Week In Review: 6/12/11 – 6/18/11
A look back at the week that was at MLBTR:
- Nats righty Jason Marquis said he wants to stay in Washington.
- The Phillies are seeking a right-handed hitter.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry says the North Siders will be able to spend.
- Pirates lefty Paul Maholm said he'd be open to signing an extension with the Bucs.
- Felipe Lopez cleared waivers after being DFA'd by the Rays and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Durham.
- Brian Gordon opted out of his contract with the Phillies and signed with the Yankees. The Yanks also signed Greg Smith and Corey Wade to minor league deals.
- Ronnie Belliard called it a career. Claudio Vargas hung 'em up, too.
- The Marlins signed outfielder Dewayne Wise.
- Red Sox DH David Ortiz said the team has not approached him about an extension.
- The Mariners called up top prospect Dustin Ackley.
- The Angels released lefty Scott Kazmir. Owner Arte Moreno also said he won't spend any more money in 2011.
- The Rays inked a pair of supplemental-round draft picks.
- The Phillies designated lefty reliever J.C. Romero for assignment. The Cardinals are rumored to be interested.
- The McCourts announced a divorce settlement, though the deal is contingent upon MLB's approval of a deal with FOX.
- The Rangers agreed to terms with their top two draft picks, Kevin Matthews and Zach Cone.
- Michael Cuddyer of the Twins said he'd waive his limited no-trade clause.
- Red Sox lefty Andrew Miller chose not to opt out of his deal with Boston. And we heard that some teams may have tampered with him.
- The Astros are looking to trade Brett Myers and Jeff Keppinger.
- Several players were designated for assignment: The Orioles DFA'd Jeremy Accardo. The Brewers DFA'd Danny Rey Herrera. The Marlins DFA'd Dustin Richardson and catcher Brad Davis. The Padres DFA'd Jorge Cantu and pitcher Aaron Poreda. The Pirates DFA'd Wyatt Toregas.
- The Pirates released Blaine Boyer.
- The Athletics signed Doug Mathis to a minor league deal.
- Mets shortstop Jose Reyes said he will not be changing agents.
- Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano said he'd waive his no-trade clause. The Yankees said they're not interested in him.
- The Reds and Brandon Phillips are not progressing in extension talks.
- It looks like the Yankees will be active on the trade market. They also signed draft pick Dante Bichette Jr.
Marlins Manager Edwin Rodriguez Steps Down
9:36PM: Jack McKeon, 80, is expected to be named the Marlins' new manager, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
11:52AM: Bobby Valentine is also being considered by the Marlins as well, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
11:30AM: In addition to Hyde, the Marlins are considering 80-year-old Jack McKeon as a candidate for interim manager, tweets Olney.
10:35AM: Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez has resigned, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Bench coach Brandon Hyde will manage the team this afternoon in Tampa Bay as the club begins its search for an interim manager.
Rumors have swirled about Rodriguez's job status this season as the Fish have floundered. The Fish have long coveted White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported that the team was even looking at Bobby Valentine.
Florida has lost 18 of their last 21 games and earlier this month fired hitting coach John Mallee in an effort to shake things up. The Marlins are at the bottom of the NL East, 12.5 games back of the first place Phillies.
Rodriguez was hired on a full-time basis in November. The 50-year-old finished 2010 as the club's interim manager after Fredi Gonzalez was fired.
Olney’s Latest: Bell, Phillies, B.J. Upton
Buster Olney of ESPN.com has passed along some interesting tidbits tonight via Twitter. He also touched on some of these notes in his daily column this morning. Here's Olney's latest:
- The Padres' sweep at the hands of the Twins this weekend could hasten their decision on if and when they should trade closer Heath Bell, Olney thinks. The sooner the Friars deal Bell, the more they can ask in return (Twitter links).
- The Phillies are looking for a right-handed hitter and have checked in on the Twins' Michael Cuddyer and the Athletics' Josh Willingham (Twitter link). Olney first reported the Phils' interest in a righty stick last week. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phils are seeking someone cheap, such as the Rockies' Ryan Spilborghs, because of payroll constraints.
- The Rays will listen to offers for B.J. Upton but probably won't deal him unless they can obtain a good bat, although that wouldn't necessarily have to happen within the same trade (Twitter link).
Blue Jays Notes: Hechavarria, Anthopoulos
The Blue Jays made an interesting move this morning, announcing that they've signed shortstop Yunel Escobar to an extension that could keep him in Toronto through 2015. Here's a note on that and more, courtesy of Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
- Escobar's extension won't have an impact on shortstop prospect Adeiny Hechavarria, according to GM Alex Anthopoulos. "There's no effect, because Hechavarria is a highly-touted prospect and we believe in him. But there's no downside to having too many good players. I always say things will find a way to work themselves out, and especially when you have a middle of the diamond player." Toronto signed Hechavarria, a 22-year-old Cuban, to a four-year, $10MM deal in April 2010. He was rated as baseball's No. 96 prospect by Keith Law of ESPN.com in January and is regarded as a glove-first shortstop.
- Anthopoulos regrets his response to reports that the Jays had a pre-Draft agreement in place to sign first-round pick Tyler Beede for $3MM, but insists that the charge is one that shouldn't be thrown out there lightly. Such agreements are not allowed, though most Draft experts say they are commonplace. The reported $3MM would be about $1.7MM over the slot recommendation for the No. 21 overall selection.
Diamondbacks Waive Sean Burroughs
The Diamondbacks have waived infielder Sean Burroughs, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (via Twitter).
Burroughs, once a touted prospect with the Padres, had left baseball before joining Arizona, last appearing in the big leagues with the Rays in 2006. He signed with the D'Backs in November, rejoining GM Kevin Towers, who drafted Burroughs into San Diego's organization in 1998. Burroughs, 30, was recalled from Triple-A Reno on May 18 but was hitting just .261/.261/.304 in 23 plate appearances entering Sunday's action.
Arizona is expected to promote Wily Mo Pena, another former top prospect, to serve as its DH for its upcoming interleague series in Kansas City and Detroit, per Magruder. Pena, 29, was hitting .362/.440/.733 in 62 games with Reno entering play on Sunday.
MLBTR Originals: 6/12/11 – 6/18/11
Here's a look back at the original material we published at MLBTR last week:
- Here's our up-to-date list of first- and supplemental-round draftees — who's signed and for how much.
- A handful of prospects were dealt in July 2009. Here's how they've done since then.
- The Super Two system is hotly debated these days. What can be done about it?
- MLBTR is a pretty comprehensive resource. Here's how to use it and its many tools.
- We could use your help filling in some info for our agency database.
- Which contenders are in need of an upgrade at second base? Which ones could use help at first base? Tim Dierkes has a look.
- There's an intriguing list of potentially available righty relievers.
- How might the Marlins, Nationals, Royals and Athletics proceed if they become sellers during the trading season?
- Tim looked at how this offseason's free-agent relievers are faring so far.
- Mike Axisa rounded up some of the best pieces from around the baseball blogosphere. The Phillies, Mark Cuban and Scott Kazmir were among the hot topics.
- Howard Megdal gave us an historical look at what happens when batting champions are traded.
- I looked at some potential fits for trade candidate Ryan Ludwick.
Minor Deals: Castillo, Vazquez, Gotay, Carter
We'll keep track of all of the day's minor deals right here:
- The Diamondbacks have signed left-handed pitcher Alberto Castillo, according to CBSSports.com. Castillo, 35, was designated for assignment by the Orioles on June 10th. The veteran has a 2.89 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across four seasons of play at the Triple-A level.
- The Blue Jays signed infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. The 35-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2009 when he spent the year with the Pirates. Vazquez has experience playing shortstop, second base, and third base.
- The Braves signed infielder Ruben Gotay and outfielder Chris Carter to minor league deals and assigned them to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Gotay last appeared in the bigs with Atlanta in 2008, while Carter played in 100 games with the Mets last season.
Marlins Notes: McKeon, Hyde, Guillen
Earlier today, Edwin Rodriguez voluntarily stepped down as Marlins manager and bench coach Brandon Hyde was tabbed to fill in for today's game against the Rays. Here's the latest on who might take over next..
- McKeon is owner Jeffrey Loria's first choice to take over as interim manager, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- Marlins officials will discuss interim manager candidates internally after today's game against Tampa Bay, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. A source tells Morosi (Twitter link) that both Hyde and Jack McKeon are being considered and a decision is expected in the next 48 hours.
- A source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the Marlins are not considering Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. The Fish hope to put an interim skipper in place for the rest of season by tomorrow.
- Jack McKeon will definitely manage again on an interim basis if asked, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The octogenarian said that he's capable of doing it, though he'd want to talk it over with his wife first.
- Nightengale also tweets that it would be interesting if the Marlins hire someone to fill-in on an interim basis and then make another run at Ozzie Guillen.
Quick Hits: Kazmir, McKeon, Indians, Gonzalez
Some quick hits as we take in a full slate of games today..
- The Pirates have checked into Scott Kazmir, but GM Neal Huntington did not indicate whether the discussions are ongoing or if it's moot issue, tweets Rob Biertempfel of MLB.com.
- If asked, 80-year-old Jack McKeon says that he's capable of taking over the Marlins managerial job on an interim basis, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- The Indians have fired hitting coach Jon Nunnally and will replace him with Bruce Fields, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- The Cardinals scouted left-hander Scott Kazmir but they do not have interest in pursuing him, a club source told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While several teams have denied interest in the former All-Star, we learned yesterday that the Mets will consider him.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks back at the long-term deal that Adrian Gonzalez signed with the Padres and how it ultimately affected his future with the Red Sox.
- In response to a question, Ken Davidoff of Newsday (via Twitter) said that Carlos Zambrano is unlikely for the Yankees.
- Baseball's international signing period is quickly becoming one of the most important dates on the calendar for many big league teams, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. The international signing period begins July 2nd.
Blue Jays Sign Yunel Escobar To Extension
The Blue Jays have signed shortstop Yunel Escobar to an extension for the 2012 and 2013 seasons worth $10MM, according to the team's official Twitter page. The deal includes two club options of $5MM each for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Escobar, 28, was already under team control through 2013. The possible option years for '14 and '15 represent his first two years of free agency. The new deal will bring Escobar a significant pay bump as he will earn $2.9MM in 2011 after avoiding arbitration in January.
The Blue Jays acquired Escobar along with Jo-Jo Reyes from the Braves in July of 2010 for Tyler Pastornicky, Tim Collins and Alex Gonzalez. Since then, Escobar has hit .278/.350/.395 with 12 homers in 126 games for Toronto.
As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, Alex Anthopoulos has extended four of Romero's teammates since becoming Toronto's GM after the 2009 season. Adam Lind ($18MM), Ricky Romero ($30.1MM), Rajai Davis ($5.75MM) and Jose Bautista ($65MM) have all signed extensions since last April.
Fellow Cuban Alexei Ramirez is in the same service class as Escobar and makes a comparable salary in 2011 ($2.75MM). Ramirez has shown more power than Escobar and has a Silver Slugger to his name, though he hasn't reached base as often as a Major Leaguer. Ramirez signed a deal that guarantees him $32.5MM, including nearly $10MM per free agent year.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.