Odds & Ends: Maybin, Blue Jays, Orioles, Oswalt
Links for Thursday night, as interleague play keeps Dan Haren's 1.000 OPS out of Arizona's lineup….
- Following tonight's game, the Marlins optioned Cameron Maybin to the minors, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted yesterday, the team might avoid having Maybin become a super two player after 2011 if they keep him in the minors for a few weeks.
- Not many draft signings to pass on today, but the Blue Jays announced that they've signed their 16th-round pick, Canadian Dalton Pompey. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says (via Twitter) that Pompey gets a $140K bonus.
- While the Orioles have yet to discuss such a plan, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why he thinks the club could hire a manager and not immediately put him in the dugout.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News believes the Rangers are the frontrunners for Roy Oswalt if the sale of the team moves forward by early July.
- In a Q&A with MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says Roger Bernadina's performance is convincing the team they don't need to acquire a right fielder.
- Cody Ross tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that he hopes the Marlins become buyers rather than sellers: "We want to get somebody to help us rather than see some of us gone."
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly met with reporters today and addressed Akinori Iwamura's DFA, Pedro Alvarez's promotion, and the team's recent trades. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch has the details.
White Sox Designate Jayson Nix For Assignment
Jayson Nix has been designated for assignment by the White Sox, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). The move clears a spot on the roster for the 21-year-old Dayan Viciedo, who Baseball America ranked as the 61st-best prospect in baseball before 2009.
Nix displayed some power for the Sox in 2009, homering 12 times in 290 plate appearances. His performance this year has been disappointing though, as he hit just .163/.268/.245 in 57 big league plate appearances. In a second tweet, Cowley adds that Nix would like another shot at the majors, but if he clears waivers, his first choice would be to remain a White Sox.
Yankees Sign Eric Bruntlett
The Yankees have signed Eric Bruntlett to a minor league contract, tweets Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune. The 32-year-old will start at third base tonight for Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Bruntlett was released by the Nationals earlier this month, after struggling to a .210/.308/.302 slash line at Triple-A Syracuse. The light-hitting utility player last appeared in the majors with Philadelphia, hitting .202/.273/.278 in 356 plate appearances over the course of two seasons (2008-2009) for the NL champs.
At River Ave. Blues, Mike Axisa calls the signing a "depth move," predicting Bruntlett won't see any time with the big league club.
Rangers Inquiring On Starting Pitching
The Rangers have called the Mariners to inquire about the availability of Cliff Lee, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Citing industry sources, Sullivan reports that the Mariners are one of many teams the Rangers have contacted in their search for starting pitching.
Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine confirms the team's interest in making a deal, while reiterating that nothing is imminent:
"We've had some preliminary discussions with clubs…. But to compel teams to move this far ahead of the [July 31st] trade deadline, it would take a very attractive package. We're still in the inventory stage and the information-gathering stage rather than the execution phase."
We heard earlier today that the Mariners have received a few calls from teams interested in Lee, but that the M's aren't ready yet to consider trading away their ace. According to Sullivan, the Rangers pursued the left-hander aggressively last summer as well, before the Indians traded him to Philadelphia.
Texas has also frequently been linked to the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes lately, though SI.com's Jon Heyman said earlier this week that acquiring the Astros' ace looks like an "extreme long shot." Still, it looks as though the Rangers hope to add a major piece to their starting rotation, if it's financially possible.
Cubs Agree To Terms With Hayden Simpson
The Cubs have reached an agreement with first-round draft pick Hayden Simpson, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). The deal is pending a physical, but the team could officially announce the signing by Saturday.
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Simpson will receive a signing bonus of $1.06MM, well below MLB's recommended figure for the draft slot.
The club's selection of Simpson at 16th overall in last week's draft surprised many, including the college right-hander himself. Although Baseball America ranked the Southern Arkansas pitcher 191st overall in their list of the top 200 amateur prospects, Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times points out that Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken "has a history of taking players based on his ratings and not Baseball America's."
Chipper Jones Leaning Toward Retirement
Chipper Jones confirmed in a press conference this afternoon that he is leaning toward retiring at season's end, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The switch-hitting veteran says he won't address the subject again until after the season, in part because he doesn't want to overshadow Bobby Cox's retirement (Twitter link). In a blog entry for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, David O'Brien provides an entire transcript of Chipper's comments.
Chipper's performance so far this year (.234/.378/.366) represents his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time player in 1995. However, his career numbers remain Hall of Fame-worthy: .306/.406/.537 and 430 home runs in nearly 9500 plate appearances.
After 2010, the 38-year-old will have earned over $141MM throughout his major league career, according to Baseball-Reference. He'd be leaving plenty of money on the table if he decides to retire after this season though, as his current contract would pay him at least another $28MM through 2012, along with potential performance bonuses and a 2013 club option.
Odds & Ends: Chipper, Cubs, Lowell, Mets, Tigers
Links for Thursday, as Ubaldo Jimenez keeps winning…
- Chipper Jones may have decided on his future; David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter) that the Braves will hold a press conference for Chipper at 5pm CST today.
- The Cubs seem close to signing first rounder Hayden Simpson, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox are not close to dealing Mike Lowell to the Rangers or Twins.
- The Red Sox want the Twins and Rangers to pick up salary in a Lowell deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Twins and Rangers are still reluctant to pay much of the $7MM remaining on Lowell's contract.
- Pat Andriola of FanGraphs says Jake Westbrook could be a good fit for the Mets, who are looking for starting pitching.
- A Tigers official tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that things have been “quiet” on the trade front so far.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he has "no intention of firing Lou Piniella."
- Miguel Montero tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he was flattered by the interest Boston had in trading for him after the 2008 season. Speier hears that the Red Sox and D'Backs, who were never on the brink of a deal, were discussing a swap based around Michael Bowden or Daniel Bard.
- If you've ever wondered what it would be like to watch a game beside Padres GM Jed Hoyer, check out this profile by Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Within the piece we hear that Hoyer would like to make San Diego an especially appealing destination for pitchers.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the Padres' amazing pitching and points out that manager Bud Black and Hoyer were pitchers themselves.
O’s Aren’t Looking To Shed Payroll
The Orioles may be 30 games under .500, but they’re not going to make deals for the sake of making deals. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that the club is open to making trades this summer and that’s a good thing, since opposing general managers regularly call to ask about his players.
"You can imagine the guys that are popular," MacPhail said. "Our young pitching is popular, but that's part of the cornerstone of what we are trying to do."
Jeremy Guthrie, who has a sub-4.00 ERA and won’t become a free agent until after the 2012 season, could be one of the appealing arms MacPhail is referring to. Some of Guthrie’s teammates – Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, Kevin Millwood, Cesar Izturis, Will Ohman and Luke Scott – could be easier to obtain. But that doesn’t mean they’re going anywhere.
"We wouldn't [trade] just for the sake of moving payroll," MacPhail said.
If the Orioles determine that they can get something back for Millwood, he is “open" to the idea of switching teams, though he will not demand a trade. Last summer the O's traded Aubrey Huff, Gregg Zaun and George Sherrill away.
Cubs Approached Red Sox About Fukudome
The Cubs recently approached the Red Sox about Kosuke Fukudome, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. Sources in both leagues told McAdam that the Red Sox did not engage the Cubs in talks because of the $21MM remaining on Fukudome’s contract. The Cubs are apparently unwilling to take on much of the $13MM Fukudome makes this year or the $13.5MM he makes next year.
The Red Sox are debating whether to rely on internal options like Daniel Nava and Darnell McDonald or pursue outside help to fill in while Jeremy Hermida, Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury are injured. They never exchanged names with the Cubs, according to McAdam.
The Cubs would like to deal Fukudome, according to recent FOX Sports reports. The 33-year-old is batting .281/.373/.456 with six homers. So far in his two-plus years in the majors, Fukudome has hit better in the first half (.798 OPS) than in the second (.736 OPS).
Pirates Extended Huntington, Russell
2:30pm: MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch passes on a statement from Coonelly which confirms the extensions and says dismissing Russell "is not the appropriate response" to the team's struggles. Coonelly sounds confident in the team's progress, but says "a contract will not prevent us from making a change if one is appropriate and thus contract status truly is irrelevant."
2:22pm: The Pirates extended Russell and Huntington last offseason, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).
10:53am: The Pirates have extended GM Neal Huntington’s contract through 2011 and may have picked up manager John Russell's option for next season, according to a major league source who spoke to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Pirates president Frank Coonelly chose not to comment on the contracts of Russell and Huntington.
The timing of the extensions would be odd, but not unprecedented. The 23-42 Pirates appear headed for an 18th consecutive losing season and Russell’s job security appears anything but certain. Rosenthal reports that Huntington, whose contract was set to expire after the season, believes in Russell and shoulders much of the blame for the team’s disappointing play.
Huntington has drafted aggressively (Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie, Pedro Alvarez) and pursued international free agents with gusto since taking over. He has acquired some promising youngsters (Jose Tabata, Tim Alderson, Bryan Morris) in deals for proven players, though he has given up many valuable players along the way (Jason Bay, Tom Gorzelanny). Like any GM who has been around for a few years, there are commendable moves and regrettable ones in Huntington's history.
The Royals, who might be the American League’s answer to the Pirates, made a similar move last summer. They extended GM Dayton Moore in the midst of a largely disappointing 2009 season.