Gammons: Red Sox Can’t Add Payroll
The Red Sox cannot add payroll this season, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). He may not have much financial flexibility to work with, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is thinking ahead to possible moves. The GM told Joe Castiglione of WEEI that it’s “never too early” to anticipate potential needs. (transcript from WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane).
“The reality is, our outlook as a club is going to change five times between now and July 31,” Epstein said. “The issues that we have right now, we might have an internal solution to, and then we might have a desperate need for somebody in an area that right now looks like a surplus.”
The Red Sox have been active in midseason trades in recent years, as our Transaction Tracker shows. They acquired Jason Bay in 2008, Billy Wagner, Alex Gonzalez, Victor Martinez, Casey Kotchman and Adam LaRoche in 2009 and Jarrod Saltalamacchia last summer. Right field and the starting rotation are possible areas of need for Boston, though lots can change in a month, as Epstein pointed out.
Dodgers Bankruptcy Links: Tuesday
The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy yesterday, an event that ESPN's Buster Olney ranks among the ten worst chapters in MLB history. The latest:
- MLB was happy with today’s events and will move to have monitors re-installed at Dodger Stadium, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown (Twitter links). MLB will also request a trustee for the team.
- MLB struck back against Frank McCourt today, blaming the Dodgers' owner for the team's inability to make payroll. MLB is asking the bankruptcy court to reject McCourt's $150MM loan, which comes with 10% interest and a $4.5MM fee, in favor of their own financing with 7% interest and no fee. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has all the details. He notes that the court could decide today which financing to accept.
- Shaikin has a great primer on this whole mess, using a Q&A format. He says the essence of the case is whether bankruptcy court can override MLB rules, if Bud Selig revokes McCourt's ownership.
- The Dodgers should sell off impending free agents like Hiroki Kuroda, Jamey Carroll, and Casey Blake, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, as well as non-tender candidate James Loney. How about MVP candidate Matt Kemp? "We trade him, and we're done," one member of the organization told Morosi.
Yomiuri Giants Acquire Josh Fields
The Yomiuri Giants have acquired third baseman Josh Fields from the Rockies, according to a Sponichi report. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news and says we should expect an official announcement in a few days (on Twitter).
Fields had been playing for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, but the Sky Sox have released him, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The former first round pick had a .365/.429/.674 line at Triple-A, so the Rockies presumably released him as a formality to enable him to join the Japanese team.
Fields, 28, played for the White Sox and Royals from 2006-10. He clubbed 23 home runs in 2007, posting a .244/.308/.480 line in the process. He never replicated that success and has bounced from team to team since. The White Sox sent him to Kansas City in 2009 and the Royals non-tendered him last winter. The Pirates picked him up in December and flipped him to Colorado late in Spring Training.
D’Backs Will Be Able To Add Payroll At Deadline
The Diamondbacks are 2.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West and two back of the NL Wildcard, and they’ll be able to add reinforcements at the trade dealine. Team president/CEO Derrick Hall told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that GM Kevin Towers will have the flexibility to add payroll in a midseason trade.
“We’ve got the flexibility,” said Hall. “Our ownership group is willing to invest in this team. We’ve told KT, ‘If we’re in it, we’ll do whatever it takes to support you.'”
For now, the D’Backs are hopeful that recent callups Yhency Brazoban and Alberto Castillo can improve the bullpen. They will continue to monitor outside options, and Morosi notes the team with the most available bullpen help is Towers’ former team, the Padres. He also mentioned Matt Capps as a name to keep in mind. Arizona started the season with a $53.6MM payroll, the sixth smallest in the game.
NL West Notes: Brazoban, Castillo, Tate, Sanchez
Though the Dodgers' bankruptcy has been the biggest news to emerge from the NL West this week, there's plenty going on with the division's other teams. Here's the latest:
- The D'Backs announced that they called up right-hander Yhency Brazoban and left-hander Alberto Castillo from Triple-A Reno and optioned right-handers Esmerling Vasquez and Bryan Shaw to Reno.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who first reported the Brazoban callup, notes that the reliever last pitched in the Major Leagues as a member of the 2008 Dodgers. Meanwhile, Castillo had a 1.83 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year.
- Padres prospect Donavan Tate received a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug prevention and treatment program, according to John Manuel of Baseball America. It's the second time that Tate, the third overall selection in 2009, has tested positive for a drug of abuse. The 20-year-old has a .294/.368/.471 line through 76 plate appearances in the lower minors this year.
- Triple-A manager Steve Decker told Chris Haft and Adam Berry of MLB.com that 21-year-old catching prospect Hector Sanchez probably needs more seasoning before he can contribute in San Francisco. The Giants recently promoted Sanchez from Class A to Triple-A, but would like to see him improve his plate discipline. They're searching for big league catchers in the meantime.
Rays Could Add Payroll
The Rays cut their Opening Day payroll by $30MM this year and while the on-field product remains strong – the team is 44-35 in the competitive American League East – it is not generating as much ticket revenue as expected. Owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that attendance has been "well-below expectations" to this point in the season. Despite that, the Rays will be open to adding payroll in trades this summer, because “winning is paramount.”
The Rays are last in the American League in attendance this year with an average home crowd of 18,522. That’s a drop of roughly 4,200 fans per game from 2010, when an average of 22,758 showed up at Tropicana Field to cheer their team on in its successful bid for a division title.
Tampa Bay's offense ranks 13th in MLB with 334 runs scored. Elliot Johnson and Reid Brignac haven't provided much thump at shortstop, so that's a possible area of need, as is first base. Though the Rays' remade bullpen has a solid 3.62 ERA, a 4.34 xFIP suggests there's room for improvement.
Rangers Continue To Focus On Bullpen
The Rangers haven’t acquired any relievers since they publicly expressed interest in adding bullpen help 12 days ago, but it’s not for lack of trying. GM Jon Daniels told Jim Bowden and Casey Stern on MLB Network Radio’s SiriusXM channel that his primary goal remains acquiring relievers.
“I think the bullpen will definitely be a focus, first focus,” Daniels said. “You’re always open to anything. But that’s probably where we’ve spent the most of our time.”
It's not surprising to hear that Daniels is interested in adding relief help given his 'pen's performance so far in 2011. Rangers relievers have combined for a 4.53 ERA (28th in MLB) with 6.9 K/9 (27th in MLB) for -1.3 wins above replacement (30th in MLB).
The Rangers had scouts watching the Giants recently, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently previewed the market for left-handed and right-handed relievers.
New York Notes: Cashman, Fielder
We’re about a month away from one of the busiest trading periods of the year – the July 31st trade deadline. But with free agency only a few months away, there’s always time to check in on some of the bigger names headed for the open market. Here’s the latest on a couple prospective free agents who may or may not be in the Big Apple next year…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who isn’t under contract for 2012, hasn’t discussed his future with his bosses, according to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. Cashman says he remains focused on making the Yankees better now and in the future and can understand why the team hasn’t initiated extension talks. Team president Randy Levine said Cashman is a “great general manager” who he hopes to bring back.
- Prince Fielder is one of the most productive prospective free agents in baseball, so everyone’s wondering where he’ll sign, including his father, former MLB slugger Cecil Fielder. Prince would “probably” like to stay in Milwaukee and could end up with one of Los Angeles’ teams, the elder Fielder told Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. Fielder also suggested his son could end up in New York, saying “the Mets are one of those teams that if they get that situation all squared away, they could get him.”
Managing While Old
With the hirings of Jack McKeon, 80, and Davey Johnson, 68, it appears a new trend may be afoot: old managers are the new market inefficiency. Much is likely to come from this, with teams using Willard Scott's birthday greetings as their own shortlists, and a spirited bidding war to hire The Oldest Living Confederate Widow.
But as many of the recent hires can tell you – having lived through it – hiring more experienced managers is nothing new. In fact, 15 of the 30 teams have employed managers 65 or older at some point in franchise history. How successful have these managers been, considering that their pep talks were littered with stories from the Great Depression? Unsurprisingly, their success varies, much as it does for their younger counterparts, based largely on the on-field talent.
The only manager in baseball history older than McKeon was Connie Mack. Interestingly, Mack was also one of the youngest-ever managers, getting his first gig as a player/manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 1894, at the tender age of 31. His tenure with the Athletics lasted from 1901-1950, and had two high points. The first came from 1910-1914, when Mack's A's won four pennants and three World Series titles. Mack did this from age 47-51. But he was back around two decades later, as skipper for three pennants and two World Series titles from 1929-1931. Mack was age 66-68 for that success, and clearly had no trouble communicating with his younger players. Even in 1932, at age 69, he managed to motivate 24-year-old Jimmie Foxx to hit 58 home runs.
A pair of 70-somethings also managed in the big leagues, one just recently, the other decades ago. Felipe Alou, who had managed the Montreal Expos well into his sixties, took over the San Francisco Giants at age 68 in 2003 and led them to 100 victories, then 91 the following season. His age 70 and 71 seasons were far less successful, but his talent eroded quite a bit as well. In 2003, his entire lineup featured hitters at OPS+ levels of 90 or above, with five of them above 104. In 2006, just two of his regular hitters topped an OPS+ of 93, and four found themselves at 84 or lower.
The other 70-something manager was Casey Stengel, of course, and it is hard to argue against his later-life success. Taking over the New York Yankees at age 58, he won a pennant each season, save two, until he was 69 years old. The Yankees lost the 1960 World Series to Pittsburgh, and decided to part ways with their manager. Stengel then delivered the immortal line about age and managing: "I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again."
Stengel did manage the New York Mets from ages 71-74 before a broken hip forced him out in 1965. Those Mets teams lost far more often than they won, but even a cursory look at the talent Stengel possessed would suggest that if anything, they overachieved.
One final note on aging managers: fully ten percent of all Major League teams have employed Jack McKeon as their oldest manager ever. McKeon's age-59 stint with the San Diego Padres back in 1990, and his age-69 tenure with the Cincinnati Reds ten years later make him the oldest manager in each franchise's history. With the Padres, he won 89 games in his penultimate season, 1989; with the Reds, he won 97 games and earned a one-game playoff for the wild card against the New York Mets in his age-68 season.
And of course, he'd already held the record for oldest manager in Florida history prior to this year's hiring, winning a World Series at age 72. In other words, it's probably time that somebody gave Earl Weaver – now just 80 himself – a call as well.
Contenders In Need Of A Right Field Upgrade
As many as eight contenders might try to improve their right field situation:
- Red Sox: They may just seek a right-handed hitter who can handle lefties, suggested WEEI's Alex Speier. Jeff Francoeur, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, and Matt Diaz could be possibilities, or Michael Cuddyer if the team aims for a bigger name.
- Tigers: When Brennan Boesch plays left field, Casper Wells and Magglio Ordonez are options in right. Wells has shown pop in a limited sample, and Maggs has a big contract. The Tigers' offense isn't lacking overall, so this isn't an urgent need. The same could be said for the Red Sox.
- Indians: The Indians just announced that Shin-Soo Choo had thumb surgery today and recovery time is eight to ten weeks. That means a late August return in the best case, so the Tribe could look to upgrade on the Travis Buck/Austin Kearns platoon.
- Phillies: They've got Domonic Brown and Ben Francisco in the current mix. Francisco normally at least handles lefties, but not this year. Brown has star potential, but it's unclear how much leeway the Phillies want to give him this year to learn on the job. They've got a middle of the pack offense this year, and have been linked to Cuddyer, Ryan Ludwick, and Josh Willingham.
- Cardinals: Lance Berkman has taken over at first base in Albert Pujols' absence, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that the Cards do not plan to pursue a hitter. Allen Craig could return from a fractured kneecap around the All-Star break and Jon Jay has done a nice job.
- Pirates: The Bucs have employed Garrett Jones, Xavier Paul, and Diaz this year. Jones takes care of righties, so if Diaz returns to his lefty-mashing ways they'll be fine.
- Giants: The Giants are using Nate Schierholtz in right, with Cody Ross also capable. Schierholtz has struggled against lefties.
- Athletics: At six games out the A's are fringe contenders. They could end up selling right field candidates in Willingham, Jackson, David DeJesus, and Ryan Sweeney. Even if they do stay in the race an outfield acquisition seems unlikely.
The Red Sox, Tigers, Indians, and Phillies seem most likely to pursue right field acquisitions. Andre Ethier and Hunter Pence are unlikely to be dealt, leaving names such as Carlos Beltran, Jason Kubel, Kosuke Fukudome, Ludwick, Willingham, Cuddyer, Ordonez, Francoeur, Jackson, Spilborghs, Diaz, and DeJesus on the Major League market.