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Nationals Showing Interest In Nady, Swisher

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Bill Ladson of MLB.com says the Nationals are calling the Yankees about Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher. Nationals GM Jim Bowden’s alleged interest in these reportedly available outfielders should not surprise anyone.

Ladson says Nady has been a Washington target since last summer, as a potential stabilizing force at first base. The Nationals have indeed been frustrated with Nick Johnson’s lack of durability. Now Swisher is reportedly a possibility for the first base job, while Nady is seen as an upgrade in right field.

Also, confirming what many had suspected, Ladson notes that free agents Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson "have exceeded the team’s price range."

Nationals Rumors: Fielder, Milledge, O-Dog

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MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has dug up more Nationals rumors…

  • Prince Fielder is one of the left-handed power bats that interest the Nats. Ladson writes that "it’s doubtful" that the Brewers would part with him.
  • Lastings Milledge "could be trade bait before the season starts."
  • Ladson expects the Nats to go after Orlando Hudson, and suggests he could bat leadoff.
  • Willie Harris will stay put in Washington.
  • Nick Johnson could start the season at first for the Nats, but they’d rather avoid relying on him.
  • Washington isn’t likely to make a play for a big-name starter.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Johnson, Cano, Peavy

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4:54pm: The Big Unit is open to the Giants or A’s, not a big surprise.  Johnson’s agent says about ten teams have expressed interest, Giants included.

11:49am: Ken Rosenthal is working overtime; here’s his latest.

  • The A’s remain the frontrunners for Rafael Furcal.  Also, they’re targeting starter Randy Johnson to add a veteran presence to their rotation.  Rosenthal adds that the A’s may prefer Nick Johnson over Jason Giambi.
  • The Phillies made an offer to Derek Lowe, who seems to be their backup plan if they can’t sign Jamie Moyer.  Rosenthal speculates that the Dodgers could consider Moyer.  If the Phils sign Lowe, they may have to go cheap in left field.
  • Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are on the Yankees’ radar.
  • The Braves haven’t ruled out five guaranteed years for A.J. Burnett.  Rosenthal agrees with Mark Bowman that the Braves actually have little interest in Adam Dunn.  He adds that Raul Ibanez might be out of their price range.  Instead, the Braves could choose to trade Kelly Johnson for an outfielder.
  • Rosenthal believes the Dodgers will renew talks for Robinson Cano at the Winter Meetings, and the Yankees will again ask for Matt Kemp.
  • The Cubs are speaking daily to the Padres about Jake Peavy.  Rosenthal says the Orioles do not seem to be the third team at this time.
  • Rosenthal believes the Royals could make a run at Kyle Farnsworth.

A’s Interested In Nick Johnson, Jason Giambi

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3:06pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has more.  She says the A’s checked in on Johnson a month ago, and they’re looking into multiple first base/DH types that fit the affordable/solid OBP mold.  Slusser believes Jason Giambi remains the A’s top target, assuming he backs off his three-year demand.  She adds that the A’s want to keep Daric Barton and get him back on track.

12:59pm: MLB.com’s Bill Ladson talked to a baseball source who says the A’s received Johnson’s medical records but trade talks have not yet begun.  Ladson’s source added that several other teams have Johnson’s records as well.

9:33am: I missed this nugget in Ken Rosenthal’s column last night, but fortunately DRays Bay found it:

The A’s have requested and received the medical records of Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who underwent season-ending wrist surgery last June.

On paper, adding Matt Holliday, Rafael Furcal, and Johnson would transform Oakland’s offense.  Of course, Furcal and Johnson are injury risks.  Johnson is set to earn $5.5MM in ’09 after missing most of the ’08 season.  The asking price for him can’t be terribly high, yet he’s capable of a .400 OBP and would benefit from the chance to DH occasionally.

I initially had a note here about Jim Bowden and Billy Beane matching up in ’03 on the Jose Guillen–Aaron Harang trade, but I just read that Bowden was fired a few days before the deal.

Olsen/Willingham Trade Roundup

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It’s official – the Marlins traded Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham to the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio, Jake Smolinksi, and P.J. Dean.  Let’s round up commentary on the surprising deal.

Perrotto’s Latest: Royals, Ibanez, Rauch, Gregg

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It’s Sunday, which means that John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Here’s the highlights…

  • Royals GM Dayton Moore will likely make a big splash in the free agent market once again. Two years ago, he signed Gil Meche to a five-year, $55MM deal. Last year, he signed Jose Guillen to a three-year, $36MM contract. This year, his big target appears to be Rafael Furcal, which would allow the Royals to move Mike Aviles to second base. Moore is also believed to be willing to trade anyone on the team with the exceptions of Meche, Zack Greinke, and Joakim Soria.
  • Raul Ibanez isn’t likely to be back with the Mariners as a free agent next season. Perrotto feels that Ibanez is a good bet to become the Rays’ designated hitter for 2009.
  • The Diamondbacks originally wanted to use Jon Rauch as their closer for 2009 and let Brandon Lyon leave through free agency. Rauch’s recent string of rough outings has them reconsidering that train of thought.
  • The Marlins will try to trade Kevin Gregg this offseason, and will likely non-tender him if they don’t find match.
  • The Braves are looking to add two starters for the 2009 campaign. General manager Frank Wren has traveled overseas to scout Japanese pitchers Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami already this year.
  • The Nationals have a crowded situation at first base with both Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young under contract, but they’ll still be looking to improve at the position in the offseason.

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.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In

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Bunch of random topics so let’s just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere…

  • Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup…Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds would already be in uniform if he had come out said he would play 2008 for $3-5MM plus incentives? The baggage is what it is, but teams might find it easier to deal with it at a price Bonds is not likely to accept.
  • Rockin’ The Red takes a look at the five Cardinals that are most likely to be traded during the season…Chris Duncan is an interesting name on the list. With all the outfielders that the Cards have, Duncan is a solid bat that is likely to be a Super-2 at the end of the year.
  • The Yankees: Minors to Majors looks at the pending free agents for the Yankees and concludes that there is plenty of compensation picks to be had giving the Yankees plenty of flexibility to sign a high-end free agent like C.C. Sabathia…Of course, that is assuming the Yankees would let something like draft pick compensation stand in the way of signing a free agent. Not likely.
  • Wrigleyville23 has had enough of the Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs media reports…Who?
  • The Bronx Zoo would love to see Nick Johnson back in a Yankees’ uniform but notes that Dmitri Young may not be a dependable replacement for the Nats.
  • Mets Fever notes that eight players have moved among the Brewers, Mets and Nats since this offseason…Let’s just say that the Brewers did not get the best of that "three-way trade".
  • One writer at DRays Bay is hoping the Rays and M’s can re-engage talks for Edwin Jackson…The M’s may be interested once again after being two-hit by Jackson yesterday, but maybe the price just went up.
  • One name that kept popping up recently as a possible trade piece in the near future was Rich Harden. Well, Harden has once again found himself on the DL and Athletics Nation is not taking it well.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Giants Interested In Nick Johnson?

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Henry Schulman at The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Giants GM Brian Sabean is seeking a left-handed hitting 1B to complement the aging Rich Aurilia, and lists Nick Johnson and the Braves’ Scott Thorman as points of interest.

Nick Johnson is off to a hot start hitting .368/.455/.688 in 19 ABs, and for this reason Schulman suggests he could be off the market; however, contrary to that rationale, the Nationals might want to take advantage of Johnson’s sudden upswing in value.  They do have Dmitri Young sitting idly by.  If the Giants want to spend $11MM over the next 2 years on Johnson, he would be a solid addition to a lackluster offense.  Johnson would almost certainly make a bench player of Aurilia.

Scott Thorman, who the Braves have been shopping for over a month, is 26, and hit 11 homeruns in 268 ABs last season.  With Mark Teixeira locked in at 1B this season, and plenty of guys who can be moved to 1B next year (Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, et al), Thorman no longer seems to be the heir apparent should Teixeira not re-sign.

While I’m always hesitant to suggest a team should deal with Billy Beane, Dan Johnson needs a new home.  Sure his value has collapsed over the past couple seasons, but he hits lefty, could provide power, and is only 28.  He’s on a one year contract for $410,000, so there’s not much risk, and Beane’s asking price can’t be high.  If the Giants don’t want to commit $11MM to a player as they try to rebuild, DJ could be a good alternative.

Any other 1B options you think would be a good fit?

By Nat Boyle
 

Nationals’ Surpluses Could Lead To Trades

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Nationals GM Jim Bowden signed veterans Dmitri Young and Ron Belliard to curious two-year extensions last year.  He’s now faced with a logjam at two infield positions.

Ben Goessling of the Washington Times describes the first base battle between Young and Nick Johnson, who get along well.  Johnson has more trade value, given his age.  Neither player is a lock for 150 games though.  Johnson is injury-prone, but his perennial .400 OBPs are appealing.  He and Young are both signed through ’09; Young has a vesting option for ’10.  The Yankees or Mets could be in the market for Johnson if their current options don’t work out.  Either team could then add Mark Teixeira after the season, creating another surplus.

The Nats have handed the starting shortstop job to Cristian Guzman, creating a battle for second base between Belliard and Felipe Lopez. Lopez responded with a "hell no" regarding a bench role.  Hell no to your .659 OPS and lousy defense, Felipe!  Belliard is more open to a part-time role, though he’s been outplaying Lopez.  Lopez may be the one to trade, given his impending free agency.  Barry Svrluga notes that the Orioles have been scouting the Nationals this spring, perhaps with the idea of acquiring Belliard or Lopez if they trade Brian Roberts to the Cubs.  The O’s are also interested in Mark Loretta and Juan Uribe for that reason.

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