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Archives for June 2009

Odds & Ends: Moore, Schmidt, Atkins

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On this date back in 2003, Johnny Damon hit a single, a double, and a triple in a 14-run first inning against the Marlins. The Red Sox set a league record by scoring ten runs before making an out.

On to the linkage…

  • Matthew Pouliot of Circling The Bases says that Dayton Moore's moves over the last season and a half are enough to warrant his dismissal. He notes they have a more than qualified replacement already in-house in senior advisor Mike Arbuckle.
  • Ben Bolch of The LA Times notes that Jason Schmidt threw 104 pitches over 7.2 shutout in a rehab start yesterday. We know the Dodgers are looking for pitching, but a healthy and reasonably effective Schmidt could lessen that urgency.
  • Tracy Ringolsby writes that Garrett Atkins' recent hot streak creates "more of a possibility of another team having interest in acquiring him." Atkins is hitting .340-.415-.553 in June.
  • The Rangers have been getting good production from unexpected sources like Jason Jennings, says Ken Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News.
  • Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez says he's happy to be in Colorado, according to Susan Slusser of The SF Chronicle.
  • Joe Cowley tweets this Ozzie Guillen quote: "The people that run baseball teams now are soft." I wonder what Kenny Williams thinks about that.
  • Marc Carig writes that the Rockies had begun combing through the Yankees' farm system in advance of a potential Huston Street trade back in May.

Brewers Looking To Add Pieces

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Anthony Witrado of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers are scouring the trade market, but there's no guarantee the team will add an impact player before the trade deadline.

"We are looking to add some pieces here," team owner Mark Attanasio said. "But there's no guarantee of that, so these guys have to get the job done here.

"And we have confidence they can. We wouldn't be looking ahead (to a trade) if we didn't think this was a playoff-caliber team."

The Brewers are said to be clinging to their top prospects, but Attanasio says the team does have some wiggle room financially.

"Within limits, the payroll can expand depending on the caliber of the player involved," Attanasio said. "With our fan support, we're on the upper end of what I thought we could do here.

"We're actively looking at some guys, but one of the (byproducts) of the wild-card system is there's a lot of teams still in contention."

We've known for a while that the Brew Crew wouldn't mind adding an arm, especially now with Seth McClung having to move into the rotation.

Minaya Discusses Trade Market

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Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog says that Mets GM Omar Minaya spoke to reporters prior to last night's game, and was asked if there's a deal available that could significantly help the club.

“That deal is not there right now… I think there are 22, 24 teams that are within playoff striking distance.  So, there’s not a lot of guys… The pool is not that big.”

Minaya acknowledged that his priority right now is strengthen the team's lineup. We've seen the Amazin's connected to Mark DeRosa, but we've also heard from one team official that they "will not mortgage [their] future" this summer in any trades.

Rays DFA Winston Abreu

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Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays have designated reliever Winston Abreu for assignment. He also notes that starter Andy Sonnanstine has been demoted to Triple-A Durham, and that Scott Kazmir and Chad Bradford were activated off the disabled list.

Abreu was tremendous in the minors earlier this year, striking out 49 and allowing just 24 baserunners in 32 IP. He appeared in only two games with the big league club after his call up two weeks ago.

Cubs, Indians Discussed DeRosa

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According to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs had conversations with the Indians earlier this month about reacquiring jack-of-all-trades guy Mark DeRosa. Wittenmyer says any potential move to bring DeRosa back to the north side depends "on the asking price and ownership's willingness to take on about $2 million in salary." Aramis Ramirez could come off the disabled list before the All-Star break, and his performance would also be a factor in any potential move.

Jayson Stark reported that the Cubbies were considering making a move for DeRosa earlier this week.

Dodgers Interested In Jarrod Washburn

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SATURDAY: Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times spoke to Washburn, who had positive comments regarding the Dodgers and their stadium.

SUNDAY: MLB.com's Ken Gurnick suggests Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is eyeing Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, saying the lefty is "rumored on his radar."  Gurnick says Colletti left this weekend to scout his own prospects, perhaps to gather information for future deals.

Washburn, 35 in August, has a sparkling 3.24 ERA in 13 starts this year.  His strikeout rate is up a touch, but his peripheral stats are mostly near his normal level.  So it appears to be a possible sell-high opportunity for Seattle.  On the other hand, the Mariners are only 2.5 games out in the AL West.  Washburn has about $5.9MM left on his contract, as well as no-trade protection.

Brandon Backe Designated For Assignment

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According to Alyson Footer, the Astros designated pitcher Brandon Backe for assignment to make room on the roster for Felipe Paulino.  Backe, 31, allowed 15 runs and 21 hits in 13 innings.  This year he's dealt with an intercostal strain; he had Tommy John surgery in September of 2006.  Backe still has about $870K coming on this year's contract, so the Astros will have to assume most of that.  Jason Grodsky of MLB.com has a few comments from Backe and Astros GM Ed Wade.  Backe hopes to latch on as a starter somewhere.

Backe is probably best known for his solid postseason work for the Astros in 2004 and 2005. 

What To Do With Hanrahan?

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Pete McElroy of MASN Sports thinks the Nationals should consider moving Joel Hanrahan. Since Hanrahan is out of options, this would mean either designating him for assignment or outright releasing him.

McElroy sees Hanrahan without confidence on the mound. Despite a more than a strikeout per inning, the former Dodgers top pitching prospect has a 7.71 ERA and lost the closers gig twice in '09 and shown no improvement. Perhaps a change of scenery would be best?

Discussion: Jarrod Washburn

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Jarrod Washburn is having a bit of a resurgence this season, sporting a 3.22 ERA, with a 2.37 ERA over his previous six games. Slight improvement in his strikeout rate plus increased success against left-handed hitters (.162 against) have the 34 year old seeming a decent commodity.

Peter Gammons said Washburn could be had. The Dodgers have reportedly been eyeing the veteran lefty; however a Juan Pierre for Washburn swap would not work because of Pierre's contract. Washburn has around $5.9MM left on his contract, as well as no-trade protection.

Greg Johns at the Seattle Post Intelligencer thinks the Mariners should not sell high, even as Washburn's value peaks with every good outing. Barring a good package of prospects, Johns feels that Seattle "will want to continue riding Washburn's strong season and see how far they can go." After all, they're only 2.5 games behind the first place Rangers, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Johns also notes Washburn's balky left knee causes him discomfort every pitch. Mike Sweeney is quoted in the piece saying, "He can barely walk the four days between starts. His knee is killing him, he's got a bad back. Yet every fifth day he goes out and pitches with all his heart."

If the standings don't change dramatically before the July 31st trade deadline, would the Mariners be better suited to sell high on Jarrod Washburn?

Shapiro Discusses Wedge Speculation

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MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says Indians general manager Mark Shapiro is taking the heat off Eric Wedge, and spreading the blame evenly for the Indians underwhelming 30-44 record, 12 games back in the AL Central. Castrovince quotes Shapiro:

"'The accountability and responsibility for what has been a bad year is broad-based and shared,' Shapiro said. 'The arrow should not be pointed at Eric. It should point toward a broad spectrum — players, our staff, Eric, myself, the front office. There's shared responsibility, and I'm accountable for all those groups.' … Still, as this issue lingers in the press and on the lips of fans, it certainly has the potential to further unravel an already reeling ballclub."

Jon Heyman adds via Twitter that "Shapiro sounded committed to Wedge" on the phone earlier today.

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