A New Approach: Real-Time

[OOTPRealTime]

Well, the deal is done - pending physicals. It took all night just to get back to where we started for the most part. The dinner was nice, but we didn't do much trade talk. More talk about our families, the ownership we work under, lifestyle, etc. Eventually, Daniels brought it up and said fairly nonchalant, "So, we're looking at Wigginton, Jackson and Jenkins for Garcia, right?" I looked over at DK and gave a little smirk. I replied with, "and Ogando, right?" He looked over at his right hand men and gave a similar smirk. He was just pulling our chains now. I heard this is something he does. He drags out trades and makes the other possible suitors fall in love with what they are getting in return and then just rib them at the end acting like that was the deal the whole time. I didn't have time for this and threatened to leave the table.

He said to calm down and admitted he was just half playing around. He did bring up Adron Chambers and I flat out told him that if we were doing Chambers in this deal, we would need Ronald Guzman. He said he understood. The meal was over and it was late. He said that we had a deal. He wanted Chambers though so the deal was Ryan Jackson, Ty Wigginton, Adron Chambers and Tyrell Jenkins for Leury Garcia, Alexi Ogando and Ronald Guzman. It was a little late to contact each player/agent to let them know, so we decided to wait until the morning.

On the cab ride back to the hotel, I was checking Twitter and I'll be damned if Rosenhaus didn't already know something...

@KenRosenhaus #Rangers and #Cardinals are reportedly close in talks. Not sure of the specifics but a shortstop is involved.

He must have got that from Daniels. Regardless, I knew that Wigginton made his off-season home in California and I wanted to do him the courtesy of making a personal call to let him know. So, I gave him a call just as we were getting back to the hotel.

Ty: Hello?

Me: Ty, Parker Campbell...

Ty: Yeah, what's up?

Me: Ty, you're headed to Texas.

Ty: Oh, really? Ok, cool. Thanks.

(I basically did him a favor trading him to the defending Champions)

Me: Sure thing. C.J. (our traveling secretary) will get in touch with you tomorrow to set up your physical and whatever else you need.

Ty: Got it. Thanks.

Me: Best of luck, Ty.

Ty: You too.

(click)

Wigginton was sour on his role here and wasn't thrilled with a few things in St. Louis so he wasn't upset at all. I've made a rule with myself that I would make the personal calls to any players involved in trades that have played at the big league level. I'll let DK handle the calls to agents of the minor league guys. I figured I would call Jackson and Chambers tomorrow (today).

So, I called each of them personally and by the time DK reported back that Jenkins knew - it was all over twitter and the media.

@KenRosenhaus Confirmed. #Cardinals do get a Texas SS - but not Andrus or Profar. 7-player swap that includes Leury Garcia. #Rangers get top P prospect Tyrell Jenkins

@dgold The #Cardinals have traded Ty Wigginton, Ryan Jackson, Adron Chambers & Tyrell Jenkins (#4 prospect) to Texas for SS Leury Garcia, Alexi Ogando & R. Guzman

@MattLurchMLB #Rangers get the veteran power, bench bat and best prospect in the deal (Jenkins). #stlcards get their SS and provide pitching depth. #hotstove

@bzlamick Day after Campbell gets first signing (J. Molina), he finalizes first trade. 7-players - gets his SS - trades prospect.

@JoseSantos Not sure about this one but time will tell. Scouts say that Garcia is + defensively, just 22-yrs old, + base stealer but not a leadoff man (117 K at AAA LY). #stlcards

Derek called quickly this morning to discuss and get some quotes for his story tomorrow. I gave the typical answers and you'll see them in his in-depth story tomorrow. We did have a media conference all to discuss the trade and I am scheduled to go on a couple of sports talk radio shows this evening to answer questions surrounding the deal.

I'm relieved to get this done. It addresses many needs, and turns over our roster a bit. DK is happy because we got younger and he really thinks there is something there with Ronald Guzman, who may be the youngest player in the deal, but could end up being the best player in the trade. Possibly.

I got a few "congratulations" from other GM's in the lobby as we strolled through - though, honestly, mostly it was met with little discussion - which is fine. We weren't the only ones making moves - obviously, it's the Winter Meetings. The Giants and Sabean added yet another solid arm to that bullpen - dealing 23-year old minor league prospect Chris Stratton to the Marlins for Steve Cishek. They have replaced Chad Gaudin, Wesley Wright and Javier Lopez with Balfour and now Cishek. They are going to be strong.

@Rockies We are happy to announce a two-year deal with LHP Matt Thornton! He'll be a welcome addition to our bullpen.

@KenRosenhaus 37-year old had 1.87 ERA w/ #WhiteSox last year. RT @Rockies We are happy to announced a two-year deal with LHP Matt Thornton.

As is usually the case in this business, we could enjoy our moment for less than 15 minutes when I received a call from the agent of Joel Hanrahan who informed me that we have been outbid - and by quite a bit. The bidding war is on for him and he told me that Beane in Oakland leads it right now. They'd need 4-years and $29 Million to top it. Which, for Hanrahan, still isn't a crazy amount of money - especially since we have it right now. But, in general, we don't like being involved in bidding wars. He is 32 years old, and would be 36 when this one ends. The first thought would be to front load the contract because we have the money now - and thus, would make his a trade-able asset if he struggles or we need to deal him. The second thought would be up the AAV to closer to $9 Million and just see if we can do two or three years (with an option, of course). And, the third option, is to bag it and try to find another option. The fact that we added Ogando, makes signing Hanrahan more of a luxury than anything at this point. Though, I really like him and the bullpen is so important to our success.

I consulted DK on it. He likes Hanrahan a lot, but that seems a bit excessive and with Ogando and Motte coming back - he isn't a necessity. I agreed. I told his agent that we're likely out on him. That's disappointing. We were hoping to get him at a decent price and make the 7th (Motte)- 8th (Hanrahan) and 9th (Rosenthal) as tough as possible. The focus then shifts to Joba Chamberlain, who as dominant in New York before being dealt to Houston, where he struggled mightily. DK likes him a lot too - but his one weakness - control - is a huge problem for me. His stuff is not to be questioned. It's the guys who can't harness that ridiculous god-given gift that drives me up the wall. Then again, he is seeking far less money (about $3 Million for two years - at least, last time I checked) and is younger (28 years old).

So, I didn't want to drag my feet on him - after Hanrahan and Chamberlain are gone, there are some older options but we'd like to nab one of these two if possible. Joba's camp tells me that their best offer right now is from Minnesota and that to top it, we're looking at around $3.5 Million for two years. They only want to sign a two-year deal so that in case he has a big couple of seasons, they can cash in one more time. Also, they want the '15 season a player option - in case he has an incredible 2014 - they can opt out and get that big contract a year earlier. Not going to happen with us. So, I made a verbal offer of 2-years, $6.72 Million ($3.35 per year). They said they'd think about it and let us know.

A busy day today and the Winter Meetings officially end tonight and conclude with the Rule V Draft taking place tomorrow. We have the crew back in St. Louis scouring the eligible players list to see if there is anybody we should be interested in - we don't expect to make any moves and we have everybody protected that we need to hold on to.

[fromtheline]

@fromtheline @STLCards Little late, but any of Hak-Ju Lee, J. Galvez, or Tim Beckham avail. thru Rule 5 as possible competition for Garcia?

[OOTPRealTime]

Originally Posted by fromtheline

@fromtheline @STLCards Little late, but any of Hak-Ju Lee, J. Galvez, or Tim Beckham avail. thru Rule 5 as possible competition for Garcia?

A great question. Thanks! We plan on having Kozma stick around and provide some competition for Garcia. To answer your question on the following guys...

Galvez had a great year at AAA-Tucson (.289-21-78) and is protected after being a September call-up last year in San Diego.

Lee is also on Tampa's MLB roster so he is protected.

Beckham was buried in AA-Montgomery last year in Tampa and while he is available for Rule V draft and we like what he can do - we don't have much interest.

[OOTPRealTime]

As we prepared for the Rule 5 Draft last night, huddled in our suite at the Dolphin hotel, I asked if there were any guys that we should consider taking. We don't pick until #22 so even if there is a guy that jumps off the page, the likelihood that he'll still be around is remote. However, here are the guys that we have some interest in and would at least consider taking in the draft:

RP Billy Bullock (ATL) -- Struggled between AA-AAA last year, posting a 2-4, 3.91 with a 1.55 WHIP and an inflated .378 BABIP. His FIP was a 3.20. Beyond the numbers, DK and the scouting staff like him. He lacks a bit of control but has good stuff with a fastball, slider and changeup. He is 25 years old, so he is pretty well developed. The change is his go-to pitch. He is definitely somebody I could see adding to our bullpen depth.

RP Jose Ortega (DET) -- Very similar to Bullock in that he is 25 years old and didn't quite do enough to make it up to the big leagues last season. We are surprised that the Tigers wouldn't protect this guy. He has a live arm - sitting between 96-98 with his fastball - which is his best pitch. He does have a complimentary slider which is above average and a changeup that needs work. He struck out 66 in 50 2/3 IP (11.64 K/9) last year in AAA-Toledo but also gave 36 free passes. If he can reign in the control, he is closer-worthy and therefore on our radar for sure.

OF Xavier Avery (BAL) -- Avery is capable of playing all three outfield spots, but is truly a center fielder. He hit .285 with 24 homers and 100 RBI at AA-Bowie last year. He struck out 129 times and that is the big knock. but, he has plus-speed (28 SB) and at 23 years old, still has some room to grow. He's an intriguing name for a team that is looking to re-build but not high on our radar.

Other names: 3B Matt Davidson (ARZ), OF Trayce Thompson (CHW), RP Zach Putnam (CHC), SP Alex Colome (TB), C A.J. Jimenez (TOR)

Honestly, had Jose Molina not signed yet, we would likely have nabbed Jimenez (if he makes it to us) but we aren't in need of him now. A very good defensive catcher and room to grow offensively. We wouldn't have done much of a justice to him as a young player to be stuck behind Yadier, but he could have learned a lot and been a nice trade chip.

We are a few minutes away from starting this thing...

[pjh5165]

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite reports to follow. Never thought I'd say this, but I really love the slow pace and the amount of detail. This has so much potential.

Thanks for writing it, and keep up the good work.

[OOTPRealTime]

@MLB The @Mets take catcher A.J. Jimenez (Blue Jays) with the first pick of the Rule 5 draft. We're underway! #MLBRule5

@MetsBeat #Mets take A.J. Jimenez from Toronto to backup D'Arnaud - couple of good young backstops there.

We were not surprised when we saw Jimenez come off the board early, but we didn't think the Mets would do it at No. 1 because of Travis D'Arnaud, their great, young catcher. On the other hand, you can't have enough of them.

@MLB The @Astros take shortstop Tim Beckham with the 2nd pick of the draft! #MLBRule5

@Astros Happy to announce the acquisition of shortstop Tim Beckham from the Rays in the Rule 5 Draft!

@KenRosenhaus New home for Tim Beckham. #Astros get former top pick. Will battle with Jonathan Villar for SS.

There goes Beckham. Not surprised in the least to see him go. The potential is there but the numbers have not been in the minors. Worth a flyer, especially for Luhnow and the rebuilding Astros.

@MLB The @Indians announce they take outfielder Trayce Thompson (White Sox) with the 3rd pick in the Rule 5 Draft! #MLBRule5

@WahooNation Like the pickup of Trayce Thompson from the #WhiteSox. Even if he sucks; the Sox don't have him anymore. #Wahoo

Another guy on the radar goes with the 3rd pick. Not sure of Thompson's long-term value, but again, it's worth a look. Worst case scenario, it costs a little money and you send him back.

@MLB The @Phillies take outfielder Eury Perez (Nationals) with the 4th pick in the MLB Rule 5 Draft! #MLBRule5

@MattLurchMLB Eury Perez provides OF depth for the Phillies in a changing over roster. Has good chance to break camp in Bigs. #MLBRule5

Perez goes to the Phillies. He can play all three outfield positions and is fast as lightning. Zero power. In the Michael Bourn mold but needs to make more consistent contact. He's 23, so not a bad pick up.

@MLB The 5th pick has been used by the @Twins on outfielder Jaff Decker (Padres). All 5 first picks have been used in the Rule 5 Draft. #MLBRule5

@FollowThePadres Sad to see Jaff Decker go. Former big-time prospect just fizzled in minors. He'll get a chance to play in Minnesota. Best of luck. #MLB

Jaff Decker was a former top prospect in the Padres organization but never really did much. DK mentioned him in our discussions but he just has a hole in his swing that he hasn't figure out. Still, just 23, can play both corner outfield positions well and can be a big league contributor right away. I expect him to make the team in Minnesota.

@MLB The @Royals are next up and they take starting pitcher Alex Colome (Rays). #MLBRule5

@BaseballAmerica The #Royals get a good one in Alex Colome. He's a young 24 with a live arm - sits at 94-96 on the FB. Has CV, SL and CH also. #MLBRule5

@KenRosenhaus @Royals get their man. Loved Colome. No room in @Rays crowded rotation. Immediate rotation arm.

We liked Colome a lot also. DK said that if we needed a starting pitcher there would be no doubt we'd take him. So, not surprised to see him go. Good get for the Royals there.

@MLB 7 spots - 7 picks! Now its the @Cubs taking pitcher Matt Magill (Dodgers). #MLBRule5

@BleacherBums Sweet. We added a starting pitcher who had a 6.54 ERA in AAA last year. Awesome. #WorldSeries

The first division rival pick is Magill. He didn't impress much with his numbers but they may have been inflated pitching in the hitter-friendly PCL last year. Still, he doesn't scare us either. I'm sure we'll run into him this year at some point.

@MLB The @Padres take relief pitcher Billy Bullock (Braves) with the 8th pick in the Rule 5 Draft! #MLBRule5

@KenRosenhaus The #Padres essentially trade Decker for Billy Bullock. Has MLB arm - can fit in bullpen right away. Expect him to stick.

There goes Bullock. He was No. 2 on our list. As time has gone on, we have really started to hone in on Jose Ortega to the point that we believe we would grab him if he is there. Though, the way it looks right now, he won't be there. So, it may be a moot point. After Ortega, there really isn't anybody else we'd jump at and would probably just skip our pick.

The Yankees had the 10th pick and they skipped it. So did Miami and the Dodgers. Then the Diamondbacks, A's and Mariners didn't take anybody either. All of the sudden, this is getting close and we really need to decide if we're going to take Ortega...

The White Sox, Angels and Rangers all passed as well - if Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Tampa do the same, we'll be up. It's actually rare for teams this late in the game to pick a player because they are the better teams and therefore have less holes. In our opinion though, we can NEVER have enough bullpen arms.

Before we made our final decision, I asked around the room to DK and the three pro scouts we had in the room to tell me if Ortega was an upgrade over Fernando Salas, who we all agreed was the final arm in the bullpen. Salas ended up winning the vote 3-1. Plus, we have an offer out to Joba Chamberlain to join the bullpen. The one variable that scares us away from Ortega is his control.

....

So, it got to us. Ortega is available. We decided not to pull the trigger on him. We do like him, but we just don't think we have a spot for him and we'd really like to get a bigger arm in free agency. Also, there is a reason all of these other teams passed on him as well. He just doesn't quite know where the ball is going - and at 25 years old, he has most likely peaked.

There was only one other pick in the Rule 5 Draft and that was San Francisco taking Vin Mazzaro away from the Pirates.

[StLee]

So who took Russell Wilson in your Rule 5 Draft?

[OOTPRealTime]

Originally Posted by StLee

So who took Russell Wilson in your Rule 5 Draft?

Ha. Nobody. That was funny.

[OOTPRealTime]

THE ANATOMY OF A TRADE
The Cardinals and Rangers completed a 7-player trade on Wednesday. The Post-Dispatch Cardinals beat writer, Derek Gold, takes a closer look at the swap.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - By: Derek Gold

As is the case after most trades that are completed in any sport, both sides believe they received the better end of the deal. Also, as in all trades, only time will tell. We'll take a closer look at what the Cardinals received in return for four players and what was lost in the deal.

There was little doubt in the minds of, well, anybody in the business that the Cardinals were looking for shortstop help. GM Parker Campbell was non-committal in case there wasn't anything that could be done, and stayed steadfast in his belief that this club could win with the combination of Ryan Jackson and Pete Kozma at the position. Both are plus defenders with good range and great arms. Sure, they may have hit .230 (Kozma) and .200 (Jackson) respectively, but the offense was coming from other places - well, most of the time.

The concern this off-season for the Cardinals is replacing what was lost when Carlos Beltran bolted for the Seattle Mariners. To be clear, this trade does not accomplish that. The headliner in the deal is 23-year old shortstop Leury Garcia. Garcia is known for being a plus defender at both shortstop and second base and has speed to burn. He has some learning to do in the art of stealing bases, but the speed is there. Perhaps a Spring Training in Jupiter with one of the greats at the craft, Lou Brock, can help turn him in to Billy Hamilton-light.

Garcia posted solid numbers at Texas' Triple-A affilitate Round Rock in 2013. He hit .321 with 14 homers, 66 RBI and 59 stolen bases. He was caught trying to steal an inflated 24 times. The other concern was the strikeouts. He whiffed 117 times in 585 at-bats. Not terrible, but certainly doesn't appear to be the kind of player Mike Matheny likes to place at the top of the order. So, the leadoff spot remains a mystery. The Cardinals still have Pete Kozma to push Garcia and nothing is being handed to the Dominican Garcia. He does hit from both sides of the plate, which is a plus for a team that is becoming more and more left-handed at the plate. Almost to a fault. If the team expects Kolten Wong to hold down second base, Oscar Tavares to roam right field and Jon Jay to navigate center field - that's three everyday players who hit from the left side. Campbell admitted that they were looking for a player that would either hit exclusively from the right side (or switch hit). Garcia fits that mold.

Admittedly, he's a work in progress. "We felt that the upside that Garcia brings to the table, combined with what we already have on the roster at the position, sets us up well. The other options just didn't make sense from an organizational stand point," said Campbell. The "other options" he refers to were players like Elvis Andrus, Troy Tulowitzki and even talks about Hanley Ramirez. For different reasons these didn't make sense. The biggest being giving up top prospects - even those who already contribute at the Major League level to acquire them.

The top prospect in the deal, at least in the eyes of the "experts" is who the Cardinals gave up in the deal - pitcher Tyrell Jenkins. Jenkins is just 21 years old, has great stuff and is working to harness it all. His numbers have not been impressive (5.07 ERA in 47 starts, but many believe he is about to turn the corner and could be a middle-of-the-rotation arm before it's all said and done. Of course, the Cardinals would contest that they, in fact, got the best prospect in the deal. Ronald Guzman is a 19-year old first baseman with power potential that Cardinals Director of Scouting, Dan Kantrovitz, labels as "special". Sure, he too has a lot of growing up to do.

Texas GM Jon Daniels made the initial call to the Cardinals with the hopes of getting the entire Cardinals farm system for either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar. Campbell made it clear early on that wouldn't be happening. So, Daniels shifted gears and hoped to land a right-handed power bat off the bench. The Cardinals had one of those in Ty Wigginton. Somewhere in the midst of the talks, the subject was broached of hybrid starter/reliever Alexi Ogando being unhappy in Texas and wanting out. He had become a distraction and manager Ron Washington wanted him gone. The original deal was Wigginton for Ogando straight up. Then, Campbell inquired about Garcia.

That opened up a whole new can of worms and two more weeks of negotiations.

The Rangers wanted a shortstop back and preferred Jackson over Kozma, though, it was close. Heading into the Winter Meetings, the deal had evolved to Wigginton, Jackson and Jenkins for Garcia and Ogando. Campbell, for one, thought it was a done deal. That was before Daniels decided to throw out Chambers' name. He was looking for a speed guy off the bench and he knew the Cardinals really had no room for him. Campbell responded that they'd need a young, high upside prospect if they were going this far. The sides settled on Guzman, much to the liking of "DK", the way he is affectionately referred to within the Cardinals front office.

So there you have it. The anatomy of a trade. Who got the better end of the deal? Only time will tell.

---------------------------

Derek's article did a good job of telling the story of how the trade evolved. Fans love hearing that kind of stuff. Again, I was ready to call it quits as a 1-for-1 with Wigs and Ogando. It ended up a 7-player trade. That kind of thing happens from time to time.

This morning I received an interesting call from Alex Anthopoulos, the GM in Toronto. He's looking to trade slugger Edwin Encarnacion. They have all the offense and power they can handle there and are looking to upgrade their starting pitching. He likes Lance Lynn. Now, on the surface, it looks like a no brainer. Encarnacion hit .253 with 45 homers and 132 RBI last year in Toronto. He's a pure slugger that would more than replace the offense lost with Beltran's departure. However, when looking at our club, it just doesn't really fit. First of all, Allen Craig is our first baseman. Now, you can say he could move to right field - a position, he can play - but not very well or on a full-time basis. We also want to keep some pressure off of his legs as he has shown a tendency to get injured. Encarnacion is 30 years old and doesn't play anything other than first base. And, he is an average defender there according to our reports.

I told Alex that we'd love to talk further but the way our situation shapes up, it just doesn't seem like a fit, unfortunately.

It did get me thinking that maybe Lynn's market is better than I thought on the trade front. If AA was willing to give up Encarnacion straight up for him, I better look into this further. So, I shot out a few e-mails to dangle him out there. Basically, to everybody other than our own division. I'll see what comes back from that.

I have a call scheduled this afternoon with the agent for Corey Hart. His demands have come down from his original 8-year, $100+ Million, so I wanted to check in to see where it stands now. He could be an option to play right field and some first base for us as well if the price is right.

[fromtheline]

@fromtheline @STLCards What are the projected starters at each defensive position shaping up to be now?

[OOTPRealTime]

Originally Posted by fromtheline

@fromtheline @STLCards What are the projected starters at each defensive position shaping up to be now?

@STLCards @fromtheline Projected: C-Yadi, 1B-Craig, 2B-Wong, SS-Martin/Kozma, 3B-Freese, LF-Holliday, CF-Jay, RF-Tavares (1/2)

@STLCards @fromtheline Adams (1B), M. Carpenter (2B,3B) remain top reserves.

[OOTPRealTime]

The call with Hart's reps didn't yield much interest. They claim they have a solid offer from the Mariners - how are apparently going for it - for around 6-years at $85 Million. They told us it would take 6-years, $14.94 Million/year to get something done. Hart is a good player and can play two positions - but they are two positions that we are rather deep at. First base and right field. While it would take pressure off Tavares to jump in and start right away, and provide some nice pop that we're still looking to replace with Beltran leaving, he just doesn't seem like the right fit.

I told them that we wouldn't be matching that but if it came down or something changes, to let us know, we may jump back in.

I'm at a bit of an impasse. We still need to replace Beltran's bat in this lineup. But where do we do it? Can we rely on what we have and expect bounce back years from Holliday, Craig and then expect Tavares to live up to expectations? I think we could, but there has to be something I'm missing here. It doesn't have to be right field. It may have to come via trade. I tasked our pro scouts and DK to come up with some upgrades in the outfield. Jay still isn't thrilled with his role. So, could it be a trade that includes Jay to upgrade in center field? Or, could Hart be the answer in right field, Tavares moving to center, where he can play?

What about Matt Holliday? At 33 years old he had (by far) his worst year. He's making $17 Million/year and has three more guaranteed years at that rate. Would anybody want him?

The fact is that there is still a move to be made. I'll just have to find the right place to do it.


THREE TRADES COMPLETED FRIDAY IN MLB
Rangers-Padres; Mets-Rockies; Brewers-Cubs all reach agreements.
By: Matthew Lurch, MLB.com

Perhaps the remnants of talks taking place during the Winter Meetings, six teams agreed to trades Friday as the MLB hot stove continues through the winter months. No "big" names changed hands in these deals, but each GM is jockeying their rosters for position as the free agent landscape begins to work itself out.

First, the busy Rangers completed a trade to acquire utility outfielder Chris Denorfia from the Padres. Padres GM Josh Byrnes has been shopping Denorfia, who hit .236 with 23 RBI in limited at-bats in San Diego last year, for quite some time. The Rangers gave the Padres three lower-level prospects. Denorfia is expected to battle with recently acquired Adron Chambers for the final bench spot for the World Champions.

In a rare inter-division trade, the Cubs acquired 27-year old center fielder Logan Schafer from the Brewers in exchange for closer Kyuji Fujikawa, who closed out 33 games for the Cubs in 2013. Schafer is known for his plus-speed and defense and should be plugged in right away as the starting center fielder in Chicago. The Brewers, desperately looking to upgrade the bullpen, got Fujikawa to battle with Burke Badenhop for the closer duties.

Finally, late on Friday, the Rockies traded for starting pitcher Dillon Gee from the Mets for minor-league catcher Tom Murphy. The Mets are apparently stockpiling catchers. Already possessing Travid D’Arnaud, they drafted A.J. Jimenez in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday and now have turned Gee - who was 12-10 with 3.13 ERA last year - into Murphy. Murphy, 22, hit .245 with nine homers and 66 RBI last year at the Rockies’ Hi-A affiliate. The Mets believe he could end up moving from behind the plate to first base in time.

---------------------

I’ve tasked my people to come up with some options as I am currently drawing a blank. Maybe we are good the way we are? Sometimes, the best move you can make is not to make any. We’ll see what comes back.

[OOTPRealTime]

@KenRosenhaus Hearing the #Rays and Ricky Nolasco are close. Not like Tampa to make big FA splash but could be one arm away. Stay tuned.

@JohnHayman Berkman headed to White Sox. Told 2-year deal worth around $16 Mil. #hotstove

@WhiteSox Happy to announce the signing of Lance Berkman to a 2-year, $16.2 Million deal. Welcome Lance!

@MLBDepthCharts Projected #WhiteSox lineup after the signing of Lance Berkman. bit.mlbdc.com/4253
Preview


The overriding theme of our meetings to discuss what the next move should be is that Matt Holliday is really on the decline and there isn’t much we can do about it. Nobody wants him and his $17 Million price tag. So, we’ll just have to live with him for three years. They also thought that there may be a chance to package Jon Jay with a prospect for an older center fielder with more power to help with the loss. But, the options weren’t very intriguing. I’m not interested in Curtis Granderson. It appears that our roster is shaping up to be what it is. Just doesn't appear to be a move to be made at this point.

[skalepp]

This is one of the finest piece of writing I've read on the forums. Great work and I absolutely love the twitter element you have added.

I'll be following this dynasty!

[beachbomer]

Originally Posted by skalepp

This is one of the finest piece of writing I've read on the forums. Great work and I absolutely love the twitter element you have added.

I'll be following this dynasty!

Couldnt agree more strongly!

[OOTPRealTime]

After meeting again with the staff today, we figured it was time to discuss depth on the Major League roster. After trading Wigginton and Chambers, we need some outfield depth. At this time we have just Shane Robinson and Justin Christian to backup the three outfield spots. Robinson is not a big league player and Christian isn't great defensively, though he can play all three outfield spots. With Matt Adams and Matt Carpenter technically non-starters, we are good on the infield. We'd then have Kozma and Jose Molina as others on the bench. We need a true utility guy, but one that can play all three outfield positions well. We talked to the pro scouts about the free agents that fit this mold. Preferably, I'd like a guy that can also run.

The names were: Jason Bourgeois, Scott Cousins, Chris Dickerson, Juan Lagares and Clete Thomas. Nothing too exciting. Though, DK really likes Lagares, who is a rare 24-year old free agent. He can play all three outfield positions well, he runs but is light-hitting. Regardless, he could be a good option to bring into Spring camp and battle with some guys. We called his agent and he's looking for a one-year deal at around $1.2 Million. We offered $800,000 to see if we could bring him in. I doubt too many teams are beating down his door.

Next, we asked them to come up with some possible trade targets.

That list: Alejandro De Aza (White Sox); A.J. Pollock (D-Backs); Eric Young Jr. (Rockies); Justin Ruggiano (Marlins); Gerardo Parra (D-Backs) and a few lower level players. Now, I know the value of a guy that can play multiple positions and won't throw a fit for being a bench player - so, we'll need to give something up. As of right now, we have Jaime Garcia as our most likely trade chip. Unfortunately, he isn't a highly coveted player these days.

I'd love to somehow get Parra from Arizona. I called up Kevin Towers in AZ and he quickly told me there wasn't much of a chance outside of Lynn. Rick Hahn (White Sox) told me the same thing. I can't give up Lynn for these two guys. I'm not against trading him, just need a little bit more in return.

The other option would be to simply sign a veteran player like Coco Crisp or Chris Young for a decent salary (we have the money) and find them at-bats. Crisp has great speed, can play left field (defensive replacement for Holliday) and center well and puts the ball in play. He is also a switch hitter. Young strikes out a lot, but can play all three outfield spots and has pop. He hits from the right side - which is a good compliment to the bench, since M. Carpenter and Adams both hit from the left side. Young doesn't run as well as Crisp. Young is 30 and Crisp is 34.

The biggest difference is going to be the asking price. I figured Crisp would be lower....and he was. Significantly. Crisp wants just a two-year deal and I think we could get him for a total of $9.5 Million - which is what Young is seeking, per year for six years!

I'm going to sleep on this one but am leaning towards an offer to Coco Crisp.

[OOTPRealTime]

After thinking more about the situation in the outfield we have right now, the problem with extending an offer to Crisp right now is that it ties our hands when it comes to Hart. I believe Hart and his reps that he has received an offer from Seattle, but does he really want to play there? They just signed Beltran. I guess they would put him at first base? Anyway, I just am not ready to send an official offer to Crisp yet.

The other thought would be to commit to Hart (we have the money) and move Taveras to center field for the majority of the time and make Jay the roving outfielder. He can play all three outfield spots if called upon. I'd like to check back in with Hart's people. Since we have the money now, maybe we can front load an offer and make the contract a bit more team friendly as he ages? Makes him a little more trade-able (I know that's not a word) if we need him to be. Here is my main fear. We already believe that Holliday is aging and in decline in right field, making $17 Million a year. If Hart turns into the same guy, we're pretty much locked in there. Hart is younger though, and I am confident he'll be playing at a higher level for a few more years.

I called DK to let him know that Hart is back on the radar. He seemed a bit surprised and after explaining my rationale, he agreed. Again, we have the money now. We need that power bat in our lineup to make up for the loss of Beltran. With his flexibility, he can also spell Allen Craig at first base from time to time. Jay, depending on how things shake out, will still get plenty of at-bats, playing all three outfield spots. He is also right handed - which I like also. Jay would then likely sit against LHP - against whom he hit just .212 last year.

All of that said, I'm not going over four years for Hart - which may be a deal-breaker.

@KenRosenhaus The @Mets have traded P Jeremy Hefner to the @Indians for two minor league players. #mlb

[OOTPRealTime]

I decided to take a closer look at Nelson Cruz who is a free agent after a "down" season with the Rangers. He hit a career-low .238 but still managed 24 homers and 85 RBI for the World Champs. He had a homer and four RBI in Game 7 of the Series. He is 33 years old and while his best days are behind him, he's good for 20+ homers if healthy. Here's the most intriguing part - he's only looking for two years and around $8 Million total. That's pretty cheap. He won't kill us in the outfield, defensively and could play left field, if needed. He has a cannon of an arm and will gun down some would-be run-scorers. He hits from the right side and would give us a nice compliment to our current outfielders. This may be the perfect stop-gap, while Taveras develops into the player he can be. This would relieve some pressure and allow Oscar to play center field, as well as some right field. At this point, he's looking like the best option. We won't have to give up anything and did I mention he is cheap(er)?

So, I gave his agent a ring and let him know we're interested. The response wasn't as positive as I'd hoped. Though, I do understand that playing in the American League would probably be the better thing for him. He can DH when not playing the field. That said, he is only looking for two years. He'll be 35 when this contract expires and THAT'S when he can go back to the AL. I explained this. I don't think they are getting too many bites. I'll take a closer look with DK to make sure this move makes sense and then come up with the offer. It may cost a little more to convince him to come to the NL, but I think we can do that.

[fromtheline]

@fromtheline @dgold Hearing rumours of Cruz being a possible signing for the #Cards. Jay being shopped? Tavares starting in AAA? Cruz as backup?

[Watson]

@Watson @Rangers Ogando was one of my favs!!! Now I have to see him in a jersey for the HATED Cards.