SB Nation User Blog: Matt Buggenhagen

Twins Acquire Right-Hander Carl Pavano From Indians

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:26:16 -0000

In an effort to sure up their rotation the Minnesota Twins have acquired right-hander Carl Pavano from the Cleveland Indians for a PTBNL, this according to The Plain Dealer.

The 33-year-old Pavano went 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA in 21 starts for Cleveland this season, giving up 150 hits and 23 walks with 88 strikeouts in 125-plus innings.

Pavano is only owed about $500,000 for the remainder of the year, but with incentives still remaining he could earn as much as $1.75 million when all is said and done.

The Twins are 53-55 this year and currently sit 4 ½ games behind the first place Tigers.

However, good news for the Twins is that Pavano is 5-1 this year against the Tigers and White Sox, both of whom the Twins trail in the AL Central.

Yankees Acquire Right-Hander Chad Gaudin From Padres

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:22:02 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

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The New York Yankees have acquired right-handed Chad Gaudin from the San Diego Padres for a PTBNL, this according to Tyler Kepner at the New York Times.

Gaudin has primarly been a starter this year for the Padres, but according to Kepner, the Yankees will start Gaudin off in the bullpen. However, odds are in the end Gaudin will put pressure on struggling starter Sergio Mitre who eventually could lose his place in the rotation to Gaudin.

Gaudin's numbers are nothing to write home about this year, and considering he's now shifting to the most prominent offensive division in baseball, I don't imagine they'll get much better.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Chad Gaudin	4-10	20	19	0	0	0	0	105.1	105	69	60	7	56	105	5.13	1.53

Regardless of his numbers Gaudin is a very affordable risk for the Yankees. The Yankees are expected to only pay him $650,000 for the remainder the year, says Joel Sherman of the NY Post.

The Yankees spent nearly $500 million in new contracts during the offseason; so don't expect to see the Yankees make any big splashes in the August waiver period. However, I do think they'll still be active, and probably will make a few more small additions such as Gaudin.

Phillies, Red Sox Biggest Deadline Winners

Matt Buggenhagen — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:47:04 -0000

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The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox were the big winners during the non-waiver trading period, both on the field, and in Vegas, this according to Erik Matuszewski of Bloomberg.

Both teams acquired all-star talent, as the Phillies bulked up their rotation with the addition of former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, and the Red Sox further solidified their lineup with the addition of C/1B Victor Martinez.

The fine folks in Vegas certainly took notice as both teams chances to win a World Series greatly improved following their deadline deals.

Prior to their acquisition of Lee, the Phillies had 8-1 odds at winning the fall classic, but after Lee their odds improved to 6-1. Furthermore, the Red Sox pre deadline odds were 9-2, but after the addition of Martinez they vaulted to 4-1 odds.

Now neither team was able to grab to top spot, which is still currently held by the Yankees at 3-1, but there's no denying that Vegas took notice of both the Red Sox and Phillies recent moves.

Here's a look at all of the rest of the odds to win the World Series.

Team World Series Odds

--------------------------------------

New York Yankees 3-1

Boston Red Sox 4-1

Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1

Philadelphia Phillies 6-1

Los Angeles Angels 8-1

St. Louis Cardinals 8-1

Chicago Cubs 9-1

Detroit Tigers 12-1

Tampa Bay Rays 20-1

Colorado Rockies 28-1

Minnesota Twins 33-1

San Francisco Giants 33-1

Atlanta Braves 35-1

Chicago White Sox 45-1

Milwaukee Brewers 50-1

Texas Rangers 65-1

Florida Marlins 70-1

Houston Astros 125-1

Seattle Mariners 250-1

New York Mets 300-1

Cincinnati Reds 750-1

Toronto Blue Jays 1,000-1

Arizona Diamondbacks 5,000-1

Cleveland Indians 10,000-1

Oakland Athletics 10,000-1

Baltimore Orioles 10,000-1

San Diego Padres 10,000-1

Washington Nationals 10,000-1

Kansas City Royals 10,000-1

Pittsburgh Pirates 10,000-1

Poll

Of the top 5 (Angels & Cardinals are tied for fifth) favored teams, which team will win the World Series?

Boston Red Sox

81 votes

Los Angeles Dodgers

47 votes

New York Yankees

67 votes

Philadelphia Phillies

85 votes

Los Angeles Angels

30 votes

St. Louis Cardinals

53 votes

363 votes | Poll has closed

James Shields No-Hitter Through Seven

Matt Buggenhagen — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:26:57 -0000

UPDATE: Not only did Shields lose his no-hitter bid in the eighth inning to John Buck's leadoff single, but the Rays wound up losing the game 4-1.

James Shields

#33 / Pitcher / Tampa Bay Rays

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 20, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - James Shields	6-7	22	22	0	0	0	0	146.1	160	69	63	18	33	99	3.87	1.32

We all know how this ends once we mention it, but we'll see.

Padres Release The Oft-Injured Mark Prior

Matt Buggenhagen — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:44:41 -0000

(via chicagoist.com)

The sad story that is Mark Prior continued today, when the Padres released the oft-injured right-hander, this according to Corey Brock of MLB.com.

Prior was trying to make a comeback to the major leagues after having two major shoulder surgeries in the last three years, but an unexpected setback in the rehab process forced the Padres to finally cut their ties.

Prior to his release he was rehabbing at the Padres spring training facility in Arizona, but he'd never reached the point where he was facing live batters.

Prior was at one time considered a cant miss prospect, when he was selected number two overall in the 2001 draft, behind the Twins Joe Mauer. To put it into prospective he was basically the Stephen Strasburg of his time.

He hasn't pitched at the major league level since 2006, but before that Prior had recorded 613 innings between 2002-2005,. During that span Prior had an ERA of 3.24 ERA, including 2003, when he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA.

This is really a story about a kid who was blessed beyond belief with ability, a kid who had the chance to be one of the best pitchers of his generation. However, his inability to remain healthy for any length of time has all but ended his major league career.

For Prior's sake I hope all works out well. By all accounts he seems like a good guy who's been working tirelessly to get back to the big leagues. We can only hope this story ends well for Prior, but it's certainly not looking that way.

News & Notes: Yankees, Dodgers, Pirates and The August Waiver Period

Matt Buggenhagen — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:07:05 -0000

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The non-waiver trade deadline has passed, but that doesn't stop FOXSports.com baseball guru Ken Rosenthal from dishing the dirt. In his latest full count video Rosenthal touches upon a few interesting stories that we didn't see prior to July 31. Have a look at some of the things Rosenthal had to say.

Yankees:

Rosenthal spoke with Yankees GM Brian Cashman who said he was heavily involved in everything. According to Cashman he was after high-end starters, low-end starters and relievers.
The Yankees were most interested in Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, but the Mariners wanted Yankees CF prospect Austin Jackson, which the Yankees weren't willing to give up.
The Yankees were one of several teams, including the Red Sox, to inquire about Mariners starter Felix Hernandez.
As for relievers the Yankees top target was Heath Bell, the Yankees were hoping to land Bell and move him to the set up role, and possibly put either Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves back into the rotation.

Dodgers:

The Dodgers were never close to pulling off the supposed blockbuster with the Padres that would have sent them Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez.
Rosenthal wonders what the Dodgers would have looked like had they just gotten Bell.
As Rosenthal puts it, the Dodgers would have acquired two all-star closers in one day, which certainly would have made their starting rotation much less of an issue. Furthermore, he notes that the Dodger rotation still is an issue. Only two fewer teams are getting less innings pitched out of their starters than the Dodgers.

Pirates:

We wont know the returns on the Pirates trades until at least 2012.
Early returns on the Jason Bay trade aren't good. The Pirates acquired Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche and a minor league pitcher name Brian Morris. None have been serious contributors to the major league club.
The Rays were also after Jason Bay, and might have offered a superior package.
Rosenthal believes that the Rays would have probably parted with either Edwin Jackson or Jason Hammel in a package for Bay, both Jackson and Hammel were later traded from the Rays.

August Waiver Period:

Rosenthal says relievers and hitters will be in abundance during the August waiver period.
However, the market for quality starting pitchers will be very weak.
The best starting pitcher who might be available could be Diamondbacks left-hander Doug Davis
Davis likely will clear waivers, and Rosenthal believes the team needs to be realistic about what they expect in return, because it's unlikely the D-Backs will offer him arbitration.
Rosenthal says there was very little action on Davis in July. Rosenthal noted to a D-Backs official that the offers likely wont be any better in August, and the official replied, "They can't be much worse."

A Look At The Dodgers, Padres Failed Blockbuster

Matt Buggenhagen — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:53:44 -0000

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The Padres may have pulled off one blockbuster deal when they sent former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy to the White Sox, but according to John Heyman of SI.com, the Padres were also talking to the Dodgers about an even bigger blockbuster that ultimately failed to go through.

Lets have a look at the proposed deal.

Dodgers:

1B- Adrian Gonzalez

RHP- Heath Bell

Padres:

1B- James Loney

C- Russel Martin

2B- Blake DeWitt

RHP- James McDonald

SS- Ivan DeJesus

Now as we know this deal never went through, so in the end it's all a moot point, but considering we're winding down on the evening I thought it would be fun to listen to the debate over this proposed deal.

Good deal? Bad deal?

Let's hear what you guys think.

Poll

Hypothetically speaking, which team would have got the better end of this deal?

Dodgers

204 votes

Padres

318 votes

522 votes | Poll has closed

Yankees Acquire Jerry Hairston Jr. From Reds

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:23:08 -0000

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Update 4:13PM ET (Eric Simon): Per Ken Davidoff, the Yankees have traded minor league catcher Chase Weems for Hairston. Weems is 20 years old and is hitting .260/.317/.347 with Single-A Charlston.

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the New York Yankees have acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Cincinnati Reds

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Jerry Hairston Jr.	86	307	47	78	18	1	8	27	21	46	7	3	.254	.305	.397

Red Sox To Acquire Victor Martinez

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:57:45 -0000

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Update 3:29 ET: MLB Networks Tom Verducci says the third player going to Cleveland is Bryan Price.

Update 3:07 ET: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets "Done Deal," but no conformation on the return.

Update 2:45 ET: Mayo updates (via twitter) that Masterson and Hagadone are part of the deal, but the teams are still working to see who will go along with them.

Update 2:41 ET: Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tweets that Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone are part of the deal, but no word if that's it.

Update 2:33 ET: Rosenthal and Morosi say neither Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard is in the deal.

Update 2:26 ET: Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that if the Red Sox need to flip Adam LaRoche to make room for Martinez the Marlins aren't interested.

Update 2:22 ET: Ken Rosenthal and John Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com confirm the report that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Victor Martinez. They duo reports that it's a straight up deal between the Sox and Indians, and that no third team is involved. However, still now word on what the Red Sox are giving up.

Update 2:04 ET: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets, that it "looks good" for Victor Martinez to the Red Sox, but still no word on the haul.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Victor Martinez from the Indians.

Details to follow...

Athletics Complete Trade For Orlando Cabrera

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:26:31 -0000

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Update 1:53 ET: According to LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are also getting cash in the deal, but she doesn't mention how much.

Update 1:18 ET: According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today the Minnesota Twins have acquired A's shortstop Orlando Cabrera for prospect Tyler Ladendorf.

According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, the Twins and Athletics are making "steady progress" on a deal that would send A's shortstop Orlando Cabrera to Minnesota.

The twins have been seeking infield help for some time now, and following the trades of Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, Cabrera likely becomes the next best available.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Orlando Cabrera	101	414	41	116	23	0	4	41	25	39	11	4	.280	.318	.365

Cabrera signed a one-year $4 million contract this offseason, so he will be a free agent after the season, which means most likely this would be 2 month rental at worst for the Twins.

At 34, Cabrera isn't getting any younger, and likely wouldn't command a huge market as a free agent, which should give the Twins a chance to resign him in the offseason, should they choose to do so.