Tuesday Links (13 Nov 07)
Tue, Nov 13, 2007
by Geoff Young
I’ve got nothing today, so we’ll hit the links early this week:
- Padres enjoy shopping at trade market (Padres.com). Quoth Padres GM Kevin Towers: “I would say outfield is probably No. 1 [priority], and we probably need two starting pitchers, a [backup] catcher and if the right seventh-inning arm is out there, we will look at that.”
- Towers hopes to lock up Greene with multiyear deal (San Diego Union-Tribune, via Phantom in the comments). From the article: “Left fielder Scott Hairston will prepare as a center fielder if a deal can’t be arranged.” This is what we call a bluff. I hope…
- The great debate (Friar Forecast). Speaking of Khalil Greene, here’s a nice little summary that should help Big- and Little-endians alike.
- China likely in the cards for Padres (Padres.com, via LynchMob in the comments). More importantly, Clay Hensley is doing better than expected after September shoulder surgery. I’m still not counting on him for much in ‘08, but wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise?
- Buster Olney Is Insane (Rumors and Rants, via FriarFanDan in the comments). Debunking of the recent Jake Peavy trade rumors. Personally, I don’t think the Yankees will want to pay what Peavy should command. It would have to be Philip Hughes plus a boatload of talent. There, now I’ve thought about it too much.
- The Barry Bonds Question (322 Feet). I really do not know what I’ll do if Bonds somehow ends up in San Diego. Beyond booing him, of course…
- Pitching shortage = dumb & dumber (San Diego Union-Tribune). Nice take from Chris Jenkins.
- Here’s 10 big moves that need to happen (FOX). Torii Hunter to the Dodgers? So he and Juan Pierre can talk about money?
Winter Leagues
- Scottsdale 11, Saguaros 7 (box). Will Venable, batting sixth and again playing right field, doubled and walked in five trips to the plate. Nick Hundley went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts; I’m working on the minor-league chapter of the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual and one thing I’m doing is providing comps to current big leaguers based on performance relative to league — Hundley’s 2007 at San Antonio is a lot like Jermaine Dye’s in Chicago. Matt Antonelli, batting behind Venable and Hundley, started at second and went 0-for-3 with a walk. Antonelli gets some love at Hardball Times this morning. Nice change from the usual abuse he takes.
- Escogido 7, Aguilas 1 (box). Vince Sinisi, batting third and playing left field, singled in four at-bats. The man for whom Sinisi was traded, Freddy Guzman, bats leadoff for Escogido. Ex-Padres Juan Melo and Raul Casanova follow Sinisi. Yep, Melo plays first base and bats cleanup.
- Licey 12, Gigantes 5 (box). Yordany Ramirez got the start in center and went 3-for-4 out of the #8 hole. Licey collected 21 hits in this one, paced by four from D’Angelo Jimenez. Scouring these box scores is like touring a wasteland of failed Padres prospects.
Happy, happy…
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
November 13, 2007 at 9:51 am
Re;”China likely….” Beijing is too far to drive.
November 13, 2007 at 10:25 am
When’s the Cy Young announced?
November 13, 2007 at 10:26 am
Maybe it’s just me laughing at a comment on Saturdays thread, but check out Jeff Passon’s one-liners regarding free agents over at sports.yahoo.com. Blum at 3B would be humorous in itself, but 4 rank below him.
November 13, 2007 at 10:29 am
CY for the AL is tomorrow and the NL the day after, iirc. All the awards and the dates are up on BR’s main page.
November 13, 2007 at 10:45 am
Re: 3 Well I guess I would rather have Blum at 3B over Boone, Nuñez, Branyan and Cirillo.
November 13, 2007 at 10:46 am
Egads! Playing ST games in Beijing is NOT GOOD! That is a HUGE disruption to preparation. Those are all day flights, and I’m talking 24 hours or more. The last thing we need is for half the team to lose 3 to 4 days of preparation, not to mention the shock to the system of such long flights and time zone changes, when they should be getting ready for Opening Day.
I don’t like this at all.
November 13, 2007 at 10:56 am
Re: 6 im sure they will send:
C: Colt Morton
1B: Brian Myrow
2B: Luis Rodriguez
3B: Geoff Blum (the star of the show)
SS: Oscar Robles
RF: Terrmel Sledge
CF: Drew Macias
LF: P-mac
With Tim Stauffer pitching and Jared Wells, Wilfredo Ledezma, Ryan Ketchner, and Jack Cassel in the pen.
November 13, 2007 at 11:15 am
Didn’t Jason Giambi and some of the other Yankees catch some kind of medieval intestinal disease on their China trip a couple of years ago?
The DBacks have hired Carlos Gomez, aka ChadBradfordWannaBe, as a major league scout:
http://futilityinfielder.com/b.....omez.shtml
Smart move and something I was hoping the Padres would do. With the money that’s tied up in pitcher’s arms it makes sense to have someone analyzing their mechanics who can throw up a red flag when all the other scouts are in love with a 95 mph fastball.
Also, there was a rumor that the Royals are after Torii Hunter, which would free up DeJesus for a trade. Kind of odd that a team with lower revenue than the Padres would be signing the big dollar free agent and trading the cheaper, younger guy but that’s baseball.
November 13, 2007 at 11:25 am
#8: FWIW, I put in a word for Carlos. Not that my word carries any weight whatsoever, but a guy has to try…
November 13, 2007 at 11:28 am
Here’s an article on the front page of SI praising KT and the front office for building a good cheap bullpen:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
November 13, 2007 at 12:16 pm
10: Nice.
Yeah, like everyone didn’t see Baltimore’s $$$ being wasted the moment the ink dried on all those deals. The Cubs did the same thing the year before and a lot of what I heard about the Cubs this year was BP issues.
November 13, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Anybody knows about Josh Anderson from the Astros in AAA?
Maybe the Padres can trade for either him or Luke Scott since the Astros FO insists on using Michael Bourn as CF and Hunter Pence as RF next year.
November 13, 2007 at 2:55 pm
7: Let’s hope so, but the article made it sound like there would be more of a mixture between big league and minor league guys. I guess 40 man roster = big league though.
8: It was Japan, iirc, not China, but you are correct, iirc.
More 8: I’d be very, very surprised if Hunter signed with the Royals even if they are pursuing him and it’s not just simply a rumor. But if so and we get DeJesus, all the better.
November 13, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Blum, Stauffer, Cassel, Ledezma, Sledge, P-mac, and Robles have all seen big leaauge time
November 13, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Hacksaw is reporting the Blue Jays approached San Diego about Burnett and KT is pursuing Matt Garza of the Twins,. React!
November 13, 2007 at 4:54 pm
we’ll take Burnett if they take Sledge
Garza would be interesting but the Twins want Headley, who the Pads are reluctant to give up
November 13, 2007 at 7:16 pm
15: I missed Hacksaw. At least he’s not Werndl.
November 13, 2007 at 7:17 pm
16: I’d love to see Burnett in a Padre uni next year.
November 13, 2007 at 7:26 pm
I would do headly for garza in half a second!
November 13, 2007 at 7:46 pm
If we could add burnett (at 12M next year with a player option) that would give us a heck of a loaded rotation - Peavy, Burnett, Young, Maddux - arguably the best in baseball. What would it take though? i cant see the pads giving up an antonelli or headly. david freese+?
November 13, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Re: 20 Burnett is due to make $12M in 08, 09 and 10. he can opt out after 08 but unless he wins 20 games in 08 I really doubt he will.
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.c.....ys_05.html
November 13, 2007 at 8:00 pm
21: Burnett doesn’t have to win 20 to be worth more than 12M after ‘08. Keep in mind that Carlos Silva (yes, the one who was the 7th best option to start a baseball game for the Twins last year) is about to get 4/40M in free agency. I’d guess that unless Burnett gets hurt, he’s a lock to opt out.
(Santana, Garza, Baker, Liriano, Bonser…crap. I could only think of 6. OK, he was the 6th best option to start…)
19: I’d also probably do Garza for Headley pretty quickly.
November 13, 2007 at 8:10 pm
The NL Cy Young Award is announced Thursday.
19: You would do Headley?
November 13, 2007 at 8:23 pm
17: Agreed. So far I haven’t been blown away by 1360 but at least they don’t have Werndl and the Coach, two of the most grating radio voices I’ve ever heard. The first time i heard Werndl I honestly thought he was a character, some kind of parody a local sports radio guy.
19: So would I. Coming into the season Baseball America rated Garza the 21st best prospect in baseball. With Santana on the way out I’d be very surprised if Minnesota did that deal though.
November 13, 2007 at 8:36 pm
24: Yeah, while I don’t enjoy Werndl, I’m incredibly happy that I can now listen to Ello instead of Kentera during the day.
November 13, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Ello’s negativity drives me nuts… I like Darrin, so I put up with Werndle (who is also negative).
I don’t want to give up Headley, but I’d HAVE to think about it for Garza. Pitching is SUCH a premium right now. And while Kouz isn’t great defensively, his D probably wouldn’t cost more than a game or two and his bat should get even better… Then, we have Freese behind Headley anyway who is better than most experts say. And Headley’s value will NEVER be greater than it is now.
I think if the offer’s there, we do it.
November 13, 2007 at 10:51 pm
What about for Burnett?
November 13, 2007 at 11:06 pm
26: Ello can be a little negative, but at least he’s not an idiot like Kentera.
November 13, 2007 at 11:39 pm
27: I think Headley for Burnett is too much to give up, considering we only get Burnett for a year (best case scenario; worst case he gets hurt and we’re stuck with the contract), and he’s only going to pitch 150 innings in a season. If we can get Burnett without Antonelli or Headley included in a package, I’d go for it.
November 14, 2007 at 2:06 am
29: Second that. While Burnett would be nice to have, he represents too much risk and not enough upside to trade away our top prospects for him. However, for the right price, he’d be nice to have.
November 14, 2007 at 5:36 am
This morning’s UT article “Will Frugal Padres Shell Out Bucks?” includes the following item:
“Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti, who inherited a dynamic group of young and inexpensive players, went on an ill-advised spending binge for veterans that guaranteed $117.5 million to Jason Schmidt, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra and Randy Wolf. Responding to Colletti’s preference for veterans, the Padres are contemplating three-team trade scenarios that would bring them young Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.”
Any idea what that last bit is about?
November 14, 2007 at 6:12 am
does that mean the dodgers get somebodies vet, we deal somebody a top prospect type (e.g. headly etc) and we get a 23 yr. old with a 890 ops last year playing in dodgers stadium to man LF/CF? If thats whats meant, then heck yeah, we do it!
November 14, 2007 at 6:33 am
total speculation but - could this have anything to do with the cabrera trade? will FLA need a 3B?
November 14, 2007 at 6:52 am
So let me get this straight……KT could deal Headley for Kemp……ok do that before anyone realizes what they’re about to give us and then sign Andruw Jones? Now we’re getting somewhere quickly.
I’d like to bring in Burnett, but that opt out clause makes it stupid to deal Headley for him. I’d be happy sending lesser prospects to make it work out, but I’m not sure the Padres would be a good match for the Jays without Headley.
November 14, 2007 at 6:58 am
29, 30: The Jays aren’t likely to move Burnett for our second-tier prospects. The big question is how valuable is Headley playing left field? A sub-par defender with a good OBP and 15-20 HR potential in LF is a lot easier to find than a SP who strikes out almost a hitter per inning. Even at only 168 innings last year he was more valuable than Germano, Wells, Cassel, and Tomko combined.
I’d rather get Garza, but at least in the initial negotiations we passed on trading Headley.
November 14, 2007 at 7:06 am
RE Burnett: Fine pitcher, but you’d better have Mike Thompson’s private jet gassed up and ready to go as he’s highly unlikely to stay healthy enough to make all of his starts. But if the price is right…
RE dodgers: If anybody can pull off a 3 team trade and bring someone like Kemp down south to us, it’s KT. I’ve seen Cabrera talked about with LA as a destination, but it makes no sense unless they’re planning to go ahead and move his fat a** to 1B right away because LaRoche is ready. Of course if Colleti wants to block him with a fat, iron gloved Cabrerra, I’m all for it.
November 14, 2007 at 7:26 am
re 36: Reports are that the price for Cabrera is Kemp, LaRoche, Loney and either Billingsley or Kershaw.
I can’t imagine the Dodgers pay that much, but it would be nice if they did.
Mark
November 14, 2007 at 7:32 am
1360 is reporting that B(l)um may sign with the astros because he is not one of the Padres top priorities.
November 14, 2007 at 7:33 am
Glad to see 1360 is as bad as 1090 at their reports…..read the morning fishwrap….report the breaking story!
November 14, 2007 at 7:34 am
Here is the link and quote:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....adres.html
One, utility man Geoff Blum, said yesterday the Padres remain his No. 1 choice, but that he probably will sign with the Astros. “Apparently, I don’t fit into the Padres’ priorities,” Blum said.
November 14, 2007 at 7:45 am
Hacksaw is at least entertaining. Last night he was saying the Dodgers are going to sign A Rod and trade for Santana. I guess that’s a possibility but he made it sound like it was imminent.
The UT has a nice chart showing all the Padre contracts:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....tracts.pdf
If my math is right, we have $38 million tied up in guaranteed contracts, $9.5M in arbitration eligible (I’m assuming that’s pre- arbitration value) and about $5M to guys under club control. That’s a total of $52.5M; even with the added arbitration money the total payroll should be under $60 million, with the Rangers still owing us $2.75M for Chan Ho. Where do we think the payroll will end up? $70 million? Can we find a 2B, CF and a couple of starting pitchers for $10 million? I suppose if we move Headley for Kemp (can he play CF?), go with Antonelli at 2B and somehow get Burnett for cheap we can do it. KT still needs to restock the bullpen but that’s never been much of an obstacle.
November 14, 2007 at 8:09 am
As others have noted: http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....adres.html
I’m kinda bummed that they won’t pursue Milty. I’d like him back on the cheap.
November 14, 2007 at 8:15 am
MLBTR is all over the Kemp angle from today’s story. It’s hillarious reading all of the indignant Dodgers commenters stating that there’s no way Kemp could be trdaded.
But what those people don’t realize is that the FO, for whatever stupid reason, is really down on Kemp. Despite the fact that the kid is a pheomenal player who has been comp’ed to Winfield, the FO isn’t pleased with him and would probably deal him for a veteran.
Brian Giles & Chase Headley for Matt Kemp anyone?
November 14, 2007 at 8:17 am
36: We carried 13 pitchers for a good part of last season, 12 for the rest. Germano could be Burnett’s caddy and the Sunday starter when Burnett’s healthy. Usually I’d prefer to go with fewer starters, but if you’ve got high upside guys with health issues (CY, Burnett), a modified 5 1/2 man rotation might work.
37: If the Marlins get LaRoche in the deal, we don’t have much they’d want for Kemp.
November 14, 2007 at 8:19 am
40: The Dodgers almost certainly won’t trade directly with us. It’ll have to go through another team, as reported in the UT. And now that the story’s out there, they might be hesitant to go through with it.
Plus, LaRoche is equivalent to Headley.
November 14, 2007 at 8:29 am
Yeah the Dodgers fans on MLBTR are incapable of reading that it is a 3 team deal
November 14, 2007 at 8:43 am
42: I completely realize that, I just wonder if Giles and Headley would be the pieces involved. Giles is a “veteran” RF that the Dodgers might want (why, I have no idea) and Headley could land somewhere.
November 14, 2007 at 8:58 am
44: If any sort of deal happened with us involved, Headley would be the starting 3b for Florida in 2008. But Giles doesn’t fit anyplace, and it would be a huge upset for the Dodgers and Padres to directly exchange any players.
I don’t know why the Marlins would prefer Headley to Kemp anyway; they need a CF as bad as they need a 3b.