Snake Bite: Hot Stove simmering
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by Sasha
So with this edition of Snake Bite I thought I would discuses the Diamondbacks’ hot stove buzz so far.
As of November 1st the Diamondbacks have done nothing this off-season besides place Wilkin Castillo, Esmerling Vasquez and Javier Brito on their 40-man roster to prevent them from being claimed in the rule 5 draft. While the Snakes have not signed anyone or completed any trades they have been involved in many discussions and have even offered some players contracts.
The D-Backs biggest need this off-season is starting pitching as they are looking to replace Livan Hernandez and provide an insurance policy for the questionable health of Randy Johnson. While the ‘Backs are not thought to be in the Johan Santana sweepstakes (even though they probable have the prospects) but he is not the only front line pitcher on the trading block.
Erik Bedard is one of the pitchers that are believed to be available for trade. The Baltimore Orioles had been working on a contract extension be reports have it that those talks had broken down and so the Os’ will be looking to cash in Bedard for a nice group of players with good upside. Bedard, who will turn 29 before the season starts, was 13-5 last year with a 3.16 ERA and had 221 strikeouts before being injured in late August. Those numbers were in the AL East which is no small feat so imagine if he played in the weaker NL West. To acquire Erik the Diamondbacks would have to part with a top prospect like Carlos Gonzalez along with some lesser prospects. While Gonzalez would be a steep price to pay he has been made somewhat expendable with the extension of Eric Byrnes and the emergence of Justin Upton. Overall I would be very happy with Bedard on my team.
The other trade options that are being talked about are Dan Haren and Joe Blanton both of the Oakland Athletics. With the As’ weak performance in ’07 and the moves that the Los Angeles Angels made to improve, some think that they will be looking to unload their stars to try and rebuild. Both of the pitchers mentioned will be 28 when the season starts and both fared very well in a tough AL with Haren going 15-9 with an ERA of 3.07 and Blanton going 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA and both would probable do better in the NL. The cost for one of these men would also be steep with Gonzalez again being one of the most likely people to be traded (other candidates would be one of the catchers Chris Snyder or Miguel Montero, infielder Alberto Callaspo and there has been some talk that all-star closer Jose Valverde might be moved). I would definitely not be opposed to either one of these guys being in the rotation but my preference would be Haren but that’s partly because Russ Ortiz put me off of heavyset starters (Brandon Webb is just big boned) and partly because the D-Backs need more beards like Haren’s also there is the fact that I think Haren is a better pitcher.
A note: The Diamondbacks had been in the race to acquire Matt Garza but apparently the Minnesota Twins thought that Delmon Young is better then Carlos Gonzalez or Carlos Quinton.
On the free agent side of acquisition the Snakes seem very inactive. They are one of the leading contenders in the hunt for Japanese RHP Hiroki Kuroda. The Diamondbacks were the first to offer Kuroda a contract and while it is probable lower then what he wants and even with the contract offer they are still not the favorites to sign him I wouldn’t be surprised if come spring training a Japanese press contingent was hanging out around Tucson Electric Park. One of the main reasons that Hiroki makes sense for the Snakes is that not only does he not require a posting fee but also no compensation pick need be given up.
The other free agents being talked about are Tony Clark, who the D-Backs are trying to resign and Mark Sweeney who would replace Clark should he not be resigned. The surprise in the dealings is that I have been told by a source I trust very much that the Snakes have offered Paul Lo Duca a contract. I have not been able to confirm this but if it is true then it tells us that first the Diamondbacks were not happy with Snyder offensively even with his second half serge and two that the D-Backs are using one or both of the big league catchers as trade bait. My thoughts on these dealings are that Clark would of course be my first choice to bring back but should he go elsewhere Sweeney would serve as a valuable man of the bench. With Lo Duca however I’m torn, he would almost certainly be better offensively then Snydes but when the D-Backs tried for an offensive catcher with Johnny Estrada it ended badly but if this is for trading purposes and it helps land one of the pitchers above then I am all for it.
And so this edition of Snake Bite ends.
