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Archives for June 2011

Kenny Williams Talks Dunn, Viciedo, Deadline

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The Chicago Tribune's Dave van Dyck talked to White Sox GM Kenny Williams on Sunday; here are a few highlights.

  • "I would make the same move tomorrow again," says Williams in reference to Adam Dunn's four-year, $56MM contract that also cost the Sox the #23 overall draft pick this year.  Dunn is hitting .173/.308/.316 with seven home runs in 279 plate appearances as he attempts to adjust to the American League and full-time DH work.  Williams considers Dunn's 2011 struggles "a little blip."
  • Williams says he respects manager Ozzie Guillen too much to force him to promote prospect Dayan Viciedo.  The 22-year-old outfielder is hitting .330/.369/.528 this year, but Williams says Viciedo is "not a finished product."
  • Williams does not believe he can acquire a player who has the ability of those already on the team.  He's hoping for certain members of his current squad to start playing to their normal abilities.

Cardinals Notes: Wainwright, Heath Bell, Bartlett

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At 41-38, the Cardinals are three games behind the Brewers in the NL Central.  They rank second in the league with 4.67 runs scored per game, though Albert Pujols will miss all of July with a left forearm fracture.  The Cards' starters rank 10th in the league with a 3.90 ERA, while the bullpen is 13th at 4.19.  Today's links…

  • Adam Wainwright hopes to make the Cardinals' September and playoff rosters this year, to help the team and to force his $9MM option for 2012 and $12MM option for 2013 to vest, he told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  However, since Wainwright had Tommy John surgery in late February, manager Tony La Russa isn't expecting anything from him this year.  I think the Cardinals would prefer Wainwright not to rush, and will happily pick up his options anyway.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Cardinals "are trying to land" Heath Bell and Jason Bartlett of the Padres.  In that scenario, Ryan Theriot would have to move to second base.  Acquiring Bell and Bartlett at the trade deadline would require taking on about $3.7MM in additional 2011 salaries, plus quality prospects.    
  • Get your Cardinals MLBTR fix through our team-specific Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages.

Sherman On Yankees, Padres, Clippard

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post dishes all kinds of Yankees rumors today; let's check it out.

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman admitted the team's weakness is left-handed pitching, but says, "I can't force it.  I can't make it happen if it is not there." Another Yankees official said that a lefty would help, "But I don't think it is live or die."  Sherman believes Wandy Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano might be the two best available southpaw starters, but both bring concerns.  Relief-wise they could go for the Marlins' Randy Choate or consider higher-priced names in August like Brian Fuentes and Mike Gonzalez.
  • In general, Cashman said he doesn't think he can trade for a starter better than Bartolo Colon or Phil Hughes or a reliever better than Rafael Soriano, and all three could be back in July.  According to Sherman, the Yankees "have shown no interest in high-cost veterans with dubious stuff such as the Brett Myers, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Edwin Jackson, Livan Hernandez, and Jason Marquis."
  • Hoping for the Yanks to acquire Jair Jurrjens or Derek Lowe?  We're not sure if either is available, but Sherman says "the Yankees' policy has become pretty much to run away from Atlanta pitching after having successful Braves hurlers blow up on them."
  • The Yankees would not offer an extension to Hiroki Kuroda, if the righty were to make that a condition of a trade.  We know Kuroda will require some form of compensation.
  • The Padres "want to get out in the market quickly" with relievers Heath Bell and Chad Qualls, writes Sherman.  The Yankees, however, prefer Mike Adams, who is considered much less available.
  • The Nationals are willing to trade setup man Tyler Clippard, but are looking for a center fielder and have their sights on B.J. Upton.

Tigers Gauging Trade Interest In Brad Thomas

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The Tigers "have been gauging trade interest in left-handed reliever Brad Thomas and are willing to move him," reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The 33-year-old Australian is on a rehab assignment after going down with elbow inflammation in May.

Thomas is earning $800K this year, and could be retained in the future as an arbitration eligible player.  2010 was his one full year in the Majors; he was OK against lefties and ineffective against righties.  The Tigers have three left-handed relievers on their active roster, so Thomas is expendable.  The Tigers can keep Thomas on the rehab assignment for a few more weeks, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck, but then must make a decision since he is out of options.  Click here to survey other potentially available left-handed relievers. 

Rockies Interested In Jamey Carroll

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The Rockies are looking for second base help, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, and they've expressed interest in Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll.  Carroll spent the 2006-07 seasons with Colorado, sending the Rockies to the playoffs in '07 with a sacrifice fly off Trevor Hoffman.

Carroll, 37, is hitting .300/.368/.366 in 288 plate appearances on the season.  He's capable of playing second base, shortstop, third base, and the outfield corners.  I examined his trade candidacy about a week ago.  Carroll is earning $1.8MM and he's a bit short of Type B status.

Rockies second basemen, mainly Jonathan Herrera and Chris Nelson, are hitting .240/.296/.325 on the season.  I think Nelson deserves more of a look, but adding Carroll wouldn't hurt.  There aren't too many contenders seeking second basemen, but Carroll, Mark Ellis, and Jeff Keppinger are the top trade candidates.  Renck says the Rockies also want to bolster their rotation, but may look internally for that.  At six games out, they're on the fringe of contention.

GMs Dan O'Dowd and Ned Colletti matched up on a trade last year, when the Rockies acquired Octavio Dotel from the Dodgers for Anthony Jackson.  Before that, the division rivals hadn't matched up since '03.

Rangers Not Interested In Beltran, K-Rod

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TUESDAY, 7:50am: "I can't believe that we have an interest in either," remarked Rangers president Nolan Ryan on Galloway and Company yesterday. Ryan doesn't see K-Rod as an upgrade to his bullpen, and he's worried about Beltran's health and salary.

MONDAY, 12:37pm: The Rangers are interested in Mets veterans Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

Beltran and the Rangers are not an obvious match, since Texas is set at the outfield corners with Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz.  Of course, there are ways to make it work, as Hamilton and Beltran are capable of playing center field.  Plus, Hamilton and Cruz are not locks to avoid the DL from here on out.  The 34-year-old Beltran is hitting .278/.372/.480 with 10 home runs in 317 plate appearances on the season, in what is likely to become his healthiest season since '08.  Beltran's $18.5MM salary and full no-trade clause, as well as the Mets' status as wild card contenders, could be obstacles in a trade.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has an 8.18 ERA in 11 games this month.  He's 26 games finished away from having his $17.5MM option for 2012 vest.  That target could be down to 15 or so by the trade deadline, so it's safer to trade K-Rod now.  Though a trade would be a clear manipulation of his vesting option, the closer appears open to waiving his no-trade protection.  Even teams with established closers would take on risk in acquiring Rodriguez, since he could be thrust back into the ninth inning if the incumbent stopper is injured.  A trade agreement might have to address such a scenario.  And don't forget, Rodriguez earns a hefty $11.5MM this year. 

The Rangers and other teams seeking relief help have plenty of options beyond K-Rod and all his baggage.  The Rangers have more trade chips than anybody, in the opinion of one scout who spoke to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). 

Quick Hits: Mitre, Bedard, Cron, Joaquin

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It was an ugly day for the Dodgers off of the field (they filed for bankruptcy), but they defeated the Twins 15-0 in a one-sided rematch of the 1965 World Series today. Here's the latest from around the Major Leagues…

  • The Brewers have gotten multiple calls on Sergio Mitre, the recently-designated right-hander, according to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (on Twitter).
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says the question of whether the Mariners will be buyers or sellers this summer comes down to whether or not they trade Erik Bedard. The lefty has a 2.93 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 83 innings this year after missing the entire 2010 season. He makes just $1MM in '11 and would have substantial value on the trade market.
  • Top Angels draft pick C.J. Cron will start his pro career instead of undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder immediately, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. The powerful prospect took batting practice in Angel Stadium today and hit a number of home runs. Keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
  • Waldis Joaquin, a right-hander who pitched for the Giants in 2009-10, can opt out of his contract with San Francisco this Friday if the Giants don't put him back on their 40-man roster, MLBTR has learned. The 24-year-old has recovered from offseason back surgery to post a 2.12 ERA with 3.7 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 17 innings at Triple-A. The Giants have one of the best bullpens in baseball and a full 40-man roster, so finding room for Joaquin won't be easy.
  • New Nationals manager Davey Johnson told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he's open to staying on after 2011 (Twitter link).

Kuroda Requires Compensation To Waive No-Trade

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Hiroki Kuroda is drawing interest from multiple teams, but acquiring the right-hander won't necessarily be as simple as out-bidding his other suitors. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last Tuesday that the right-hander will require "some form of compensation" to waive his no-trade clause.

The Rockies and Reds are among the teams with some interest in Kuroda, who may be having his best season yet at age 36. He has a 3.10 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 44.6% ground ball rate in 101 2/3 innings this year. His $8MM salary could be an obstacle for clubs with limited flexibility; about $2.7MM will remain on the one-year deal at the end of July.

AL East Notes: Bell, Orioles, Bautista

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The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays have had their offensive issues, yet all three teams placed in the top eight in scoring in MLB entering tonight's action. Here are the latest links from the American League East…

  • Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues examines Heath Bell as a possible trade candidate before determining that the Padres closer would be a luxury at this point, since the Yankees have more pressing needs. The Yankees have called the Padres about the closer. 
  • Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail explained that the Orioles consider sabermetrics when acquiring players and evaluating their own team. MacPhail also looks at basic information, salary, traditional stats and scouting reports, according to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com, who passes along more quotes from the weekend's season ticket holders event.
  • The Blue Jays could move Jose Bautista to third base as soon as tomorrow, according to Chris Vannini of MLB.com. The slugger is heading back to the infield, partly because the Blue Jays have had such poor offense from their third basemen this season (combined .183/.243/.308 line).
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who extended Bautista this spring, has said he only works on one extension at a time, as Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star recently pointed out. Griffin wonders which Blue Jay Anthopoulos will target for an extension next.
  • Anthopoulos has done enough since taking over as Toronto’s GM to earn a tribute song from the Bottom of the Fourth Blog.

Minor Moves: Hinckley, Scales, Perez

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Here's a summary of the day's minor moves…

  • The Blue Jays released former top prospect Mike Hinckley, MLBTR has confirmed. The 28-year-old left-hander posted a 5.68 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 4.7 BB.9 in the upper minors before the Blue Jays let him go. Hinckley made it to the Major Leagues in 2008 and 2009 with the Nationals. Dave Gershman first reported the move.
  • Utility player Bobby Scales is leaving the Cubs for a Japanese team, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Scales, a 33-year-old with two years of MLB experience with Chicago, has signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters. He had a .304/.424/.535 line in 283 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa this year.
  • The Pirates announced that they have acquired minor league catcher Miguel Perez from the Nationals for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Perez, 27, played for Pirates affiliates in 2008-09 and has two games of MLB experience with th '05 Reds. He has appeared in just two games this year and has a .270/.323/.343 line as a minor leaguer.

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