Jays Acquire Rasmus From Cards For Jackson In Eight-Player Deal
An eight-player deal was struck today, as the Blue Jays announced they've acquired center fielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters from the Cardinals for starter Edwin Jackson, relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, outfielder Corey Patterson, and three players to be named later or cash considerations. ESPN's Buster Olney first tweeted the full details.
In Rasmus (pictured), Alex Anthopoulos acquired a good young player who had worn out his welcome with management, much like the Blue Jays GM did with Yunel Escobar last summer. Rasmus, 24, is hitting .246/.332/.420 in 386 plate appearances, a down year compared to 2010. He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time after this season, so he's under team control through 2014. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak recently called a Rasmus trade "highly unlikely," but as Strauss notes, the center fielder has "fascinated and frustrated" the Cardinals over the last three years and made repeated trade requests. Mozeliak shopped Rasmus to the Blue Jays, Rays, and Red Sox, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He adds that prior to public criticism from manager Tony La Russa earlier this month, the Cardinals were in contract extension negotiations with Rasmus.
Miller, 38, has been used sparingly by the Cardinals this year, logging only 15 2/3 innings. Most of them came against left-handed hitters, but Miller hasn't pitched well no matter how you slice it. About $700K remains on his contract. Tallet, 33, has been ineffective as well and currently resides on the DL for an intercostal strain. He spent the previous five seasons with the Jays. About $263K remains on his contract.
Walters, 26, has logged 50 innings in the bigs since 2009. The righty has a 4.27 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.8 HR/9 in 103 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, his fourth stint at the level. Baseball America ranked him 19th among Cardinals prospects prior to the season, praising his plus changeup but projecting a long relief/swingman role.
Jackson, 27, was traded for the fifth and sixth times in his career today. The 27-year-old flourished in nearly 200 innings with the White Sox, and improves a Cardinals rotation that ranks seventh in the NL with a 3.84 ERA. The acquisition gives the Cards the flexibility to move Kyle McClellan back to the bullpen, leaving a rotation of Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jackson, Jake Westbrook, and Kyle Lohse. Jackson, a Scott Boras client, figures to test free agency after the season as a Type B. About $2.9MM remains on his contract.
The Cardinals' bullpen gets a lift from Dotel, Rzepczynski, and McClellan. Dotel, 37, has a 3.68 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.53 HR/9, and 28.6% groundball rate on the season; he excels against right-handed batters. Should the Cardinals turn down his $3.5MM club option, Dotel projects as a Type B free agent in the AL at the moment. If the option is declined, about $1.7MM remains on Dotel's contract.
Rzepczynski, 25, switched to full-time relief this year. He has a 2.97 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.46 HR/9, and strong 65.7% groundball rate in 39 1/3 innings this year. He complements Dotel nicely, having dominated lefties and struggled against righties. Rzepczynski is under team control through 2015. Dotel and Rzepczynski do not appear to be a threat to closer Fernando Salas, writes Dan Mennella of CloserNews.
Patterson, 31, is hitting .252/.287/.379 in 341 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year. He restores a little bit of outfield depth for St. Louis.
Though there are eight players in this deal, it mostly boils down to the Cardinals renting Jackson and Dotel and getting Rzepczynski long-term in exchange for Rasmus' three arbitration years. It's hard to see this as anything but a win for the Blue Jays. Ultimately Rasmus cost the Jays Zach Stewart, Jason Frasor, Dotel, Rzepczynski, and Teahen's contract.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Blue Jays Acquire Jackson, Teahen For Frasor, Stewart
The Blue Jays acquired starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen from the White Sox for reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart, announced the teams. Contrary to an earlier report, no cash will change hands in the deal.
Trades are commonplace for Jackson (pictured), who was dealt for the fifth time in his career. The surprising part is that the Blue Jays, 11 games out in the wild card, acquired the impending free agent. Speculation is that Jackson may be flipped, possibly to the Cardinals in a deal involving Colby Rasmus. Jackson, 27, has a 3.92 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.59 HR/9 and 46.9% groundball rate in 121 2/3 innings this season, making him one of the better starters available. The Scott Boras client will head to free agency after the season most likely as a Type B. He has about $2.9MM remaining on his contract this year.
Teahen is regarded as a salary dump, with almost $7.2MM remaining on his contract through 2012. The 29-year-old is hitting .203/.277/.305 in 130 plate appearances this year, and is another example of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos taking on a bad contract to get a deal done. It was reported yesterday that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wanted to trim payroll. The Sox will save about $9MM over two years, Sox GM Kenny Williams told Gonzales, though that will be less Frasor's option if they pick it up.
Frasor, the Blue Jays' franchise leader in appearances with 455, has a 2.98 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9, and 40.2% groundball rate this year. The 33-year-old Oak Forest, Illinois native has about $1.2MM remaining on his contract this year, plus a $3.75MM club option for 2012. If the option is declined, Frasor will likely be a Type B free agent. He's a fine addition to any team's bullpen, though the Sox already rank third in the AL with a 3.33 relief ERA. The move shouldn't have much effect on Frasor's fantasy value, writes Dan Mennella of CloserNews.
Stewart, 24, ranked 44th among Keith Law's top 100 prospects prior to the season. Stewart, who Law said has number two starter potential, posted a 4.20 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 94 1/3 innings this year at Double-A.
The deal was first reported by Doug Seyller, with Ken Rosenthal, Jon Paul Morosi, Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman, and Mark Gonzales also contributing.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Yankees Tried For Ricky Nolasco
The Yankees tried for starter Ricky Nolasco, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but the Marlins are not ready to deal him. Earlier, Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to an "AL personnel man" who said he thought the Marlins would at least listen seriously on Nolasco.
Nolasco, 28, has a 4.04 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.77 HR/9, and 43.6% groundball rate in 140 1/3 innings this year. The strikeout rate is his lowest since his rookie season. Nolasco has about $2.1MM left on his contract this year, plus $20.5MM for 2012-13.
Indians Remain Aggressive
The Indians remain aggressive after their failed run at Carlos Beltran, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan. Passan says the Indians are "trying to move on" Colby Rasmus, B.J. Upton, and Hiroki Kuroda.
Though a deal was never presented to Beltran, the Indians offered to pick up all of his contract and send a good player to the Mets, reported MLB.com's Peter Gammons yesterday. Rasmus, meanwhile, may be headed elsewhere.
Blue Jays Reach Agreements With Anderson, Gabryszwski
10:05am: The Jays have not confirmed the Anderson signing, but they did announce an agreement with second-round pick Jeremy Gabryszwski and three later picks. Gabryszwski, a high school righty with a mid-90s fastball, was drafted 78th overall.
7:47am: The Blue Jays agreed to terms with supplemental pick Jacob Anderson on a deal worth $990K, tweets Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA. Anderson had committed to play for Pepperdine. The high school outfielder went 35th overall and was part of the Jays' compensation for the loss of reliever Scott Downs. Slot for the pick is $900K, reports Baseball America.
BA reports that Anderson is a profiles in center or right field and is "a physical specimen with plenty of leverage and solid-average to plus raw power potential in his slightly uphill swing."
For our list of all the first and supplemental round picks to sign so far, click here. The deadline is August 15th.
Giants To Acquire Carlos Beltran
3:11pm: The Giants and Mets have reached a tentative agreement on a Beltran trade, report Rosenthal and Morosi.
2:27pm: The Mets will pay $4MM of the $6MM remaining on Beltran's contract, an executive not directly involved with the trade tells Sherman. The number is confirmed by ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
1:30pm: If nothing happens in the next 24 hours to scuttle the deal, it's just Wheeler for Beltran and cash, tweets Sherman. The Mets are sending a significant amount of money, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
12:45pm: Olney tweets that Giants pitching prospect Zack Wheeler is expected to be the centerpiece in the trade, and Jon Paul Morosi agrees.
12:17pm: Carlos Beltran is going to the Giants, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown, with logistics being worked out. Just minor details remain, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the two teams are at the one-yard line, while Brown reminds us that a 24-hour waiting period applies since Beltran has 10-and-5 rights. The Phillies are just barely hanging on for Beltran, according to multiple reports.
Royals Reach Agreement With Adalberto Mondesi
The Royals reached a $2MM agreement with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, reports ESPN's Enrique Rojas (link in Spanish). Adalberto's father is Raul Mondesi, the former 1994 Rookie of the Year and current mayor of San Cristobal.
The scouting report from Baseball America:
Mondesi has a thin frame and is one of the few high-profile Latin American shortstops this year who projects to stay at the position. He's an above-average runner with good quickness, an average arm and solid hands. He doesn't have flashy tools, but they play up because he has good baseball instincts.
The Royals haven't been shy about spending money on international free agents, having landed Dominican outfielder Elier Hernandez for $3.05MM earlier this month.
Prospects Mesoraco, Hamilton Untouchable For Reds
Yesterday, Reds GM Walt Jocketty explained to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, "There are guys I will not trade. I will not give you names. But they’re are certainly guys I will not trade." Today Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has two of those prospects' names: catcher Devin Mesoraco, and shortstop Billy Hamilton (Twitter link).
Fay is under the reasonable belief that Aroldis Chapman is also off-limits. Would the Reds still have enough to pull off a deal for Ubaldo Jimenez? They could assemble an offer around prospects Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal, plus pitchers Homer Bailey and Travis Wood.
Type Bs Who Could Be Acquired For The Draft Pick
The main benefit of the Nationals acquiring Jonny Gomes from the Reds is a shot at a supplemental draft pick, in the opinion of ESPN's Jim Bowden. As Ben Nicholson-Smith noted, Gomes is no lock to receive and turn down an arbitration offer. Still, we saw plenty of apparent handshake deals where Type Bs turned down arbitration offers last offseason. A Type B free agent has nothing to lose by agreeing to such an arrangement.
Our new Elias projections are out, so let's take a look at players who currently project as Type Bs free agents and play for teams expected to sell.
- Blue Jays: The Jays will probably be trying to add Type Bs, but Jose Molina, Aaron Hill, Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, Frank Francisco, and Shawn Camp qualify.
- Orioles: Vladimir Guerrero
- Twins: Jason Kubel
- Royals: Bruce Chen
- Athletics: David DeJesus
- Mariners: None
- Mets: None
- Marlins: Omar Infante
- Nationals: Ivan Rodriguez, Jonny Gomes
- Cubs: Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood
- Astros: None
- Rockies: Mark Ellis
- Dodgers: Rod Barajas, Casey Blake, Hiroki Kuroda
- Padres: Ryan Ludwick
The most transparent instance of trading for a draft pick came last offseason, when the Jays acquired catcher Miguel Olivo from the Rockies with the intent of declining his option and offering arbitration. The ploy worked, and Toronto drafted Dwight Smith Jr. 53rd overall in June as a direct result. So if the Jays or some other draft pick-obsessed team makes a run at Bruce Chen this month, you'll know why.
Beane Not Impressed By Offers Yet
GM Billy Beane "believes that two months' more service from the A's pending free agents, plus any potential draft compensation picks for losing them, would be more valuable than the types of proposals he has seen," reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Said Beane:
"We've accepted calls on players, but we made it clear we're not going to give these guys away. We don't have any monetary issues, and we're not looking to dump payroll. If we did anything, it would have to help us significantly moving forward, not some team's prospect No. 37. In respect for Bob Melvin, we're not going to strip-mine things for two months for players of no consequence."
Beane has been expected to purge the team of impending free agents David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Conor Jackson, and Rich Harden, plus any number of relievers who are controlled beyond this year. The Athletics' demands for reliever Brad Ziegler are considered reasonable, notes Slusser.
Currently, Willingham projects as a Type A free agent, DeJesus a B, and Crisp, Jackson, and Harden nothing. Arbitration offers are not certain for Willingham and DeJesus, either. With the five free agents making a combined $22.45MM in base salary this year, Beane could save over $7MM if he changes his mind and cleans house just for the savings.