Mariners Mini Morsels: December 2 (afternoon edition)

Can’t imagine the price for Walker, that’s 6 years control of a potential #1? From:

 

It’d obviously be a high price, but at some point the M’s have to give something up to get the hitting they need. From:

 

Hear M’s prefer FA bats at this point. Hesitant to deal young arms. Would Taijuan Walker be available in any potential trades? — at the Kansas City Star

 

Wide speculation that catcher J.P Arencibia gets dealt now that Toronto has agreed to 2-year deal with Dioner Navarro. From: Adam Rubin at ESPN New York

Damn, this was a guy the Mariners should have signed. What in the hell are they waiting for?

 

Mariner’s potential off-season targets

The Miami Marlins have yet to hold contract discussions with Logan Morrison, according to a major league source. Morrison is arbitration-eligible, and will either be tendered a contract or non-tendered by the Marlins by Monday’s midnight deadline. The source noted that there is a slight chance that the Marlins non-tender Morrison on Monday, but a trade involving the 26-year old is considered the more likely scenario. The Milwaukee Brewers are among the teams who are expected to pursue Morrison in trade talks, and the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays could also jump in to fill their first base needs, according to the source. —Chris Cotillo at MLB Daily Dish

 

One pitching option who has not received much attention is Brett Anderson of the Athletics, probably because he has been hurt so frequently that people forget he even exists. Anderson broke in with the A’s in 2009 at age 21, making 30 starts. In the subsequent four years, he has managed to make only 43. After missing over half of the season in 2010 with a forearm strain, Anderson managed 13 starts in 2011 before succumbing to Tommy John surgery. Having recovered in time to return during the 2012 season, he went down with a side oblique strain that ended his campaign prematurely once again. He was the opening day starter for the A’s in 2013 but lasted only six starts before injuring his ankle, which turned out to include a stress fracture of his foot. One way to look at Anderson’s injury history is that most of the time he lost prior to mid-2012 was due to his elbow, which has been corrected. His most recent woes could be seen as flukes – Anderson’s arm is healthy, and he may be worth the risk as a result – he has been an effective pitcher when healthy.

The problem is that – despite being only 25 years of age, Anderson has a player friendly contract that included an $8 million team option for 2014, which the A’s surprisingly exercised. However, many believe they did so simply to trade Anderson and get a return far more than they would have been in line to receive if they designated him for assignment instead. Anderson also has a $12mm option for 2015, so a team that trades for him with the intention of maintaining control for two years has a $20mm investment at stake. A team could view Anderson as a decent risk at $8mm for one year, and then trade or non-tender him should they view the 2015 option as too rich for their blood. Is there a team is out there willing to take the risk, should the A’s decide that Anderson is expendable? He has a very healthy groundball rate that some team may well find hard to resist. I could see some having an interest here. Source:Joseph Gerard at Dr Strange Glove

 

The Orioles would still like to bring back Scott Feldman. At this point, it appears as though they’d likely have to commit to at least a two-year deal worth around $16-18 million. Feldman has pitched well in Baltimore and is battle-tested in the American League East, but do you give that money to a mid-rotation starter?

Right-hander Bronson Arroyo is intriguing. The Orioles need a starter who can consistently go deep into games, and Arroyo has thrown 200 innings in seven of the last eight years. But the Orioles would likely need to offer at least two years and a vesting option for him, and possibly a flat three-year deal, which have been rare in Baltimore. Arroyo turns 37 in February. — at the Baltimore Sun

 

Williams agent Larry O’Brien:“I certainly hope the don’t tender Jerome Williams. There are many teams he could effectively start for.” —Chris Cotillo at MLB Daily Dish

 

Baseball Best Practice

Yes, it was just two weeks ago that baseball’s owners voted to rocket themselves into the 21st century by approving funding for expanded instant replay to fix missed umpires’ calls of just about every size and shape. I’m sure you heard all about it.

I just have one question: What exactly did they approve? And the answer is: They’re not even sure themselves.

“Everybody approved it — without knowing how it will work,” said an official of one club. “We know it will be a manager-challenge system,” said an executive of another club. “And we know everything will get reviewed in a central location. Other than that, nothing else has been agreed to. And I mean nothing.” Wait. Nothing? Is that what he said? Nothing? Right. Nothing. Source:Jason Stark at ESPN [Insider needed and recommended]

 

By The Numbers

Maddux led his league in BB/9 nine times, including his age 41 and 42 seasons. He also allowed just 12 homers in over 400 innings in those years. His 0.811 WHIP in 1995 is the NL record, and 4th lowest mark ever. Source:

 

SLG vs.Phil Hughes’ 4-seam fastball by year, 2009-2013: .359, .387, .401, .461, .550. From: Jay Jaffe at Sports Illustrated