Minor League Transactions: Anderson, Espinosa
Some familiar names were involved in some under-the-radar moves this week, as Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports:
- The Reds released Josh Anderson, who they signed to a minor league deal in January. Anderson stole 25 bases in 29 attempts for the Royals and Tigers last year, but as his .240/.276/.304 line shows, he doesn't draw walks or have much power.
- The Indians traded Neil Wagner to the A's for cash. Wagner is a 26-year-old right-handed reliever who has career rates of 10.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9, but has yet to play above AA.
- The Rays officially signed Sergio Espinosa. The 23-year-old Cuban lefty signed last month, according to Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald, but the move recently became official.
Yankees Claim Shane Lindsay
The Yankees claimed right-hander Shane Lindsay from the Rockies, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. The Yankees released injured prospect Christian Garcia to make room for Lindsay on their 40-man roster.
Lindsay, a 25-year-old Australian, has a 6.59 ERA in 13.2 Triple A innings this year with 12.5 K/9 and 11.2 BB/9. The righty has always walked and struck out lots of batters, though his walk rate has never been this extreme. Baseball America praised Lindsay's mid-90s fastball and knuckle-curve in their 2010 handbook, suggesting he could appear in the majors this year if he finally stays healthy. Lindsay will report to the Yankees' minor league complex, where he'll no doubt attempt to regain his command.
Nationals Considering ‘A Handful’ For Top Pick
The Nationals are considering 'a handful' of players in preparation for the draft, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Naturally Bryce Harper is one of the prospects the Nationals are watching, but they aren't committed to taking him.
"I wouldn't say we are leaning toward anybody." Rizzo said. "We are leaning toward a handful of people."
A baseball source told Ladson that the Nationals are also considering pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Jameson Taillon and shortstop Manny Machado. Some have questioned Harper's character, but Rizzo made it clear that he doesn't share those doubts.
"We have no problem with Bryce Harper's character," Rizzo said.
Harper has seemed like a likely selection for a while, but the Nationals have repeated that no decisions have been made, as much as they like Harper's ability and makeup.
July 2 Prospect Update: De La Cruz, Peguero, Romero
Vicmar De La Cruz has received a seven-figure offer from the Indians, according to MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley. Teams cannot make official offers until the international signing period begins this July 2nd, but they're watching now. Bentley reports that the Indians are interested, but says De La Cruz will likely wait for more offers.
This year's best July 2 shortstop, Martin Steylon Peguero, will be in position to demand a solid contract as he is this year's best July 2nd shortstop. Bentley reports that the Rangers, Mariners, Padres, Twins, Reds and Cubs have all expressed serious interest in Peguero, who has also received a seven figure offer.
Wilmer Romero, an outfielder from Santo Domingo, has the toolset to demand seven figures, writes Bentley. The previous unknown stands 6'2'', has good speed, a strong arm and plus power.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Hiroki Kuroda
If Hiroki Kuroda's strong start becomes a strong season, as the numbers suggest it can, he may become one of baseball's most coveted free agent starters this winter.
The Japanese righty is quietly off to a strong start in 2010. Seven outings into the season Kuroda's 4-1 record and 2.66 ERA catch the eye, and his peripheral stats suggest he can maintain this kind of production. He's striking out more batters than usual and inducing more grounders. And unlike some pitchers off to hot starts, Kuroda's ERA isn't low because he strands all his baserunners or has an unsustainable home run rate.
Kuroda's age (35) will work against him as a free agent, but he has been relatively durable since joining the Dodgers in 2008. He made 31 starts in his rookie season, but missed some time last year with an oblique injury. He also missed time after getting hit in the head with a line drive, but you can't hold that against him.
Kuroda's three year $35.3MM deal expires after the season, and he'll hit free agency alongside Cliff Lee, Javier Vazquez and the rest of this winter's class. Vazquez is off to a slow start, Lee missed most of April and Brandon Webb has yet to pitch at all. Given Kuroda's age, it's hard to imagine a team committing to him long-term, but it's not hard to imagine Kuroda drawing interest from ten clubs this winter.
Trade Rumor Timeline
Some names – Adrian Gonzalez and Roy Oswalt for example – have already surfaced in trade rumors. But some of the players we'll hear about in trade talks this summer have yet to appear. To find out when we should have a good sense of who is available, let's look back to last summer and see when some of the biggest names first appeared in rumors:
- Jake Peavy – Peavy was essentially involved in non-stop trade rumors from the 2008-09 offseason until his near-deal to Chicago in May. Things quieted down for a couple months until the two clubs successfully pulled the deal off in July.
- Victor Martinez – V-Mart first came up in trade rumors around this time last year, when Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said the Red Sox had inquired on the catcher and exchanged names with the Indians.
- Cliff Lee – The buzz around Lee started early on. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reported that executives around baseball were chattering about a possible trade on April 24th. That was three weeks after MLBTR's Tim Dierkes wondered aloud if the Indians would deal him.
- Roy Halladay, the player everyone was talking about last summer, wasn't on anyone's radar as an early trade candidate. It wasn't until July that then-GM J.P. Ricciardi told reporters he'd listen to offers for the Blue Jays' ace.
Some of the players we're reading about now will remain in the rumor mill non-stop for a few months, but we haven't necessarily heard all the big names – there could easily be some surprise trade candidates to come.
Possible Destinations: Andruw Jones
Was a better bargain than Andruw Jones signed this winter? The White Sox added him on a one-year deal worth $500K, and all he's given them so far is a batting line of .260/.360/.604. Meanwhile, the man patrolling his old Atlanta center field home, Nate McLouth, checks in at .167/.302/.271, and Gary Matthews Jr., who will make twice what Jones does from the Mets this year (and next year!), is hitting .152/.235/.196.
The problem is, this hasn't allowed the White Sox to move into contention. Thanks to a 14-20 start, combined with Minnesota's 22-12 beginning, Chicago is already eight games out, with Memorial Day still weeks away. So it may well be that the White Sox can, and should flip Jones to a contending team down the stretch. And that reasonable short-term deal means some of the smaller-market contenders are likely to be in the Jones sweepstakes.
What are some possible destinations?
- Washington could be a good fit. Willie Harris is hitting just .182/.313/.418, and with Willy Taveras also getting outfield at-bats, so Jones could be a good fit for regular corner outfield time. The Nationals have several pitchers set to join the big league team, but little in the way of outfield prospects at the top of their system. For now, the Nationals say they're content with Harris and Roger Bernadina.
- Cincinnati has seen Drew Stubbs struggle in center field so far; he's hitting just .196/.283/.321. It shouldn't be hard to convince Dusty Baker to play the veteran Jones over Stubbs, either. It's not clear that Jones is still an every day center fielder, but Chicago has already played him there four times in 2010.
- The Padres have Kyle Blanks in left field, Tony Gwynn Jr. in center field, and Will Venable in right field. Of the three, only Blanks profiles as a top prospect, so the other two could be vulnerable to a Jones acquisition, should San Diego remain in the race.
- With Eric Chavez and Jake Fox struggling, and Rajai Davis reverting to form, the Athletics could use Jones in either center field or at designated hitter to support an imposing starting rotation. The move sounds a lot like acquiring Frank Thomas, doesn't it?
- And don't fall asleep on Seattle, either. Currently 6.5 games out, the Mariners have the talent to climb back into the race, but their DHs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney, simply aren't hitting. Jones could also slot into left field.
One thing's for sure: those who believed Andruw Jones' career was over- a sad thing for anyone who saw him dominate baseball in his 20s- appear to have been premature.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Blalock, Berkman
Lots of cool things have happened on May 14th throughout baseball history. Mickey Mantle joined the 500 homerun club in 1967 (just the sixth player to do so at the time); Reggie Jackson passed Mantle on the all-time homer list with his 537th on the same 1986 day that Cardinals' utility player Jose Oquendo became the first non-pitcher in history to get a decision when he took the loss in extra innings; Doc Gooden threw his no-hitter in 1996, and the Mets set a single game franchise record with seven steals against the Giants in 2009 without the help of Jose Reyes. Also, this happened in 2008.
Here are a few links from around the web…
- Royals Authority thinks about the unthinkable: trading Zack Greinke.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. busts the myth that Neal Huntington can't spot talent.
- DRays Bay wonders if the Rays should cut Pat Burrell and replace him with Hank Blalock.
- The Crawfish Boxes looks at Lance Berkman's trade value.
- Feeling Dodger Blue says that Garret Anderson may not be long for the Dodgers.
- At Home Plate says that Carl Crawford's future is uncertain.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Dye Would Play For Padres
Jermaine Dye would play for the Padres, according to Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Dye's agent Bob Bry said earlier this week that the 36-year-old outfielder continues to work out and hit in anticipation of a big league job. The 22-12 Padres, who lead the NL West, appeal to Dye.
"San Diego was one of the places Jermaine was excited about playing," Bry said.
Sullivan reports that the Padres "had dialogue" with Dye and his representatives last offseason, but chose to rely on youth instead. So far, the Padres' offense ranks 13th out of the 16 National League teams with 143 runs scored. Corner outfielders Kyle Blanks and Will Venable have started slowly.
It's not clear that the Padres are interested in Dye or that he could help them win. After hitting 20 homers in the first half last year, Dye slowed down and hit seven in the second half with a .179/.293/.297 line. The advanced fielding metric UZR suggests Dye's outfield defense was considerably worse than average last year. Still, Dye is the most readily-available hitter for teams seeking 25-homer power.
Odds & Ends: Indians, Dunn, Cardona, Giants
Let's check out some links on a beautiful evening in New Jersey..
- Indians manager Manny Acta says that he's still focused on developing the team's young talent, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- Adam Dunn says that signing another two-year deal wouldn't be his preference, though he's not opposed to it, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Other clubs are upset over Toronto's reported agreement with Adonis Cardona, writes Jeremy Sandler of the National Post.
- Even more from Baggarly, as he tells us not to expect the Giants to sign Jermaine Dye or call up Buster Posey in the coming days.
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (via Twitter) doesn't think the Giants would benefit from bringing back Ryan Garko.
- Former Royals manager Trey Hillman said that the team had a lengthy players-only meeting prior to being swept by the Rangers, tweets Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
- Giants manager Bruce Bochy, GM Brian Sabean, and hitting coach Hensley Meulens are "talking over options" following a 1-hit loss to San Diego, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (via Twitter).
- The Reds have promoted Yonder Alonso to Triple-A Louisville, tweets Ben Badler of Baseball America. Baseball America's 2010 Prospect Handbook rated Alonso ahead of Mike Leake in Cincinnati's farm system but behind Todd Frazier.
- MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez writes that Major League Baseball is hoping to clean up the sport in Venezuela.