Lots of talk about Kouzmanoff our third baseman, and Bell our reliever are up for trade if it is the right deal for the Padres.
Bell should absolutely be traded if they find a good match, heck he probably should have been traded in July (assuming the Padres would have gotten something of value for him) as his trade value will probably never been higher.
Ike did get progressively better as the season wore on vs breaking pitches. I can't pull it from my blackberry but Ike hit something like 270 the last month or two vs breaking pitches last year. But I'd take either one. Since the mets have Ike naturally he is better
SI.com's Jon Heyman reports the Yankees are closing in on a one-year, $12 million contract with left-hander Andy Pettitte. It's a ridiculous sum to pay a 37-year-old pitcher, but the Yankees can afford to take care of their guys and are probably ecstatic to have struck a deal so early in the offseason. The left-handed Pettitte finished the 2009 season with a 4.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 14-8 record in 32 starts. ------------------ Uggghhhh, that is a horrible contract and I hope for all the right moves Cashman has made he doesnt made this bad one and regress. Please say no, for that amount.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the Red Sox are putting themselves in a position to make a run at free agent Adrian Beltre. First the Red Sox will have to find a suitor for Mike Lowell, which won't be easy. The guy is 35 years old and is owed $12 million in 2010. On top of it all, he's an injury risk. Beltre, 30, hit .265/.304/.379 in 2009 while playing superb defense and would fit in well in Boston, but there are hurdles that must be jumped before any deal can come close to happening.
All 3 teams did this for either talent, cost savings, or both etc. Its not a bad trade for any of the three teams involved. New York will get its legit everyday proven MLB center fielder/leadoff guy, the D-backs will get a pair of starting pitchers to join Dan Haren and Brandon Webb in the rotation and the Tigers will get a perceived Major League-ready player in Austin Jackson, plus arms of their own, while saving a guaranteed $25.75 million over the next four years on Granderson, as well as the significant raise Edwin Jackson would have received through arbitration on the $2.2 million he made in 2009. AZ can be viewed by some as giving up 2 Arms for 2 Arms but they can justify the arms returned aide them in SP depth more than what they traded away. Everyone can claim more should have been received, but I think they didn't give away HoF for trash. Each deal is about Talent or Money...this one has a little of everything.
I will be pissed if the Sox sign Beltre. Actually no as the Diamondbacks received players who were lesser talents then who they had and are more expensive with fewer years of team control. It made zero sense for the Diamondbacks to make that deal and you can't justify it that they did a 2 arms for 2 arms deal because it doesn't work that way and they took on lesser talents. They gave up a very high upside guy on Scherzer who has #1 starter potential and a very good reliever in Schlereth who could be a very good closer for a #4 starter at best in Ian Kennedy (who's shown absolutely zero potential so far in the major leagues) and Edwin Jackson who's a downgrade from Scherzer and is also older and closer to free agency than the guys they gave up. Scherzer has less than 1 year of service in the MLB and was set to make 1.45 million in 2010 while Schlereth also had less than 1 year of service set to make the league minium. Kennedy is set to make around the league min of 409k and Jackson is headed for arbitration after he made 2.9 million in 2009 and has 3 years of MLB service. Meaning the DBacks control his rights for only 3 more years but could control the S & S boys for 5 more each. Can't really see how this is a win for the DBacks.
Anybody with ESPN Insider care to tell me who they're reporting the Cubs are dealing Milton Bradley to?
No word yet, but I'll keep you updated if I see anything. Rumor is to an AL team for another high priced player.
Agree to disagree.......you are over-hyping Scherzer, undervaluing Jackson, and Kennedy. Now, Personally, I wouldn't have made the trade - but thats from the financial side that you fairly pointed out....but talent wise I think AZ has nothing to be ashamed of...but I think financially they were in a better position with Scherzer and Schlereth.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Mariners have shot down rumors of a Milton Bradley-for-Carlos Silva swap. That sound you just heard was a collective sigh of relief from Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood. The Cubs should want nothing to do with Silva, who has been awful since signing a four-year, $48 million with the Mariners in 2007. Bradley may be on the move, but probably not to Seattle.
Really? Seems like a good mid level free agent pickup. Because they acquired a starter to help make a run at the Dodgers in the West, not every decision needs to be about short term control of a player, and if the DBacks are not in the race in the absurdly weak NL West, Jackson would make fine trade bait and Scherzer has "potential" not results.
sounds like you will get your wish...if anything happens Carrie Muskat of MLB.com believes there is no "mystery team" for Milton Bradley and the Rays remain the most likely trade partner. A few reports surfaced during Tuesday's Winter Meetings action claiming that a "mystery AL team" was nearing a trade for the disgruntled outfielder. Now we're back to square one, and time is ticking for the Cubs. They arrived in Indianapolis with a goal to deal Bradley and have pushed their offseason game plan aside in order to focus on getting a trade completed
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, left-hander Randy Wolf will agree to sign with the Brewers on Wednesday.
You're overrating Jackson. Seriously take a look at his numbers, they're not impressive at all. The guy throws very hard but his fastball is straight, so it leads to a lot of contact and not nearly enough strike outs for a guy with his stuff. And I'm not undervaluing Kennedy either, he's a 4th starter at best as none of his pitches are plus pitches, adding to the fact that he shows zero command or control in the majors and obviously doesn't miss any bats. But in fairness to him going to the NL West instead of the AL East will help him. Take a look at Scherzer stats now. Granted it was all done in the NL but he's shown the ability to pitch well (as he has 2 pitches that are plus pitches and a 3rd that's pretty good) and he's shown the ability to get guys to swing and miss lot, which shouldn't matter when switching to different leagues.
About Beltre: because I'm not a Beltre fan unless he's in his contract year and there's no PED testing. But the guy can play good defense. About Arizona, they already had a starter in Schrezer that could help them make a run at the Dodgers. The reason I mentioned control years is because a team like Arizona that doesn't have a lot of money to spend it makes a big difference, especially since the S & S boys are 3 years away from a big pay bump and Jackson is headed to arbitration each year. And again Schrezer is a better talent than Jackson for a lower cost too. That's the main thing here. And I would argue that Scherzer has more trade potential than Jackson does. Seriously look at his numbers and compare them to Jackson. And what happens if Jackson pitches poorly or gets hurt and there's zero interest in him? They're stuck paying a lesser talent more money.
Eh, BoSox do need more bats. They could decline to offer arbitration and make him a FA, and he has more proven success in the Bigs than Scherzer, to me it was a sharp sharp deal by the DBacks, the Dodgers are stuck with Manny R and had several things go right for them last season, by adding Jackson to pair with Hardin one would think they have a good 1-2 punch with B Webb shut down.
Ok so if they make him a FA now they traded a guy after 1 year and given up 5 years of Scherzer and 6 years of Schlereth (both of whom were first round draft picks in 2007 and 2008), that makes even less sense. Seriously look at Edwin Jackson's numbers, they're nothing special and Scherzer was actually the better pitcher in 2009 than Jackson was (who had a career year even if he was terrible in the 2nd half). You guys are seriously overrating Edwin Jackson based on 1 good half season in 2009. Just look at the numbers.
I am only saying AZ didnt get robbed....not overvaluing or undervaluing any of the parts, its an upgrade to the depth of their SP rotation....! I think they are gambling on the financials....but in their division their rotation depth has been upgraded (financials aside)
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports the Brewers have agreed to terms with Randy Wolf on a three-year, $29.75 million contract. The deal will be finalized once Wolf takes a physical. The 33-year-old left-hander went 11-7 this past season with a 3.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 160 strikeouts in 34 starts. He immediately brings a bit of respectability to a Milwaukee staff that posted a dismal 4.83 team ERA in 2009.
Wow, on top of the rumored trade decline with Josh Johnson...now this?? I can not say I understand what Marlins FO is thinking. Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports the Marlins are not making infielder Jorge Cantu available via trade. The Rangers expressed a strong desire to trade for Cantu on Tuesday, but a deal won't be happening. The Fish may use him as their starting first baseman in 2010 and were impressed with the numbers he posted this past season. Cantu, 27, batted .289/.345/.443 with 16 home runs and 100 RBI.
The Braves are going with Martin Prado as their second baseman in 2010 and are actively shopping former starter Kelly Johnson. Wow, KJs stock has really tanked....
one thing I did read is that the dbacks viewed scherzer as a reliever because of his arm issues. They used him in said role last year
The Brewers have come to terms with free agent right-hander LaTroy Hawkins on a two-year contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports. The deal is pending a physical. Hawkins earned a base salary of $3.5 million with the Astros last season, posting a 2.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 11 saves in 65 appearances. The 36-year-old Hawkins will set-up for the 42-year-old Trevor Hoffman.
Yeah, almost every story mentions his shoulder concerns..interesting. I have not found very many BASEBALL GUY articles or analysis that is ripping AZ on this deal. Some say they could have waited to see what anyone else would have provided, but for a 3 team deal, they just dont rip it the way some fans seem to be. I just think its fair value in nearterm...and if it turns out they traded what amounts to 2 RP for 2 SP; they very well could have the best rotation in NL with Webb, Haren, Jackson, Kennedy as their front 4.
agreed, he's also extremely streaky with the bat. He's notorious for his slow first halves and huge 2nd halves.
That's fine and he probably will end up in that role down the line however don't you think they could have gotten something more than Jackson and Kennedy for him? Which baseball guys do you read? Because all the usual guys I have read like Keith Law and the guys from Baseball America are killing the Diamondbacks for the move. Of course it makes sense they would because they're actual scouts unlike the talking heads who write for papers, who besides from a few select guys don't know much. And seriously again for the 100th time, Jackson ISN'T that good. Look at his numbers please, I'm willing to bet if anyone hasn't looked at Jackson's numbers they'll be shocked that he's not as good as you think he is. He's struck out 472 guys in 670 innings for a guy that throws in the upper 90's, he's extremely hittable. The 1st half of 2009 was a complete fluke compared to his career numbers, take a look at the 2nd half for the year on him. Ian Kennedy also threw exactly 1 inning in the MLB in 2009 and when he pitched in 2007 and 2008 he was horrible. Who's to say he'll even make the Diamondback rotation, I mean he's got to earn a spot no? Anyway here's what Keith Law said about the deal for Arizona: I have no idea what Arizona's motivation for this deal would be. Even with my long-standing concerns over Scherzer's delivery and on-and-off shoulder problems, I would rather have five years of his services than two years of Jackson's, since Jackson, despite the hot 2009 start and All-Star appearance, remains a back-end pitcher with No. 1 starter stuff -- but No. 5 starter command. He will light up the gun -- I saw him hit 99 mph twice in the seventh inning of a start in September of 2008 -- and he looks the part of a dominating staff ace, but he doesn't miss anywhere near enough bats with the fastball, which is pretty straight and which he tries to throw up in the zone too often. His 2009 first half was the anomaly, as his slider got worse as the season went on, and his second-half fade (.290/.356/.500 line for opponents, yielding a 5.07 ERA) was much more in line with his career norms. He's also a fly ball pitcher moving to a pretty good home run park, as is Ian Kennedy, a fringe fifth starter whose command is above average but has to be plus (or better) for his fringe-fastball/average-changeup combination to work in the big leagues. (I liked Kennedy coming into 2008, but overrated his command.) Giving up five years of Scherzer and six of Schlereth is too much given what's coming back, especially for a club that's in more of a building mode than in immediate contention. And the trading 2 RP for 2 SP doesn't hold much water, because it's about the quality of the players.
Again, agree to disagree....I browse several and not buying the scouts vs. tv talking heads/analyst approach. I have read and heard both sides. Its not a horrible deal. Why did Arizona give up on Max Scherzer? MLB.com writer has honest assesment too:
I'm not sure they could have gotten much more. Jackson projects in to a granderson type player and Kennedy is coming off a fluke injury. I still like Kennedy personally and think he will make his way back to become a decent 3rd or 4th starter
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that right-hander Rich Harden is on the verge of an agreement with Texas Rangers. Harden has been linked recently to the Mariners and Red Sox, though looks like the Rangers may have swooped in. The 28-year-old posted a 4.06 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and an incredible 10.9 K/9 in 26 starts (141 innings) this past season. He had been in search of an incentive-laden one-year contract. One year, $7.5 million with the option for 2011.
According to Peter Gammons of ESPN.com, the Astros have acquired right-hander Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins. Astros acquired RHP Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for RHP Robert Bono, SS Luis Bryan and a player to be named later. The Marlins had high hopes for Lindstrom this past year, but he missed nearly six weeks due to elbow inflammation and wound up with a lousy 5.89 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 39/24 K/BB ratio in 47 1/3 innings. He'll get a fresh start in Houston, where save opportunities may be in the cards.
http://browniepoints.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/12/scioscia_doesnt_think_bay_is_a.html Scioscia doesn't think Bay is a fit So the Angels are Boston's top competition for Jason Bay? One man who does not buy that -- not in the least -- is Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who spoke today at the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. Scioscia was asked if he has reached out personally to Jason Bay during the recruiting period. "I have not reached out personally to him, but he has been in internal discussions that we've had as an organization. I think there are some more pressing needs that we have right now than what -- than the talent that Jason can bring. He's an extraordinary talent, but we definitely have to look for some balance in some areas, and that might not make Jason a great fit for our club.," Scioscia said.
Red Sox create Ramon Ramirez monopoly with waiver claim The Red Sox claimed the other Ramon Ramirez off release waivers from the Rays on Wednesday, giving them two right-handers pitchers with the same name. The newcomer, Ramon A. Ramirez, was claimed off waivers by the Rays last month, only to be released four weeks later. The 27-year-old was previously ditched by the Reds, even though he had a 2.97 ERA in four starts and 12 relief appearances over the last two seasons. Since he's a short right-hander with a mediocre fastball, he was able to make it through nearly the entire league on waivers. The Red Sox, though, were intrigued by his track record, versatility and plus changeup. He'll compete for a bullpen spot in the spring. The other Ramon Ramirez shouldn't be threatened. He had a 2.84 ERA in 69 2/3 innings in his first year with the Red Sox, and he'll be counted on to fill a big role in the sixth-through-eighth innings once again.
According to Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports, the Yankees aren't yet satisfied with their outfield and are still in on Matt Holliday. So much for cost-cutting. If the Yankees do land Holliday, it's safe to assume either Melky Cabrera or Nick Swisher will be traded, and perhaps both. The 29-year-old Holliday finished with a .313/.394/.515 batting line in 2009 with 24 home runs and 104 RBI. He would be an asset to any team. Agent Scott Boras is reaching for the stars in negotiations, though, comparing him at one point to Mark Teixeira, who inked an eight-year, $180 million contract last winter. ------- The contract part is the scary/Boras too....which Holliday will you get the NL or AL version???
Orioles acquired RHP Kevin Millwood and cash from the Rangers for RHP Chris Ray and a player to be named later. The "cash" portion of the deal is worth $3 million and will help cover some of the $12 million salary Millwood is set to earn in 2010. It's not always easy for Baltimore to take on payroll, but they're getting a solid starter and probable staff leader. Millwood, 34, went 13-10 this past season with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP over 31 starts.
