The Trade/Waiver Wire/Firings/Drama Thread

[HCYanks]

The Phillies seem like an obvious trading partner in any potential Lowell deal, but I wouldn't expect much in return beyond them eating some or most of his contract. Teix's deal itself is going to be pricey enough, frankly.

[studcrackers]

does he just have the one year on his contract? the rangers need a 3rd baseman and if he can still play great defense we'll take him. for the love of christ boston just give us buchholz and we'll give you a catcher and maybe now that you need him, a 4th OF

[sunshinekids99]

I believe Lowell has two years left on his contract.

[GswStorm3]

That joke can be made when he gives Rafael Furcal 4 years for $44M.

It looks like Billy Beane beat him to the punch, thank god.

[HCYanks]

No worries, now Sabean gets to give Renteria 18 million instead!

(per MLBTradeRumors.)

[Bleeding Green]

Hey, when Renteria hits .330 he's an excellent player. Of course, when he hits .270-.290 he's not quite so good.

Burriss surprised me a lot last year. I'd just go with him. I still don't quite understand how a guy goes from Hi-A hitting .165/.237/.180 to the majors and hits .283/.357/.329 , but whatever.

[HCYanks]

The best (worst) part is Sabean conceded a draft pick to the Tigers instead of waiting a week to see if they'd even offer Renteria arbitration.

(To be fair, I guess this isn't a done deal yet.)

[Bleeding Green]

High draft picks are expensive. ****, you might have to spend 400,000 bucks on a second-rounder. Sadly he couldn't give up his first-rounder because the league won't allow it.

In this economy sometimes it makes sense to spend 18 million to save 400,000. Brian Sabean is a forward thinker. A visionary. The John Maynard Keynes of our generation. 50 years from now our children will be learning of Sabean economics.

[studcrackers]

here's a report surfacing about junichi tazawa from the guy i read my ranger news from:

The Japanese baseball-centric website NPBtracker.com reports that, according
to various Japanese media sources (namely, Nikkan Sports, Mainichi, and
Sponichi), 22-year-old righthander Junichi Tazawa is "set to sign with the
Red Sox," possibly as early as a week from today.

Pair this with the usual grain of salt.

The website reports that Tazawa has received the following offers (all major
league contracts -- which just means 40-man roster inclusion rather than a
guaranteed April assignment to the big league club):

* Boston: 3 years, $3 million
* Seattle: 3 years, $3 million
* Atlanta: 4 years, $4-5 million
* Texas: 4 years, $7 million

[GS Warriors 1]

Renteria report is false, for now anyway.

It wouldn't surprise me if it goes down next week.

[HMFFL]

Braves change focus to Jays pitcher Burnett

After pulling out of stalled trade talks for San Diego ace Jake Peavy, the Braves have turned their attention north to hard-throwing Toronto Blue Jays free agent A.J. Burnett.

His agent said the Braves are among six teams “fully engaged” in negotiations for Burnett, who had a career-best 18-10 record with a 4.07 ERA in 2008 and led the American League with 231 strikeouts in 221 1/3 innings.

Four front-runners for the 31-year-old right-hander’s services are from the American League East: The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Blue Jays. The others: the Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies.

“They’re right in the mix,” Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker, said of the Braves, who appeal to Burnett in part because the one-time Florida Marlins pitcher thinks he could thrive in a return to the NL.

“It’s a place he’s always enjoyed,” Braunecker said. “He loves Bobby Cox, respects the hell out of him, and he’s pretty close with Chipper [Jones]. He knows what they have, what opportunities they have [to improve].”

Burnett wants a five-year deal, probably worth at least $15 million annually. That would involve significant risk for any team, given his past elbow and shoulder issues and the fact he never won more than 12 games until 2008.

He became a free agent after opting out of the remaining two years and $24 million on his Toronto contract, buoyed by his breakthrough season.

The Braves and others seem sufficiently confident Burnett has turned a corner in his career, injury-wise. That, plus a dearth of available ace pitchers, makes it necessary to take the risk.

Burnett has had no serious injury since “Tommy John” ligament-transplant elbow surgery in 2004.

Braunecker and Braves general manager Frank Wren had a discussion Friday, but the agent wouldn’t say if an offer was made. He said one team has a five-year proposal for Burnett.

The New York Post reported last week the Yankees would offer him a five-year, $80 million contract, but the New York Daily News reported the Yankees probably wouldn’t guarantee a fifth year.

The Braves haven’t given such a long contract to a pitcher since Greg Maddux signed a five-year, $57.5 million deal in 1998. Tim Hudson got a four-year, $47 million extension after coming from Oakland in a December 2005 trade.

Hudson had Tommy John surgery in July and is expected to miss most of 2009.

Link

[HCYanks]

Dusty Baker can't die a peaceful man until Kerry Wood's limbs lay scattered around a pitching mound.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 848.column

Kerry Wood answered the call from the bullpen last season for the Cubs, reinventing himself as a capable closer with 34 saves.

Will he pick up the phone when Dusty Baker from division foe Cincinnati calls him?

The Cubs decided to pass on offering Wood a multiyear deal to retain his services, so Baker says he plans to give Wood a call to check on his possible interest in signing with Cincinnati.

"We have a closer already in [ Francisco] Cordero, who we have under contract for a few more years," Baker said Monday. "But somebody can use Kerry Wood. I am going to call him. I like Kerry Wood as a person, not just as a ballplayer, but as a person. I will give him a call and see what's up."

[HCYanks]

Also, the arbitration deadline is shaping up in amazing fashion.

The Yankees offer it to no one.
Neither Pat Burrell nor Adam Dunn get it.
But Jason Varitek ($10.5m in 2008) and Paul Byrd ($7.5m) do.

[sunshinekids99]

Can't really understand why Pat the Bat or Dunn wouldn't be offered arbitration.

[HCYanks]

Supposedly the D'Backs in particular are having financial issues so I can sort of understand it there. Burrell's back end salary was really high so i'm guessing the Phillies were afraid of him accepting and getting a raise on top (at worst, arb. money can't be worse than 80% of the previous year's salary). Still, I don't buy that the economy takes away either player's ability to get a multi-year deal and both are old enough to be wanting longer security deals. And even if Pat the Bat's one year salary would be high the Phillies may need him next year, what with Utley's injury and Ryan Howard's crazy inconsistency.

[trwi7]

(at worst, arb. money can't be worse than 80% of the previous year's salary).

Not true for free agents. Only players under team control.

The club's salary offer to a player under its control (pre-free agency players) may not be less than 80% of the player's salary and performance bonuses the previous year or less than 70% of his salary and performance bonuses from 2 years earlier. (Exception: If a player won an arbitration award the previous year increasing his salary 50% or more, the 80% requirement does not apply.) The 80% rule does not apply to free agents who are offered arbitration.

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2003/0 ... ssary.html

[HCYanks]

huh.

I still wouldn't expect an arbitration salary to go down for Burrell, though.

[SportsWorld]

Giants signed Bob Howry.

[GS Warriors 1]

Howry fell off last season. His BABIP was a bit higher than his norm, so he could bounce back but then again, he's 35. At least its not a multi-year deal.

[trwi7]

A bit higher? His BABIP went from .302 in 2007 to .354 in 2008. That's more than a bit. He still doesn't walk anybody and has a solid K rate, but his HR rate went way up and as you said, his BABIP went up, like way up. Even if he's going to allow some homers, he's going to a good park and division to take some of those down. Solid signing.