Royals Like Jeff Francoeur
The Royals 'like' Jeff Francoeur, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Mets would like to trade Francoeur, and Royals GM Dayton Moore was in the Braves front office when the right-fielder made a name for himself in Atlanta, so the Mets and Royals could become trade partners. About $2MM remains on Francoeur's salary, and that's an obstacle for the Royals, according to Rosenthal.
The 26-year-old told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork that he wouldn't mind getting traded. Even if he stays in New York for the rest of the season, Francoeur may get a change of scenery this winter, since he's a non-tender candidate. Francoeur has hit .247/.297/.380 this year, though he did post an .836 OPS after the Mets traded for him in 2009.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gillies, Oswalt, Hart, Lilly
On this date ten years ago, a 36-year-old Barry Larkin signed a three-year contract extension with the Reds worth $27MM. This came a day after Larkin invoked his ten-and-five rights to block a trade to the Mets, who agreed to send then-top prospect Alex Escobar and two others to Cincinnati. New York dealt Melvin Mora and three other players to Baltimore for Mike Bordick five days later, filling their shortstop hole. Larkin, the first 30-30 shortstop in baseball history, hit just .257/.328/.372 during the life of the extension.
Here are some links with the trade deadline seemingly right around the corner…
- Phoul Ballz interviews Phillies' prospect Tyson Gillies, who was acquired in the Cliff Lee trade this winter.
- Crawfish Boxes lists the players they would want if Roy Oswalt is traded to the Cardinals.
- Ghost of Moonlight Graham looks at the trade market for Corey Hart.
- Disciples of Uecker explains how the Brewers screwed up the J.J. Hardy trade.
- Twinkie Town reviews the Twins' trade deadline action from 2007-2009.
- Monkey With A Halo provides a full-proof plan to fix the Angels in the second half.
- The Baseball Opinion speculates about a Ted Lilly to the Mets trade.
- The Friarhood looks at some ways to improve the Padres' outfield situation.
- Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? has some fun with a rumor involving Neftali Feliz.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Jack Of All Trades: Fred McGriff
What do you think of when you hear Fred McGriff's name? For me, the answer is Terry McGriff, whose baseball card I often pulled from a pack of Topps, Donruss or when desperate for my baseball card fix, Score. The excitement over getting the Crime Dog quickly gave way, as I wondered who, exactly, Terry McGriff was.
For others, McGriff's name brings to mind the blissfully consistent first baseman who hit 30 home runs ten times (and hit 28, 27 and 27 in three others).
But for a surprising number of teams, McGriff conjured up the phrase: trade him.
This is not to say that McGriff was considered a clubhouse cancer, or even an unskilled player. But He was traded four times and sold once en route to the same number of career home runs as Lou Gehrig. Let's take a look at who got the best of those deals – in nearly every case, the answer is "whichever team got Fred McGriff."
- The Yankees selected McGriff in the ninth round of the 1981 draft. But in an inexplicable deal, they traded him, along with Dave Collins, Mike Morgan and cash, to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Dale Murray and Tom Dodd on December 9, 1982. If one trade could represent the excesses of the Yankees at their worst, it is this one. The Yanks brought in Collins as a high-priced free agent the season before to replace Reggie Jackson. After Collins hit .253/.315/.330, the Yankees shipped him out. McGriff, of course, had just hit .272/.413/.456 in rookie ball. Mike Morgan, who will be the subject of a future Jack of All Trades piece himself, had another 20 years and 2,532.1 innings left in the tank. And what did the Yankees get? In Dodd, a slugger with a career .295 on-base percentage in the minor leagues, and Murray, a veteran swingman whose ERA never saw the good side of 4.00 again.
- Fast forward to December 5, 1990. McGriff has by now developed into an elite player, posting an OPS+ of 166 in 1989 and 154 overall as a Blue Jay. But in a four-player trade, Toronto traded McGriff and Tony Fernandez to the Padres for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. It's easy to say Toronto got the best of this deal, since Carter and Alomar were essential parts of two world championships. John Olerud replaced McGriff at first base, so the Blue Jays kept getting production. But McGriff complicates the assumption that the Blue Jays won this trade. He continued his essential McGriff-ness, posting a 149 OPS+ in three seasons with San Diego. Carter's best single-season OPS+ was 124, and his overall OPS+ with the Blue Jays was 104. Even Alomar posted just an OPS+ of 123 with Toronto, though that stat tells just part of the story, since Alomar was a terrific defender and baserunner. Ultimately, Carter plus Alomar probably beats McGriff plus Fernandez (who wasn't very good with San Diego). But McGriff might have been the most productive player of the four after the trade.
- And yet, the Padres dealt the 29-year-old McGriff on July 18, 1993 to their division rival, the Atlanta Braves, for a trio of young players: Vince Moore, Donnie Elliott and Melvin Nieves. It is fair to say Atlanta won this trade, though Nieves eventually put up a pair of 20-plus home run seasons with the Tigers. McGriff hit .310/.392/.612 for Atlanta after the trade, then showed it was no fluke by hitting .318/.389/.623 in 1994 over what approximated a full season. Three decent seasons of 115 OPS+ hitting followed, before the Braves unceremoniously sold McGriff to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
- McGriff alternated between decent seasons and excellent ones with Tampa Bay. And in his fourth year in Tampa, hitting .318/.387/.536, the Chicago Cubs decided they could use him for the stretch run. McGriff decided he wasn't so sure about the Cubs and invoked his no-trade clause. He eventually relented and the Cubs acquired him on July 27, 2001 for Manny Aybar and Jason Smith. The Cubs finished third in 2001 and fifth in 2002, but it was no fault of McGriff's. He posted a .282/.383/.559 line after the deal in 2001, and had his last McGriff-like year in 2002, with a line of .273/.353/.505 and 30 home runs.
Put simply, no one who ever traded for Fred McGriff had reason to regret it.
Trade Possible, Nats May Try To Extend Dunn Soon
Adam Dunn is looking for a long-term deal, and if he and the Nationals can’t agree on his value, the team will likely trade him, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Dunn would stay in Washington if he and the Nationals can agree to the parameters of a deal, even if they don’t formally announce an agreement. The Nats have the chance to keep Dunn in Washington, so they may try to extend him before the trade deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
Dunn, 31 in November, has 23 homers and a .933 OPS, so he remains one of the game's elite power hitters. Many have suggested that Dunn's poor defense makes him an ideal candidate to DH, but that hasn't prevented NL teams like the Giants from showing interest. The Nats seem reluctant to deal their top players, including Dunn, but the White Sox are definitely interested.
The White Sox also covet Prince Fielder, but Dunn, Adam LaRoche and Lance Berkman (in that order) are the next players on their list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
Red Sox Rumors: Beltre, Lowrie, Lowell, Ortiz
The latest on the Red Sox, one night after a near-no-hitter almost turned into an ugly loss:
- Adrian Beltre told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that "it's too early to tell" if he'll re-sign in Boston after the season. We still have two months to go before the end of the regular season, so it's hard to argue with Beltre's logic.
- It's a "longshot" that Jed Lowrie ends up with the Padres, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
- Mike Lowell told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he'll decide whether to retire in September.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney predicts that the Red Sox will keep David Ortiz next year, if only to prevent Big Papi from signing with the Rays or Yankees.
- Manager Terry Francona wondered to Lauber if Josh Beckett's early-season struggles may have been related to the $68MM extension he signed.
Mets Designate Fernando Nieve For Assignment
The Mets designated Fernando Nieve for assignment after last night’s loss, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. In need of relievers, the team flew in right-hander Manny Acosta from Triple A and he will replace Nieve on the roster, according to the Mets.
The Mets claimed Nieve off of waivers from the Astros last year and he responded by posting a sub-3.00 ERA in 36.2 innings of work. This season, the 28-year-old Venezuelan has a 6.00 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Mets' decision to designate Nieve had something to do with the five runs he allowed the D'Backs to score in his relief appearance Monday.
Odds & Ends: Hamilton, Rangers, Moyer, Wilson
As Alex Rodriguez takes a step closer to the 600-homer club, here are some news items…
- Barry Shlachter of the Star-Telegram reports on Nolan Ryan's testimony about the Rangers' money problems. The most notable item from Ryan's testimony was that Texas may not be able to afford Josh Hamilton's inevitable arbitration raise this winter. This seems hard to believe, since you'd figure that Texas would cut corners anywhere else to find the money to pay Hamilton or to negotiate a long-term deal with their star.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweets that the Rangers have excess pitching and could make Scott Feldman and/or Rich Harden available in a trade.
- Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Jamie Moyer's recent elbow injury might end the 47-year-old's amazing career.
- The Cardinals feel more confident about their chances of signing draft pick Austin Wilson after the 12th-round selection and his family visited Busch Stadium, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The highly-regarded Wilson has a full scholarship waiting for him at Stanford and thus the Cards' selection was thought to be a longshot.
- Tom Krasovic of the Inside The Padres blog writes that the Friars are looking for "a hitter adept at reaching base against right-handers."
- Holden Kushner of CSNWashington.com examines a potential Adam Dunn deal against the situation the Nationals faced in 2005 when they didn't trade Alfonso Soriano.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com discusses some Indians prospects and more in a fan mailbag.
- David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune thinks the White Sox should resist the urge to trade Gordon Beckham for a rent-a-player. Haugh proposes that the Sox should instead offer up Bobby Jenks, whose closing job is up in the air.
Red Sox Notes: Lowrie, Kelly, Lowell
On the anniversary of Boston's trade for Adam LaRoche, here are some Red Sox tidbits…
- Now that the Red Sox have acquired utility infielder Jack Hannahan, ESPN's Buster Olney speculates (via Twitter) that Jed Lowrie might be expendable, and a candidate to be dealt to San Diego.
- In an appearance on WEEI's Big Show, J.P. Ricciardi doesn't think Boston will do "something crazy" at the trade deadline and deal a top prospect like Casey Kelly. WEEI.com's Jay Asser has the full transcript of Ricciardi's comments.
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that Mike Lowell's minor league rehabilitation game was attended by scouts from the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals and Tigers. Detroit actually had two scouts present, though nothing should necessarily be read into this fact since Pawtucket was playing the Tigers' own Triple-A affiliate. Given how many rumors the Tigers have been tied to themselves, those scouts also could've been looking at some Mud Hens players.
Royals Notes: DeJesus, Trades, Ankiel, Gordon
David DeJesus left tonight's Royals/Yankees game with a sprained right thumb, suffered after colliding with the wall in an attempt to catch a Derek Jeter fly ball. MLB.com's Tim Britton reports that DeJesus will miss the rest of the four-game series, and Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that DeJesus will see a hand specialist on Friday. "He might be out a while," Dutton warns.
With Kansas City's luck, would it be any surprise if the team's most attractive trading chip had to go on the DL in the week before the deadline? Here are some (possibly now moot) DeJesus trade chatter and other Royals-related items…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore appeared on Jim Bowden's XM 175 radio show today, and told Bowden that teams interested in DeJesus were looking at him to play left or right field, not center. (Twitter link)
- Bowden also tweeted Moore's comment that he's talking to 3-6 teams about trades but also "checking in" with others. The Royals are focusing on moving players in the last year of their contracts.
- One such player is Rick Ankiel, who has a $6MM mutual option for 2011 that K.C. is unlikely to pick up. Ankiel has been called up by the Royals in what Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com thinks is a showcase for a possible trade, but still a bad roster move given how Alex Gordon's Triple-A numbers make him far more worthy of a return to the majors.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer also comments on the Ankiel call-up, and notes that "suddenly the Royals have some of the best prospects in the minors." The issue, as Neyer explains, is that these prospects are blocked by underperforming veterans.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) quotes a Royals source who says that K.C. would have to "win the deal" for the team to move DeJesus.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants "continue to keep tabs" on DeJesus, "but the asking price remained high." Baggarly says San Francisco has more interest in Washington's Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham.
- The Padres have been connected to DeJesus in trade rumors, but MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets that "not everyone in the Padres camp is sold on [Corey] Hart or DeJesus. Regardless of asking price."
Chulk, Penn Sold To Japanese Teams
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports (via Twitter) that the Pirates have sold the rights to right-handers Vinnie Chulk and Hayden Penn to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Chiba Lotte Marines, respectively. The moves have been in the works for a little while now but were just finalized today.
Chulk has pitched for Toronto, San Francisco and Cleveland over his seven years in the big leagues. In 276 1/3 major league innings, all of which came out of the bullpen, the righty posted a 4.33 ERA and a 1.75 K/BB ratio. Chulk signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh last December and had an uneven season at Triple-A Indianapolis; he had a 10.5 K/9 ratio but also a 4.96 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 28 appearances.
Penn, drafted by the Orioles in the fifth round of the 2002 amateur draft, was a well-regarded prospect in Baltimore's system, ranked as the 81st-best prospect in the game by Baseball America in their pre-2006 listing. He was never able to translate that promise to the majors, however, as shown by his 9.51 career ERA over 33 games (15 of them starts) with Baltimore, Florida and Pittsburgh.