According to Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com, the Indians signed LHP Bobby Livingston to a minor-league deal yesterday. Livingston had been granted his release from the Orioles on July 2nd, and he'll now slide into the rotation at Double-A affiliate Akron. This marks another scrap-heap acquisition for the Indians, who have been shuffling their vaunted bullpen.
Archives for July 2009
All-Star Acquisitions
As you probably heard, the All-Star lineups were announced today. Whether you consider the lineups fair or flawed, a sizeable portion of the talent pool was acquired just this past offseason and will be heading to St. Louis for the festivities next week. Just for fun, let's run through a list of these players–let me know if I missed anyone:
AL
SP Edwin Jackson, Tigers – Acquired Dec. 10, 2008, from Rays for OF Matt Joyce.
RP Brian Fuentes, Angels – Signed Dec. 31, 2008, to 2-year deal worth $17.5MM.
1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees – Signed Dec. 23, 2008, to 8-year deal worth $180MM.
NL
OF Raul Ibanez, Phillies – Signed Dec. 16, 2008, to 3-year deal worth $31.5MM.
2B Orlando Hudson, Dodgers – Signed Feb. 20, 2009, to 1-year deal worth $3.4MM plus incentives.
SP Jason Marquis, Rockies – Acquired Jan. 6, 2009, from Cubs for RP Luis Vizcaino.
RP Francisco Rodriguez, Mets – Signed Dec. 10, 2008, to 3-year deal worth $37MM.
Week In Review: 6/28/09 – 7/4/09
Hope everyone had a great 4th this weekend! We saw some trades this week, heard about some potential deals, and also had the International Signing Period begin on July 2! Here's your weekly look back at the MLBTR world:
- The Pirates have been all over the headlines this week, highlighted by their trade with the Nationals in which they sent Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to Washington in exchange for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. I've got to credit Neal Huntington for selling high on two pieces who likely aren't a major part of the club's future to buy low on a talent like Milledge and a hard-luck reliever this year in Hanrahan. Obviously, it's no sure thing, but it's the type of high upside move Bucs fans should be glad to see.
- Pittsburgh also sent Eric Hinske to the Yankees for two minor leaguers this week, and they may not be done yet. They're reportedly also considering deals for Matt Capps and John Grabow. We heard this week that the Twins are interested in both relievers, as well as Freddy Sanchez. Minnesota's bullpen has grown slightly thinner after releasing Luis Ayala this week, and their middle infield has struggled all season. Ayala signed with the Marlins on Thursday.
- The two biggest names among international players this week have been Miguel Angel Sano and Aroldis Chapman. Sano has been linked to Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Minnesota. Sano's age is being investigated, but that hasn't stopped Minnesota from offering a roughly $3MM bonus. Pittsburgh has reportedly offered one as well. Despite the Twins' offer, they appear to be a distant third for Sano's services. Here's some additional information on the Dominican phenom.
- The news this week that Chapman had defected from Cuba started talks of a bidding war, and the Yankees emerged with interest in the lefty fireballer. However, recent news that Chapman may be 26 years old, and not 21 as previously thought, have lilkely caused his once high value to come down to a more reasonable price. Where can you see Chapman landing?
- Teams in need of pitching (which covers just about all of them) might not want to count on Ben Sheets this season. The former Milwaukee ace may not pitch at all in 2009. He's been heavily linked to the Rangers in the past; who should Texas be scouting as Plan B?
- Another ace who's apparently unavailable is Dan Haren, for whom the Angels attempted to begin negotiations. The D'Backs though, "almost can't conceive" a package that would make them think about moving the All-Star.
- The Mets have been decimated by injuries, but Omar Minaya seems content to rely on the return of some of his big name players and won't make a big move. Is this the right move, or is Omar being too optimistic of his players' health?
- Don't look for the Nationals to conduct a firesale either. As Mike Rizzo says, firesales mean you "want to dump people," and the Nats don't want to dump anyone. I can't fathom why the Nationals wouldn't be major sellers, though. This seems more like a play to not detract value from the trade chips he does have.
Padres DFA Edwin Moreno
MLB.com's Corey Brock tells us, via Twitter, that the Padres have designated right-hander Edwin Moreno for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for catcher Jose Lobaton.
The Padres were forced to create room for another catcher on the roster following injuries to both Nick Hundley and Henry Blanco.
Moreno, 28, was 1-3 for the Pads with a 4.84 ERA. He had notched 15 strikeouts through 22.1 innings to go along with 15 walks, while opposing hitters were batting .311 off of him.
Lobaton, 24, is hitting .248/.301/.360 with three home runs through 37 games at AAA this year.
Wedge & Staff Staying Put
If you follow @mlbtraderumors on Twitter, then you may have seen today that the Indians announced via @tribeinsider: "Shapiro stated this am that Eric Wedge and his staff will remain in their positions the rest of this season".
Anthony Castrovince suggested they may stick around beyond 2009, adding that "Shapiro said today's announcement is … the next step in a continuing conversation with ownership about the direction of the club. All parties involved felt it important to remove all clouds of doubt about Wedge's security and make the most of the second half, from a player development standpoint." Wedge is signed through 2010.
Sabean Defuses Martinez, Dye Rumors
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says Brian Sabean quelled rumors of the Giants interest in Jermaine Dye and Victor Martinez, referring to each as "pie in the sky." Last month it was rumored that the Giants were scouting both.
Baggarly quoted Sabean saying V-Mart would require "a (Madison) Bumgarner-plus type of blockbuster deal. And that's not going to happen because we're not going to trade Bumgarner."
Marlins Sign Brendan Donnelly
Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins have signed Brendan Donnelly. The 37 year old veteran was signed by the Astros in May after being released by the Rangers in March. He left the Astros on July 1 to become a free agent. Florida will be the fifth club Donnelly has joined since leaving the Angels after 2006.
Morosi’s Latest: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Correia, Holliday
Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com suggests the Blue Jays might want to set their sights on 2010, after which they stand to lose Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Scott Rolen, and Roy Halladay to free agency. Not to mention Cito Gaston and J.P. Ricciardi, whose contracts will both expire barring an extension. Morosi writes,
"Six pitchers currently reside on the disabled list, and ace Roy Halladay was a recent visitor. Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, signed through 2014, haven't been hitting. The team is in fourth place and would probably need to climb the standings quickly in order to convince ownership that additions to an $80 million payroll are warranted this month."
Morosi adds the following:
- Halladay is not going anywhere.
- Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond are most likely staying put, says Morosi, and I doubt anyone here disagrees.
- Pitching is not a need for 2010 with the anticipated return of Jesse Litsch, Shaun Marcum, and Dustin McGowan.
- The Jays are almost certain to keep Downs, who has become a premier reliever in the American League.
Morosi suggests, the Jays trade a pitcher or two to boost their team OPS which lags in the AL East behind the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. Given the above, Morosi suggests Brian Tallet as a trade chip. "Tallet could be looked upon as a viable option for teams looking for a mid-rotation left-handed starter, particularly if the Mariners stay in the race and elect not to move Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn."
They may also look at dealing from their collection of right-handed setup men, such as Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, Brandon League, or Jason Frasor. Just speculating here but Janssen may be the most attractive since he can start. As a reliever in 2007, Janssen had a 2.35 ERA in 72.2 IP with 6 saves before missing 2008 with a torn labrum.
Morosi has a few more bullet points to discuss:
- Freddy Sanchez's contract contains an $8MM option for 2010 that automatically vests after 635 PAs, or only 600 if he makes the All Star team. So, it stands to reason that Sanchez will either make the All Star Team or see his trade value increase. This may be moot given Sanchez is on pace for 660 plate appearances. Morosi says one Mariners official doesn't think Pittsburgh is considering trading Sanchez. The M's have need for a pure hitter as well as a second baseman given concerns about Jose Lopez ability to stay at 2B long term.
- The M's asked about Jeremy Hermida, but there wasn't a lot of movement. Morosi notes Hermida's trade value has fallen significantly.
- Kevin Correia is pitching fantastically but the Padres haven't put him on the open market. Morosi doesn't report much excitement among other clubs.
- Morosi says "one person in the industry who knows Oakland general manager Billy Beane well," guessed Matt Holliday will stay with the team so Beane could collect the compensatory draft picks. Morosi quotes the source: "Billy loves the draft."
Giants, Pirates Discussed Sanchez, LaRoche
From Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
The Pirates and San Francisco have had trade talks regarding second baseman Freddy Sanchez and, to a lesser extent, first baseman Adam LaRoche, each of whom can be a free agent after this season. The Giants have had a scout following Sanchez, a source confirmed yesterday, and their interest in LaRoche goes back several months. Their preference at first base, though, is for a right-handed bat.
Sanchez sports a .316/.355/.477 line, a huge improvement on the .224/.280/.276 aggregate performance from Giants second basemen (primarily the demoted Emmanuel Burriss, though Juan Uribe has snagged recent starts). The Giants have a 1.5 game lead for the Wild Card, but their .705 team OPS ranks second-to-last in the NL. Sanchez's contractual situation will be a factor in the trade talks; an $8.5MM option for 2010 appears likely to vest. Charlie Manuel's All-Star selections will affect Sanchez's contract – if Sanchez makes the team the option vests with 600 plate appearances rather than 635. It figures to be between Sanchez and Zach Duke for the Bucs' representative.
Kovacevic adds that the Pirates have discussed Jack Wilson, John Grabow, and Matt Capps with teams, noting that those talks "vary in their intensity." In another article, Kovacevic digs deeper into the Grabow/Wilson/Sanchez situations. He believes the Pirates will seek shortstops and left-handed relievers in trades. I'm guessing the Pirates would find Jonathan Sanchez desirable (he's currently serving as the second lefty in the Giants' pen).
Discussion: Who Should Start The All-Star Game?
It's a slow night in Rumorville, so let's go a little off-base and talk about players we'd like to see in this year's All Star Game. No, we're not going to bother talking about position players since fans are allowed to vote for those guys, instead let's talk about which pitchers we think should start the game.
Here's some of the deserving candidates from the American League:
- Zack Greinke: 2.00 ERA in 121.1 IP, both tops in the bigs
- Roy Halladay: 2.79 ERA and tied for the league lead with 10 wins
- Justin Verlander: leads the AL with 130 K and the majors with 10.70 K/9
And now, the senior circuit:
- Dan Haren: 113-15 K/BB ratio & 0.81 WHIP are by far the best in baseball, second to Greinke with a 2.19 ERA
- Josh Johnson: 7-1 record with a 2.76 ERA
- Tim Lincecum: leads the majors with 141 K, holding opponents to a .218 AVG
I've only picked a select few, so don't get upset if I'd didn't list the pitchers you think should start the game above. If it was up to me, I'd go with Greinke and Haren. What about you guys?
