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Archives for June 2009

Odds And Ends: Draft, Atkins, Lima

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Some non-McLouth, non-Glavine links to start your Thursday off…

  • On draft day, the Orioles, who pick fifth, will have an ordered list of their top five players and will choose the highest ranked player remaining regardless of position according to Jim Hunter of MASN.com.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASN.com would like to see the O's use their pick on a high school arm: either Zack Wheeler or Jacob Turner.
  • The D'Backs will have a bigger draft budget than usual, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. They could spend "in the neighborhood of $10MM," since they have seven of the first 64 picks. Not bad, considering the Mets won't have picked once by then. 
  • The Yankees don't get anything if they can't sign the player they choose 29th overall so, as MLB.com's Brian Hoch reports, signability is a factor. 
  • Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wonders if Garrett Atkins could be in line for a demotion to Triple A.
  • Jose Lima's making a comeback! MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Lima visited the Dodger Stadium press box last night.
  • Jorge Says No! chatted with Garry Templeton, Lima's manager, about the 36-year-old pitcher. Apparently he still throws 90 mph.
  • Check out this clip of David Ortiz's visit with Torii Hunter on Hanging with Mr. Hunter.

Reactions To McLouth Deal, Glavine’s Release

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The Braves caught our attention yesterday with two major moves. They released Tom Glavine and then traded for Nate McLouth an hour later. Here's an assortment of reactions from around the majors:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to one executive who believes the Pirates sent a mixed message by signing McLouth to an extension and dealing him soon after. One team official says the Pirates never shopped McLouth, which suggests they were impressed by the Braves' offer.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he usually loves deals like this for the team acquiring young talent. In this case, he doesn't believe the Pirates got enough. For the Braves, however, it's a "brilliant" move.
  • MLB.com's Adam Rosenberg reports that McLouth will arrive in Atlanta today.
  • MLB.com's Jen Langosch sees both sides of the deal for the Pirates: It's possible Neal Huntington could have traded McLouth for more, but the three players he obtained are good ones.
  • In spite of all the analysis, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says we won't really know who won this deal for months or even years.
  • Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the fan reaciton has been "mostly negative."  
  • John Smoltz's reaction to the Braves' decision to release his former teammate: "That's not how you treat people." Smoltz disagrees openly with the move in the rest of his discussion with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Glavine can prove the Braves wrong by pitching well for another team.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan believes it took a "healthy dose of emotional detachment" to cut Glavine, one that signaled "a clean break from the Braves' old identity."

White Sox to DFA Betemit, Promote Beckham

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According to a tweet by MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the White Sox will designate infielder Wilson Betemit for assignment before Thursday's game and call up top prospect Gordon Beckham. Beckham was the eighth overall pick in the 2008 Draft, and hit .318/.372/.512 in 184 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He has played mostly shortstop this year, but has seen time at third base recently. Betemit hit just .200/.280/.310 in 50 plate appearances this season after being acquired in exchange for Nick Swisher over the winter.

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa

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Some late night linkage as you wait to see if Randy Johnson picks up win number 300:

  • Jeff Zrebiec says that the Orioles may end up releasing Jamie Walker in the coming days.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins will designate reliever Hayden Penn for assignment. It's unclear who will take his place on the roster.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson says not to expect to see Tom Glavine in a Nationals uniform, but the team wouldn't mind having him as pitching mentor/coach. Glavine and team president Stan Kasten have a long standing relationship.
  • Miguel Tejada wants to finish his career in Houston. With the Astros already seven games back of first and a handful of teams looking for upgrades at shortstop and/or third base, Tejada probably won't get his wish.
  • Kyle Lohse left tonight's start in the third inning when his right forearm discomfort returned. Just yesterday there was talk of the Cardinals dealing from their pitching depth to address their infield issues, but depth on the mound has a way of disappearing quickly.
  • Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter. Whether Tony likes it or not, Twitter is here to stay.

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Sammy Sosa Set To Announce Retirement

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Yoel Adames of ESPNdeportes.com is reporting that Sammy Sosa will announce his formal retirement from baseball soon. Sosa was still waiting for contract offers as recently as last Christmas. He last played in the Major Leagues in 2007, when he hit .252-.311-.468 in 454 plate appearances for the Texas Rangers. Sosa will retire sixth on the all-time career homerun list with 609.

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Nate McLouth

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Some early thoughts about the Nate McLouth deal from around the blogosphere…

  • Bob Smizik says the Pirates send a message to their fan base with the move: The present be damned. "His trade is bound to have a pronounced negative impact on the clubhouse, much like last season when the team collapsed after the July trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay." That seems a little extreme, but the Pirates did just move perhaps their most recognizable player.
  • Bucs Dugout is naturally excited by the prospects in the deal, but they're not blown away. They also note that this kind of move makes perfect sense given the Bucs' current situation, and that they should be listening to offers for their other veterans as well.
  • Talking Chop declares the move a win for the Braves, but says the biggest story is how fast Frank Wren & Co. have acted to correct the team's flaws. I still can't but wonder if they'll continue to look for an upgrade in rightfield as well.

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Braves Acquire Nate McLouth

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7:19pm: Kovacevic has comments from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington on the deal:

"This may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization. Nate is a quality player and person but, as we have said several times, tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship-caliber organization. Nate has worked as hard as any player to become a starting major league Player, proving wrong anyone who may have doubted him. When we signed Nate to a long-term contract, we did so with the intent on having him remain part of our core of homegrown talent. But the quality and quantity of talent we are receiving in this trade moves us closer to our goal of building that sustainable championship-caliber club and compelled us to move a very good player and an outstanding young man."

Huntington also comments on the three prospects the Pirates acquired, and says none of them will be in Pittsburgh immediately.

6:10pm: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Braves acquired Nate McLouth from the Pirates today.  Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves are sending three prospects to the Pirates for him.  MLB.com's Mark Bowman names them: starters Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton and center fielder Gorkys Hernandez.

McLouth is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option on an extension agreed to in February.  This is probably not what he had in mind upon signing the deal, but the Pirates couldn't resist.  Morton is big league ready, while Locke and Hernandez, also highly regarded, are further off.  Andrew McCutchen will join the Bucs to replace McLouth in center field.

Braves Release Tom Glavine

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5:48pm: David Lennon of Newsday tweets that the Mets are not considering bringing Glavine back.  Also, word via radio reports is that Tommy Hanson will come up to start Saturday.  That's Kris Medlen's turn, but he's not in the Nate McLouth deal.

4:42pm: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports the Braves have released Tom Glavine. Glavine signed an incentive-laden deal with the Braves this winter that could have paid him as much as $4.5MM. He would have received a $1MM bonus for making the team. Glavine had just finished rehabbing and had proclaimed himself ready for big league action.

We heard today that Glavine doesn't expect to play in 2010, but his career could be over sooner than that. Ironically, his release comes on the same day fellow-lefty Randy Johnson makes his first attempt at joining Glavine in the 300 win club.

Discussion: What Should The Rangers Do With All Their Catchers?

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The Texas Rangers have an embarrassment of riches behind the plate, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez all checking in at age 25 or younger. Saltalamacchia has received the most playing time at the big league level this year, hitting .255-.307-.411 in 153 plate appearances, but Teagarden has put up a more than respectable .347 OBP in 49 PA as Salty's backup. Ramirez is stashed away in Triple-A after putting up a .217-.345-.370 line in 55 PA last year.

With the team currently sporting a 4.5 game lead in the AL West and young catching always in demand, is now the time for the Rangers to make a move and push for the franchise's first playoff berth in 1999? Could a package centered around one of those three catchers plus one of Texas' promising young arms be enough to entice the Astros to move Roy Oswalt? What do you guys think?

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Pirates President On McCutchen, Draft, Sano

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Pirates President Frank Coonelly told fans that the Pirates plan on pursuing Miguel Angel Sano, but said they'll also be able to spend on the drraft. Here are the specifics from Coonelly's MLB.com chat:

  • Andrew McCutchen, who's playing well in Triple A, will likely play in the majors at some point this season. 
  • A quote worth passing along: "Contrary to some suggestions in the media, however, we have no intention of attempting to save money in the Draft so we can apply it to one or more high profile international players." 
  • Instead, he says the Pirates plan to acquire top talent through the draft and through international free agent signings. 
  • Like any 16-year-old, Sano is no sure thing, if you ask Coonelly.  
  • But since Sano's unlike most 16-year-olds, the Pirates will make him an offer.  
  • "If Miguel decides that he has an offer that is superior to the one that we present to him, we will continue to have a strong presence in the Dominican," Coonelly said.

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