Cards Showcasing Reyes In Triple A?
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that Anthony Reyes‘ demotion to the Triple A rotation increases his trade value. Interested teams view him as a starter, and want to see him in that role before acquiring him.
Last week, ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard rumblings that the Cards want "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece." Reyes, 26, has shown flashes of brilliance but has a 5.41 career ERA in 219.2 innings. He just seems fixable, is all.
With Moss Out, Wilkerson Could Be An Option For Red Sox
As Nat mentioned in an earlier post today, the Red Sox are suddenly having to figure out how to replace Brandon Moss. And in an update via the Extra Bases blog, Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo brings light to Brad Wilkerson‘s situation.
Wilkerson was waived by the Mariners last week, and has since cleared waivers. He has not given his agent, Scott Boras, any indication of his plans.
Boras, however, confirmed that the Red Sox were interested in Wilkerson this off-season. Cafardo suggests that if they’re looking for a long-term answer to their sudden roster opening, Wilkerson could be an option.
Alejandro Leal writes for UmpBump.com. You can reach him here.
Jerry Owens Blocked By Carlos Quentin’s Surprising Start
One of the most pressing needs the White Sox addressed this off-season was finding a permanent center fielder, a position that has given the ChiSox headaches ever since they traded Aaaron Rowand to the Phillies in the Jim Thome deal.
By trading for Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin, as well as with the emergence of rookie Jerry Owens and Brian Anderson’s patently familiar story (highly touted White Sox outfield prospect who doesn’t pan out), White Sox GM Kenny Williams hoped to have that issue put to rest.
The Sox were hoping to give Owens a shot in the outfield this year, but after a strong April (leading his team in four offensive categories), Quentin has effectively blocked what should have been Owens’ season to shine. (Owens did start the year at Triple-A due to injury).
The problem is the Sox offense is not hitting much, with nine of their last home runs being solo jobs (a trend that was common place last year) and even though management knows Owens could be a spark plug, Manager Ozzie Guillen doesn’t want to recall Owens to have him sit on the bench. Unless Quentin cools off, the status quo calls for an uncomfortable log jam in the ChiSox outfield.
Alejandro Leal writes for UmpBump.com. You can reach him here
Odds & Ends: Kennedy, Rays, Bonds, Wagner
And now for something completely different, Odds and Ends:
- ESPN reports that the Yankees optioned Ian Kennedy to Triple-A. To take his place, they recalled Darrell Rasner who in 5 Triple-A games is 4-0 with 0.87 ERA and 27 K in 31 IP. Kennedy relies on control and control he has had not. He has the highest percentage of working into hitters counts of anyone in the bigs.
- The Rays are the first team ever to hold the first pick in back-to-back years, and unlike last year when they selected David Price without thinking twice, they are presently undecided. According to Marc Lancaster, "It’s a safe bet their choice will come from the following pool: Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez, Griffin (Ga.) High SS Tim Beckham, Florida State C Buster Posey, Missouri RHP Aaron Crow, University of San Diego LHP Brian Matusz and Riverside (Calif.) Patriot High C Kyle Skipworth."
- Art Spander in the Oakland Tribune calls on Billy Beane to sign Barry Bonds. Mike Sweeney and Frank Thomas aren’t enough. Says Spander, "[Bonds] still can put balls in the seats and… butts in the seats. As opposed to you putting a tarp over them. The A’s have to stop being a secret and start becoming an attraction."
- Brian Cashman: Phillies GM? So speculates Jim Salisbury. With no Johan but an injured Phil Hughes and ineffective Ian Kennedy, Cashman could find himself jettisoned by default from the organization should they miss the playoffs. Pat Gillick’s contract is up after this year and Cashman once looked favorably on that gig. But if you ask me, Mr. Salisbury is getting way ahead of himself.
- Billy Wagner tells the New York Post’s Steve Serby that he expects to retire after 2009. And he still hasn’t had a bagel. That blows my mind.
By Nat Boyle
Coco To Stay For Now
From the Sunday Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo notes that Brandon Moss’ emergency appendectomy yesterday "certainly puts the kibosh on any thought of moving Coco Crisp…" And when Bobby Kielty returns from his hand injury, Moss may be a mainstay. Cafardo notes that Moss has been impressive so far. Writes Cafardo,
"’I’ve been trying to get Moss for three years," said one assistant general manager in the American League West. "I think he’s a guy who is going to be a very good major league player. He can do a lot of things. Strong lefthanded bat. Good head for the game, but the Red Sox aren’t inclined to deal him. We’ve tried, believe me.’"
The 24 year old Georgia-native Brandon Moss (or Brandy Moss to me) has had not one but two clutch game winning hits so far this year. He’s hitting .289 with 2 HR in 21 AB.
With regards to the Coco angle, it’s apparent that staying put was the right decision for the Red Sox. They have needed the depth to cover minor injuries to J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Crisp. Crisp does not seem unhappy with the situation as a whole and Ellsbury’s production is obviously unaffected by occasional days off. Further, as pinch runners they have been late inning weapons. The Sox only problem seems to be middle relief but few teams don’t share in that dilemma, and the Sox have internal options I expect them to go to before making a deal. Eventually, you’d think they’ll have to hand the reins over to Ellsbury but for now having both is a blessing. There are certainly a lot of opinions on this – what are yours?
By Nat Boyle
More Rosenthal’s Latest
Slow day for rumors, and yet Ken Rosenthal gets two posts! No surprise there. This time from his nifty sidebar Notes of Importance:
- With John Smoltz returning as the closer, the Braves will be exploring trades for a starter. Rosenthal says Atlanta could afford to give up prospects but won’t overpay. MLBTR covered this a couple days ago.
- Doing his best Monty Python, Rosenthal looks on the bright of life and sees the Troy Tulowitzki injury as an opportunity for Clint Barmes to rebuild his trade value. If he can produce anywhere near the level of his 80+ games in ’05 then Barmes could generate a lot of interest. If not, then we’ll continue to mention venison whenever Barmes comes up in conversation. I think Barmes has a lot of proving to do to be looked at favorably by scouts as he’d become a bit of a liability for the Rockies both in the field and at the plate.
- At the moment, the Nationals are carrying three catchers: Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, and Wil Nieves. Lo Duca is off the DL and returning to starting. Estrada is making $1.25MM and could be released, suggest Rosenthal. Nieves, however, signed with the Nats for less money over the Yankees in the offseason, hoping for a better opportunity. If the Nats put him on waivers, the Yankees – who wanted to retain Nieves – may indeed claim him if they view him as a better option than Chad Moeller.
By Nat Boyle
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hudson, Turnbow, Laird, Kershaw
Rumorland Ambassador Ken Rosenthal has posted yet another Full Count video. Let’s get sifting:
- Rosenthal thinks Orlando Hudson could be shown the money this offseason if he opts to explore free agency. Hudson most likely won’t be offered market value by the Dbacks. Rosenthal posits the Orioles, Cards, Dodgers, and Mariners as potential buyers.
- 4 unnamed teams are interested in Derrick Turnbow, who is making $3.2MM this year. According to KR, the Brewers would need to throw money in a deal or get a comparable salary in return – as the saying goes, you trade contracts, not players. Turnbow needs a fresh start and middle relief is always in demand; however, a lot of teams have better internal options and could see Turnbow as a project for better or worse.
- Gerald Laird update: Reds, Yankees, and Brewers all passed. But Rosenthal still expects Laird to end up somewhere and notes that whoever gets him has him through 2010.
- The Dodgers are planning on "integrating" Clayton Kershaw soon to throw a limit of 150 IP; however this doesn’t (yet) make Esteban Loaiza expendable as they would alternate the two in the rotation, Kershaw starting twice, and then Loaiza twice, and so on. I say "(yet)" because Rosenthal doesn’t mention that the rotation will get crowded if/when Jason Schmidt returns in early June. I would expect they’ll explore options, but be content using Loaiza out of the bullpen. By the way, Kershaw has a 1.40 ERA with 31 K in 25.2 IP for Double-A Jacksonville.
By Nat Boyle
Rangers Not Interested In Turnbow
Deep within this Dallas Morning News piece, Evan Grant writes that the Texas Rangers are not very interested in acquiring Derrick Turnbow, the reliever who was DFAed yesterday by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Texas GM Jon Daniels said that the team would "do some due diligence" but it doesn’t appear that they plan on pursuing the righty reliever.
Aside from the anomaly that was 2005, Turnbow’s problem has always been his inability to find the plate. His terrible start in 2008 was compounded by the fact that the strikeouts, which has been Turnbow’s calling card throughout his career, became infrequent.
Posted by Paul Moro
Julio Franco Calls It Quits
It’s the end of a 26-year-long journey for Julio Franco, the 49-year old famously known for his longevity. On Wednesday, Franco, who had been playing in Mexico for the Quintana Roo Tigers, announced his retirement to his teammates and the information was made public on Thursday via a post on the team’s website.
In an interview published today by the Mexican sports daily Record, Franco says, "It was the hardest decision in my life. I understand that my time has passed and the great men and athletes know when to say enough."
The first baseman made his final appearance in MLB on September 17, 2007 for the Atlanta Braves. Facing the Florida Marlins, Franco was called on to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th and made what would be his last at-bat count, lacing a single to right and driving in a run.
Posted by Paul Moro
Juan Pierre Not Happy Being A Bench Player
Juan Pierre, who has been the odd man out in the crowded Dodgers outfield this year, said following the team’s 5-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Thursday that he still has not accepted his current role with the club as a bench player:
"I don’t see myself as a bench player. I haven’t accepted that. I know if they don’t want me to play out there, that’s their decision. But I don’t see myself as a bench player."
One reporter asked Pierre if he wanted to remain with the Dodgers to which the 30-year old responded:
"I’m not going to answer that one. It is what it is. I’m not going to touch that one."
Pierre is currently behind young outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, along with offseason acquisition Andruw Jones, in the Dodgers’ depth chart. His deal is guaranteed for four more years including 2008 (at a combined $36.5MM) with a limited no-trade clause.
One difficult aspect of this situation is that Pierre is essentially still the same player he always was offensively. He has never hit for power and his OBP has always been fairly reliant on maintaining a high batting average (a dicey proposition year in and year out). The Dodgers knew what they were getting when they signed him in November 2006. Now Pierre is left to wonder what changed.
Paul Moro is a writer for UmpBump.com and can be reached via e-mail at Paul@UmpBump.com.