-- The freshly freed Matt Capps is beating off suitors with a stick, according to his agent, Paul Kinzer, and MLB Trade Rumor's Tim Dierkes (with links galore).
Dierkes counts the Nats, Rangers, Rockies, Marlins, Orioles, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Cardinals as kicking the Mad Capper's tires. We gather he's looking for a multi-year deal with a chance to close at a minimum of $3.4M/year.
Guess Capps and Kinzer gauged the market a little better than Neal Huntington.
-- Dierkes also heard that the Bucs are in on second baseman Kelly Johnson, formerly of the Braves. What, Iwamura is already old hat?
-- Alyson Footer of MLB.com tweeted that Jason Michaels has signed on for another stint with the 'Stros for $800K with a 2011 option.
Showing posts with label hot stove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot stove. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
As For The Old Bones...
The Bucs have sent a lot of guys packing over the past few seasons. Here's what some of them are up to:
-- Ed Price of AOL Fan House tweeted that long-ago Bucco Jason Kendall got his Brewer pink slip because he wanted $5M to come back. Kinda pricey for a guy who hit .241/2/43 in 2009.
-- Kendall's running mate, Brian Giles, is a free agent, too. He hit .191/2/23 last season, will turn 39 in January, and earned $9M in 2009. Wonder how much of a market there will be for him?
-- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweeted that the Diamond Backs inked reliever TJ Beam to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. He was 8-4 for Toronto's AAA Las Vegas club in 2009 after going 2-2-1 with a 4.14 ERA for the Pirates in 2008.
-- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that the KC Royals signed 25 year-old catcher Steve Lerud, who was removed from the Buc's 40-man roster last month. His line at Altoona last season was .240/4/26.
-- Jay Bay turned down a deal believed to be worth $60M over four years from the Red Sox to dive into the free agent pond. He's looking, we hear, for 5 years and $80M. His bat has been awesome, though there are still questions about him hitting away from Fenway's Green Monster (and awesome lineup) and that dang glove.
-- Mike Gonzalez is now represented by Scott Boras in his free agent year. Gonzo, 31, posted a 2.42 ERA in 80 relief appearances last season, with a 5-4-10 slate. The Braves offered him arbitration, which is expected to net him $5-6M in 2010; he may turn it down.
-- Adam LaRoche ended up with the Braves, too. He wasn't offered arbitration, but Atlanta is still supposed to have interest in bringing him back in a less costly deal than the probable $8M he would have earned in front of a judge. LaRoche hit .325 with 12 homers and a .957 OPS in the 57 games he played for the Braves.
-- John Van Benschoten is a minor league free agent after pitching in the White Sox organization last year. Brad "Big Country" Eldred is in the same boat after playing in the Washington system (as is Daryle Ward). Ditto for JR House, who caught in the Royals minors. Bryan Bullington recently signed a minor league contract with Kansas City.
The entire list of minor-league free agents is available at Baseball America.
Hot Stove Notes:
-- The Rule 5 draft will be held Thursday, and Jen Langosch of MLB.com posts that her sources say the Bucs cleared a spot on their forty-man roster in anticipation of claiming a warm body. The player waived is infielder Luis Cruz, who hit .214 last season.
-- Tim Williams of Bucco Fans has put together a pretty comprehensive list of the top Rule 5 candidates available this year.
-- Jonathan Etkowicz of MLB Notebook has an article on the good fit between free agent RHP Justin Duchsherer and the Buccos.
-- Ed Price of AOL Fan House tweeted that long-ago Bucco Jason Kendall got his Brewer pink slip because he wanted $5M to come back. Kinda pricey for a guy who hit .241/2/43 in 2009.
-- Kendall's running mate, Brian Giles, is a free agent, too. He hit .191/2/23 last season, will turn 39 in January, and earned $9M in 2009. Wonder how much of a market there will be for him?
-- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweeted that the Diamond Backs inked reliever TJ Beam to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. He was 8-4 for Toronto's AAA Las Vegas club in 2009 after going 2-2-1 with a 4.14 ERA for the Pirates in 2008.
-- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that the KC Royals signed 25 year-old catcher Steve Lerud, who was removed from the Buc's 40-man roster last month. His line at Altoona last season was .240/4/26.
-- Jay Bay turned down a deal believed to be worth $60M over four years from the Red Sox to dive into the free agent pond. He's looking, we hear, for 5 years and $80M. His bat has been awesome, though there are still questions about him hitting away from Fenway's Green Monster (and awesome lineup) and that dang glove.
-- Mike Gonzalez is now represented by Scott Boras in his free agent year. Gonzo, 31, posted a 2.42 ERA in 80 relief appearances last season, with a 5-4-10 slate. The Braves offered him arbitration, which is expected to net him $5-6M in 2010; he may turn it down.
-- Adam LaRoche ended up with the Braves, too. He wasn't offered arbitration, but Atlanta is still supposed to have interest in bringing him back in a less costly deal than the probable $8M he would have earned in front of a judge. LaRoche hit .325 with 12 homers and a .957 OPS in the 57 games he played for the Braves.
-- John Van Benschoten is a minor league free agent after pitching in the White Sox organization last year. Brad "Big Country" Eldred is in the same boat after playing in the Washington system (as is Daryle Ward). Ditto for JR House, who caught in the Royals minors. Bryan Bullington recently signed a minor league contract with Kansas City.
The entire list of minor-league free agents is available at Baseball America.
Hot Stove Notes:
-- The Rule 5 draft will be held Thursday, and Jen Langosch of MLB.com posts that her sources say the Bucs cleared a spot on their forty-man roster in anticipation of claiming a warm body. The player waived is infielder Luis Cruz, who hit .214 last season.
-- Tim Williams of Bucco Fans has put together a pretty comprehensive list of the top Rule 5 candidates available this year.
-- Jonathan Etkowicz of MLB Notebook has an article on the good fit between free agent RHP Justin Duchsherer and the Buccos.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Hot Stove Saturday
The Bucs are starting the hot stove season in style, making up in quantity what they may be lacking in quality with the players they're in on, to varying degrees. And Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette has been on top of his game, ferreting out many of the names. The players they're sniffing, as reported so far:
-- RHP Justin Duchscherer, who missed last year with hip and elbow surgery, along with a bout of clinical depression. But the 32 year-old was 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA for Oakland in 2008. One question: he wants very much to remain a rotation pitcher, which the Pirates are not supposed to be seeking. Maybe they see him as this year's Ben Sheets. The Red Sox are interested in him; the Rockies and White Sox have looked into him in the past. ( reported by DK)
-- RHP Jamey Wright, 35 later this month, had a 3-5 record and 4.33 ERA this year. He posted a strong groundball rate (59.1%). Wright earned $1.4M in 2009. KC is supposed to be after him to stay with the Royals. (tweeted by Bob Dutton of the KC Star)
-- LHP Noah Lowry, 29, started for San Francisco in 2003-07 and went 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA. He's been out since then with surgery on his left forearm in 2007, and more slicing and dicing in to remove a rib in 2008. Not much change that he'd return to the G-Men; he blames them for the long absence, saying they misdiagnosed his original injury. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners are also kicking his tires. ( reported by DK)
-- RHP J.J. Putz, 32, collected 76 saves in 2006-07, but only 17 during 2008-09 with Seattle and the Mets, with ERAs of 3.88 and 5.22. He had elbow problems last year, with surgery early on and then being shut down later in the year. The Mets declined his $9.1 million club option. Putz would like to close, but will accept a set-up role, too. The Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers also are checking him out. (reported by Jerry Krasnick of ESPN's Insider)
-- RHP Clay Hensley, 30, who pitched for the Padres and spent 2009 in AAA as a starter, has drawn some mild interest from the Bucs. (reported by DK)
-- RHP Kameron Loe, 28, spent last season in Japan after making 107 appearances for the Rangers in 2004-08, going 19-23 with a 4.77 ERA. He currently is pitching in Mexico. He's a Jeff Karstens type, a long man/spot starter. The Atlanta Braves, Dodgers and Athletics are among the others interested. (reported by DK)
-- OF Ricky Ankiel, 30, who hit .231/11/38 for the Cards last season. He's a good defensive outfielder with some boom in his bat, and is looked at as an insurance policy for Jose Tabata. His pursuit was confirmed by Frank Coonelly in his latest Hot Stove Chat. Pat Lackey at WHYGAVS posts where Ankiel may fit in the Bucco plans - or not.
-- The Bucs are also looking into Yankee OF/1B Xavier Nady and Oakland SS Bobby Crosby. Nady was injured in 2009, and Crosby, 30, who hit .223/8/31 and is one of the better glovemen in the league. Both would be fits for the Pirates in 2010; both are also Scott Boras clients. (reported by DK)
-- IF Jamey Carroll, 35, a 2B/3B utility guy from Cleveland, who hit .276 last year. Maybe Ramon Vazquez's position isn't etched in stone. Other teams in the hunt are the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Reds and Indians. (tweeted by Ed Price of AOL FanHouse)
-- 1B Hank Blalock, 28, hit .234/25/66 for Texas last year, and has some pop in his bat. (reported by DK)
-- While not impacting the MLB roster, the Pirates signed indy first baseman Chris Garcia. He turned 22 on November 25th, and was a 2007 draftee of the Angels (15th round). Garcia had a line of .332/.441/.455, but never advanced higher than Low Class A Orem. The lefty has a history of swinging a sweet stick, and it's sort of a mystery why the Angels gave up on him after just two seasons. The Pirates are thin at first base, so he's a logical addition. (reported by Charlie of the Buc's Dugout)
So what does that tell us as the suits go into Monday's winter meetings? Well, pretty much what we expected. They plan a cattle call for the bullpen, and not just for lefties. It is kind of a mild surprise that they're looking at starters like Duchsherer and Lowry, but they're both low-risk, high-reward guys, and you can never build too much competition or depth on the hill, especially if you're looking to move a couple of the current starters.
As for the position players, pretty much as expected. Find a corner outfield, first base type with some pop to serve as Jose Tabata's caddy or an insurance policy if he's ready later rather than sooner, bring in someone to keep Ronny Cedeno's feet to the fire (or put his butt on the bench; remember, they were in on JJ Hardy), and maybe take a peek at upgrading over Ramon Vazquez, though we don't see them eating his $2M contract.
And they're still looking to improve the minor league organization, scouring the waiver and free agent lists. They've improved the talent level, but are far from being deep at any position right now.
A word of caution - names getting tossed out don't mean much at this point; it's hard to tell who the Bucs are really interested in and who they're just touching base with in case the market for them softens.
-- RHP Justin Duchscherer, who missed last year with hip and elbow surgery, along with a bout of clinical depression. But the 32 year-old was 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA for Oakland in 2008. One question: he wants very much to remain a rotation pitcher, which the Pirates are not supposed to be seeking. Maybe they see him as this year's Ben Sheets. The Red Sox are interested in him; the Rockies and White Sox have looked into him in the past. ( reported by DK)
-- RHP Jamey Wright, 35 later this month, had a 3-5 record and 4.33 ERA this year. He posted a strong groundball rate (59.1%). Wright earned $1.4M in 2009. KC is supposed to be after him to stay with the Royals. (tweeted by Bob Dutton of the KC Star)
-- LHP Noah Lowry, 29, started for San Francisco in 2003-07 and went 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA. He's been out since then with surgery on his left forearm in 2007, and more slicing and dicing in to remove a rib in 2008. Not much change that he'd return to the G-Men; he blames them for the long absence, saying they misdiagnosed his original injury. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners are also kicking his tires. ( reported by DK)
-- RHP J.J. Putz, 32, collected 76 saves in 2006-07, but only 17 during 2008-09 with Seattle and the Mets, with ERAs of 3.88 and 5.22. He had elbow problems last year, with surgery early on and then being shut down later in the year. The Mets declined his $9.1 million club option. Putz would like to close, but will accept a set-up role, too. The Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers also are checking him out. (reported by Jerry Krasnick of ESPN's Insider)
-- RHP Clay Hensley, 30, who pitched for the Padres and spent 2009 in AAA as a starter, has drawn some mild interest from the Bucs. (reported by DK)
-- RHP Kameron Loe, 28, spent last season in Japan after making 107 appearances for the Rangers in 2004-08, going 19-23 with a 4.77 ERA. He currently is pitching in Mexico. He's a Jeff Karstens type, a long man/spot starter. The Atlanta Braves, Dodgers and Athletics are among the others interested. (reported by DK)
-- OF Ricky Ankiel, 30, who hit .231/11/38 for the Cards last season. He's a good defensive outfielder with some boom in his bat, and is looked at as an insurance policy for Jose Tabata. His pursuit was confirmed by Frank Coonelly in his latest Hot Stove Chat. Pat Lackey at WHYGAVS posts where Ankiel may fit in the Bucco plans - or not.
-- The Bucs are also looking into Yankee OF/1B Xavier Nady and Oakland SS Bobby Crosby. Nady was injured in 2009, and Crosby, 30, who hit .223/8/31 and is one of the better glovemen in the league. Both would be fits for the Pirates in 2010; both are also Scott Boras clients. (reported by DK)
-- IF Jamey Carroll, 35, a 2B/3B utility guy from Cleveland, who hit .276 last year. Maybe Ramon Vazquez's position isn't etched in stone. Other teams in the hunt are the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, A's, Rangers, Reds and Indians. (tweeted by Ed Price of AOL FanHouse)
-- 1B Hank Blalock, 28, hit .234/25/66 for Texas last year, and has some pop in his bat. (reported by DK)
-- While not impacting the MLB roster, the Pirates signed indy first baseman Chris Garcia. He turned 22 on November 25th, and was a 2007 draftee of the Angels (15th round). Garcia had a line of .332/.441/.455, but never advanced higher than Low Class A Orem. The lefty has a history of swinging a sweet stick, and it's sort of a mystery why the Angels gave up on him after just two seasons. The Pirates are thin at first base, so he's a logical addition. (reported by Charlie of the Buc's Dugout)
So what does that tell us as the suits go into Monday's winter meetings? Well, pretty much what we expected. They plan a cattle call for the bullpen, and not just for lefties. It is kind of a mild surprise that they're looking at starters like Duchsherer and Lowry, but they're both low-risk, high-reward guys, and you can never build too much competition or depth on the hill, especially if you're looking to move a couple of the current starters.
As for the position players, pretty much as expected. Find a corner outfield, first base type with some pop to serve as Jose Tabata's caddy or an insurance policy if he's ready later rather than sooner, bring in someone to keep Ronny Cedeno's feet to the fire (or put his butt on the bench; remember, they were in on JJ Hardy), and maybe take a peek at upgrading over Ramon Vazquez, though we don't see them eating his $2M contract.
And they're still looking to improve the minor league organization, scouring the waiver and free agent lists. They've improved the talent level, but are far from being deep at any position right now.
A word of caution - names getting tossed out don't mean much at this point; it's hard to tell who the Bucs are really interested in and who they're just touching base with in case the market for them softens.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Hot Stove Stuff
Free agency opens and the Pirates are hot on the trail of...
-- Bob Dutton of the KC Star tweets that the Bucs are poking around 35 year-old reliever Jamey Wright. The righty was 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA last year for the Royals, and has 14 seasons in the show.
-- Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette writes that the Pirates are interested in free agent Justin Duchscherer of the A's. He didn't pitch last year between elbow and hip surgery plus clinical depression, but the 32 year-old was 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA as a starter for Oakland in 2008.
The right-hander is a Type B free agent, and Oakland will earn a sandwich pick in next year's draft if he declines arbitration and signs with another team. The Rockies and Red Sox are supposed to be kicking his tires, too.
-- Bob Dutton of the KC Star tweets that the Bucs are poking around 35 year-old reliever Jamey Wright. The righty was 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA last year for the Royals, and has 14 seasons in the show.
-- Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette writes that the Pirates are interested in free agent Justin Duchscherer of the A's. He didn't pitch last year between elbow and hip surgery plus clinical depression, but the 32 year-old was 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA as a starter for Oakland in 2008.
The right-hander is a Type B free agent, and Oakland will earn a sandwich pick in next year's draft if he declines arbitration and signs with another team. The Rockies and Red Sox are supposed to be kicking his tires, too.
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