Week In Review: 5/29/11 – 6/4/11
We're just one day away from the MLB Draft! Let's take a look back at the week that led up to it:
- The Astros released their biggest offseason signing, Bill Hall, after he produced just a .224/.272/.240 line. Houston inked Hall to a one-year deal worth $3MM with a $4MM mutual option last winter.
- It was announced this week that Daisuke Matsuzaka will require Tommy John surgery, meaning his days with the Red Sox could be done.
- In other Tommy John news, the Royals announced that top prospect John Lamb will require the procedure. That move comes as a big blow to Kansas City; Lamb ranked 18th on Baseball America's list of Top 100 prospects entering the season.
- A handful of minor trades this week: the Twins acquired Jeremy Reed for future considerations, the Padres acquired Steve Tolleson for a player to be named later, and the Diamondbacks acquired Lucas May for minor leaguer Andrea Pizziconi.
- The Yankees will explore trades to improve their rotation and perhaps add a left-handed reliever this summer, while the Diamondbacks will be on the lookout for bullpen help.
- One popular name on the bullpen front will likely be Heath Bell, and he's already drawing interest from the Cardinals.
- The Nationals are looking for center fielders and leadoff hitters and have inquired on Michael Bourn, though the talks didn't go anywhere.
- There have been trade rumors swirling around Jose Reyes' name for months, but the Mets could potentially trade David Wright instead of Reyes. If that were to occur, Wright's 2013 club option would become invalid, as it only applies if he's playing for the Mets.
- It's never too early to think about the offseason, and we heard this week that the Orioles are poised to be big spenders this winter, with Prince Fielder being a potential top target.
- Hideki Okajima, who has been pitching well since being demoted to Triple-A, is hoping that the Red Sox will trade him.
- Curious about your team's plans for the draft? We presented seven different roundups of draft notes this week, so be sure to check them out and brush up before the big day.
- Nothing about the draft is set in stone until it happens, but there was a report this week that the Pirates have decided to draft UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole first overall.
- Plenty of minor moves this week: the Mariners released Manny Delcarmen (the Rangers signed him days later), the Orioles designated Jake Fox for assignment, and the White Sox did the same with Dallas McPherson. To see all of the week's minor moves and keep up in the future, click our Transactions tag, follow @mlbtrtrans on Twitter, or use MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
- Lastly, a look at the latest update to the Elias Rankings.
Quick Hits: Reyes, Pirates, Garvey-Hershiser
A few items of note for Sunday afternoon. On this day in 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Tim Beckham with the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft.
- ESPN's Adam Rubin shares a video interview with Jose Reyes in which the Mets shortstop says he doesn't think about the constant trade rumors surrounding him because all he can control is his on-field performance.
- Mike Pelfrey told Mark Hale of the New York Post that it would be tough for him as an individual, tough for the team, and tough for the fans to lose Reyes, whom he deems irreplaceable.
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch covers the additional lefty relief options the Pirates have in Triple-A, and says that if a roster move needs to be made in order to appease manager Clint Hurdle's desire for another southpaw, Jose Ascanio is the most likely to be designated for assignment.
- A Dodgers sale is not yet imminent, but Orel Hershiser has joined Steve Garvey and others, forming the Garvey-Hershiser Group, in hopes of bidding on the team should it be put up for sale by MLB, writes Jeff Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News. The Dodgers could be made for sale if Frank McCourt can't make the next payroll payments, according to Painter. Reports of Garvey's interest in purchasing the Dodgers first surfaced when MLB seized control of the team in April.
- Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, slated for Tommy John surgery this week, hopes to "come back to the game with the Red Sox uniform," writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. Since it typically takes pitchers at least a calendar year to return from the surgery, Dice-K, whose six-year contract expires after 2012, may have played his last game for Boston and perhaps in MLB.
- The Phillies' debt situation is broken down by David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News in the wake of Friday's news that the Phils are one of nine teams in violation of MLB's debt service rules. The takeaway: The Phils are in relatively solid financial standing, as the franchise is paid off, with their current debt representing only a "momentary hiccup," writes Murphy.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Lance Berkman
Most eyes are on Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder as it pertains to the upcoming class of free-agent first basemen, and rightly so. However, Pujols' teammate Lance Berkman, who signed a one-year, $8MM deal with the Redbirds in the offseason, bears watching, too.
Through his first two months in St. Louis, Berkman has largely regained the stroke that made him one of baseball's best and most consistent sluggers during the first decade of his career. His season line stood at .329/.444/.599 entering Sunday's game against the Cubs, which is vastly better than the .248/.368/.413 he posted during an injury-marred 2010 that he split between the Astros and Yankees.
Some regression is to be expected this season considering Berkman's career line of .297/.410/.547, but clearly a steep decline is not underway as 2010 may have indicated. However, 2012 will Berkman's age-36 season, and although he's playing the outfield now with St. Louis, he's best suited for first base or perhaps even DH, a role he filled during his time with the Yanks. As it is, he's been getting fairly regular rest as he works around various nagging ailments.
So, what does this mean for his Berkman's prospects on the free-agent market? Of course, a lot could happen between now and then, but barring injury, I think the Big Puma will be looking at a deal comparable to the one Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants last offseason: two years, $22MM, and perhaps some kind of option. Berkman has a more distinguished career than Huff, of course, but he is older and has had injury concerns the past couple years. As well, Berkman will be viewed as third-best free-agent first baseman after Pujols and Fielder. Carlos Pena, who is younger but not as good of a hitter as Berkman, will draw interest too.
With a lot of variables at play here – such as the Cards' dealings with Pujols, Berkman's health and his red-hot start – it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
Draft Links: Royals, Pirates, Phillies
Here's the latest as we close in on Monday's First-Year Player Draft …
- The Royals will be tempted to take prep outfielder Bubba Starling from Kansas with the No. 5 overall pick, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. The Royals are thought to covet a polished pitcher so that he can help the big league team sooner than later, according to Dodd, but they've smarted over missing out on local products Albert Pujols and Logan Morrison in the recent past, and GM Dayton Moore has discussed the importance of snatching up local talent.
- The Pirates' indecision about which pricey college player to take select at No. 1 overall — Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon are represented by Scott Boras, while Danny Hultzen is reportedly seeking $13MM — has some baseball people wondering whether they'll take a prep player like Starling or Dylan Bundy in order to preserve their draft budget and overpay for tough-to-sign players at later picks, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Also within that piece, Rogers examines some of the crucial selections of the past 10 drafts.
- The Phillies are charged with restocking their farm despite making their first pick at No. 39, writes Bob Brookover of Philly.com. The fact that many of the Phils' core players are homegrown and others were acquired with prospects is a testament to the scouting and development departments, according to Brookover.
- The Royals could also select UConn right-hander Matt Barnes with the fifth overall pick, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Within that piece, Goff explains Barners' unforeseen ascent to likely top-10 selection.
- The Astros were once interested in Texas A&M righty John Stilson at No. 11, according to Goff, but the hurler has generally slipped out of first-round consideration due to a shoulder injury. As a result, Stilson is now a deep sleeper, writes Goff.
- Jonathan May of MLB.com published his latest mock draft today, with Cole, Rendon and Hultzen going at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to the Pirates, Mariners and D'Backs, respectively.
- Four of six industry experts polled said they prefer Cole to Trevor Bauer of the two UCLA Bruins, but it's closer than you think, writes Tom Krasovic.
Pirates Notes: Cole, Draft, Trade Deadline
The Pirates set an attendance record Saturday night, drawing 39,441 fans, a PNC Park high. Those in attendance saw the hometown Bucs beat the team atop the National League standings for a second straight game. With a win today, Pittsburgh would sweep the Phillies and reach .500. Let's check out the latest Pirates-related links….
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) says "the betting is very heavy" the Pirates will take Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick in tomorrow's draft, as Dejan Kovacevic reported yesterday. If they decide to go another direction though, there are plenty of viable options, writes Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the team is once again prepared to spend big on the draft, as they have in recent years. Coonelly points out that with potential changes to baseball's collective bargaining agreement looming, draftees may be more inclined to sign this year rather than take their chances under a new system next year.
- Within the same piece, Coonelly says it's too early to know whether the Pirates will be buyers or sellers at this July's trade deadline: "If we're in the hunt and the club has needs, we have the financial flexibility to look for pieces to help the club win this year."
Cafardo’s Latest: Beltran, Guerrero, Marquis, Soria
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses Buster Posey and Scott Cousins, examines what went wrong with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and lists 25 of baseball's most passionate people. Here are the other highlights from Cafardo's piece:
- A National League talent evaluator on Carlos Beltran: "A contending team is going to get Beltran at the trading deadline, and they’re going to be very happy with him. He can still hit. He can be an emotional guy, but put him in a place where it counts, and he’ll produce for you."
- At least a couple National League teams are eyeing Vladimir Guerrero as a potential trade deadline pickup. As Cafardo notes, the primary concern for NL clubs is how significant a defensive liability Guerrero would be.
- Jason Marquis could be had in a trade if the Nationals received young talent in return. Cafardo speculates that Josh Reddick would be enough to acquire Marquis, but the Red Sox appear to be content with Tim Wakefield at the back of their rotation for now.
- Joakim Soria's demotion from the closer's role doesn't make him any more available via trade. Cafardo spoke to Royals people who said the team still wasn't considering dealing Soria.
White Sox Designate Jeff Marquez For Assignment
The White Sox have designated Jeff Marquez for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a spot on the roster for Mark Teahen, who was activated from the disabled list.
Marquez, selected 41st overall by the Yankees in 2004, was called up from Triple-A Charlotte last Monday, but didn't pitch for Chicago before being designated. The 26-year-old has appeared in just one big league game, allowing a two-run home run to Yuniesky Betancourt in his lone inning of work last July. This season, Marquez has made nine starts for Charlotte, recording a 3.97 ERA.
Athletics Designate Andy LaRoche For Assignment
The Athletics have reinstated Grant Balfour from the paternity list and designated Andy LaRoche for assignment, according to a team release.
LaRoche had served as a part-time third baseman and utility infielder for the A's, earning starts at all four infield positions in the season's first two months. He appeared in 40 games for the team, batting .247/.320/.333 in 104 plate appearances. The 27-year-old ranked among Baseball America's top 20 minor league prospects before both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, but has struggled in the bigs, posting a .642 career OPS across parts of five seasons.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that the decision to designate LaRoche was made in part because infielder Adam Rosales is so close to returning from his right foot injury. LaRoche tells Slusser (Twitter link) that he hopes another team will have interest in him for a major league role.
Nationals Have Interest In B.J. Upton
The Nationals' search for a center fielder has the team eyeing B.J. Upton, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. According to Ladson's source, Nats GM Mike Rizzo believes that a change of scenery could help the Rays outfielder, whose 2011 slash line of .228/.324/.389 ranks below his career rates.
We heard in April that the Nationals were scouting Upton, but weren't considering a trade at the time. Since then, center field has become a more glaring need for the club. For the season, their internal options have combined to post a .591 OPS in 253 plate appearances at the position.
With the Rays in the thick of the AL East race, it's not known whether Upton will be available this summer. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that the Rays could consider an Upton trade even if they're contending, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said the team would have to fall out of the playoff hunt before exploring deals involving the 26-year-old. Ladson reported last week that the Nationals are "willing to overpay" to acquire a center fielder, in which case the Rays would at least have to listen.
Draft Links: Rays, Astros, Indians, Diamondbacks
Earlier today we learned that the Pirates plan to select Gerrit Cole with the number one overall pick in Monday's amateur draft, the first of over 1,500 players that will hear their names called next week. We'll keep track of draft news thoughout the day right here, with the latest up top…
- The Rays are ready to cash in on their glut of draft picks, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Tampa Bay is the first team to have twelve of the top 100 selections in a draft.
- The Astros are trying to reach a pre-draft deal with Stanford lefty Chris Reed for the 11th overall pick according Frankie Piliere of FOX Sports (on Twitter), though they are denying that is the case (also via Twitter). Baseball America ranked Reed as the 60th best prospect in the draft on their top 200 list.
- ESPN's Keith Law is hearing "quite a bit" about the Indians being connected to Vanderbilt righty Sonny Gray with the eighth overall pick (Twitter link). Click here to see Ben Nicholson-Smith's Q&A with Gray.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic hears that the Diamondbacks may be willing to take a player with large bonus demands with the seventh overall pick. That pick is compensation for failing to sign Barret Loux last year and is unprotected, so they won't get another pick if they don't sign the player. For that reason, it's been speculated that they would take a player they know they can sign.
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun puts a spotlight on high school righty Dylan Bundy, who is in the mix to be selected by the Orioles, number four overall. Jim Callis of Baseball America has Bundy going to the D'Backs and Danny Hultzen going to O's on his latest draft board (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox have a unique opportunity on their hands in owning four of the top 40 picks in the draft, writes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. Boston had five of the first 47 picks in 2005, selecting Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Michael Bowden and Craig Hansen. Pretty nice haul there.
- The Rangers are showing strong interest in prep outfielder Brandon Nimmo from Wyoming with the 33rd overall pick, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). Nimmo has committed to attend Arkansas.