Rangers rolling the dice with Harden, Lowell
Texas GM forced to take chances with tight payroll, ownership in flux
Paul Beaty / APThere is no denying Rich Harden's talent. But his health issues make him a big risk for the Texas Rangers.
Q: What will the Milwaukee Brewers do about their pitching issues, and can they afford to keep Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun long-term?
— Jeffrey Byron Greer, Milwaukee
A: Most of their plans unfolded during the winter meetings, the centerpiece being a three-year contract given to free-agent left-hander Randy Wolf.
Wolf fits behind ace Yovani Gallardo along with inconsistent lefty Manny Parra and most likely, veteran right-handers Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush. But Braden Looper will be moving on.
GM Doug Melvin’s search for starting pitching isn’t stopping there, as he also has expressed interest in Doug Davis and Mark Mulder, who hasn’t pitched much in three years but had success in the past under new Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson.
As for improving the options in front of closer Trevor Hoffman, La Troy Hawkins signed a two-year deal, so he’ll join Todd Coffey and Mitch Stetter as Hoffman’s key setup men.
The other way to go could be to deal Corey Hart, likely for a No. 3-type starting pitcher. One reported possibility was to the Mets for John Maine.
But if Hart is dealt, he would follow 2009 regulars Mike Cameron, J.J. Hardy and Jason Kendall out the door, leaving a much younger lineup that will emphasize speed more with exciting young players Alcides Escobar and Carlos Gomez. Making up the lost power is another matter, however.
As for the futures of Fielder and Braun, we’ll find out about the former soon enough, as he will be in the final year of his contract (at $10.5 million) in 2010.
Given past failed contract negotiations, plus the fact that Fielder is represented by Scott Boras — who likes to take his clients to free agency — there are real doubts about Fielder signing an extension. My guess is Fielder will be traded some time before he’s eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.
Braun is a different story. He’s locked up through 2015 as part of an eight-year, $45-million deal signed in May 2008.
Q: What are the top two or three best moves for the Giants to improve?
— Marty Resoto, Yankton, S.D.
A: The Giants’ offensive shortcomings are obvious, but judging by what unfolded at the winter meetings, solutions don’t appear to be.
Problem area No. 1: Catcher/2009 cleanup hitter Bengie Molina will depart through free agency, further weakening a bad lineup, as the Giants don’t want to give any catcher more than a one-year deal with top prospect Buster Posey waiting in the wings.
Ivan Rodriguez getting two years and $6 million from the Nationals only jacks up the price for whomever (Miguel Olivo? Yorvit Torrealba?) the Giants settle on as a one-year stopgap.
Problem area No. 2: The interest in Dan Uggla is waning, and at least for the time being, Juan Uribe won’t return. That leaves an infield/power hole unplugged, and with GM Brian Sabean issuing the blanket ‘we want to stay young’ statement, that apparently leaves out veteran options such as Adrian Beltre and Jermaine Dye.
A deal with San Diego for Kevin Kouzmanoff remains a possibility, as does signing one of these three free agents — Nick Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Adam LaRoche.
The choice here would be DeRosa as a third baseman, which would move Pablo Sandoval to first base, where his long-term future lies.
Problem area No. 3: Brad Penny chose to sign with St. Louis rather than accept the Giants’ one-year offer, and with Randy Johnson still pondering a 2010 return, the back of the rotation remains in limbo.
That precludes including a starter in any potential deal for a bat, and increases the possibility of top prospect Madison Bumgarner opening the 2010 season in the rotation.
Q: What is the latest update on Roger Clemens?
— Darren, Atlanta
A: Clemens’ attorneys were at it again a few weeks ago, when they filed a motion in federal court in Brooklyn to dismiss the defamation of character suit against Clemens by former trainer Brian McNamee.
In response, McNamee’s lawyers filed a document to oppose the motion to dismiss — and so the battle of words (and lawyers) continues.
Earlier this year, Clemens’ lawsuit against McNamee — who told Congress that Clemens used HGH and steroids — was dismissed.
It’s a mess — no doubt about it — and the situation provides an example of the value of the five-year waiting period before players are placed on the Hall of Fame ballot.
As a voter, I’m glad I have three more years before Clemens’ name can appear — that much time to see what unfolds in his legal proceedings.
Sadly, that’s the era we find ourselves in, as so many steroids-tainted candidates are entering their eligibility periods.
Tony DeMarco is a contributor to NBCSports.com and a freelance writer based in Denver.
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