Odds And Ends: Belliard, Atkins, Ayala
Some links to peruse as we await the baseball equivalent of the Shaq trade…
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that Ronnie Belliard isn't sure if he'll play another season.
- Mark DeRosa tops the list of infielders most likely to be traded, if you ask Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies shouldn't deal anyone but Garrett Atkins.
- Huston Street believes getting traded led to a "good opportunity," according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says Luis Ayala is far from irreplaceable.
- I'll be talking rumors on the TEAM 1380 in St. Louis at around 6:20 CST tonight, so tune in if you get the chance.
Marlins Looking For Relievers
According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Matt Lindstrom's injury has prompted the Marlins to start shopping for relievers. Lindstrom will miss at least six weeks and the Marlins, who are a mere 2.0 games behind the division-leading Phillies, don't want to go that long without another arm.
Spencer mentions LaTroy Hawkins and George Sherrill as possible solutions, but says the Marlins wouldn't likely want to give up the players required to land Sherrill. I'll add Luis Ayala and Jon Switzer to the list, as both were just designated for assignment and could be acquired more easily.
Astros Agree To Terms With Jiovanni Mier
THURSDAY, 9:05am: Richard Justice of the Chronicle reports that the deal is for $1.358MM, which is slightly over slot.
3:35pm: Mier told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he reached a deal with the Astros, pending a physical later in the week.
2:55pm: Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports that Astros scouting director Bobby Heck says "talks are still ongoing" with Mier.
WEDNESDAY, 12:10pm: ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that the Astros agreed to terms with first round pick Jiovanni Mier. As Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reported after the draft, Mier is an 18-year-old shortstop with good field awareness and a good bat.
Last month, ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill said Mier has the potential to add power, but really excites scouts because of his defense.
Click here to see which first rounders have signed so far.
Yankees Not Looking For Bats
Marc Carig at the Newark Star Ledger tweeted a quote from GM Brian Cashman earlier today on the possibility the Yankees are looking for a bat:
"We don't need a bat… We have a tremendous offense that's scuffling right now," Cashman said.
Before an 8-4 victory tonight over the Braves, the Yankees had scored a total of 18 runs in 7 games, and their team OPS was .614. The spotlight was particularly on Alex Rodriguez, who went 1 for 15 in that stretch, where they lost five of seven.
Was the victory tonight enough to be convinced that the Yankees' offensive woes have come to an end? Was it ever worthy of concern in the first place, or did somebody unnecessarily hit the panic button? If you think the Yanks need a bat after all, who do you pursue? Share your thoughts.
Pirates Interested In Luis Ayala
9:28pm: John Perrotto has another article up, saying the Pirates are only interested in Ayala at a "greatly reduced cost," i.e. the "vast majority" of the $700k still owed to him would need to be picked up by the Twins.
8:22am: The Pirates are interested in trading for reliever Luis Ayala, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. John Perrotto of PiratesReport.com confirms the Pirates' interest in the 31-year-old righty, who was designated for assignment by the Twins on Monday.
Odds & Ends: Mariners, Phillies, Padres
Serving up absolutely the most hyper of links from across the baseball sphere, with more to come:
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik sat down for a lengthy Q&A with fans on MLB.com. Ever wanted to know what it's like to be a GM? "It's cool," says Zduriencik.
- David Murphy at the Philadelphia Inquirer talked to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, who echoes a belief around the league: “I think things will heat up late, because everybody is still kind of in it,” he said.
- According to Jorge Arangure at ESPN the Magazine, the Padres are keeping tabs on Dominican OF Jose Alberto Peña and pitcher Cristopher Cabrera.
- Paul DePodesta says the Padres have come to terms with their third, fifth and seventh round picks.
- Juan C. Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel wonders if the Marlins should go after Luis Ayala now that Matt Lindstrom has hit the DL.
- Eric Seidman at Fangraphs takes a nifty look at batting average on ground balls. David Wright currently leads the majors with a .471 average in that department.
- Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times discusses the ramifications of potential trade piece Adrian Beltre's recent bout with bone spurs.
Rosenthal On Lee, Holliday
Ol' reliable Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. Let's scope out the highlights:
- The Dodgers have had discussions about Cliff Lee, but the price might be too steep for them to acquire him before the deadline. The Indians are said to want top-shelf talent along the lines of Tommy Hanson or Clay Buchholz.
- The Dodgers have talent like that in Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, but obviously they're not going anywhere. A package around James McDonald and Blake DeWitt wouldn't suffice.
- The Phillies have also inquired on Lee, but "have balked at the price."
- Reports that the A's would accept less for Matt Holliday because they'd prefer to skip out on the arbitration process this offseason are probably untrue, as a source said the potential high cost for the slugger is a "nonissue."
Yankees Designate Angel Berroa For Assignment
According to Peter Abraham at the Journal-News, the Yankees have designated infielder Angel Berroa for assignment to make space for utilityman Cody Ransom.
Berroa, 31, put up a rough .356 OPS in 22 at-bats for the Yanks. He's notable for his Rookie of the Year campaign for the Royals in 2003, but he's been on a pretty steep decline since then.
Mets DFA Jon Switzer
According to David Lennon at Newsday, the Mets have designated LHP Jon Switzer for assignment. He'll be replaced by infielder Argenis Reyes on the roster.
The 29-year-old Switzer had been signed to a minor-league deal this past winter. He posted an 8.11 ERA in 3.1 innings for the Mets, but had a solid 2.13 ERA and 29/9 K/BB ratio for Triple-A Buffalo. He could latch on a team looking for minor-league depth.
Odds And Ends: Rockies, Spilborghs, Harper
More links for Wednesday evening…
- In this SI.com article, Joel Sherman reports that Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd isn't sure what to think about his team just yet. "The next five weeks will determine who we really are," he said.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer believe the Rockies are for real.
- ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says the Rangers, Red Sox, Mets, Rays and Tigers are among the teams that could be interested in Ryan Spilborghs.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Brian McCann and Joe Mauer are two of the best hitting catchers of his lifetime.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports the Giants signed third rounder Chris Dominguez.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com says Bryce Harper needs a challenge, so enrolling in junior college was the right call. Here's a video clip (insider only) of Harper taking some cuts.
- East Windup Chronicle says the Cubs signed a Taiwanese high schooler, Chen Pin-chie, to a minor league deal.
- This year's rookies haven't overwhelmed as a group, but that doesn't stop ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick from highlighting nine of the game's most impressive first year players.