By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Matt Holliday and Jason Bay got the attention and, eventually, the money. But many unheralded signings have turned into great ones. Halfway through the 2010 season, it's time to take a look at how some hitters are doing and determine the answer to the following question:
Which one of the hitters signed last winter has had the biggest impact so far this year?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Red Sox have not approached Victor Martinez about an extension, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The catcher, who is now on the disabled list with a broken left thumb, becomes a free agent after the season. It isn’t clear whether the Red Sox would want Martinez to catch, play first or DH, but it doesn’t matter to V-Mart.
“I let them know very early in the season I’d like to play here and come back here, but the future is in their hands,’’ he said.
Martinez has impressed the Red Sox with his efforts to improve as a defensive catcher, but he says he would play anywhere on the diamond. Martinez split time between first and catcher in Boston last year, but has been the team’s primary catcher in 2010, throwing out 19% of would-be base stealers.
The 31-year-old has more impressive offensive numbers. Martinez had a .289/.344/.480 line before his trip to the DL. Those numbers won’t be enough to match Joe Mauer’s $184MM deal, but V-Mart was never going to approach Mauer’s record-setting deal. Instead, he could aim to sign a four or five-year deal in the $50MM range, as Jorge Posada has done more than once.
By Zachary Links | at
Monday night linkage..
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Yesterday Cliff Lee had another dominant outing and the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Phillies had scouts in Detroit to watch it. We'll keep track of all the day's Cliff Lee rumors right here, so check back later in the day to see if we have moved this post back to the top of the page with updates.
“I will say this: We’re looking at any way we can to improve the club,” said the GM. “To improve the club, it would have to be a pretty significant player to do that. We have a lot of good things going. We don’t want to disrupt that.”
Fay writes that it will take more than Yonder Alonso, a trade candidate mentioned by ESPN's Buster Olney over the weekend, to land Lee. Edinson Volquez's performance upon his return will also have an impact on the Reds' interest in making a deal.
By Zachary Links | at
A "handful" of teams have called the Padres to discuss trading for pitcher Sean Gallagher, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times. San Diego DFA'd the 24-year-old on Thursday in order to activate Tim Stauffer.
In 15 relief appearances for the Padres this season, Gallagher posted a 5.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9. While he assumed a long relief role for the big league squad, he has served mostly as a starter in the minors.
One baseball source told Hayes that the righty still has value because of the "buzz from his prospect days". In 2008, Baseball America ranked Gallagher, then a member of the Cubs organization, the 82nd best prospect in the minors.
By Zachary Links | at
The Rays have signed reliever Brian Shouse to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). Shouse will rehab his injured knee with the club's affiliate in the Gulf Coast League.
In 45 appearances for the Rays in 2009, the 41-year-old posted a 4.50 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
The lefty was released by the Red Sox in March, months after signing a deal that would have paid him $800K had he made the big league roster.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…
By Zachary Links | at
One of the Mets' debt covenants states that the team's payroll cannot increase, sources told Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Kosman writes that given their current financial state, the Mets may not be able to go after the ace that they seek at the Trade Deadline.
There is mounting evidence that suggests that the club, saddled with roughly $700MM in debt, is not turning a profit. The Wilpon family continues to feel the sting of the Bernie Madoff-perpetuated Ponzi scheme, which cost them "hundreds of millions". Sources say that the team is losing about $10MM per season when factoring in interest payments and depreciation.
Unsurprisingly, sources also told the Post that Fred Wilpon will ultimately have to sell his beloved franchise if things do not turn around.
By Zachary Links | at
Texas will look to improve their starting five from within, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Even though the club has the minor league talent to make a deal at the deadline, their financial situation could very well prove to be an impediment.
The Rangers are looking forward to Rich Harden and Derek Holland rejoining the rotation. Harden is on the disabled list with a strained back muscle and is scheduled to throw live batting practice tomorrow. Holland, who is dealing with inflammation in his left shoulder and a sprained right knee, could be close to throwing live batting practice as well. Both hurlers could be back in action before the Trade Deadline.
General Manager Jon Daniels says that even though he has his "finger on the pulse" of the trade market, he wants to see how the two look before looking to deal for an arm:
"We're very focused on improving the rotation internally right now," Daniels said earlier today. "From a health standpoint we've got a couple of guys that we'd like to get back after the All-Star break. A lot depends on how both proceed this week."
Cliff Lee continues to be atop the Rangers' wish list and Roy Oswalt's name has come up frequently. However, Texas may be content to just stick with cards that they have.
By Zachary Links | at
Kevin Millwood's underwhelming performance in recent starts coupled with injury rumors have resulted in the hurler being taken "off the block", according to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter). Ghiroli theorized that Millwood could be injured after he lasted just one inning and allowed five runs in today's start against the Tigers.
The veteran pitcher's value was already plummeting after a dreadful June. Millwood posted an 8.82 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in six starts. His latest outing gives him an ERA above ten in his last seven starts.
The Mets were linked to the 35-year-old for quite some time but are said to no longer have him on their radar. Other teams, such as the Cardinals, have considered Millwood, though his $12MM salary is a sticking point.
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