NL East Links: Isringhausen, Reyes, Marlins
Let's round up some links from the NL East…
- ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) one name that has been raised by talent evaluators as a trade option if the Mets become sellers is Jason Isringhausen. Izzy has a 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 innings as Francisco Rodriguez's primary setup man, but the advanced metrics don't like him as much: his FIP sits at 4.75.
- An executive told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he believes Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will eclipse Carl Crawford's seven-year, $142MM contract as a free agent this winter because of his bat and "shutdown" defense (Twitter links). Another exec told Joel Sherman of The New York Post that "Prince Fielder is going to get at least 7 yrs with that body, so tell me how [Reyes] doesn't get at least 7 yrs."
- The Marlins made a series of roster moves today, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hears that the team is not considering a managerial change (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, meanwhile, says that manager Edwin Rodriguez is on shaky ground and the team maintains interest in Ozzie Guillen and even Bobby Valentine.
- Peter Gammons hears that Marlins players believe team ownership will go over the the heads of the baseball operations department and fire Rodriguez as well as his coaches (Twitter link).
Astros Looking To Trade Myers, Keppinger
The Astros are currently an MLB worst 25-45 and are in the process of being transferred to a new owner, so they certainly figure to be sellers at the trade deadline. MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that they are looking to trade both Brett Myers and Jeff Keppinger, two names that have frequented the trade rumor circuit in recent months (Twitter links). Ladson doubts that the Nationals would have interest in either.
Myers might not be very marketable these days. He'll be 31 in August, and he's pitched to a 5.03 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 87 2/3 innings this season. The 18 homers he's allowed are the most in baseball and his fastball velocity has fallen off considerably. Myers will earn $7MM this season and $11MM next season before a $10MM club option ($3MM buyout) for 2013 comes into play.
Keppinger seems like a much more practical trade candidate. He's hitting .301/.329/.370 since coming off the disabled list following a foot injury, and last year he hit a respectable .288/.351/.393 with more walks (51) than strikeouts (34) in 575 plate appearances. Keppinger has plenty of experience at second, third, and short, and his $2.3MM salary is a little easier on the wallet. He is also under team control next year as an arbitration-eligible player.
The Yankees have been connected to both players at times, though we recently learned that they "don't have a match" for Myers. Keppinger was more of an offseason target for them.
Carlos Zambrano Would Waive No-Trade Clause
Carlos Zambrano does not want to leave the Cubs, but he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he would waive his no-trade clause if the team asked him to do so.
"If they come to me and want to trade me, obviously it's because they don't want me here anymore," said Zambrano. "I always say that. I'll be here until the Cubs decide to trade me … I've heard rumors. I've already talked to my family. They said,'It's OK. If you think it's good for you, if you feel you want to be traded, do it.' I don’t want to leave. I've been here 10 years. The town has been special to me, the fans, too."
This morning we learned that the Yankees had several top advisors watch Zambrano recently, though Rosenthal hears that their interest is minimal due to his volatile personality. Since he is due to earn $17.875MM this year and $18MM next, it's likely the Cubs would have to include some cash to facilitate a trade. The Yankees are one of the few teams able to absord that kind of payroll hit, and it's worth noting that their pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, held the same position with the Cubs for the last several years.
Zambrano, 30, owns a 4.59 ERA in 96 innings across 15 starts this season. His strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) is the second lowest of his career and his ground ball rate continues to decline, though his walk rate (3.3 BB/9) is a career best. It's also worth noting that Zambrano's fastball velocity is trending downward as well.
Gammons: Yankees, Others Tampered With Miller
The Red Sox announced today that Andrew Miller will make his season debut against the Padres on Monday after calling him up from Triple-A before his opt-out clause became an issue. However, in an appearance on WEEI's Mut & Merloni Show today, Peter Gammons said that the Yankees and several other teams tried to get Miller to opt-out of his deal. WEEI.com's Jerry Spar has the transcript.
"I know this," said Gammons, "There were a lot of teams that tampered and tried to get him to do the opt-out, including the New York Yankees. A lot of teams wanted him to opt out on Wednesday. Because of his trust for the Red Sox and how much they’ve invested in him — not in terms of money but in terms of effort to just get his delivery back and be patient with him, he stayed. In some ways, their fortunate. Because I think he could have gotten twice as much money if he had left."
MLB's tampering rules say "there shall be no negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any club other than the club with which [the player] is under contract or acceptance of terms," which in English means that a team is not allowed to discuss employment with a player while he is under contract with another team. Yankees GM Brian Cashman responded to the report by saying they were simply "not true," reports Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
Miller, 26, pitched to a 2.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 65 2/3 innings for Boston's Triple-A affiliate this year. In his last four starts before the promotion, he struck out 26 and walked just three in 25 1/3 innings.
Cuddyer Would Waive Limited No-Trade Clause
Michael Cuddyer's limited no-trade clause consists of just three teams, but he indicated to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that he wouldn't stand in the way of a trade to one of those teams if it came down to it.
"I care so much about this organization," said Cuddyer. "I do … I care so deeply about this team, that if it helps the organization…"
As for the three teams included in the no-trade clause, well not even Cuddyer is sure who they are: "Can't remember … I think Oakland is one. Toronto. And … I'm not sure."
Cuddyer's loyalty to the Twins is admirable, and there figures to be a market for his services before the trade deadline. Steve Adams explored Cuddyer's trade candidacy last weekend, noting that similar players like Casey Blake and Mark DeRosa have yielded decent returns in the last few years.
The 32-year-old Cuddyer is making $10.5MM this year, though the Twins could eat some of that in exchange for a better return. He's hitting .282/.347/.449 in 259 plate appearances this year, and he has experience playing first, second, third, and the corner outfield spots. Cuddyer's .292/.381/.491 career batting line against left-handed pitchers could also be a big help to a number of clubs.
Marlins Designate Dustin Richardson For Assignment
The Marlins designated lefty reliever Dustin Richardson for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Dewayne Wise, tweets the team. Center fielder Chris Coghlan was optioned to Triple-A to open a 25-man spot.
Today's series of moves reflects poorly on a pair of mid-November deals made by the Marlins. Richardson was the Marlins' return from Boston for lefty Andrew Miller, who had been a big piece of Florida's Miguel Cabrera trade with Detroit. Miller was non-tendered by the Red Sox, so any team could have jumped in and signed him. But he re-signed and is flourishing in Triple-A, to the point where many teams tampered and tried to convince him to opt out of his contract according to Peter Gammons. Richardson, meanwhile, had a 3.66 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 5.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 32 Triple-A innings.
Coghlan, the 2009 Rookie of the Year, was the Marlins' Opening Day center fielder despite never having played the position as a pro. His demotion comes on the heels of a .230/.296/.368 line in 298 plate appearances. Confidence in Coghlan was presumably part of the reason the Marlins found Cameron Maybin expendable in November; Maybin is hitting .259/.322/.413 for San Diego.
The Marlins traded a superstar to Detroit in Miguel Cabrera in December of 2007, and Dontrelle Willis added value to the package. They received Miller, Maybin, Burke Badenhop, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio de la Cruz, and Mike Rabelo in return. If Richardson finds a new home they'll have nothing to show for Miller, while the Maybin thread leaves the Fish with relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Badenhop is part of the Marlins' big league bullpen as well.
Rangers Agree To Terms With Matthews, Cone
The Rangers agreed to terms with top draft picks Kevin Matthews and Zach Cone, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Matthews gets $936K, while Cone gets $873K. Both players signed for slot.
Matthews, a high school lefty, was the last pick in the first round, 33rd overall. The Rangers received the pick from the Phillies as part of the compensation for the loss of Cliff Lee. ESPN's Keith Law considers Matthews one of the biggest reaches of the first round. Baseball America says the consensus is that the southpaw will end up a reliever. Matthews is one of three first round picks to sign so far; check out our list here.
Cone, an outfielder from the University of Georgia, went four picks later in the supplemental round. He represents the other part of the Lee compensation. Baseball America says scouts question his pitch recognition, but he profiles as an above-average defensive center fielder with "solid raw power and strength" and good athleticism. Cone is represented by the Boras Corporation.
When Batting Champions Get Traded
It shouldn't come as any surprise that if Jose Reyes, the current National League leader in batting average, gets traded, the move will be almost entirely unprecedented. Generally, players at the top of the league leaders category in batting average are considered irreplaceable, and stay put. But as should be obvious by now, these aren't ordinary times for the New York Mets.
But the only time a batting champion was ever dealt mid-year, it was by the arch rivals of the New York Mets back in the most successful period of the franchise's history. The year was 1990. The player was Willie McGee, the team the St. Louis Cardinals, and the statistical ramifications were truly wacky.
It had been a rough year for the Cards, who'd won a National League pennant in 1987, and 86 games in 1989. A team whose best seasons were built around speed, defense and pitching saw all three areas decline. Other than John Tudor, the pitchers were decidedly average- and Tudor, now 36, pitched just 146 1/3 innings.
The hitters were slowing down, too. Ozzie Smith turned 35. Vince Coleman, who'd stolen more than 100 bases three times, swiped just 77. Terry Pendleton hit .230 with six home runs, and no one had the power of Jack Clark – the home run leader was a young catcher named Todd Zeile, who clouted 15.
But Zeile, along with young outfielders Bernard Gilkey and Ray Lankford, appeared to be the foundation of the next Cardinals team. That made for a very different fit in the manager's chair, and halfway through the season, the great Whitey Herzog called it quits. Rebuilding mode was on.
But that didn't stop McGee, who'd already won a batting title and MVP back when the stakes were higher in 1985. Playing primarily center field, McGee posted a .335 batting average in 125 games during his age 31 season. The Oakland Athletics had Dave Henderson in center field, and wanted a better defensive alternative to the aging Hendu. So on August 29, Oakland traded Felix Jose, Stan Royer and Daryl Green to St. Louis for the magical McGee.
Jose was supposed to be the centerpiece of the deal, but he simply never developed into the top-tier slugger the Cardinals wanted. (Actually, his numbers mirror, rather dramatically, his minor league production). McGee's pace fell off as well, and he hit just .274 with the Athletics- enough, however, to get them to the 1990 World Series. McGee, a free agent-to-be like Reyes, then signed with the San Francisco Giants that winter.
Thanks to the math of the time, however, McGee's .274 didn't prevent him from winning a batting title. Back then, totals accrued in the American League were considered separate from NL totals. So McGee, with his .335 NL average in the required number of plate appearances, sat frozen atop the batting average leaderboard. Thus, he edged out the full seasons of Eddie Murray (.330), Dave Magadan (.328) and Lenny Dykstra (.325). George Brett's .329 took home AL honors. McGee's combined .324 average wouldn't have won either league.
How baseball would handle the leaderboard if Jose Reyes switched leagues is still unclear. Currently, Reyes trails Adrian Gonzalez, the AL leader in batting average, by a single point. But if Reyes should get dealt while winning a batting title, Mets fans cannot accurately bemoan an unprecedented occurrence. And in a fascinating twist, the GM who'd deal Reyes, Sandy Alderson, is the same GM who traded for McGee with the Athletics. Maybe the man just hates untainted batting titles.
McCourts Settle Divorce, Contingent On Fox Deal
Frank and Jamie McCourt announced a divorce settlement, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. However, the settlement is contingent upon MLB's approval of the Dodgers' deal with Fox, which SI's Jon Heyman says won't happen (Twitter link). McCourt disagrees. In the Fox deal is not approved, it's back to divorce court. A decision is expected Tuesday, Jamie's attorney told Shaikin (Twitter link).
Shaikin reports that the McCourts also "agreed to a one-day trial so that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon could make a final determination of whether the Dodgers belong solely to Frank McCourt or whether the team should be considered community property." If the Dodgers are ruled community property, the team is likely to be sold as a result.
Click here to view the McCourts' settlement agreement, from the L.A. Times.
Stark On Dempster, Adams, Reyes, Braves
Jayson Stark leads his latest column for ESPN with a debate with colleague Buster Olney about realignment possibilities. He notes that his sources say there's no chance divisions are dissolved and baseball becomes two 15-team leagues. On to Stark's other rumblings…
- An NL executive who spoke with Cubs GM Jim Hendry says there's no likely scenario where Ryan Dempster is traded. Earlier today, there were indications the Yankees at least have an eye on Dempster, who has full no-trade rights and a $14MM player option for 2012.
- Padres reliever Mike Adams also is likely to stay put, as the Padres are only interested in trading impending free agents Heath Bell and Chad Qualls.
- Jose Reyes might not be Brian Sabean's type of player, says one baseball man who speaks with the Giants' GM regularly. Still, Stark's source wondered if the liberation of winning last year's World Series might compel Sabean to take more chances. Of course, the Mets are looking like potential buyers right now.
- The Braves are "aggressively positioning themselves to deal for an outfield bat as soon as they can find a team ready to open its sell-off shop for business," writes Stark, and they've already checked in on Josh Willingham and Hunter Pence. We outlined potentially available power bats earlier this month.