Archives for 2011

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pence, Ubaldo, Rangers

By Mike Axisa | August 5, 2011 at 4:10pm CDT

Five years ago today, the Rangers walked Vladimir Guerrero four times in five plate appearances in their 10-3 win over the Angels. Three of the walks were intentional, and the game ended Guerrero's 44-game hitting streak against Texas. That was every game he'd played against them in his career up to that point. Vlad is a .318/.380/.556 career hitter, but he has hit .395/.461/.661 in 108 career games against the Rangers.

Here is this week's batch of post-trade deadline links…

Brotherly Glove welcomes Hunter Pence to Philadelphia, but thinks the Phillies slightly overpaid.
Crashburn Alley explains how the Phillies built for the future with the Pence trade.
Call to the Pen says Ryan Howard should thank Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. for the Pence deal.
Purple Row really dislikes the Ubaldo Jimenez trade for the Rockies.
Infield Chatter breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jimenez.
Rant Sports says the best move the Indians made was trading Orlando Cabrera.
Baseball Time In Arlington dreams on the Rangers' revamped bullpen.
Amazin' Avenue believes the Mets played the trade deadline perfectly.
The Days of Yost thinks the Brewers could have done more at the deadline.
The Kept Faith provides reactions to the various deadline deals.
ESPN 1040 Rays Insider looks at some Rays players that could be on the move in August.
Flags Fly Forever lists ten players that could be dealt in waiver trades this month.
Royals Review explains why the Royals didn't trade Melky Cabrera before the deadline.
Capitol Avenue Club wrote about the Braves "failure" to land a right-handed bat.
Yankees Fans Unite wonders if the Yankees really needed to add another starter.
DC is for Baseball and FanSpeak both believe the Nationals should take a look at Wandy Rodriguez.
Pirates Prospects tried to figure out which Pirates could bring draft pick compensation after the season.
MLB Reports tries to figure out where Brett Lawrie will fit into the Blue Jays lineup.
The Beanball wonders if Brent Lillibridge could be the new Michael Morse.
Giants Nirvana takes a look at Andres Torres.
Bleacher Nations looks at why Ryne Sandberg is no longer managing in the Cubs' minor league system.
More Hardball shows that the East is dominating MLB.
Replacement Level Baseball examined the Brewers' winning recipe.
Baseball Nation created power rankings based on (fictitious) trade conservations.
Beyond The Box Score tallied up the scoops each reporter got leading up to the trade deadline.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Heyman On Nationals, A’s, Reyes, White Sox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 2:02pm CDT

Two of baseball’s interim managers are expected to return in 2012, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports. Here are the details and other notes from around the league…

The Nationals have intended all along for interim manager Davey Johnson to manage the next two seasons, though he’s officially a consultant for 2012-13. Heyman reports that Johnson can have the Nationals’ managing job if he wants it, though Washington will likely conduct an official search.
A’s interim manager Bob Melvin is also expected to return next year, though he doesn’t have a contract for 2012 yet.
Jose Reyes, a free agent, after the season, wants to remain with the Mets, according to Heyman’s sources. The Mets seem to be prepared to offer a five-year deal and might be willing to expand their offer to six years. We heard this morning that the Mets aren’t comfortable with the idea of a Carl Crawford-like seven-year deal.
Highly regarded White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper isn’t under contract for 2012 and Chicago’s other coaches aren’t either.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Mitch Talbot

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 1:22pm CDT

The latest players to get outrighted to the minors…

The Indians announced that they outrighted Mitch Talbot to Triple-A to create roster space for Ubaldo Jimenez. Cleveland had designated Talbot for assignment on Sunday. The 27-year-old posted a 6.33 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 58 1/3 innings for the Indians before hitting the disabled list with a lower back strain in July. The Indians note on Twitter that Talbot, who has never been outrighted before, has to accept the assignment.

Stark On Twins, Kuroda, Phillies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 1:15pm CDT

The Twins were willing to listen to offers for Francisco Liriano leading up to the trade deadline, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. However, Minnesota wanted a massive prospect return for the left-hander and no club met their asking price. Here’s the latest on the Twins with more of Stark’s notes from around MLB…

The chances that the Nationals can restart talks with Minnesota about Denard Span over the winter are not good, Stark reports. Minnesota wanted Drew Storen for their bullpen in an attempt to win now, but the Twins’ sense of urgency figures to disappear this offseason.
Rival teams say the Tigers and Red Sox each believed they were closing in on a deal for Hiroki Kuroda before the right-hander decided not to waive his no-trade clause.
The Red Sox and Rockies discussed an expanded deal that would have sent Josh Reddick to Colorado and Seth Smith to Boston while considering possible moves involving Ubaldo Jimenez. Talks between the 2007 World Series foes had essentially stopped by Saturday, though.
Though GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has publicly said Domonic Brown was not available, Stark hears from three different teams that the Phillies were willing to move the young outfielder in the right deal.
Teams that have spoken with the Phillies don’t expect them to be active on the waiver wire this month, since they want to avoid paying MLB’s luxury tax.

Blue Jays Notes: Lawrie, Snider, Encarnacion

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 12:01pm CDT

Alex Anthopoulos says Brett Lawrie has done everything the Blue Jays have asked of him, but the GM doesn't assume the top prospect will succeed instantly given that some of baseball's best young players take months or even years to thrive in the Major Leagues. Anthopoulos discussed Lawrie and other Blue Jays this morning with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 in Toronto. Here are the details:

Though Lawrie is "not a finished product by any stretch," the Blue Jays want to get a look at him for seven weeks so they have a sense of how he matches up against MLB pitching.
The Blue Jays haven't talked about moving Lawrie to second base and they view him as their long-term third baseman.
Travis Snider, who was optioned to the minor leagues to create roster space for Lawrie, is "100%" a part of the Blue Jays' future. "He doesn't need a change of scenery," Anthopoulos told Blair.
Edwin Encarnacion, who has a .293/.359/.530 line since the beginning of June, still "has the chance to be an impact bat," Anthopoulos says. The Blue Jays have a $3.5MM option for Encarnacion in 2012 and aren't ready to give up on him.

Twins Talked Extension With Cuddyer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 11:16am CDT

The Twins recently approached Michael Cuddyer about a contract extension, floating a two-year, $16MM deal, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The conversations didn’t progress from there, as Cuddyer appears to prefer to postpone negotiations until after the season, when he hits free agency.

Cuddyer and GM Bill Smith declined to comment on the discussions, which occurred after Sunday’s trade deadline, according to Christensen. A two-year, $16MM deal would represent a pay cut for the versatile Cuddyer, who earns $10.5MM this year. The 32-year-old, who projects as a Type A free agent, has made it clear that he hopes to remain in Minnesota.

Astros Designate Luis Durango For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 10:43am CDT

The Astros announced that they have designated outfielder Luis Durango for assignment. They have called outfielder J.B. Shuck up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Astros claimed Durango from the Padres in June and he pitcked up a single and a walk in seven plate appearances for Houston. He appeared in 28 games as a backup center fielder for the Padres last year and had a .243/.328/.294 line with 10 stolen bases at Triple-A Tucson before Houston claimed him.

Shuck, 24, has yet to appear in the Major Leagues. The 2008 draft pick has a .302/.401/.375 line at Triple-A and was a Pacific Coast League All-Star this year.

Phillies Notes: Lee, Mayberry, Francisco

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 10:25am CDT

The Phillies shut out the Giants last night behind a complete game from Cliff Lee in a game that many consider a possible playoff preview. Here's the latest on the Phillies, who have the best record in baseball at 71-39…

GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s decision to add Lee to an already impressive rotation has "played out to perfection" so far, Jon Paul Morosi writes at FOX Sports.com.
David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News looks back at the season John Mayberry Jr. has had and points out that the outfielder will be out of minor league options next year. That means the Phillies will have to expose him to other teams if they decide to demote him to the minors in 2012.
As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer explains, Ben Francisco could be optioned to the minors this weekend.
We heard earlier this morning that the Phillies hope to re-sign Jimmy Rollins this offseason.

Phillies Hope To Re-Sign Jimmy Rollins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 9:32am CDT

Ruben Amaro Jr. told Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News that he doesn’t want to let Jimmy Rollins slip away when he hits free agency. The Phillies’ general manager expressed optimism about reaching a new deal with his shortstop after the season.

"Obviously, we'd like to bring Jimmy back,” Amaro said. “And I'd like to think he would want to come back."

Amaro said he probably won’t discuss a deal for Rollins until after the season. The Phillies are up against the luxury tax and will also see Ryan Madson hit free agency this winter. Cole Hamels is an extension candidate, which means Amaro faces major decisions regarding key members of his team in the near future.

I examined Rollins' free agent stock yesterday, suggesting that he and the Phillies could agree to a three-year, $30MM deal. The 32-year-old projects as a Type A free agent, so the Phillies would obtain two top draft picks if they offer arbitration and he declines the offer and signs elsewhere.

Justin Germano Signs With Samsung Lions

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2011 at 8:45am CDT

Justin Germano has signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization, according to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. He signed for $210K, including a $50K bonus, according to this Korean news story. The 28-year-old right-hander appeared in nine games for the Indians this year before they designated him for assignment in May.

In six seasons with the Indians, Padres and Reds, Germano has a 5.02 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. Last year may have been his best season; he posted a 3.31 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings for the Indians, pitching mostly in relief.

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