Padres Rumors: Gonzalez, Bell, Byrnes, Hinch
The All-Star Game mattered more than usual to the Padres this year, and not just because they're in contention and may benefit from the NL's win. Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse has the details:
- The cost of Adrian Gonzalez’s option for 2011 has risen from $5.5MM to $6.2MM since the first baseman reached many incentives. Gonzalez boosted the cost of the Padres’ option by making three All-Star teams and winning a pair of Gold Gloves.
- Padres closer Heath Bell will be "ticked off" if he doesn’t get a bonus for making this year’s All-Star team, but Padres CEO Jeff Moorad forbids player bonuses (he wasn't the one who negotiated Gonzalez's incentives).
- Two recently-fired members of the D’Backs organization could join Moorad in San Diego. Krasovic continues hearing that Josh Byrnes and A.J. Hinch are “tight” with Moorad, who was a D'Backs executive until last year.
- Spending cuts are looming in Arizona, according to Krasovic.
Odds & Ends: Washburn, A’s, Myers, Mattingly
Links for Thursday, after somebody finally beat the Cardinals…
- Agent Scott Boras told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Jarrod Washburn has not yet decided whether to pitch in 2010.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that rival teams expect the Royals to trade Kyle Farnsworth and the Pirates to trade Octavio Dotel (Twitter links).
- The A’s agreed to sign two Venezuelan 16-year-olds, Argy Raga and Jesus Rivas, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- The Astros would need to be "overwhelmed" to move Brett Myers, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly definitely wants to manage in the major leagues, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
- The Padres, who are interested in Miguel Tejada, believe he could potentially play some outfield once David Eckstein returns, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- The Padres won't rush to acquire middle infield help until they know more about Eckstein's injury, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. GM Jed Hoyer told Brock the club had already been looking for infield depth.
- The Reds will discuss manager Dusty Baker's future this August, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Baker's contract expires after the season.
- At FanGraphs, Aaron Rowand and Carlos Lee make their way onto Dave Cameron's list of the MLB players with the least trade value.
- Baseball America lists the 15 biggest bonuses ever handed out to international amateurs.
Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers
The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:
- Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
- The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
- The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
- They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
- The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
- The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
- The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
- The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.
Mets Sign Chad Cordero
The Mets completed their deal with free agent reliever Chad Cordero, who will likely pitch in Triple A Buffalo. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News noted that the deal had become official (via Twitter).
Cordero had labrum surgery two years ago and battled his way back to the Majors with the Mariners in June. Optioned back to Triple A on July 15th, Cordero elected free agency. It appears that Cordero will be arbitration-eligible after the season, as he'll still be short of six years service time.
Rosenthal points out that Mets GM Omar Minaya originally drafted Cordero 20th overall as Expos GM in 2003. Cordero went on to save 128 games for the Expos/Nationals before his injury.
Cordero, 28, struggled in his short big league stint but posted a 4.12 ERA, 10.1 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 19.6 Triple A innings this year. The Mets scouted Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs over the weekend, but Cordero is a more affordable option.
Orioles Release Joey Gathright
The Orioles released speedy outfielder Joey Gathright this morning, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (via Twitter). The 29-year-old was hitting .185/.255/.222 in 244 plate appearances at Triple A. A three-time 20-steal man in the majors, Gathright was 12 for 18 stealing bases in the minors this season.
He has played for the Royals, Rays, Red Sox and Cubs in his six-year MLB career and last appeared in the majors in 2009. Gathright appeared in 37 games for the Cubs and Red Sox last year, but didn't do much at the plate. However, he has been an above-average defender in the outfield, according to UZR. Gathright could sign with another organization, but would almost certainly have to return to the minors.
Reds Agree To Sign Isringhausen
The Reds agreed to sign Jason Isringhausen to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Yesterday, GM Walt Jocketty confirmed to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the sides were nearing an agreement. The Reds offered the longtime closer a contract Tuesday, after they worked him out and liked what they saw.
The 37-year-old appeared in nine games for the Rays last year and posted a 2.25 ERA. Since 1995, Isringhausen has earned 293 saves, good for 22nd on the all-time list. The righty has posted 7.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in his career. He'll help former Cardinals teammates Scott Rolen and Russ Springer try to lead Cincinnati to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. For now, Isringhausen will report to Triple A, where he'll likely spend a couple weeks.
Morosi On Reds, Berkman, Blue Jays
The Reds have signed Russ Springer and they're close to adding Jason Isringhausen, but that doesn't mean GM Walt Jocketty is content with his team's bullpen. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has the details on the Reds, plus other notes from around the majors:
- The Reds have been looking for late-inning relievers aggressively, since they don’t want to tire out Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes and Nick Masset.
- The Angels are not interested in taking on Lance Berkman’s contract, at this point (Twitter link). Berkman, 34, has a .799 OPS and about $5.8MM remaining on his salary this year. That's not it though – there's also a $2MM buyout for next year's $15MM option.
- The Tigers, Twins, Phillies, Yankees, and Rockies were checking out the Blue Jays’ relievers and bats this week in Kansas City (Twitter link).
Red Sox Notes: Werth, DeJesus, Snyder
The Red Sox are unquestionably a good team, but in the AL East, 'good' is rarely good enough. Here's the latest on the Red Sox, who are currently in third place, 4.5 games behind the Rays for the AL Wild Card:
- The Red Sox are interested in acquiring an outfielder, a catcher and a reliever, according to Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com. The team isn't close to making any deals at the moment.
- They have "strong interest" in Jayson Werth and are interested in David DeJesus.
- GM Theo Epstein has continued interest in Chris Snyder and Chris Iannetta, partly because both backstops are under control after 2010.
- The Red Sox had a scout at the Rockies-Marlins game last night, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The scout was not there to watch Iannetta and Renck suggests the Red Sox were eyeing potential relief help.
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com argues that the Red Sox are "worthy of postseason conversation," even if they don't currently hold a playoff spot. The team addressed many of its holes over the winter, as Bradford shows.
Olney On Hart, Bautista, Soria
The White Sox would love to trade for a big bat, but rival executives don’t see much depth in their system, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. That may make it tough for GM Kenny Williams to create an enticing offer for Prince Fielder without including Gordon Beckham (that kind of offer just doesn’t seem likely). Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors:
- Lots of teams are interested in Corey Hart.
- Yesterday Olney reported that some executives thought Jose Bautista could earn an eight-figure salary through arbitration next year. We crunched the numbers and concluded that it would be a surprise to see him make much more than $6MM. Other officials contacted Olney to say that they would be “stunned” if the slugger made more than $5-6MM in 2011.
- Rival executives say Joakim Soria’s contract is so team-friendly that it would be difficult for the Royals to trade him. The team has affordable options for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Mets Trying To Trade Jeff Francoeur
The Mets are trying to trade Jeff Francoeur, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. The right fielder is playing less now that Carlos Beltran is healthy, and a friend told Puma that Francoeur would welcome a trade if he were given the chance to play every day.
Francoeur has hit .277/.315/.437 with 18 homers since the Mets acquired him for Ryan Church about a year ago. Much of Francoeur's production came in 2009, however; this year his OPS sits at .673.
Any team looking to add Francoeur will have to consider his $5MM salary (he'll earn about $2MM between now and the end of the season). If Francoeur finishes the season well, his team can retain him for 2011 through arbitration, but he is a non-tender candidate at this point.