Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Millwood, Orioles, Ausmus
Let's check out some tidbits from around the web on this Fourth Of July eve..
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that a swap of Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Rowand would make sense.
- A source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the Tigers have not inquired on Kevin Millwood even though they need pitching. Earlier this week we learned that the Mets aren't interested in the veteran either.
- It will be interesting to see what Eric Wedge does if he's offered the O's job, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Wedge and Buck Showalter are believed to be the favorites for the position.
- Brad Ausmus, 41, isn't ready to call it a career yet, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Rosenthal On Padres, Uggla, Blue Jays, Nats
Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- The Padres are seeking a durable starting pitcher as they approach the deadline. The Padres know that they need a bat but their offense is so weak that they fear a lack of quality starting pitching might derail them faster than a lack of hitting. Durable starters are hard to come by on the trade market, but the Diamondbacks' Edwin Jackson could be a fit.
- The Marlins changed skippers thinking that they were a better team than they've shown, but that hasn't been the case thus far. Unless they rally, the club will end up as sellers. Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross, and Ricky Nolasco all hold value. Nolasco's name hasn't come up much, but he could be one of the better starting pitchers on the market. Uggla and his big bat are still sought after, even though his salary could rise to about $10MM in arbitration next season.
- Toronto's Shaun Marcum could still be a trade chip, even after going on the disabled list with inflammation of the right elbow. The club expects him to be back before the All-Star break and if so, he should be one of the better starters available. The Jays could be active sellers as they have several more attractive pieces. Relievers Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are both potential free agents. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez and outfielder Jose Bautista could also get some bites.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo told Rosenthal that the club is getting interest in five or six players in trade discussion. While Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are getting all the buzz, Cristian Guzman and Adam Kennedy could be attractive to teams in need of infield help. Matt Capps could be a trade chip as well now that he has recovered from his slump. They control the closer through next season, though they may look to cash in on his value while it is peaking.
Jack Of All Trades: Bobby Bonilla
As any MLBTR reader knows, there are many different types of trades. It takes a certain kind of player to be traded in numerous different kinds of trades, but one such player is Bobby Bonilla. He was part of nearly every type of trade there is: as a prospect, for prospects, in a megadeal, even in an exchange of bad contracts. This doesn't even include the times he switched teams via the Rule 5 Draft, or when he became the highest-paid free agent in baseball history.
Let's review the transaction madness, shall we?
Bonilla was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981. However, after just three home runs in 39 games for the Single-A Prince William Pirates of the Carolina League, Pittsburgh left him unprotected and the Chicago White Sox picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft. Bonilla handled the jump pretty well, hitting .269/.361/.355 with the 1986 White Sox. The Pirates managed to re-acquire him in July 1986, dealing established starter Jose DeLeon, who had been struggling terribly with Pittsburgh.
DeLeon went on to pitch reasonably well for Chicago in 1986-87, but Bonilla quickly established himself as a star for the Pirates. In his five full seasons with Pittsburgh, Bonilla posted OPS+ marks of 118, 143, 145, 132 and 149. He went to four All-Star games and helped the Pirates to two division titles. Clearly, Pittsburgh got the better end of that deal.
After Bonilla signed with the Mets, he performed reasonably well, but many of the other Mets didn't. As a result, smack in the middle of his best major league season, Bonilla was traded in July 1995, this time as the star player, for prospects Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa. While Buford and Ochoa never established themselves as starters, Bonilla picked up right where he left off in New York. After posting a 160 OPS+ with the Mets, he had a 139 OPS+ over the remainder of 1995 and helped Baltimore to the postseason in 1996 with an OPS+ of 114.
Bonilla then signed with the 1997 Marlins as a free agent, and helped them to a World Series title with his 125 OPS+. But by 1998, Florida was in firesale mode, and so Bonilla was one of the firesold, traded along with Gary Sheffield, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson and Manuel Barrios for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile. (Piazza and Zeile, in turn were dealt for prospects.)
But Bonilla was finished as a useful major league hitter, posting just an OPS+ of 81 after heading to Los Angeles. The Dodgers had him under contract in 1999 for $5.9MM. The Mets, meanwhile, had a relief pitcher named Mel Rojas under contract for approximately $4.6MM in 1999, and Rojas had posted a 6.05 ERA in 1998. Therefore, an auspicious marriage of convenience occurred, with the two players getting exchanged for one another.
The deal helped neither team, with Rojas pitching to a 18.00 ERA for three teams in 1999. Bonilla, now 36 and largely unable to run, became New York's Opening Day right fielder and number five hitter, two roles he quickly lost in a season with an OPS+ of 48. In the spring of 2000, the Mets agreed to an annual payment of approximately $1.2MM a year from 2011 to 2035 to buy out Bonilla's 2000 contract worth $5.9MM.
So as Bonilla sits back and cashes Met checks well into his 70s, he can reflect on a truly fantastic legacy of trades.
Odds & Ends: Dunn, Phillies, Crisp, Molina, Fielder
Saturday linkage..
- Adam Dunn had hoped to hammer out an extension before the All-Star break to avoid trade talk, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Rays' director of scouting in the Dominican Republic believes that Yoel Araujo can develop into a "five-tool type player", writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- The Phillies initially called up Brian Bocock over Cody Ransom because Ransom was experiencing knee trouble, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Earlier today, the club DFA'd Bocock and promoted Ransom.
- ESPN's Buster Olney speculates that Coco Crisp and the Padres could be a great potential trade match (Twitter links). San Diego tried to sign Crisp this past offseason.
- Bengie Molina didn't find out he was traded to the Rangers until his teammates told him, according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle.
- Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News spoke to Barry Zito, who indicated that the team's rift with Prince Fielder following last year's elaborate walk-off homerun celebration wouldn't be an issue if they acquired the slugger. Olney tweets that there has been no recent discussion between the two teams about Fielder.
- Brayan Pena told Jeffrey Flanagan of FSKansasCity.com that he hopes to retire as a Royal.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick about the dismissal of Josh Byrnes, who said he consulted "respected baseball people" from around the league and heard that the team's farm system is devoid of top-shelf talent.
Tigers Sign Danry Vasquez
The Tigers have signed Venezuelan outfielder Danry Vasquez, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. International sources outside of the organization said in recent days that the bonus was expected to be in the neighborhood of $1MM. However, Tigers international scouting director Tom Moore declined to comment on the signing bonus.
Vasquez, 16, has a projectable 6'2", 170-pound frame and an advanced left-handed bat. The youngster has long been on Detroit's radar as they have tracked him while keeping tabs on his youth league teammates in previous signing classes. Moore sees a ton of upside in the Valencia resident.
"We've seen him use the whole field, not just in tryouts but in games as well," said Detroit's director of international operations. "He's not just a guy who can put it to left field but hit it to left field with authority. Right now it's line-drive power. He does have ability to generate some loft in the ball, but right now it's more consistent line-drive power. With more strength, those balls in the gap are going to be going over the fence."
While Vasquez has experience in center field, he doesn't have the speed to play there in the majors. The club plans for him to be a corner outfielder.
Braves Agree To Terms With Dominican Right-Hander
The Braves agreed to terms with Dominican right-hander Mauricio Cabrera, the team confirmed to MLBTR. The sides agreed to a high six-figure deal, according to a second source. Cabrera, a slender 16-year-old, drew interest from several other teams, including the Red Sox, Mets, Rockies and Rangers, before agreeing to terms with the Braves.
Cabrera’s older brother, Alberto Cabrera is a prospect in the Cubs’ system. The elder Cabrera, now 21, has a 6.42 ERA in 40.2 innings at AA Tennessee this year. The international signing period began Friday, so teams can now sign this year's top young international players.
Willingham Wants To Stay, But No Talks Yet
Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham wants to stay with the club, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Willingham, who could make his first All-Star squad tomorrow, says that he would like to stay with the Nats for this season and beyond:
"I like it here a lot," the 31-year-old said. "I don't have control of where I go until I'm free agent, so I don't worry about it. But I'm really comfortable with the organization. I like everybody involved, teammates, everything."
Despite Willingham's fondness for playing in the nation's capital, the two parties have yet to even begin discussions on a contract extension. The left fielder will earn $4.6MM this season and is under team control for the 2011 season.
While the Nats don't seem eager to move Willingham, he continues to garner interest from around the majors. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Braves have interest in the outfielder as they seek a right-handed bat.
Back in April, Willingham's agent told Kilgore that his client would like to sign a multiyear deal with the Nationals.
Rays Sign Dominican Outfielder Araujo
The Rays have signed 16-year-old Dominican center fielder Yoel Araujo, an international source told Ben Badler of Baseball America. He'll receive an $800K bonus, which is the largest bonus Tampa Bay has ever given to an amateur player from the Dominican Republic.
Araujo, who stands at 6'2" and weighs 180 pounds, demonstrated his raw power and plus speed this spring in the Dominican Prospect League. Frankie Piliere of MLB Fanhouse writes that while Araujo is more green than other MLB-eligible prospects in the Dominican Republic, scouts believe that he has a high ceiling.
Phillies Designate Brian Bocock For Assignment
The Phillies have designated infielder Brian Bocock for assignment, tweets FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. The move frees up a roster spot for utility player Cody Ransom.
Bocock, 25, was called up earlier this week when both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco hit the disabled list, though he did not appear in a game. Philadelphia claimed him off waivers back in January, but he hit just .179/.239/.231 in 237 plate appearances with their Triple-A affiliate.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Saturday
With as many as 12-15 teams teams potentially showing interesting in Cliff Lee, ESPN's Buster Olney says that the Mariners still want "big bat potential" in any deal for the lefty ace (Twitter link). He lists two candidates: Justin Smoak of the Rangers, and Yonder Alonso of the Reds. Alonso is blocked in Cincinnati by Joey Votto.
As the Rangers showed with the Bengie Molina deal, they are unable (or unwilling) to take on payroll, instead choosing to give up a higher caliber prospect. Other big bat prospects that could be moved in a trade: Jesus Montero of the Yankees, Fernando Martinez of the Mets, and Domonic Brown of the Phillies. Whether or not those teams are willing to surrender those players in a trade for a 2008 AL Cy Young award winner is another story altogether.