Post-Trade-Deadline Moves

[Valadius]

The A's have released Jason Giambi.

The Twins have acquired Carl Pavano from Cleveland for a PTBNL.

[nymr83]

Giambi in 328 PAs... .193/.332/.364, you'd think if a guy is hitting like that they'd stop letting him walk

[bmfc1]

Greg Zaun from the Orioles to TB. So much for a Schneider trade to the Rays.

[Guest attgig]

a unidentified team has made a waiver claim on Rios. With the rumors that the Jays were practically giving him away a month ago, high possibility that they may just allow the waiver claim to go through.

[smg58]

from Cot's

Alex Rios of
7 years/$69.835M (2008-14), plus 2015 club option

* 7 years/$69.835M (2008-14), plus 2015 club option
o signed extension with Toronto 4/4/08, re-working 2008 deal signed 2/5/08 ($3.5M signing bonus remains, 2008 salary reduced from $1.335M to $0.735M)
o 08:$0.735M, 09:$5.9M, 10:$9.7M, 11:$12M, 12:$12M, 13:$12.5M, 14:$12.5M, 15:$13.5M club option ($1M buyout)
o full no-trade clause, 2009-10
o limited no-trade clause, 2011 - end of deal (may block trades to 6 clubs)

Rios is 28, playing like he's peaked, and owed a lot for quite some time. The Blue Jays probably would simply give him away if they could. But wouldn't the no-trade clause allow him to block a waiver claim as well?

[Guest attgig]

but if the Jays simply let the other team claim him on waivers, with no trade... can a no-trade clause be invoked?

[TransMonk]

Per bizofbaseball.com:

A player with a no-trade clause who is claimed on Major League waivers must be pulled back if the player�s no-trade clause allows him to block a deal to the claiming club. However, the player may waive the no-trade clause and join the claiming club.

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=667&Itemid=75

[TransMonk]

John Smoltz DFA-ed by the Red Sox.

[smg58]

from http://www.bizofbaseball.com, a site I didn't know existed until a minute or so ago:

A player with a no-trade clause who is claimed on Major League waivers must be pulled back if the player�s no-trade clause allows him to block a deal to the claiming club. However, the player may waive the no-trade clause and join the claiming club.

So if I'm reading this right, the contract would have to specifically stipulate something about waiver claims in order for Rios to veto the claim.

[smg58]

Curses! Beaten to the punch!

[Frayed Knot]

A player with a no-trade clause who is claimed on Major League waivers must be pulled back if the player�s no-trade clause allows him to block a deal to the claiming club. However, the player may waive the no-trade clause and join the claiming club.

So if I'm reading this right, the contract would have to specifically stipulate something about waiver claims in order for Rios to veto the claim.

[nymr83]

Thats my reading of it as well.

Rios sure figured out how to cash-in on his one big year, and it wasnt even THAT big a year (2007- .297/.354/.498), coming at age 26 and building on .302/.349/.516 (in 128 games) the year before I guess Toronto thought he was on the way up, but now he's declined 2 straight years, I'd rather have Ryan Church today.

The Mets need OF help but I wouldn't touch that contract.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Thats my reading of it as well.

Rios sure figured out how to cash-in on his one big year, and it wasnt even THAT big a year (2007- .297/.354/.498), coming at age 26 and building on .302/.349/.516 (in 128 games) the year before I guess Toronto thought he was on the way up, but now he's declined 2 straight years, I'd rather have Ryan Church today.

The Mets need OF help but I wouldn't touch that contract.[/quote:15iju4q6]

The number of years is a little more worrisome than the cost.

FWIW, though, he's been a pretty consistently great defensive OF (great in RF, that is... but still decent in limited time in CF). And he'd beat the hell out of any of the currently rostered options in RF, offensively AND defensively. AND it won't cost a draft pick to grab him.

Even if he never quite makes the heights predicted for him, there's a lot of value in 20/20/.280/.345/.450 with Hal McRae-ish isolated power and good-to-great defense... and it's a lot closer to $13M yearly than you may think.

[smg58]

Even his defense is down this year too, though. I wonder if he's been playing hurt. That might actually be a positive for a prospective long-term buyer, assuming it's nothing that an offseason of rest wouldn't fix.

[Farmer Ted]

All that for only $20K. Enjoy the contract, Kenny.


The White Sox acquired outfielder Alex Rios from the Blue Jays, SI.com has confirmed.

Chicago will send Toronto only the $20,000 waiver fee and no players to acquire Rios, it was learned. The deal was first reported by Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

The White Sox claimed Rios on waivers Friday afternoon and had until Tuesday afternoon to complete a deal. By claiming Rios, the White Sox agree to assume the remaining $60 million on Rios' contract.

Rios is expected to play center field for Chicago, which also acquired star pitcher Jake Peavy from the Paders just before the trade deadline.

[Frayed Knot]

That'll be an interesting move to track over the next few years: whether the ChiSox get enough out of him to justify the cost or if the Jays put all that saved money to better use.
Can't remember a waiver claim involving that much outstanding loot.

[nymr83]

Blue Jays ownership is likely throwing a party right now.

[Frayed Knot]

Essentially what they're banking on is that they'll be able to buy a better player (or several better ones) with the money saved, essentially what the Sox tried to do w/Manny all those years ago (2002-03 I think) during a depressed time in the market.
Although you can never know what would have happened had he actually been claimed, the fact that the market came somewhat back towards Manny's salary plus their two WS titles means it probably couldn't have gone a lot better for the Sox and they were probably better off in the long run that he wasn't grabbed.

[Gwreck]

Damn, I would've liked to have him. Especially if all it cost was $$$. I think the White Sox have priority though because they're in the same league.

Funny thing is, Olney reported in his ESPN column today that "an NL team called about Rios before the trade deadline and expressed interest in trading for the outfielder, so long as the Jays ate a pretty good portion of the contract, and that team was told in no uncertain terms that not only would the Jays not eat money, but the interested team should be prepared to give up major prospects for him."

[nymr83]

Essentially what they're banking on is that they'll be able to buy a better player (or several better ones) with the money saved, essentially what the Sox tried to do w/Manny all those years ago (2002-03 I think) during a depressed time in the market.
Although you can never know what would have happened had he actually been claimed, the fact that the market came somewhat back towards Manny's salary plus their two WS titles means it probably couldn't have gone a lot better for the Sox and they were probably better off in the long run that he wasn't grabbed.[/quote:14248r2i]

Manny '03 was a hell of alot better than Rios '09, but anyway if this trade lets them financially keep Halladay then it pays off right there.

[Valadius]

Mark Grudzielanek released by the Twins yesterday. Might be worth it to take a flyer on him.

[MFS62]

He's 39, and hasn't played yet this year. Injury?
I'll pass, thank you.
Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

From a Schaefer perspective, I'd also have to say "thanks but no thanks!" We can't even seem to learn how to spell "Francoeur."

(For the record, it's FRANCO followed by EUR, as in EURope.)

[HahnSolo]

Mark Grudzielanek released by the Twins yesterday. Might be worth it to take a flyer on him.[/quote:1j8952d6]

apropos of nothing, one of my neighbors once dated him.

[metirish]

It's only his name that's long , right?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Extra bases for Irish

[seawolf17]

I can't fathom why the Mets would waste money and at-bats on Mark Grudzielanek.

[Frayed Knot]

Grudzeyechart has had 40-some ABs in Twins minor league teams this year.
There was lots of over the winter talk about him because people were convinced he was one of those worth eating $18mil of Castillo's contract for. Turns out he wasn't.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Where's that seawolf17 completionist spirit? We can't have Doug Mientkiewicz on our all-time roster without Mark Grudzielanek.

[Valadius]

Hell, even if it's to reinforce a minor league team, I'd take him. I'd take all the extra bats and gloves I can get.