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Howie Kendrick

Rosenthal’s Latest: Andruw, Rowand, Castillo

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Ken Rosenthal has cranked out another rumor-filled column.  A summary is below.

  • The Marlins are insisting on Howie Kendrick in a Miguel Cabrera deal.  The Angels are understandably reluctant.
  • The Nationals could sign Andruw Jones long-term if they felt it was a bargain – say, $13MM a year.  The Giants, White Sox, and Padres may be in the mix as well.  Hmmm, White Sox and Boras?  And if Scott Boras changes his tune and hunts for a one-year "rebuild value" contract for Jones, the Red Sox could get involved. 
  • The Phillies think Aaron Rowand will end up getting a 4/52 contract, though Rosenthal expects him to get the fifth guaranteed year.  It’s previously been reported that Rowand is looking for a six-year, $84MM deal. Yikes.
  • Aside from the Astros and Mets, the Indians, Padres, and Dodgers could get in on Luis Castillo.  In the Tribe’s case, it would involve a scenario where Jhonny Peralta was dealt.
  • Interesting note on Curt Schilling’s $2MM in weight incentives – the target weights are aggressively low, and the weigh-ins will be done randomly.  So, no cheating the system.  By the way, isn’t it ridiculous that one Cy vote gets him $1MM?  Sportswriters have given out single votes on a whim for much dumber reasons.
  • The Red Sox are apparently asking a lot for Coco Crisp, more than the Twins are ready to give up.
  • The Indians and Brewers have an excess of starters.  Names that could hit the market include Cliff Lee, Dave Bush, and Chris Capuano.  The Nationals have their eye on Lee.  He came up as an Expo through Double A.
  • The Nationals might be able to get something good for outfielder Ryan Church.  In general, Jim Bowden desires a young MLB-ready starter like Kevin Mulvey or Kevin Slowey.

Miguel Cabrera Trade Rumors

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For up for auction: two years of Miguel Cabrera.  Who’s going to place a bid?  The latest buzz from Joe Capozzi is that the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox are all after him.  A deal could happen at the Winter Meetings from December 3-6.  The needs for the Marlins are starting pitching, third base, catcher, and center field.  They want three players.

  • Dodgers: Capozzi’s source says they’re "making a big push" for Cabrera, after calling about him last summer.  This could even involve a package deal with Dontrelle Willis.  The names being thrown around: Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Elbert, and Jonathan Meloan.  I can’t see the Dodgers trading Billingsley; he’s integral to the 2008 team.  Dodgers side note: Bill Shaikin names Kosuke Fukudome as someone the Dodgers are monitoring.
  • Angels: Capozzi says Cabrera could be the Angels’ alternative if they fail to sign Alex Rodriguez.  Bill Shaikin speculates on Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, and Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis/Hank Conger.  I’d make that deal.  However, Ken Rosenthal says Howie Kendrick would be a requirement. 
  • Giants: Cabrera could be their new Face of the Franchise, but it’s tough to see this happening without Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain.
  • Yankees: Joe Girardi managed him with the Marlins and speaks highly of him.  The Yanks have already touched base about Cabrera with the Fish.  It sounds like the Yankees will trade Melky Cabrera, but are very reluctant to trade Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, or Ian Kennedy.  I could see them relenting on Kennedy.  Capozzi mentions their second tier of prospects – Alan Horne, Humberto Sanchez, Ross Ohlendorf, and Jose Tabata.  Nah.
  • Red Sox: Any big name, the Yankees and Red Sox have to at least check in.  If the Sox somehow don’t retain Mike Lowell, they could move on to Cabrera.  The price is said to be Jacoby Ellsbury plus Jon Lester or Clay Buchholz.  I don’t see the Red Sox doing it.
  • White Sox: Ozzie Guillen is friends with Cabrera and sure, the White Sox love him.  Any package would have to start with Josh Fields, but I’m still not sure they have the goods even if they add Lance Broadway and Gio Gonzalez to the package.
  • Indians: Capozzi doesn’t mention them, but Paul Hoynes says they’ll inquire.  The Tribe has some expendable guys but a deal might have to start with Adam Miller.

Angels Out On Teixeira?

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According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira.  Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon.  The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player.  The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana.

Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar?  The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won’t relent to Jon Daniels’ list.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News sings a different tune.  Doug Padilla suggests an offer of Kotchman, Adenhart, and Reggie Willits.  He does not believe the talks to be dead.

Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza look like the logical alternatives for the Angels.  Buster Olney believes Piazza to be a fine idea, and I agree.  Interestingly, the Angels kicked the tires of Miguel Cabrera but were rebuffed.

Teixeira may now be left to the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox.  I still expect a deal to be made.  The sticking point for an Atlanta appears to be John Schuerholz’s demand to get a solid reliever back with Teixeira if he is to include Elvis Andrus.

Miscellaneous Rumors

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There are a few trade-related nuggets in the newspapers today, but I don’t expect anything major to go down until June.

The Reds are trying to find a taker for Tony Womack, who has thankfully been pushed out of their infield and demoted.  That is what we call a million dollar mistake.  I guess Brandon Phillips makes up for it, at least until his bat runs cold.

Jay Payton and his agent are being vocal about finding him his 500 ABs with another team if necessary.  The best fit I can find is the Cardinals.

The Yanks plan on declining Mike Mussina’s option and re-signing him to a more reasonable deal.  The decline is a no-brainer at $17MM, but I’m just remembering what happened with Jon Lieber.  New York had some goodwill there after paying Lieber to rehab, but he still jumped ship after seeing the market.  This is a different situation given Mussina’s tenure, and he has said he wants to stay put.  I’m just saying, it’s not a 100% lock.

Howie Kendrick got the call, but it took an injury, and not a trade, of Maicer Izturis.  My guess is that Izturis will spend at least a month on the shelf and that Kendrick will stick for the rest of the season.  If Kendrick can hit as expected between pinch-hitting, DHing, and spot starting at 2B/3B, there will be plenty of interest for Adam Kennedy in the coming months.  Kennedy is a 3-4 win guy who could really help the Mets or Cardinals for half a season. 

Howie Kendrick To Debut In May?

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Just got word from a respected Angels source.

You may be wondering why Maicer Izturis has made four consecutive starts – at shortstop, third base, and even DH.  Sure, he’s hitting well (5 for 15 with three steals).  But this is Maicer Izturis here folks.  He’s a .232/.299/.336 hitter in 300 career ABs.  You don’t want him DHing.

The reason behind all the PT for Izturis is that he’s being shown off for scouts in attendance.  The Angels are hunting for the right deal to make room for Howie Kendrick by mid-May.  If they can’t find something they like for the 25 year-old Izturis, Edgardo Alfonzo may be waived.  Not sure exactly how Adam Kennedy’s playing time will be affected by the callup.

One Angels blog is so sure that Kenrick is on his way they are asking readers to guess the date and cause of his callup!

A little background on Kendrick: he’s an absolute hitting machine.  The 22 year-old second baseman boasts a minor league line of .359/.404/.555.  He doesn’t draw walks, but he doesn’t need to.  Through 57 ABs in 2006, Kendrick’s .386 average ranks 8th in the Pacific Coast League. 

PECOTA calls Kendrick the best prospect in baseball.  Said Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver:

"Since 1998, there are 54 players (including major leaguers) who posted a translated BA of .300 or better in a season in which they were age 22 or younger (minimum 300 AB). Only seven of those players made the list twice:

Sean Burroughs
Miguel Cabrera
Howie Kendrick
Joe Mauer
Albert Pujols
Tony Torcato
David Wright

Cabrera, Wright, Mauer and Pujols presently rate among the ten most valuable commodities in baseball. Burroughs and Tony Torcato were abject failures, but Kendrick has significantly more power and runs significantly better than either of them. In any event, those are pretty good odds."

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