Jan 4th 2009 2:08PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
The aging Ken Griffey Jr. is being connected in rumors to the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, one other American League team, and two National League teams.

With the Rays, Griffey would get a chance to play close to home and likely would have a shot at finally winning his first World Series ring. With Seattle, Griffey would get to close out his illustrious career in the same place where it began. The main problem is that there doesn’t seem to be much hope for the Mariners to be competitive this season.

I’m a bit surprised to hear about two National League teams being in the fray. At age 39, Griffey’s not near the defender he once was, nor is he remotely durable. Playing the field greatly increases his chances of getting injured and, in turn, hampers his offensive productivity. In a designated hitter role, he could still be productive enough to help a team — even a contending one.Continue Reading

Jan 4th 2009 2:27PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Towards the end of the week, the Dodgers announced that they’d be restructuring Andruw Jones’ contract. The goal is to find a trade partner and since teams are already worried about his expanded waistline and his declining skills (in 2008 he had one of the worst offensive seasons by a non-pitcher that I can ever remember), the Dodgers wanted to try and relieve some of his huge contract and hope someone would take a risk on him.

At this point, even that’s not looking good. There was some thought that the Reds, who are still talking to Jerry Hairston Jr. and Rocco Baldelli in an attempt to find a right-handed outfield bat, would be a good fit, but John Fay at the doesn’t think the Reds would want him, even if he were a free agent willing to play for the league minimum.

So is Buster Olney right? Is Jones’ career over? I was going to argue that Olney’s jumping the gun a bit, but after thinking about it some I’m not so sure he is. Remember, Jones was one of the last of the marquee free agents to sign last year after his terrible contract year in 2007 and there were some whispers he was fading fast even then. He responded by putting on a ton of weight and putting up a ridiculously bad OPS+ of 34. He’s too out of shape to play center like he used to and he can’t hit at all. Who’s going to possibly want this guy?

Jan 4th 2009 2:55PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Mark Grace is easily my all-time favorite baseball player. I loved him as a player — I grew up rooting for fellow left-handers — and I loved his off-field personality. He’s just a really likable guy. Still, his baseball career, while a very nice one, is hardly Hall of Fame worthy.

Phil Rogers of the disagrees, otherwise he just felt like tossing Grace a vote. Either way, Mark Grace has garnered a vote for the prestigious Hall in Cooperstown. One of Rogers’ thoughts was that he doesn’t like to be “a curmudgeon with a ridiculously high standard” when filling out his ballot. I agree with that stance, but you still have to maintain high standards for the Hall of Fame.

Rogers discusses Grace’s postseason — albeit a small sample — prowess, when he threw up insane stats in the 1989 NLCS and kick-started the series-winning rally off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. He brings up the fact that Grace lead the majors in hits for the ’90s. Rogers also points out Grace’s outstanding defense and leadership in the clubhouse.Continue Reading

Jan 4th 2009 9:05PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
The slow start to this year’s free agent shopping season has left some quality players lingering on the market longer than usual. Derek Lowe can’t seem to find a suitor worthy of him while guys like Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are being treated like lepers. And the man of eternal left-handed potential, Oliver Perez, is waiting and waiting for someone to show some serious interest.

Kevin Kernan of the has noticed the lack of activity and suggests that the Yankees sign him up to fill out the back end of their rotation.
“Putting Perez on the Yankees would be a great move,” says one top pitching evaluator. “That would be the perfect environment for him. He would be more focused there. He needs strong leadership around him, and pitching in front of a packed house, he would not be complacent.”
Frankly, that’s ridiculous. Would you really entrust millions of dollars in the arm of a guy who isn’t able to motivate himself to pitch well simply because it’s his job? Perez has given up 46 home runs and walked 184 batters the last two seasons playing at Shea Stadium, which isn’t exactly Duluth. Furthermore, he had his best season pitching for Pittsburgh, so it can’t just be fannies in the seats or veteran know-how that makes him throw strikes.Continue Reading

Jan 3rd 2009 2:48PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
If you are tired of hearing rumors — whether real or conjectured — of Brian Roberts being traded to the Cubs, you may take a deep breath. We’re here to bring you another Roberts-to-Chicago scenario, but this time he is being tied to the White Sox. Roch Kubatko of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network reported on Friday night that the White Sox have made the latest attempt to nab Roberts … Kubatko wrote that the teams have talked about a deal that would send right-hander Gavin Floyd to Baltimore. The issue, according to the report, is that the Orioles want more. At first glance, the move would seem to make sense for the White Sox. They are shifting Alexei Ramirez to shortstop after letting Orlando Cabrera walk in free agency. They don’t have any really great options to immediately step into second base.

On the flip-side, 22-year-old Gordon Beckham — the White Sox first round draft pick this past year — is a star in the making and will possibly be ready as early as June to take over second base for the Sox.Continue Reading

Jan 2nd 2009 2:00PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
In an offseason where A.J. Burnett can sign an $82.5 million contract, I’m still surprised that Ben Sheets has been completely ignored. As I pointed out a few weeks back, Sheets has been a better pitcher than Burnett over the last several years while averaging just one fewer start per season over the last five. When Sheets finally signs, some lucky team is going to get a legitimate ace at a bargain price.

What team will it be? By all accounts, he’s still waiting for his first multiyear offer, but Nick Piecoro of the makes a compelling case for the Diamondbacks to get involved. The D’Backs already have an ace in Brandon Webb, but he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after 2010 and seems to be more likely to test the market than sign an extension early. By giving a backloaded contract to Sheets, the D’Backs could hedge their bets in case Webb bolts. Piecoro explains:
The Diamondbacks have perhaps $4 million to spend this off-season. So what if they came at Sheets with a backloaded, three-year deal structured like this: $4 million in 2009, $8 million in 2010, $12 million in 2011 with a team option for 2012 worth $12 million, including a $3 million buyout. Guaranteed money: $27 million.
Sheets started the 2008 All-Star game and came within a eyelash of 200 innings for the year, but because he finished the year on the sidelines with a relatively minor elbow injury, he’s been written off as damaged goods. It’d be a blow to the ego if he settled for just $4 million in 2009 (after all, he’s averaged nearly $11 million the last three years), but toss in a player option after Year 2 and maybe he’d consider it.

Jan 2nd 2009 2:25PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
As I wrote a few days ago, the Cubs have recently shed payroll and stockpiled what could be perceived as trading chips during the course of this past week. While people in the know continue to dispel myths of the Jake Peavy talks resurfacing, it seems the Brian Roberts rumors of this past offseason are being kept on life support.

There is apparently talk in Baltimore from fans, but — like Peter Schmuck — I’m not buying it. The Cubs wouldn’t have signed Aaron Miles to a two year deal to join Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Ronny Cedeno in the middle infielder fray if they planned on adding Roberts. That would mean they likely would need to trade two of the aforementioned group to realistically round out their opening day roster. It doesn’t make sense, logisitically.

I’m still standing firm in my belief that this move was made as a precursor to landing Peavy, even if it’s during the season. People everywhere are giving reasons to dispute my claim, but this would really be the only way to justify trading Mark DeRosa at this juncture.

Jan 2nd 2009 4:35PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
The Mets’ pursuit of Derek Lowe has recently hit a snag, and — according to this source — that would be the fact that he’s a much better pitcher than Carlos Silva. You see, Silva signed a four year-$48 million contract with the Mariners before last season. Now, Lowe’s being offered three years and $36 million. Apparently Lowe finds his “distasteful” because he feels he is “far superior” to Silva.

You can’t really blame him, on the surface. Even before the disastrous 2008 season — in which Silva was one of the worst pitchers in the league — Lowe was the far superior pitcher. The Mariners, frankly, made an awful signing. Silva was coming off a season in which he was barely above average in ERA and sported a 1.31 WHIP. He doesn’t strike guys out, and he gives up tons of hits (1,335 hits in under 1,100 career innings).

Lowe, on the other hand, has only had one below average season in his entire career, and he’s coming off a stellar second half. You have to assume as he ages he won’t deteriorate quite as quickly as others might, because he’s a pitch-to-contact ground ball hurler. He can suvive on guile, a la Jamie Moyer.Continue Reading

Jan 2nd 2009 4:58PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
After a potential trade to the Mets fell through last week, Andruw Jones agreed to re-work the final year of his contract, apparently in an effort to grease the wheels for his eventual departure from the Dodgers.

Jones was originally set to earn $21.1 million this year after signing a slightly backloaded two-year, $36.2 million deal last winter, but he’s agreed to defer at least $12 million, giving the Dodgers room in this year’s budgets to go after a high-profile free agent.

With Jones counting for only $9.1 million or so on this year’s books, it should be easier for the Dodgers to find a trade partner to take Jones off their hands, or at the very least, make the option of simply buying him out more palatable. What will the Dodgers do with their extra cash? They’re still in the race for Adam Dunn, and it’s not out of the question that they get back into consideration for Manny Ramirez.

After famously making a two-year, $45 million deal to Ramirez earlier this winter, the Dodgers allegedly made a less publicized three-year, $60 million offer that was similarly ignored. If they sweeten that offer — maybe adding a team option/buyout in Year 4 — they might be able to swoop in and steal Ramirez from their upstate rivals in San Francisco. Stay tuned.

Jan 2nd 2009 5:40PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
After playing a significant role in 11 of the Braves’ 14 consecutive division titles, Chipper Jones knows a thing or two about how to act while playing the role of the front-runner, and he’s not impressed with those who have followed in his footsteps. From a recent interview with Sporting News:
We won for 14 consecutive years, and you never, ever saw any bulletin board material. And now that these two teams are on top of the division, they can’t keep their mouths shut. Just go play baseball. It’s Cole Hamels now. It was Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Beltran the past couple of springs. These two teams are constantly going at each other verbally. You know, win with class, lose with class. Just keep your mouth shut and go play your game.
Hamels? Check. Rollins? Check. Beltran? Check. But wait, don’t forget John Maine and Billy Wagner!

I think part of the reason the Phillies/Mets rivalry is more fierce is pure geography: New York and Philadelphia are a scant 100 miles apart; the Braves, meanwhile, are 10 full hours in the car away from their nearest division rival. Plus, the Phillies and Mets have shared the top two spots in the NL East for the last few years, whereas the Braves had an ever-changing cast of challengers in that second spot.

In any case, you have to enjoy the irony: a guy talking trash about other guys talking too much trash — it’s a Dugout plot just begging to be written.