Yankees Not Pursuing Lee Yet
2:58pm: An official tells Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that the Yankees have yet to discuss trading for players at the deadline, including Lee.
THURSDAY, 2:07pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears (via Twitter) that the Mariners and Yankees have had "zero" discussions about Lee. That doesn't mean that they won't discuss the lefty in the future, but we now know that talks have not begun. Olney reminds us (via Twitter) that the Yankees have passed on the chance to trade for top pitchers before.
WEDNESDAY, 5:49pm: A rival executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that, despite the Yankees' effective rotation, he expects the team to be "undeterred in their pursuit of Lee on the trade market." According to Rosenthal's sources, the Phillies discussed Lee with the Yankees last winter prior to trading the left-hander to the Mariners. The Yankees had been willing to include Montero in a package for Lee, but that was before both the Vazquez trade and the emergence of Hughes.
3:56pm: A Yankees official told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that the team has no urgency to do anything with their rotation, which isn't necessarily at odds with King's report below. In other words, the Mariners might like the Yankees to get involved on Lee, but so far they're not.
More interesting is the team official's suggestion that only three players have been made available across baseball so far, and Lee is not among them.
8:03am: The Mariners are preparing for the Yankees to pursue ace lefty Cliff Lee, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. King says the Mariners have already scouted the Yankees' Low A and Double A clubs and aim to watch their Triple A squad soon. King spoke to a "person familiar with Seattle's thought process" who believes Jack Zduriencik will seek Triple A shortstop Eduardo Nunez as well as one of the Yankees' minor league catchers. King suggests that the Yankees would need assurances that they could sign Lee to an extension if they're required to surrender Austin Romine or Jesus Montero.
King believes renting Lee would hold appeal to the Yankees despite their strong rotation. The Yanks' boast a front five of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Javier Vazquez, and it's not clear who they'd bump for Lee. The most likely candidate, Vazquez, has a 2.73 ERA in 33 innings since returning from a break on May 12th. Trading Vazquez to clear a spot for Lee seems convoluted to me.
With Nick Johnson potentially out for the season, an offensive addition would be more fitting. To that end, King says the Yankees have scouts following the Astros in case Lance Berkman becomes available. Berkman is still owed $11.2MM heading into today's action, however.
Orioles Designate Alberto Castillo For Assignment
The Orioles designated Alberto Castillo for assignment to make room for Jake Arrieta, according to the team. Castillo, a 34-year-old left-hander has a 10.13 ERA in 14 games this year with 9.3 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. The sample size is small, but that's more walks or strikeouts per nine than Castillo has ever posted in his three-year Baltimore career.
Indians Release Grudzielanek, Wright
The Indians released Mark Grudzielanek and Jamey Wright, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Both Grudzielanek and Wright were designated for assignment within the last week, when the Indians wanted to make room for Anderson Hernandez and Frank Herrmann.
Grudzielanek, 40 this month, signed a minor league deal over the winter. The second baseman was hitting .314/.368/.314 on May 16th, but has since slowed posted just a .456 OPS. At this point in his career, Grudzielanek has no power; none of his 30 hits this year have gone for extra bases.
Wright has a 5.48 ERA in 21.1 innings this year. The 35-year-old has allowed 25 hits and as many walks (nine) as strikeouts so far in 2010. Wright and Grudzielanek now appear on our list of 2010 free agents.
Braves Sign Matt Lipka
The Braves signed top pick Matt Lipka, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (via Twitter). Bowman notes that Atlanta also signed seventh rounder Matt Suschak (Twitter link). The Braves, who chose Lipka 35th overall, signed the supplementary rounder for a slot bonus of $800K, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lipka, 18, is a high school shortstop from Texas and had committed to playing at the University of Alabama. He hit .400 in high school, went 10-3 with a 1.43 ERA as a pitcher and also starred on the football field. Braves scouting director Tony DeMacio told Bowman that the Braves like Lipka's speed.
"We needed some speed in the organization, plus he plays in the middle of the diamond," DeMacio said. "He's got a plus arm. He's a plus fielder. He's got makeup off the chart. He's just a winning type of player."
DeMacio says the Braves believe Lipka can play shortstop or center field.
Peavy Would Prefer Trade To Rebuilding Effort
Jake Peavy told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he would ask for a trade if the White Sox start a complete rebuilding process. That doesn't seem likely, and Peavy tells Cowley he feels good about his situation in Chicago, despite the team's 25-33 record. Before the White Sox became sellers, Peavy told MLB.com that he doesn't have interest in playing for a rebuilding team.
Peavy has a full no-trade clause and proved last summer that he isn't afraid to use it. Two months before the Padres traded Peavy to the White Sox, he vetoed a deal that would have sent him to Chicago. Ironically enough, the 34-24 Padres are now in contention, but they would presumably be looking for bats, not arms if they decide to deal.
Peavy, 29, has $42.6MM remaining on his deal, so few teams could afford him. His 5.90 ERA could turn clubs off, though Peavy's peripheral numbers suggest he has pitched better than his ERA would have you believe. The right-hander's salary and stats would make him hard to trade and the White Sox don't seem likely to start a complete rebuilding process, so it doesn't look like Peavy's going anywhere.
Cardinals Looking For Starting Pitching
The Cardinals have begun searching for starting pitching, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny are on the mend, so GM John Mozeliak is on the lookout. Since Lohse and Penny have uncertain timetables as they recover from injuries, manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan asked Mozeliak to look for help outside the organization.
The Cardinals could use arms soon, so they're not likely to pursue pitchers like Pedro Martinez, Braden Looper and John Smoltz, who have been inactive so far in 2010. La Russa and Duncan appear willing to discuss a reunion with Jeff Suppan, who was recently released by the Brewers. The club also appears interested in Kevin Millwood, according to Strauss, though the team would not likely be able to take on the remainder of Millwood's $12MM salary.
Odds & Ends: Harper, Cardinals, Zaun, Snell
A few more links to browse, on the night of Buster Posey's first big-league home run….
- Nationals scouting director Kris Kline tells MASN's Ben Goessling that the club is optimistic about finalizing a deal with Bryce Harper earlier in the summer than they signed Stephen Strasburg last season.
- Tony La Russa suggests that the Cardinals could pursue starting pitching, writes Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. We've heard this a couple times since both Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse hit the disabled list.
- With this year's draft barely in the books, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo looks ahead to ten top prospects that could be drafted in 2011.
- Gregg Zaun confirmed today that he will have season-ending surgery on his shoulder, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. At the time of Zaun's injury, we looked at the Brewers' backstop options.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) has trouble believing the Phillies would have chosen the Mariners' package for Cliff Lee over a Yankees' offer headed by Jesus Montero, as Ken Rosenthal reported earlier today.
- Cameron also predicts that Ian Snell will be designated for assignment after a disastrous outing tonight in Texas (Twitter link).
Nationals, Dunn Talking Extension
Having already drafted Bryce Harper and debuted Stephen Strasburg this week, the Nationals keep the good news coming. Adam Dunn says that he and his agent have begun discussing a possible contract extension with the Nationals, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Talks between the team and agent Greg Genske were "cordial," according to Dunn, though no dollar figures were discussed.
There had been some speculation this year that if the Nationals once again fell out of contention, Dunn could be a trade chip. He's in the final year of a two-year, $20MM contract, and would be a valuable commodity on the trade market, given all the teams in need of an offensive boost. However, in the past few weeks, we've heard from both Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal that it's increasingly likely Dunn remains a National past this season, a scenario the slugger confirmed to Ladson:
"The Nationals know how I feel about this place. I hope that something can be worked out. Again, I'm not in any hurry. It's probably No. 10 on my list of things to worry about."
After posting a career-high in batting average (.267) in his first year in Washington, Dunn has improved it again this season, hitting .280/.378/.541 with 11 homers so far in 2010.
Phillies Agree To Terms With Draft Pick Garner
The Phillies have agreed to terms with second-round draft pick Perci Garner, MLBTR has learned. The right-hander, out of Ball State, was drafted 77th overall yesterday by Philadelphia.
According to MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun, Garner shot up a few draft boards after hitting 96 mph with his fastball earlier this season. Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever expressed optimism about Garner's potential:
"He's very athletic…. We think he's got tremendous topside, great live body, loose arm, [a] chance to have at least three quality pitches."
The Phillies also agreed to a deal with first-round selection Jesse Biddle, and have now locked up their top two picks from this year's draft.
The Plan For The White Sox
The White Sox are off to a disappointing 24-33 start this season, 9.5 games out of first place, and earlier this week we heard that the club is "open for business." Today, GM Ken Williams provided a few more details on what exactly that means, and Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the quotes in his latest article.
"If we do something it will be along the lines of shuffling the deck with the expectation that we're going to add impact guys to win," said Williams, adding: "I have to listen. It's not that I want to, but I'm not blind."
When we discussed in April the possibility of the White Sox becoming sellers, Tim noted that the team could trade off parts and still field a competitive roster in 2011. Given Williams' comments, it sounds like the Chicago GM is thinking along the same lines. After all, even at nine games below .500, the Sox are still only in third place in a fairly weak AL Central, ahead of the Royals and Indians.
While Williams sounds ready to deal, he pointed out that the timetable isn't entirely up to him: "It's still the early part of June and a lot of clubs are trying to figure their situations out and determine whether they're in it or not in it or what kind of money they have to spend."
Even if the Sox decide not to hold a full-fledged fire sale, their potentially available power bats and bullpen arms should make them an active player in the trade market this summer.