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Archives for May 2011

Closer Notes: Rodriguez, Bell

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Happy 23rd birthday to Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel, who has struck out 78 of 192 batters he's faced as a big leaguer (40.6%). Make sure you follow @closernews for all the latest on fantasy's most unpredictable category, the save. Here are some notes on the ninth inning…

  • Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Rangers will consider K-Rod along with other top right-handed relievers, though he doesn't see them accounting for his $17.5MM option.
  • Andy Martino of The New York Daily News explains why Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez might be more tradeable than we think. "Instead of signing someone like (Jonathan) Papelbon or(Heath) Bell this winter for three or four years, a team could pick up that option and have K-Rod for a year and a half," said one NL executive. "That could be very tempting, and the Mets might actually get a prospect back in that case."
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says it would make sense for the Cardinals to try to acquire Padres closer Heath Bell to solve their ninth inning woes. Olney wonders if they would attempt to expand a deal to include Jason Bartlett, who St. Louis had interest in over the winter.
  • Dan Mennella looked at both K-Rod and Bell as trade candidates recently, and Tim Dierkes listed some potentially available relievers.

Rodriguez Open To Setting Up

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Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez doesn’t want to be dealt to a team that would use him as a setup man, though he would be willing to fill that role under the right conditions, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  If a team were willing to sign him to a contract extension and return him to the closer’s role next season, K-Rod says he wouldn't object.

“That would be great,” the 29-year-old said. “That would be no problem.”

Teams, of course, are wary about the clause in Rodriguez's deal that would guarantee his $17.5MM option for next season if he finishes 55 games.  The veteran is currently on pace to finish 62 games.

The Rangers could be interested in Rodriguez under such conditions, says Rosenthal.  They could use Rodriguez as a setup man for the remainder of the year then make him the closer in 2012 and move Neftali Feliz to the rotation.

Yankees Notes: Trade Calls, Myers, Scouts

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The Yankees cut ties with Randy Winn on this date last year. The outfielder hit just .213/.300/.295 in 71 plate appearances, seemingly getting exposed when an injury to Curtis Granderson forced him into regular duty. Here are some notes from the Big Apple…

  • GM Brian Cashman told George A. King III of The New York Post that he isn't getting any calls about trades just yet. "I am not getting calls," said Cashman. "We have the farm system and money, but no calls … The headache stuff is available. The quality stuff is not available."
  • Within the article, King notes that the team could look for upgrades at DH, in right field, and for the pitching staff. He says the Astros "will listen" to offers for Brett Myers, but the Yankees "don't have a match." King speculates that Carlos Beltran, Michael Cuddyer, and Vladimir Guerrero could be potential trade targets.
  • Dan Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal wrote about the club's pro scouting department, which helped unearth Bartolo Colon and others this offseason. "It's easy to recommend a guy when the numbers are there," said scout Tim Naehring. "The most difficult thing is feeling confident and putting in a report when the production isn't there. The biggest challenge is sticking your neck out and saying,'I know there's more in there. I know there's better performance coming.'"

Quick Hits: McCourt, Abreu, Sizemore, Purcey

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A night after striking out four times in four plate appearances, Adam Dunn walked in all four of his plate appearances in Friday's 4-2 loss to Toronto.  If we're sticking to a pattern of Dunn's "three true outcomes," then theoretically, Dunn should hit four home runs against the Blue Jays tomorrow.  Set your fantasy lineups accordingly!

Some news from around the majors as we go into the weekend…

  • Frank McCourt will be able to meet the Dodgers' May 31 payroll, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  One of Shaikin's sources says McCourt is still looking to secure the funds to meet the next payroll deadline on June 15.  If McCourt fails to meet payroll, Major League Baseball will seize control of the team from the embattled owner and cover the payroll itself.
  • With Bobby Abreu on pace to easily reach 433 plate appearances and cause his $9MM option for 2012 to vest, the Angels will owe $48MM in 2012 to Abreu, Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter.  Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks allowing Abreu's option to vest "would be just another poor long-term decision for a GM [Tony Reagins] that seems to be specializing in them," and wonders why the Halos would tie so much money up in the outfield when their top prospect (Mike Trout) is an outfielder and Peter Bourjos is in the picture.
  • In his analysis of today's Scott Sizemore-for-David Purcey trade, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that the Tigers first contacted the Athletics about Purcey on the very day that Oakland acquired the left-hander from the Blue Jays.  The deal was a natural match since "the A’s long have had interest in Sizemore," and plan to convert him to a third baseman.
  • Matthew Eddy of Baseball America wraps up the week's minor league transactions.
  • Joe Girardi said he could move Nick Swisher into a platoon with Chris Dickerson if Swisher doesn't pick up his hitting from the left side of the plate, reports Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.  Swisher still has four months to get on track, but right now it looks like there's no chance the Yankees will pick up his $10.25MM option for 2012.
  • Ryan Drese was granted his release by the Orioles earlier today, and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports the veteran righty is expected to sign a minor league deal with the Astros.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Delaney, Tomko, Boggs, Rivera

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A few minor moves…

  • Rob Delaney has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rays on Wednesday and has been outrighted to Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter).
  • The Rangers outrighted Brett Tomko to Triple-A Round Rock and Tomko has accepted the assignment, reports Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).  Andro also tweets that Tomko has an out clause in his contract for June 1, though Andro isn't sure if Tomko plans to exercise it. In the corresponding move, Texas called up Michael Kirkman.
  • The Brewers have outrighted catcher Mike Rivera to Triple-A Nashville, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  It is expected that Rivera will accept the assignment. 
  • Also from McCalvy, Brandon Boggs has accepted his assignment to Nashville after being outrighted by the Brewers two days ago.  This is the third time Boggs has been outrighted by Milwaukee in the last three months.  Rivera and Boggs were outrighted to create roster space for Josh Wilson and Nyjer Morgan.

Draft Notes: Cole, Hultzen, Meyer

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Eleven former first overall picks are currently on MLB rosters (DL included): Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Pat Burrell, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Justin Upton, Luke Hochevar, David Price and Stephen Strasburg. Here are some draft-related links in anticipation of this year's top pick:

  • Anthony Rendon played his first games in the field since suffering a shoulder injury in March, and interestingly, Rendon played second base, reports John Manuel of Baseball America.  Rendon made an error in his second game but according to one scout, "handled his routine chances just fine."  While Rendon has displayed a strong third base glove in his college career, some executives have wondered if he is better suited to play second in the majors.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America has Rendon going first overall to Pittsburgh in his latest mock draft.
  • The Pirates are open to taking any of the top three or four players with the first overall pick, and they don't even have a "front-runner" for the pick, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Pirates continue to consider Gerrit Cole as a candidate for the first overall pick in the draft. Cole’s struggles have scared some teams off to an extent, but not Pittsburgh.  Cole hit the 101-mph mark on the radar gun during a start tonight, according to ESPN's Keith Law (Twitter link).  
  • MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo lists the draft's top college arms, including Cole, Trevor Bauer and Danny Hultzen. The 2011 draft class stands apart from others thanks in large part to the deep, talented crop of college hurlers. 
  • As Mayo explains, 6'9" right-hander Alex Meyer has developed from a hard thrower into a more polished college arm.
  • Reed MacPhail of FanGraphs offers more on the Kentucky starter and his “tantalizing combination of size and stuff.”
  • Hultzen is "probably" the Diamondbacks' most wanted player, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and he thinks the D'Backs would pass on Cole if he's still available when Arizona makes the third overall pick.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

East Notes: Marlins, Anderson, Encarnacion, Phillies

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Here's the latest from the eastern side of the baseball map…

  • Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that the team wants to "concentrate on the season right now" and wouldn't comment on whether the Fish would offer Edwin Rodriguez a contract extension before the year is up.  Rodriguez, who took over as Florida's manager last June, is only on a one-year deal.
  • The Yankees released Trenton Thunder reliever Brian Anderson, according to Thunder reporter Mike Ashmore (on Twitter). The former outfielder was on the DL with a biceps issue.
  • The Yankees also released southpaw Andrew Sisco, according to the International League's transactions page.  Sisco posted a 5.18 ERA in 151 relief appearances for the Royals and White Sox between 2005-07 and hasn't been back to the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008.  Sisco, 28, had a 1.88 ERA and a 9.4 K/9 rate in 16 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, though he'd also allowed 12 walks in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls for the Blue Jays to release Edwin Encarnacion or at least permanently relegate him to the bench.  "[Encarnacion is] an absolute disaster in the field, and his bat simply doesn’t even come close to making up for it," Cameron writes.
  • J.C. Ramirez, one of the prospects the Phillies received in the Cliff Lee trade, has pitched well at Double-A this season, writes Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.
  • It looks as if Domonic Brown will remain with the Phillies when Shane Victorino returns from the DL, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  This could mean the Phils send John Mayberry Jr. down to the minors, or perhaps Rule 5 draft pick Michael Martinez, who would of course have to be offered back to the Nationals. 
  • The Orioles are expected to release right-hander Ryan Drese, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.  Drese, 35, last pitched in the majors in 2006 and currently has a 6.55 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) for Triple-A Norfolk.
  • Overpaying for a designated hitter is "a new market inefficiency," writes Jason Collette of the DRaysBay blog.  Collette suggests the Rays (and other teams) should look to fill the DH spot with the same low-cost approach that the Rays used to rebuild their bullpen this winter.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Giants Haven’t Contacted Other Teams About Catchers

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Giants GM Brian Sabean said he hasn't contacted any other clubs about finding a replacement behind the plate for Buster Posey, though several teams have made contact with him, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  For now, Sabean said the Giants are content to give backup catcher Eli Whiteside a chance to prove himself as an everyday player.

"[Whiteside has] been around the block," Sabean said.  "And quite frankly, I don’t think anyone will trade us a catcher who’s any better than Whiteside. If someone is an all-around catcher, you’re not going to get that player in a trade."

Whiteside, 31, has been the backup in San Francisco for the last three seasons and has a career slash line of .229/.281/.363 in 316 plate appearances.  While Whiteside's numbers aren't impressive, Sabean has a point about the shallow catching market and the lack of clear upgrades available.  Washington is one of the few teams with catching depth, and the Giants reportedly contacted the Nationals about Ivan Rodriguez.  As Baggarly notes, it may have been the Nats who made first contact if Sabean indeed hasn't made any calls.

Mets Notes: Wright, Alderson, Giants, Fossum

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In the wake of Fred Wilpon's already-infamous New Yorker interview, David Wright tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that he wants to "close the book" on the incident, and that Wilpon contacted him to say that he "misspoke."  Wright also seems to have a sense of humor about the situation, saying "My parents texted me and told me I was their superstar." (Quote from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports).

Some other news from the Mets camp….

  • In light of Wilpon’s comments, Joel Sherman of the New York Post asks whether Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes should care for anything but “padding their free-agent resumes” at this point. Sherman also says Wright has been handed an opportunity to step down from his unofficial position as team spokesman.
  • GM Sandy Alderson said he hasn't spoken to Wright, Beltran or Reyes about Wilpon's statements, reports Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.  “They’re professionals, and things happen from time to time and they’re able to take that in stride,” Alderson said. “I don’t think this has been a major issue for them."  The link also contains Alderson's thoughts on next season's payroll and his first impressions of new Mets minority owner David Einhorn. 
  • The Giants need a big bat more than ever in the wake of Buster Posey's season-ending injury, but a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) that San Francisco hasn't been in contact with the Mets about any of their available hitters.
  • Casey Fossum is "not inclined to pitch right now" and has been placed on the restricted list at the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, reports Adam Rubin.  (Twitter link)  Despite this, the veteran southpaw has no plans to retire, and Buffalo manager Tim Teufel said that Fossum is trying to "reinvent himself" (via the Twitter feed of The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington).  Fossum, who last pitched in the majors in 2009 and pitched in Japan last season, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in February.  He has a 6.56 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) with Buffalo this year.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Astros Release Joe Inglett

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The Astros have released utility infielder Joe Inglett, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter).  Houston acquired Inglett from Tampa Bay in March, and designated him for assignment at the end of April.  Inglett hit .222/.222/.259 in 27 plate appearances for the Astros this year and had just two hits in 37 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Inglett, who turns 33 next month, has a career .734 OPS in six Major League seasons with the Indians, Blue Jays, Brewers and Astros.  He has played everywhere but catcher and first base during his career, even pitching a perfect inning of relief for Milwaukee last year.  All but 92 of Inglett's 898 career plate appearances have been against right-handed pitching, so between Inglett's decent left-handed bat and his versatility, he's a good bet to be signed by a club in need of bench depth.

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