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Archives for August 2009

Odds And Ends: Jays, O’s, Dodgers, Sano

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Some links to read this morning…

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Pirates, Rays

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Some links on this not-necessarily-manic Monday:

Diamondbacks Sign Daniel Cabrera

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MONDAY 7:07pm: The riveting saga has come to a close, as Nick Piecoro at the Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks have come to terms with Cabrera on a minor-league deal. He'll work his way to a pitch count of 90-100 and the team will decide whether or not to promote him to the majors. His agent indicates there could be an out clause in the contract that would grant Cabrera his release if he isn't called up.

SUNDAY 3:01pm: Steve Gilbert has an update. As of right now, no deal has been reached. Diamondbacks scouts watched Cabrera throw yesterday in the Dominican Republic. Gilbert believes the D'Backs are looking to add pitching depth to the organization, and is unsure whether they envision Cabrera as a starter or reliever.

12:41pm: According to Mario Rojas at Candela Deportiva, the Diamondbacks have signed pitcher Daniel Cabrera to a minor-league deal. Nick Piecoro at the Arizona Republic talked to Cabrera's agent, who said that there are "active discussions" going on, with both sides trying to hammer down whether it's a major-league or minor-league deal, and that nothing is official just yet.

Cabrera had been designated for assignment by the Nationals in May after posting a 5.85 ERA and 16/35 K/BB ratio in 40 innings. He had signed a one-year, $2.6MM deal with the Nationals before the season.

Unsigned Draft Picks Update

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There's a two-week window remaining for teams to sign their draft picks. Once August 17th passes without a negotiation, these players will be eligible for next year's draft and the selecting team receives a compensatory pick in next year's draft. For a full list of signees and terms, visit our handy 2009 Draft scorecard here.

1. Nationals – Stephen Strasburg. All eyes will be on these negotiations, as Strasburg is a Scott Boras client. The range for his bonus has varied wildly, and talks are said to not be close, according to ESPN. This one will go down to the wire, and the Nationals probably can't afford another Aaron Crow situation.
2. Mariners – Dustin Ackley. Ackley is a Boras client, and supposedly talks aren't close. He's reported to desire a bonus similar to the one Mark Teixeira received, which was $9.5MM.
3. Padres – Donavan Tate. Tate's a Boras client as well, and talks aren't close. He has a two-sport scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill.
6. Giants – Zack Wheeler. With the departure of Scott Barnes and Tim Alderson in trades, it'd make sense for the two sides to come to a deal.
7. Braves – Mike Minor. There is word that talks are progressing between the Braves and Minor, and his not signing has reportedly held up negotiations with the college pitchers below him, as his slot will likely determine their contract figures.
8. Reds – Mike Leake. He was recently named College Pitcher of the Year, and last we heard he's nearing a deal says Mark Sheldon at MLB.com.
9. Tigers – Jacob Turner. Scott Boras client whom Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus believes "sure to sign," perhaps for an above-slot deal around $5MM.
11. Rockies – Tyler Matzek. Matzek could be one of the hardest to sign, and supposedly he has already been assigned a dorm room at University of Oregon, where he's committed to play. The Rockies aren't believed to be able to reach Matzek's bonus demands.
12. Royals – Aaron Crow. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, as Crow didn't come to terms with the Nationals last year. Chico Harlan at the Washington Post thinks he'll receive $1.5-$2MM.
13. A's – Grant Green. Another Boras client, likely to sign for above slot.
14. Rangers – Matt Purke. He's reportedly got high bonus demands, and some believe he's likely headed to school instead.
15. Indians – Alex White.
16. Diamondbacks – Bobby Borchering. Last we heard the two sides were in a "holding pattern."
18. Marlins – Chad James.
19. Cardinals – Shelby Miller. The Cardinals got $1.5MM from the A's for Matt Holliday, which would be well-spent on Miller, who could take the default title as their number one prospect.
20. Blue Jays – Chad Jenkins.
22. Twins – Kyle Gibson. Gibson was hurt recently, which in turn hurt his chances at an above-slot deal. Goldstein believes he was in line for double his $1.3MM slot, but now might settle somewhere in between.
27. Mariners – Nick Franklin.
29. Yankees – Slade Heathcott.
30. Rays – Levon Washington. Scott Boras client.

Discussion: What To Do With Melvin Mora?

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Melvin Mora's unhappy in Baltimore and knows he won't be back next year. He's not a part of the Orioles' future and it's looking more and more like he won't be a part of their present for long. He's sure to clear waivers since there's not much of a market for powerless late-thirties hitters making $9MM. This means the Orioles will probably be able to trade him, but they have other options. Let's take a look at their choices:

  • Hope that there's a taker on the trade market – Mora's hitting just .256/.321/.330, hardly enough to warrant a $9MM salary. He won't hurt you in the field, but his dropoff in power (23 homers last year, just 3 in 2009) is scary.
  • Release him – With nothing to lose but $3MM, the O's could decide that it's not worth having Mora around.  
  • Hope he turns it around – He was productive as recently as last year. The O's could keep Mora and hope that he finishes strong. 

Odds And Ends: Pirates, Bard, Padres, Rolen

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More links for the afternoon…

  • MLB.com's Ian Browne says Daniel Bard has essentially become "untouchable." Of course few players other than Tim Lincecum and Evan Longoria really are untouchable, but it sounds like the Red Sox really like their young reliever.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears from some people within the game who credit the Pirates for gutting the team and amassing prospects instead of continuing with the "lipstick on a pig" approach they tried for years.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock shows that the Padres improved their pitching depth and suggests they could pursue a free agent hitter this offseason.
  • Reds assistant GM Bob Miller said in his MLB.com chat that the reports on the amount the Reds owe Scott Rolen are "incorrect." So how much are the Reds paying Rolen? Miller can't say.
  • Peter Abraham of the Journal News shows that Andy Pettitte could double his $5.5MM salary if he has a strong enough finish and his incentives kick in. 

Heyman On GM Candidates

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Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on a couple of free agents who don't appear on this list: Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. Both could be free agents after the year (Colletti has a mutual option) and either could be a candidate to become the permanent Nats GM. Heyman lists White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn, Marlins exec Dan Jennings, Red Sox exec Jed Hoyer and Rays exec Gerry Hunsicker as other possible fits in Washington, along with acting GM Mike Rizzo.

Heyman says Omar Minaya hurt his job security by going after Adam Rubin, but the Mets don't especially want to fire him with three years remaining on his contract. If Minaya goes, look for the Mets to promote John Ricco.

Heyman On August Trades

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Executives tell Jon Heyman of SI.com that we saw the "softest deadline ever" last week because there's still the possibility for trades this month. Here's an explanation of how trades can occur after the deadline and here are the players Heyman deems likely to clear waivers (player who clear waivers may be traded):

  • Bronson Arroyo, Adam Dunn, Jose Guillen, Aaron Harang, Adrian Beltre, Aubrey Huff, Jason Giambi, Melvin Mora, Miguel Batista, Juan Cruz, Ty Wigginton, Ron Mahay, Willie Bloomquist, Lyle Overbay, Willy Taveras.

Some players who could clear waivers:

  • Jon Garland, Doug Davis, Gil Meche, Alex Rios, Carl Pavano, Mark Hendrickson, Jhonny Peralta, Jamey Carroll, Ron Villone. 

And some players who probably won't clear waivers, but who could be dealt to a claiming team: 

  • Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Heath Bell, Adrian Gonzalez, Marco Scutaro, Chad Qualls, Michael Wuertz, Brian Bannister, Josh Willingham, Gary Sheffield, David Eckstein, Jason Frasor, Mark Teahen.

Which Teams Took On Salary At The Deadline?

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As the trade deadline approached, we heard many writers and executives suggest teams would be unable to add payroll this year. Here's a breakdown of the teams that added at least $1MM in salary to their 2009 payrolls this summer. All totals are approximate:

In total, 12 teams added payroll, but only one took on more than $5MM. The prognosticators were right about one thing: teams didn't take on much payroll. However, few predicted 12 teams would take on salary at the deadline. Looks like many teams set economic concerns aside when presented with the chance to win.

Rays Release Wade Townsend

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Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays released former first round pick Wade Townsend. The 26-year-old righty has struggled with injuries since the Rays selected him 8th overall in 2005. He pitched poorly in limited action at Rookie ball this year and never put together an impressive season in the minors. The Rays chose Townsend when Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce and Jacoby Ellsbury were available, but they do have Matt Garza, who the Twins selected in the first round that year.

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