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Archives for July 2010

White Sox “Trying To Accelerate” Talks For Fielder

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The White Sox are "trying to accelerate" talks with the Brewers for Prince Fielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal says the problem is that the Brewers view Daniel Hudson as only a No. 3 or 4 type.  Yesterday ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that the Brewers' "clear preference will be for young power pitching."  Olney tweets today that the Sox "probably can't make a deal unless they offer Gordon Beckham in the package."

Just yesterday, Rosenthal tweeted that the Sox were not on Fielder due to financial concerns and the difficulty matching up.  The market for Fielder appears to be picking up, as evidenced by Rosenthal's tweet today that the first baseman is generating more calls than Corey Hart.  MLBTR provided a full profile of the Fielder market yesterday.

Astros Claim Anderson Hernandez, Nelson Figueroa

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The Astros claimed infielder Anderson Hernandez off waivers from the Indians and pitcher Nelson Figueroa off waivers from the Phillies, tweets Alyson Footer.  She adds that pitchers Polin Trinidad and Gary Majewski were designated for assignment.

Hernandez was designated for assignment by the Indians three days ago, the second time they'd done so this year.  He's struggled mightily with the bat in the Majors and minors.  Figueroa cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment in June, so I'm not sure what happened there.  The 36-year-old was excellent in the minors and decent in the bigs.

Trinidad, a 25-year-old southpaw, has a 4.55 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 12 home runs allowed in 97 Triple A innings this year.  Heading into the season Baseball America ranked him 26th among Astros prospects, saying he "profiles as a No. 5 starter or long reliever."  Majewski, 30, spent most of the season at Triple A where he posted a 4.04 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 35.6 relief innings.

Jensen Lewis Optioned To Triple A

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WEDNESDAY: Lewis was optioned to Triple A Columbus, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Castrovince explained yesterday that the move was a procedural one.

TUESDAY: The Indians designated righty Jensen Lewis for assignment to make room for Asdrubal Cabrera, according to the team. Lewis, 26, posted a 4.18 ERA in 22 relief appearances for the Indians this year, with 6.1 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9. The 2005 third-rounder picked up 23.2 innings in total this season, his fourth in the Indians' 'pen.

But teams salivating over Lewis in a thin relief market should check themselves. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports that Lewis will not be placed on outright waivers and was DFA'd as a technicality (Twitter link).

Cabrera, who broke out for the Indians last season, is returning from a fractured left forearm and will play in the majors for the first time since May 17th. Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Kerry Wood have all missed time due to injuries as well.

Crasnick On The Bullpen Market

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ESPN's Jerry Crasnick does a nice job profiling the underwhelming market for relievers.  The Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Phillies, and Twins could be looking to make an acquisition.  A few tidbits…

  • The Astros "will gladly talk about Brandon Lyon, but aren't so interested in discussing Matt Lindstrom."  Lyon is still owed $12.48MM through 2012.
  • Crasnick points out that Octavio Dotel is not a pitcher you want facing lefties.  How about D.J. Carrasco?  He's quietly having another decent year, he's cheap, and he's under team control through 2012.  Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweeted yesterday that at least five teams have inquired.
  • Crasnick finds "the consensus" to be that Mariners closer David Aardsma will be dealt before the deadline.  The Tigers have been linked to the hard-throwing righty, whose ERA is up several runs this year despite his strikeout and walk rates remaining stable.  Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times feels the Mariners would need their socks knocked off to move Aardsma. 
  • Chad Qualls, Clay Hensley, and most of the Brewers' and Royals' pens also merit consideration as trade bait.

Yankees Considering Jhonny Peralta

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Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida's Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.

Peralta has a substantial commitment for a bench player, with $2.23MM remaining on his contract.  He's hitting .252/.314/.401 on the season. 

The Yankees were first linked to Helms four days ago by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets today that he's not their first choice.  Other available bench options capable of playing third base include Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, and Craig Counsell.

Marlins Designate Nate Robertson For Assignment

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The Marlins designated lefty Nate Robertson for assignment, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  Robertson sports a 5.47 ERA, 5.5 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 100.3 innings this year after last night's bruising at the hands of the Rockies.

Now eminently available, Robertson might be appealing to teams looking for left-handed relief.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out yesterday that Robertson has been decent against southpaws prior to this year and is owed only $163K with the Tigers picking up the rest of the tab.

Mets Considering Dotel, Downs

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The Mets have discussed relievers Octavio Dotel and Scott Downs, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  John Harper of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Mets scouted Downs and Kevin Gregg over the weekend.  The Mets agreed to terms with free agent reliever Chad Cordero earlier today.

The FOX writers say the Mets are now more focused on relievers than starters.  While they maintain interest in Ted Lilly, they've cooled on Jake Westbrook, Ben Sheets, and Brett Myers.  Speaking of Myers, ESPN's Adam Rubin learned that the Mets and Astros have had very little conversation.

Dotel came up through the Mets' system more than a decade ago and was traded in December of '99 to the Astros with Kyle Kessel and Roger Cedeno for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton.  That deal was engineered by Steve Phillips and Gerry Hunsicker back when Dotel was a starter.  If Hunsicker had been able to give the Yankees a window to negotiate with Hampton before his walk year, imagine how New York baseball history would've been altered. 

This year as the Pirates' closer Dotel sports a 4.62 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 4.1 BB/9 in 37 innings, with five home runs allowed and 20 saves in 25 attempts.  He has a 2.60 ERA since May 4th.  Still, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick implies, Dotel's stats suggest he should be a righty specialist.  By the way, Dotel's 2011 club option becomes mutual if he's traded. 

Morosi noted on Twitter last night that the Pirates are also getting calls on Joel Hanrahan, "but the price remains very high."  Armed with a 95.6 mph fastball, Hanrahan has 56 strikeouts in 40.6 innings.  His 12.39 K/9 ranks behind only Carlos Marmol, Billy Wagner, and Brian Wilson in the National League.

Olney On Phillies, Bautista, Dodgers, Red Sox

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Rumors from the blog of ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Olney suggests the Phillies acquiring Roy Oswalt and trading Jayson Werth would in large part be about positioning the team for 2011.  Oswalt would still be under contract next year, while Domonic Brown would get big league seasoning.
  • Some teams feel that the Blue Jays are bluffing by asking for elite young players for MLB home run leader Jose Bautista.  Rival executives feel that Bautista's salary will jump to eight figures in his final arbitration year, and the Jays would be reluctant to pay.
  • The Dodgers expect they'll be able to add a starter and reliever in the next ten days, giving up better prospects while the other team pays the player's salary.  Not the best long-term strategy.  The Dodgers have been linked to Paul Maholm, Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, David Aardsma, and the Blue Jays' relievers.  
  • Some teams believe the Red Sox will be aggressive on the waiver wire next month, placing strategic claims at a time when few teams are willing to take on salary.  Today on the Dennis & Callahan show, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said the team has "money set aside to acquire talent if we can find it," at that they're at the "bottom end of the tax threshold." 

Angels Discussed Cantu, LaRoche

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Jorge Cantu and Adam LaRoche are among the names the Angels have discussed, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Those veteran rentals could help the Halos at first base, but changing leagues is said to be a big factor for the Angels.  Alberto Callaspo wouldn't be making the change; Rosenthal says the Royals infielder is on the Angels' short list.  Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles first reported that target yesterday afternoon.

Regarding the first base situation, the Angels are said to prefer a rental player since Kendry Morales will be back next year.  Aside from Cantu and LaRoche, the market features Lance Berkman, Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady, Lyle Overbay, and others.  Despite the name value, keep in mind that many of these first basemen are having lackluster seasons. 

Cardinals Focused On Westbrook, Haren

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The Cardinals are trying to acquire a starting pitcher, wrote Ed Price of AOL FanHouse last night, and they're focused on Jake Westbrook and Dan Haren.

Recently we summed up the market for both pitchers.  Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ten days ago that he expected to "shy from a rental deal that requires us to give up a ton of talent."  Neither Westbrook nor Haren fits that description, so it makes sense that they'd be in play for newly-extended GM John Mozeliak. 

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