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Mets Targeting Livan Hernandez?

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Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has some new Mets info for us today.

  • Surprisingly, Shpigel believes the one free agent starter the Mets will seriously consider is Livan Hernandez.  That is odd because I had read Livan wasn’t high on Omar Minaya’s list.  We’ve seen the Mets connected to free agents Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, and Jason Jennings so far this offseason.
  • As far as some unsung trade opportunities, my Mets guy says Ervin Santana, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, and Noah Lowry are being considered.
  • According to Shpigel, the Mets hope to re-sign Ramon Castro as their backup catcher.  I don’t see that happening, as he’ll probably be able to snag a starting job elsewhere.  Options the Mets are considering to start at catcher include Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, and Paul Lo Duca.  A source tells me the D’Backs’ Miguel Montero may also be on the radar.
  • Shpigel says Luis Castillo might command a four-year deal.  Say what?  The Mets may yet re-sign Castillo but want to see what the trade market offers first.  Shpigel names Orlando Hudson, while I’ve also heard Alberto Callaspo.

Giants Rumors: A-Rod, Vizquel, Feliz

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Brian Sabean acknowledged today that he’ll kick the tires on Alex Rodriguez but admitted that it could hamstring the team financially.  That’s right – he’s considering tying up half of the Giants’ payroll in two players.  Signing with the Giants would be A-Rod embracing his mercenary reputation – the team has no chance of competing next year.

Additionally, Sabean mentioned that the Giants hope to re-sign Omar Vizquel and Pedro Feliz for the left side of their infield.  Discussions have begun with Vizquel regarding a one-year pact with a vesting option.  It’s a very solid defensive tandem, but neither can hit much these days.  They don’t make much sense for a rebuilding team, unless the angle is to build confidence for the young pitchers.

Sabean also implies that he’ll seek to upgrade the Giants by shopping Noah Lowry or Jonathan Sanchez.  Shopping Lowry for a solid controllable position player actually seems reasonable.

One other tidbit is that Ned Colletti admitted that the Dodgers are also considering A-Rod, though signing him is just one of many scenarios.

Odds and Ends: Cook, Benoit, Griffey, Riske

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Some random tidbits that didn’t get their own posts today…

Will D’Backs Add A Starter?

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There are two schools of thought regarding the young, successful Arizona club.  The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro seems to think Josh Byrnes will stay quiet this winter, re-signing Tony Clark and letting Randy Johnson replace Livan Hernandez.  The East Valley Tribune’s Scott Bordow would rather not rely on The Big Unit, instead trading a young position player for a young starter.

Specifically, Bordow notes that Carlos Quentin and Conor Jackson could be expendable.  However, injuries complicate possible trades of either player.  With Quentin it’s direct – he had surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum of his non-throwing shoulder in October.  It’s a six-month timeline for recovery, so he could be ready for Spring Training.  Jackson is fine and healthy, but trading him becomes easier if Chad Tracy can prove his health.  He had microfracture knee surgery and also expects to be ready in March.

Jackson seems to be the best trading chip – even if Tracy has complications, Clark wouldn’t be a terrible full-time stopgap.  Jackson, who turns 26 next May, has a respectable if not spectacular .280/.362/.441 line in 310 games.  He slugged .555 after the break this year.  Which team has an available young starter and badly needs position players?  The Giants, with Noah Lowry.  I’m not sure if Lowry would impress the D’Backs, though.  Plus, the teams are in the same division.  The Twins also make for an interesting match, as they might be able to use Jackson in left field.  The D’Backs could ask for Matt Garza or Kevin Slowey.  The White Sox could use an outfielder; would one year of Jon Garland be an even swap?

Braves Notes: Hampton, Lowry, Andruw

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Mike Hampton makes $15MM next year, and the Braves aren’t getting any relief from the Rockies or Marlins.  However, it turns out the Braves actually spread around those payments so that they’d pay out about $8MM to Hampton in each year of the deal.

This is confirmed by Bill Shanks of Scout.com, for starters.  Shanks notes that the Braves owe $8.25MM to Hampton next year because of amortization.  I’ve heard that David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said something similar in the comments of one of his blog posts, but it’s been buried somewhere.  Bottom line, the Braves have $7MM more than we thought they did.  A $95MM payroll would give Atlanta some wiggle room to add a starter.

It’s not a stretch to add Tom Glavine, with this new information.  However, O’Brien thinks the Braves need more.  While Dan Haren or Joe Blanton may be out of reach, Noah Lowry seems a more realistic target.  The point is to find a decent young controllable arm.

O’Brien’s also got some early interested parties in Andruw Jones: the Dodgers, Rangers, Giants, White Sox, Nationals, Phillies, and Mets.  Seems like the idea of moving Beltran to right field has been discussed within the Mets organization.  The Dodgers, I imagine, would shift Juan Pierre to left field. 

Rosenthal’s Latest

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The authority on all trade rumors, Ken Rosenthal has spoken.  Let’s review.

  • As we have heard before, the Dodgers like Adam Dunn.  We’ve also discussed the fact that there’s not a clear place to put him.  Whether you go with first base or left field, a veteran must move.  The Padres like Dunn as well but talks have yet to occur.  The Angels may have liked him in the past but they don’t seem likely at this point.  And the Twins?  They just won’t break the bank for him unfortunately.
  • With Michael Barrett having issues with 40% of the Cubs’ rotation, the Cubs could look to trade him.  Even though he’s a top offensive catcher, his impending free agency might prevent any strong return.  Plus, the Cubs would have to go with a Henry Blanco/Koyie Hill tandem.  A more likely scenario is that the Cubs will let Barrett walk after the season.
  • Finally some clarity on Eric Gagne’s limited no-trade protection.  Rosenthal reveals that he can veto trades to 12 teams.  The Phillies and Indians are again mentioned as suitors.  Rosenthal thinks Mark Teixeira could generate a lot of talk but no action at the trading deadline.  Kind of like Alfonso Soriano or A.J. Burnett before him.
  • The asking price for Brad Lidge, supposedly: a premium young catcher and promising young pitcher.  Lidge will probably earn $8MM next year before hitting free agency.  The Astros should be happy with a young catcher or a young pitcher, not both.  I’d mention Salty here but I think he is worth much more than Lidge.  Rosenthal says the Astros could move another bullpen arm like Wheeler or Qualls to get the bat they need. 
  • Could the Devil Rays simply retain Al Reyes and Carlos Pena?  Both players could be valuable contributors to the 2008 club.  I like the idea of keeping Reyes around for next year, but I think Pena has peaked.
  • Noah Lowry would get the attention of the Braves or Cardinals, but the Giants are unlikely to move him.
  • The Phils are likely to pass on Tomo Ohka despite their need for pitching.

Giants Interested In Melky Cabrera

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According to Peter Gammons in his blog, the Giants are considering shopping a starting pitcher.  Not only do they have Tim Lincecum debuting tomorrow, but Jonathan Sanchez was raised mostly as a starter and hasn’t worked out in the bullpen so far.

Gammons says the Giants would target a young position player, and they like Melky Cabrera of the Yankees.  He does not think the Yankees would be interested in a Cabrera for Noah Lowry swap.  If it was the Lowry of 2005, it would be a different story.  But the southpaw seems to have lost his strikeout rate at age 26.

The Giants could also peddle Matt Morris, who’s 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA.  This is probably the high point of Morris’s season, so shopping him makes sense.  The Orioles are one of several teams in need of an innings eater.

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