Yankees Sign Chad Tracy
The Yankees signed Chad Tracy, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Tracy will play in the minors and provide the Yankees with some of the infield depth they have been seeking. Tracy asked for and received his release after the Cubs designated him for assignment in late June.
When the Cubs signed Tracy to a minor league deal over the winter, they hoped he could replicate some of the success he enjoyed early in his career. From 2005-06, Tracy posted an .848 OPS and averaged 24 homers and 38 doubles as a corner infielder and outfielder with the D’Backs.
Tracy batted just .250/.327/.295 for the Cubs in 49 plate appearances this year. The 30-year-old provides the Yankees with some depth in case Alex Rodriguez’s hip forces him to miss time.
Odds & Ends: Nolasco, Wuertz, Vazquez, Workman
Some links for Friday, as the Cliff Lee drama unfolds…
- Ricky Nolasco may become trade bait, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). The Marlins would listen to offers for the 27-year-old righty.
- The Yankees have Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton and A’s reliever Michael Wuertz on their radar, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.
- The Yankees aren't close to moving Javier Vazquez and could hold onto him until July 31st even if they acquire Lee, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (via Twitter).
- Red Sox second rounder Brandon Workman and his advisor have given clear indications that the pitcher would not accept a deal for second-round money, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Workman has turned down a six-figure bonus before and appears ready to re-enter the draft in 2011 if the Red Sox don't offer him the bonus he feels he deserves.
- The Chiba Lotte Marines are closing in on a deal with Hayden Penn, a right-hander currently pitching in the Pirates' system, according to reports that Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along.
- The Marlins, Brewers, Orioles, Phillies, Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox watched Mark Prior pitch, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link). The 29-year-old Prior is making a comeback.
Mets Will Turn To Ted Lilly
Cliff Lee is coming to New York, but he isn't the left-handed starter the Mets are focused on. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets will 'turn strongly' to Cubs starter Ted Lilly now that Lee is on the brink of joining the Yankees. As Sherman explains here, the Mets do like Roy Oswalt – they just aren't comfortable paying the vast majority of his salary and giving up good prospects.
Lilly, a free agent after the season, has about $5.6MM remaining on his 2010 contract. The 34-year-old has a 3.76 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 and projects as a Type A free agent.
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets are more likely to add Lilly than Oswalt or Dan Haren, but says the Cubs have yet to make their left-hander available (Twitter link). Heyman points out that Lilly's average fastball velocity has dropped from 87 to 86 mph.
A Look At Jesus Montero And David Adams
Jesus Montero and David Adams are likely the main prospects headed to the Mariners in exchange for Cliff Lee. So who are they? A 20-year-old catcher who ranks among the game’s best prospects and a 23-year-old second baseman hitting well at AA.
Baseball America ranked Montero first among Yankees prospects before the season, citing his “hand-eye coordination, keen pitch recognition, knack for barreling balls and tremendous strength.” Montero has hit .253/.329/.408 in Triple A since placing fourth overall in Baseball America’s pre-season prospect rankings and 10th on Keith Law’s list.
BA placed Montero fifth among all MLB prospects in their recently-released mid-season rankings, but they say that Montero hasn’t improved this year and has convinced scouts that he won’t stay at catcher long-term. Scouts are still convinced that Montero can hit, so he may end up playing first base like former catchers Paul Konerko and Carlos Delgado.
Adams doesn’t have the same top prospect pedigree as Montero. He ranked 22nd among Yankees prospects before the season, according to Baseball America. Adams has gap power and a good arm, but doesn’t run particularly well or have great range. Baseball America suggested he could move to third base and that seems like a real possibility now, since the Mariners have top second base prospect Dustin Ackley.
So far in 2010, Adams has continued to hit well. He posted a .309/.393/.507 line in 173 plate appearances at AA Trenton.
Rangers GM Can Opt Out If Ownership Changes
Jon Daniels can opt out of his contract with the Rangers after this season if the team’s ownership changes, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Rangers' ownership transfer is in flux, but the 32-year-old GM tells Rosenthal that he isn’t thinking of opting out.
“That’s not even remotely on my mind,” Daniels said. “All of the focus should be on the team and what they’re doing.”
Daniels, who became GM after the 2005 season, is under contract through 2011 if there's no ownership change. The 50-35 Rangers lead the AL West and Daniels says he loves it in Texas. If the group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan buys the team, the out clause will likely amount to nothing, Rosenthal reports.
The Rangers say they are focused on improving their team by the trade deadline. They have already acquired Bengie Molina and are looking for pitching, too. If they hope to add Cliff Lee, they should act soon; the Yankees appear to be close to acquiring the left-hander.
Cubs Looking To Move Cumbersome Salaries
The Cubs are finally starting to get serious about making trades, and The Chicago Tribune's Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan hear that the team is picking up their efforts to shed some "cumbersome salaries." Ownership is also expected to address the media about the team's direction at some point.
"It has been very difficult for the family and the team the first half of the season," chairman Tom Ricketts told season ticket holders. "This is not where the family wanted to be in the first half of the season."
Kosuke Fukudome, who has close to $20MM left on his deal, probably represents the most "movable" of the big salaries, since the team is unlikely to find a taker for Alfonso Soriano ($62MM left) or Carlos Zambrano ($45MM) without eating a significant portion of their contracts.
Derrek Lee is owed approximately $6.2MM the rest of the season, Ted Lilly a touch less. Those two are probably Chicago's best hope for clearing payroll, though the savings will not extend beyond this season since both are scheduled to become free agents this winter. The Cubs have over $103MM in salary obligations for 2011, and more than $62MM for 2012.
Odds & Ends: D-Backs, Padres, Brewers, Rangers
Here are some links to check out while we all hope there won't be an hour long television special when Cliff Lee is traded…
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that the Diamondbacks have signed fourth round pick Kevin Munson. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says Munson received a $243K bonus (via Twitter).
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi asked a scout if the Padres should make a trade for a right fielder now that Will Venable is on the disabled list (Twitter link)."No," said the scout. "Aaron Cunningham is playing better than Venable was." Cunningham was acquired from the A's as part of the Kevin Kouzmanoff–Scott Hairston deal, and is hitting .310/.318/.476 in 45 plate appearances this year.
- The Brewers' front office watched four straight losses during their organizational meetings this week, and Morosi thinks (via Twitter) that has them looking more like a seller than buyer.
- Baseball fans aren't the only ones getting excited about a potential Cliff Lee trade. Players inside the Rangers' clubhouse are also thrilled about the possibility of adding the former Cy Young Award winner to the staff, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The Nationals have signed three more draft picks according to a team press release, including third rounder Rick Hague. The Nationals' faithful are still waiting on Bryce Harper, however.
2011 Vestings Options Update
The season started with nine vesting options to watch, but we're down to just five a little beyond the season's halfway point…
- Trever Miller, Cardinals. The southpaw's $2MM option vests with 45 appearances. He's appeared in 31 of the team's 85 games, so he's on pace for 59. He should get there easily.
- Alex Cora, Mets. Cora's $2MM option vests with 80 games (not necessarily starts), and he's already appeared in 48. He's on pace for 91 games. Luis Castillo's foot and Ruben Tejada's emergence could stand in Cora's way.
- Darren Oliver, Rangers. His $3.25MM option will lock in with 59 appearances. He's already appeared in 37 games, so he should get there without a problem.
- Ramon Hernandez, Reds. Hernandez must play in 120 games for his $3.25MM option to vest. He's appeared in just 57 of Cincinnati's first 86 contests, putting him on pace for 107 games.
- Magglio Ordonez, Tigers. Ordonez's $15MM option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances. He's on pace for 141 and 615, respectively, so it'll take a lengthy stint on the disabled list to knock him off track.
The vesting options for Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, Billy Wagner, and Matt Cain have already been addressed.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday
The Twins aren’t close to a deal for Cliff Lee, but the Rangers are working hard to acquire him and a number of other clubs are involved. The Mariners are seeking a monster return for Lee, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com and Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Click here to check out yesterday’s Lee rumblings and check back throughout the day for the latest on the lefty:
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that talks between Seattle and the Reds have yet to "hit the serious stages." No formal proposals have been exchanged between the two teams.
- Lee appeared on ESPN 710's Brock and Salk earlier today, and said that he and his agent approached the Mariners about an extension before the season only to be told that the team wasn't "going to go down that road."
- The Mariners are interested in some of the game’s top prospects and young players, sources tell Jon Heyman of SI.com. Their wish list includes catching prospects Jesus Montero (Yankees) and Wilson Ramos (Twins) plus Justin Smoak and Wade Davis. A competing team says the Twins are a “real” threat to acquire Lee, though we’re not accustomed to seeing them give up lots of talent at the deadline.
- A rival executive told Heyman that the Rangers discussed Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a possible Lee trade. As we heard earlier today, the Mariners prefer Smoak and would want more than Davis and Saltalamacchia.
- The Mariners asked the Yankees for at least three prospects, including Montero, according to Heyman.
- B.J. Upton’s name has come up, but Heyman suggests the Rays haven't offered him to the Mariners.
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times hears rumblings that the White Sox, who just lost Jake Peavy to the DL, are at least 'kicking tires' on Lee. That would not be a surprise given Kenny Williams' track record.
- One MLB GM told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Rangers are the favorites to acquire Lee. The Rangers don’t want to include Justin Smoak in a trade and at least one rival executive believes they would be ‘crazy’ to do so. The Rangers’ desire to hold onto Smoak is one of the biggest barriers remaining between the two teams. If the Rangers trade Smoak, they could call on Chris Davis, who has a .961 OPS in Triple A.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears the Mets mentioned with Lee less and less frequently (Twitter link). The Mariners are looking to obtain a major league-ready power bat, but the Mets don't want to part with Ike Davis.
- Jack Curry of the YES Network says the Yankees are being thorough and will inquire on Lee, just as they would on any available player of his caliber (Twitter link). That doesn't mean the Yanks are willing to out-bid everyone else, however.
- The Rangers and Mariners continue to discuss a possible Lee trade, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. The Rangers have spoken to numerous teams to figure out what it will take to improve the club for the stretch run.
- In case there was any doubt remaining about the Mariners' asking price, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer clears it up. An insider tells Fay that "it's going to take a ton," but Fay does not get the sense that a trade is about to happen.
- The Rangers have financial restrictions, but MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that they have some money ‘tucked away’ for making moves. GM Jon Daniels is ‘fully engaged’ in the Lee trade talk.
- We know a lot of teams are interested in Lee, but how many? “Pretty much every team within five games of the playoffs," a source tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday (That's 17 teams). We’ve heard that the Mets may have trouble adding payroll, but GM Omar Minaya and his front office are operating as though they can add salary. That means Lee and Ted Lilly could be targets for the Mets.
Mets Sign Two From Venezuela
7:02pm: Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that Lupo will receive a bonus in the low-to-mid six figures.
1:41pm: The Mets made their first foray into this season's post-July 2 international prospect market yesterday, signing Venezuelan outfielder Vicente Lupo and infielder Leon Jackson Canelon, reports Miguel Bastidas at El Informador de Barquisimeto (link in Spanish). Mets scout Hector Rincones told Bastidas the Mets considered the two among the top talents in this year's bumper crop of Venezuelan prospects, though he didn't announce the terms of the contracts.
Lupo is the more-heralded of the pair, as the Royals and Mets have both been reported to be pursuing him. He ranked 25th on Baseball America's list of international prospects, and Rincones gave a frank appraisal of what put him there: "Vicente Lupo is so strong," he said, repeating it twice for effect. "That drew much of our attention." Canelon, on the other hand, is a contact hitter whose soft hands and speed appealed to Mets scouts. Both players will now head to the Mets team in the Dominican Summer League.