SB Nation - Barry Zito

Dan Uggla to the Giants, not happening?

craig — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:34:10 -0000

It turns out that the Giants are very concerned about their payroll cost and Danny may push it over the top.

The Giants have talked to the Marlins about second baseman Dan Uggla, but a trade appears unlikely.

"It's not going to go down, one source familiar with the discussions told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The biggest obstacle is financial as San Francisco is being held back by the large contracts of Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. In addition, Tim Lincecum is in line for a huge raise.

Not really surprising since Danny doesn't come free. Not only must another club pay his salary, but they have to trade something the Marlins are willing to accept. It will be interesting to see how the Marlins front office plays the trading of Uggla. The only way the Marlins are going to get anything decent in return for the second baseman in the offseason is if they can convince the other major league clubs they are willing to hold to him should they not receive an offer to their liking. In other words, convince them this isn't a salary dump. The Marlins will get next to nothing if the other teams think the Marlins are just posturing and that there is no way they will enter into the 2010 season with Danny at second because of his salary. If the Marlins want the best trade value they can get, they must be willing to keep Uggla should the everyone else think they are bluffing. Whether they are willing to do this, remains to be seen.

Personally, I would like to see Danny in the starting lineup on opening day. But for that to happen, Loria will have to loosen the purse strings a little. Should Uggla be with the team on opening day, expect to hear trade rumors all season long.

Non-tender roundup: Miller and Reyes signed to minor league deals

Jay — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:10:39 -0000

Vaporstarter Adam Miller and the oft-injured Anthony Reyes were not tendered contracts by the Indians yesterday, rendering them free agents, but both pitchers signed minor league deals with the Indians just hours later. These transactions remove both pitchers from the 40-man roster while retaining their services for at least one more year. In the (admittedly unlikely) event Miller's career gets back on track this season, this series of moves avoids using up one of his option years, and should the Indians choose in the next year to restore him to the 40-man roster, he will have at least one option year left and will remain under club control at least through 2016. Reyes remains optionless, of course, but still hypothetically could remain under club control through 2013.

The Indians also declined to offer a contract to reliever Jose Veras, who was arbitration eligible, rendering him a free agent, and there is no indication he will be re-signed. Cleveland's 40-man roster now stands at 37, with 18 pitchers and 19 position players.

The Indians did tender a contract to pitcher Rafael Perez, who is eligible for arbitration (and to the other 28 players on the 40-man roster who are not yet eligible). The non-non-tender to Perez was non-unexpected, despite a disastrous season in which he was the fourth-worst reliever in the majors (min. 30 IP) per WXRL, which estimates a reliever's actual impact on the chance of his team winning or losing games. (That's "Win Expectation above Replacement, Lineup-adjusted," if you must know. BP rates Perez as merely the 10th-worst reliever at preventing runs from scoring, but because he blew more runs than his peers in high-leverage game situations, his negative impact on wins and losses was more substantial.)

Perez spent almost two months in the minors but still qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player with several weeks to spare. As a relief pitcher coming off a terrible season with barely enough service time to qualify, Perez is in line to be awarded perhaps the smallest salary of any player going to arbitration, probably less than $1 million. It's worth recalling, at this point, how outstanding Perez was in his truly super two-plus seasons prior to this one. He had a 2.89 ERA (and 152 ERA+) over 149.1 IP. He struck out 9.8 batters per nine innings, with 3.7 strikeouts for every walk. He held lefties to a .241 slugging percentage and allowed them only nine extra-base hits in 249 PA. As long as we keep tendering him contracts, he remains under club control through 2013, and there is a reasonable chance he will re-emerge as an impact reliever, or at the very least a useful one, at some point in that span.

Other notable non-tenders include former Indians Ryan Garko and Ryan Church. Garko of course was traded to the Giants only months ago for a decent enough pitching prospect. Just 115 abysmal AB later, Giants GM Brian Sabean is now saying he doesn't want to pay upwards of $3 million to a guy who isn't really an everyday player. I'm not saying he's wrong, but it's a pretty hilarious statement to make for a guy who will still owes $83 million to Barry Zito for the next four seasons. McCovey Chronicles has a pretty dead-on take on Sabean's curious sequence of decisions. My theory is that you just can't understand how slow this guy is on the basepaths until he's actually on your team, and maybe Wedge actually deked the Giants with respect to Garko's athleticism by playing him in the outfield.

Expect the cleveland.com crowd to clamor for Garko's return, oblivious to the fact that two teams have now deemed him unworthy of an everyday role in the space of just a few months. Despite high regard for his character, I would be surprised if Shapiro brought him back, even at a substantially reduced salary. I rather expect Garko will be signed by a GM who scouted him as a college player and was impressed with his stroke. As a lefty batter, Church doesn't really fit in with the Indians' plans. Other interesting non-tenders include Pirates closer Matt Capps, Yankees sinkerballer Chien-Ming Wang, and third baseman Garrett Atkins. Atkins is perhaps best remembered as the guy that the Indians never even considered trading Aaron Laffey to get. I wouldn't be surprised if the Indians took an interest in Mike MacDougal; they seem to like guys who used to be closers.

As for Miller, these moves were unusual, reflecting an unusual situation. The "non-tender" deadline traditionally involves only players who are arbitration-eligible, as there is little reason not to tender a contract to any player on the 40-man roster who isn't eligible, since the most the team can be compelled to pay such a player is the minimum salary, which will remain $400,000 for the 2010 season. Many such players will make less than half that much, if they don't spend much time in the majors.

The latest in Miller's deathless progression of rehab setbacks occurred after rosters were frozen for the Rule 5 draft. Otherwise, the Indians might have chosen to DFA Miller prior to that point, exposing him to waivers. That might have cost the Indians the rights to Chuck Lofgren — but then again, maybe not. The Indians might have protected some other on-the-bubble prospect like Yohan Pino, in which case, Miller's delayed setback actually saved the Indians from burning an option year on whoever-that-would-have-been. And even if Miller clears waivers (and later, presumably, also clears the Rule 5 draft), he would have been granted minor league free agency anyway, since he was originally signed more than six years ago.

In that sense, non-tendering Miller, while unusually, was actually a more straightforward path to the same destination. Either way, he ends up as a free agent, free to sign with any club, but this way, he doesn't have to pass through waivers first. Miller obviously felt some combination of organizational loyalty and faith in the club's ability to rehab him back into a prospect, assuming that's even possible. Reyes has spent far less time in the Indians organization, but he had the same options as Miller and made the same choice. If either player was actually worth something anymore, we might consider feeling good about that.

Ed Wade gets his relievers, but what did the Astros get?

DyingQuail — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:41:22 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Congrats man, you're average in every way, but you just got paid.

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So an hour or so ago I said that I would have to wait until tomorrow to process the day's events, but I lied. A solid hour of tossing and turning while visions of mediocre relief pitchers parading as closers danced in my head lead me back to my laptop. Mediocre relief pitchers parading as closers, that's kind of what we got today. Not so much in Lindstrom, but definitely in Lyon. Now I can't help but think Dave Cameron is being a little hyperbolic in his assessment of Brandon Lyon, but everything he says is correct. Lyon isn't good. Period.

He's average in every respect. Compare him to anyone else already in the Astros bullpen and you'd lose him in the haze of mediocre total-skill sets. Alberto Arias and Chris Sampson have high ground ball percentages. Jeff Fulchino is just a clydesdale that is dependable. Matt Lindstrom has life his is stuff that portends to better things to come. Sammy Gervacio has an awesome delivery that gives him difficult to distinguish stuff. Brandon Lyon literally is average in every respect. Pick a stat or a trait. Look at it. It'll be average.

Lyon will definitely go down as a not good signing. Will it ever be a signing that's cited more than two years after the contract is completed? No. Carlos Lee was a bad signing, so was Barry Zito. Lyon is just a poor signing—for the Astros. If any other team inked Lyon to this deal, it probably wouldn't resonate as much as it does right now. There's the Ed Wade loves relief pitching too much factor. There's the luck inflated ERA factor (thank God they're upgrading defense a SS, we think). And there's the this team doesn't have the payroll flexibility to afford this factor. Those three factors make this signing laughable to outsiders and repugnant to Astros fans.

But I don't think it's bad because of in 2011 and 2012, just 2010. We never had enough money to start with this winter. Ed Wade had just made a pretty savvy little trade with the Florida Marlins to bring in someone who would add depth to a bullpen that didn't need a closer because the Astros won't be good enough to justify needing a true closer, much less over paying for one (which they didn't even end up doing).

Really, he could have just stopped there. I would have continued to actually be content and happy with the state of this team for at least a few hours. And then the malaise of being an Astros fan could have set back in when I realized I was happy not because my team had gotten better, but because my team didn't do anything to make themselves measurably worse off.

But now it appears as though they have.

Can we afford Miguel Tejada back? Nope. Can we—realistically—afford a worthwhile fill in at 3B? Probably not. At this point, offering LaTroy Hawkins arbitration has never looked so good to me.

Now, I'm left wondering the following questions: Why did we have to move so fast to sign a relief pitcher who could be a closer? There were still options out there; we didn't really even need someone else (i.e. another closer-esque reliever is a luxury, not a necessity). Why move so fast on Lyon and offer him everything he wanted? Why not try to whittle him down in price or years (preferably price, but only scantly)? What will Ed Wade use to justify Lyon versus someone with promise and an ability to add worthwhile value to the team...like say Mike Gonzalez?

(Please don't let it be his 2009 ERA, please, please, please, please don't. I won't be able to take it. Something of mine will break after I hurl it against something if I awake to an Ed Wade quote about Lyon's ERA.)

For a brief moment it felt like the Astros had faced the reality of their situation: they have to stop pretending they are contenders. Lindstrom was a savvy trade to provide a cost-controlled insurance for the backend of the bullpen for the next few years. It allowed us wiggle room to try and fill in other gaps that could actually have placed us in the faint pale of the glow of contenders. After that trade I smiled because I was proud of Ed Wade. He'd made a move that was exactly what this team needed.

But now, with Lyon inked for too much, we're hamstrung. It's like Ed Wade is waiving the white flag on finding help at 3B or SP and figured he'd roll the dice on Lyon and see what happened. It's ilke he's forgotten that things like signing Joel Pinero late in the game can make the a huge difference, if you have the money to do it at the time. Or he's forgotten about all the players who signed late in the ball game at just about every position last year, too.

If you haven't picked up on the meme of this post, it's that I can't figure this deal out. It's really not a terrible deal for any team that has payroll flexibility and a total dearth of options for their bull pen. But for the Astros—especially after the Lindstrom trade—Ed Wade dropped the ball in a big way. Yes, Lyon might bounce back to his 2008 control and have his 2009 strand-rate and BABIP, but why gamble one-half to one-third of your budget on it?

To answer this post's title: The Astros got nothing the needed, just something a few in the front office might have wanted. Now they're left wanting things that can't afford. So, I guess they got screwed hamstrung. There's really nothing about Lyon's signing that can bring cause to justify it. There was a lot in the Lindstrom trade, but that's been buried under the mountain of inanity that is three years and fifteen million dollars for Lyon.

Of course, we also have yet to hear the final word on Lyon's deal. So maybe myself, Dave Cameron, and just about every baseball person I follow on Twitter will be eating crow tomorrow...or so I can hope.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:27 -0000

More photos » by Jacques Boissinot - AP

Eric Gagne, seen here in his Quebec Capitales uniform from the Can-Am League, is looking to return to the majors. The Brewers aren't interested.

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Some things to read while I work on the logistics of this.

No matter how ugly this offseason gets, at least we know it won't be this bad: The Brewers are not interested in a reunion with Eric Gagne, who spent the 2009 season pitching in the independent Can-Am League. I'm guessing interest in his services will be pretty light.

Speaking of moves that probably won't be made, Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers are unlikely to make a deal to clear up the logjam in their infield, unless "the pitching equivalent of Mat Gamel" is on the table. I'm not sure where the Brewers will find ABs for both Gamel and McGehee, but I'd guess Gamel might start 2010 in AAA if both return.

It's a light news day, so I scraped the bottom of the barrel for a roundup of players that have been mentioned in association with the Brewers over the last few weeks:

Brewer Paradise Lost ended their long hiatus with a post advocating for signing Jarrod Washburn.
Jack Moore of FanGraphs looks at Edwin Jackson's improved 2009 season, and says he still shouldn't be considered an elite pitcher.
Meanwhile, Dave Allen of FanGraphs looks at Joel Pineiro's decreasing walk rate and ability to get ground balls.
Lyle Spencer of MLB.com says John Lackey is believed to be seeking "Barry Zito dollars." This could be a great deal, as Zito dollars look great on the surface but perform at a tiny percentage of their expected worth.
If Craig Counsell really is considering offers from other teams this offseason, Omar Vizquel might be one name mentioned as a possible replacement. Vizquel, however, appears to want to play for a higher-profile team. The Phillies are the early favorite to sign him.
Dayn Perry lists Mike Cameron to the Cardinals as one of ten moves that need to happen this offseason.

After weeks of wondering about his whereabouts, TheJay found Adam Heether yesterday...sort of. A news story from his Venezuelan team's home page says Heether can't be released while he's injured. There's no mention of the details of the injury, or why they would want to release him in the first place...Heether was hitting .214/.389/.371 in his first 21 games.

Elsewhere in the minors, Wisconsin Sports Tap has ranked the top 15 outfielders in the Brewer system. The cupboard is pretty bare at the upper levels of the minors, but there's good depth in the lower levels that could develop into an organizational strength.

Just one transaction of note today:

Phillies: Removed infielder Eric Bruntlett from their 40-man roster.

I don't know why I waited this long to mention this, because it makes me laugh nearly every day: If you haven't seen it yet, you should be checking out the "Faces" series at Lookout Landing.

Over the last decade, we've seen major organizational shifts across baseball to emphasize the development and value of prospects. Minor League Baseball is setting record attendance numbers as fans come out to see the players of the future, and teams are taking great strides to protect their investments. Why, then, are the same players being fed a steady diet of junk food before and after games? Garrett Broshuis has a look at he diet of minor leaguers, and the challenges they face trying to find healthy options.

In yesterday's Fall/Winter League Update, I mentioned that D-Backs first baseman Conor Jackson is leading all Dominican batters with a .561 OBP this winter. That's even more impressive when you remember a detail I forgot: Jackson is recovering from Valley Fever, which cost him a large portion of the 2009 season.

B-Ref sponsorships are a great way to help support a site many of us use every day and frequently take for granted, but they're also a great opportunity for jokes: Baseball Junk Drawer has a top ten list of the best page sponsorship comments. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

Happy birthday today to:

Matt Wise, who posted a 3.93 ERA in 175 games as a Brewer and turns 34.
1991-1992 Brewer Dante Bichette, who turns 46.
Mike Felder, who spent 1985-1990 as a Brewer and turns 48.

Today is also the 41st anniversary of the birth of Gary Sheffield. While "Happy birthday" doesn't really seem appropriate, it merited acknowledgment.

I missed it yesterday, but today appears to be another Woot-off Day.

Oh, and don't forget to check the IQ. (h/t @AccidentalWI)

Drink up.

Milton Bradley Update

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:17:28 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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The Cubs ownership sale is finally complete. Now it is time to go to work.

The Cubs have been trying very hard to move disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley for the past month, but haven't found any serious takers. There are several teams, however, with big contracts that they are trying to move, so it is safe to say that there is a match out there.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists several possible names including Gary Matthews of the Angels, Barry Zito of the Giants, and even Dontrelle Willis of the Tigers.

The Vernon Wells-for-Milton Bradley rumor was quickly shot down, which makes sense considering there is an 86 million dollar difference in their contracts.

The Cubs could also explore a deal for Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins. Hermida is arbitration eligible, but the Marlins could be interested in Bradley because the Marlins do not draw the same media attention like in Chicago.

It is safe to say Bradley won't be in Chicago in 2010. Where do you see him going this offseason?

Milton Bradley: Destination Toronto?

Al — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:26:48 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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The Toronto Sun reports this morning on a potential Milton Bradley for Vernon Wells swap:

The Chicago Cubs would like to -- have to -- deal disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley. And one player they are eyeing as a target destination is the Blue Jays, with centre fielder Vernon Wells going to the Cubs in return.

"It's early on, but we think this one has some legs," said one Cubs official. "But they aren't the only team we are talking with."

Yes, "centre" is correct. Remember, the quote's from a Canadian paper. Vernon Wells signed an enormous contract with the Blue Jays before the 2008 season and there are six years left on the deal. How would the Cubs deal with that huge amount of money, given Tom Ricketts' statement yesterday that payroll would go up "slightly" next year, as well as Alfonso Soriano's remaining deal?

The Cubs' idea is to split the difference on monies owed -- Wells' $107 million and Bradley's $21 million for a difference of $86 million. Each team absorbs $43 million.

I was told there would be no math here, but if I have calculated this right -- and correct me, please, if I haven't -- that puts the Cubs on the hook for (approximately) $10.67 million for each of the six remaining years of Wells' deal. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Wells has a full no-trade clause that would have to be waived, and he can opt out of the deal after 2011.

Since the departure of Milton Bradley was only going to be made possible by taking on someone else's bad contract, this might be a possible "best of the worst". Wells is about six months younger than Bradley and had a big offensive season as recently as 2006. He can play center field, which would allow the Cubs to move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field, a better position for him. I'm not completely sold on this deal, but remember, the Cubs aren't exactly in the best bargaining position, either. The article concludes:

The Cubs have to deal Bradley. Other possible landing spots: The San Francisco Giants for lefty Barry Zito, who has four years remaining at $83 million; the Indians for Travis Hafner, three years for $40.25 million, Giants' Aaron Rowand, three years at $36 million, the Dodgers for Juan Pierre, two years at $18.5 million, and Tampa Bay's Pat Burrell, one year at $7 million.

Well. There's no way the Cubs ever, ever, EVER take Juan Pierre back. The Burrell possibility has been rumored before; Burrell's a bad outfielder, but at least the Cubs would only be stuck with his deal for one year; we've discussed the Rowand possibility also, I doubt the Giants are dealing Zito now since he had such a good second half, and there would be absolutely no point in acquiring Hafner, who hasn't played a game in the field since 2007 and can only play first base -- the Cubs already have one of those.

We, as ever, await developments.

Mark Mulder a fit in Milwaukee?

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:37:11 -0000

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney speculates about the possibility of Mark Mulder landing in Milwaukee. It makes a lot of sense, considering the circumstances.

Brewers manager Ken Macha recently brought back his former pitching coach Rick Peterson to help fix some of the problems in Milwaukee's rotation. The two worked together in Oakland and played a key role in the development of the Big Three: Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito.

Mulder is a free agent who has been recovering from surgery for the past year. He worked with Rick Peterson to help fix his mechanics this past season, and may be interested in working with Peterson while he eases back into a major league work regimen.

Mulder is familiar with the NL Central, having pitched in St. Louis for the past four seasons. The Red Sox and Marlins may also be interested in the two-time All-Star.

Insane Trade Ideas Involving Jose Guillen

royalsreview — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:37:52 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

The Dayton Moore Era has reduced us to this. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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Jose Guillen will earn $12 million dollars next year. He's not a good baseball player: he can't hit anymore and he is probably one of the two or three worst outfielders in the American League. He's in the way. He makes life more complicated for the Royals, and frankly, the Royals don't need things to be any more difficult than they already are.

The Royals need to trade Jose Guillen. Everybody realizes this. The only problem is that there is no real trade market for a terrible and expensive ballplayer with injury history who also happens to have a horrible reputation in the industry (Dayton Moore everyone!).

I don't think we can overstate just how unappealing he is right now, which is why the Royals should simply release him and move on. I really have no sense of how likely this is. Yes, just two years ago Moore voluntarily brought Guillen in, and yes, his bad play is not a recent development. That being said, Moore has shown an ability to cut bait on a failed experiment (Tony Pena Jr., Gload) albeit in a tardy fashion before. It would not stun me if this happened, although it would not stun me if Guillen is the Opening Day starter in right-field either.

There is one way the Royals might be able to trade Guillen, and that is to use him to solve someone else's problem. Many have suggested a seemingly logical Guillen-Bradley trade with the Cubs in just this vein. Bradley's situation in Chicago is certainly toxic, however, he remains an actually good player and, despite a widespread assumption that his contract is a disaster, he's set to earn just $9 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011. I think the Cubs will hear better offers than a Guillen swap.

The key for the Royals might be finding someone who should be as desperate as they are. I think they can do this by inquiring about overpaid players signed to long-term deals. Can the Royals turn Jose Guillen into someone else's salary dump? The key is to think less about the money and more about the player, if the Royals can turn Jose Guillen into a good player, they should at least consider the move. Granted, I think many of these proposed trades are insane. I'm probably shaming all of us by even giving them the light of day. However, I also think that there's a small bit of "hey, this isn't half bad, maybe there's something to this."

Let's go:

Insane Idea #1- Guillen for Vernon Wells. Wells has a no-trade clause and would probably hate the idea of coming to Kansas City. Nevertheless, the situation in Toronto has soured and he may not want to be a Blue Jay as the team (presumably) rebuilds. In exchange for the last year of Guillen's contract, the Royals would have to take on Wells' deal, which is downright onerous: $12.5 M in 2010, $23 M in 2011, $21 M in 2012, $21 M in 2013, $21 M in 2014. That's $98.5 million, though in effect only $86.5 million after the swap. The catch is that Wells might be a productive player for most of this deal. He had a anti-career year in 2009 and he needs to leave CF. If he does the latter, he'll regain alot of his overall value, which could coincide with a few bounceback years at the plate. Yea, from a pure WAR perspective he will not earn his salary, but if he's a $9 million dollar player earning $23 million, that's not the end of the world. Yea, 2012-2014 are gonna be pretty painful, but if the Royals are gonna try to compete in 2010, an outfield of DeJesus-Someone-Wells has the potential to be really good defensively, with two nice bats. I think the Jays would make this deal right now, so maybe the Royals get greedy and ask for some money back in the swap or even a favorable secondary exchange of prospects. (Wells also has an opt-out option after 2011, which seems unspeakably unlikely to occur, but I thought it was worth mentioning.)
Insane Idea #2- Guillen for Barry Zito. A similar trade as above. Zito has $94 million left on a contract that runs through 2014, if an option for the final year vests. I'd be afraid of Zito returning to the American League, but his mini-comeback season in 2009 makes this trade one you'd at least pause to consider. If you assume the 2013 club option (which is tied to innings) doesn't vest and factor in the Guillen savings, then the Zito contract is equivalent to a four year, $64 million dollar deal. The Royals would head into Spring Training with a rotation of Greinke, Meche, Tejeda/Bannister/Davies/Hochevar #1, Tejeda/Bannister/Davies/Hochevar#2, and Zito. With Tejeda/Bannister/Davies/Hochevar#3 potentially a high-leverage bullpen arm and insurance policy. Zito was overrated as an A and is probably underrated now. Yea, his contract sucks, but it isn't your money.Tell me you're not doing a double take on this one? OK, maybe you aren't.
Insane Idea #3- Guillen for Carlos Silva. Silva is owed $23 million total for 2010-11, which becomes $25 million with a presumed buyout after 2011. Silva's contract is terrible, but he's also much worse than Zito or Wells. Less money, lesser player. However, when you factor in the savings of Guillen's salary, he's only really the next Kyle Farnsworth. I don't want Moore trading with Dr. Z anymore, but this isn't a completely unmerited trade for either side. Maybe Silva even gives you a 0.7 WAR season or something, it could happen.
Insane Idea #4- Guillen for Aaron Rowand. Rowand has three years and $36 million remaining on a fat contract signed two years ago. I'm not sure the Giants view him as a problem, but with his annual salary set to increase, they could be interested in moving him to help their chances of keeping Tiny Tim around. Rowand, like Wells, may eventually need to leave centerfield, but he probably wouldn't be terrible there in 2010. A DDJ-Someone-Rowand outfield would be very strong defensively, which could help make up for Rowand's subpar bat. If you factor in the Guillen savings, this swap would leave the Royals paying Rowand $8 million a year.
Insane Idea #5- Guillen for Gary Matthews Jr. Did you know that Gary Matthews Jr.'s regrettable contract now only has two years remaining? Matthews is owed $23 million total for 2010-11, which is barely anything compared to some of the guys we've seen. The GMJ contract has to go down as one of the worst of the decade, as he's given the Angels nothing from the very beginning. His offensive and defensive numbers are bad, but with regular playing time, I think he can be better. Not good, but vaguely ok. Of course, the Angels seem unlilkely to make this move, given management's long-standing problems with Guillen. When you're dreaming about a Gary Matthews Jr. trade and regretting these difficulties, you realize just what Dayton Moore has done to you.
Insane Idea #6- Guillen for Alfie Soriano. Soriano, incredibly, still has $90 million left on his massive contract, thanks to an $18 million dollar annual salary that runs through 2014. I think I'd rather have Vernon Wells.
Insane Idea #7- Guillen for Kosuke Fukudome. The time to make this deal was last winter, when Guillen may have still had some appeal and Fukudome's contract looked worse. Still, the Cubs would get out of the $26.5 million dollar obligation they have to Fukudome, in exchange for eating Guillen's $12 million. Fukudome's defense rated well in 2008, and was bad in 2009, so his overall value both seasons has been about the same. I wouldn't hesitate to make this deal, which also means the Cubs wouldn't do it. Then again, the Cubs have some massive contracts and (partially) selling off Fukudome could be appealing.
Insane Idea #8- Guillen for Dice K. My original idea was to look at swapping out JD Drew's contract, but its really not that bad, and I think the Boston FO values Drew's game, even if the general public doesn't. Dice-K is a different story, and the Red Sox owe him $28 million over the next three seasons. Guillen would never see the light of day in a Red Sox uniform, but the Red Sox would save $16 million in the process. The question is, would you want Dice-K for three years/$16 million?

I think you get the idea I'm proposing here: the Royals use their own Guillen salary dump to take on a bigger salary problem of somebody else's making. The key is finding a player who currently has a contract that is now seen is a milestone in his current situation, but is, in reality, not that bad of a deal

I'd make the Guillen for Silva, Guillen for Fukudome, Guillen for GMJ, Guillen for Rowand moves right now. The Guillen for Zito and Guillen for Wells deals, probably the craziest (outside of the Soriano one, which I'm keeping in just to let you know I'm not out of my mind), would be tough to make but have some appeal. The money's pretty close, but I think I'd rather take on Zito than Wells. Dice-K is essentially a reprise of the Silva situation, though he still holds some promise.

There are sound arguments why doing a trade like this is a bad idea. Why compound a problem? Why take on more bad salary? The simplest thing to do would just be to release Guillen. Given the long-term contracts already given to Meche, Soria, & Greinke, the Royals don't really have any building blocks at the moment that need to be locked up with any urgency, save perhaps Billy Butler. Our attitude towards payroll should always be the same: we should only care insomuch as any contract has an ability to affect other moves or grant unjustified playing time. To different extents, all these bad contracts might do so, though I'm tempted to say something about how keeping Dayton Moore off the free agent market might not be a bad thing.

So what do you think?

NL West Report: Division closes strong season, Kevin Towers axed

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:21 -0000

The season officially concluded yesterday, at least for everyone outside the AL Central, and the National League West had a very formidable showing this year.

Two divisions are sending two teams to the postseason. Two divisions can boast each of their teams reached at least 70 wins. Only one division fits in both categories. Care to guess?

NL West Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Los Angeles	95	67	.586	0	Won 2
Colorado	92	70	.567	3	Lost 2
San Francisco	88	74	.543	7	Won 1
San Diego	75	87	.462	20	Lost 1
Arizona	70	92	.432	25	Won 1

(updated 10.4.2009 at 6:19 PM MDT)

The NL West checked into the W column 420 times, just two times less than the AL East. The AL West did have a slightly higher win percentage, but come on...they only have four teams.

The final seasonal team capsules are included after the jump.

NL West Report

Arizona (70-92, 5th, W1, 24.5 GB)

Last Week: 3-3. 0-3 @ Giants. 2-1 @ Cubs. Arizona's win yesterday helped the club avoid finishing with under 70 losses.

Divisional Change: Gained 0.5 games on LAD.

News: Try to remember a year ago, when several baseball pundits pointed to Stephen Drew's strong second half, suggesting he was better than Troy Tulowitzki. Can't remember? I don't blame you. But Drew's disappointint 2009 campaign has led some, like Bob Nightengale, to suggest the D-Backs trade Drew. Nightengale actually goes as far as to say Arizona is planning to shop him.

Stephen Drew

#6 / Short Stop / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 16, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Stephen Drew	135	533	71	139	29	12	12	65	49	87	5	1	.261	.320	.428

The trusted source Nick Piecoro claims that is false currently, though, and that sticking with Drew makes sense. He raises good points, that his defense has improved, that he's still an above average offensive shortstop in spite of not reaching projections, and that he'll be as cheap as Cesar Izturis.

MLBTradeRumors hosted a chat about Drew and his future.

Fire Brand, a blog covering the Red Sox, suggest Drew would look great turning double plays with Dustin Pedroia. The writer suggests Clay Buchholz would get the deal done, but Rob Neyer states obviously that such a deal makes no sense for Boston.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: None.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chris Snyder	lower-back	08/23/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chad Qualls	knee	08/31/2009
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (95-67, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 2-4. 0-1 @ Pirates, 0-2 @ Padres, 2-1 vs. Rockies. It took six games to do it, but the Dodgers finally clinched the NL West Saturday. By taking that meaningless game from Colorado yesterday, Los Angeles officially won all six series against the Rockies.

Divisional Change: Lost 2.0 games to Colorado.

This Week: Game 1 of the Dodgers NLDS series will start Wednesday at 8:37 MDT at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 2 will take place Thursday, and Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Busch Stadium.

News: The LA Times report that they are in talks with GM Ned Colletti on a contract extension. Jon Heyman from SI claims negotiations point to a 3-year extension. Heyman's article also highlights areas of concern from all eight playoff teams, including the Rockies, who got a "worry meter rating" of a four, lower than any playoff team sans the Yankees. Of course, his reasoning - that the Rockies struggle on the road - is fairly ill-informed. The Rockies were over .500 away from Coors Field. Oh yeah, this is about the Dodgers. Woops. Even though the Dodgers' rotation is in flux, they got a four as well.

Back to Colletti. MLBTradeRumors.com has a solid breakdown of Colletti's key moves, positive and negative.

Clayton Kershaw

#22 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 19, 1988

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Clayton Kershaw	8-8	31	30	0	0	0	0	171.0	119	55	53	7	91	185	2.79	1.23

Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw will start the NLDS for Games 1 and 2. The lefties are a bit of a surprise at the front of Joe Torre's playoff rotation, at least relative to March. At that point, Wolf was an above average journeyman pitcher and Kershaw was an unknown at 20 years old.

The perceived ace coming was Chad Billingsley, whose struggles relegate him to an unknown role.

An 18-year-old left-handed pitcher named Yusei Kikuchi is a lock for the No. 1 overall pick in Japan's amateur draft this month. However, reports are he is considering being the first Japanese high school ever to bypass the draft and sign with an MLB club. If he does the Dodgers are one of his suitors, as are the Giants.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Hiroki Kuroda will miss the NLDS with a bulging desc in his neck. Will Ohman underwent surgery on his left throwing shoulder, ending his bid to rejoin LA in the playoffs. He will be ready by 2010.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ronnie Belliard	groin	10/04/2009
Charlie Haeger	knee	10/04/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Xavier Paul	ankle	05/21/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	08/06/2009
Eric Milton	lower-back	06/28/2009

San Diego (75-87, 4th, L1, 21.5 GB)

Last Week: 3-2. 2-0 vs. Dodgers. 1-2 vs. Giants. In spite of losing the final series of the season, San Diego finished the season 23-13.

Divisonal change: Gained 1.5 game on LAD.

News: The biggest story in the division this week outside of LA and Denver absolutely was the firing of San Diego GM Kevin Towers, who had spent 27 years in the Padres organization since being drafted by San Diego in 1982. Looking at Towers' 14-year GM career, this is a very strange time to be given a pink slip. He scoured the scrap heap - from Mexican Leagues, to the Rule 5 draft, to divisional rivals' bullpens, to minor league free agents - to fill a roster with players no one respected, yet San Diego was one of the hottest teams in the majors by year's end.

The team clearly has rushed through the infancy of their rebuilding plan and is firmly pushing towards middle school. Towers has led them in the right direction in arguably his best year on the job. Ken Rosenthal agrees, saying Towers is better off without the Padres and their internal drama anyway.

Kevin Towers

#0 / General Manager / San Diego Padres

Height:6-1

Weight: 190

Bats:R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 11, 1961

Photo of Kevin Towers courtesy of espn.com/mlb

GasLamp Ball has the Padres' press conference on the firing, if you're interested. Tim Sullivan at the San Diego Union Tribune remembers how Towers could command an entire room.

Towers absolutely did not deserve to be fired, but the wild card in everything is new ownership. Jeff Moorad swooped in and decided quickly he wanted his own guy. So, who's next? Jerry DiPoto, the former Rockies closer who currently works in Arizona's front office, was initially reported to be a candidate, though we learned Saturday that there are no internal or Arizona candidates for the job.

Moorad said he has already interviewed three candidates, though their names are undisclosed at this point. At least we can be sure Dan O'Dowd isn't one of them. As for Towers, his prematurely ended career obviously leaves a competitive fire. He wants to and likely will GM again. Mets GM Omar Minaya apparently contacted Towers and is interested in giving him a "job in the organization." That would be interesting. Towers: "How'd Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins treat you? Thanks for Heath Bell."

As for other news, Jeff Moorad hints the Padres' payroll will likely begin with a 4, which would seem to indicate they plan on holding onto Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez.

Most rebuilding teams point to the future with optimism as they see divisional foes head to the post-season. Surprisingly though, the Padres have a right to be optimistic after their finishing kick.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Kyle Blanks and Brian Giles failed to return to the lineup by season's end, though Edgar Gonzalez returned in a pinch-hit role over the weekend.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Brian Giles	knee	06/19/2009
Kyle Blanks	foot	08/29/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chris Young	shoulder	06/15/2009
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Cliff Floyd	shoulder	06/18/2009
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009

San Francisco (88-74, 3rd, W1, 7.0 GB in Div, 4.0 GB in WC)

Last Week: 5-1. 3-0 vs Diamondbacks. 2-1 @ Padres. The Giants finished the season with their best week of the year, helping them to end with 88 wins, 12 more than their season high of the past five seasons.

Divisional Change: Gained 3.0 games in NL West (LAD), Gained 1.0 games in WC (COL) but was eliminated Wednesday.

News: It is no secret that San Francisco is still lacking in the offensive department, and on the shopping list this offseason ought to be an impact bat. No, not like Ryan Garko. WEEI.com's Alex Speier points out that Boston free agent Jason Bay could be a fit for the Giants given their potential salary relief from free agents, sore need for a bat and current contending status int he NL West.

Second most important for GM Brian Sabean is deciding how to handle the catcher situation. As Andrew Baggarly writes, it will be a tricky offseason for Molina and the Giants. Molina finished the year as one of the worst cleanup hitters in the past half-century yet will enter free agency as a Type A free agent. The opinions are quite mixed on bringing back Bengie:

Bengie Molina

#1 / Catcher / Free Agent

Height: 5-11

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 20, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Bengie Molina	132	491	52	130	25	1	20	80	13	68	0	0	.265	.285	.442

Keith Law says pass, given that Buster Posey is ready to take over the reins offensively - he just needs help with game-calling, which would only come with experience. Not only that, the $6million coming off the books could help in bringing offensive help.

Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle insists that Molina and the Giants need each other, and John Shea at the Chronicle goes so far as to call Molina the best catcher in San Francisco history.

Baggarly also wonders if Brian Sabean be retained next season. Sabean swung and missed completely this trade deadline and signed lucrative deals (Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand) that were questioned even at the time of signing. Despite that, the team is absolutely on a clear upswing, and Peter Gammons doesn't understand why bringing Sabean back is even in question.

He was there for only four starts, but Brad Penny enjoyed short stint with Giants. San Francisco figures to be a fit for next season, as he seemingly wants to stay on the West Coast for an NL team.

Without a doubt, the Giants exceeded expectations in 2009. Personally, I never bought them as a playoff team at any point in the season, but they gave me doubts as late as September. That's an incredible accomplishment, and congratulations to San Francisco.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Sergio Romo's knee locked up Saturday during his follow through. Justin Miller played catch last week. Both will be fine for 2010.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Justin Miller	elbow	09/13/2009
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Kelvin Pichardo	shoulder	06/28/2009
Emmanuel Burriss	foot	09/01/2009
Henry Sosa	shoulder	08/05/2009

Brewers may hire Rick Peterson

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:45:40 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

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The Brewers are reportedly considering bringing on pitching coach Rick Peterson to their staff in 2010, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting. Peterson has worked with Macha and Brewers bench coach Willie Randolph, both with strong ties to the acclaimed pitching coach.

Peterson played a pivotal role in the development of Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder when he was with the A's. All three had 20-win seasons under Peterson.