AL East Notes: Red Sox, Yankees, Maddon
Links from the AL East before some of the division's top pitchers – Josh Beckett, C.C. Sabathia and Ricky Romero – start for their respective teams…
- Red Sox owner John Henry told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that chatter about GM Theo Epstein and the Cubs shows "how highly regarded Theo is by the media and baseball in general.”
- Prospective free agent David Ortiz tells Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that his ability to tune criticism out helps him perform on the field. “I’m not a five-tool player. I may be a two-tool player. But one of them tools is this one right here,” he said, pointing to his head.
- Bartolo Colon has slowed down, so the Yankees figure to rely on Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova more than ever, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.
- MLB players consider Joe Maddon of the Rays the manager they'd most like to play for, according to a recent Sports Illustrated poll. Red Sox manager Terry Francona placed second in the poll and Yankees manager Joe Girardi placed seventh. Having a popular manager in place no doubt helps teams trying to attract free agents or sign players to long-term extensions.
Berkman Plans To Play In 2012, Prefers St. Louis
Lance Berkman recently suggested that he’ll be prepared to walk away from the game after the season if he doesn’t see contract offers he likes as a free agent. But he said today that he intends to play in 2012 and that the Cardinals would be his “first choice,” according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
"I'm sure I'll play next year somewhere," he said. "Hopefully it will be here [in St. Louis], but part of that is not up to me.”
Berkman explained that St. Louis appeals to him because the Cardinals have a “great group of guys” and aren’t rebuilding. The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $8MM deal with the Cards last offseason. He has a .291/.404/.576 line with 29 home runs this year and projects as a Type A free agent, according to our latest rankings.
Last week Berkman told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he'd prefer to land in one of "three or four" destinations. The Astros, who traded Berkman to the Yankees last summer, wouldn't be a fit for him anymore.
Astros To Keep Wandy Rodriguez
The Astros pulled Wandy Rodriguez back off of waivers, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Rockies claimed Rodriguez yesterday, but balked when Houston insisted on obtaining prospects and salary relief for the 32-year-old.
Technically, Houston GM Ed Wade could place Rodriguez on waivers again, but if he does so, he'll no longer be able to pull the left-hander back. The Astros' best chance to trade Rodriguez could be this offseason, when they can engage all 29 of their rivals in the bidding.
Rodriguez earns $10MM next year and $13MM in 2013. If he's traded, the Astros $13MM option for 2014 becomes a player option. Rodriguez has solid numbers this season (3.41 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 153 innings), but the Rockies picked up ten hits and six runs (four earned) against him at Coors Field today.
The Astros wanted Wilin Rosario or Drew Pomeranz plus salary relief for Rodriguez, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). That deal wouldn't have worked for the Rockies, but they were willing to take on Rodriguez's entire salary, according to Renck.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Felipe Lopez
Here are the latest players to get outrighted to the minor leagues…
- The Brewers outrighted Felipe Lopez to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). They had designated the infielder for assignment over the weekend.
Cubs Notes: Pena, Epstein, Soriano
Carlos Pena has been claimed off of waivers by an unknown team. Here’s the latest on the Cubs, starting with an update on their first baseman…
- The Cubs are likely to pull Pena back off of waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). They did not get good offers for Pena in July.
- Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken told Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com that he didn't know Jim Hendry had been fired until the day the Cubs announced their decision. Wilken and Hendry played baseball as teenagers and Hendry brought his friend to the Cubs years later.
- MLB executives explained to ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the Cubs' GM job is an opportunity with enormous potential. Olney suggests the Cubs could consider the likes of Brian Cashman, Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman for the opening, though it's not yet clear who they're targeting.
- Peter Gammons said on WEEI's Mut & Merloni show that he thinks Epstein would have interest in the Cubs' job. Interest doesn't mean it's time for Red Sox fans to get worried, though. Jerry Spar of WEEI.com has the details from Gammons.
- Alfonso Soriano told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he doesn't regret signing a free agent deal with the Cubs, even though the last three years have been disappointing for the team (link in Spanish).
No Momentum For Wandy Trade
2:29pm: Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that his gut tells him Rodriguez is staying put.
WEDNESDAY, 11:53am: A deal remains a long shot because the Astros want catching prospect Wilin Rosario or a top young pitcher from the Rockies in the deal. Last month, Baseball America ranked Rosario the 28th best prospect in baseball. Oddly enough, Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch for the Astros a couple of hours from now at Coors Field.
TUESDAY, 3:25pm: There's no momentum for a Wandy Rodriguez trade at the moment, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The Rockies claimed the Astros' left-hander on waivers and now have 48 business day hours to work out a trade or claim with Houston.
The Astros aren't especially motivated to move Rodriguez, according to Olney. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes (on Twitter) that the Astros can afford him next year even if they reduce their payroll to $60MM or so, as they intend to.
ESPN.com's Jim Bowden says the Astros are looking to acquire a bona fide return for Rodriguez and could consider dealing him in the winter if Colorado doesn't offer what they're looking for (Twitter link). The Rockies, meanwhile, are well aware that free agent starters are hesitant to sign with them, according to Olney.
Reds Place Ramon Hernandez On Waivers
The Reds have placed catcher Ramon Hernandez on waivers, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Tim Dierkes listed Hernandez as one of his August trade candidates at the top of the month.
In late July, there was talk that the Reds were listening on offers for Hernandez, but GM Walt Jocketty said that the veteran would be staying put just prior to the deadline. In 286 plate appearances for the Reds this year, the 35-year-old is hitting .292/.350/.465 with eleven homeruns.
Rockies Designate Ryan Rohlinger For Assignment
The Rockies designated shortstop Ryan Rohlinger to open a 40-man roster spot for newly-signed Kevin Kouzmanoff, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Kouzmanoff has been called up and is starting today, as MLBTR suggested when he signed.
Rohlinger, 27, hit .247/.351/.416 in 392 Triple-A plate appearances for the Giants and Rockies this year. The Rockies had claimed him off waivers in June.
Phillies Sign Carlos Tocci
WEDNESDAY: The Phillies signed Tocci for $759K, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.
MONDAY: The Phillies are close to signing Venezuelan outfield prospect Carlos Tocci for a $750K bonus, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The deal could be finalized this week, when Tocci turns 16 years old.
Tocci is an athletic player who has speed and a promising bat, according to Salisbury. He stands 6'2" and throws and bats right-handed. Baseball America's Ben Badler rated Tocci 25th among Latin American prospects earlier this summer, praising his running ability and line-drive swing. Tocci has the bat speed to play center field and also drew interest from the Rockies, according to Badler.
GM Candidate: Bill Geivett
MLBTR's list of general manager candidates introduced 20 people who were identified by their peers as potential Major League GMs. We’re bringing you closer to the candidates with a series of pieces. Today the series continues with Rockies senior vice president of scouting and player development/assistant general manager Bill Geivett, who ranked 15th on our list.
Bill Geivett grew up in Sacramento rooting for the Swingin' A's. A speedy third baseman, he played ball at Sacramento City College and later majored in economics at the University of California-Santa Barbara, telling me, "I'm a Gaucho, and will always be a Gaucho." Geivett was drafted four times, but a desire to complete his degree compelled him to wait until after his senior season to sign with the Angels. A knee injury ended Geivett's playing career at the Double-A level, after which he obtained a Masters and coached collegiately at Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State.
Geivett got into scouting after that, telling me, "I still believe I'm the only person that has taken a pay cut to go to the New York Yankees." After about four years with the Yankees he took a step up to become the Expos' farm director. After three years there he joined Chuck LaMar as a special assistant to the GM for the Devil Rays, helping prepare for the expansion draft and taking part in many firsts for the organization. Next came an eventual assistant GM position with the Dodgers under Kevin Malone, after which Geivett began his long tenure with the Rockies in 2000. He now oversees scouting and player development and assists with all baseball decisions. I talked to Geivett on the phone yesterday.
On his mentors:
Bill Livesey is one of the biggest mentors I've had in baseball. He really taught me how to scout and how scouting and player development worked [while with the Yankees]. The biggest thing I've learned from [Rockies GM] Dan O'Dowd is perseverence. There were a lot of lean times here, as we were involved in a rebuilding-type situation. To see our leader show up every day, grinding it out, he kept on going when times looked tough for us. The perspective of a MLB manager I learned from Felipe Alou and Tommy Lasorda. Keli McGregor, our former president, and Dick Monfort, our owner, had a big influence on me also.
On stats and scouting:
If you talk to the scouts they'd probably say I'm too involved in statistics. Talk to some stat guys, they'd probably tell you I like scouting too much. I think there's always times where you lean on one or the other. As you're dealing with Major League players, it's a lot more appropriate to lean on stats. I think statistics are a fabulous indication of what's happened. I think the scout's job is to try to tell you what will happen.
I've never really understood the scouts versus stats argument; I don't see it. For somebody to make a good decision they need a clear understanding of all it. You can get the oldest scout you want and he's going to pull out stats and look at them. There are a lot of scouts who will look at statistical information and already have an opinion before they even watch the player. And they've got big floppy hats and gray hair.
The trade he was involved with of which he's most proud:
The Matt Holliday trade was definitely big for us. If we're going to trade Matt we need to get a young, middle of the order position player back, and we got Carlos Gonzalez. You have a criteria in your mind and to be able to make a deal that actually fit was tremendous. We were at an advantage because Arizona had him originally and we were down in Tucson and played Arizona all the time. I can remember [senior director of international scouting] Rolando Fernandez and I were sitting there watching him in the instructional league one year, and we were talking about how that's the type of position player we need to sign. We really hadn't broken the position player barrier at the time. We always looked at CarGo as the type of guy we wanted to get. We had a long history with him.
The draft pick of which he's most proud:
Troy Tulowitzki. I coached at Long Beach State; Bill Schmidt, our VP of scouting, went to Long Beach State. We felt like we knew him very well. If available, we were going to be able to acquire a corner bat at a premium defensive position. Bill Schmidt said he would be available, but I didn't think he'd be there for us [at the seventh overall pick]. The first day [Tulowitzki] showed up he said, "I just want to tell you guys I want to be here my whole career," and he hadn't even played in A ball yet.