K-Rod a Fit for Dodgers?

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Joe Janish

If Ned Colletti’s actions over the past few weeks are any indication, the Dodgers are hell-bent on building a winner in 2011. They have filled out the starting rotation and signed Juan Uribe to shore up their infield holes. They’ve signed a veteran catcher (Rod Barajas) and were reportedly discussing a deal to acquire Prince Fielder. Even if the Fielder deal is dead, LA is clearly building a team to “win now”. That said, one soft spot they need to address is the back of their bullpen, where Jonathan Broxton struggled and didn’t have a life saver to cling to when he drowned.

With J.J. Putz reportedly signing with the Diamondbacks, the free-agent market isn’t deep with back-end relievers. The best of the lot is Rafael Soriano, and then the talent pool drops considerably: Brian Fuentes, Takashi Saito, Jon Rauch, Kevin Gregg, Kerry Wood, and Chad Qualls are at the next level, and all are question marks.

So wouldn’t it make sense for the Dodgers talk to the Mets about Francisco Rodriguez’s availability? Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 3 Comments

Monday Meetings Recap

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Joe Janish

A quick recap of what happened at the baseball winter meetings in Orlando, Florida on Sunday / Monday.

– Adrian Gonzalez was officially traded to the Red Sox

– Jayson Werth signed a 7-year, $126M deal with the Nationals

– Shaun Marcum was traded to the Brewers

– Melvin Mora signed with the Diamondbacks

– J.J. Putz signed with the Diamondbacks

– Mark Reynolds was traded by the D-Backs to the Orioles

Kevin Correia agreed to a two-year, $8M deal with the Pirates

– Aaron Harang signed with the Padres

– Lance Berkman signed with the Cardinals

– Russ Adams and Dusty Ryan signed minor-league deals with the Mets

– Omir Santos signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers

– Pat Gillick was voted into the Hall of Fame. OK, nothing against Gillick — he was an amazing GM, and congrats to him — but how in the world does he get into the HOF before Marvin Miller and George Steinbrenner? Love them or hate them (I hate Miller), how is it that two people whose influence had as much of an impact on the sport as anyone over the past 40 years, are not properly recognized by an institution honoring baseball history? I guess Steinbrenner is left out because of the Nixon contributions and the Howie Spira thing, but how is Miller not voted in? And again, I hate Miller, but he is a significant figure who played a major part in shaping the game as we know it today. But then, maybe that’s exactly the reason he remains on the outside looking in.

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Mets Sign Russ Adams, Dusty Ryan

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to Mets.com, the Mets have signed infielder Russ Adams and catcher Dusty Ryan to minor-league contracts.

I liked Adams the first time the Mets signed him, and thought he should’ve been given the chance to take the utility role last spring. Unfortunately, his audition was a facade, as the Mets had already given Alex Cora a guaranteed deal and Omar Minaya pushed Ruben Tejada to the MLB roster in an effort to convince the world that his farm system could produce genuine prospects. Maybe he’ll get a legit shot at a roster spot this coming spring; otherwise, he is the fill-in at AAA when Justin Turner takes over second base for the big club.

Dusty Ryan is a tall (6’4″) backstop with a cannon for an arm but slow feet, so his throws to second aren’t as good as they should be and he’s not very adept at blocking pitches in the dirt. He showed power potential at the lower levels of the minors but hit only .199 in 89 games for AAA Portland last year. Previously a “Top Ten” prospect in the Tigers organization, Detroit considered moving him to the mound before letting him go after the 2009 season. He’s 26 years old, so there’s still an outside chance he can find his stroke again. My guess is that he was signed to add depth at AAA, and that the Mets will stockpile a few more similarly skilled catchers before spring training begins.

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Omir Santos Signs with Tigers

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to Jason Beck on Twitter, the Detroit Tigers have signed Omir Santos.

The former Topps All-Rookie Team catcher took a minor-league contract and will be insurance behind Victor Martinez and Alex Avila.

A few weeks back, Sandy Alderson mentioned that the Mets needed some catchers. With Santos leaving for the Detroit system, the next backstops on the depth chart behind Josh Thole are Mike Nickeas and … hmmm … not sure … Kai Gronauer?

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Milwaukee Gets Marcum

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Joe Janish

The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired righthanded starter Shaun Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays in return for minor league second base prospect Brett Lawrie.

Marcum is a tough competitor who relies on guile, control, and changing speeds to keep batters off-balance — he’s also a bit of a bad-ass, unafraid of throwing inside (i.e., “moving the batter’s feet”). He sat out all of 2009 after Tommy John surgery but was in perfect health in 2010. The 29-year-old steps into the #2 spot in Milwaukee’s rotation.

Toronto gets the 20-year-old, Canadian-born Lawrie, who some scouts compare to Jeff Kent for his offensive prowess. The Brewers were willing to give him up because of some “personality issues”; per various rumors, the Brewers were disappointed with the youngster’s work ethic and upset that he declined an opportunity to play in the Arizona Fall League. Well, it’s not uncommon to be immature at age 20, is it? Certainly, there is time for Lawrie to turn around.

Interestingly, Lawrie was suggested in a post by Matt Himelfarb a few weeks back, as a possible player to acquire in return for Mike Pelfrey:

… sending Pelfrey to the Brewers for Brett Lawrie would be awfully nice, although I doubt Milwaukee would be interested

As it turns out, if the Brewers were willing to give up Lawrie for Marcum, I imagine a trade for Pelfrey would not have been out of the question. However, I’m not sure the Mets would have made such a deal. Still, interesting call by Mr. Himelfarb.

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Diamondbacks Trade Reynolds, Sign Mora and Putz

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Joe Janish

The Arizona Diamondbacks had a busy day in Disney, trading slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds to the Orioles, signing former Met Melvin Mora to take his place at the hot corner, and also agreeing to terms with another former Met, J.J. Putz.

In return for Reynolds, Baltimore sent right-handed relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio back to Arizona. I don’t know much about either of those youngsters; though I swear I saw Hernandez on American Idol a few years ago.

I’m kind of sad to see Reynolds move to the Adulterated League, as I enjoyed watching his hard-nosed play, inspired defense, and moon shots. Though he blasted 32 four-baggers last year, he struck out 211 times and hit just below the Mendoza Line – .198.

Reportedly, Mora signed a one-year deal for $2M. Putz agreed to a two-year, $10M contract, though it hasn’t yet been officially announced.

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Non-Tender Highlights

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Joe Janish

A slew of new free agents hit the market last week when teams announced they would “non-tender” players under their control rather than offer them contracts or arbitration.

The entire list can be seen here.

In this fresh addition of bodies could be a few bargains; let’s take a look at some in particular that are either possible targtes of the Mets, or simply interesting.

Dioner Navarro
The Mets need catching depth, and Navarro is Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 3 Comments

Nationals Sign Jayson Werth

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Joe Janish

The headline is not a misprint; the Washington Nationals have indeed signed outfielder Jayson Werth.

Wow. Or is it, “Sham-Wow” ?
Continue reading →

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 5 Comments