Week In Review: 7/3/11 – 7/9/11
We're three weeks away from the trade deadline, but this week's biggest news may have been the promotion of top prospect Mike Trout. Let's take a look back at the past seven days…
- The Marlins acquired Mike Cameron for a player to be named later or cash considerations after the veteran was designated for assignment by the Red Sox.
- Even though there won't be any extension talks for Jose Reyes in the near future, the Mets are almost certain to hang onto their superstar this July and could make him a big offer in free agency. They will, however, listen to offers for the resurgent Carlos Beltran.
- Raise your hand if you predicted the Pirates would be buyers prior to the season. The third-place Buccos are just a game behind the Cards and Brewers, and will consider making additions this offseason.
- The White Sox signed supplemental rounder Keenyn Walker, their first pick in this year's draft, for $795K.
- Jon Garland's season may be over as a result of the shoulder injury that's kept him on the disabled list for over a month already.
- Fellow Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, meanwhile, has drawn interest from the Tigers.
- The Giants will consider rental players this month, and Ramon Hernandez is on their radar.
- The Red Sox are prioritizing position players over pitching, even with John Lackey's tremendous struggles in 2011.
- Bullpen rumors this week included the Yankees showing interest in Sean Burnett, the Brewers looking at the Padres' relievers, and the Diamondbacks looking to add an established reliever.
- The Indians will attempt to add some offense prior to the deadline, with a likely spot being right field to replace the injured Shin-Soo Choo.
- Regardless of their record the Rockies aren't likely to sell at the deadline, though they may still move Aaron Cook and Ian Stewart if their struggles persist.
- The Rangers officially signed Dominican prospects Nomar Mazara and Ronald Guzman this week. Mazara's bonus will break the previous record of $4.25MM, while Guzman will earn $3.45MM.
- The Blue Jays signed Dominican shortstop Dawel Lugo for a bonus of $1.3MM.
- The Indians officially signed Dominican prospect Dorssys Paulino for a bonus of $1.1MM.
- The Red Sox signed several Dominican prospects: right-hander Deoscar Romero received a $600K bonus, which was $300K less than shortstop Raymel Flores' bonus of $900K, while outfielder Manuel Marcos' bonus was $800K.
- The Yankees signed Dominican third baseman Miguel Andujar for a bonus of $700K.
- The Astros signed Dominican shortstop Luis Reynoso for a $700K bonus of his own.
- Meanwhile the Indians, Royals, Cubs, and Blue Jays all inked Venezuelan prospects this week.
- Francisco Rodriguez is now represented by Scott Boras, which will make his offseason negotiations all the more interesting.
- Baseball America released its midseason Top 50 prospects list, headlined by Bryce Harper at #1 and Trout at #2.
- The Blue Jays designated Juan Rivera for assignment this week to recall outfielder Travis Snider. Follow along with all of the week's minor transactions and moves with our Transactions tag, MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, or on Twitter @mlbtrtrans.
Jose Contreras’ Season In Jeopardy
Jose Contreras has suffered a setback in his recovery from a right forearm injury, and Will Carroll tweets that the setback is "very serious" and has the remainder of the season in jeopardy for the 39-year-old right-hander.
Contreras has been limited to just 14 innings due to injuries in the first year of the two-year, $5.5MM extension he signed with the Phillies this offseason. This setback is just the latest in what's been a season of bad luck for the Philadelphia bullpen. Both Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the shelf, which has led to Antonio Bastardo's emergence as the Phillies' closer for the time being.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has already said he's seeking bullpen help. The Phils have contacted the Padres about Heath Bell and Chad Qualls, and a serious injury to Contreras will likely strengthen their desire to add some proven arms to the back-end of the bullpen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed some potentially available right-handed relievers last month, many of whom could now be on Amaro's radar with Contreras' future in question.
Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline
On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….
- Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
- Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
- There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
- Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.
Juan Castro Retires
Veteran utility infielder Juan Castro has announced his retirement, according to a Dodgers press release. The Dodgers, who designated Castro for assignment last month, have hired the 39-year-old as a Special Assistant.
"It was time for me to make the decision to end my playing career," said Castro. "I'm honored that Ned [Colletti] thought of bringing me back to the organization where I first signed as a young kid more than 20 years ago."
While Castro also spent time with the Reds, Twins, Rockies, Orioles, and Phillies, he returned to Los Angeles frequently toward the end of his career. When he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last winter, it was the fourth time he'd signed with the organization as a free agent.
In parts of 17 seasons, Castro hit .229/.268/.327 in over 2800 plate appearances, logging significant playing time at second base, shortstop, and third base. According to Baseball-Reference, he retires having earned about $8MM over the course of his career.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Keppinger, Johnson
Heading into today's action, no first place team in either league holds a lead of more than two and a half games, and no division is tighter at the top than the NL Central. Not only are the Cardinals, Brewers, and Pirates separated by a single game in the standings, but all three teams are dead even in the loss column. Here's the latest on the Central, as we look forward to what should be a fun playoff race:
- The Cardinals' pursuit of pitching is "taking shape," tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though he cautions in a second tweet that he's unsure of the timetable for a deal.
- Discussing the Cardinals' need for arms, Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch says that while prioritizing relief help makes sense, the team could also try to acquire a starter and move Kyle McClellan to the bullpen.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wonders (via Twitter) if the Astros will receive more interest in Jeff Keppinger than Brett Myers, given Myers' struggles this season.
- In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that Cubs' outfielder Reed Johnson is another useful complementary player who could be available on the cheap this month.
Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis
Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:
- The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
- While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
- Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
- The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.
Mets Notes: Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Wilpons
One of three Mets' starting infielders currently on the disabled list, David Wright is making good progress in his rehab, according to MLB.com's Adam Berry and Anthony DiComo. The third baseman, who has been on the DL since May 18th, could start a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday and return to the Mets for the club's ten-game road trip later this month. Let's check out some other Mets-related notes….
- According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, executives around the league have very different opinions about what sort of contract Jose Reyes will earn in free agency. Before Reyes was placed on the DL, estimates ranged from "no more than $90MM" to as much as $160MM.
- Within the same piece, Sherman looks at some teams besides the Mets that could be in on Reyes this winter, including the Phillies, Brewers, Mariners, Nationals, and Tigers. One GM says the Giants are the "obvious choice," predicting a bid of $120MM or so from San Francisco.
- The Mets' solid play heading into the second half makes the decision on whether to trade Carlos Beltran tougher, says Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. While the team probably won't seriously contend for the postseason, dealing Beltran this month would be a "white flag" move that would hurt attendance.
- The Wilpons' chances of maintaining ownership of the Mets are looking better, write Teri Thompson and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Riggleman, Fernandez, Orioles
Congratulations to Derek Jeter on career hit No. 3,000. Here are some Quick Hits for Saturday afternoon..
- ESPN's Buster Olney says that rumors are swirling about a managerial change for the White Sox, but a high-ranking source says a change is not being considered and Ozzie Guillen is safe (Twitter link). The ChiSox won today, but had lost four in a row and five of six before that.
- Alex Rodriguez may need knee surgery that could keep him out a month, and Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears that the Yankees will consider outside options to fill in at third base (Twitter link). Their first choice is to use in-house candidates Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Laird.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that Jim Riggleman has a job interview for an unknown position with the Giants next week. Riggleman resigned as Nationals manager last month.
- The Marlins are not close to signing first-round pick Jose Fernandez, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. The 14th overall selection is seeking a deal close to $4MM while the Fish offered just $1.6MM.
- The Orioles are confident that they will be able to sign top pick pitcher Dylan Bundy, but they also expect that negotiations will go down to the mid-August deadline, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
- The Cubs are likely to pass on requests for starting pitchers Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- We learned yesterday that Brian Gordon is Korea-bound, and now there are rumblings that Chris Bootcheck is as well, tweets Patrick Newman of NPBTracker.com.
Francisco Rodriguez Hires Scott Boras
Francisco Rodriguez has changed agents. MLB.com’s Adam Berry and Anthony DiComo report that the Mets’ closer has signed on with Scott Boras after having been represented by Paul Kinzer of Wasserman Media Group.
Rodriguez, 29, is scheduled to become a free agent after the season as long as his $17.5MM option for 2012 does not vest. He needs to finish 55 games for the option to kick in, and right now he’s at 34 and on pace for 62. K-Rod’s name has popped up in trade rumors all year and that figures to continue this month, so the option could become moot if he’s dealt to a team that would use him as a setup man.
Yesterday we learned that K-Rod and Boras met in Los Angeles earlier this week. Boras has also been trying to snag Jose Reyes, another impending free agent. Check out our Agency Database for a list of Boras and WMG clients.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…
- Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
- The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
- The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
- Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
- The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.