Kerry Wood Expects To Stay In Chicago
Kerry Wood turned down more substantial offers to return to the Cubs last offseason and, ironically enough, his affordable $1.5MM salary has rival teams wondering if they can lure Wood away. Trade interest in the reliever is picking up just as Wood and his wife, Sarah, are starting a family foundation in Chicago. So Wood told Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have to be presented with a ‘great’ deal for both himself and the Cubs to waive his no-trade clause and leave Chicago.
“We’re committed here,” Wood said. “We’ve got an event in September. So I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t see it. I don’t see it happening.”
Wood says he and his wife have discussed the possibility of a trade and determined that they won’t accept any proposals that are less than ideal. Wood, who will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow, has a 2.25 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 24 innings for the 33-48 Cubs.
Indians Release Adam Everett
The Indians announced that they released Adam Everett after the infielder cleared waivers. Cleveland designated Everett for assignment earlier in the week to create roster space for callup Lonnie Chisenhall.
Everett, 34, played second, short and third for the Indians this year. Though he has never been known for his bat, his .217/.277/.233 line through 67 plate appearances was not enough for him to keep his roster spot, especially with promising infield talent on Cleveland's Triple-A club.
Outrighted To The Minors: Thompson, Brown
Here's a list of the latest players to be outrighted to the minor leagues…
- Catcher Dusty Brown and left-hander Aaron Thompson of the Pirates have cleared waivers, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). Brown will head to Double-A and Thompson has been assigned to Triple-A. The Pirates had designated the two players for assignment earlier in the week.
Rockies Acquire Mark Ellis
No second baseman has suited up for the A's as often as Mark Ellis, but when the 34-year-old lost his starting job earlier this month, it became clear that his time in Oakland would likely end soon. Ellis' nine-year tenure with the Athletics is now officially over. The A's announced that they sent Ellis and cash considerations to the Rockies for right-hander reliever Bruce Billings and a player to be named later.
Ellis hit .217/.253/.290 this year and lost his starting job to 24-year-old second baseman Jemile Weeks. The veteran pinch hit for the A's and even played a little first base, but he wasn't producing on offense the way he did in 2010, when he posted a .358 OBP.
The A's exercised Ellis' $6MM option last offseason and the infielder will be eligible for free agency this fall. He still has $3MM remaining on his 2011 contract and the Rockies will cover $1MM of that, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Though Ellis currently projects as a Type A free agent, draft pick compensation was probably not a major factor in the deal, as there's no guarantee he'll receive an offer of arbitration.
The Rockies have used six second basemen this year: Jonathan Herrera, Chris Nelson, Jose Lopez, Eric Young, Alfredo Amezaga and Jose Morales. The group has combined for a .610 OPS, 23rd among MLB second basemen. Herrera, the Rockies' primary second base option, has struggled to hit nearly as much as Ellis; the 26-year-old has a .237/.311/.303 line.
Billings, 25, pitched in his first (and so far only) MLB game on May 27th, when he allowed one earned run on five hits in two innings against the Cardinals. The former 30th round pick has a 4.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in his first season at Triple-A and his first full season as a reliever.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Tigers Eye Starters, Not Jose Reyes
The Tigers aren’t pursuing Jose Reyes, but they are looking at the market for starting pitching, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Though Tigers officials appear content with their offense, their rotation is becoming a concern.
The Tigers announced this morning that they’re replacing converted reliever Phil Coke in the rotation with rookie Charlie Furbush. The Tigers will intensify their search for starting pitching if Furbush or another young pitcher like Andrew Oliver or Jacob Turner doesn’t prove himself to be a reliable starter in the next month or so.
This afternoon's starter, Justin Verlander, has pitched himself into the Cy Young conversation. However, the rest of the Tigers' rotation – Coke, Max Scherzer, Brad Penny and Rick Porcello – hasn't been as effective.
The Tigers could get an offensive boost from Carlos Guillen, who is on a rehab assignment. One of the infielder’s representatives told Morosi that he plans to return after the All-Star break. In the meantime, Detroit’s offense is scoring; they’re fourth in the American League in runs.
Red Sox Designate Mike Cameron For Assignment
The Red Sox announced that they have designated outfielder Mike Cameron for assignment and called infielder Yamaico Navarro up to take Cameron's place on the team. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot.
Boston expected Cameron to hit left-handed pitching this year, but he has just a .143/.214/.302 line in 70 plate appearances against southpaws. The 38-year-old three-time Gold Glove winner has played all three outfield positions for the Red Sox.
Cameron is in the final year of a two-year, $15.5MM deal with Boston and earns $7.25MM in 2011. The Red Sox still owe him roughly $3.625MM this year and they're responsible for that entire sum unless they trade Cameron – they'll explore possible deals – or he finds a new team after being released. If he's traded, Boston will surely take on significant salary and if he signs elsewhere, his new club will owe him a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe first reported the move (Twitter links).
Olney On Deadline Plans For NL Teams
The trade market is still developing at this point in the season, but it’s starting to take shape. Buster Olney outlines the plans for National League teams in a highly recommended insider-only piece at ESPN.com. Here are the details:
- The Dodgers can’t make long-term investments in young stars like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw because of their uncertain financial status. The Los Angeles front office is now gathering information about some of their trade candidates and taking calls on some players. No teams have called on Jamey Carroll yet, though the Rockies are interested.
- James Loney and Casey Blake have next to no trade value, as Olney explains.
- No team has called about Jose Reyes, who won’t be traded for anything less than a top prospect and a solid secondary prospect.
- Rival executives expect the Phillies to acquire proven veterans this summer.
- Though the Astros will listen to offers on Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez, they will be asking a lot for them.
- The Braves are checking out available hitters. Some rival executives have speculated on the possibility that the Braves will consider trading Jair Jurrjens, whose stock has never been higher.
- Some rival executives think B.J. Upton will be a borderline non-tender candidate this offseason. Upton will earn a raise from $4.825MM next year and he currently has a .223/.308/.396 line with 20 steals. I can’t envision the Rays non-tendering Upton, who would presumably have trade value if Tampa made him available.
- The Padres have told teams that they’re ready to take offers for Heath Bell and Mike Adams. Rival clubs believe Adams will be harder to obtain than Ryan Ludwick.
- The Rockies will wait a few weeks before deciding whether to buy or sell.
- The Giants are looking for catching help and Ramon Hernandez is a possible upgrade, as I explained earlier in the week.
- The Reds are concerned about starting pitching and will consider making moves for upgrades at left field or shortstop. Though rival teams don’t expect Reyes to end up in Cincinnati, GM Walt Jocketty may be aggressive enough to make a deal happen.
- GM Jim Hendry says there won’t be a fire sale, but the Cubs are “open for business,” Olney reports. Jeff Baker and Kerry Wood are “among the most coveted players in the trade market,” since they’re cheap and useful. Rival executives have mixed opinions about Carlos Pena, who is powerful but streaky.
- Wood is near the top of Arizona’s list of targets.
- The 40-39 Pirates will look for modest ways to improve and won’t be selling.
Yankees Don’t Expect To Find Top Pitching In Trade
As Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes and Rafael Soriano work their way back from injuries, their general manager is surveying the trade market for possible targets. Yet Brian Cashman doesn’t see many quality arms available, so he expects his strongest pitching reinforcements to come from within the organization, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff.
"I'd be shocked if I could trade for anything better than what I'm getting off the DL, both with starters in Colon and Hughes and in the bullpen with Soriano," Cashman said.
The trade market develops quickly, especially in late July, so the Yankees may find an elite starter or reliever on the market eventually. They’ll look everywhere for possible upgrades with an emphasis on improving the rotation, according to Davidoff.
C.C. Sabathia has been one of the best pitchers in the league, Colon and Freddy Garcia have been pleasant surprises and A.J. Burnett has been passable. Fifth starter Ivan Nova has a 4.19 ERA with 5.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 56% ground ball rate in 86 innings. Though Brian Gordon has been fine as a spot starter, the Yankees presumably want to limit their reliance on him. As a group, the rotation ranks 12th in MLB with a 3.81 ERA (3.84 xFIP).
Padres Notes: Bell, Ludwick, Stauffer
The 37-45 Padres have won seven of their last eight games and are now 9.5 games behind the Giants for the division lead. If their hot streak continues they could surprise some people, but it seems more likely that they'll be sellers at this year's trade deadline. Here's the latest on the Padres' summer plans…
- Heath Bell, who has been the subject of trade rumors for years, tells Scott Miller of CBS Sports that he’s anticipating a deal. "In all honesty, I know it's probably going to happen," Bell said.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he wants to be a buyer this summer, so he's hoping his club's hot streak continues. But Hoyer realizes he will have to field offers for Ryan Ludwick if the team doesn't keep winning. “IF we are out of the race, we have to consider trading him," Hoyer said. "If we continue to play well, we will certainly hold on to him." Ludwick hits free agency after the season.
- Tim Stauffer and Cory Luebke tell Bill Center of the Union-Tribune that their time in San Diego's bullpen taught them lessons they're now applying as members of the rotation.
Ryan On Bullpen, Realignment, Astros
Rangers president Nolan Ryan told reporters yesterday that his team’s biggest problem has been inconsistency. Ryan believes the bullpen, a soft spot so far this year, is improving for the Rangers, who lead the AL West with a 43-38 record. Here are more of Ryan’s thoughts from Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle:
- It’s “premature” to say the Rangers will go outside of the organization for bullpen help, since it’s not clear which pitchers are available. The Rangers don’t have anything pending, but Ryan would have interest in the right pitcher. GM Jon Daniels said this week that he remains intent on upgrading the Texas ‘pen.
- Ryan likes the idea of adding the Astros to the AL West, partly because it would mean more games close to home and extra fan involvement. “I think if you had the Astros and Rangers in a pennant race it would stimulate a lot of interest in the state,” Ryan said.
- Jim Crane, who should officially become the owner of the Astros this year, will have to be patient if he wants to build through a strong farm system, Ryan said. “You have to keep putting people in the pipeline because you’re going to have all type of things happen from injuries to mis-evaluations to players not performing,” Ryan said. “There’s a tremendous fallout rate.”