For several teams, waiting until the July 31 trade deadline just doesn’t make sense. After all, if there is a player other teams are targeting, that player’s value is increased by the amount of time you can have him on your club. As we near June, there are already teams that are opening up shop, getting ready to move veteran talent in exchange for getting younger and cheaper.
The Store is Open
The Chicago White Sox are telling other clubs that catcher A.J. Pierzynski is available. You can group him in with a couple other Sox in Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre as players that could bring a decent return. Closer Bobby Jenks is also a possibility as the White Sox likely won’t be offering arbitration to Jenks next year, in fear of escalating his $7.5MM salary.
Look for the Baltimore Orioles to make Garrett Atkins and Ty Wigginton available as well. You can have Atkins for next to nothing right now, as he has been a huge disappointment as the first baseman. Wigginton’s value will likely never be higher, so the O’s should think about moving quickly to get maximum return on the 32-year-old utilityman.
More after the jump.
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Surprise Buyers
The San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds are both right in the thick of things in their respective divisions. At the close of games on Sunday, both the Reds and Padres were alone in first place. How many of you would have guessed that was possible in mid-May?
Early in the season, all the talk was about when these teams might start unloading some veteran players, but now the questions have become about who they might look to add.
The Padres and Reds both have gaping holes in their lineups, but the Padres obvious need is in center field. Tony Gwynn Jr. just isn’t getting it done. Of course neither of their corner outfielders, Will Venable and Kyle Blanks, are tearing the cover off the ball either. The problem is that in order to add a player, most of the time you have to add salary. Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton would be a huge help to the Padres anemic offense if they can get the O’s to pick up a bit of salary.
As far as the center field market, there doesn’t seem to be much quality available. The White Sox would part ways with Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre, but neither are great defensive players in center anymore. It might be worth it for either the Reds or the Padres to take a chance on adding the bat and hoping the defense doesn’t kill them.
The better option for the Reds would be found in Kansas City’s Scott Podsednik. Scotty Pods is off to a great start and still has the speed to cover ground in the outfield. He doesn’t take great routes to the ball however, and doesn’t throw well, but he would give the Reds a legitimate lead-off man who could play center or left, giving the Reds some options should Drew Stubbs begin to hit.
Bargain Bin
If your team is looking for a cheap bat, there are a couple guys out there they could take a flier on. Free agent DH Carlos Delgado is reportedly eyeing a July return from off-season surgery. He says he can still play first base, but no one in baseball seems to agree. If he can still play the field, he could help a club like the San Fransisco Giants, who would then move Aubrey Huff to the outfield. If he’s just a DH, he’ll have a hard time finding regular at bats, but could be a fit for Seattle, provided of course they part ways with Ken Griffey Jr. and/or Mike Sweeney.
Another possibility, although remote, would be a return to Toronto. The Blue Jays have been one of the best offenses in the league, leading the AL in doubles and homers while ranking second in runs scored. The one hole in that lineup appears to be at first base. Prospect Brett Wallace is the more likely guy to take over for Lyle Overbay, however.
Speaking of DH’s with no job, the Rays recent designation for assignment of Pat Burrell means that he’ll be on the market soon. The Rays will cut him once he clears waivers so any team that wants him can have him for the pro-rated league minimum. Burrell can play the outfield, but not well. Still a team looking for a cheap bat might give him a look. Among the possibilities, the San Diego Padres might need him the most, but that’s a lot of outfield to cover. Another, perhaps a bit more surprising option, would be the Atlanta Braves, although the help they need the most is in center field.
Manager on the hot seat
Last week, we saw the first managerial change of the season when the Royals made the long-overdue move of replacing Trey Hillman with Ned Yost. Now it could be that Yost’s former club is next in line to make a move.
With the Phillies completing a sweep Sunday night in Milwaukee, Brewers manager Ken Macha could find himself without a job in the near future. Milwaukee has dropped eight straight at home and now hold a 4-14 record at Miller park this year, by far the worst home record in baseball. Without question, the Brewers have been one of the biggest disappointments this season, sitting a full six games back of first-place.
If it’s not Macha that’s the next to be fired, the smart money is on Cubs manager Lou Piniella or Mets skipper Jerry Manuel. Manuel had the Mets off to a surprisingly strong start before falling back lately. The Cubs have been a mess all year, really going back to last year as well. Piniella’s cache of success is probably the only thing that has kept him employed this long.
Be sure to join us each and every Tuesday as we take a stroll through the ever-changing marketplace of Major League Baseball. Also, be sure to leave a comment and let me how you see your club handling mid-season transactions this year.