Odds & Ends: Fielder, Lincoln, Gorzelanny, Lee, Haren
Links for Sunday..
- The Phillies demoted Phillippe Aumont from Double-A back to High-A after a disastrous start to the season, tweets Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner. Aumont was part of the Roy Halladay–Cliff Lee blockbuster.
- Peter Barzilai of USA Today explains why the Brewers should hold on to Prince Fielder.
- This week's Pirates/Nationals matchup may end up being the most interesting series between sub-.500 teams this season. Not only will Stephen Strasburg make his major league debut on Tuesday, but Pirates GM Neal Huntington says former first-round pick Brad Lincoln could make his first big league start on Wednesday, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs received some calls about Tom Gorzelanny's availability a few weeks ago, but that they have no immediate plans to move him.
- The newest Cardinal, Randy Winn, was a player Tony La Russa wanted the team to pursue this past winter, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post would like to see the Mets aggressively attempt to trade for Cliff Lee.
- The Denver Post's Troy Renck hopes the Rockies will inquire on Lee, as well as Dan Haren, if only to see what would it cost to acquire another ace.
- If you play fantasy baseball, be sure to stay on top of the saves category by following our @closernews account on Twitter and tracking the latest news on late-inning relievers around the league.
Angels Targeting Cubs Bats?
SUNDAY, 8:19pm: The Angels haven't aggressively pursued a trade for help yet and may not have Lee on their radar at this point, a source told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. With their 9-4 victory in Seattle today, the Angels improved to 7-1 without first baseman Kendry Morales in the lineup.
FRIDAY, 7:15pm: The Cubs have not asked Derrek Lee to approve a trade, sources tell Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Lee's contract includes a no-trade clause, so the club could not deal him without his approval.
When asked about the trade rumors, Lee responded:
"Who are the 'excellent sources?'" the 34-year-old asked. "I've heard nothing on it. I've got nothing for you."
The first baseman also told reporters that he is not bothered by the trade speculation and wants to remain with the Cubs.
THURSDAY, 9:10am: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat hears that the Cubs have not talked to the Angels about Nady or Lee (Twitter link). That doesn't mean the Angels aren't interested, but it shows that talks are not far along.
8:08am: The Angels appear to be targeting Xavier Nady, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Nady, 31, has appeared in three games at first for the Cubs this year.
WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: The Cubs "may be involved in trade talks" that would send first baseman Derrek Lee to the Angels, according to Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of The Chicago Tribune. The Halos, of course, will be without regular first baseman Kendry Morales for the foreseeable future following the fractured leg he suffered celebrating a walk-off grand slam last weekend.
The 34-year-old Lee missed tonight's game with a minor hamstring issue, but overall he's hitting just .232/.339/.366 on the season, down from last year's splendid .306/.393/.579 performance. The Cubs still owe him a touch under $9MM in salary for the remainder of the season, after which he'll become a free agent for the first time in his career.
We've already discussed the Angels' options for replacing Morales at length, though Lee's name was not mentioned.
Draft Links: Cox, Nats, Tigers, White Sox, Mets
As Mike Rizzo recently suggested, for baseball's general managers and scouting directors, the Super Bowl isn't eight months away — it's tomorrow. Here are a few more links in anticipation of the 2010 draft….
- Zack Cox is looking for "[Pedro] Alvarez money" which could cause him to slip in the draft, multiple sources tell Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). Alvarez, taken second overall by the Pirates in 2008, signed a four-year deal worth $6.355MM. On top of that, Cox is said to be seeking a major league deal, tweets ESPN's Keith Law.
- The Nats will take Bryce Harper No. 1, barring any drastic changes, GM Mike Rizzo told MASN's Debbi Taylor. If they do take Harper, Washington will move him to the outfield, according to a baseball source who spoke to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Despite not having a first round pick, the Tigers are confident they can find talent in the later rounds, writes MLive.com's Steve Kornacki.
- The Pirates have narrowed their choices to include Manny Machado, Jameson Taillon, or a college pitcher, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
- Don't be surprised to see the White Sox draft a college pitcher with the 13th pick, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson spoke with Rizzo, who once again said that they know who they'll select first overall. Rizzo says the player doesn't know he'll be selected, though it's tough to see them passing up consensus top pick Bryce Harper. Rizzo says the second through fifteenth rounds will determine the strength of a draft, and the Nats are "fired up" about it.
- The latest updates from Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere include the Mets' and Yankees' first-round targets, and more details on the deal the Royals are working toward with Yasmani Grandal. Industry sources tell Piliere it'll be worth "upwards of" $3MM.
- The Rangers own four of the top 50 picks in the draft, but they'll be on a budget, says Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- With the sixth pick, the Diamondbacks could be the wild card of the draft, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider-only). Their top two choices appear to be Barrett Loux and Chris Sale, who MLBTR's Mike Axisa profiled last week.
- A potential first-round pick could have already been a Phillie, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Karen Smith of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review conducts a brief Q&A with Pirates director of scouting Greg Smith.
Tigers Designate Adam Everett For Assignment
The Tigers have designated Adam Everett for assignment, according to the club's official Twitter feed. Danny Worth will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo in the veteran shortstop's place.
Everett re-signed his second one-year deal with the Tigers this offseason, following a .238/.288/.325 line in 2009. That limited production may have justified Everett's value when combined with his stellar glove (15.4 career UZR/150 at shortstop), but the 33-year-old has struggled mightily at the plate this season. Everett owns just a .185/.221/.247 line this year through 89 plate appearances. He's been hampered somewhat by a strained hamstring as well.
Worth, 24, was 8-24 (all singles) in 25 plate appearances with the Tigers earlier this year. Through 176 minor league PAs this season, he's hitting .287/.330/.354 while seeing time at third base, shortstop, and second base.
Marlins Promote Mike Stanton; DFA Mike Lamb
4:00pm: Rodriguez tweets that the Marlins will designate veteran infielder Mike Lamb for assignment to make room for Stanton. Lamb's DFA is unsurprising, as the 34-year-old posted a line of just .208/.269/.250 through 26 plate appearances.
3:39pm: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets that Stanton will join the Marlins for the series opener in Philadelphia on Tuesday this week.
1:46pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro echoes (via Twitter) that Stanton is not in the lineup and says that there is a report out that he's been called up by the Marlins.
1:42pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel reports that Marlins top prospect Mike Stanton is not in the lineup for Double-A Jacksonville this afternoon.
As Rodriguez cautions, it's possible that Stanton is just receiving a scheduled day off, however this news certainly meshes with the previous reports and speculation that Stanton may be on his way to Miami to continue his 2010 reign of terror in the National League East.
The 20-year-old righty slugger has shown tremendous improvement over last year and absolutely annihilated Double-A so far this season. His .311 batting average entering Sunday matches his on-base percentage from Jacksonville in 2009; his .441 OBP and .726 slugging percentage for the season are also each well over 100 points higher than his marks from '09. To date, he's mashed 21 home runs and walked 44 times in 238 plate appearances, versus 53 strikeouts.
Heading into the season, Baseball America ranked Stanton as the game's third-best prospect, behind only Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.
Marlins Notes: Ross, Uggla, Cantu, Willis
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a trade-filled edition of his Inbox this week, so let's take a look at some of the highlights:
- In spite of a need for bullpen help and the imminent arrival of Mike Stanton, don't expect the Marlins to part ways with Cody Ross.
- Ditto for Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu, despite their larger salaries. As Frisaro explains, both players' salaries have been budgeted for this season; there's no financial need to move them this year.
- Should the Marlins fall entirely out of contention, however, all three players could be shopped at the deadline.
- The Marlins had interest in Dontrelle Willis, and Frisaro speculates that if he struggles as a starter in Arizona and is designated for assignment, the Fish may take a flier on him as a reliever.
- The Marlins will indeed be on the lookout for relief help, but will be looking to trade prospects as opposed to big leaguers. Frisaro says trade talks for Florida will heat up once Interleague play has concluded.
Olney On Fielder, Lowell, DeJesus
In today's blog post for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Buster Olney looks ahead to Stephen Strasburg's big-league debut on Tuesday. Olney suggests that Strasburg will be doing very well if he starts his career as strongly as Mike Leake has. In 11 starts for the Reds this year, the rookie right-hander has posted a 2.22 ERA and doesn't have a single loss to his name. A few other tidbits from Olney:
- Responding to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column in which Michael Hunt argues that the Brewers need to trade Prince Fielder, Olney examines the slugger's market value and finds a few factors working against a possible trade. The Brewers are unlikely to move their marquee player unless they could land a package close to what the Rangers received when they dealt Mark Teixeira in 2007. After seeing the talent Atlanta gave up in that trade, and knowing how expensive it would be to extend Fielder, teams may be reluctant to roll the dice.
- The first base and designated hitter markets appear flush this summer, meaning it will be even more challenging for the Red Sox to find a suitor for Mike Lowell.
- David DeJesus has been hot lately, raising his average above .300, and there should be plenty of teams in need of offensive production who will notice.
Cafardo’s Latest: Lowell, Angels, Haren, Suzuki
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few hot stove notes in his latest column, but before he gets to those, he discusses Ken Griffey Jr.'s career, noting that the Mariner "walked away very quietly, with little fanfare, just as he said he would." Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's piece:
- It doesn't appear any teams, besides maybe the Rangers, are too interested in Mike Lowell. Cafardo lists the Angels, Mariners and White Sox as potential matches, though a Sox official says Lowell "doesn’t fit for us right now."
- The Angels, meanwhile, seem committed to giving Mike Napoli playing time at first base for now, diminishing any interest they'd have in Lowell.
- The Diamondbacks have had internal discussions about trading Dan Haren, but one baseball executive expressed doubt that Arizona will pull the trigger. The exec pointed out that rebuilding from scratch isn't necessary in the NL West, since almost every team could be just a couple moves away from contending.
- Kurt Suzuki will likely be the Red Sox' top trade target this winter.
- A scout offers his opinion on the Orioles' young arms like Chris Tillman: "They’re kind of stuck and maybe have even taken a step backward. But sometimes that happens. Every kid has a hump they have to get over once they hit the big leagues." Last night, we discussed the possibility of the O's having a fire sale and turning their roster over to their youngsters for the remainder of the season.
Odds & Ends: Green, Gonzalez, Berkman, Stanton
Links for Saturday….
- Nick Green, who was designated for assignment by the Dodgers, has cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- WEEI's Alex Speier explains why trading for Adrian Gonzalez appears less and less likely for the Red Sox.
- Lance Berkman's agent is telling teams that his client will approve a trade in which his $15MM option for 2011 is picked up, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. No teams are willing to do that but if the demand is dropped, Heyman says that the Angels are a match.
- Joe Frisaro of MLB.com says that while no exact date has been set for the major league debut of Mike Stanton, speculation is that he could get the call as soon as Tuesday when the Marlins head to Philadelphia.
- Alex Rodriguez now has some say in the fate of his former team after being named to the Rangers creditors' committee, tweets Heyman. Texas owes A-Rod $24.9MM in deferred compensation.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that Jaime Garcia would have been an Oriole if not for a translation mishap.
- Hank Blalock is happy to be in Tampa Bay, writes Drew Davison of the Dallas Morning News.
Remembering the 1995 Trade Deadline
It was a grand time for the game of baseball. Plenty of critics, in the wake of the 1994 strike, declared baseball dead. Such declarations now stand in the Hall of Wrong, right between those who said that Mark Twain was dead (the first time) and Graydon Carter's claiming the death of irony.
Things were all turned around on the buyers and sellers front, too. The biggest seller? The New York Mets. Big buyers ranged from Cincinnati to Seattle. Indeed, money can't buy everything. So without further ado, on to the precious trade memories…
- For the low price of Frankie Rodriguez (not to be confused with K-Rod, of course) and a minor leaguer, the Red Sox acquired Rick Aguilera from the Twins on July 6. Aguilera was effective with the Red Sox, pitching to a 2.67 ERA and saving 20 games.
- A day later, the Orioles responded, trading Kimera Bartee and Scott Klingenbeck to the Twins for Scott Erickson. The pitcher was no longer in ace form, but Erickson won nine games and pitched to a 3.89 ERA with Baltimore.
- In the category of you win some, you lose some, the Phillies had a pair of roster moves that were noteworthy. On July 10th, the team released Norm Charlton. Mistake! Charlton went to Seattle, and managed a 1.51 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 47.2 dominant innings. However, on July 13th, the Phillies picked up Sid Fernandez, who had been released by the Orioles. El Sid had something left in the tank, to put it mildly, and he pitched to a 3.34 ERA in 11 starts, with 79 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings.
- The most ambitious trade of this deadline came on July 21 in an eight-player deal. Cincinnati traded Dave McCarty, Ricky Pickett, John Roper, Deion Sanders and Scott Service to San Francisco in exchange for Dave Burba, Darren Lewis and Mark Portugal. The trade worked out quite well for Cincinnati, with both Burba and Portugal pitching to ERAs under 4.00 while in the starting rotation. Lewis played his customary terrific defense, though his .588 OPS didn't overwhelm. But getting two frontline starting pitchers for a meager haul is a pretty sweet deal in any year.
- Finally, how did the Mets-as-sellers do? Well, Bobby Bonilla, during his best season at age-32, went to Baltimore on July 28 in exchange for Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa, two outfielders who were never able to crack a starting lineup consistently. Three days later, the Mets sent Bret Saberhagen to Colorado for Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch. Neither pitcher had much success; Gooch failed to reach the major leagues and Saberhagen pitched to just a 6.28 ERA in 1995, then missed all of 1996 due to injury. In other words: nobody in this trade managed to have nearly the career of a Dave Burba.