Wagner Placed On Waivers
According to Jayson Stark at ESPN, the Mets have placed former closer Billy Wagner on waivers with the hopes that they can unload him to another team. Stark says Wagner's imminent return could be considered a "glorified audition."
If Wagner were to be claimed, that team would be on the hook for the roughly $2.7MM remaining on his contract this year as well as the $1MM buyout on his option for next year. So if Wagner clears, which he most likely will, it looks like the Mets will be forced to pay a good chunk of the money he's due if they're going to move him.
It'll be interesting to see how Wagner performs upon his return. Should he rebound, who does he make the most sense for?
Odds & Ends: Hall, Padres, Smoltz
Some links to tide you over during the game — or lack thereof, if you're facing the dreaded rain delay:
- Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times wonders if Josh Wilson will be DFA'd tomorrow to make way for Bill Hall.
- Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash weighs in on the Bill Hall trade, admitting that the move was partially financially motivated, reports Adam McCalvy at MLB.com.
- Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres reports that the Padres are in serious talks with an unnamed, switch-hitting 16-year-old amateur for a bonus of $450k.
- Krasovic also notes that the White Sox taking on Jake Peavy's contract made it a whole lot easier for the Friars to foot the bill for their top picks Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson.
- Dave Cameron at Fangraphs thinks the John Smoltz signing was a win for the Cardinals, saying that Smoltz's 40 inning sample size is far too small to judge his performance.
- Israel Gutierrez at the Miami Herald has a list of reasons why John Smoltz would have been a great fit on the Marlins.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore says he expected a backlash when the team demoted Alex Gordon and defends the decision, reports Bob Dutton at the Kansas City Star. The move came just a day before the deadline that would have set Gordon as a free agent after 2012, and now his free agency is delayed until past 2013.
Dodgers Sign Vicente Padilla
6:35pm: Jayson Stark at ESPN is reporting that the move is official. Padilla will sign a minor-league deal and make at least one start in the minors before he's called up to the Dodgers' rotation. He'll be owed the prorated portion of the league minimum–around $100k.
It's a cheap way for the Dodgers to add depth, since they'll only be responsible for the pro-rated MLB minimum, with the Rangers paying Padilla the rest of his $12MM salary.
4:36pm: Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times hears that the Dodgers are "very" close to adding Padilla.
12:45pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that the Dodgers are "moving closer" to an agreement with Padilla.
12:19pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that Vicente Padilla has become "a consideration" for the Dodgers now that a liner to Hiroki Kuroda's head has further depleted the team's rotation. The Dodgers are talking with Padilla's agent, Paul Kinzer, and we could hear of a deal this afternoon. The Dodgers, who would only be responsible for about $100k if they add Padilla, had uncertain interest as recently as yesterday but they're now considering him.
Boras On The Strasburg Negotiations
Scott Boras told 619 Sports that he was never looking to sign Stephen Strasburg to a $50MM deal, despite reports that he was using Daisuke Matsuzaka's contract as a reference point for the number one overall pick.
"I can assure you our first offer was well less than half of that," Boras said.
Here are some more points Boras makes over the course of the interview:
- Boras says revenues around baseball have increased in the last decade, so he argues that money should trickle down to players and draft picks.
- He also suggests that more teams are holding onto their players, which leads to smaller crops of free agents.
- Boras says American players deserve as much as international ones.
- Boras says J.D. Drew didn't sign with the Phillies because they told him they didn't believe him.
- The agent praises Donavan Tate and Strasburg on their intelligence.
- Boras says every organization makes mistakes with players, but suggests adding players with questionable character hurts teams most of all.
- Check out the audio for Boras' description of deadline day. It's pretty interesting stuff.
Mariners Acquire Bill Hall
According to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker, the Mariners have acquired Bill Hall from the Brewers. There's an announcement expected before game time. According to Baker's sources, the Brewers will receive minor-league pitcher Ruben "Buddy" Flores in return. The Brewers will reportedly pay the rest of the $6.8MM salary due Hall this year and a large portion of his $8.4MM he earns in 2010.
Hall, 29, has had a rough year, putting up a .606 OPS in 234 PA, but perhaps he'll be able to find his swing with a change of scenery. He could fit into a platoon role against lefties, where the Mariners have struggled this season, and can at least defensively fill in the vacancy at third left by the ailing Adrian Beltre.
Flores is a 25-year-old righty and put up a 2.30 ERA and a 53/28 K/BB ratio in 43 innings in Single-A this year but has been lit up to the tune of a 13.06 ERA since being moved to High-A ball. He's a little old to be considered a prospect, but he projects as a middle reliever if he can put it together.
Selig Wants Worldwide Draft, Capped Bonuses
Commissioner Bud Selig wants MLB to adopt a worldwide draft and more rigid bonuses for picks when the current collective bargaining agreement expires after 2011, according to Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. Selig said the Nats and Stephen Strasburg agreed on a "fair" deal, but wants to cap the bonuses draftees receive.
Odds And Ends: Tejada, Varitek, Smoltz
Some afternoon links…
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that Miguel Tejada has been led to believe that the Astros pulled him back off waivers after another team claimed him.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald suggests that the Red Sox need Jason Varitek because he coaxes the best results out of Josh Beckett.
- The Baltimore Sun passes along an AP report saying the Nationals will sell some tickets for $1 Friday to celebrate their deal with first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, who will be introduced to the fans.
- Via Twitter, Jon Heyman of SI.com says John Smoltz found the perfect spot in St. Louis.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Smoltz's deal includes post-season awards incentives.
Smoltz Clears Waivers, Reaches Deal With Cards
The Cardinals continued a summer-long streak of big-name acquisitions this afternoon, agreeing to a deal with the recently-released John Smoltz, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards, who have already added Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday, are exptected to slot Smoltz into their rotation. They'll only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum, a total of about $100k at this point.
A’s Looking For Starting Pitching
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's are looking outside the organization for starting pitchers because they don't want to overwork rookies Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Vin Mazzaro. The A's considered going to a six-man rotation, but Justin Duchscherer and Dallas Braden are on the DL. Slusser mentions former A's starter Mark Mulder as a possible addition.
Heyman On Strasburg, Harper, Piniella
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Nationals made the "acquisition of the year" when they signed Stephen Strasburg 77 seconds before Monday night's deadline to sign draft picks. Nats president Stan Kasten says he's proud to have signed Strasburg even if he's not proud to have agreed to a record-setting deal. Like many others, Scott Boras believes the agreement was good for both sides. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- Bryce Harper shouldn't come close to Strasburg's $15MM-plus if he signs next year.
- The Rays offered first rounder LeVon Washington $1.1MM. It wasn't enough and Scott Boras was very disappointed not to reach a deal.
- Heyman says there's no way the Cubs fire Lou Piniella after picking up his $4MM option for next year.
- Jerry Manuel shouldn't have picked on Ryan Church, Heyman says.