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Archives for August 2009

Deal For Bill Hall In The Works?

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's speaking with teams interested in Bill Hall. The Brewers have until Friday to deal Hall, who they designated for assignment last Wednesday. Melvin suggests that a trade is a real possibility. 

"I'm working on something," he said.

We heard last week that the Reds have some interest in Hall. The Brewers would presumably pay Hall's contract or take on a comparably sized deal in any trade.

Two-Sport Athletes

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When you hear someone call Donavan Tate a two-sport athlete, it means more than you might think. Clubs can distribute bonuses differently to those designated as two-sport athletes. Here are the details:
  • The commissioner's office defines which players are two-sport athletes.
  • Single sport athletes receive their bonuses within a year (unless they sign major league contracts).
  • Teams can spread bonuses for two-sport athletes over as many as five years.
  • This means the team commits less in terms of present value and gets some financial flexibility. 

Thanks to Jim Callis of Baseball America.

Service Time Update: Gordon, Snider

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Updates on a pair of former first round picks…

  • The Royals sent Alex Gordon to the minors, according to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. If the demotion lasts for more than 20 days, the Royals will have delayed his free agency by a season. Gordon, who was expected to become a free agent after 2012, may not become a free agent until after the 2013 season.
  • It's no surprise to see the Jays call Travis Snider up. As we showed earlier in the month, the Jays had the chance to prevent Snider from reaching Super Two status by keeping him in the minors for a couple extra weeks. They took advantage of the opportunity and Snider will likely be a few days short of Super Two status after 2011.

Smoltz “Probably Not” A Fit In Detroit

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More than two decades ago, before Rick Porcello was born, the Tigers traded John Smoltz to the Braves for Doyle Alexander. Now that he's free to join any team, could Smoltz return to the club that drafted him? Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that it doesn't seem likely.

"It's probably not a fit for us," Dombrowski said. "But we could still sit down and talk about it."

Dombrowski likes his bullpen and expects Jeremy Bonderman to fortify it when he returns from a minor league rehab assignment, so the GM doesn't feel an urgent need to add arms.

Signing Deadline Roundup: Ackley, Turner

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Some more links in the aftermath of yesterday's deadline to sign draft picks…

Draft Spending Roundup: Nats Set Record

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Some details on the millions of dollars that teams committed to the next wave of talent:

  • The Nationals spent more on this draft than any team has ever spent on a single draft, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
  • Callis ranks the top deals by present value and, not surprisingly, Stephen Strasburg comes out on top.
  • So how much did teams spend in total? They spent over $160MM on bonuses for players drafted in the first ten rounds, according to Callis. That's about $1MM more than teams spent on the same group of players last year, but Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers could stll sign late. As Callis notes, MLB doesn't have much to show for its efforts to slash bonuses. 
  • It's possible that this will be a record year for total draft bonuses awarded by MLB teams.

Odds And Ends: Jays, White Sox, Posey

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Some links for the morning…

  • GM J.P. Ricciardi tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that being good isn't enough in the AL East. The Blue Jays have to be great.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that he's unhappy with his team, which trails the Tigers by 2.0 games in the AL Central. "We're underachievers," he said.
  • Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Giants have no plans to call Buster Posey up this season. They just drafted the catcher last year, so GM Brian Sabean says "there's no rush."

Rosenthal On Trembley, Yankees, Wagner

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes the Orioles should stick with manager Dave Trembley next year because his teams haven't quit; they've just been overmatched. Rosenthal says it looks like Trembley's "a goner." Here are the rest of the rumors:

  • Rosenthal says Jim Riggleman and even Bobby Cox are among the managers with uncertain futures.
  • The Yankees inquired on Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but lost interest when the Reds refused to send money along.  
  • The Yankees are looking for starting pitching, but aren't likely to add anyone before rosters expand at the beginning of September. 
  • Billy Wagner could be a trade target, but the Mets would have to be prepared to take on salary in any deal. 
  • Rosenthal says Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Luis Valbuena, Carlos Santana and others should give the Indians strength up the middle for years. 

Damon Wants To Stay In New York

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The Yankees would like Johnny Damon to return next year and, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, the 35-year-old outfielder hopes to re-sign once he becomes a free agent after the season.

"I don't know where else I would want to go," Damon said. "Obviously that's not the right thing to say when you're about ready to approach free agency, but I'm very happy with playing in New York, and my family's happy."

Damon's agent, Scott Boras, will have a strong 2009 campaign to point to in his negotiations. With 22 homers and 52 walks, Damon's OPS now approaches .900 and he is on his way to a 14th consecutive season of at least 140 games played. (Hat Tip: River Ave. Blues)

More Draft Pick Signings

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Some more signings came in late last night. Here they are, from Baseball America's Jim Callis:

  • The Yankees signed 44th rounder Evan DeLuca for $500k.
  • The Rangers signed 17th rounder Paul Strong for $300k. 
  • The Nationals signed 12th rounder Nathan Karns for $225k.  
  • The Padres signed 17th rounder Jorge Reyes for $200k. 
  • The Mets signed ninth rounder Jeff Glenn for $150k.  

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