AL Central Links: Tigers, Pena, Buehrle, Acta
The Tigers' magic number for clinching the AL Central is nine after Brandon Inge's walkoff blast against the Twins this afternoon. Red-hot Detroit has won eight games in a row and the team looks like a sure bet to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.
Let's round up the latest from the division…
- Intra-divisional trades made been a big part of the Tigers' success, writes Lynn Henning for the Detroit News. Jhonny Peralta, Delmon Young and Wilson Betemit have all come to Detroit from AL Central rivals over the last two seasons.
- Brayan Pena wants to keep playing for the Royals and is happy to remain a backup catcher, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Following last night's game, Mark Buehrle told reporters that he plans to work out this offseason as if he'll be pitching next season, but he doesn't know if a contract will get worked out with the White Sox. You can watch the video on CSNChicago.com. Buehrle will be a free agent for the first time in his career after the season, and he's hinted at retirement in the past.
- Ozzie Guillen, for his part, thinks Buehrle will pitch in 2012. "Oh, he's staying," Guillen tells ESPN Chicago. "I talk to him every day and he never mentions [to] me anything about retirement. I think this kid's got a lot left to give [to] baseball. I think this kid can help a lot of big league ballclubs. Believe me, I don't think he's retiring."
- In that same piece, Guillen also reiterated his commitment to the White Sox, saying he wishes to manage the club in 2012 and for "the next 20 years."
- Joe Mauer talks to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link) about his season, his future behind the plate and the Twins' struggles. Two days ago, more than 3,000 MLBTR voters said the Twins have been baseball's most disappointing team this season.
- "That's a good question for the off-season," said Indians GM Chris Antonetti when asked about manager Manny Acta's club option for 2013 by Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Acta will be in the final year of his three-year contract next season, and Antonetti made it clear that he's pleased with the job his manager has done.
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press that they're "thrilled" about the Delmon Young acquisition. "It's worked out pretty good so far, and when he steps in that batter's box he's a man," said Leyland. "He's going to get his rips and has a pretty good idea how to hit and what pitchers do."
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Dodgers Links: Kemp Extension, 2012 Plans, Bonuses
It was on this day 21 years ago that Orel Hershiser picked up the 20th win of his legendary 1988 campaign. Hershiser threw a complete game, seven-hit shutout of the Reds for the 20th of his eventual 23 wins that season. The nine shutout frames against Cincinnati represented innings 13 1/3-22 1/3 of Hershiser's record streaks of 59 1/3 scoreless innings.
Some modern-day news from Los Angeles….
- Dave Stewart, agent for Matt Kemp and a former Dodgers star himself, tells Tyler Kepner of The New York Times that he hasn't received any word from L.A. management about a possible multiyear extension for the MVP candidate. “If by some chance we’re able to get something long-term done, we’ll approach that when the ball club is ready to do it,” Stewart said. “But we’re preparing for a one-year contract and arbitration, if we have to. With the uncertainty of the ball club and ownership, really our only option is to sit and wait and hope that they come to us and want to talk to Matt about keeping him in Los Angeles for a long time.” If the two sides stick to a one-year deal, MLBTR estimates Kemp's 2012 salary to be around $15MM.
- Kepner also has a larger profile of Kemp, detailing his rise from an unheralded sixth-round draft pick to arguably the best player in the sport.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick outlines potential incentive clauses that Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll can reach in the season's closing weeks.
- Ned Colletti and Don Mattingly both expect the 2012 Dodgers' roster to largely resemble the 2011 version, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Both men feel the team is "only a player or two away" from contention.
Rays Notes: Moore, Roster Move
Here's the latest on the Rays as they continue their late push for the AL Wild Card…
- Joe Maddon said left-hander Matt Moore is "a possibility" to be called up later this month, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. The Rays will need an extra starter after they play a doubleheader against the Yankees on September 21. Besides Moore, southpaw Alex Torres is also being considered for the role. Moore is the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball and one of the top-rated prospects overall — Baseball Prospectus and Keith Law had Moore ranked second behind only Bryce Harper, while Baseball America ranked Moore third behind Harper and Mike Trout.
- Also from Topkin, the Rays will need to make a move on the 40-man roster to make room for Russ Canzler, the International League MVP. Canzler and right-hander Dane De La Rosa will both be called up to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
- Earlier today, MLBTR's Mike Axisa looked at how Casey Kotchman's breakout season will impact his stock on the free agent market.
Mike Cameron Hints At Retirement
Mike Cameron indicated that 2011 could be his last season in the Majors, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Cameron, who would be 39 on Opening Day 2012, has missed the Marlins' last few games due to a hamstring strain and noted that this latest injury is just one of many that are weighing on his mind.
“I may be too young to quit, but my body’s telling me different. My body’s 45,” Cameron said. “[Retirement is] a small window that’s wide open…I’m not going to make a decision now because there are too many variables much more than how I feel.”
Capozzi noted that Cameron's comments could have been borne of frustration with his injury, but Cameron has struggled this season. The outfielder has a combined .203/.286/.360 line in 268 plate appearances with Florida and Boston this season. Cameron joined the Fish in July after being designated for assignment and dealt by the Red Sox.
Cameron has played for eight teams over his 17 seasons in the big leagues. At his peak, Cameron brought a strong blend of speed (297 career steals), defense (three Gold Gloves ) and power (eight seasons with 20+ homers, plus a four-homer game on May 2, 2002) to the table. He enjoyed a 24-homer season as recently as 2009 as a member of the Brewers.
Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore
Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright. They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions. However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes. Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
- Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants. Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager. The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
- The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing. Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft. The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking. Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
- Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season. The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently. One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.
NL West Notes: Giants, Dipoto, Zito, Rockies
Let's take a look at a few items out of the NL West..
- This winter, the Giants will have 13 players eligible for salary arbitration and seven players hitting free agency. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle peered into his crystal ball to predict which players would return to the club in 2012.
- Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports gives credit to Diamondbacks exec Jerry Dipoto for his role in the club's success. The former interim general manager could have looked for another GM gig after the position was given to Kevin Towers last year, but he instead chose to be a company man. Recently, Tim Dierkes spoke to Dipoto about his career in baseball and his future aspirations.
- If all goes well, it looks like Giants pitcher Barry Zito will soon be activated and will get the chance to show the club where he stands, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. Recently, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy admitted that he wasn't sure where the lefty fits into the team's long-term plans.
- Given their other needs, Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) expects the Rockies to wait another year to address their first base situation.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Casey Kotchman
The Rays signed a middle of the order hitter last offseason, but it wasn't Manny Ramirez. After just five games with Tampa, Manny abruptly retired rather than face a second suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. The Rays filled Ramirez's roster spot by promoting Casey Kotchman from Triple-A, and five months later, he's the middle of the order bat the team thought it was getting in Manny.
Kotchman, still just 28, has stepped in and hit .312/.380/.429 in 487 plate appearances since being promoted. He isn't hitting for much power (just eight homers), but he's drawing walks (42) and putting the ball in play (55) while providing his usual strong defense. After years of struggling against left-handers, Kotchman is hitting a respectable .300/.336/.367 against southpaws this season.
There are reasons to believe that the improved performance is unsustainable, however. Kotchman's batting average on balls in play (.341) is the highest of his career (by far) even though there's been no significant change in his batted ball profile. More than half of the balls he puts in play are hit on the ground, just a quarter are fly balls, and fewer than one in five is a line drive. It could work, but it hasn't for him in the past.
Low power first baseman usually aren't in high demand on the free agent market, especially ones with the proverbial "one good year." That said, Kotchman could be a nice, budget friendly alternative to stopgap first basemen like Derrek Lee, Lyle Overbay, and Carlos Pena. The Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Dodgers could all be looking for help at first this winter, and of course re-signing with the Rays is always a possibility as well.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Sutton, O’Connor, James
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here, with the first batch coming courtesy of the International League transactions page…
- The Red Sox have outrighted Drew Sutton to Triple-A. The 28-year-old utility man had been designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .315/.362/.444 in 60 plate appearances with the big club and .295/.382/.476 in Triple-A
- The Mets have outrighted Mike O'Connor to Triple-A. The 31-year-old lefty had been designated for assignment earlier this week. In 39 games for New York's Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 5.22 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. O'Connor also appeared in five games at the big league level.
- The Twins have outrighted Chuck James to Triple-A. The 29-year-old lefty threw 10 1/3 ineffective innings for Minnesota, but did post a 2.30 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 2/3 innings in their minor league system. James had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
NL Links: Dobbs, Wang, Cubs, Brewers
Here are some links from the Senior Circuit as we await tonight's Clayton Kershaw–Tim Lincecum matchup…
- Marlins manager Jack McKeon told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he hopes the team brings Greg Dobbs back next season. Of course, it seems unlikely that McKeon himself will be back in the dugout next season.
- A report by Focus Taiwan News Channel (passed along by Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post) indicates that Chien-Ming Wang could earn more than $1MM in incentives by staying in the Nationals rotation all season. He's already made $250K for staying on the roster for 30 days, and will make another $500K for staying on the roster for 60 days. Every start after his tenth (he's started eight) will earn Wang another $100K.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts can learn a lot from the Red Sox, who were aggressive in their search for a GM after John Henry bought the team in 2002. Billy Beane and J.P. Ricciardi were among the Boston's first choices before hiring Theo Epstein.
- Within the same piece, Verducci notes that the Brewers haven't won a series against a non-Cardinals winning team since Memorial Day. He wonders if all of Milwaukee's wins against sub-.500 teams is making them seem better than they really are.
AL Central Notes: Zumaya, Twins, Tigers, Cabrera
Links from the AL Central before the Tigers host the Twins and the White Sox host the Indians…
- Joel Zumaya has started throwing in Florida, the first time he's done that since Spring Training according to MLB.com's Chris Vannini and Jason Beck. Zumaya won't make it back in time to pitch for the Tigers this year, but it's a "sign of hope" that he'll be ready for the start of 2012. The hard-throwing righty is a free agent after the season.
- The Twins fired Triple-A manager Tom Nieto and hitting coach Floyd Rayford, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. GM Bill Smith told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that the firing was due to the Triple-A team's performance over the last two years, not about mistakes made by rookies at the MLB level (Twitter link).
- Ryan Ford of the Detroit Free Press runs through some of the Tigers’ best (Ivan Rodriguez and Jose Valverde) and worst (Dean Palmer) free agent signings in recent memory.
- Justin Verlander has been generating MVP buzz recently and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds Miguel Cabrera’s name into the mix, along with Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez.
- Indians manager Manny Acta told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that Asdrubal Cabrera has been his team's MVP "without a doubt." The shortstop, who played through some minor injuries this season, has a .275/.336/.462 line with 22 homers.