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Kosuke Fukudome

Rosenthal On Braves, Marlins, Lee, Cubs

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The Braves are interested in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth have not hit well for the Braves, and Jason Heyward's now slumping. Eric Hinske has played tremendously, but can't be expected to post an OPS near 1.000, so the Braves may deal from pitching depth for a bat. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Marlins are actively seeking relief help.
  • Rosenthal says the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers – yes, the Brewers – could be interested in Cliff Lee this summer. The Brewers could provide the Mariners with a hitter like Corey Hart or Mat Gamel and trade Lee to a third team for younger pitchers.
  • The Cubs would love to deal Kosuke Fukudome, but he will earn more than $21MMM between now and the end of 2011, so trading him will not be easy. Click here for more from Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi on Fukudome's availability.
  • Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will probably look to acquire a reliever this summer.

The Trade Market For Kosuke Fukudome And Ryan Theriot

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10:28pm: Morosi and Ken Rosenthal provided a Fukudome update on the FOX Sports MLB Buzz page.  They note that the Nationals are on Fukudome's no-trade list, but the Yankees and Red Sox aren't.  New York and Boston aren't known to have interest in Fukudome, though both teams have some need for an outfielder.  

Morosi and Rosenthal report that the Padres were interested in Fukudome when he originally came to the majors from Japan, though that was when Kevin Towers was the team's general manager.  The Padres could use outfield help but couldn't pick up Fukudome unless the Cubs paid most of his salary.

6:09pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com looked at the fortunes of the Windy City's two clubs following their weekend interleague series, and headlined his piece by stating that the Cubs should be looking to deal rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome and infielder Ryan Theriot.

There's little question the Cubs would love to get Fukudome's hefty contract ($13.5MM for 2011 and a little under $8MM remaining for this season) off the books, especially given the club's desire to give more playing time to youngster Tyler Colvin.  Both Colvin and Fukudome are left-handed hitters so they can't really be effectively platooned, and obviously Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd are in no danger of losing their starting jobs.

Fukudome's slash line for the season is .276/.370/.453, generated in large part by a 1.084 OPS in April.  Since Fukudome's pattern over his first two major league seasons has been to start strong and then tail off into the summer, it seems as if the same is happening in 2010.

Given Fukudome's salary and no-trade clause that reportedly covers 15 teams, Morosi suggests that Chicago's best option is to deal Fukudome for another player with a bad contract of a similar length (here's the list of potential free agents after the 2011 season).  Of course, if the Cubs are willing to pay a large portion of Fukudome's salary, then that widens the trade market considerably.  Washington apparently showed some interest in Fukudome back in April and he could provide some stability for the Nats' outfield.  Their current RF platoon of Roger Bernadina and Mike Morse seems to be working well at the moment and obviously comes at a much lower price tag than Fukudome, even if the Cubs were to foot most of the bill.

As for Theriot, Morosi hasn't heard any shortstop-needy teams sniffing around, though he cites Detroit, Minnesota, Oakland and San Diego as contenders who could use some help at the position.  According to Fangraphs, Theriot provides better defensive help at second base (a 15.5 UZR/150) than he does at short (1.4 UZR/150) based on his career numbers.  Given the Mets' problems at second with the currently-injured Luis Castillo, Theriot could be a nice pickup for them.  He is controllable through 2012 and is making a reasonable $2.6MM salary this season.

Odds & Ends: Burrell, Choo, White Sox, Hanley

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Links for Friday, as the streaking Mets visit the Brewers…

Nationals Have Discussed Trade For Right Fielder

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In the wake of losing an everyday outfielder when they released Elijah Dukes, the Nationals have had discussions with several teams about a trade for a right fielder according to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling. Among the targets: Corey Hart, Kosuke Fukudome, and B.J. Upton.

Goessling says that none of those trade talks have been particularly substantive, but it's clear the Nats aren't necessarily looking for a cheap solution. The two sides weren't able to find a common ground for Hart, and the Nats came away with the impression that the Rays won't move the elder Upton brother unless they fall out of the AL East race this summer. Fukudome still has two years and $26.5MM left on his deal, so he's unlikely to be moved unless the Cubs eat a large portion of that commitment.

Washington feels right field is a thin position around the league, so for now they'll try to get by with a combination of Willie Harris and Willy Taveras. They'll have to hope their defensive skills make up for their collective lack of offense. 

Cubs Sign Marlon Byrd

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The Cubs signed Marlon Byrd to a three-year $15MM deal today. The 32-year-old will play center field and push Kosuke Fukudome to right. Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Cubs were nearing a deal with Byrd and Carrie Muskat followed up with the contract's length and value before Gordon Wittenmyer reported the specifics: the Cubs will pay Byrd just $3MM in 2010, $5.5MM in 2011 and $6.5MM in 2012.

A number of teams had been connected to Byrd, including the Braves. He had expressed interest in returning to the Rangers, but wanted a multi-year deal. As a Type B free agent, Byrd nets the Rangers a supplementary rounder in next year's draft.

Byrd, 32, hit .283/.329/.479 in 599 plate appearances with the Rangers last year, hitting a career-high 20 homers. He played mostly in center field, where his defense was below average, according to UZR/150. However, the sample size (889 innings) is limited, and UZR did like Byrd's defense in left.

Cubs Unlikely To Land Halladay

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Although the Cubs would "love" to pull off a deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they are unlikely to do so as they lack the necessary room in payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

The Cubbies have a combined $42.375MM committed to pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster.  They would have a hard time finding a taker for Alfonso Soriano as he is owed $18MM per year for the next five years.  Same goes for Kosuke Fukudome, who is due to make $26.5MM over the next two seasons.  Aramis Ramirez is a hefty contract that could be moved, but as Rosenthal and Morosi point out, he's probably too valuable for the Cubs to trade.  

Derrek Lee will make $13MM in the final year of his contract and could be a match for the Braves, however Atlanta would likely need to find a taker for a big contract (i.e. Derek Lowe) first.

Therefore, it appears that GM Jim Hendry's winter plans will center around finding a new home for Milton Bradley and acquiring a new center fielder.  Interestingly, the post floats the possibility of a three-way deal involving Bradley to net Mets second baseman Luis Castillo.

It seems as though Hendry has quite a few obstacles in his way if he hopes to swing a deal for Doc.  Would you be willing to make all of the moves necessary to create the space needed for such a trade?  What would it take for the Cubs to pry Halladay from the Blue Jays? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Cubs Rumors: Harden, Grabow, Zambrano

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It's not all about Milton Bradley. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has some more Cubs rumors as the GM Meetings continue…

  • Free agent Rich Harden wants to return to the Cubs. His agent is likely to meet with Cubs GM Jim Hendry soon.
  • The Cubs are expected to sign lefty reliever John Grabow to a two-year deal with an option for 2012.
  • Agent Barry Praver says there's been no talk of waiving Carlos Zambrano's no-trade clause.
  • The Cubs are likely to move Kosuke Fukudome to right, so they will be looking for a center fielder.

Discussion: Cubs Leadoff Hitter

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According to Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun Times, Alfonso Soriano's days leading off firmly in the rearview, says Lou Pineilla. Who can fill his shoes? Ginnetti quotes Pineilla:

"It depends on what the club does over the winter,'' Piniella said of the leadoff role. ''I like [Kosuke] Fukudome at the top of the order, but I don't know about leadoff. He and [Ryan] Theriot are our best options the way we are now.

"But if we got someone who is capable of stealing 30 or 40 bases in the mix, that would change things. If you look at our offense, adding a speed guy and another bat [are priorities].''

The glaring free agent solution is Chone Figgins, but let's hear some creative alternatives. Or perhaps an argument in favor of keeping the Fukudome/Theriot tandem?

Mariners Showed Interest In Fukudome?

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According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune:

A major-league source said teams approached the Cubs about trading for Kosuke Fukudome, although only in trades where GM Jim Hendry would have had to take back bad contracts. The Mariners, shopping pitchers Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard and catcher Kenji Johjima, are believed to have been among them.

It seems that these conversations were in the offseason and are not active.  Fukudome has $38MM coming for 2009-11.  Johjima will receive $24MM over the same time period, while the pitchers are signed only for ’09.

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