CHANGE MY LOCATION
Los Angeles Examiners
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Examiner
Most Recent Post
No place for Moseley in Angels’ playoff rotation (thank God); Scioscia still must drop a starter
Who might be out the door?
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Next week’s trading deadline could result in a decidedly different look to the Nationals’ bullpen. Closer Chad Cordero is a target of several teams looking to bolster their relief corps and set-up man Jon Rauch isn’t too far behind.
Cordero, at 25, already has 110 big-league saves. He can’t be a free agent until after the 2009 season, but is arbitration-eligible, and figures to see his annual salary increase to the $5-6 million range pretty quickly. Several AL teams, including the Tigers, Indians and Red Sox, have shown specific interest, with A or AA prospects coming the other way.
Scouts were on hand in Bowie Saturday night to watch Detroit prospect Jair Jurrjens, a thin right-hander from Curacao, pitch for Erie. Jurrjens did not pitch well against the Baysox, but for the season he’s 4-5, 3.81, with 70 strikeouts in about 90 innings, all as a starter. Given Detroit’s track record in developing young pitching, Jurrjens is worth a look.
Like the Tigers, the Indians’ farm system has been extremely productive. If the AL Central comes down to a dogfight between those two, it would benefit Nats’ GM Jim Bowden to play one off the other.
If Cordero is traded, the closer’s job would likely fall to Rauch. When the Chief was on bereavement leave earlier this season, Rauch filled the job adequately. He’s shown he’s capable of being a workhorse, and he’s still just 28 (29 in late September). It can be argued that a second division ball club doesn’t require a dominant closer, though Rauch, at 6-foot-11, cuts an imposing figure on the mound. (One interesting note about Rauch: He’s the tallest player in Washington baseball history — just ahead of the late 6-7 lefty Steve Hamilton, who pitched for the expansion Senators 1962-63. Both men were products of Morehead State University.) There are multiple teams interested in Rauch as well, but the odds of the Nats trading both are pretty slim.
The Nats haven’t been reluctant to shop Cordero, along with Dmitri Young, Ryan Church and Ronnie Belliard. Church, at 28, would provide some outfield depth and a bat off the bench, but likely wouldn’t bring a lot in return. Young and Belliard were both signed with intent of trading both men to contenders in July. However, both players have overachieved to the point that letting them go for minor league fodder at this point would be a bitter pill to swallow for many fans. And the contract extension Belliard agreed to Monday makes him not likely to be dealt. With Cristian Guzman already out for the year, the Nationals’ offense over the final 60 games would be irreparably damaged without those two. There is legitimate interest in Dmitri from several teams, including the Yankees and the Braves, but neither team wants to trade anything particularly attractive.
Nats’ GM Jim Bowden is renowned for overvaluing his players. If he owned a restaurant, he’d charge for water. He refused to part with Alfonso Soriano a year ago because the offers were embarrassingly thin. He’s not going to make a deal simply to be able to say he made one. His deals with the Reds last July and the Diamondbacks in August still show the scale tipping his way. However, if the deadline comes and goes next Tuesday and there’s no change in personnel, you can chalk it up to Jim being Jim.
And that’s been acceptable up to this point.
Hear Phil Wood Saturdays at 10 a.m. on SportsTalk 980 AM and weekly on Comcast SportsNet’s WPL through the World Series.
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:33 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 27, 2008 re: "‘The 21st Century Ripken’"
Report as inappropriate
2:00 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
re: "Don’t panic yet"
Report as inappropriate
10:34 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
re: "Don’t panic yet"
Report as inappropriate
10:18 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
re: "Don’t panic yet"
Report as inappropriate
12:59 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007
re: "New park feels like home already"
Report as inappropriate
12:20 AM MST on Wed., Oct. 3, 2007
re: "Expect Bowden, Nats to make significant noise in the offseason"
Report as inappropriate
10:02 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 2, 2007
re: "Expect Bowden, Nats to make significant noise in the offseason"
Report as inappropriate
5:12 AM MST on Wed., Jul. 11, 2007
re: "Perhaps it’d be better to keep Young around"
Report as inappropriate
8:47 AM MST on Wed., Jun. 27, 2007
re: "Orioles could repeat managerial history with Trembley"
Report as inappropriate
5:52 PM MST on Wed., May. 30, 2007
re: "A long, winding road from Baltimore"
Report as inappropriate
1:07 PM MST on Wed., May. 2, 2007
re: "O's game gives umps a black eye"
Report as inappropriate
5:21 AM MST on Wed., May. 2, 2007
re: "A black eye for umps"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
There are many Nationals fans who are still patient with the team. I remember how Edward Bennett Williams as well as Peter Angelos tried---and failed---to build a winner with the Orioles by buying free agents. But my biggest nightmare is that once Zimmerman's contract runs out, he will sign a lucrative deal with another club because (a) the Lerners are unwilling to pay the money to keep him when they have the chance, (b) Zimmerman has no faith that the franchise will become a playoff contender anytime in his career, or (c) all of the above. Maybe the Lerners are smart by forcing Zimmerman to prove his worth this year, but if he has a breakout year and then flies the coop like Alfonso Soriano, fans' faith in The Plan will vanish like the wind. Edward J. Cunningham Rockville, MD
2 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Gee, Phil, thanks. I'm glad you reminded us that we're all raving idiots and that you have been appointed by MENSA to set us straight. "It’s perfectly plain that the issue is offense." I'm glad we have an "expert" like you to tell us this. Hm. All along, I thought the problem was that Nationals Park doesn't have enough cupholders!!!
5 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner reader said:
Phil, is it ok for fans who call in to your radio show to comment on the Nats' play? Or are they also ignorant folks who know nothing about facts or logic?
3 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner reader said:
What an arrogant, condescending column this is. Fans shouldn't comment about and criticize the team because they don't know enough about baseball? Fans don't know what's going on in the dugout or in the clubhouse? Well why don't you tell us then, Phil, and disabuse us of our shallow, uninformed nonsense. And most fans agree that Lenny Harris did a terrific job last year? Really? Maybe it is you who is uninformed, Phil. (And anyway, who cares what the uninformed *fans* think?) Did you know that the Nats came very close in the offseason to not retaining Harris because they thought that he did not do a good job and was not ready to be a major league hitting coach?
7 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
natsbaseball.com said:
Thanks Phil. Sounds wonderful - can't wait to see it. Being about the same age I remember attending the first baseball game at DC Stadium after experiencing Griffith for one or two seasons as a young child. It was a world of improvement over the falling down older park. After baseball returned 34 years later and about 15 years of going to Camden, RFK was, of course, kind of stark (I think is was designed by Joseph Stalin) but we all knew it was temporary and to have a home team again we would have put up with a lot worse. My only regret is the new stadium is in a location that couldn't be harder to get to for most of the area's fans. People are whining about the lack of parking - but it doesn't matter as there are no roads. Metro is bragging about being able to carry about 10,000 fans and hour. Since most of the 41,000 fans who could show up will have to go by metro - I cringe at the 4 hour trips it will take to get home. In that regard RFK had it all over the new park.
101 agree | 95 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
kjack said:
Another great article Phil. Why those idiots at espn[The world wide leader in crap]and fox don't hire informed,aware, and intelligent individuals like you. To inform the general public of the things that really matter in baseball. I'll personalll never understand.
188 agree | 211 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
EdDC said:
Phil, What do you think of going after Coco Crisp? He is still young and had back to back .300 seasons not long ago in Cleveland. Nats need a CF. Crisp didn't do much in BoSox pressure cooker, like Wily Mo Pena. So Crisp might benefit from just relaxing, knowing the world is not on his shoulders. His contract is reasonable: Covelli Crisp of 3 years/$15.5M (2007-09), plus $8M 2010 club option As to Bowden, I like him asking for the world. He tries hard and contacts many many teams, and if one or two bite, then Nats come out ahead. This is better than just trading to make trades.
243 agree | 225 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Pope John Paul Ringo George said:
"Did you ever hear any specific player’s names that would’ve ended up here in exchange for the Fonz?" This is a poor argument. The reason the Nats never get serious offers in trade for Soriano, Dmitri, Cordero, Rauch, etc is becuase Bowden's asking price is not serious. He makes it known that you can only trade for a Nat if you're willing to be ripped off in the trade. His asking price starts so high, teams won't even attempt to negotiate with him. Then he comes back and says "hey, we never got any serious offers!" No sane, competent GM will ever trade with him on anyting above replacement level players.
276 agree | 226 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Norm said:
Trembley has got this team behind him. I like his vision. You can see it in the way this team is playing since he replaced Perlozzo. The Weaver like experience you cite nails it and is a huge bonus. It's precisely what the O's need to get to the next level. The way I see it, NONE of the other current candidates brings anything comparable to the table. With McPhail and Trembley, we are already on the right track.
301 agree | 797 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I agree in that the Orioles should trade for Teixeira. There will be many teams after him. The "Dallas News" has an article that Boston, Dodgers, and Tigers may be interested. We should offer Cabrera, and two other players. Texas needs a starting pitcher. In the article he says the other teams would offer a pitching prospect. At least Cabrera has pitched in the majors the last three years. The Orioles would be set for the next 8 years at first base. That would be a nice infield. Also, go get Torri Hunter next year in free agency for center field.
348 agree | 261 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Dan said:
So is MLB saying that the score of a game has no impact on strategy? As far as Jay's comment: "The rules were followed." I don't think I ever read anywhere in the MLB rule book where you can score a run while you are on defense. The apeal was not that the run should not count, but that it is not fair to the Tribe that the run was awarded 3 innings after the fact. Contrary to MLB I beleive that the score of the game is the #1 item that determines strategy. The Tribe was denied 3 innings of basing their strategy on the current situation. my thought is that the game should be continued from the point where the controversial run scored, with Baltimore leading 3 to 1. In every other instance I can recall you must apeal a decision before the next pitch. Runner leaves too early when tagging up. Appeal has to be made before next pitch. G Brett's infamouse non home run? Had to be apealed before next pitch. Same for runner missing a base. O's did not raise issue for 3 inn, but thats O
296 agree | 284 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Jay said:
The run counted, why are you crying? The rules were followed, and the Indians are tryng to get by on a technicality, shame in them...very unsportsmanlike
385 agree | 298 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree