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Stark On Hanley, Royals, Astros, Rays, Pedro

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Teams called about Hanley Ramirez after this week's drama, but the Marlins informed them that they have no interest in dealing their superstar, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Marlins will hold onto Hanley, at least until their new ballpark opens in 2012. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • Teams have expressed interest in some Royals, but the Royals have told them to call back in a month. Teams are hearing that Alex Gordon and Joakim Soria are not available. Jose Guillen would be easier to obtain than those two, but Stark hasn't heard of a single team with interest.
  • Ned Yost would have been a candidate to replace Bobby Cox in Atlanta after the season, had he not taken over in Kansas City. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could also manage the Braves next year, in the opinion of one person close to the team.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade insists that he wants to win now, but says he'll "pay attention to any opportunity" that makes the team better if the 14-26 Astros fall further out of contention. In other words, the Astros could be sellers if they don't win soon.
  • Rival clubs say they don't expect the Rays to trade for a reliever just because J.P. Howell is out for an extended period of time. One executive thinks the Rays would love to add a couple of power arms to their 'pen eventually.
  • Executives disagree on Pat Burrell's future. One exec says Burrell could fit in Seattle and another one doesn't see any good fits for the free agent.
  • The Phillies have had discussions with Pedro Martinez, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged. There's mutual interest in a deal and the sides continue communicating.
  • One official says top amateur pitcher Jameson Taillon is "way overpriced."
  • Two of Stark's sources are uneasy with MLB's attempt to hurry along the Rangers' sale.

D’Backs Sign Luis Ayala

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The D'Backs signed Luis Ayala to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). D'Backs relievers have combined for a 7.90 ERA this year, so GM Josh Byrnes added a low-risk arm to his 'pen. The club added Saul Rivera earlier in the week, only to see him surrender five runs in his first appearance.

Ayala signed with the Dodgers this winter and appeared in 14 Triple A games this year, where he posted a 4.50 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic notes (via Twitter), the 32-year-old right-hander was recently released. 

Ayala posted a 5.68 ERA with four major league clubs over the course of the last two seasons. Last year, he mixed a low 90s fastball with sliders and the occasional change to strike out about twice as many batters as he walked. Ayala has had much more success against right-handed batters over the course of his career.

Buchholz Hopes To Stay In Boston Long-Term

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Clay Buchholz, arguably Boston's best starter this year, told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he hopes to be wearing a Red Sox uniform for a while. It's hard to imagine the Red Sox dealing Buchholz now, but it wasn't long ago that his name appeared in trade rumors constantly. The righty, who has a 3.26 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 so far in 2010, says he didn't like being trade bait.

"Every time there was a big bat that was available and the Red Sox might be able to go after him, I definitely heard all that stuff on TV and in the media, through the news," Buchholz said. "It's hard to deal with sometimes."

It doesn't appear that the Red Sox are going to deal Buchholz any time soon, and the 25-year-old likes the idea of staying in Boston long-term. Buchholz, who is arbitration eligible after 2011 and eligible for free agency after 2014, told Speier that he's open to an extension.

"I would love for that to happen," he said.

If the Red Sox lock Buchholz up through his arbitration years after the season, the extensions that Scott Baker, Adam Wainwright and Nick Blackburn signed could become points of comparison for Buchholz and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Buchholz will be four years away from free agency after 2010; Baker ($15.25) Wainwright ($14.25MM) and Blackburn ($14MM) will make about $15MM each over the course of that chunk of their respective careers.

Brewers See No Reason To Replace Macha

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin told 620 WTMJ that the Brewers aren't about to replace manager Ken Macha, despite the team's nine game losing streak and 15-25 record.

"I don't see any reason," Melvin said. "I see reasons to work together and try to get some wins."

Melvin, who said he feels "fine" about his own job security, explained that the Brewers don't want Macha to take full responsibility for the team's disappointing start. Melvin and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio talk every day about turning the team around.

Melvin's vote of confidence doesn't mean much, though. Last week, Royals GM Dayton Moore said then-manager Trey Hillman was doing a "terrific job" just days before Hillman was fired. It would not be a surprise to see Macha fired soon if the Brewers don't start winning. As Jon Heyman of SI.com noted yesterday, bench coach Willie Randolph could take over as Brewers manager.


Free Agent Stock Watch: Austin Kearns

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Austin Kearns turns 30 today, and his value has never been harder to peg. Kearns' Indians will host the Royals in a few hours, but let's kick the celebrations off a little early by taking stock of the birthday boy's value.

Kearns is off to a torrid .302/.380/.491 start. That's an impressive line for any player, and especially impressive for somene who didn't get on base or hit for power or average in 2008-09. Even when Kearns wasn't hitting, his outfield defense was above-average, according to UZR, and it still looks strong (though he's played just 244.2 innings there this year).

Kearns appears to be well on his way to re-establishing some value, but his .420 batting average on balls in play suggests his stats are inflated. Kearns may not be able to keep hitting like this, but he has been hitting more line drives than ever. If that continues, he may be able to cash in on 2010 and earn more than the $750K he'll make on his current minor league deal.

Kearns' 2008-09 seasons linger in the memories of potential suitors, and that extended slump will likely limit his value. But he could be in position for a major league deal this winter, especially if his bat stays hot. Even if Kearns doesn't hit like this all year, his defense could help land hm a deal in the $1MM range. It worked for Randy Winn and Ryan Church, last winter, why not Austin Kearns?

Maya Unblocked, Yankees Interested

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May 20: The Phillies will also have a scout in attendance when Maya throws tomorrow, writes the Philadelphia Daily News' David Murphy, though he adds the team doesn't currently consider Maya a serious option for either the bullpen or rotation.

May 19:The latest model from Cuba is now officially on the showroom floor. Nine months after defecting, pitcher Yunesky Maya* has been cleared to sign as a free agent, reports Jorge Ebro at El Nuevo Herald (link in Spanish). Maya's agent, Bart Hernandez, tells Ebro that interest has been "tremendous" thus far in the 28-year-old longtime anchor of the Cuban National Team rotation. Count the Yankees at minimum among the interested, as the New York Post's Brian Costello and George A. King III reported this morning that senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman will be on hand to watch Maya at a workout this Friday in the Dominican Republic.

The obvious starting point for scouting Maya is through comparison with another former Cuban National Series standout who stepped from the 2009 World Baseball Classic to defection and the Major League auction block: Aroldis Chapman. Maya is at least six years older and right-handed, but on the other hand, boasts far more competitive experience and, by all accounts, a fuller arsenal of secondary pitches. Maya told Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez last September he alternates between a 94-mile-an-hour heater, slider, change-up, curve, and sinker, a repertoire which scouts backed up after seeing Maya in action at a workout late last year.

In the 48th National Series that ended last year, Maya ended second to Chapman in strikeouts, 119 to 130, but outdistanced the younger pitcher in the league's equivalent of the Cy Young, thanks to Maya's superior overall stats: 13-4, seven complete games, and a 2.22 ERA in 145 IP. In six Cuban campaigns, Maya managed a 48-29 record with a 2.51 ERA and was also lights-out in both of his brief appearances at the WBC.

Among potential suitors Ebro mentions the Mets and White Sox, two teams that showed early interest in Chapman but didn't stick around to the final stages of the sweepstakes. The Red Sox have been known to be interested as well, though Rob Bradford at WEEI quoted a source in February indicating that Maya was more likely to choose a team where he had a better shot of immediately cracking the rotation. While it's true that Maya worked largely as a starter in Cuba, he told Gomez in September that he is open to relief work and willing to do "whatever the team that signs me needs." What is seemingly more important to the player and his agent, judging by their respective quotes to the Spanish-language press, is that teams approach Maya as a polished talent who is big-league ready right now.

* Maya has been dubbed Yuniesky, Yunieski, Yuneski, and Yunesky with almost equal frequency in published reports both stateside and in Cuba. Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez gave some clarity to MLB Trade Rumors in an e-mail this morning, saying that Yunesky Maya Mendiluza is the name on the player's official documents.

Red Sox Designate Schoeneweis For Assignment

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The Red Sox designated Scott Schoeneweis for assignment, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). In 13.2 innings with the Red Sox this year, the 36-year-old lefty posted a 7.90 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 6.6 BB/9.

The Red Sox signed Schoeneweis not long after the Brewers released him this spring. Earlier in the month, Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal wondered if Boof Bonser could take Schoeneweis' roster spot at some point soon. Now, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald wonders (via Twitter) if the Red Sox will call on an infielder. Schoeneweis' average fastball was 87 mph so far this year, the slowest it has been clocked at in recent years.

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Ruiz, Millwood, Crawford

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Links for Wednesday, as we make sense of Angel Pagan's unbelievable night…

Free Agent Stock Watch: Garrett Atkins

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Assuming the Orioles choose to buy Garrett Atkins out for $500K instead of paying him $8.5MM next year, he'll hit the free agent market once again. This time, he and his agent will have a harder time securing a guaranteed contract, unless Atkins' production surges.

That's not out of the question for the 30-year-old, even though he's hitting .227/.261/.291 without any home runs. Atkins, who makes a base salary of $4MM this year, hit at a nearly identical clip (.194/.270/.285) through the first two months of last season before posting a more respectable .254/.341/.392 line for the remainder of the season. That improvement, plus the not-so-distant memory of his 2006-08 production added up to a $4.5MM payday for Atkins.

This year, he'll need a more pronounced second-half surge to obtain that kind of guarantee. It's been a while since he was a difference-maker at the plate and his defense is below average, according to UZR. Atkins is in the lineup for now, since Rhyne Hughes hasn't hit as well as the Orioles would like. But Andy MacPhail recently told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the O's will continue looking at internal and external options as the club attempts to find more production at first base.

If the Orioles don't replace Atkins and he rebounds this season, he could find a modest one-year deal this winter. If he loses playing time, he'll have a hard time signing more than a minor league deal this offseason. And if the Orioles release him, there's no guarantee another team would have a roster spot for Atkins.

Phillies Not Interested In Burrell

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The Phillies don't have interest in bringing Pat Burrell back to the city he established himself in, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Burrell, who cleared waivers today after the Rays designated him for assignment over the weekend, is a free agent and can now sign with any team for $300K. The Rays would pay the bulk of the $9MM Burrell will make this year, but not surprisingly, that is not enough for the Phillies.

"We just don't have a role for him right now," Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "There isn't a fit."

Burrell, who posted a .202/.292/.333 line with the Rays this year, doesn't appear to be a fit for the Giants, either. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hasn't heard of any interest from the Giants (Twitter link).

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