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Archives for July 2011

Dodgers Acquire Juan Rivera; Designate Thames

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The Dodgers acquired outfielder Juan Rivera from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations and designated Marcus Thames for assignment, announced the team (Twitter links).  Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers also received cash.

The Jays had to take Rivera and his $5.25MM salary to facilitate the Vernon Wells trade with the Angels in January.  Toronto ended up designating Rivera for assignment on July 3rd.  Rivera, 33, hit .243/.305/.360 for the Blue Jays in 275 plate appearances, playing both outfield corners, first base, and designated hitter. 

Rivera is a right-handed hitter who handles lefties well, which is what the Dodgers thought they were getting when they signed Thames for $1MM in January.  Thames struggled mightily in 70 plate appearances, missing about a month with a quad strain.

Ubaldo Jimenez On Reds’ Radar

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The Reds have Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez "on their radar," report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, the Rockies "have yet to engage in meaningful dialogue about Jimenez with the Reds or any other club," and the Reds are not certain to be trade deadline buyers.

If the Rockies do seriously entertain trading Jimenez, it will shake a trade market bereft of front-end starting pitchers.  Rosenthal said on Saturday that the Rockies "are not shopping Jimenez, but they will listen on anyone other than Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez."  Rosenthal said that "if the Rockies get an offer that makes sense, they will give it serious consideration."

Jimenez, 27, has lost almost three miles per hour off his average fastball velocity this year, though his peripheral stats haven't changed much since a 2010 season that placed him third in the NL Cy Young voting.  He's got a 4.14 ERA overall, but a 2.52 ERA in his last eight starts.  This is not a "buy low" situation – Jimenez is under team control very cheaply through 2013.  Jimenez has extra value to Colorado, since he can void his $8MM club option for '14 if traded.  Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that while the Rockies always listen when teams call, they'd have to be overwhelmed to move Jimenez, receiving multiple arms.

Rosenthal and Morosi kick around the idea of a Reds package starting with Homer Bailey, Mike Leake, or Travis Wood, but I think that could be beat if teams like the Yankees, Cardinals, Tigers, Phillies, or Pirates come calling.

Which Agencies Have The Most All-Stars?

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Using MLBTR's Agency Database, let's break down which agencies represent the most All-Stars this year.  Though there are 84 All-Stars in total, we're not sure yet who represents Ryan Vogelsong.

  • Boras Corporation: 9.  Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre, Jered Weaver, Matt Wieters, Jacoby Ellsbury, Prince Fielder, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Jair Jurrjens.
  • ACES: 8.  Jhonny Peralta, Gio Gonzalez, Brandon League, Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Heath Bell.
  • SFX: 6.  David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Jon Lester, Michael Pineda, Mariano Rivera, Justin Verlander.
  • CAA Sports: 5.  Carlos Quentin, Chris Perez, Roy Halladay, Ryan Braun, Andre Ethier.
  • Reynolds Sports Management: 4.  Justin Upton, Joel Hanrahan, Howie Kendrick, Alexi Ogando.
  • Eight agencies represent three All-Stars apiece, three represent two, and 23 represent one.

 

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Trade Market

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A dozen teams look like potential July 31st sellers, if we exclude the Rockies.  With assumptions on who the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, Athletics, Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, and Padres might be willing to move, let's examine the strengths and weaknesses of the 2011 trade market.

  • Catcher: Weak.  If you're looking to add a starting catcher, the out-of-contention teams have very little to offer.  You might be able to get a Ronny Paulino or a Rod Barajas, but this group is more about backups.  Two players who could shake up this market if made available: Geovany Soto and Ramon Hernandez.
  • First base: Weak.  Relative to how few contenders actually need a first baseman, the outlook isn't awful.  Carlos Pena is the headliner.  Derrek Lee and James Loney are disappointing players who could still make a difference.  Guys like Luke Scott and Mark Reynolds are not generally considered first basemen but they could play the position regularly for a few months if need be.
  • Second base: Weak.  There are some players capable of starting at second, such as Jeff Baker, Jeff Keppinger, Omar Infante, and Jamey Carroll.  Still, there's not really a difference-maker.
  • Shortstop: Weak.  A team could try a salary dump player like Rafael Furcal, or check in on Jason Bartlett and Juan Uribe.  This position does have long shot potential to become strong if J.J. Hardy, Jose Reyes, or Hanley Ramirez become available.
  • Third base: Weak.  Reynolds is probably the only quality regular.  Wilson Betemit, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ian Stewart are worth a look.  Wild card: Aramis Ramirez if he changes his stance on being traded.
  • Corner outfield: Weak.  Carlos Beltran is definitely the top name, with Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Ludwick, Jeff Francoeur, David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, and Scott rounding out a less-than-stellar group of bats.  Hunter Pence is the potential wild card, though the Astros are not expected to move him.
  • Center field: Strong.  Coco Crisp and Marlon Byrd are viable options, while DeJesus could be passable.  There's also the chance that Colby Rasmus, B.J. Upton, and Michael Bourn are made available.
  • Designated hitter: Weak.  Take your pick from Vladimir Guerrero, Scott, Encarnacion, Jack Cust, and Hideki Matsui, but none of the AL teams will find clear upgrades.
  • Bench: Strong.  Reed Johnson, Greg Dobbs, Laynce Nix - there should be a veteran to fill most bench needs.
  • Starting pitching: Weak.  I agree with the idea that the market mostly features fourth starters: Jeff Francis, Jason Marquis, Javier Vazquez, Aaron Harang, and the like.  Chris Capuano, Erik Bedard, and Rich Harden are more interesting when healthy.  The Dodgers and Astros could shake things up by offering Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Wandy Rodriguez, and Brett Myers, and the Braves and Rays could also make waves with their depth.  Five wild cards that would change everything: Ubaldo Jimenez, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, Jeremy Guthrie, and Francisco Liriano.
  • Right-handed relief: Strong.  I came up with 24 viable right-handed reliever trade candidates, and some of them aren't even members of the Blue Jays or Padres.  This group features closers like Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, and Leo Nunez, plus top setup men such as Koji Uehara, Mike Adams, and Grant Balfour.
  • Left-handed relief: Weak.  For the most part, the market offers overpaid lefties like Brian Fuentes, Mike Gonzalez, and John Grabow.  But there are a few interesting choices such as Randy Choate and Tim Byrdak.
  • In general, this trade market looks especially ugly.  That can change in an instant if certain players become available, but right now middle-of-the-order bats and front-end starters appear scarce.

Cardinals Might Be Willing To Trade Rasmus

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The Cardinals "might reconsider [their] stance" on trading center fielder Colby Rasmus, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  He adds that GM John Mozeliak "would have to acquire a significant return for Rasmus but may be willing to plumb long-standing interest from the pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays."

Rasmus, 24, is showing "only halting development" in Strauss' opinion.  He's hitting .246/.329/.413 with nine home runs in 360 plate appearances this season.  That's solid for a center fielder, but a decline from last year's numbers.  Defensively, Rasmus put up a strong UZR in '09 but has been below-average in over 1,800 center field innings since then.  If Rasmus were to be traded, Jon Jay would become the Cardinals' starting center fielder.

Even with his stock slightly down, Rasmus would be a hot commodity on the trade market.  I can see why he'd interest the Rays, who control center fielder B.J. Upton through 2012 but could control Rasmus through '14.  Rasmus could jump past $3MM in arbitration next year against perhaps $7MM for Upton.  Upton could be moved in a separate deal, though the Nationals would probably be interested in both center fielders.  It'd be a big win for the Cardinals to somehow pry James Shields loose in a Rasmus deal, but with Shields' ace performance and his contract offering options through '14, a direct swap doesn't seem to benefit Tampa Bay enough.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Mariners, Dodgers

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Congratulations to Robinson Cano, who joins Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and other sluggers of note on the list of Home Run Derby winners. Here are the latest links from around the Major Leagues…

  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests that the Orioles could look to add veteran starting pitching this month. Though Baltimore is not likely to surrender top prospects for back-of-the-rotation help, there’s something to be said for innings eaters who can keep teams in games. 
  • The Mariners announced that they have signed seventh round pick Steven Proscia, a third baseman from the University of Virginia, and 22nd round pick John Taylor, a right-hander from the University of South Carolina.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America believes seven 2011 draftees are among the top 50 prospects in baseball. For example, Anthony Rendon, Dylan Bundy and Trevor Bauer appear on Callis’ list.
  • Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson and Michael Cuddyer were among the prospective free agents who told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that they'd consider off-field issues like ownership, front office leadership and attendance before signing with the Dodgers.

Boras Doesn’t Expect Deal For Ellsbury During Season

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Scott Boras told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he doesn’t expect to discuss a new contract for Jacoby Ellsbury during the season, but the agent says he’s confident in his ability to work with the Red Sox, who control Ellsbury’s services through 2013.  

Ellsbury is earning $2.4MM in his first season as an arbitration eligible player and he’ll also be arbitration eligible in 2012 and 2013. If and when Ellsbury hits free agency, Boras expects strong interest in his client.

“The market at the end of 2013 is going to be much different than the market of 2010,” he said. “It’s going to be widely more aggressive. The reason is there are just fewer players who can do what he’s doing.”

Ellsbury has a .316/.377/.490 line with a career-high 11 homers and a league-leading 28 stolen bases this year. The 27-year-old was limited to 18 games in 2010, when he had three stints on the disabled list with fractured ribs. Though the Red Sox may consider an extension for Ellsbury, there’s a definite possibility that one or both sides will prefer to go year to year instead of working out a long-term agreement.

Pirates, Angels Discussed Jones For Mathis Swap

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The Pirates and Angels had serious discussions about a trade that would have sent Garrett Jones to Anaheim for Jeff Mathis, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Pirates decided to keep Jones instead of pursuing talks further.

Since the Pirates’ two primary catchers, Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder, are on the disabled list, they’d like to upgrade their catching depth (they’re currently using Michael McKenry and Eric Fryer). However, finding alternatives is proving difficult for the 47-43 Pirates.

The Angels would like to acquire a left-handed power hitter who can play first base, outfield and DH. Though Russell Branyan had potential as a powerful lefty bat, he has hit just .178/.255/.267 since signing with Los Angeles.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Beltran, Isringhausen

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Francisco Rodriguez just switched agents, so much of the day's Mets-related discussion has revolved around him. Here's the latest on the rest of the team…

K-Rod Could Reject Trade To Setup Role

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7:40pm: Rodriguez would consider re-structuring his contract to do away with the $17.5MM option for 2012 in exchange for some other form of compensation, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.

3:50pm: Rodriguez's no-trade list was submitted when the contract was signed and it doesn't change year to year, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees are not on the list, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Rodriguez chose the teams on his no-trade list based on which teams he didn't want to join and the list includes some small-market teams that wouldn't have interest in him, according to Costa.

1:39pm: Francisco Rodriguez's new agent Scott Boras strongly indicated today that the reliever would not accept a trade to a team on his no-trade list if it means being a setup man, tweets Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.  The issue at stake: Rodriguez will receive a staggering $17.5MM salary from the Mets for 2012 if he finishes 21 more games and is healthy after the season.  The closer told Mike Puma of the New York Post he hopes the Mets let him finish the year with them.

K-Rod can block deals to ten unknown teams.  Boras will be fighting for the vesting option Paul Kinzer of Wasserman Media Group negotiated, while Mets GM Sandy Alderson is trying to skirt the clause former GM Omar Minaya accepted.  

In a fantasy baseball sense, the trade rumors have helped place Rodriguez in the third tier of closers, in the opinion of Dan Mennella at CloserNews.  

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