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Brad Penny

Brad Penny Nowhere To Be Found

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Joe Torre says injured pitcher Brad Penny disappeared without saying goodbye (no note either apparently).  Penny recently expressed displeasure with the Dodgers’ wise decision not to exercise his ’09 option this spring.

Penny has a $9.25MM option for next year with a $2MM buyout.  Is he worth $7.25MM on a one-year deal?  Probably not – his shoulder bothered him all year and he has a long injury history.  Toss in the comments and the unceremonious departure, and it’s likely Penny’s Dodgers career is over.

Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Pavano, Penny, Burnett

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Random links to start the morning…

  • Ben Shpigel says Billy Wagner’s $10.5MM for ’09 is not covered by insurance, making the Mets unlikely suitors for K-Rod (hat tip to MetsBlog).
  • The Padres claimed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger.  You have to like the move; he’s only 24.
  • Ken Davidoff writes about Nationals pitcher Tim Redding, who dreams about returning to the Yankees one day.
  • Davidoff also says that contrary to popular belief, C.C. Sabathia did not buy a home in Southern California.
  • In another post, Davidoff lists the worst trades of ’08.
  • Nats GM Jim Bowden will probably bring in a veteran first baseman next year due to health concerns with Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young.
  • Not much cooking on the Pedro Alvarez front…Bud Selig testified yesterday, and the next part of the hearing isn’t until September 23rd.
  • Andrew Baggarly explains Bengie Molina’s contentious relationship with the Giants.
  • From Saturday: Carl Pavano’s side of the story.  Can Pavano be a useful pitcher next year?
  • Larry Borowsky would like to see the Cardinals enterain an extension for Todd Wellemeyer.  He’s eligible for free agency after the ’09 season.
  • Joel Sherman isn’t sure the Yankees will invite Andy Pettitte back next year.
  • Brad Penny says he pitched through a shoulder injury because of uncertainty around his ’09 option.
  • Interesting fact…A.J. Burnett is second in MLB with 3286 pitches thrown (Sabathia jumped into the lead last night).  Many of the ’07 leaders in pitches thrown came down with injuries this year.
  • Michael O’Keefe sits down with agent Scott Boras.
  • ESPN’s Buster Olney notes that the Blue Jays will pursue a shortstop this winter.
  • All you ever wanted to know about Dr. James Andrews.
  • Jed Hoyer explains where Curt Schilling learned his negotiating tactics.

Dodgers In Market For Pitching

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10:36am: Jackson has an article up, and takes a more definitive stance in saying the Dodgers are looking for a starter and remain interested in Maddux.  Ned Colletti apparently has conversations going regarding players who would need to clear waivers.  23 year-old prospect James McDonald is a strong in-house candidate if the Dodgers want to go that way.

9:34am: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News talked to Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who does not expect much from Brad Penny for the rest of the season (he may return as a reliever, though).  Torre hinted that he would like a starting pitcher to be acquired if it’d improve upon the current fifth starter candidates, Eric Stults and Jason Johnson.

Jackson hasn’t heard anything new on the Greg Maddux front.  As you may recall, Maddux was said to have cleared waivers according to ESPN’s Peter Gammons.  The teams were not able to work out a trade earlier this month, because the Dodgers wanted the Padres to pay roughly 83% of Maddux’s remaining salary.  That amounted to $2.5MM for the Dodgers back then; now it’s about $1.95MM.

The Dodgers are in a dead heat for first place in the NL West, so every win is crucial.  Last year they were willing to take on $8MM for a massive question mark in Esteban Loaiza, but this year they’re trying to keep deals payroll-neutral.

What To Do With Brad Penny?

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Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times raises the question today: what should the Dodgers do with Brad Penny?  The 30 year-old righty has been lousy this year, and he’s back on the DL with shoulder woes.  In recent years he’s shown a trend of fading in the second half, though he was respectable in ’07.

The Dodgers face a $9.25MM club option with a $2MM buyout.  Is Penny worthy of a one-year, $7.25MM deal?  I probably wouldn’t guarantee that money to him, but I’m not a doctor.  Penny has had back, blister, rib cage, forearm, elbow, biceps nerve, and shoulder problems over the years.  He was never worked particularly hard by his managers.

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Blanton, Furcal, Penny, Burnett, Greinke

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video:

  • The Braves called the A’s about Joe Blanton but did not even come close to meeting Billy Beane’s price.
  • The Dodgers may not want to lock up Rafael Furcal, the oft-injured shortstop, to a long term contract.  Also, with Brad Penny’s struggles, they may pass on his 2009 club option and trade him this season. They’d get something in return rather than pay his $2MM buyout in the offseason.
  • The only way the Jays will trade A.J. Burnett is if they fall completely out of contention.  Otherwise, he is a cornerstone to their only chance: "pitching teams into the ground."
  • The Royals could field offers for Zack Greinke.  Their farm system has thinned and they could replace Greinke in the rotation with Joakim Soria.

By Nat Boyle

Dan Haren Will Be Pricey

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UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:09pm: Hank Steinbrenner weighed in on the Haren-Yankees talks, calling Billy Beane’s request "ridiculous."  The Yankees are out on Haren.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:00pm: Nick Piecoro’s source says Conor Jackson is not a part of the Haren talks, actually.

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:13pm: The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford says the A’s and D’Backs have had "constructive talks" about Haren for Carlos Gonzalez, Conor Jackson, and two others.

FROM 12-4-07 at 10:58am:

OK, you already knew that.  But Joel Sherman has details.

  • Billy Beane sees Dan Haren as equal in value to Johan Santana, all things considered.  Over the next three years, that could be true – plus Haren is much more reasonable in terms of salary.
  • Beane’s focus is young pitching.
  • Beane doesn’t want Melky Cabrera from the Yankees.  He wants a package starting with Phil Hughes and one of Ian Kennedy or Alan Horne.
  • Sherman says the Mets don’t have the blue-chippers in Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey. 
  • The Dodgers and D’Backs match up better for Haren than the Yankees and Mets, though Arizona doesn’t really have the young pitching.
  • Joe Blanton won’t be cheap either; Beane equates him with Brad Penny.
  • Athletics Nation believes Blanton is much more likely to be traded than Haren this winter.

On Penny Being on the Block

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Hello, my name is Jacob Burch and Tim has asked me to contribute as his Dodgers’ correspondent. It’s great to be aboard and I look forward to offering news and insight on the boys in blue. If you have any Dodger related rumors, I can be reached directly at ladtraderumors@gmail.com.

Dodgers news has dried to the point where Luis Gonzalez being hit by a pitch thrusts itself as a headline. However, a common speculative thread is the availability of Brad Penny to the many teams in need of an impact in their starting rotation. The speculation bases itself on the depth the Dodgers have near the end of their starting 5, with no less than four guys, currently working for the fifth starter position, that would love to take Penny’s place.

There’s no shortage of posts over this off-season suggesting Penny as an answer to a pitching-deprived team’s prayers. The latest can be found in yesterday’s Clemens-to-Cards rumors, which suggests Penny is a more likely solution than The Rocket. Not to crush the hopes of teams in need of pitching, but there are a couple of issues that suggest that Penny won’t be traded until at least several weeks into the season.

First off, while it’s true that the Dodgers rotation shines in quantity, the tail-end of their staff lacks the consistency Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti would want to hang his blue cap on. With Chad Billingsley likely taking the fifth starter spot, either a former-prospect with less than 60 major league innings under his belt (Hong-chih Kuo) or one of two starters that were forced to pitch from the bullpen last year (Brett Tomko, Mark Hendrickson) will have to force their way to allow such a trade to not derail the pitching staff.

Secondly, with the signings of Luis Gonzalez, Nomar Garciaparra and Juan Pierre, Colletti duct-taped the possible holes a trade for a big-bat could fill. To the adage "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it", the Dodgers lack a position to upgrade without stunting a developing rookie or throwing away a newly-dried big-money contract. Third base may become an option if Wilson Betemit continues to disappoint, but with top-prospect Andy LaRoche nipping on his heels, it appears unlikely. Until the Dodgers rotation proves itself and the offense digs itself a hole or two, Penny will likely remain in Dodger blue.

Cards Hope To Woo Clemens

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UPDATE: Hendricks squashed the rumor.

The big story this morning: Walt Jocketty and co. met at length with Roger Clemens’s agent Randy Hendricks yesterday.  Other clients’ of Hendricks were the main topic, but Roger’s name came up.  Unlike this winter’s Barry Bonds rumor, Jocketty isn’t denying interest. 

The Cardinals have some extra money after missing out on various pitching targets this winter.  Clemens is quite a longshot, but it’s certainly fun to speculate.  This is the single move with the largest possible impact for St. Louis.  Adding 100 innings of the Rocket would probably improve the Cardinals by 3-4 wins, based on PECOTA’s projected WARP.  And Murray Chass just stopped reading this post.

Aside from Clemens, the Cards could pursue Carl Pavano, Jon Lieber, or Brad Penny.  Penny is the possible impact arm and of course would draw much more interest if he’s available.  His overall impact would probably be similar to that of Clemens, but the bounty is to be paid in prospects.  Colby Rasmus, Jaime Garcia, and Chris Duncan could be targets of L.A.

Shopping Brad Penny

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The Los Angeles Times’ Steve Henson believes that Brad Penny is the Dodger starter most likely to be traded because of his temper problems and awful second half.  On the plus side, Penny is on the right side of 30, has a favorable contract, and started the All-Star Game this year.

Henson names the Blue Jays as a fit since J.P. Ricciardi is a fan and the Jays still need to acquire a starting pitcher.  Penny is signed at a below-market price – $7.5MM in ’07, $8.5MM in ’08, and an $8.75MM club option in ’09.  Penny could be part of a package for Vernon Wells, but the Dodgers might need to contribute a prospect in a trade.

Would the Dodgers trade for Wells and then try to shift him to right field despite his fine defense in center?  Wells has played 16 games in right in his career, most recently in 2002.  This seems like the only reasonable solution as Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez can’t handle right field. 

This all assumes the Jason Schmidt signing is official, which the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is not ready to concede.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday mentions that Mark Hendrickson could be a trade candidate for L.A. on the low end.  He says Hendrickson could wind up with the Cubs.

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