Decision Expected Soon On Ryan Franklin
The Cardinals "may be closer to a decision regarding relief pitcher Ryan Franklin," writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss quotes manager Tony La Russa as considering "creative" alternatives for the beleaguered former closer. Strauss believes options include a DL stint or designating Franklin for assignment to take him off the 40-man roster and have him pitch in the minors while drawing his big league salary. Strauss says a resolution is expected before the Cardinals leave Thursday for Tampa Bay.
Franklin, 38, has a 8.46 ERA, 5.5 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9, with nine home runs and 44 hits allowed in 27 2/3 innings. His groundball rate is down significantly, but his struggles are largely due to a whopping 23.7% of his flyballs leaving the yard and 35% of balls in play dropping for hits. Franklin is earning $3.25MM this year.
Beltran Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause
Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran indicated he's willing to waive his no-trade clause in the right deal to a contender, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Puma believes the Mets would wait for David Wright to return from the disabled list before trading Beltran.
Winners of three in a row, the Mets are five games back in the wild card. They have a little over a month until the July 31st trade deadline to determine whether they're buyers, sellers, or something in-between. But as Puma points out, the August 31st deadline is more applicable to Beltran, because his $18.5MM salary could pass through waivers. Putting him on waivers would create the possibility of a pure salary dump as the Dodgers did with Manny Ramirez last year. The Mets might like to clear the $3MM or so that will remain on Beltran's contract in late August, or maybe they'd prefer to take on some salary and get actual players back.
Contractually, Beltran's team cannot offer arbitration after the season, so draft pick compensation is not a factor.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
NL East Notes: Rollins, Nationals, Johnson
The Mets ended their grand slam drought in style tonight. Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran both went deep with the bases loaded, giving the Mets their first grand slams since 2009. Here’s the latest on their division…
- Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins told John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer that his contract status will take care of itself after the season, when he hits free agency. "If I have a good season, more than likely I'll be here,” Rollins said. “If I have a bad season, that will definitely make for some hard decisions."
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson named Pat Corrales the team's bench coach, according to Quinn Roberts of MLB.com. Corrales served as Washington's bench coach from 2007-08 and for part of the 2009 season.
- Dr. James Andrews will examine Josh Johnson's injured pitching shoulder tomorrow, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Johnson's right shoulder doesn't feel fully healthy, so the team wanted to check it out before deciding what to do next, according to Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest.
Brewers Notes: Braun, Fielder, Gamel, Mitre
The latest on the Brewers on a night that owner Mark Attanasio, a native of the Bronx, watched his hometown team beat up on the club he owns…
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Jack Curry of the YES Network that Ryan Braun could be the Brewers' answer to Cal Ripken Jr. or Derek Jeter (Twitter link). Braun, who is signed through 2020, has a .308/.390/.554 line with 16 homers this year.
- Braun has been among the most productive hitters in the league, but he told Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that Prince Fielder "has probably been the MVP in the National League" so far. Fielder has a .305/.426/.611 line with 21 homers and a league-leading 68 RBI.
- Melvin told Knobler that Fielder has had a "great attitude" this year. The GM isn't going to distract Fielder, a prospective free agent, with extension discussions any time soon.
- Mat Gamel, who may take over at first base if Fielder leaves as a free agent, told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he remains focused on 2011, not Fielder's possible departure.
- The Cardinals have minimal interest in Sergio Mitre, who was designated for assignment by Milwaukee yesterday, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (on Twitter).
- The Brewers would like to strengthen their bench, potentially with a right-handed hitter, according to Knobler.
AL Central Notes: Raburn, Twins, Indians
The Tigers lost Joel Zumaya to a season-ending elbow injury on this date last year, the same day they took over first place with a win against the Twins. A year later, Zumaya hasn't made it back to the big leagues, but the Tigers have returned to first place, at least for now. Here’s the latest from their division…
- The Tigers offered outfielder Ryan Raburn to the Mets for reliever Brian Stokes a couple of years ago, according to ESPNNewYork’s Adam Rubin (on Twitter). The Mets eventually acquired Gary Matthews Jr. for Stokes.
- Longtime Twins executive Howard Fox died at the age of 90 earlier today, the team announced. Our condolences to the family and friends of Minnesota's former club president.
- The Twins signed fourth round pick Matt Summers, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The 21-year-old right-hander will report to Rookie League.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he doesn’t necessarily prefer right-handed hitters to left-handed hitters (Twitter link).
Gammons: Red Sox Can’t Add Payroll
The Red Sox cannot add payroll this season, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). He may not have much financial flexibility to work with, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is thinking ahead to possible moves. The GM told Joe Castiglione of WEEI that it’s “never too early” to anticipate potential needs. (transcript from WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane).
“The reality is, our outlook as a club is going to change five times between now and July 31,” Epstein said. “The issues that we have right now, we might have an internal solution to, and then we might have a desperate need for somebody in an area that right now looks like a surplus.”
The Red Sox have been active in midseason trades in recent years, as our Transaction Tracker shows. They acquired Jason Bay in 2008, Billy Wagner, Alex Gonzalez, Victor Martinez, Casey Kotchman and Adam LaRoche in 2009 and Jarrod Saltalamacchia last summer. Right field and the starting rotation are possible areas of need for Boston, though lots can change in a month, as Epstein pointed out.
Dodgers Bankruptcy Links: Tuesday
The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy yesterday, an event that ESPN's Buster Olney ranks among the ten worst chapters in MLB history. The latest:
- MLB was happy with today’s events and will move to have monitors re-installed at Dodger Stadium, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown (Twitter links). MLB will also request a trustee for the team.
- MLB struck back against Frank McCourt today, blaming the Dodgers' owner for the team's inability to make payroll. MLB is asking the bankruptcy court to reject McCourt's $150MM loan, which comes with 10% interest and a $4.5MM fee, in favor of their own financing with 7% interest and no fee. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has all the details. He notes that the court could decide today which financing to accept.
- Shaikin has a great primer on this whole mess, using a Q&A format. He says the essence of the case is whether bankruptcy court can override MLB rules, if Bud Selig revokes McCourt's ownership.
- The Dodgers should sell off impending free agents like Hiroki Kuroda, Jamey Carroll, and Casey Blake, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, as well as non-tender candidate James Loney. How about MVP candidate Matt Kemp? "We trade him, and we're done," one member of the organization told Morosi.
Yomiuri Giants Acquire Josh Fields
The Yomiuri Giants have acquired third baseman Josh Fields from the Rockies, according to a Sponichi report. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news and says we should expect an official announcement in a few days (on Twitter).
Fields had been playing for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, but the Sky Sox have released him, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The former first round pick had a .365/.429/.674 line at Triple-A, so the Rockies presumably released him as a formality to enable him to join the Japanese team.
Fields, 28, played for the White Sox and Royals from 2006-10. He clubbed 23 home runs in 2007, posting a .244/.308/.480 line in the process. He never replicated that success and has bounced from team to team since. The White Sox sent him to Kansas City in 2009 and the Royals non-tendered him last winter. The Pirates picked him up in December and flipped him to Colorado late in Spring Training.
D’Backs Will Be Able To Add Payroll At Deadline
The Diamondbacks are 2.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West and two back of the NL Wildcard, and they’ll be able to add reinforcements at the trade dealine. Team president/CEO Derrick Hall told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that GM Kevin Towers will have the flexibility to add payroll in a midseason trade.
“We’ve got the flexibility,” said Hall. “Our ownership group is willing to invest in this team. We’ve told KT, ‘If we’re in it, we’ll do whatever it takes to support you.'”
For now, the D’Backs are hopeful that recent callups Yhency Brazoban and Alberto Castillo can improve the bullpen. They will continue to monitor outside options, and Morosi notes the team with the most available bullpen help is Towers’ former team, the Padres. He also mentioned Matt Capps as a name to keep in mind. Arizona started the season with a $53.6MM payroll, the sixth smallest in the game.
NL West Notes: Brazoban, Castillo, Tate, Sanchez
Though the Dodgers' bankruptcy has been the biggest news to emerge from the NL West this week, there's plenty going on with the division's other teams. Here's the latest:
- The D'Backs announced that they called up right-hander Yhency Brazoban and left-hander Alberto Castillo from Triple-A Reno and optioned right-handers Esmerling Vasquez and Bryan Shaw to Reno.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who first reported the Brazoban callup, notes that the reliever last pitched in the Major Leagues as a member of the 2008 Dodgers. Meanwhile, Castillo had a 1.83 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year.
- Padres prospect Donavan Tate received a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug prevention and treatment program, according to John Manuel of Baseball America. It's the second time that Tate, the third overall selection in 2009, has tested positive for a drug of abuse. The 20-year-old has a .294/.368/.471 line through 76 plate appearances in the lower minors this year.
- Triple-A manager Steve Decker told Chris Haft and Adam Berry of MLB.com that 21-year-old catching prospect Hector Sanchez probably needs more seasoning before he can contribute in San Francisco. The Giants recently promoted Sanchez from Class A to Triple-A, but would like to see him improve his plate discipline. They're searching for big league catchers in the meantime.