Quick Hits: Pirates, Millwood, Astros, Gamel
Here are some Sunday evening Quick Hits as the Reds take on the Giants..
- The Astros have been dominating the rumor mill over the last several weeks in Major League Baseball, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Teams have been calling GM Ed Wade about deals but even he isn't safe from rumors as he's said by some to be on the hot seat.
- The Pirates are actively looking to acquire a catcher after losing their top three catchers to injury. Meanwhile, they don't feel that top catching prospect Tony Sanchez is ready for a big league promotion, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
- Kevin Millwood, who recently signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox, says that he's progressing with each Triple-A outing, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. The veteran signed a minor league deal with the Yankees earlier in the year but opted out on May 1st.
- Stephen Goff of Examiner.com (via Twitter) tips his cap to Astros scouting director Bobby Heck for already getting 26 out of their 50 Draft picks signed.
- The Brewers are thinking about a mid-week promotion for Mat Gamel, but the club won't have to designate anyone for assignment to make the move, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Relievers Marco Estrada and Tim Dillard both have a minor league option remaining.
MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..
- As the losses kept piling up, A's GM Billy Beane realized that he had to make a change and fire his friend, manager Bob Geren, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- Tim Dierkes reported that the Yankees claimed pitcher Jeff Marquez off of waivers from the White Sox. This year in nine starts for Triple-A Charlotte he posted a 3.97 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 47 2/3 innings.
- Did you miss this week's chat? Don't worry, you can check out the transcript right here.
- Steve Adams profiled the remarkable run of Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong.
- Astros first-round pick George Springer credits genetics and gymnastics for his athletic ability.
- Ben-Nicholson Smith brought us an update on Super Two candidates.
- There were a ton of great pieces featured in this week's edition of Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Draft picks Archie Bradley and Trevor Bauer are both excited about their futures with the Diamondbacks.
- Howard Megdal took a look back at top picks who have been traded by their original teams.
- Here's a rundown of all of MLBTR's regular features.
Jason Marquis Wants To Stay With Nats
Nats right-hander Jason Marquis is in the final year of a two-year, $15MM deal and he says that he wants to continue his career with the club beyond this season, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The two sides have not talked about a contract extension, but Marquis is looking for a multiyear deal.
"Anybody would want a multiyear deal. That's how the game works," the veteran said. "I don't think anyone would turn down a four for a one."
Marquis has long been looked at as a trade candidate due to the expected lack of top-notch arms to be available at the trade deadline. Last week, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that Marquis could be had in a deal if Washington received enough young talent in return.
In 13 starts this season, Marquis has a 3.67 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
Week In Review: 6/5/11 – 6/11/11
This year's draft has come and gone, and it led to plenty of news. Let's recap the past week:
- The Pirates selected Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick in the draft. Cole and GM Neal Huntington discussed the move in a conference call, with Cole stating that his 2011 season wasn't up to his standards and Huntington saying they selected the player they feel will help the team most in the long haul.
- The results of the first round and supplemental round were also tracked here on MLBTR.
- Several draft picks have already signed. The Giants agreed to terms with first rounder Joe Panik, the Blue Jays signed supplemental first rounder Joe Musgrove for $500K, and the Padres signed their first pick, Cory Spangenberg, for a $1.86MM bonus and inked supplemental rounder Jace Peterson for $624,600.
- The Athletics fired manager Bob Geren this week, replacing him with former Mariners and D'Backs skipper Bob Melvin. General manager Billy Beane explained his difficult decision later that day.
- Commissioner Bud Selig voiced his continued support for the slotting system and a worldwide draft.
- The Nationals have long been searching for a center fielder, and that search has led to their interest in B.J. Upton, whose some believe would benefit from a change of scenery.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said this week that the addition of a bat to their lineup before the trade deadline is unlikely. Amaro feels the team has plenty of power, and simply hasn't hit up to its capabilities yet.
- Another move you shouldn't expect to see is a trade of Aramis Ramirez. The long-time Cubs third baseman said this week that he won't waive his no-trade clause for a deal this summer, and that he hopes to remain in Chicago beyond 2011.
- The Giants continue to look for catching options following Buster Posey's injury, but we heard definitively this week that Ivan Rodriguez is not the answer they're looking for.
- The reigning world champions also signed Bill Hall to a minor league deal this week after the utility man was cut loose by Houston last week.
- Another offseason addition who was released by his team was Jose Lopez, who received his walking papers from the Rockies on Tuesday after being designated for assignment in late May. Lopez latched on with the Marlins on a minor league deal later in the week.
- It's officially Mike Moustakas time for the Royals in Kansas City. The top prospect was called up to the big leagues this week with Kevin Pucetas being designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Moose hit his first big league homer last night.
- To keep up with all of the minor moves throughout the week, such as Felipe Lopez being designated for assignment by the Rays, be sure to use our Transactions tag, follow @mlbtrtrans on Twitter, and/or use MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
Trade Candidate: Michael Cuddyer
The Twins are currently one of the hottest teams in baseball, but despite a 9-2 stretch, they find themselves nine games out of first place in the American League Central. In a weak division, it's not unthinkable that they can make up enough ground to avoid selling this July, especially with Joe Mauer, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Kubel, and Jim Thome all nearing returns from the disabled list, but the odds are stacked against them.
Amidst lineups of career journeymen and minor leaguers, Michael Cuddyer has quietly heated up and is a name that could draw interest should the Twins ultimately fail to sneak back into contention. The Twins' swiss army knife entered play today hitting .303/.363/.462 since May 1, and that was before he belted his ninth homer of the year this afternoon — a three-run shot that raised his overall slash line to .273/.339/.432.
On top of his solid offensive production, Cuddyer has appeared all over the diamond, seeing time at third base, second base, first base, and in right field. His versatility and solid production from the right side of the plate make him a good comparable for two recent midseason trade commodities: Mark DeRosa and Casey Blake.
Blake was traded from the Indians to the Dodgers in 2008 after hitting .289/.365/.465 for the Tribe in the first half of the season. Cleveland sent DeRosa to the Cardinals in 2009 after hitting .270/.342/.457. Both overall lines are similar to Cuddyer's, and both players offered defensive versatility paired with solid right-handed production The Indians picked up Jon Meloan and Carlos Santana for Blake, and received Chris Perez and Jess Todd for DeRosa.
Cuddyer's $10.5MM salary is noticeably higher than that of either Blake ($6.1MM) or DeRosa ($5.5M) at the time of their trades, so Minnesota would likely have to kick in some money if they were to look for similar packages. Another deterrent could also be the fact that Cuddyer has played his whole career in a Twins uniform, and has become the heart and soul of that team as well as a fixture in the Twin Cities community.
Still, another month of hot hitting will likely lead to lots of calls for GM Bill Smith regarding the long-time Twinkie, and could force him into making a tough, and probably unpopular business decision. With his salary as high as it is though, the Twins wouldn't offer Cuddyer arbitration this offseason, so getting something for him this summer might make the most sense if they can't turn things around. And, they could always call Cuddyer up this winter and re-sign him if they so desired.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Outrighted to Triple-A: Gonzalez
We'll keep track of players who have been outrighted to Triple-A today here:
- The Tigers reported that they've outrighted Enrique Gonzalez to Triple-A Toledo via the team's official Twitter feed. The move opens up a spot for Magglio Ordonez's return to action tomorrow.
Quick Hits: Indians, Beede, D’Backs, Giants
On this day in 2005, the Rangers released Andres Torres, a 27-year-old outfielder who had compiled a .534 OPS in parts of four big league seasons. While things looked bleak for Torres at the time, he eventually worked his way back to the bigs four years later with San Francisco. Since then, he has hit .266/.345/.477 and played a key role on the Giants' World Champion squad in 2010. Here are today's links:
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti isn't ready to make additions via trade, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The club is reluctant to part with prospects like Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis, but the solution may ultimately be to turn to those two as they did with Cord Phelps last week. Chisenhall and Kipnis were ranked 25th and 54th, respectively, on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list entering 2011.
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that he expects the Blue Jays to sign their first-round pick, Tyler Beede, for around $3MM. Beede, selected out of high school, has said his decision will come down to the money.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has targeted "about 20 guys" who could be on the trade market over the next few weeks, according to the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. While most teams aren't ready to deal yet, Towers says "that doesn't mean I don't do my due diligence and still call."
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News argues that, while the Giants need to acquire a catcher at some point, there's no urgency to do so immediately.
- Bartolo Colon's trip to the DL is a reminder that the Yankees likely won't be a championship-caliber team in 2011 without at least one more starting pitching acquisition, says John Harper of the New York Daily News.
- All the 40-man roster moves the Cardinals have made recently could suggest there's need for a trade, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- With labor uncertainty surrounding many other professional sports, Bud Selig is proud that baseball is avoiding similar issues, as the commissioner tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hummel's piece includes a rundown of a few key items on the table during CBA talks.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Reyes, Mets, Gordon
While the Phillies continue to sit atop the National League standings, the Braves are making the NL East race a little more interesting these days. They'll send Tommy Hanson to the hill this afternoon in Houston in search of their sixth consecutive win. As we wait to see whether Atlanta can gain any more ground on the Phils, let's round up this morning's NL East links from the division's two biggest markets, New York and Philadelphia:
- Based on Ruben Amaro Jr.'s track record, the GM's assertion that the Phillies won't make any major moves this summer should be taken with a grain of salt, says Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Two Phillies officials that spoke to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports contended that Amaro may actually be telling the truth this time.
- Within Rosenthal's piece, the FOX scribe notes that, while the Phillies could use a bat, their strong rotation has made them a new kind of team, and "not necessarily a worse kind."
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets will trade Jose Reyes before July 31st, and believes the team needs to make a strong effort to keep the shortstop past 2011, despite the risks.
- Mets fans may not look back fondly on Omar Minaya's stint in New York, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily News points out that the former GM was responsible for acquiring many notable contributors on the club's present-day roster.
- As Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes, Phillies minor leaguer Brian Gordon has the opportunity to opt out of his contract this Wednesday, on the condition that another team adds him to its Major League roster. Gordon, 32, has only made four career big league appearances (in 2008), but is excelling at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, with a 1.14 ERA, 1.1 BB/9, and 9.1 K/9 in 55 1/3 innings.
Cafardo On Capps, Clippard, Athletics, Cabrera
There are indications that Cubs owner Tom Ricketts could be considering a management overhaul in Chicago, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe thinks Ricketts would do well to hire as many Red Sox people as possible. Cafardo suggests that Allard Baird, Ben Cherington, and DeMarlo Hale are among the names that should be attractive to the Cubs. Here are some other highlights from the Globe's Sunday Notes:
- Matt Capps should draw plenty of trade interest if the Twins decide to move him. However, the closer likely won't become available until the Twins are absolutely sure they're out of the race, as the defending AL Central champs will be reluctant to give up on their season.
- If the Nationals are willing to deal him, there will be a strong market for setup man Tyler Clippard. Cafardo speculates that Clippard would be a good fit for the Yankees or Phillies.
- An AL GM on the Athletics' decision to replace manager Bob Geren with Bob Melvin: "[GM Billy] Beane made the move now because he thought there was something to salvage. They still have the pitching. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility."
- Any contenders with interest in Orlando Cabrera may be able to acquire him sooner rather than later, after the Indians' promotion of Cord Phelps reduced Cabrera to a part-time role.
- Jason Bay's most recent slump had the Mets' $66MM man out of the lineup this week. "His bat is slow and he’s just not himself," said one veteran scout. "The ballpark [Citi Field] isn’t good for him, but the way he hit his home runs, I never thought that was a big issue."
Pirates Notes: McCutchen, Catching Help
Let's check out a handful of Pirates-related links, as Kevin Correia and the Bucs look to get back to .500 today against the Mets….
- Extension talks between Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates haven't progressed recently, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. According to Kovacevic, both sides appear open to a deal, and an offer that buys out a year or two of the outfielder's free agent years may still be on the table. Money is a separator, however.
- We heard yesterday that teams are hoping to take advantage of the Pirates' lack of backstop depth by making Pittsburgh overpay to acquire a catcher. Manager Clint Hurdle discussed this dilemma with Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Everybody knows the situation we're in. So, when you ask, we're getting some sticker shock…. It's the nature of the industry, like the shark that smells blood."
- More from Hurdle on the team's need for catching help: "I know [GM Neal Huntington is] working overtime, I'm making calls, everyone's trying to check on who's available. We remain guardedly optimistic. We don't want to sacrifice the future for a fit right now, but the realism of the fit is pretty sincere…. I'm looking at how we are going to cover the next 35 to 40 games."
- Despite the Pirates' pitching woes over the last two decades, there are reasons to be optimistic about the arms in the organization, writes Bob Cohn of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.