High and Tight.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Offseason Target Idea #1: Jake Peavy

The Padres are for sale.

The Padres will be shopping everyone.

He's affordable now, but getting more expensive:
2009 opening day age: 27
2009 salary: $11 million
2010 salary: $15 million
2011 salary: $16 million
2012 salary: $17 million
Peavy signed a three-year, $52 million extension, which begins in 2010, on Dec. 12, 2007. The Padres have a team option for 2013 at $22 million, with a $4 million buyout.

Try signing Sabathia for that amount and you'll get laughed at, and Peavy's the better pitcher.

The problem? How much would it take to get one of the top three pitchers in the game?

I'm not one of the "trade Cano!" people, because I don't like trading young talent when it is at its lowpoint value-wise, but any package would have to start with the second baseman. The Padres do have a prospect (Matt Antonelli) they drafted first a couple of years ago who plays second, and he's one of the highest rated prospects in their system. That is, of course, because the Padres farm system is downright awful. Antonelli was scheduled prior to 2008 to begin 2009 as the starter on the big club. After a disastrous 2008 in AAA (.215/.335/.322, 7 HR) it's obvious he's not ready and possible he may never pan out. Cano would offer the Pads a significant upgrade.

Of course, they'd need a bit more. They'd be saving a chunk of change with dealing Peavy's salary, but he's their most marketable player now that Hoffman is in severe decline. To justify it, they would also have to get a number of those coveted arms from the Yankees system.

Hughes and Chamberlain are most likely off the table, so let's guess it would take Cano, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Xavier Nady and Alfredo Aceves. The Padres outfield was/is awful, and Jackson could be a good player for a long time. Nady came up as a Padre, and could fill in immediately. Kennedy could fit right into their rotation and could shine in that ballpark and in the National League.

Food for thought, Mr. Cashman. Throw some things against the wall and see what sticks.

Labels: alfredo aceves, austin jackson, ian kennedy, jake peavy, padres, robinson cano, trade proposals, trade rumors, x nady

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:29 PM 3 comments

Monday, July 28, 2008

Why All The Talk of Washburn Replacing Rasner?

Besides the fact that I think acquiring Jarrod Washburn is short-sighted and ill-advised, why in the world do media types keep insisting he'd replace Rasner in the rotation instead of Ponson?

(T)here are reports that Jarrod Washburn of the Mariners could be joining the Yankees. The cost: another minor leaguer. Washburn (5-9, 4.50) is not the ace he was six years ago, but he's a good replacement for Darrell Rasner at the back of the rotation, another little piece of the puzzle that would seem to fit well as the Yankees make a run in the AL East.

The proper one to be jettisoned from the Yankees rotation - for Washburn, Dan Giese, a minor leaguer, Dave Eiland, or any contestant in the 2008 Miss Universe pagent - is Sidney Ponson. It's been well documented how strongly against this signing I was in the first place, and hoped it was only for a couple of starts, but as bad as Ponson had been before the trade, he's been even worse after it.

2008 Stats, with NYY:
Ponson: 26.2 IP, 38 H, 28 ER, 12 BB, 12 K, 6.08 ERA, WHIP 1.88, ERA+ 68
Rasner: 72.7 IP, 87 H, 39 ER, 22 BB, 48 K, 4.83 ERA, WHIP 1.50, ERA+ 86

Sure, Rasner hasn't been amazing, but that's serviceable from a 5th starter and he has a much higher ceiling than Sir Sidney, who hasn't posted an above-league-average ERA+ since 2003.

I still don't want to Yankees to deal for Washburn, especially because he's signed through next year and severely limits the other options for 2009 (Chamberlain, Mussina, Pettitte, Hughes, Wang, Kennedy just as a few possibilities) from making the rotation or long relief roles. That doesn't mean, however, that Ponson should still be on this club.

Two obvious replacements for Ponson were sent to the Pirates last week in Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen, but that doesn't eliminate some others. Is Jeff Marquez ready (assuming he's healthy)? Steven White doesn't appear quite there yet, and Kei Igawa slipped through waivers over the weekend and thus is off the 40-man roster, which would prompt a move to recall him. Alan Hornw couldn't do worse than Ponson, could he? Alfredo Aceves has shot up through the system this year.. he could be worth a shot. Lest we forget, Ian Kennedy is all but ready for a recall, and he's already on the 40-man.

Now I'm aware Kennedy didn't exactly impress in his early season tryout, but besides the fact that some of that could be attributed to injury, he still pitched better for the Yankees than Ponson has (albeit barely). Wouldn't he appear to have a higher ceiling? Well if he doesn't, the Yankees need to fire their entire scouting staff.

Release Ponson before he can start again, and bring someone up to start or replace Geise in the bullpen (Chris Britton is still alive, you know) and move him to the rotation, or look for a guy whose contract expires at the end of this year and won't be very costly.

There's no excuse to keep running Ponson out there every 5th day.

Labels: darrel rasner, ian kennedy, lupe's bf, roster moves, scranton, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 1:59 PM 0 comments

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Reality Check History Lesson

Who was the lowest regarded prospect of the following:

A. Phil Hughes
B. Joba Chamberlain
C. Sam Marsonek
D. Domingo Jean
E. Ian Kennedy
F. Brandon Claussen
G. Johan Santana
H. Ted Lilly
I. Ryan Bradley
J. Jake Westbrook
K. Tyler Clippard
L. Ed Yarnall

If you guessed "G," you were correct. Santana was left unprotected in the Rule V draft by the Houston Astros, and then was selected by the Minnesota Twins. The Astros didn't think highly enough of Santana's future to place him on their 40 man roster, and lost him for nothing. Two (and deserving of at least one more) Cy Young awards later, Santana has proven the scouts and pundits wrong.

So where are Yarnall, Bradley and Jean these days? Clippard is now so low on the Yankees radar that they'd happily throw him in on almost any deal at this point. Claussen is now in the Nationals system after frustrating Reds fans and not pitching in 2007. Westbrook has had one good year (2004) and been a mediocre pitcher in every other. Theodore Roosevelt Lilly has had the most success of any of the "highly regarded" prospects traded by the Yankees, and has put together a pretty decent career as an above average major league pitcher (although 2007 is the only year since he left the Yankees he has posted an ERA under 4.00). I believe Sam Marsonek picked up my dry cleaning last week.

What's the point here? Yankees fans tend to overvalue their own prospects and young players, thinking every single one of them is going to be the next Whitey Ford or Roger Clemens. Kennedy, Hughes and Chamberlain are good prospects and appear to be able to compete on the major league level and hopefully all three will have good careers ahead of them. There are, however, no guarantees.

Remember that when the thought of sacrificing one of three prospects to obtain the best pitcher in baseball in the prime years of his career becomes a possibility.

Or maybe you're still hoarding that Hensley Meulens rookie card, convinced he could still be the next Mickey Mantle.

Labels: bam bam meulens, ian kennedy, joba chamberlain, johan santana, phil phranchise, prospects, trade rumors, yankee history

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:01 PM 4 comments

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Dude, They're Getting a Delmon

According to the Star-Tribune of the Mini Apple, the Twins have been busy on other fronts.

The Twins and Tampa Bay Rays are close to finalizing a multi-player deal, according to several sources with knowledge of the discussions. The deal could be announced as soon as today.

The main pieces changning teams would be outfielder Delmon Young, the first overall pick in 2003, and righthander Matt Garza. But indications were strong on Wednesday that as many as six players could be involved.

In addition to Garza, the Twins would send Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett and reliever Juan Rincon for Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie. Pridie was with the Twins during spring training of 2006 as a Rule 5 pick.

There are a few ways to look at this deal:

The Twins plan to hold on to Santana for 2008, because without Garza they'll need pitcing.
The Twins plan to try Pirdie or Young in CF and now are targeting different players that match up better in return for Santana.
The Twins have a deal involving Nathan on the table in which they acquire a young third baseman, and only want pitching for Santana.
The market wasn't what the Twins thought it could be for Santana, so they are willing to take a larger package of less ML-ready talent and build around the young core they now have.

I don't think this deal helps the Yankees in their quest for Santana unless the latter is the case. Could the Twins be willing to accept Kennedy/Horne/Marquez with an eye towards 2009-10? It's possible I suppose.

I still think the only place Santana wants to go is New York. Torii Hunter and Ron Gardenhire have all but said that, and since he's got a NTC, he holds all of the cards as far as his destination. If the Yankees and Santana both play hardball, it would mean a lesser package or Santana filing free agency after the 2008 season.

The down side of this of course is that the Twins may not have to ask the Red Sox for Ellsbury anymore which would facilitate a better match with them.... if, of course, Santana agrees.

It will all come down to where Johan wants to pitch.

Labels: delmon young, johan santana, trade rumors, twins

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:08 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

For the Record...

Johan Santana is better than any pitcher currently on the Yankees.

He will be better than any pitcher currently on the Yankees for the next number of years.

I would trade any pitcher currently on the Yankees for him (with an extension, of course).

There are preferences (Horne, Whelan, Jackson and Cabrera for Santana? Where do I sign?) but when it all comes down to it, with the Mussina/Abreu/Giambi money coming off the books, Santana should be acquired if there's any chance of it happening.

Labels: johan santana, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 6:59 PM 8 comments

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Ridiculous Trade Proposal That People are Supposed toTake Seriously of the Day

Nomaas.org's Lane Meyer proposes the Yankees could trade Hideki Matsui and Andy Phillips for Jonathan Broxton and Matt Kemp.

I see that Torre is going to have some influence there, and was with the article in the beginning, but there's no way in hell Neil Colletti (who by all measures is not a good General Manager - I mean not like Jim Bowden-level shitty - but not good) is going to trade two guys who should contribute now and going forward for Matsui and a AAA player, Torre or no Torre.

Yhency Brazoban and Nomar Garciaparra for Matsui, DeSalvo and Clippard? Maybe.

Matsui and Phillips for Broxton and Kemp? That's a pipedream.

Labels: crazy trade ideas, dodgers, nomaas, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:31 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Deadline Day

There's only hours left until the (non-waiver) trade deadline, and my guess is the Yankees will pull off at least one deal, if not more. Obviously the target for improvement would be in the bullpen, and the most attractive prize out there is Eric Gagne. The question then becomes would the Rangers lower their ridiculous demands, or would they continue to ask for the moon in hopes of signing Gagne to an extension (remember, Gagne is represented by the anti-extension agent, Scott Boras).

Farnsworth certainly seems to have worn out his welcome. It's a shame. The guy has all of the talent in the world but never really has learned to pitch. A big problem that the Yankees have right now is that they have too many similar relievers, guys with good fastballs without a lot of movement who relay mainly on that pitch alone (Farnsworth, Proctor, Bruney). One of them is going to go, and interest in Farnsworth seems low. Cashman has had an interest in Wilson Betemit for a couple of years now, and while the guy certainly has potential, he's yet to really put together any sort of impressive campaign in the major leagues. Moving Proctor however would give the Yankees a better backup option than Miguel Cairo in exchange (although my guess is Torre would elect to keep both players for some reason) and free up a roster spot for Joba Chamberlain.

The Rockies supposedly have interest in Farnsworth. Perfect. A guy who throws a 100 mph flat fastball in Coors (humidor balls or no humidor balls). Can't wait to see the 600' HR Pujols hits off of him.

In a perfect world, when Chris Britton returns from injury and finally gets a long overdue promotion, the bullpen could shape up like this:
Rivera
Gagne
Vizcaino
Chamberlain
Britton
Bruney
Villone

Of course that would mean promoting the effective guys, going with a 7 man 'pen, and saying goodbye to Mike Myers. Villone stays because of all of them, he's the only one really capable of a long relief role (I don't think Joba should be used that way unless he's on a regular work schedule, ie. 3 innings every 3 or 4 days. Historically, Torre lets his long man sit in the bullpen for ages without use.) A more realistic option would have Britton toiling away in AAA, and Myers still on the big club (Joe's gotta have those crafty vets, you know).

Ian Kennedy stays in AAA as a starter. I suppose he's now the new "next in line" should an injury happen.

Besides Betemit, there are other infield options. Houston's Mike Lamb is available, and Cashman should certainly look into picking him up. He was a Yankee during spring training a couple of years ago, but lost the roster spot to Travis Lee. He's hitting .299/.378/.480 with an OPS+ of 123 and can play RF, LF, 3B, 1B, and 2B. For everyone who's fallen in love with Andy Phillips lately... well, he's a lot better than Andy Phillips, and has the versatility to move around the field when needed. In my oh so humble opinion, he is exactly the type of player the Yankees need on the bench at this point in time.

I'll be back throughout the day with updates as rumors become deals and deals become official.

Update, 8:15 AM PST: The Red Sox send Joel Piniero to St. Louis for some sticky ribs and a bucket of used baseballs. Pretty much a non-factor deal. I do love though how in every trade rumor I read involving Boston, they are said to be offering "a package involving Wily Mo Pena." Well, no shit. You don't want Pena, but neither does anyone else.

Update, 9:57 AM PST: It seems as if Proctor for Betemit is a done deal. I really don't know how big a fan I am of this deal because I still think Mike Lamb was a better option and now because of the glut of infielders that Joe Torre loves, there's very little chance of bringing him over. On its own though, I like the move. This seems kind of odd though:

The Yankees view Betemit as another first-base/DH/bench option for this year, and a potential third-base replacement for Alex Rodriguez next year.
Bench? Sure. First base? Ok, in the mix. DH? Why in the world would the Yankees need another DH when you have Jhonny the Homicidal Maniac and Godzilla in the field, and the zombie formerly known as Jason Giambi on the mend? There's no reason to DH the guy. The OPS+ of 116 is good, but I'm sure you'll hear a lot more about the .231 BA from the mainstream idiot media.

At least when Proctor's arm inevitably falls off, it will be up to Russell Martin (and not Jorge Posada) to catch the bloody stub.

Update, 10:36 AM PST: The San Diego Union-Tribune has a story in today's paper that the Padres may be interested in Kei Igawa, for whom they bid $10M this past offseason. It wouldn't be the first time the Yankees and Padres swapped a Japanese import. The Padres are still in contention for the Western Division title though, so probably wouldn't be willing to give up much in the way of major league ready talent. Add in the fact that they just traded away one of their relievers, and the likelihood of this deal going down just doesn't seem very high.

Update, 11:25 AM PST: The reports all say it's Gagne to Boston for David Murphy and Kason Gabbard. What makes no sense here is that by all reports I've read, Texas turned down offers of Clippard/Marquez and Clippard/Karstens and demanded Hughes and/or Chamberlain from the Yankees, and yet they accept this deal from Boston for what seems to be far inferior talent? I'm no conspiracy theorist. I'm not the type that thinks MLB conspires against the Yankees. However, Scott Boras is Gagne's agent. The one team in the mix of teams (Boston, Milwaukee and the New York clubs) that was on Gagne's limited no trade list was the Red Sox. In order to waive that clause, Boston will probably have to guarantee him the "closing" incentives in Gagne's contract, which add up to well over $3M for this year. Does it sound that ridiculous that Jon Daniels has a handshake agreement with Boras to get his client the extra $3M from the Red Sox in exchange for bringing Gagne back next year, or setting up another player's contract or extension? With Boras, this seems almost status quo, so this deal in retrospect isn't surprising at all.

Update, 12:28 AM PST: ESPN live chat line of the day:

Bob: In your opinion, who's the most knowledgable baseball guy for ESPN?

Jonah Keri: (3:22 PM ET ) Too many to count. Gammons, Stark, Neyer, Law, Caple, Neel, the always sharp Curtis Granderson...great bunch.

Alex (Toronto): Does Chris Berman not count as a baseball analyst? Or is he too busy with leather?

Jonah Keri: (3:23 PM ET ) hehe

Labels: brian cashman, ian kennedy, joba chamberlain, joel piniero, kei igawa, kyle farnsworth, mike lamb, scott proctor, trade rumors, trades, trading deadline, wilson betemit

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:46 AM 0 comments

Thursday, June 28, 2007

DO NOT WANT

Cashman, you can do better than this:
Shea Hillenbrand vented his frustration about losing his designated hitter job Tuesday, saying he felt "pushed aside, put on a back-burner," and that if he wasn't going to play for the Angels, "give me enough respect to trade me or get rid of me."

Wednesday, the Angels informed Hillenbrand he would be designated for assignment Friday, giving the team 10 days to trade or release him.

Hillenbrand's OPS+ for the last 5 years:
2003: 92
2004: 106
2005: 108
2006: 93
2007: 67

These are pretty unacceptable numbers for a first baseman (and the Angels wanted him to be a designated hitter?). Could Andy Phillips put up a 67 or 100 OPS+? Possibly. Probably not 100 though. He also most likely wouldn't pick fights with his manager and disrupt the clubhouse (any wonder why Hillenbrand's been on five teams in five years?)

Now I know Miguel Cairo - who inexplicably has become Torre's regular first baseman - is a terrible hitter, especially for that offensive position. Is Hillenbrand the fix though? No, I don't believe he is. That said, as far as Cairo goes, still:

Labels: andy phillips, do not want, miguel cairo, shea hillenbrand, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:20 AM 1 comments

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

More Silly A-Rod Trade Rumors

The local radio stations here in Southern California have been all over this completely unsubstantiated trade rumor for a couple of days now.

It involves Alex Rodriguez (of course) to the Angels, and Arte Moreno extending A-Rod's current deal by 3+ years.

Halos Heaven seems to believe there's more to it than just more idle spring musings, however:

After reheating the A-Rod to LAA rumor mill yesterday, what
is shocking is that neither outlet is putting 2 and 2 together:
Moseley is
getting the start over Carrasco as part of an audition for a trade to the
Yankees. Stoneman and Cashman have reportedly agreed on a three-tier
wait-and-see:

1. Audition Moseley

2. See if the boo-birds flock
on A-Rod and how Boras then responds to a trade proposal (as Rodriguez can
ultimately veto it)

3. Assuage Boras by adding Jered Weaver to the deal,
as WTY in Yankee Stadium = Visions of future big bucks to tempt Scott B.

4. Yankees get Weaver, Moseley and Jose Molina for
A-Rod.
Dustin Moseley, Jose Molina and Jered Weaver? Well I can say I've heard (a lot) worse offers proposed, but as far as I can tell, none of those guys can play third base and the Yankees don't exactly have a ML-ready prospect to fill in. Cashman is waiting to see if people boo A-Rod in order to trade him? I can't possibly imagine Cashman ever doing business in that manner. Besides, the Angels are absolutely loaded with SS/3B prospects. If this deal were legitimate, you can bet one of them would be involved.

I really can't wait until the season begins, and we can put all of this trade nonsense behind us. Until July, at least.

Labels: a-rod, angels, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:55 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Olbermann: Trade A-Rod Now Due to Spring Slump

On today's Dan Patrick Show, frequent guest and self-absorbed political commentator Keith Olbermann tried to make the case that the Yankees need to trade Alex Eodriguez "now" because he looks so "tight" in spring training. A paraphrase:

"It's one thing if you stand looking at a 3-2 pitch that
you can hit in the playoffs. If you're extra tight in the playoffs, that happens
to a lot of guys. You can overthink in the post season and miss a pitch and
stand there with a bat on your shoulders. Just ask Carlos
Beltran."
(Olbermann doesn't recall 2004.)

"But to be so tight in spring training and to just stand there when runners are
on when the pitcher throws you your pitch just shows you can't handle it
anymore. This team has no fire and no "oomph," and if you trade him now you can
get something for him. The team has been going more and more in this direction
since 2001. There's no leadership on the field. Who's going to fire these guys
up? Jeter? Maybe in the clubhouse but he's not the type to get on guys on the
field."

He then went on to say that there are too many cliques and that it must be hard for Posada and Rivera and Jeter and Williams because so many new guys were coming in who were superstars, and practically defended the reason for the "cliques."

Translation: Rodriguez misjudged a pitch proving he "can't handle the pressure" of spring training, and because his Captain is not a good leader and there are too many "cliques", trade the bum.

Just go back to your lame MSNBC talk show, Keith. You've lost all touch with the sports world.

Labels: a-rod, douchebag, olbermann, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 1:41 PM 5 comments

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Everything's Going According to Plan

As originally suggested here in a previous entry, today's New York Post suggests the Yankees may be interested in Brad Wilkerson and that the Reds, contrary to prior reports, will be shopping one of their four outfielders (which includes Adam Dunn)

The Reds will shop outfielders in exchange for starting pitching, according to one MLB executive. The exec added that he thought Florida's Carlos Delgado would be available.

The Yanks, trying to shave payroll, have no interest in Delgado. Though reportedly interested in Washington CF Brad Wilkerson, they haven't heard if he's available.

Lost in the shuffle is this juicy tidbit, which I'm sure is just a tease to get me all excited:

Heard around the GM meetings: surprisingly, the Phillies were shopping RF Bobby Abreu, though it may simply be a "due diligence" tactic to determine his value.

I mean, there's no way the Yankees get Abreu. But a guy can dream.

Labels: bobby abreu, trade rumors

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:05 AM 0 comments