really looking to trim 20-25% of payroll, I think a deal like this could help both teams…
To Boston:
OF – Ethier (said he loved to play in Boston, talk of LA moving him recently)
1B – Loney (almost no trade value)
C – Martin (possibly negative trade value)
Addresses 3 needs for the Red Sox
To Dodgers:
SP – Doubrant (top 5 prospect in Sox organization, 5th starter for LA?)
1B – Anderson (top 5 prospect in Sox organization, essentially same as Loney, less $)
OF – Reddick (top 10 prospect in Sox organization)
Dodgers basically save $20M, add a couple of decent prospects.
Honestly I doubt Theo would do it since he could get Werth, Dunn and Varitek for $6-10M more, and give up no prospects. If you add Ellsbury, this is probably nearing AGonz value. Maybe swap out Doubront for a pitching prospect in the 6-10 range if the Dodgers are really in a bind with money.
Just so you know… you’re about to be bashed. But I’ll stick with the: We don’t want Loney!
Ethier is a great hitter but at $12M with terrible defense he isn’t going to command a ton in a trade…especially since the financial situation in LA has been made public.
Loney has 0 trade value. End of story.
Martin had terrible numbers for the past two seasons. Sox take on his $6M and he splits time with Saltalasomething.
LA just wiped $20M, $10M for the Mr and $10M for the Mrs!
You say that Anderson is the same as Loney so we dont really gain there. So what it comes down to is trading an all-star outfielder for an unproven outfield prospect and Martin for a “5th starter” (which we can get on the FA market). No thanks, not in a million years.
You think you are getting a top pitching prospect for Martin? Really?
Martin has negative value. Buck is a better player and can be had for no prospects. He also won’t make $6M like Martin will make.
Anderson is under team control for many years to come, Loney is not. Loney will make at least $5M next year, Anderson about 1/10th that.
Ethier has a nice bat but he give Manny a run for his money in the worst defender category. He will make $12M next year. Dunn will make about $12M next year and is about the same as a defensive OF. What do you think Ethier is worth?
Essentially the Red Sox are giving the Dodgers $20M.
The payroll for the Dodgers is going up from last year so I would presume that means they aren’t looking to trim payroll.
There is a big difference between Dodgers payroll going up and th Dodgers wanting to increase payroll.
After arbitration their 2011 payroll will be about $95M for 15 players.
They will be paying additional $16M to people who aren’t on the team.
It is nearly impossible that the payroll doesn’t go up from last year….even if they do knock $20M off from this trade!
If two out of the three players have no value and the redsox prospects are so hot why make such a trade? Those same red sox prospects are not good enough to make a major league roster. It only makes sense if it is a salary dump. If that is the case McCOURT LOVES CASH, AND EVEN MARGINAL MAJOR LEAGUE TYPES AS LONG AS THE TEAM TRADING TO THE DODGERS PAY THE PLAYERS SALARY FOR THE YEAR.
I never said the Red Sox prospects were “so hot”, but all 3 are top 10 in the Organization.
Doubront is ready to be a regular in the MLB. He is more than adequate for a back of the rotation starter. Anderson and Reddick both have seen limited action in the majors and are AAAA right now but still under team control for the forseeable future.
Loney doesn’t have any more value than the players available through FA. He is limited to 1B and does not have power numbers that we are accustomed to seeing at that position. Dodgers have made it clear that they are looking for power at this position. He is a contingent plan to the Red Sox situation at the corners. Worst case scenario is he is a nice roll player if Sox end up with a better 1B or 3B.
Martin has negative, I repeat NEGATIVE trade value. The Sox currently have no catching. He is better than nothing but not even close to the amount of money he will make in arbitration. Sox are taking on a bad contract to lower the price on a better player.
It has been made clear in the past that Ethier is available. He will be worth pretty much exactly what he’ll get in arbitration so it’s not like the Dodgers are getting a deal on him. He is fit to be an back up OF/DH type as his defense is not good. Bat makes up for his poor defense.
Giving up $20M and essentially taking nothing back in return is a huge plus for the Dodgers. They are going to be footing the bill for the other two if they end up releasing them. It’s not like the Red Sox wouldn’t be giving up any prospects in return either. This is overpayment if the Dodgers are trying to keep their payroll under $100M.
Jays HAVE to give the Dodgers a call about Loney. At 27, still has some upside
Murphy could work wonders with him.
20+ homers could be reached
Could the Dodgers trade for 1b Prince Fielder for RHP Billingsley & 2 prospects?
Lineup:
C- Martin (2)
1b- Fielder (4)
2b- Renteria(free agent signing) (8)
SS- Furcal (1)
3b- Blake (7)
LF- Loney (6)
CF- Kemp (5)
RF- Either (3)
I want nothing to do with Prince, not that he can’t play but he will not resign and Bills should be locked up for at least 4-5 years this offseason. Bills is too much from a Dodgers standpoint. BTW Renteria is garbage. I know he went all Babe Ruth in the playoffs but no thanks. I rather see theRIOT suck.