Micah Owings Rumors
Week in Review: 9/7 - 9/13
Just a few weeks left in the regular season, but plenty of news here on MLBTR still. Let's look back at the past week:
- The Mets received terrible news when they learned that their All-Star closer, Billy Wagner, will need Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2009. Wagner does not expect to return to the Mets, and apparently the Mets have already told him his 2010 option will not be exercised. The Mets seem likely to be in the Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes mix. On that note, Fuentes will probably not return to Colorado next season.
- I'm taking this one with a grain of salt, but it sure makes for a headline: Mark McGwire would consider playing again? Big Mac says he can still hit if someone wants him. However, it seems to me there's another 40-something former slugger with steroid allegations who says the same thing, and no one's biting on that front...
- Adam Dunn hasn't heard anything about a possible extension from the Diamondbacks, but he's not worried about it. He doesn't sound too pleased with former teammate Bronson Arroyo these days, however...
- Speaking of Dunn, the Reds officially acquired Micah Owings as part of their trade of him this week.
- Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series, with installments for the Nationals, Royals, and Pirates. He also took a look at some of the potential big-name free agents following the 2009 season.
- The Elias Rankings for American League and National League relievers are out.
- Two minor moves: The A's released designated hitter Mike Sweeney, and the Brewers claimed pitcher Todd Coffey.
Reds Officially Acquire Owings
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds officially received pitcher Micah Owings as part of the bounty for the Adam Dunn trade. Owings dealt with shoulder stiffness shortly after the D'Backs sent him to the minors in late July.
Owings, 26 in a few weeks, posted a 5.93 ERA in 104.2 innings this year. He lost a mile an hour on his fastball, but maintained a solid strikeout rate. His control worsened, and home runs continued to be a problem. Owings' flyball tendencies won't be a good fit for Great American Ballpark, but he can still be a solid #4 starter when healthy.
Week In Review: 8/10 - 8/16
Taking a look back at this week's happenings here on MLBTR...
- The biggest move of the month was the Diamondbacks' acquisition of slugger Adam Dunn for Dallas Buck, Micah Owings, and Wilkin Castillo. I can't remember any August trades of this magnitude.
- Bronson Arroyo told the media Dunn would be seeking over $100MM this offseason; Dunn denied the report wholeheartedly. I'd be surprised to see him get $100MM, but I also certainly don't think it would be the worst signing we've seen in the past few offseasons.
- The Red Sox acquired Paul Byrd from the Indians. Boston will pay the remaining portion of Byrd's salary. Byrd has been very good lately, and you can never have too much pitching depth. Not a bad move for Boston, in my opinion.
- The Twins were very active in discussions this week, though nothing surfaced as of yet. Minnesota claimed Jarrod Washburn off waivers from Seattle, but a deal wasn't worked out. Boof Bonser and salary relief was originally thought to be the offer, but that report was later denied. Passing a chance to unload Washburn's salary makes no sense to me. The Twins also claimed Alan Embree from Oakland, but he was pulled back.
- Freddy Garcia signed a minor-league contact with the Tigers. They must have liked what they saw at his audition. If he can return to be as effective as he was in his Chicago days, that would be a great signing. Nice low-risk move for Detroit.
- We've seen a lot of teams signing their young talent to long-term deals, but it looks like San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum will not be one of them. He'd prefer to go year-to-year.
- Minor moves happening around baseball: The Reds DFA'd David Ross, the Blue Jays released Shannon Stewart, and the Twins signed Bobby Kielty to a minor-league deal. The Giants DFA'd Jose Castillo, and Richie Sexson's time in New York was cut short when he was released after just 35 plate appearances. The Rockies added another arm, signing Oscar Villareal.
- And now, for the draft-pick signings! Here are all the signings and not-signings teams made with their top picks this week: The White Sox signed Gordon Beckham, the Orioles signed Brian Matusz, the Padres signed Allan Dykstra, the Rangers signed Justin Smoak, the Giants signed Buster Posey, the Pirates signed Pedro Alvarez, the Royals signed Eric Hosmer, and the Reds not only signed Yonder Alonso, but Venezuelan outfielder Yorman Rodriguez as well. The Nationals failed to sign Aaron Crow, and the Yankees failed to sign Gerrit Cole.
- And to cap things off, since we just covered a bunch of guys who probably weren't even alive when Jamie Moyer first started pitching in the Majors... he didn't deny the possibility of pitching until he's 50. He's 45 right now with 11 wins and an ERA of 3.64, who knows?
Dunn Trade Details
5:05pm: According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the third player going to the Reds in the Dunn trade is catcher Wilkin Castillo. The 24 year-old ranked 14th among D'Backs prospects heading into the season, according to Baseball America. He is able to play many other positions as well.
THURSDAY, 9:52am: Owings has not yet been placed on waivers, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. John Fay says that's because an injured player cannot be placed on waivers, and Owings is dealing with shoulder stiffness. Owings will be put on waivers when he's healthy, though the deal will still be completed in the offseason if a team claims him before the Reds.
TUESDAY: John Fay heard one of the players to be named might be Micah Owings. Nick Piecoro confirms it. That seems fair. C. Trent Rosecrans says the Mariners, Giants, Padres, or Nationals claimed Owings, so they'll have to wait until after the season to officially name him.
MONDAY, 10:27pm: C. Trent Rosecrans heard the players to be named later are on the D'Backs' 40-man roster. Rosecrans expects it to be an MLB-ready starter and a position player.
2:14pm: Jack Magruder says Dunn's remaining $4MM or so will be split between the two teams. He confirms the deal is for Buck plus two prospects to be named later. The price seems reasonable, and the D'Backs can snag a couple of draft picks when Dunn leaves.
1:47pm: Rosenthal has changed his report. It now says a deal was consummated just before the window expired. Dunn is a Diamondback. Apparently big trades can happen in August!
1:45pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says the D'Backs are "close to working out a deal" for Dunn for a minor league pitcher and two players to be named later.
1:41pm: Ken Rosenthal does not agree with Gambadoro's report. Rosenthal says the D'Backs won a waiver claim on Dunn but could not complete a deal before the window expired today.
1:27pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona radio station KTAR 620 reports that the Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Adam Dunn for three prospects, including pitcher Dallas Buck. Right field is a poor match for Dunn, but this is still an excellent move by Josh Byrnes. Dunn didn't really make sense for the eight NL teams with a better waiver position than Arizona.
Dunn isn't the ideal fit for Arizona, given the strikeouts and defense. But a .900 OPS more than balances out his flaws.
Rosenthal's Latest: Ibanez, Ohman, Fuentes
The latest from rumor guru Ken Rosenthal:
- The Mariners are not having much luck stirring interest in Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez. Only the Mets are seriously looking at Ibanez, and they don't like the price. The D'Backs aren't interested. Exacerbating the situation is that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas may feel compelled to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
- The Braves chose Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek over an offer of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the D'Backs. I'm surprised the Diamondbacks didn't go a little further. The Braves tried to expand the deal and send Will Ohman to the Angels, but a match could not be found. Ohman remains likely to go, with the Rays, Cardinals, and Red Sox named as suitors.
- Rosenthal notes that the Angels have a ton of offseason decisions to make, with club options and free agents all over the place.
- The Rockies might be slightly more willing to trade Brian Fuentes following recent losses. However, they still want a young starting pitcher for him.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday
12:10am: SI.com's Jon Heyman is hearing the Braves are locked in on the D'Backs, so I'm not sure who to believe. Heyman believes the Rays could be the fallback.
11:42pm: Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune has a source saying there's "no way" the D'Backs acquire Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. The Braves proposed a package of Scherzer, Parker, and Tracy for Tex. Sounds like these two teams are not close to being on the same page.
11:29pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman checks in. His source says the Yankees, Rays, and Angels are more likely to acquire Teixeira than the D'Backs. Frank Wren isn't having the Tracy over Jackson idea.
11:06pm: Buster Olney heard from sources that the Braves are leaning toward the D'Backs. He believes a deal could be structured around Tracy and a non-Scherzer pitching prospect. Will Carroll believes the Braves have two solid offers and a third on the way, and Tex could be traded by tomorrow.
10:32pm: Ken Rosenthal has the D'Backs as frontrunners for Tex, noting that they'll trade Tracy but not Jackson. Micah Owings or a prospect not named Scherzer or Parker could also be included. Tracy and Owings does seem superior to two draft picks. Rosenthal notes that the D'Backs would not attempt to re-sign Teixeira after the season. Meanwhile, Will Carroll heard that the Orioles and Dodgers also inquired.
9:39pm: Steve Gilbert of MLB.com has a source saying the D'Backs don't want to part with Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer, or Jarrod Parker for Teixeira.
7:12pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to GM Frank Wren, who says the Braves have deals on the table right now for Teixeira. Wren is still trying to find the best deal.
6:38pm: The Braves are now taking bids for Teixeira. ESPN's Jayson Stark says the teams in the mix are the D'Backs, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels. Still, Arizona seems the most logical fit. The Angels won't trade Casey Kotchman, and the Braves don't care for Kendry Morales.
5:08pm: According to Yahoo's Steve Henson, negotiations between the Braves and Diamondbacks for first baseman Mark Teixeira are "pretty far along." Henson talked to a front office source from another team interested in Tex. The Braves reportedly want a prospect plus Chad Tracy or Conor Jackson.
ESPN's Keith Law wrote earlier today that the Braves have at least four suitors for Teixeira.
Odds and Ends: Bay, Roberts, Cliff Lee
And here we have some random links I've collected over the past day or so.
- The Bucs will try to fill their open 40-man spots through low profile moves, not unlike the Jason Michaels one. They won't move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady until they're truly out of it. 4.5 games out of the wild card, they still have a prayer here on May 9th.
- Keith Law's top 60 prospects list for the June draft has been published. Shortstop Tim Beckham heads the list.
- Gordon Wittenmyer looks back on the Cubs players rumored to be traded for Brian Roberts.
- Juan Uribe, partially on the strength of a great takeout slide, still has life with the White Sox.
- Nick Piecoro reminds us that the D'Backs were close to acquiring Cliff Lee in a deal for Carlos Quentin this winter. That would just be unfair, Lee as a part of that rotation. Ken Davidoff notes that the Mets discussed Lee as well.
- So...did the Yankees really have a shot at Micah Owings in the Randy Johnson deal?
Heyman's Latest: Lofton, Owings, Sabathia
SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column up.
- Heyman and Buster Olney both believe the Cubs should sign free agent Kenny Lofton to help fill in for Alfonso Soriano. However, Olney noted that the Cubs don't seem interested.
- Apparently the Yanks pushed hard to get Micah Owings in the Randy Johnson deal a few years ago. Ross Ohlendorf still looks interesting, at least.
- Heyman has heard whispers about C.C. Sabathia having arm problems but admits there's no real evidence. Sabathia threw 256.3 innings last year (postseason included), an increase of almost 60 IP over 2007.
Crasnick's Latest: Ellsbury, Owings, Eckstein
A few new rumors courtesy of ESPN's Jerry Crasnick...
- The Scott Boras Corporation recently signed two new clients - Jacoby Ellsbury and Micah Owings. Seems insignificant now, but wait 4-5 years.
- David Eckstein is open to playing second base or shortstop. Crasnick notes that he turned down a four-year offer from the Mets, which might've been a mistake.
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