MVN: Most Valuable Network

The San Francisco Giants cleared quite a bit of room on their 40-man roster last night, out-righting pitchers Tyler Walker, Kevin Correia, and Brad Hennessey.  The move was made so San Francisco could grab a couple players in the Rule-V draft and protect them.  All three hurlers were set to receive a raise in arbitration this year, but it should not have been much.  They also cleared waivers earlier in the year, showing that there wasn't much of a market for either of them.

The 32-year old Walker had a Jekyl/Hyde season, posting  a 4.56 ERA in 53.1 innings while only allowing right-handers to hit at a .186 clip as opposed to allowing a .319 average to lefties.  He also posted a 3.07 ERA on the road, much lower than the 6.38 he posted in San Francisco.  Tyler's success on the road might earn him the opportunity to have some middle-relief work elsewhere.  As for Kevin Correia, the right-hander got lit up in 2008 (6.05 ERA in 110 innings) after having 2 consecutive years with a sub-3.50 ERA.  Could it be a case of needing new surroundings?

The control-artist Brad Hennessey will seemingly have the most difficult time finding new work.  The 28-year old has only struck out 192 batters in 360.1 major-league innings, and got battered in '08, giving up an astonishing 63 hits in 40.1 innings and having a 7.81 ERA to show for it. Hennessey has lost his success of the past, as Brad had 19 saves for the Giants last year (3.42 ERA).

The Chicago Cubs met the midnight deadline for starting-pitcher Rich Harden's 2009 option.  They have agreed to excercize the 26-year old's $7M option for next year, and with good reason.  Tests taken yesterday on Harden's bumb shoulder showed no structual damage, prompting Chicago to make the decision.  Rich was nothing short of spectacular with the Cubbies, going 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 89 strike-outs.  His health is still a concern, but the fact that he is still quite young shows that he may put out a 200 inning year in the future.  With this being the case, $7M seems like a bargain. This year was quite disappointing for the north-siders, but with a top 3 of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and now Rich Harden  there's no doubt they have a chance to make the postseason again in '09.... Read more

I know it's old news, but hey I can't miss a big signing like this one. The St. Louis Cardinals have re-signed 30 year old starter Kyle Lohse to a 4-year deal worth $41M.  The deal isn't as awful as I thought it would be, especially since Kyle is a Scott Boras client.  The Chino, California native had a dream year under Dave Duncan this year, going 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA.  What's even more astonishing is the fact that Lohse didn't sign with the club until late March since he was hoping for a huge deal from other clubs before settling to a 1-year pact with St. Louis. As long as Lohse doesn't regress to who he was in previous years, this signing is quite smart for the birds.  Lohse is a very durable pitcher, and his club doesn't seem to be able to keep 5 healthy starters are... Read more

The Boston Red Sox have decided to exercise set-up man Hideki Okajima's 2009 option. Hideki has been a god-send for Boston ever since coming from Japan, providing key relief in the much needed bridge from the starter to the closer. It was a no-brainer for Boston; as the option was for a mere $1.75M which is a price most teams pay for an average middle-reliever. Okajima has been in an astonishing 115 games this year, posting a 2.88 ERA with 52 K's in 56.3 innings. He seems to like Boston, and it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if he received an extension sometime during next season.... Read more

The Colorado Rockies are now attempting to shed payroll enlight of being only 6 games out of the NL West, placing both closer Brian Fuentes and speedy center-fielder Willy Taveras on waivers. Both players shouldn't clear, so look for the Rockies to get their money's worth if they are going to trade either of these players. Fuentes would obviously be a tremendous fit for the New York Mets, but there's plenty of other teams looking for relievers with worse records than the Metropolitans. As for Taveras, the Washington Nationals are a perfect fit as long as young Lastings Milledge can be pushed to left or right field. Willy has 60 steals this year, leading the major leagues. There's no doubt many teams would love to have that kind of speed on the top of their lineup.... Read more

The Boston Red Sox have quickly found a replacement for the injured J.D. Drew.  Multiple major-league sources believe that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves.  The only kinks that need to be worked out in a deal is the no-trade clause that Kotsay possesses, and Boston is currently communicating with Mark and his agent about it.  If Kotsay does waive his no-trade clause, expect him to be the everday center-fielder.  The young and talented Jacoby Ellsbury would then become the right-fielder, at least until Drew returns from the DL.... Read more

The Minnesota Twins have brought back reliever Eddie Guardardo, acquiring him from the Texas Rangers in return for minor league thrower Mark Hamburger.  Guardado was a main stay in the Twins bullpen from his debut in 1993 to his last year with the club, 2003.  He was having a very fine season for Texas, posting a 3.58 ERA with 24 holds.  It's an odd question why the Rangers would let him go, especially with their lack of pitching depth.... Read more

The New York Mets have signed veteran reliever Al Reyes today, as they have quite a shallow pen with the recent news that closer Billy Wagner might be out for the year. Nice deal by Minaya, as Reyes was having a fine season before being designated by Tampa. The Houston Astros have claimed third-baseman Jose Castillo from the San Francisco Giants. Castillo definitely has power, but looks to be a one-dimensional type player. His home-run numbers should sky-rocket in Houston.... Read more

According to the AP, the Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreement with the San Diego Padres on acquiring 42-year old starter Greg Maddux. San Diego will recieve two minor-league players to be named or cash considerations.  They will still be on the hook for $1.3M of Maddux's remaining $2.2M. I don't understand the deal from the Dodgers point of view, as Eric Stults was mighty strong in his few starts.  Now they add a veteran who is not only more expensive but probably doesn't have the stuff that a younger Stults does.  General Manager Ned Coletti seemingly added Maddux just for his name.... Read more

The Detroit Tigers have placed outfielder/DH Gary Sheffield on waivers. The 39-year old voiced his displeasure as the designated-hitter and believes that he must be a position player in order to become a vocal leader. He's hitting .219 this year. Sheffield was shopped to the Rays a couple of days ago, a team who would seemingly have a spot for him, but no interest was shown. Detroit has also signed starting-pitcher Freddy Garcia to a minor-league contract. Garcia is finally becoming healthy, and should be up with Detroit by the end of August. The Tigers seem to be out of the American League Central race, but it doesn't hurt to try.... Read more

The Boston Red Sox have added starting-pitch depth, now that Tim Wakefield is injured, acquiring veteran Paul Byrd from the Cleveland Indians for either a player to be named or cash. The 37-year old finesse pitcher has posted a 4.53 ERA in 131 innings for Cleveland, but has shown the ability to be a strong starter. He's still due $2M, which is the reason he cleared waivers, but it is not yet known whether Boston will be paying all of it. You must wonder why the Yankees didn't get involved with Byrd. Cleveland should be very happy that they shipped Paul, as they are out of the race this year and should shed salary on veterans any chance they get. Look for them to attempt to move some more veteran players in the next couple days.... Read more