Chris Snyder Rumors
NL Central Notes: Lopez, Brewers, Snyder
A few items of note out of the NL Central, where the first-place Brewers owned a 9.5-game lead entering Saturday's action:
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he's giving infielder Felipe Lopez time to look for a job with another team before he must accept an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Lopez was recently designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and outrighted to Nashville.
- Melvin also mentioned that the Brewers were awarded two waivers claims but were unable to reach agreement on trades to acquire the claimed players, Haudricourt reports (Twitter link). It sounds like the claimed players were lefty relievers, according to Haudricourt.
- Pirates catcher Chris Snyder, on the DL since June, is hoping to return to action before the season's out, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. The Bucs hold a $6.75MM option ($750K buyout) on Snyder for 2012, and Langosch speculates that while the Pirates may not find the option attractive, they might be interested in buying it out and re-signing Snyder at a lower cost.
Red Sox Still Considering Catching Options
The Red Sox have made contact with Bengie Molina, but aren't ready to move on him yet, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. With Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hitting a combined .179/.246/.241 in 123 plate appearances this season, Molina could grow more appealing to the Sox in the near future.
We heard last month that Boston was eyeing catching help and that Molina was on the team's list of possibilities. Although Ivan Rodriguez and Chris Snyder were also on that list, Rosenthal says the Sox are "cool" on Pudge, and the Pirates are more inclined to move Ryan Doumit than Snyder.
Jeff Mathis, who received high praise from Varitek, could be available as well. However, as Rosenthal points out, while Mathis is a strong defensive backstop, his .199/.262/.311 career slash line wouldn't help the Sox.
Dead Money: Paying Players To Play Elsewhere
Eating money in trades or by releasing players is far from an ideal business practice, but sometimes it's a necessary evil. The Mets believe they are better off paying Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo a combined $18MM not to be on their team this year, and released the two just last month. David Wharton of The Los Angeles Times wrote about the concept of "dead money" today, speaking to Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, sports economist J.C. Bradbury, and Scott Boras.
With some help from Cot's Baseball Contracts, let's look at the teams that are paying players to be anywhere but on their roster this season...
- Angels: Gary Matthews Jr. ($11.4MM)
- Astros: Roy Oswalt ($7MM)
- Blue Jays: Vernon Wells ($5MM)
- Cubs: Carlos Silva ($7.25MM, plus $2MM in 2012)
- Diamondbacks: Chris Snyder ($3MM)
- Dodgers: Manny Ramirez ($8.33MM per year through 2013), Andruw Jones ($3.2MM per year through 2014), Juan Pierre ($3.5MM)
- Mariners: Carlos Silva ($5.5MM), Yuniesky Betancourt ($1MM), Josh Wilson ($179K)
- Mets: Oliver Perez ($4MM), Luis Castillo ($6MM), Gary Matthews Jr. ($1MM)
- Rockies: Manny Corpas ($3.55MM, $250K in 2012)
- Royals: Yuniesky Betancourt ($2MM)
- Twins: Brendan Harris ($500K)
- White Sox: Scott Linebrink ($3.5MM)
This doesn't include money the Braves owe Kenshin Kawakami ($7.4MM) or the Yankees owe Kei Igawa ($4MM). Both Japanese imports remain in the organization, but they've since been banished to the minor leagues. It also doesn't include all the money the Mets famously owe Bobby Bonilla for the next two decades.
Yuniesky Betancourt is the only player collecting paychecks from three different big league teams at the moment, but Carlos Silva could join him if he's called up by the Yankees. Gary Matthews Jr. could also be in that mix if he catches on somewhere this summer.
Red Sox Continue Eyeing Catching Help
The Red Sox continue to look out for possible catching help and the names on their potential wish list include Bengie Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Chris Snyder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Peter Gammons said today on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that the Red Sox are prepared to continue with Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia even though they’ve considered other options.
“I know what they were trying to do. They looked around. They didn’t have money to spend,” Gammons said. “They couldn’t go get Bengie Molina. They weren’t going to spend the money at this point.”
Boston’s interest in Snyder would likely fade if Pittsburgh’s asking price is high and Rosenthal hears that the Pirates are pleased with the catcher’s game calling and receiving ability so far in 2011. He's hitting at a respectable .333/.387/.407 clip so far and Arizona is responsible for $3MM of the $6.5MM remaining on his contract. As a result, it doesn’t appear that the Pirates are intent on moving him.
Gammons noted that the Red Sox don’t feel they have the answer to their catching issues in the minor leagues. That means trade chatter will likely continue until their current catchers start hitting or they make a move.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Blue Jays, Morrow, Delgado
Some links to check out as Brandon Morrow just misses no-hitting the Rays...
- Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) doesn't like the chances of the Cards signing their 12th-round pick, outfielder Austin Wilson.
- Toronto's negotiations with first-round pick Deck McGuire will likely go down to the wire, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
- Morrow told FOX Sports' Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that he was happy to be traded to the Blue Jays this offseason because he knew he would be a starter and not a reliever.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Indians signed 13th-rounder Michael Goodnight for $315K. Goodnight has a fastball that reaches 94 mph and a plus slider.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers aren't pursuing the recently DFA'ed Jose Guillen.
- Carlos Delgado told Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that he and his agent spoke to the White Sox, Rockies, and Mariners before deciding to sign with the Red Sox. In a separate article, WEEI's DJ Bean writes that Delgado is more focused on winning a championship than anything else.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post explains how the Yankees have to develop their own bench players because no free agents want to sign with them only to sit on the bench most of the time.
- Jason Churchill and Keith Law of ESPN take a look at some teams that need to land a few of their tough-to-sign draft picks before the August 16th deadline (Insider req'd).
- Karen Price of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes about the newest Pirates and the difficult transition they've had to make following the trade deadline.
- Meanwhile, the Chris Snyder pick up does not make a Ryan Doumit trade inevitable, says Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says that Ozzie Guillen and Paul Konerko are happy with the moves the White Sox did not make.
- The Cardinals are trying to find a long-term fix at the hot corner, writes Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. David Freese will be out indefinitely after suffering a setback as he rehabbed from an ankle injury.
Pirates Acquire Chris Snyder In Five-Player Deal
Diamondbacks interim GM Jerry Dipoto further dismantled his team today, sending catcher Chris Snyder, Triple A shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, and $3MM to the Pirates for reliever D.J. Carrasco, infielder Bobby Crosby, and outfielder Ryan Church. Snyder has about $8.18MM remaining through 2011, assuming his '12 option is declined, while Carrasco, Crosby and Church have roughly $1.2MM remaining.
Snyder signed his extension under previous GM Josh Byrnes in December of '08, coming off a fine .237/.348/.452 performance. However, he hit the disabled list in June of last year with a back injury and had surgery in September. Miguel Montero took over as the starter and hit .319/.364/.523 the rest of that season. The D'Backs shopped Snyder in the offseason and nearly dealt him to the Blue Jays until concerns over his back scuttled the deal. Snyder was able to prove his health this year when Montero missed two months due to knee surgery. Current Pirate Ryan Doumit, whose contract might have been the model for Snyder's, is on the disabled list due to a concussion.
Carrasco, Crosby, and Church were signed cheaply as free agents by the Pirates last winter, but only Carrasco has panned out. On the season he has a 3.88 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 55.6 innings with only four home runs allowed. Carrasco probably will be tendered a contract by the D'Backs, and he's under team control through 2012. Church is technically arbitration-eligible after the season, but he's highly likely to be non-tendered.
Ciriaco, 24, ranked 27th among D'Backs prospects heading into the season according to Baseball America. They praised him for his defense and speed, suggesting a possible utilityman future.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first broke news of the trade talks, with Nick Piecoro, Jack Magruder, Steve Gilbert, Dejan Kovacevic, and Jenifer Langosch also contributing to the story.
Pirates, D'Backs Agree On Chris Snyder Trade
10:43am: The minor leaguer going to the Pirates will be shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, tweets Kovacevic. Baseball America ranked Ciriaco 27th among D'Backs prospects heading into the season, praising his defense and speed.
9:55am: The Pirates will also receive a minor leaguer in the deal, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. So it's Snyder, a minor leaguer, and cash to the Pirates for Carrasco, Church, and Crosby. The Pirates will not flip Snyder, tweets Kovacevic.
9:42am: The D'Backs will also get reliever D.J. Carrasco, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Carrasco has $336K plus incentives left on his contract this year, and he's under team control through 2012. He should be a useful piece in what figures to be a revamped bullpen for Arizona next year.
9:31am: The D'Backs will receive Bobby Crosby and Ryan Church in the deal, tweets Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona. This explains the call-ups today of Argenis Diaz and Jeff Clement, to some extent. The inclusion of Crosby and Church offsets about $883K of the $8.18MM still owed to Snyder.
8:56am: Despite an agreement in principle, the two sides are still talking about names going to Arizona, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to an uninvolved industry source who wonders if the Pirates might flip Snyder.
SATURDAY, 12:37am: The only thing standing in the way of a Snyder-to-Pittsburgh deal is the commissioner's approval for cash changing hands, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. It is still not clear as to what Arizona will receive in return, he adds (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 8:57pm: The Pirates have spoken to the D’Backs about a trade that would send catcher Chris Snyder to Pittsburgh, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The FOX Sports writers suggest Arizona would likely send money to Pittsburgh in any deal. Snyder has $1.7MM remaining on his contract in 2010, plus $5.75MM next year and either $6.75MM or a $750K buyout in 2012.
The Pirates currently have Jason Jaramillo and Erik Kratz on the active roster, but Ryan Doumit is on the DL with a concussion. Like Snyder, Doumit has a lot of money coming his way. He'll earn $5.1MM in 2011 and the club holds options for 2012-13.
Earlier in the week, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reported that the D'Backs were trying to trade Snyder, but this is the first we've heard of the Pirates' interest.
D'Backs Trying To Deal Jackson, Snyder
The Diamondbacks are trying hard to deal Edwin Jackson and Chris Snyder without absorbing any salary, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Snyder makes $4.75MM this year ($1.8MM remains) plus $5.75 next year and either $6.75MM or a $750K buyout in 2012.
Jackson makes $4.2MM this year ($1.6MM remains) plus $8.35MM next season before hitting free agency. As Jon Heyman of SI.com pointed out on Twitter, the Nationals appear to covet Jackson, so the D'Backs will have at least one suitor for the starter. Jackson's 5.16 ERA and 13 wild pitches could scare some suitors off, but the 26-year-old can be unhittable and has had success in the American League.
The Red Sox have had interest in Snyder this year. The 29-year-old is hitting .231/.352/.426 with ten homers this year.
D'Backs Likely To Continue Trading
The D’Backs have already traded Conor Jackson and Dan Haren, but MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that they aren’t done dealing yet. Interim GM Jerry Dipoto would still like to trade Chris Snyder and Chad Qualls, according to Gilbert. Team officials are also open to dealing Adam LaRoche and Edwin Jackson.
Gilbert reports that the D'Backs have not discussed a three-team deal that involving Jackson, the White Sox and the Nationals, though Washington does appear to have interest in the right-hander. The Red Sox, who offered Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for Rod Barajas, have had interest in Snyder, so it would not be a surprise to see the catcher traded to Boston. The White Sox and Angels are among the teams that have some interest in LaRoche and the Rays have interest in Qualls despite his lofty 8.49 ERA.
All of the players Gilbert names have attracted some interest, so Dipoto will have the chance to make many deals. Other than Justin Upton and possibly Ian Kennedy, contenders will be able to obtain just about anyone on the D'Backs.
Dan Haren Rumors: Saturday
The Diamondbacks seem determined to move ace Dan Haren before his next start on Tuesday, and it appeared as though the Yankees became the favorite to land the right-hander yesterday. D-Backs' CEO Derrick Hall hedged his bets, saying there was no front-runner, and that other clubs had offers "of at least equal value out there." The Twins, Tigers, Phillies, and Cardinals all continue to maintain interest in Haren as well.
With all that in mind, here is today's collection of Haren rumors, with more to come...
- Haren's no-trade list probably won't matter in the way that it has for Roy Oswalt, as Haren wants to have a chance to win, a source told Olney (via Twitter).
- Haren would prefer to stay in the west, a source told Heyman (via Twitter). However, the hurler is willing to consider all suitors, which is why talks continue with clubs like Detroit and Minnesota.
- It is possible that the Phillies will trade Jayson Werth in order to get the prospects necessary to land Haren, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Alternatively, the D'Backs could take advantage where the Phillies' farm system is strongest: its lower levels. Arizona is said to have interest in one single-A player in particular, 18-year-old slugger Jonathan Singleton.
- The Tigers don't want to give up Jacob Turner for Haren and they are also on Haren's no-trade list, tweets Heyman. He adds that Ted Lilly is a "possible second choice" for Detroit.
- There have been no conversations today between the D'Backs and the Yankees, says Olney (via Twitter).
- Arizona is asking the Tigers for pitchers Jacob Turner and Andrew Oliver, tweets Olney.
- The Dodgers were actively talking to Arizona about Haren before Josh Byrnes was fired according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). They are not a prominent suitor now.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Yankees do not value Haren as much as they did Cliff Lee, and they consider him a risk because of his performance this year (Twitter links). Hence their reluctance to take on Haren's entire contract and deal a boatload of prospects.
- The Yankees are willing to surrender Nova, pitching prospect Zach McAllister, and two prospects for Haren, but they will not eat money and include Chamberlain in a trade, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. McAllister's father works in Arizona's scouting department. In a second tweet, Heyman says the Yanks would be willing to pay all of the money left on Haren's deal, but they balked at taking Chad Qualls and Chris Snyder as well.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees were "never close" to a deal for a Haren, having rejected a D-Backs' proposal that would have sent Joba Chamberlain, highly regarded pitching prospect Ivan Nova, and two others to Arizona. The Yanks countered with a package built entirely around prospects. Another sticking point is the $33MM left on Haren's contract, which the D-Backs wanted the Yanks to assume in full. New York, like other interested clubs, wanted the quality of the players in the deal to be dependent on how much of Haren's contract Arizona is willing to eat.
- Sean Brennan, Mark Feinsand, and Roger Rubin of The New York Daily News spoke to a source who indicated that while the Yankees would like to swing a deal for Haren, they won't do so "at all costs."
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