The Traders Arena Blog

I went to a nice card show today at the White Plains County Center today. Made some nice sales, sold around six hundred dollars worth of stuff including a few Heyward rookie autos, as well as many Johan Santana’s of mine. I am excited to go back tomorrow as I might have a deal worth THOUSANDS going down. I will be looking around for more prospects tomorrow. I hope to find some Carlos Santana and Derek Holland stuff but I doubt I will find anything decent.In MLB news, the Marlins are interested in Andruw Jones although they do already have Cameron Maybin at center field. Jones may play left or right field if the price was right. The Padres are no longer pursing Omar Visquel, and the Red Sox continue talks with free agent Jaosn Varitek on his return to Boston. 

Kevin Youkilis has signed a 4 year extension with the Red Sox, buying out his last 2 arbitration years as well as his first 2 years of free agency. The deal comes with a 5th year option. The Red Sox this offseason have inked their MVP and 3rd place MVP to extensions. Their nucleus of players will be in tact for a while now. Abitration updates: Brandon McCarthy and Dallas McPherson have avoided arbitration and signed contracts.Ken Griffey Jr is being eyed by 4 teams including his former team the Mariners, but not the Rays. I expect a 1 year deal for around 3-5 MM. 2 teams from each league are interested meaning he may be a DH or be an outfielder.Jon Garland has rejected the Diamondbacks offer, however the offer was not known.The Padres have signed David Eckstein to a 1 year deal, however to play 2nd base. This likely means they will sign Omar Visquel as well. 

Took a little break so trying to catch up on the previews!

The Houston Astros last year surprisingly competed in the loaded Central division finishing tied for 3rd with an 86-75 record. The Astros saw incredible years last year from Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman, who floated with .400 for a while. Oswalt came back to form and became their true ace again. They are pretty much returning the same team as last year as they have been quite on the free agent market and resignings. They avoided arbitration with their former All Star closer in Jose Valverde for around 8 MM. They signed Mike Hampton, Aaron Boone, Jason Michaels, and Doug Brocail to 1 year contracts. Like I said, no big signings but additions that could make some minor impacts.

Here is their projected position players for next year:

C: J.R. Towles / Humberto Quintero: Both did not perform well last year, but now that Brad Ausmus is gone, one of them will have to step up. Towles was a high prospect so I would suspect they try their hand with him.

1B: Lance Berkman: Last years dark horse for MVP, Berkman surprised all breaking out hitting .312 with 29 HR and 106 RBI. Not much to say about him, he is a staple in the middle of their order.

2B: Kazuo Matsui: In limited action last year, Kaz performed decently with a .293 avg with 6 HR. He could possibly get to 15 HR this year as that action was only about half the season. He had a great year in Colorado the year before so all hope is not lost after awful Mets years.

SS: Miguel Tejada: Who knows how old he is, but Tejada still performs well, hitting .283 with 13 HR and 66 RBI. A less year for him, so maybe his age is finally getting to him.

3B: Geoff Blum: Not a great hot corner option at all.

OF: Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn: A nice mix of power and speed, this is an above average outfield. Lee is a star, hitting .314 with 28 HR and 100 RBI. Michael Bourn had 40+ SB and Hunter Pence is progressing nicely in his young years hitting 25 HR last year. They also have Darin Erstad as a 4th OF with experience.

Here is their projected rotation and closer:

SP: Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe, Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz: A mix of veterans and young guns, this can be a decent rotation this year. Oswalt looked great last year, but all will depend on the back end in Hampton and Ortiz. If they can pitch decently and stay healthy, they have a nice chance of possibly finishing 2nd and grabbing the wild card. The Cubs have the division held down but the wild card isn’t a total reach.

CL: Jose Valverde: An elite closing option, Valverde held down 44 saves last year, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.38 ERA (a little high for a closer, but high saves total make up for it).

My expectations for this team: I think the team can win the wild card, I can not see them ousting the Cubs from first, but they do have to get by the Cardinals and the Brewers. They can compete, but they have a bunch of older players who do need to stay healthy and continue to produce.

The Marlins tried to compete in a 2 team division, finishing 3rd with a record of 84-77. That record is very respectable seeing that they traded Dontrelle Willis, their ace, and thier best hitter in Miguel Cabrera. They still do have Hanley Ramirez, who I think will be a league MVP very soon. The Marlins are an extremely raw and young team, however, they do have some stars/stars in the making already. This team plays spolier every year, and is a threat to win the Wild Card any year. The Marlins made a few deals over the offseason, trading their closer in Kevin Gregg for hard throwing Jose Ceda. Not a bad deal, but Ceda has a promising future for sure, plus they have Matt Lindstrom, now commited to the USA team for the World Baseball Classic, to be their closer. They traded power hitting first baseman Mike Jacobs to the Royals for RP Leo Nunez. Another deal that doesn’t make too much sense, but they had some offense to give up to get some pitching help. They do have Logan Morrison in the wings, and Jorge Cantu who can play 1st and 3rd. They did make an interesting trade with the Nationals, trading away Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham for E. Bonaficio, Jake Smolinski, and P.J. Dean. Another baffling trade, but the Marlins scouts are very good and are great eyes for young talent. They recently signed Scott Proctor to replace the non-tendered Joe Nelson, which really made no sense either. I do not like any of the moves they made, but that is why they are in the baseball front office and I am just a baseball fan and blogger. The Marlins did make history last year by having all four players in their infield hit 25+ HRs.

Here is the Marlins projected position players this year:

C: John Baker / Mike Rabelo: I am not sure which one will start, but Rabelo has more experience. It will probably be a platoon, but a weak platoon at best.

1B: Jorge Cantu: A surprise year from Cantu last year, who went .277 with 29 HR and 95 RBI. A great year for Cantu for sure, but can he repeat it? He improved vastly from his 2007 season so the Marlins will count on his bat in the middle of the order.

2B: Dan Uggla: Another power hitter, Uggla went .260 but hit 32 HR with 92 RBI. Uggla might be best known for going 0-5 with 3 errors in the All Star Game, yet didn’t blow the game. Uggla my be moving to 3rd base if the Marlins sign Orlando Hudson to play 2nd (rumored).

SS: Hanley Ramirez: One of the best players in the league, and easily the best SS in his division even though you will get Mets and Phillies fans saying it is Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins. Hanley hit .301 with 31 HR and 67 RBI last year adding in 35 SB. That is an amazing year for Hanley, who was acquired in the Josh Beckett blockbuster deal years ago. His name resurfaced in talks about returning to Boston, but those talks fell through. If Pujols were not amazing, Hanley would have earned 2-3 MVP awards in the future.

3B: Dallas Mcpherson (pending): McPherson, minor league HR masher, did not perform well when he was in the bigs with the Angels, but the potential is there. Uggla may play here, pending Orlando Hudson.

OF: Cameron Maybin, Jeremy Hermida, Cody Ross: A young, yet very underrated OF. Ross did have 22 HR last year, Hermida is always touted as a guy to break out but he hasn’t yet, and Maybin is just shaping in the form, although still very raw and needs to learn to lay off pitches way out of the strike zone.

Here is their projected rotation and closer this year:

SP: Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, Andrew Miller: If you were to not be a basebal fan, you would think in your head, who are these guys? But this staff is actually very good and can compete, although young. Nolasco surprised many last year, having a 15-8 record with a 3.52 ERA. Josh Johnson in limited action went 7-1, Chris Volstad was 6-4 but was a highly touted prospect and should improve. Andrew Miller, the big star in the trade of Miguel Cabrera is their 5th starter, and he is a very good 5th starter. He should improve as well.

CL: Matt Lindstrom: This hard throwing reliever will now step in for Kevin Gregg and should do well in the closers role. He also just accepted team USA’s invitation to play with them in the World Baseball Classic (WBC)

My expectations for this team: I can see this team winning the wild card, surprising the Mets or Phillies. I think they will displace the Phillies, its bold, but the Mets improvements are nice and the Phillies haven’t done anything spectacular. The Marlins should just get better and have some guys waiting in the wings like Logan Morrison, who can provide some pop and either be spoiler or even compete for a playoff spot. 

Here is Baseball America’s Top 10 Cardinals Prospects:

This system has some very nice top prospects in Rasmus and Wallace. Rasmus has been a top prospect since he was drafted and has a nice 2005 Bowman Chrome AU, which have fallen and are good pickups. The Cardinals are always trying to unload an extra OF in order to get this kid to play. Brett Wallace was drafted this year and is one of the best hitters in his class. He is a Razor exclusive, so his card to get is his Razor RC Auto /499. Chris Perez has some cards, but is possibly going to be their closer this year so I don’t see his cards moving much. Pete Kozma has some 2007 Elite Auto rookies, as well as Todd, while Mortenson is in 2007 Bowman Chrome.

I was busy all of yesterday so here is a huge MLB update for today; tons of rumors and signings that went down!

• It has been reported that Oliver Perez was given a 3 year offer for 30 MM. This is in response to the Derek Lowe signing. Some have stated that the offer did not happen, although if it did, I am sure Perez would take that, as well he should. That would give the Mets a rotation of Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Maine, and Tim Redding. Not awful, but not incredible either.
• The Dodgers will be releasing OF Andruw Jones on Thursday. Jones has interest in returning to the Braves.
• The Angels avoided arbitration with Chone Figgins, who signed a 1 year deal worth 5.7 MM.
• The Dodgers signed RP Guillermo Mota to a 1 year deal worth 2.35 MM with 750k in performance bonuses.
• The Padres are interested in signing Omar Visquel to play SS. They traded their starter in Khalil Greene, so they are looking for his successor, and the gold glove winner could be a perfect fit.
• The Angels are not interested in OF Jermaine Dye. There were talks but after resigning Juan Rivera, they have no use for him. Kenny Williams, GM of the White Sox says that the rumors are false about trading Dye all around.
• Jason Varitek is stuck. Boras wants to get him “Posada Money” but it is more likely for him to get a 1 year deal. The problem is, to sign him, teams need to give up their 1st round pick, so they are staying away for the wily vet. The Red Sox are his likely destination, although probably for under 7 MM in 1 year. Also, the Red Sox are talking about trading for Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks, but that deal has lost its steam.
• Kris Benson is being looked at by 4 teams. Benson is coming off arm surgery. The Dodgers, Cardinals, Rangers, and DBacks are in the mix for his services.
• Paul Byrd, who was going to retire, has decided to sit out the first half, and possibly join up with a contender mid way through. 
• No one seems to be interested in Michael Young, despite the trade request. The Rangers GM says it is a 90% chance that he is on the team when opening day hits.
• The Orioles have signed C Gregg Vaun to a 1 year deal. He will be the starter until #1 prospect Matt Wieters is ready to go, which should be sometime this year. 
• Freddy Garcia is likely to be signed during this week. His suitors include the Mets, Yankees, Rangers, and White Sox. Garcia had some arm surgery, but has shown improvement and no structural damage in his throwing shoulder.
• The Tigers signed their closer, Fernando Rodney, to a 1 year deal, worth nearly 3 MM. The move was to avoid an arbitration hearing.
• The Indians were interested in P Pedro Martinez, but signed Carl Pavano instead. The DBacks are still interested, as he would replace their veteran they lost in Randy Johnson.
• The Giants are close to a deal with 3B Joe Crede, likely a 1 year deal. Crede would join Edgar Renteria on the left side of the infield.
• The Mets have signed Alex Cora, backup infielder, to a 1 year 2MM deal. He will backup Luis Castillo / Jose Reyes.
• The White Sox signed Bartolo Colon to a 1 year deal to become their 5th starter. If he doesn’t pitch well, #1 propsect Aaron Poreda could get the call.
• Jack Cust avoided arbitration by signing a 1 year deal worth nearly 3 MM. Cust, DH extrodinare, hits for tons of power, but either hits a HR or strikes out.

The Braves have agreed to terms with Derek Lowe. 4 years for 60 MM is the proposed deal. He will be the ace of anew pitching rotation made up of Javier Vasquez, and Kenshin Kawakami.

The Braves are in serious discussions with Derek Lowe. Jon Heyman reports the offer is likely 4 years in the 60 MM range. That is pretty much what Lowe was looking for, so I think he will sign with the Braves very soon. The Mets got cheap and offered an inconsistent pitcher in Oliver Perez, 3 years and 30 MM. They will likely get him, but he is no Lowe. The Mets also are not interested in resigning Pedro Martinez, although it is his first choice. It has been reported that Pedro turned down a 7 MM offer from an AL club. Could he sign with the Yankees?

The Dodgers are close to signing Guillermo Mota to a deal.

Andruw Jones is interested in returning to the Braves, but their interest may be minimal. Chipper Jones and Brian McCann approve of a move however.

Jose Valverde and the Astros avoided arbitration and he signed a 1 year deal worth 8 MM, nearly double of his salary of 4.9 MM last year.

Michael Young has requested a trade to another team. This comes after learning that the Rangers want him to move to 3B in order for Elvis Andrus to play. He has requested a trade but he does have a full no trade clause. He has submitted a list of teams, however, many teams do not fit him, nor do they want to take on 60 million over 5 years.Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice have been elected into the Hall of Fame receiving over the 75% required vote count.Manny continues to be in talks with the Dodgers, but still seems optimistic about signing with the Dodgers. It is pretty much his only hope at a contract near what he wants.The Red Sox will be in talks with Jason Bay very soon about a contract extension. Manny’s successor may decide to test the FA market next year as it is very weak (Holliday, Dunn).The Indians have avoided arbitration with backup C Kelly Shoppach. The deal is just shy of the 2 MM range.The Rays have signed Gabe Kapler to a 1 year deal worth 1 MM to be a backup.

Today, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice have been chosen to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Rickey Henderson was a clear first ballot hall of famer, receiving almost 95% of the vote. To be inducted, the player must receive 75% of the vote. Henderson will be joined by Jim Rice, who was finally elected on his fifteenth and final year on the ballot. Last year, he was only a few percentage points and sixteen votes shy of being inducted. He has gotten closer and closer and this year he finally got in. Other notable ballot getters were Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven receiving upwards of 60% of their vote. Mark McGwire also received some votes garnering around 20% of the vote, which was the same results he has had for the past 2 years.