Blue Jays Release DeWayne Wise
The Blue Jays have released Dewayne Wise, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). The move was first reported by John Lott of The National Post (on Twitter). GM Alex Anthopoulos told Lott that this move is similar to Scott Podsednik's release, in that Wise didn't fit into the team's plans and was allowed to seek a job elsewhere.
Wise, 33, signed with the Jays back in April and played for their Triple-A affiliate after a brief tune up in A-ball. He hit a more than respectable .333/.382/.562 with five homers in 134 total plate appearances, though the ballpark for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas is very hitter-friendly. The Nationals are known to be seeking a center fielder, so perhaps there's a fit there.
Jaime Garcia Changed Agents
Jaime Garcia switched agents earlier this year and Melvin Roman of MDR Sports now represents the Cardinals’ left-hander, the agency confirmed. Agent Bobby Barad, Garcia's previous representative, has also lost Robinson Cano and Jorge de la Rosa since leaving TWC Sports, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted on Twitter.
Garcia has a 3.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 81 2/3 innings this year. With the exception of one ugly start at Coors Field in late May, Garcia has been consistently effective. The 24-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and I projected his 2012 earnings at $3-4MM earlier in the season.
Beane Explains A’s Managerial Change
It wasn’t an eleventh hour decision made in the heat of the moment. As the losses kept piling up, A’s GM Billy Beane realized his team wasn’t responding the way he wanted and decided to make a change. It was time to fire his friend, manager Bob Geren.
“Let’s face it – in this business, the best response you get from the field staff is obviously ultimately in the wins and losses column,” Beane said on a conference call with reporters this afternoon.
Beane repeated throughout the call that the shift in focus from the players to the manager drove the personnel change for the 27-36 A’s. The GM said media speculation about Geren’s job security contributed to the distractions surrounding the A’s, who have lost nine straight games.
Earlier in the season, left-hander Brian Fuentes and former A’s reliever Huston Street publicly criticized Geren. Beane did not seek players out before deciding to change managers and did not comment on whether players sought him out to discuss possible problems.
The solution: replace Geren with interim manager Bob Melvin, the former Mariners and D’Backs skipper (the D’Backs did not require compensation for letting Melvin leave their front office for the A’s job). Though Melvin doesn’t yet have a permanent hold on the managerial job, Beane expressed optimism about his new hire.
“We’ll see how it goes the rest of the year,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in Bob to have a positive impact.”
The A’s have endured injuries to multiple key players this season and recently lost four starters to injuries in a three week span. Melvin will face the same depleted rotation his predecessor did, but the last-place A’s haven’t given up on the season.
“The natural competitor in Bob [Melvin] and the natural competitor in me doesn’t want to give anything away certainly with 99 games left,” Beane said. “But I also think we have to be realistic given the available players right now especially in the pitching rotation.”
Heyman On Twins, Drew, Oswalt, Reyes
The A’s fired Bob Geren today, but most of baseball’s new managers are doing well in 2011, as Jon Heyman explains at SI.com. Here are the rest of Heyman’s notes and rumors from around the league:
- The Twins appear to be having second thoughts about the trade that sent Wilson Ramos to Washington for Matt Capps. Ramos is playing well and Joe Mauer has spent much of the season on the disabled list.
- It wouldn’t surprise people if J.D. Drew and Roy Oswalt retire after the season, according to Heyman. Oswalt and the Phillies have a mutual option for 2012 and Drew is a free agent after the season.
- Jose Reyes’ remarkable play has essentially forced the Mets to make him “a respectable offer.” The prospective free agent has been one of the best players in the game so far this season.
- Mets right-hander Matt Harvey and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper are too good for Class A, according to Heyman. Harvey has a 2.49 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 and Harper has 14 home runs and a .342/.436/.619 line.
Draft Notes: Appel, Brooks, Bichette
On this date two years ago, the Nationals selected the most heavily-hyped amateur pitcher in history with the first pick of the amateur draft: San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Since the '09 draft, Strasburg has signed a $15.1MM contract, posted a 2.91 ERA in an electrifying rookie season and had Tommy John surgery. Here are some draft-related links for Thursday…
- The draft is officially over, so MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo is already looking ahead to 2012, when Stanford right-hander Mark Appel could be the first overall selection.
- The Royals agreed to terms with ninth round pick Aaron Brooks last night, MLBTR has learned. The right-handed pitcher led the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes in a number of categories and finished third in the NCAA in BB/9.
- Conor Glassey and John Manuel analyze each team's picks and approach at Baseball America.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said supplemental first rounder Dante Bichette Jr. isn't overly pampered, though he has family ties to the game, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. "He is a worker," Oppenheimer said. "His regimen, his schedule, his routine, from the way he eats to the yoga to spending time at the gym to hitting. It’s second to none.” Bichette’s father made four All-Star teams with the Rockies.
A’s Fire Geren, Hire Melvin
Mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Athletics are making changes. They announced this morning that they have relieved manager Bob Geren of his duties and hired former MLB manager Bob Melvin to take his place as the interim manager for the rest of the season.
Geren, a longtime friend of A's GM Billy Beane, rose through Oakland's system as a minor league manager before taking over the big league club. The A's had a 334-376 record in four-plus seasons under Geren, never finishing above .500. The 2011 Athletics are 27-36 after last night's loss to Baltimore.
The A's have dealt with a number of injuries this year – Mark Ellis, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy and Tyson Ross are currently on the disabled list. Earlier in the season, Brian Fuentes and former A's reliever Huston Street publicly criticized Geren.
Melvin has experience managing the Mariners (2003-04) and D'Backs (2005-09) and had been working as a special advisor in Arizona's front office this year. The 2007 NL Manager of the Year has a 493-508 record in seven seasons as a skipper.
Olney On Padres, Wood, Pirates
Teams like the Yankees, Rangers and Cardinals may not have to wait much longer for bullpen help. There will probably be relievers available immediately, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest on the relief market and other notes from Olney:
- The industry-wide expectation is that the Padres will trade Heath Bell soon.
- Executives wonder if the Padres will decide to take advantage of Mike Adams' substantial trade value and trade him now. The setup man is under team control through 2012.
- Rival teams will presumably call the Cubs to see if Kerry Wood would accept a trade. The right-hander signed a discounted $1.5MM contract last offseason because he wanted to return to Chicago.
- Grant Balfour, Luke Gregerson and Michael Wuertz are other possible trade candidates, according to Olney.
- Though the Pirates have developed more top talent under Neal Huntington, it’s an important year for the GM, who doesn’t have a contract after 2011. The Pirates drafted aggressively once again this year, so Huntington and his scouting staff will have a number of tough signs this summer, such as high schooler Josh Bell.
AL East Notes: Barnes, Wakefield, Orioles
The latest from the AL East before the first-place Red Sox attempt to complete a sweep of the Yankees in New York…
- Red Sox first rounder Matt Barnes grew up rooting for the Yankees, according to Nicole Auerbach of the Boston Globe. Barnes is preparing to switch his allegiances and he doesn't expect the change to be too difficult, since he has "always respected" the Red Sox.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says he was wrong to question Tim Wakefield's place on the Boston roster earlier this spring. The knuckleballer has a 4.84 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 through 48 1/3 innings this year and is a Hall of Famer in the eyes of Robinson Cano.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America gives the Orioles high marks on their draft, according to MASNsports' Steve Melewski. "They got the best pitcher in the draft and depth after that," Callis said. "They got tremendous quality and quantity."
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says he would have interest in signing J.J. Hardy to a two-year extension if he were running the Orioles. Hardy has a .276/.346/.457 line 131 plate appearances into the season.
A’s Notes: Geren, Willingham, Boras
The Athletics lost their ninth consecutive game last night, falling 3-2 to the Orioles. Here's the latest on the slumping A's, who are now nine games below .500…
- Questions about the job security of manager Bob Geren will only intensify if the A's keep losing, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle points out. It's considered unlikely that A's GM Billy Beane would fire Geren, a longtime friend, during the season, according to Slusser. The skipper is signed through 2011.
- The A's haven't had talks with Josh Willingham about signing a long-term deal, according to Slusser. The outfielder would draw interest if the A's made him available, as he has ten homers and a .239/.317/.438 line. Alternatively, the A's could avoid the trade rumors and lock Willingham up long-term, like the Brewers did with Corey Hart last summer.
- As we noted last night, the A's selected Shane Boras, the son of agent Scott Boras, in this year's draft. Slusser reports that the A's draftee will have a different advisor than you might expect: his mother, Boras' wife Jeanette.
Quick Hits: D’Backs, Figgins, Tejada, McCourt
As Anthony Rizzo prepares for his Major League debut tomorrow with the Padres, it was one year ago today that Stephen Strasburg and Mike Stanton both made their first appearances in the majors. Both star prospects lived up to the hype — Strasburg recorded 14 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings against the Pirates, while Stanton went 3-for-5 (all singles) and scored twice against the Phillies.
Some items from around the league…
- The Diamondbacks were judged as the biggest winners of the amateur draft, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Mayo spoke to a number of scouts to produce a list of the five teams who had the best drafts, with three AL East teams making the cut.
- Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski wonders how long the Mariners can afford to keep putting Chone Figgins in the lineup. Pawlikowski also predicts that the Giants will release Miguel Tejada once Pablo Sandoval returns from the DL.
- Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will be able to meet the team's payroll on June 15, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- In a radio appearance on the Mut & Merloni Show today, Peter Gammons noted the lack of top-quality arms available at this year's trade deadline. Gammons said a pitching-needy team like the Yankees would have to look at pitchers like Brett Myers or Edwin Jackson, while he shoots down the idea that Felix Hernandez, Francisco Liriano or any of the Athletics' young arms would be on the market. WEEI's Jerry Spar has the full transcript of Gammons' appearance here.