Epstein On The Trade Market
Brian MacPherson of the New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Theo Epstein is monitoring the trade market, waiting for the many teams in "wait-and-see mode" to become buyers or sellers. A number of teams are unsure about which direction to take, so Epstein says he keeps tabs on all clubs to develop "a feel for what everyone is trying to do."
Indians DFA Greg Aquino
MLB.com's Tom Singer reports that the Indians designated reliever Greg Aquino for assignment to make room for Mike Gosling. Aquino, 31, walked 15 in his 16 innings of work, striking out 11. The righthander is a veteran of parts of six major league seasons.
MLB Investigating Miguel Angel Sano’s Age
ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that MLB investigators are looking into Miguel Angel Sano's age after the Twins requested more detail on the top Dominican prospect's background. Sano says he's 16, but some believe he's older because of his physique. The investigation will include a DNA test and could prevent a quick signing when the international signing period begins on July 2nd. Any player caught lying about his age receives a one-year suspension from MLB.
Cubs Monitor Market, Unsure Of Team Needs
Cubs GM Jim Hendry is working the trade market as hard as ever, though he doesn't yet know what his team will need in July, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Hendry wants to see what kind of production he gets once Aramis Ramirez returns. Until then, he's counting on the group he assembled to play better. At this point, Hendry doesn't know what kind of players he'll try to add:
Glavine Won’t Pitch In 2009
Breaking news out of Atlanta: Tom Glavine told Buck Lanford of Fox 5 Atlanta that he won't pitch in 2009.
“I’m not going to pitch or do anything in baseball until at least next year.” Glavine stopped short, according to Fox 5, of announcing his retirement, saying he plans to be “a full-time dad.”
The decision leaves Pedro Martinez as the surefire Hall of Fame pitcher remaining in the free agent market. Glavine did not announce his retirement, though it is hard to imagine him returning after taking the rest of the season off.
The decision is surprising for a number of reasons. For one thing, Glavine had been so adamant about objecting to his treatment by the Braves, who released him following his final rehab start.
For another, who knew people Tom Glavine's age knew how to text?
Cubs May Not Need Hitter After All
Rumblings after Wednesday's game coming from the often-rumbling Lou Piniella centered around changes in the lineup.
But as Carrie Muskat reported, the Cubs kept the status quo in place, particularly Alfonso Soriano at the top of the lineup, despite a sub-.300 on-base percentage.
Of course, the storyline from Thursday's 6-5 win is that Soriano had the game-winning hit as Chicago's bats came alive.
But while much of the focus will be on the rejuvenated offense, the questions surrounding ownership transfer may be the real barrier to the Cubs bringing in a bat. Tip of the hat to Carrie Muskat again.
The two questions here: do the Cubs have their finances set enough to add payroll? And does Carrie Muskat ever sleep?
Tigers Bench Magglio Ordonez Indefinitely
News comes from Tom Gage of the Detroit News that the Tigers are benching Magglio Ordonez indefinitely.
Ordonez hasn't been terrible with the average or plate discipline, but his power has disappeared. His season line is .273/.347/.343 entering Thursday's game, and with two home runs all year, he simply hasn't been a middle-of-the-order hitter.
Between Ordonez's benching and the news that Carlos Guillen may not return this season, the Tigers are facing a power deficit. While they are in first place now, it is hard to imagine they will stay there all season without adding some offense.
Keep in mind, Ordonez receives $18MM in 2010 if he gets 135 starts or 540 plate appearances in 2009, or 270 starts or 1,080 plate appearances in 2008-2009 combined. Considering he had 144 starts and 623 plate appearances in 2008, that means his benchmarks are actually 126 starts or 457 plate appearances in 2009.
Consider that Ordonez is already at 57 starts, 242 plate appearances in 2009, and figure "indefinitely" will mean "most of the time" for the remainder of the season.
Don’t Expect Phillies to Pick Up a Bat
There are two factors working against the Philadelphia Phillies picking up a bat, even with Raul Ibanez sidelined with a groin injury, Jimmy Rollins languishing in the low .200s, and a three-game sweep by the Blue Jays now complete.
First is that the Phils may have that replacement bat during Ibanez's recovery in John Mayberry Jr., who homered Thursday afternoon. Mayberry posted an .808 OPS during 210 Triple-A plate appearances in 2009, suggesting he can be an adequate bat in Ibanez's absence.
But the bigger issue is the Phillies will need to save their prospects for a deal or deals for arms. Joe Blanton, after Thursday's start, has a 5.28 ERA. Considering he is Philadelphia's de facto number two starter, that won't get it done.
Worse still is the bullpen situation. Brad Lidge is sidelined with a knee injury, and now Ryan Madson, who had been dominant, has hit a rough patch at exactly the wrong time, blowing up in two of the three games against Toronto.
So which should be the priority right now for Philadelphia: starter or reliever?
Papelbon Would Join Yankees, Other Clubs
In an appearance on Sirius XM Radio, Jonathan Papelbon told Jody McDonald and Bert Blyleven that he would consider playing for the Yankees once his Boston career is over:
"Oh, of course. I mean, I think if we can't come to an agreement on terms here in a Red Sox uniform, I mean I think that's pretty much the writing on the wall."
Papelbon says he'd consider joining other teams, too:
"Not only the Bronx, but anywhere. I think anywhere is a possibility. You always have to keep that in the back of your mind because you can't just be one-sided and think that, "Oh, I'm going to be in a Red Sox uniform my entire career" because nowadays that is very, very rare and hopefully we can because there's no question I would love to stay in a Boston Red Sox uniform but I have to do what's best for me and play in an atmosphere where I'm wanted."
In response to the quote, Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com points out that Papelbon remains under team control through 2011.
Teams Willing To Add Payroll
Deep-pocketed teams like the Cubs and Yankees say they'll have trouble adding salary this year, and they're far from the only ones. Here's a quick list of teams that could add payroll:
- Mike Ilitch's Red Wings just made it to the Stanley Cup final and he says the Tigers can add salary if it'll make them winners, too.
- Earlier in the week we heard that the Phillies can take on payroll.
- The Cardinals are in a position to add salary as well.
- The Dodgers are spending $2.7MM less than expected this year because of the Manny Ramirez suspension. This could give them the flexibility to take on a contract.
- The White Sox would have taken on payroll in the failed Jake Peavy trade.
- The Mets have about $5MM in payroll flexibility.
Add any teams I've missed in the comments and we can flesh this list out.