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Archives for July 2010

Olney’s Latest: Lee, Zambrano, Dodgers, Fielder

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In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that even though the Yankees already have five good starters, the tight race in the AL East is enough to keep them engaged with the Mariners about Cliff Lee. They will probably make an offer at some point, but they're unlikely to land him because they've been philosophically opposed to trading prospects for a player they could just sign as a free agent after the season.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Olney's message to any team looking for bullpen help: Good luck with that. There are no difference-making relievers on the market, and guys like Kerry Wood, David Aardsma, and Jason Frasor are no sure things.
  • Carlos Zambrano has some value as an innings eater, and the Cubs could probably get a team to absorb $10-15MM of the $45MM left on his deal. If he does get traded, Olney says it would likely be in the offseason.
  • People in the Dodgers' organization say there is "little or no hope" that money will be available for the team to make moves.
  • Olney doesn't see the Giants and Brewers matching up in a Prince Fielder trade. Matt Cain is a deal breaker given Tim Lincecum's recent struggles, and Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner won't be enough.

Yankees Looking To Add Bench Help

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The Ty Wigginton rumor appears to be just the tip of the iceberg for the Yankees, who have prioritized improving the bench before the trade deadline according to Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger.

"The bench is the area of priority as of right now," said GM Brian Cashman. "That doesn't mean we're not open to anything else. But if you ask me what's the priority? What's the area of weakness? It's the bench."

Cashman didn't name any specific targets for obvious reasons, and he wouldn't say whether he preferred a left-handed or right-handed bat. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com recently named Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald as potential options for the Yankees, but Adam Kennedy and Craig Counsell could also become targets. Those last two are just me speculating, though.

At the moment, the team boasts a homegrown and inexperienced bench consisting of Ramiro Pena (17 OPS+), Kevin Russo (36 OPS+), Chad Huffman (39 OPS+), Colin Curtis (159 OPS+, just 10 PA), and Francisco Cervelli (92 OPS+), though Marcus Thames is currently on a rehab assignment working his way back from a hamstring issue. The Yanks recently added Eric Bruntlett on a minor league deal as well. Last year the Yanks acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. and Eric Hinske before the deadline, so rebuilding a bench on the fly is nothing new for Cashman.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Mets, Orioles, Lee

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Links for Friday night, as Roy Oswalt and Mat Latos duel in San Diego….

Minor League Transactions: Fogg, Berroa, Campillo

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Baseball America's Matt Eddy brings us the latest round of minor league transactions, with a few noteworthy moves to mention. Let's take a look….

  • The Phillies released Josh Fogg, who they had signed just before the season started. Fogg got knocked around at Double-A Reading, allowing 13 earned runs and 27 baserunners in just 10.1 IP.
  • Angel Berroa was let go by the Giants, after he hit .205/.247/.307 in 94 Triple-A plate appearances. His release came two months after the team had inked him to a minor league deal.
  • After serving a 50-game suspension for a drug violation, Adam Bostick was released by the Royals. The club also parted ways with Jorge Campillo, who posted a 3.91 ERA in 158.2 innings for the Braves in 2008.
  • The Twins signed D'Angelo Jimenez, who had been playing in the Mexican League. The 32-year-old, who always displayed strong on-base skills, last appeared in the majors in 2007 with Washington, hitting .245/.379/.373 in 128 plate appearances.
  • The Reds released left-hander Daryl Harang, Aaron Harang's younger brother.

Angels Sign Two First-Round Picks

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The Angels have signed first-round picks Cameron Bedrosian and Chevez Clarke, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Bedrosian and Clarke were two of the Angels' three first-rounders in this year's draft, selected 29th and 30th overall respectively. Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Bedrosian will receive a bonus of $1.116MM, while Clarke signed for $1.089MM.

The son of former Cy Young winner Steve Bedrosian, Cam was selected with the first-round pick the Angels earned when John Lackey signed with the Red Sox. Baseball America ranked Bedrosian 56th overall in their list of draft prospects, noting that his fastball hits the mid-90s and that he has a chance to become a major league starter.

Clarke is a switch-hitting high school outfielder who projects as a leadoff type, with MLB.com's scouting report likening the 18-year-old to Denard Span.

Kaleb Cowart, who the Angels selected with the 18th overall pick they received for losing Chone Figgins, is now the lone first-rounder who has yet to reach an agreement with the team. For the full list of which 2010 first-round picks have signed, click here.

Hinch ‘Disappointed’ D’Backs Did Not Succeed

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Nine walk off losses. A bullpen ERA approaching 7.00. Zero innings from Brandon Webb. There are lots of negatives for the 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks and A.J. Hinch knows his club could have done better, but he is not going to focus exclusively on the team’s failures.

“There were a lot of high times in the last couple of years,” he told reporters on a conference call Friday. “We just didn’t find those high times enough and weren’t able to maintain that momentum enough.”


For a manager who lost 34 more games than he won and found himself under scrutiny from the day he won the manager’s job to the day he lost it, Hinch recalled a whole lot of highlights: Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter, informing Dan Haren and Justin Upton that they made the 2009 All-Star team and seeing Barry Enright win at the major league level. But a 31-48 start to the season and an overall mark of 89-123 under Hinch have a lot of Diamondbacks fans wondering ‘what if.’

“I try not to play the ‘if’ game,” Hinch said. “I’m not into ifs or moral victories. Certainly things could have been different and I’m disappointed that it wasn’t. I’m grateful for the opportunity I was provided and I’m glad that I accepted the challenge.”

Josh Byrnes, the GM who offered Hinch the challenge, got fired along with his manager last night. When Byrnes hired the longtime catcher as a 34-year-old rookie manager last year, many questioned the decision to hand an important position to such an inexperienced candidate. But Hinch, who worked under Byrnes in Arizona’s front office after an eight-year playing career, says he was ready for the job – the wins just weren’t there.

“Not everything ends well in sports,” Hinch said.

Hinch’s career in sports is almost certainly not over. He’s still just 36 and though he says he needs some time to ‘digest’ all that has happened since his playing career ended in 2004, he knows one thing about his future.

“I’m very confident that it’s going to be in baseball,” Hinch said, adding that he could return to a front office role. “I love baseball.”

The Diamondbacks have a more certain future than their former manager. Tonight Kirk Gibson takes over as interim manager against the Dodgers, and Edwin Jackson starts for the first time since he threw 149 pitches in his no-hitter. And even though Hinch plans to slow down soon, he won’t relax until tomorrow.

“I’ll be watching carefully tonight,” Hinch said.

D’Backs Called Red Sox About Chris Snyder

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The Diamondbacks called the Red Sox today, attempting to trade Chris Snyder, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com and MLB Network. Today was the first day on the job for interim general manager Jerry DiPoto, who seems to have wasted no time in preparing for the July 31st trade deadline.

Though Gammons doesn't indicate the Sox' level of interest in Snyder, it's probably safe to say that the D'Backs are more interested in moving the backstop than Boston is in acquiring him. Snyder has about $2.4MM left on his 2010 salary, and is owed $5.75MM next year, along with a $750K buyout for 2012's $6.75MM club option. With Miguel Montero healthy and raking (.375/.444/.563), Snyder has been relegated to backup duty for the D'Backs.

However, the Sox were rumored to have interest in Snyder earlier this season, and could be interested again with Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez both on the disabled list. In April, Gammons thought that the club would prefer to spend any excess money before the deadline on "a big piece," rather than taking on Snyder's salary.

Stark On Wigginton, Lopez, Atkins, Lee

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Unlike the Red Sox and Rockies, who may try to avoid making a trade to replace their injured infielders, the Phillies are "trying like hell" to find an infield bat, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Stark breaks down the Phillies' options and shares some Cliff Lee rumors in a new blog entry:

  • Enough teams are interested in Ty Wigginton that the Orioles can be patient in their attempts to get maximum value for him. The Phillies, on the other hand, need an infielder now, so they'll either have to meet Baltimore's asking price or look elsewhere.
  • A scout tells Stark that some people in the Phils' organization like Jose Lopez "a lot."
  • The Phillies have never been overly interested in Garrett Atkins, and that hasn't changed now that he has become available.
  • Kelly Johnson, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Bautista, and Miguel Tejada are also possibilities to varying degrees for Philadelphia.
  • The Phils don't want to move Domonic Brown, Jarred Cosart, Anthony Gose, or Trevor May for an infielder, but would discuss anyone except Brown for a top starting pitcher.
  • The Reds "are more interested than they're letting on" in Lee, while the Yankees also continue to monitor the Mariners' left-hander.
  • The Rangers and Dodgers would love to acquire Lee, but would have to give up a slew of prospects to avoid taking on his salary.
  • According to Stark, there have even been rumblings that the Rays could be a match for the M's ace if they were willing to move B.J. Upton.

Phillies Interested in Lee, Tejada, Wigginton

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that we can add the Phillies to the list of teams interested in trading for Cliff Lee. Only a few months after sending Lee to the Mariners, the Phillies would like to reacquire the left-hander, according to Rosenthal's sources.

A source tells Rosenthal that the Phillies consider themselves long-shots in the Lee sweepstakes, given what the M's will ask for in return. Philadelphia would likely have to part with Domonic Brown to reacquire Lee, something they'd be reluctant to do with Jayson Werth facing free agency and no other blue chip, major-league-ready prospects in their farm system. Nonetheless, the Phillies would like to upgrade their rotation, and are focusing on impact starters rather than back-of-the-rotation types.

In addition to having interest in Lee, the Phillies are also expected to "move quickly" to acquire infield help, according to Rosenthal, who says the team is targeting Miguel Tejada and Ty Wigginton. Rosenthal himself speculated yesterday that Tejada and Wigginton could be possibilities for the Phils, in the wake of injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, while MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also mentioned the pair of Orioles when he examined the Phillies' options.

Mets Sign Brian Bruney

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Well-traveled right-hander Brian Bruney will join his third team so far this season. Newsday's David Lennon reports (via Twitter) that the Mets have signed Bruney to a minor league deal.

The Nationals acquired the 28-year-old over the winter from the Yankees, but released him in May after 19 unimpressive appearances. Bruney then signed with the Brewers, but failed to crack their big league roster during his three weeks in the organization, and was released ten days ago. In 21 IP between the majors and minors for the Nats and Brewers this season, the righty has walked exactly a batter per inning.

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