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Francisco Cordero

Olney On Ausmus, Carroll, Prior, Penny

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A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Via Twitter, Olney's heard from other teams that the Reds would love to move closer Francisco Cordero.  Of course, closers are plentiful and Cordero is set to earn $25MM over the next two years.  I mentioned in our Reds Offseason Outlook that the team would have to eat half of that to make him mildly appealing.  Similarly, the Indians would definitely listen on Kerry Wood, who is set to earn $20MM over the next two years.
  • Olney believes other teams could join the Reds and Tigers in cost-cutting mode.  He says the teams with payroll space "will be in position to make some excellent deals."
  • Olney finds it unlikely that Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, or John Lackey will receive a $100MM contract.
  • Catcher Brad Ausmus on 2010: "I could end up playing if somebody wants me."
  • The A's are interested in free agent infielder Jamey Carroll. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets that the Dodgers and at least seven other teams are also interested in Carroll.
  • Mark Prior is throwing on flat ground and plans to audition for scouts.  Prior, 29, most recently had shoulder surgery in June.
  • The Giants are attempting to re-sign Brad Penny, who lost 12 pounds since the end of the season.
  • Olney wonders if the Royals will dump more players before the December 12th non-tender deadline.  I think Mike Jacobs, John Buck, and John Bale fit the bill.
  • Olney's heard that the Phillies "will be aggressive in signing a set-up man/closer safety net," with Brad Lidge having flexor tendon surgery.

Heyman’s Latest: Lackey, Tigers, Reds

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Jon Heyman of SI.com's last few Twitter updates have provided a variety of intriguing information from around the league. Let's check them out….

Reds To Cut Payroll, Big Names Could Be Dealt

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Add the Reds to the list of teams that are slashing, rather than spending, this off-season.  Fanhouse's Ed Price and Jeff Fletcher are reporting that Cincinnati is looking to cut their payroll from $71MM in 2009 to between the $65-$70MM range next season.  While it may not sound like much of a reduction, Cot's Baseball Contracts lists the Reds as owing just under $66MM to just ten players for next season, leaving little room to fill out the rest of the roster.

Lagging attendance figures are to blame for the Reds' financial cutbacks.  Price and Fletcher noted that attendance at the Great American Ballpark dropped by more than 15 percent from 2008 to 2009.  General manager Walt Jocketty was quoted in the piece as saying, "We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past…It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason."

If Cincinnati does make a deal, the likeliest candidates to be moved are second baseman Brandon Phillips (owed just under $7MM in 2010), and pitchers Aaron Harang ($12.5MM) and Bronson Arroyo ($12.25MM).  Phillips, with his .452 slugging percentage over the last four seasons, is the most attractive candidate to other clubs given his power from the second base position and reasonable contract.  Harang and Arroyo are both coming off decent years themselves, but Price and Fletcher speculate that their bigger contract numbers would require the Reds to absorb a chunk of their salaries if traded.

One star player who looks to be staying in Cincinnati is closer Francisco Cordero, who Price and Fletcher say the club "would prefer to keep" despite the $25MM he's owed through 2011.  A very intriguing trade chip could be young slugger Joey Votto, if the Reds wanted to make room for star prospect Yonder Alonso at first base.  Another team could be convinced to take on a bad contract if it meant getting Votto, who isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.

Reds Report: Volquez, Bruce, Gomes

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To put it mildly, this has been a rough year for Reds fans.  Edinson Volquez had the Cincinnati faithful buzzing after posting a 3.21 ERA with 9.5 K/9 in his first full season in 2008.  After logging just nine starts in the 2009 campaign, Volquez needed surgery to repair damage in his right elbow.  The Reds faded fast as their depleted staff wasn't getting much of a lift from their sagging offense.  Injuries to Joey Votto and Edwin Encarnacion (prior to being dealt to Toronto) certainly didn't do them any favors.

However, if the team's recent performance is any indication of what lies ahead, Reds fans might have something to cheer about in 2010.  Dusty Baker's squad has gone 19-11 since September 1st, thanks in part to stronger pitching (3.39 team ERA) and the return of Jay Bruce, who missed two months with a broken wrist.

Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the ESPN Insider staff compiled a glance at this past season and what to expect next year in Cincy.  An ESPN Insider account is needed to read the article, but here are the brass tacks for those without:

  • It's no secret that the Reds don't have a top-flight budget.  They opened this season with a payroll of $73MM and owner Bob Castellini isn't going to "go all Steinbrenner" and tack-on much more.
  • Further exacerbating their financial woes are their pricey commitments to Bronson Arroyo, Francisco Cordero, Aaron Harang and Scott Rolen.  Combined, these four players are owed $46.5 million next season.
  • Olney says that considering their lack of flexibility this offseason, Homer Bailey might be their best chance for improvement as he recorded a 2.41 ERA in September.  The velocity that made Bailey such a highly-coveted prospect has returned, with his fastball being clocked at an average of 94.5 MPH this year.  This is a big step-up from his previous big league work and could spell an even bigger jump in 2010.
  • Baseball Prospectus says that their "acceptable" rate of 4.5 runs allowed per game is due in part to their much-improved defense.  It will be interesting to see if defensive-minded yet weak-hitting shortstop Paul Janish will be the Reds' starter next season.  Manager Dusty Baker said on Friday that a "definitive decision" hasn't been made yet.
  • Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus notes that the combined efforts of all Reds batting in the top two lineup spots resulted in a slash line of .245/.301/.354.  When Willy Taveras hit the DL in August, Dusty Baker put rookie Drew Stubbs and the aforementioned Janish at the top of the order.  The team has gone 27-15 since then, but Jaffe attributes most of the credit for that to the improved performance of the pitching staff.
  • The "Rumor Central" portion of the piece encourages Reds fans that are anxious to see the team acquire a big bat to consider what the offense is capable of if they are healthy.  Injury-free seasons from Bruce and Votto should give Cincinnati a major boost.
  • The report says to expect the Reds to tender Jonny Gomes an offer as he is arbitration-eligible.  This should come as no surprise as Gomes has belted 20 HRs in 311 plate appearances while posting .266/.338/.540.
  • Jaffe says that Jocketty could deal Arroyo or Harang to give the team room to make a mid-level signing this winter.  He adds, "…It's difficult to envision this team breaking out of the middle of the pack without keen vision and bold steps."

Reds Rumors: Looking To 2010

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The Reds seem unlikely to make a move. As they stand, John Fay of The Cincinatti Enquirer asks whether the Reds have a shot at making a run in 2010. His answer?

“It will depend on how the young players develop. Adding [Scott] Rolen’s salary took away all of the flexibility the Reds had in their payroll. They’d have to move one of the aforementioned veteran pitchers in the offseason to open money to pursue free agents. That’s probably not going to happen. Again, when the Reds got Rolen, it was a clear signal that CEO Bob Castellini thought the Reds were a short-term fix from contending in 2010.”

The “aforementioned veteran pitchers” he mentions: Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, or Francisco Cordero. Fay notes their are several holes in which young players will need to step up. He breaks them down by position.

Reds Not Likely To Make A Move

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According to Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said Saturday afternoon that his club plans to sit tight as the August 31 waiver trade deadline approaches.

"Nothing has changed," Jocketty told Groeschen via text message.  This backs up a similar report that was published earlier in the week by the Enquirer's John Fay.  Not a single team showed interest in closer Francisco Cordero and his monstrous contract, and it appears the Reds will hang onto trade candidate Jonny Gomes as well.

Odds And Ends: Cordero, Schmidt, Griffey

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Another round of links…

  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that no team has inquired on Francisco Cordero.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a series of predictions for the season's final month. He doesn't expect Jake Peavy to win more than a single game for the White Sox. 
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Jason Schmidt's season is over. Schmidt, who won three games in as many seasons for the Dodgers, hinted he may retire.
  • Ken Griffey Jr. tells C. Trent Rosecrans of CNati.com he's having the time of his life back in Seattle. He's open to staying with the Mariners, but says he understands if the team decides to move on. Check out the entire interview – it's a great read.
  • Roy Oswalt says there's "a dead feeling" in the Astros clubhouse, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Justice argues that "the people in charge have screwed up the franchise."
  • Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox evaluated Billy Wagner in depth before trading for him.

Reds Seem Unlikely To Make Trades

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It doesn't look like the Reds will make any more trades between now and the end of August, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Aaron Harang's emergency appendectomy and Bronson Arroyo's substance taking and oversized contract mean a trade involving either pitcher would be a surprise. Francisco Cordero has $27MM remaining on his contract and a no-trade clause, so it doesn't appear that the Reds will trade him, either.

Just last week, Fay wondered if the Reds could move Jonny Gomes, who makes just $600k, or five percent of Cordero's annual salary.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Strasburg, Cordero, Swisher

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On this date 25 years ago, B.J. Upton was born. The second overall pick in the '02 draft, Bossman Junior made his big league debut in 2004, but will be arbitration-eligible for the first time following this season. The Rays prefer to lock up their young players to long-term deals, but there has never been an indication that Upton is willing to sign long-term. With the signing deadline for most draft picks now past, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • The Biz of Baseball looks at how the slotting system held up with this year's draft (not very well).
  • Capitol Avenue Club declares the winners and losers of this year's draft.
  • Nationals Pride notes that the Nationals are two-for-two in their decisions affecting Stephen Strasburg.
  • Center Field Gate likes the Stephen Strasburg deal, but wants to see what Strasburg can do before getting too excited.
  • Sully Baseball notes that Stephen Strasburg needs to get past Betty White before he is worth $50M.
  • Around the Majors looks back the Reds' decision to give Francisco Cordero a $46MM contract.
  • 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba revisits the deal that brought Nick Swisher to the Yankees.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Gammons’ Latest: Greene, Angels, Strasburg

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Peter Gammons has a new blog post up at ESPN, in which he writes about the wildcard races and what they mean for baseball. Bud Selig takes a lot of heat, but I don't think there's any arguing that the wildcard is one of his greatest achievements.

Anyway, Gammons drops a few rumor nuggets at the end of the piece, so let's round 'em up…

  • The Red Sox did not pursue Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene when he cleared waivers. Remember to check out out handy dandy list of players who have already cleared waivers.
  • The Angels are reportedly interested in Heath Bell, who was put on waivers yesterday. Several GMs "expressed doubt that the Padres would be able trade him." I, for one, think the Pads would have no problem moving him if they really wanted to.
  • One GM says the Angels "should take Francisco Cordero. The Reds will move him."
  • Gammons says that most baseball people think the Nationals will sign Stephen Strasburg "if negotiations with Scott Boras do not get contentious." He guesstimates that Strasburg could get $22MM for three years, which would allow him to go to arbitration for three years and land another big payday. Or three. 
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