| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 01-04-2009 |
When it comes to rebuilding a baseball team, it's not just a matter of the additions a club makes to its personnel. Much of the process typically includes an abundance of moves to pare down the roster to make room for the fresh faces.This is a big reason why general manager Jack Zduriencik has his hands full. The $10.3 million owed to lefty Jarrod Washburn and the $9 million due to right-hander Miguel Batista make Captain Jack's task a bit tough.
The $36 million balance on Carlos Silva's contract is as much an albatross as any contract in the game, preventing a large portion of the payroll from being freed up until after the 2011 season.
But while those three expensive arms carry so little value on the trade market for more than just their salaries - they also happen to be below-average performers - the roster is not void of players with at least some trade value, starting with third baseman Adrian Beltre and left-hander Erik Bedard.
We've heard about the scenarios surrounding Beltre and Bedard: Bedard carries little value at present time since missing much of 2008 with a shoulder injury and will need to reestablish himself on the mound to recreate his worth to the rest of the league and Beltre's suitors are all on his no-trade list.
J.J. Putz has already been dealt, and along with outfielder Jeremy Reed, second base prospect Luis Valbuena and fellow right-hander Sean Green, the now former Mariners relief ace brought back seven players - five of them 26 years of age or younger.
Aside from entertaining the idea of trading Ichiro, there are some moveable pieces in Marinerland, and I polled a few front office types [ a few is all I could get to agree to let me publicize their responses] to opine on a few of them.
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
"I think it's always selling low, giving up too early, when a younger player has a disappointing year and you look to trade him," said one National League special assistant. "In watching players like Betancourt, and knowing his strengths haven't shown to be that, the clubs trading for guys like that tend to get the better end of things.
"They aren't likely to have to give up much; maybe a mid-level prospect or a middle reliever, perhaps a back-end starter or a decent player with a less-than-desirable contract.
"And if he puts things together, they win. If he keeps struggling, there is no winner, really."
A big-league scout of an AL East club still likes Betancourt, and says trading him without having a full-time replacement probably wouldn't be wise at this stage.
"He can run, has a plus arm, good bat speed and is still young," he said. "I'd rather give that type of player another chance. He's not making much money, right? I wouldn't give up on him just yet. Maybe he's not a shortstop - he did look out of position more last season, his first movements were slower and he couldn't have been conditioned and prepared for the season to start.
"All in all, Seattle can probably afford to give him one more go and see what happens, and if he shows some improvement, maybe he earns another year. The natural tools are still there, he just has to push them out. If they traded him, it's hard to see anyone giving up anything of value."
Okay, so there's not likely to be any blockbuster deal centered on the M's current shortstop, but how about his double-play partner?
Jose Lopez, 2B
"Again, not anything earth-shattering," said the NL special assistant. "But with the bat he's intriguing, and the defensive numbers you pointed out make him an interesting younger player. There are teams looking for second basemen, and if he's got experience playing third he might not be the worst option there, either.
"I would imagine he could pull a better package than the Cubs got for (Mark) DeRosa the other day. And the Florida connection made some sense, too, since they want to move (Dan) Uggla to third of they can.
"But like a lot of cheap, young players with experience, it�s going to be based on production. And the economics of baseball is changing with the economics of the rest of the world, so teams aren�t offering up their good, young prospects.
"It's not a good time to be a seller, but at the right time he (Lopez) could bring some value back."
The right time might be at the trade deadline next July, or maybe next winter. Or maybe Lopez surprises most and develops some work ethic as he matures mentally and emotionally and fulfills much of his original potential as an all-star bat.
"He had a pretty strong year, didn't he?" asked the AL scout. "He's still got an approach with holes, he gets himself out too much, but some of the doubles are turning into long balls and there was more consistency. It's not realistic to expect him to draw 75 walks, that's just not what he is. But he can still be solid."
Adrian Beltre
"The thing with him is that it's his walk year," said an AL front office man. "And most teams are in safe mode; protecting their kids and trying to limit the big-money additions. So even if you have a pretty decent young player making peanuts, the chances that you'll get prospects or valuable young talent in return is slim.
"It's just very difficult to find a match when Team A is offering up an unremarkable talent and is asking for a fresh start from Team B in return. It's the same reason why there aren't a lot of prospect-for-prospect moves.
"A lot of these players, like Lopez and others like a (Coco) Crisp or even a Delmon (Young), the match with the teams isn't obvious. Seattle might have to wait for a team that truly needs a second baseman to contend, or when they find themselves in a position to add a key veteran making some money. That would make it easier to get value for someone like Betancourt or Lopez.
"While Beltre is proven, the only clubs with interest are going to be teams that plan on competing for a postseason berth and it's unlikely those kinds of rosters have excess to move. So that leaves prospects, 0-3s, or questionable talent.
"I'd plan on starting the year with him and revisiting the idea during the season when there will be teams looking for those players that don't come with a long-term commitment. Look what (Casey) Blake brought the Tribe, man."
Erik Bedard
"This is the guy that's going to get traded at some point," said the NL front office assistant. "He's probably not going to be worth the draft picks, missing so much time with the injury (in terms of Free Agent Status, Type A, B), and they (Seattle) can point the trade market to what Billy (Beane) got for a comparable pitcher last year.
"Rich) Harden was even more of a risk than Bedard has been, their abilities are similar. The only difference is that Bedard is a free agent (at season's end).
"If he comes out firing on most cylinders, a contender is going to bite and Seattle should be able to get a good young player and maybe some depth in a trade like that."
One former GM now working as a consultant had this to say about Bedard's status and value:
"His health is No. 1, of course. But if he going well, he could be a guy that someone looks to extend. He's not a Boras client, so there's a chance a team with money, maybe one that knows his (agent Mark) Peiper well, would be more willing to give up a better set of players for him."
That's an angle I hadn't thought much about, and one worth keeping in the back of the mind.
Before I sign off, I have to share this quote, from the NL assistant, on the M's refusal to let the Twins and/or Yankees claim/trade next-to-nothing for Washburn last summer.
"That was more of the same in Seattle, we all thought. We chuckled. I even remember talking about it at the (World) Series with a league official. It was like they were trying to build value in him that wasn't there. Like if they valued him more, so would someone else. Like they carry that kind of respect in this league. It was laughable, man, I'm telling you. A symptom that they truly had no clue what they were doing.
"Jack notwithstanding, the rumor is they still have problems. You say Zduriencik has been given more power than Bill Bavasi had, but will it stay that way if the club struggles for two more years? How much will their ownership (Chuck Armstrong, Howard Lincoln, members of the local ownership) start pulling that again?"
trade-value-and-the-m\'s
Comments
The following 49 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-04-2009 04:37:59 As long as Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong (A.K.A. HowChuck or Things 1 & 2) are around, there'll be problems. But I must admit that giving Zduriencik more of what looks to be a free hand than what Bavasi had is a step in the right direction for them. And I don't think of them as complete imbeciles- or uncaring....but neither have shown any kind of consistent acumen for running a ballclub. The Washburn episode still irks me. Nothing like ripping a hole in the only parachute you're gonna get. Regarding the trade market, I'm firmly on the side of wait 'til the All-Star Break to do any more serious wheeling-dealing with the chips everyone knows will be in play. But I foretell teams continuing to hold onto prospects like they're South African krugerands....and nothing we're willing to part with will bring a bonanza..but maybe a good piece or two. |
| 2. By: mabalasek on 01-04-2009 10:58:01 With all of the arguments so far about rebuilding, I have gone to one concrete conclusion: re-sign Beltre NOW. He is value for money, entering the prime of his career, and a solid player that every team eventually needs. |
| 3. By: Adam T on 01-04-2009 12:09:12 mabalasek - Doesn't it take TWO to tango? There has been no indication that Beltre will re-sign. And why would he, especially if the Angels or Dodgers come calling? Jack Z has to decide whether two draft picks is better than any deal for Beltre that he'd get between now and the trade deadline. Personally, if he's truly trying to make this team competitive as possible as soon as possible (and he's doing a good job), but he feels the need to deal Beltre (which he very well may NOT), I say deal him. And I too am still angry that Washburn is still taking up a spot in the rotation. |
| 4. By: rightwingrick on 01-04-2009 12:10:31 Beltre has no interest in signing here, according to numerous articles I've read from numerous sources. I think he will go at the trade deadline to a contender who needs him, or he will become a free agent (hopefully Type A) and we get a first round and supplemental first round draft pick. Bedard has little value now, but if he's healthy, he'll go at the trading deadline. Also little to no interest in signing here (he's an East Coast/Canadian guy). Hope for at least one top-level prospect; anything else and we got really, really lucky. Betancourt is just in his prime, cheap, and showed signs at the end of last year that were encouraging. The fact that he's working this winter with Raul Ibanez is also a positive. With the little value he has, he a hold-and-pray guy. Lopez is only 25. He looked last year like he actually knew what he was doing at the plate 75% of the time. I think he's a sleeper...but he's also asleep in the field half the time. But .290 hitters with 20HR power at 2B are valuable. I'm leaving him out there. Washburn? He had a very strong run at the end of the year. If he looks good in spring training, the M's should send him to a team desparate for starting pitching and see if they can luck out and get a good prospect. Same with Silva. I agree with Jason, these contracts must go (almost any way possible) so we can move on. |
| 5. By: DRWheelock on 01-04-2009 14:23:24 Jason - The more and MORE I think about this (I'm sure I'll get cruxified on this suggestion) but BONDS will play at league minimum $400k, and just wants to hit HRs. Believe it or not Bonds plays better LF than any LFer out there too. Go checkout FanGraph on him, and his playing stats were valued at $19.1M in 2007. This would be for league minimum, and honestly I'm beginning to think that that Seattle needs someone like a Bonds distraction to palette the misery from 2008, and regroup in 2009. Also with Guttriez in CF, Ichiro in RF, with Chavez a 7th inning replacement for Bonds for LF...I honestly like that, and despite his court case he will throw 30-40 HRs for Seattle. You do a 1yr contract with him for $400k AND Griffey for $3M for DH/1B. Between both of them you've added 55-70 HR pop for Seattle. It's amazing to see how quick people forget a year like 2008, when they are trying to catch HR balls from Bonds and JR. We'd have Bonds here to hit 800 HRs in 2008, and go year by year with JR chasing Bonds HR # and to try and break it. This is a CHEAP way to land 60-70 HRs on our team with paying the LEAST amount of money for....while the Z man rebuilds our farm system!!! |
| 6. By: DRWheelock on 01-04-2009 14:25:07 Heck the Z Man mike like that so much that he may want to get a 2nd year club option on Bonds for another $400k, and a club option on JR too. |
| 7. By: DRWheelock on 01-04-2009 14:37:39 My above post is referring to all FA LFers Defense out there: Dunn, Abreu, Manny, and others like Matsui, etc,etc,etc |
| 8. By: acqb1424 on 01-04-2009 15:16:56 Jason, two questions. 1. What kind of numbers would Bedard have to put up to be a Type A free agent when the year is done? 2. Say Bedard goes into the All-Star break healthy, productive (say 7-3, 3.50 ERA), what kind of package could we be looking at in return? Do you think it's even possible for the M's to get a player the equivalent of Adam Jones? |
| 9. By: slick on 01-04-2009 15:56:17 I hear Lastings Milledge is available he is cheap fits Z's plan. Milledge could be 260-270 15HR 30SB guy, and play good LF. I think Dunn goes to the Nationals for they are in desperate need of a power bat making Milledge trade bait. Maybe a deal revolving around Clement/Moore with some throw ins Ryan F or Shawn Kelly could get it done. |
| 10. By: slick on 01-04-2009 16:13:27 With Bedard 10 mil Beltre 12mil Washburn 10mil, and Bautista 9 mil we will have 41 million free up for 2010. Maybe we sign Felix long term, and target Lackey if Angles dont sign him this year making him a free agent. |
| 11. By: StandinPat on 01-04-2009 16:42:35 Personally, Im less concerned with 'selling' Betancourt, than I am with upgrading the SS position. Last year Yuni was over 14 runs below avg, BOTH at the plate and in the field. Thats almost 10 runs worse than a replacement player. I know he's being working out with Raul and all that, but how much of a swing could we realistically see in just one year? 10 runs? 20 runs? He could theoretically make a huge improvement both in the field and at the plate and still be 10-15 runs below avg. Considering SS is prob the most critical Def pos on the field, I really think getting better up the middle is the most critical area for improvement in order for this team to take the next step. If I was the M's I'd be calling about JJ Hardy. We actually match up quite well with the Brewers for all sorts of reasons. From their needs to being positions where we have depth, to the Zduriencik connection. The Brewers want to move Hardy to make room for Escobar, but dont feel he's quite ready yet. Thats where the inclusion of Betancourt would come in. It would give the Brewers a bridge to Escobar, and one with MLB experience, and 'potential' to boot. Add in Heilman and MOORE/Johnson and I think its a good start. And i think Hardy would be an awesome fit. Well, well above avg with the glove at SS, solid power/plate discipline for a SS as well. Still under club control and just entering his prime. |
| 12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-04-2009 17:35:33 I don't know that Bedard can get to Type A status, due to the time he missed. It's not just performance, it's production, and when you aren't pitching, it's worse than pitching at mediocre levels. |
| 13. By: DRWheelock on 01-04-2009 17:38:40 With losing out on Sheets AND CC...Washburns shorterm 1yr contract could be interesting to the Brew Crew. I CANT bear to see Wlad struggle in 2009 again. He's NOT ready for MLB, his defense is atrocious, and his offense is horrible too. He'll never be an Adam Jones player, and needs to be packaged with Washburn and others. Here is what I say: Washburn/Rob Johnson/Balentien for JJ Hardy & low level prospect. If you have to throw in Yuni do it, but if all the rumors are correct and KC would be interested in a Yuni for Butler swap, that would be hard to resist! |
| 14. By: jakehamlin33 on 01-04-2009 20:06:05 Jason, I was just wondering as I'm sure alot of people are. Are the Mariners going to do anything to free up this logjam they seem to have at the backend of their rotation? I mean Felix, Bedard, Morrow, Washburn, Silva, Heilman, RRS, and to a lesser extent Batista. That's 7 maybe 8 guys for 5 spots. Do u think they move 3 of them to the bullpen or try to move them in trades? |
| 15. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-04-2009 20:41:10 I think they'd prefer to trade at least one of them, but it's not easy to trade the three you'd like to deal most - Silva, Washburn, Batista. So they could go into ST with all of them. If they can't find takers, they'll start the year with Heilman and RRS in the pen and Batista and Washburn fighting for the last spot. I don't see that scenario affecting Morrow's role, either. |
| 16. By: diderot on 01-04-2009 21:11:07 I think we'd be nuts not to try to sign Beltre to an extension. And I think he'd be nuts to agree to one. I can't understand the sourcing saying that Hardy is available. He's one of the best half dozen shortstops in baseball--why would the Brewers trade him for our damaged goods? I think it's just wishful thinking. I don't even think they'd send Escobar for the kind of people posters here suggest offering. Finally, I strongly agree with seeing what happens with Lopez and Yuni this year. The shortcomings we see aren't invisible to everyone else, and it's not like their performance is going to keep us from making the postseason. |
| 17. By: StandinPat on 01-04-2009 21:30:46 Uh, having bad players at critical positions is exactly what keeps you from making the postseason. I can only assume you are inferring that we have no shot of coming anywhere close, which I think is also a bit short sighted. The M's dont have a dynamite roster at this point, but neither does anyone else in the AL West. If they made just a couple more upgrades, say LF/DH and SS could they be right there with the Angels? Sure thing. So why again is it poor player performance wouldnt keep us from the postseason? |
| 18. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-04-2009 22:22:31 RE: DRWheelock, on Wladimir Balentien Sorry, but you're going to have to see him struggle somewhere in the major leagues this year. He's out of options. I basically agree with you when you say that he'll never be an Adam Jones- but what Adam Jones is going to be in the major leagues is yet to be determined, as with Balentien. My personal thought on Balentien is he'll become a solid offensive producer in the big leagues, but we may not be the organization for him to do so. His swing is a poor fit for Safeco. RE: acqb2414, on Bedard's Type A chances Virtually nil. The type of free agent a player is rated goes on a last-two-year scale, and Bedard's 2008 was so injury-filled that he'd have to put up the kind of numbers that Cliff Lee did in 2008 (which Bedard's NEVER come close to in ANY year) to come within a fighting chance at a Type A designation. The Mariners' best chance with Bedard is he pitches like a beast until the All-Star Break, and then deal him accordingly (This is, of course, assuming we are not clearly in contention at the Break next year). RE: Various, on J.J. Hardy Hardy might be able to be had, but Milwaukee can get more from other teams than what we're likely to offer. If I remember right, Jason covered this idea on a post somewhere. |
| 19. By: StandinPat on 01-05-2009 01:19:17 Also, on Balentein...Ibanez's defense is atrocious, Vlad's looked pretty bad at times last year, but realistically he is only slightly below average now, and could get to avg or slightly above. He's got good wheels, and a great arm, and played alot of CF in the minors (not that he's a ML CF'r though), so he's got the tools to be decent once he gets more comfortable. Vlad looks to be slightly below average both at the plate and in the field next year, although his bat could surprise (or flame out), and honestly having a guy only slightly below league average and making the league minimum isn't exactly an albatross. Im not saying there arent better options out there, but lets not forget the performances the M's have been PAYING for the last couple of years. |
| 20. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-05-2009 01:56:02 It's Wlad. W-L-A-D. |
| 21. By: slick on 01-05-2009 02:06:13 I would not give up on Wlad so soon. If you look at Carlos Quentin's numbers from his first 230 at bats from 2007 and Wlad's first 230 at bats in 2008 they are very similar. BA HR SO OPS CQ 214 5 53 640 WB 207 7 62 612 Maybe all Wlad needs next year is for Thome and Dye to hit around him. |
| 22. By: jgstecker on 01-05-2009 08:26:53 I still think Wlad is Marcus Thames, with a slightly better glove. He's got that kind of power. Wily Mo Pena might be a good comp too. But I don't expect him to turn into anything more than that. Still, I'd rather see him in left over Chavez most of the time. I can't see Washburn losing his job to Batista, especially since Batista has extensive bullpen experience. If no one gets moved, its gotta be Batista, Heilman, and RRS in the pen. I'd say its probably 90% likely that we end up with either Dunn or Griffey. Zdurenciek knows he needs a lefty DH. I think he's holding out to see if Dunn becomes affordable. As soon as Dunn's off the board, they'll go after Griffey, full press. He's not quite the bat that Abreu and Giambi are, but I'll sacrifice that to make the games a little more fun to watch. |
| 23. By: jakehamlin33 on 01-05-2009 19:12:11 Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik: "We’ve got an offer out right now for a piece of the puzzle, and I’d hope to hear in the next few days." here is a quote from another website.(sorry but I didn't know if you wanted another site mentioned on yours.) Do u think there is any truth to this or is it just internet propaganda? If it is true, who do u think it is? |
| 24. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-05-2009 19:17:54 My money would be on Joe Crede. |
| 25. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-05-2009 19:24:52 Regarding if there's any credence (hee,hee...love those kind of jokes)to that "piece of the puzzle"? A ton of tires are no doubt getting kicked right now, so who's to say if that's one of them? Everything's propaganda until you see it on the Sports ticker as fact, IMO. |
| 26. By: jakehamlin33 on 01-05-2009 19:33:54 I understand, but just figured jason is a little more in the loop then I am, so wanted to see if he heard anything. |
| 27. By: acqb1424 on 01-05-2009 19:55:29 Not that I'm a Dunn fan, but Jason, if you could get Dunn for the same thing the Rays paid for Pat the Bat, would you do it? Two years and 16 million doesn't seem like that bad of a signing. |
| 28. By: DRWheelock on 01-05-2009 20:20:06 I would love that offer to be to Orlando Hudson 2B or Orlando Cabrera for SS. Noone that I no of is in the market for a 2B, so Orlando Hudson could come pretty reasonable and cheap. Especially considering the Burrell 2yr contract. I have to say though that if you can get Dunn in the $8M range on a short 2yr contract you'd have to pull the trigger too. A Orlando Hudson signing and moving Lopez to 1B would be just amazing! So would having a SS & 2B both named Orlando (with both of their great D). Land Cabrera and you can then move Yuni to KC for Billy Butler without blinking. THEN you could move Jose Lopez in a pretty decent package. Have you seen Lopez's power numbers in the Winter League? 360BA and 9HRs...he's ripping the cover off the ball! "If" Seattle signs Hudson, then package Washburn/Lopez/Yuni to the Brewers for Hardy + 1 prospect. I personally don't want to sign Dunn just to DH, because the one prospect I'm HUGE on is Clement. We can NOT take any ABs away from this guy. I see a 50/50 split with Johjima in the C position, and the rest of Clements 50% time going to DH. Which means Dunn DH's for the other 50%, and plays LF the rest of the time. I can handle Dunn in LF 50% of the time especially with Gutz in CF, and Chavez as Dunn's 7th inning replacement. Plus Dunn's defensive #'s are better in LF than RF, but he truly SUCKS in RF! With Gutz in CF you can play Dunn pretty damn close to the LF line protecting the line, and let Gutz run down Left Center! 1) Land Hudson as cheap as you can get em 2) Sign Dunn for DH/LF 50/50 time 3) Trade Washburn/Lopez to the Brew Crew for Hardy 4) Trade Yuni to KC for Butler Now it's sit back and see what the Z Man can do about this. |
| 29. By: Slurve on 01-05-2009 20:22:27 DUnn sucks in LF too and puting him in Safeco will only make that worse... it'll be a DHing gig if he signs. |
| 30. By: safecochatter on 01-05-2009 22:20:49 griffey would be a good bet. jr would help in the outfield and at the gate. he's also type b. the others being mentioned are all type a. not that losing one of the 1st round picks is the end of the world. but i don't see signing any of the type a's left. |
| 31. By: StandinPat on 01-05-2009 23:28:05 Safeco, Type A and B status is irrelevant if the player wasn't offered arbitration. None of Anderson, Dunn, Abreu, or Griffey were offered arb, and therefore would not cost a pick regardless of Elias Ranking. |
| 32. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-06-2009 00:23:35 I've been told it may be not a "bat" per se, which would eliminate Griffey and Dunn, at least on the present offer Jack says he has out there. Cabrera? Hudson? We know it's not Bradley or Burrell, and Giambi is going to Oakland... |
| 33. By: mykillmagnum on 01-06-2009 01:24:47 does Zdurienciks comment actually mean he has an offer to a free agent? or could it mean that he has an offer to another team regarding a trade? it says a piece of the puzzle, which means he could be getting rid of a piece that doesnt fit. |
| 34. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-06-2009 01:30:46 Hmmm....may not be a bat. I do loves to speculate. If it's a pitcher, what makes sense? Randy Wolf? The romanticist in me would love to see Derek Lowe in a Mariners uni, as I always have chafed at the fact that he NEVER had to be dealt in the first place: I've heard it said that back when we got Heathcliff Slocumb, all we would've had to give up was Jason Varitek. But, then-GM Woody Woodward started out offering Varitek AND Lowe for Slocumb. The Red Sox GM (Duquette?) at the time must have smiled through his teeth when he said "I'll get right back to you on that". But, realistically, there's no way Derek Lowe makes sense. Too much money, he costs a draft pick. You can say the same of almost any Type A left. Oliver Perez? Nah. I still have a dollar that says if there's anything to this, it's Joe Crede. |
| 35. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-06-2009 01:33:34 Good point, mykillmagnum. I ran outta coffee and never even thought of that. |
| 36. By: slick on 01-06-2009 04:16:24 If it is an arm maybe Sheets. I know he is injury prone and a big question mark, but nobody is talking about him. It could also be a RP Saito Hoffman Cruz Lyons. If we sign another SP what does that give us maybe 8 or 9 startes. |
| 37. By: jgstecker on 01-06-2009 06:46:48 Jason, Now that the closer market has somewhat petered out, do you think the Putz trade was still a good deal to make? I see two contending teams in the NL central - Milwaukee and St. Louis - with closer vacancies and a market with no legit options for them. Lyon and Cruz are decent, but not standard closer material. And Hoffman is a good bet to return to SD with the new ownership group. It seems to me that if we still had Putz available we could land a better package from either StL or Milwaukee, especially since the two rivals would be bidding against each other. From either of those two teams, it seems like Z could get a better marquee prospect than he got from NY. Did Z pull the trigger to early? My guess on the mystery "piece" is Hairston. He fits the definiton of "piece of the puzzle" fairly well. And I know Wakamatsu is pushing for him |
| 38. By: The Great Pumpkin on 01-06-2009 09:26:32 Larry Stone suggests it could be a reliever, but that doesn't make sense. The article also says Zduriencik is "very optimistic" about the deal happening. What reliever could we be after? |
| 39. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-06-2009 11:45:01 I never thought the Putz deal was good, necessarily, but didn't, and still don't, think it was a bad deal. It was a quantity over quality move. Milwaukee and St. Louis, clearly, aren't willing to pay the price for a legit closer, so they are looking for internal options. The Brewers are considering moving Dave Bush into the role, and the Cards Chris Carpenter. I do, however, think the trigger was pulled too quickly. There's no reason to think the Mets wouldn't make that deal in three weeks still. And LAD is still sitting there with relief issues. |
| 40. By: rocketdawg31 on 01-06-2009 13:40:25 Sudden thought (had the coffee) regarding the 'piece of the puzzle'. Trevor Hoffman? USSMariner is saying they think Jerry Hairston. |
| 41. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-06-2009 14:06:12 Everyone thinks Hairston, they've been linked to him for three weeks. |
| 42. By: Walrus on 01-06-2009 17:41:26 And the Mariners sign...Tyler Walker, RHP reliever from the SF Giants. |
| 43. By: littlelinny6 on 01-06-2009 17:41:32 It's Tyler Walker, I'm not too excited but could be a good move. I guess the hope is he replaces Sean Green maybe. He had 47.7% GB rate last year. Righties hit .186 against him with a 1.04 WHIP. He can't get out LH's so it seems we got Sean Green back. xFIP of 3.78 is not too shabby either for 53 IP. Overall seems like an easy cheap signing and now we have a good situational RHP. |
| 44. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-06-2009 18:34:54 It's very much like having not given up Sean Green in the Putz-to-Mets trade and handing out a small raise for him to dupe his 2008 performance. |
| 45. By: littlelinny6 on 01-06-2009 18:38:34 It's a 1 year deal probably worth peanuts so it does not matter too much. Limited upside but also no real downside either. He strikes out a few more than Green and gets a healthy percentage of missed bats--that is important when Adrian Beltre can play only one infield position--haha. |
| 46. By: mykillmagnum on 01-06-2009 19:40:28 jason, on the uss mariner website they talk about nick swisher and the yanks and the ms maybe making a deal. i personally think swisher would be a good addition in left field. what would the yankees want for him? i know they dont have a place for him now that they signed texiera. would a washburn for swisher deal work? or would it take more? and what would that be? |
| 47. By: acqb1424 on 01-06-2009 22:12:10 Random question Jason, how's the handbook coming? Will there be anything in there about the upcoming draft? |
| 48. By: candasharp on 01-07-2009 13:45:46 Hairston signed with the Reds this morning. Still no clarity on the DH/1B situation. I have to think that Z is waiting out the LH slugger market to see if he can get a reasonable LH bat on the cheap. I could see Dunn as a DH if we can get him around the level of Burrell's contract with the Rays. Failing that, I see Griffey back on a low level 1 plus a team option type deal. I don't see Bedard or Beltre going anywhere until the trade deadline. Bedard has to prove he's healthy and Beltre would bring more later plus I have to think they want to determine whether Tui can really be a potential solution at 3B. I also think they would take the draft picks for Beltre if the deals are good enough at the deadline. I like the Walker signing - low risk with potential solid return. The type of moves that good GMs make. Bullpen right now looks like Walker, Heilman, Corcoran, Lowe/Batista, Jimenez and Vargas. Rotation looks like Felix, Bedard, Morrow, RRS and Silva. Washburn is the odd guy out and I think he potentially is cut if they can't move him for a bag of peanuts. Unlike Batista, I can't see him as a bullpen guy. Despite Clement's shortcomings, I see him getting a full year on the job to see if he can get better. First base/DH looks like a hodgepodge of Branyan, Shelton and maybe Morse unless someone gets signed. Chavez replaces Reed, Hulett replaces Bloomquist, Balentien gets a full shot in LF to see if he can hit a breaking ball and Johnson/Burke fight it out for the 3rd catcher position. Johjima sits on his butt except for the odd start against tough lefties. Just my thoughts ... |
| 49. By: Jason A. Churchill on 01-07-2009 17:41:22 re: acb I'll have an update today at some point... maybe in the next few minutes if my fingers thaw in time. |
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