Alderson Talks Reyes, Trade Deadline, K-Rod
Mets GM Sandy Alderson chatted with WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts today for about twenty minutes; here are a few highlights.
- Asked when the Mets will make a formal contract extension offer to Jose Reyes, Alderson laughed at the direct nature of the question and responded, "Well, we said that we will reach out to Jose at some point, and I expect that will happen. Beyond that, I can't tell you." Questioned about the possibility of extending Reyes before season's end, Alderson noted that it's a "two-sided process." He said he hasn't gotten to the point of determining limits on what to offer Reyes, and reiterated that the feelings of the fans factor into his decisions.
- Reyes spoke to WFAN's Mike Francesa today, saying right now all he can control is his play on the field. He says he wants to stay but understands this is a business and he doesn't know what's going to happen. He doesn't talk about his future contract with his agent Peter Greenberg.
- Though the Mets have long been considered potential sellers, Alderson says the team playing well closer to the trade deadline is "the best possible situation for us to be in." Later, he guessed that the Wilpons "would do everything they can to make that possible" in terms of creating payroll flexibility to make deadline acquisitions. Alderson, however, feels that getting Ike Davis, David Wright, and possibly Johan Santana back would provide a similar boost.
- Alderson didn't commit much on the Francisco Rodriguez situation, only saying that the hosts had "reminded me of all the difficult propositions we face." He admitted that next year's payroll is a big issue, and said the vesting option situation will be more fully addressed down the road. K-Rod currently has 27 games finished, and it's possible he could reach 55 by the end of August, causing a $17.5MM option to vest for 2012.
Brandon Phillips On His Future In Cincinnati
ESPN's Amy K. Nelson wrote a feature on Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, focusing mainly on his interactions with fans via his Twitter account, @DatDudeBP. Really cool stuff. But there is an MLBTR-related nugget from a March conversation Phillips had with fans/friends Rachel and Dave Zahniser. Phillips' Spring Training comments on his future in Cincinnati:
"It's going to be hard to keep me here." On whether he'd be willing to take a pay cut to stay: "I'm not trying to break the bank. I'm just trying to be fair. I don't want Jayson Werth money or CC Sabathia money."
Despite that comment, Phillips has made it well-known he'd like to stay in Cincinnati. The first issue will be his 2012 club option, worth $12MM with a $1MM buyout. The $11MM net price feels a bit high, as Phillips' slugging percentage has dipped below .400. His defense remains well-regarded, so some team would probably find the salary palatable even if the Reds don't. Jocketty told Nelson he hasn't had internal discussions or with Phillips' agents at ACES about a new deal.
For fans hoping Phillips stays, Jocketty's dealings with Bronson Arroyo are encouraging. Arroyo's hefty $13MM club option was exercised in November, which was then overwritten as part of a three-year deal heavy on deferrals.
Phillies Designate J.C. Romero For Assignment
The Phillies designated lefty reliever J.C. Romero for assignment, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The move drops the team's 40-man roster count to 39 and creates a spot on the 25-man roster for Vance Worley.
Romero, who spent time on the DL with a calf injury this year, has a 3.86 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 6.6 BB/9, and 52.9% groundball rate this year with zero home runs allowed in 16 1/3 innings. The 35-year-old has faced more right-handed hitters than left-handed ones this year, which is never a good idea. He signed a $1.35MM deal to return to the club in January.
Potentially Available Right-Handed Relievers
The Rangers and Cardinals are just a few contenders who might look to add relief help at the trade deadline. Let's take a look at right-handed relievers who could become available soon.
- Nationals: Tyler Clippard, Todd Coffey. Coffey, a free agent after the season, seems most likely to go. I'm not sure why Clippard's name has entered the rumor mill, as he's under team control through 2015 and has been dominant this year.
- Orioles: Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo. I don't see why any of these guys would be off-limits. Uehara has been particularly nasty, and could close for a lot of teams.
- Padres: Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Chad Qualls, Luke Gregerson (when healthy). Like Clippard, Gregerson would be tough to pry away. Jed Hoyer should get tons of phone calls on Bell and Adams though.
- Dodgers: Matt Guerrier, Mike MacDougal, Jonathan Broxton (when healthy). I'm guessing Ned Colletti doesn't want to subtract relievers from an already-decimated pen. But Broxton is a free agent after the season and there would be teams wanting to rent him if he comes back strong.
- Mets: The Mets are only 3.5 games back in the wild card, so they might not be inclined to trade closer Francisco Rodriguez. However, there is that pesky games finished clause, which triggers a $17.5MM salary for 2012 if K-Rod finishes 28 more games. Jason Isringhausen could become trade bait if the Mets fall out of contention.
- Pirates: The Bucs are three games out in the wild card, so they probably won't be tearing up their bullpen. Still, closer Joel Hanrahan is flourishing and Chris Resop and Jose Veras have huge strikeout rates. It wouldn't hurt to just listen to offers.
- Blue Jays: They're still on the fringe of contention. If that changes for the worse the club has right-handed relievers galore: Shawn Camp, Octavio Dotel, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor, and Jon Rauch to name a few.
- Marlins: The Marlins are just falling fast. If they decide to fold, righties Leo Nunez, Brian Sanches, and Burke Badenhop could become available. The Rockies could become sellers too if the next 30 days go poorly.
- Cubs: Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood (when healthy), Jeff Samardzija. There's been no indication Marmol is available, but I wonder if the Cubs would listen. Most likely they prefer to keep him around. For Wood to be dealt, he'd have to be open to the idea.
- Royals: Joakim Soria. Trading Soria now would be selling low, and the Royals have never seemed open to it, though MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says they're willing to talk about him.
- Athletics: Grant Balfour, Michael Wuertz, Brad Ziegler. All these guys are under control for next year at least, so it's unclear as to whether the A's would move one.
- Twins: The Twins have been playing better lately, but they're still nine games out. Closer Matt Capps would draw plenty of interest, and perhaps Joe Nathan could be dealt in August if healthy and effective.
- Cardinals: Ryan Franklin could be a trade candidate, if he's not released first.
Rangers Hope To Improve Bullpen Soon
Rangers GM Jon Daniels is having "active discussions with other teams" with the aim of improving his bullpen via trade, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Said Daniels:
"It's something that we're open to, but it's easier said than done. There are not a lot of clubs eager to move quality arms right now. We've got to be able to address it right now."
Sullivan names Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson, Kevin Gregg, Joakim Soria, Kerry Wood, and Heath Bell as several relievers who could become available. He also notes that the Rangers have discussed Todd Coffey and Tyler Clippard with the Nationals. And the Giants are scouting Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden, so there could be a match.
Yankees Release Amaury Sanit
The Yankees released righty Amaury Sanit to open a 40-man roster spot for Brian Gordon, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. To clear a spot on the 25-man roster, Lance Pendleton was optioned to Triple-A.
Sanit had been on the DL for an elbow injury. The 31-year-old Cuban tossed 19 innings at Triple-A this year and another seven with the big club. You can read about his story over at Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts blog.
Dustin Ackley Gets The Call
Mariners top prospect Dustin Ackley will make his big league debut tomorrow against the Phillies. The second baseman has a .303/.421/.487 line at Triple-A this year. He was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft.
No 40-man roster move was necessary; Luis Rodriguez was optioned to open a spot on the 25-man. It appears that Ackley will accrue a maximum of 104 days of service this year, so he's unlikely to qualify as a Super Two player after the 2013 season should the criteria remain the same. He'll be arbitration eligible after the 2014 season and under team control through 2017.
The Ackley call-up prompts the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker to think about the possibility of trading infielder Jack Wilson. Baker thinks the team may keep the veteran, as the current focus is the pennant race.
Scott Kazmir Rumors: Thursday
27-year-old lefty Scott Kazmir was released by the Angels yesterday. The team ultimately received 188 innings of 5.31 ball, plus 10 2/3 postseason innings, since acquiring him on August 28th, 2009. The Angels gave up prospects Alexander Torres and Matt Sweeney that day, and infielder Sean Rodriguez was included as a player to be named later. The Angels still owe Kazmir over $9MM to cover his salary for the rest of the season and the buyout on his club option. Today's Kazmir links…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he hasn't looked into the possibility of acquiring Kazmir but will eventually, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Cashman commented, "I know he's struggled."
- Kazmir is a "possibility" for the Mets, GM Sandy Alderson said in response to a question on WFAN's Benigno and Roberts (MetsBlog has more info). However, when pressed on the topic by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, Alderson admitted his interest in Kazmir is the same as it is for everybody who hits the wire (Twitter link). Kazmir, of course, is a former first-round pick of the Mets who was traded by former GM Jim Duquette to the Devil Rays in '04. Kazmir's history with the organization is a factor, Alderson told Dan Martin of the New York Post.
- My take: signing Kazmir is a low-risk proposition that almost any team could justify, taking him on as a minor league project for the next several months similar to what the Nationals are doing with Oliver Perez. But that's only if Kazmir wants to sign right now and finds a good fit.
- "I don't have any regrets," Angels GM Tony Reagins said of the '09 Kazmir trade, speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Explained Reagins, "You make decisions in this business and live with the consequences."
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia remarked to ESPN's Mark Saxon and the AP, "He's still young and I'm sure at some point we hope he can unlock that secret of where he needs to be."
Contenders In Need Of A Second Base Upgrade
As many as six contenders could use help at second base, though not all of them will look externally. Several may never enter buying mode. But here's a look at the contenders that could consider a second base upgrade:
- Indians: Rookie Cord Phelps has entered the mix with Orlando Cabrera at second base. Phelps was hitting .299/.391/.488 at Triple-A, so if he gets established the Indians already have their upgrade on O-Cab. If not, Jason Kipnis has been similarly productive in the minors.
- Tigers: They've been using Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn of late. I'm sure they'd like Raburn to run with the job and provide offense, but he's shown little to date. There's always the option of giving Will Rhymes another go.
- Cardinals: Nick Punto is on the disabled list, leaving Skip Schumaker as the main second baseman and Tyler Greene as another option. The Cards could consider acquiring a shortstop and moving Ryan Theriot to second base.
- Giants: Starter Freddy Sanchez has a shoulder injury, and the plan is for rest and rehab over the next six weeks. Mike Fontenot should come off the DL soon, and the Giants recently signed Bill Hall.
- Blue Jays: Aaron Hill is the starter, though he hasn't done much. At five games out in the wild card, the Jays still have a chance, so they could try to upgrade.
- Marlins: Their second base starter is Omar Infante, who's had a rough year but has at least been a little better in June. Even if they do turn things around I don't expect the Marlins to look for an outside upgrade at second.
So who's available? Jeff Baker, Adam Kennedy, Jeff Keppinger, Clint Barmes, Jamey Carroll, Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Aviles, and Mark Ellis are viable trade candidates. Ellis is currently on the DL, while Aviles is in the minors.
Quick Hits: Orioles, Miller, Maybin, Bedard
Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning their first Stanley Cup since 1972. This year's major sports champions have now come from Boston, the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Wisconsin. All three of those regions could be gunning for their second championship parade of the year come November — the Red Sox, Rangers and Brewers are all in first place in their respective divisions.
Some news and items from around the majors….
- The Orioles have a lot of pieces that can be moved this summer, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. He lists Koji Uehara and Jeremy Guthrie as possible trade candidates, but Schmuck predicts Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee will finish the season in Baltimore since "neither…has done enough to create real value for the club." Schmuck also notes that Andy MacPhail may not pursue a full fire sale since finishing with a .500 record would be a positive step for a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1997.
- Andrew Miller has indeed opted to remain with the Red Sox and he will start for the team against San Diego on Monday, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.
- David Villavicencio of FOX Sports Florida has the story of Marlins first-round pick Jose Fernandez, who escaped to the United States from his native Cuba on his fourth attempt. Florida took the right-hander with the 14th overall pick and though Fernandez has committed to the University of South Florida, the story makes it sound as if he's eager to sign.
- Erik Bedard still carries too much risk for the Yankees to make a play for at the trade deadline, argues Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog. Also, as Axisa notes, the Mariners aren't likely to deal the Canadian southpaw since they're contending in the AL West.
- "China, as well as India, Taiwan, and South Korea, represents one of the next great market inefficiencies," writes Bradley Woodrum for Fangraphs. A team that establishes a foothold in East Asia will have first dibs on a huge, untapped area for finding future baseball talent.