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Archives for June 2009

Week In Review: 6/21/09 – 6/27/09

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It's the last week of June, which means things are really going to start picking up around here in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to it, how about everyone else? Let's run down the past week:

  • One question we've been hearing a lot lately: Where will Mark DeRosa end up? How about parked right behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' lineup? St. Louis acquired DeRosa and made a big commitment to 2009 by sending Chris Perez and a player to be named later to Cleveland for the 34-year-old Swiss army knife. Given the Indians bullpen struggles, this move makes sense for both sides. The Cardinals may have given up a piece of their future, but DeRosa's strong production from 2008 has carried into 2009 and he'll vastly improve the club's playoff chances. Anyone see his catch in left for his St. Louis debut? Heck of a way to make an impression on his new fans.
  • The Brewers are looking to add some more pieces to the club, and we've heard that they'd like an arm to fill a spot in a struggling rotation. Doug Davis has been mentioned, but even though the Diamondbacks are ready to sell, they're going to have high demands given the lack of sellers on the market. Who else makes sense for the Crew, keeping in mind that they don't want to move any top prospects?
  • The Yankees may be in search of a bat, with Xavier Nady needing season-ending Tommy John surgery. We'd heard that Brian Cashman wasn't planning on adding a bat, but he was likely envisioning a healthy Nady in his lineup when he made that comment.
  • Jarrod Washburn is having a nice rebound season, and apparently Ned Colletti and the Dodgers have taken notice. The Dodgers have been rumored to have interest in the 35-year-old lefty, but the Mariners may not be ready to sell yet. They're just three games back themselves.
  • One pitcher that's almost certainly not available made some headlines this week. Josh Johnson's agent said that the Marlins ace will seek a contract along the lines of what A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia received from the Yankees this season. Can Johnson command a $100MM+ contract when he's a free agent in 2012?
  • The Twins designated Luis Ayala for assignment this week, after seeking out manager Ron Gardenhire and requesting a trade three weeks ago. Ayala apparently wanted to be the Twins' 8th inning setup option… but likely had an ERA around the mid-4.00s to upper 5.00s given the reported time of the trade request. Not a good time to complain about your role in the 'pen, Luis. But hey, maybe you can pitch the 8th in Pittsburgh; the Pirates are interested in you.

Mariners Not Adding Third Baseman Yet

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Larry Stone sat down with Jack Zduriencik following the Ryan Langerhans acquisition today, to ask if anything else was on the horizon in the wake of Adrian Beltre's injury. Zduriencik said that for the time being, nothing is in the works:

"I think you leave all your options open. Obviously, there have been a lot of talks over the last month on a lot of different scenarios. Nothing is imminent. At this moment, I don't anticipate anything, That's not to say, as you move forward, the next day creates something that wasn't there today. I think everyone is aware of everyone else's situation. When they see what's happened here recently, or we look at other clubs…but at this time, we are where we are, and we'll try to do the best we can with where we're at."

Zduriencik has not received any calls offering a third baseman yet, and says the Langerhans acquisition is more related to the loss of Endy Chavez than to Beltre's surgery.

Stone also reports that Zduriencik sat with Scott Boras in the first row behind home plate at Dodger Stadium. The two discussed Beltre, Jarrod Washburn, and Dustin Ackley, but nothing too formal on any of the three.

Brewers Asked About DeRosa

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In Tom Haudricourt's latest piece, he discusses the Brewers' failed attempt to acquire Mark DeRosa from the Indians.

Haudricourt talked to the Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash, who stated that the Brewers didn't have have what the Indians were looking for – young, major league-ready pitching.

Ash also mentions the Diamondbacks as a possible trade partner, but states that because the market has more buyers than sellers right now, the D'Backs can ask a higher price for players such as Doug Davis and Felipe Lopez. Haudricout quotes Ash saying that Arizona's asking price is "way too high."

Nats Swap Langerhans For Mike Morse

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Pete McElroy informs us that the Nationals have sent Ryan Langerhans to the Mariners in exchange for Mike Morse.

Morse, 27, was a third-round pick by the White Sox in the 2000 draft. He was off to a fine .312/.370/.481 start in the Pacific Coast League this season, and has managed a .300 batting average in 107 career major league games.

Langerhans, 29, has been posting a nice season at the Triple-A level as well, hitting .278/.371/.488 with 9 home runs on the year.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times confirms the deal and says that Langerhans will likely be a part of the big league club starting this Tuesday.

Interestingly, during a chat that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik held with fans a few days ago, one reader suggested making a move to acquire Langerhans. Zduriencik's reply: "Good suggestion."

Odds & Ends: Morgan, Brewers, Phillies

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Some odds and ends around the league:

Olney’s Latest: DeRosa, Nationals, Bay

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Buster Olney's latest blog post is up:

  • Mark DeRosa is "a perfect fit for the Cardinals" and the Indians "got exactly what they wanted" in Chris Perez says Olney.
  • Olney says the expectation is that a flurry of signings will occur in final 3 days leading up to the August 17 deadline due to "enormous pressure on teams to stay within the slotting recommendations set by the commissioners office." Here's a quick explanation of slot recommendations.
  • In response to the Nyjer Morgan/Lastings Milledge rumors, Olney says Washington is determined to purge their system of dysfunctional players.
  • Olney suggests Jason Bay is on pace to land a 4 year, $60MM or 5 year, $70MM contract.

Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa

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SUNDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi has written about a couple possible PTBNLs for the Indians:

"One official with knowledge of the transaction said minor league right-handers Jess Todd and Francisco Samuel are on the list of possibilities. It's not known if other players are on the list agreed upon by the clubs. But Todd and Samuel are hard throwers who could fit into Cleveland's bullpen next year. And anyone who has watched the Indians play recently is aware that they have an immediate need for power arms at the end of the game."

Morosi notes Todd has a 2.73 ERA in 28 Triple-A appearances with one big league game this season. The PTBNL will be received on or before September 1.

SATURDAY, 9:58pm: According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Cardinals have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Indians for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

DeRosa, 34, wasn't in tonight's lineup though this was supposedly a "standard day off," according to Castrovince. DeRosa posted a .270/.342/.457 line in 314 plate appearances for the Indians and is making $5.5MM in the final year of his contract (about $2.9MM remains). He's been the subject of rumors for weeks, and it looks like the Indians are officially sellers.

Perez turns 24 soon.  He posted a 4.18 ERA and 30/15 K/BB ratio for the Cardinals in 23.2 innings this year. He was one of the Cardinals' top relief prospects and profiles as a future closer.

It's a little early to make a final judgment on this deal until we find out who the PTNBL is–Castrovince notes that "the PTBN component is an important one," according to Indians GM Mark Shapiro–but for now it looks like a solid deal for both teams, as they each fill in their respective needs.

Heyman’s Latest: Best & Worst Free Agent Signings

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Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman has compiled a list of the best and worst free agent signings. Here are the lists, in descending order:

The Best: Raul Ibanez, Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Rodriguez, Orlando Hudson, Mark Teixeira, Brad Penny, CC Sabathia, Ivan Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Randy Johnson, Adam Everett, Randy Wolf, David Eckstein, Adam Dunn, and Felipe Lopez.

The Worst: Milton Bradley, Oliver Perez, Pat Burrell, Manny Ramirez, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey Jr., and Edgar Renteria.

What do you think? Anyone missing from these lists? Any surprises?

Heyman has a few more bullet points:

  • With Matt Lindstrom and Kiko Calero on the DL, the Marlins inquired about Heath Bell and Joakim Soria. Of course, neither star closer is available according to Heyman.
  • Heyman likes the Mark DeRosa deal for both sides, and thinks the Cardinals did well to acquire a versatile player like DeRosa to solve their 3B issues.
  • The Indians are not anxious to trade Cliff Lee. He's making a $6MM in 2009 with a $9MM club option for 2010. The Dodgers, Mets, and Brewers have inquired. Heyman says the Rangers could get a deal for Lee done with Derek Holland or Neftali Feliz.
  • Bad news for Xavier Nady. Heyman quotes a source saying second Tommy John surgeries have "as low as 20 percent" chance of success.

Renck’s Latest: Hawkins, Saito, Spilborghs, Atkins

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In his latest article, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has a few Rockies footnotes worth discussing:

  • Renck suggests the Rockies should aggressively pursue LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros drop in the standings.
  • Takashi Saito is another option. He has dominated in the NL West and the Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs. He also notes the Tigers and Phillies have expressed interest in Spilborghs, as Ken Rosenthal said earlier this month.
  • Renck lists the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets as potential fits for Garrett Atkins, but Renck adds that his "$4 million in remaining salary is prohibitive."

Red Sox Rumors: Penny, Bay, Lugo

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The Boston Globe has posted a few notes today from Amalie Benjamin and Tony Massarotti.

  • Massarotti says that between Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL, the age John Smoltz (42) and Tim Wakefield (43), and not knowing how much Clay Buchholz can contribute, Brad Penny is "more valuable to the Red Sox than people may think" and there shouldn't be any urge to move him. Massarotti quotes Terry Francona, "We didn't sign him to trade him. We signed him to win. He’s worked hard. I only think it’s going to continue to get better."
  • While Jason Bay isn't concerned about getting a contract done, Massarotti says the Sox "have every intention of revisiting talks with the outfielder before the end of the season, a baseball source has confirmed."
  • Amalie Benjamin suggests that Jed Lowrie's return could mark the end of the Julio Lugo era in Boston. Before yesterday, Lugo had not started since June 14, ceding time to Nick Green who is making $8.5MM less. According to Benjamin, "…the shortstop would be foolish not to prepare for the possibility of being released. The Sox would be on the hook for his salary, and he could be signed by any club for the league minimum."

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