Stark On Marquis, Papelbon, Lowe, Phillies
ESPN's Jayson Stark recently chatted with fans about several topics, including these hot stove-related items…
- Stark predicts there won't be "a lot of difference-making starters" available at the trade deadline this summer, so a lower-tier arm like Jason Marquis could garner some interest if Washington makes him available.
- It has been widely assumed that this is Jonathan Papelbon's last year in Boston, but Stark isn't so sure the stopper will find a better deal elsewhere. "He'll test the market," Stark writes, "but you'll have a ton of closers out there this winter. [Papelbon] might not get what he thinks he'll get."
- Stark hears from teams who have "kicked the tires" about acquiring Derek Lowe that the Braves want to keep the veteran right-hander. (Stark's ESPN colleague Buster Olney reported the same earlier this week.) Atlanta values its starting pitching depth, which has already been tested this season with Brandon Beachy's current DL stint.
- The Phillies "can't add anybody who makes even modest money unless ownership signs off on it," which could leave them unable to make a major acquisition at the trade deadline.
- Stark has heard from some general managers that "eventually, there will be a push to get rid of the DH" to get both leagues playing under the same set of rules. Such a rule change would be years away from being implemented, however, since teams have spent a lot on players who they intended to use as designated hitters now or in the future.
- The Orioles don't seem like they'd be willing to trade Jeremy Guthrie, and Luke Scott "isn't an easy guy to deal" given his controversial political views.
- Jesus Montero "isn't ready" for the majors yet, according to some International League scouts.
Reds Release Dallas Buck
The Reds have released right-hander Dallas Buck, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Buck never managed to impress while with the Reds organization and posted a 8.50 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in eight Double-A starts this season.
The release of the 26-year-old means that there are no players remaining from the Adam Dunn deal with the Diamondbacks in 2008. The other two players in the deal are already elsewhere as Micah Owings returned to Arizona this offseason and Wilkin Castillo hooked on with the Braves.
Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner
On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.
Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…
- Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
- As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club. He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
- Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
- Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.
Athletics Sign Lenny DiNardo
The Athletics have signed Lenny DiNardo according to Mike Ashmore of The Hunterdon County Democrat (on Twitter). He will report to Triple-A.
DiNardo, 31, had been pitching with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League after the Red Sox released him from his minor league contract at the end of Spring Training. He had a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with the Ducks before catching back on with the A's, with whom he spent 2007-2008. DiNardo last appeared in the big leagues in 2009 and owns a 5.36 ERA in 257 MLB innings.
The A's are dealing with injuries to Dallas Braden (shoulder), Rich Harden (lat), Brandon McCarthy (shoulder), and Tyson Ross (oblique), so DiNardo will serve as rotation depth in Triple-A.
Armando Galarraga Clears Waivers
SATURDAY: Galarraga has cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A, reports Marcos Grunfeld of BeisbolVenezolano.net (link in Spanish). MLBTR's Nick Collias provided the translation.
"Armando accepted the assignment and in a couple of days he'll be traveling [to Triple-A]," said Galarraga's agent to Grunfeld via telephone. "We don't know if the Diamondbacks have received any offers for him, [because] they didn't tell us anything about that."
TUESDAY: The D'Backs designated Armando Galarraga for assignment, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (Twitter links). Arizona intends to activate Willie Bloomquist Wednesday and needed a roster spot.
"We felt it was time to make a change," GM Kevin Towers said. The D'Backs now have ten days to trade Galarraga, release him or, if he clears waivers, assign him to the minor leagues.
The 29-year-old posted a 5.91 ERA with 5.9 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 and a league-high 13 homers allowed in 42 2/3 innings this year. Earlier today, manager Kirk Gibson hinted that the former Tigers starter could be removed from the rotation. On Monday, Galarraga responded with hostility to a question about losing his rotation spot.
Diamondbacks Release Russell Branyan
The Diamondbacks have released Russell Branyan according to Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic. The move makes room on both the 25-man and 40-man rosters for Micah Owings.
Branyan, 35, was stuck in a three-way platoon with Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady at first base. He hit just .210/.290/.339 with one homer in 69 plate appearances, 17 of which came as a pinch-hitter. Dan Mennella looked at Branyan as a potential trade candidate last month, but now any club could pick him up for nothing but the minimum salary.
The 28-year-old Owings has a 4.85 ERA in seven Triple-A starts this year, and he's hit .250/.357/.500 in 14 plate appearances. The D'Backs indicated that they hoped to use Owings on the mound and occasionally at first base when they signed him to a minor league deal back in January.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, DeRosa, LaRoche
Some items of note on Friday night as Danny Espinosa looks to collect a double to complete the cycle in the slugfest between the Nationals and Orioles …
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti admitted that he is exploring trade opportunities to help boost his sagging club, but he cautioned that it's tough to complete deals at this time of year without overpaying, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- Giants utility man Mark DeRosa will see a specialist about his injured left wrist, for which he's already undergone two surgeries, but he's not considering retirement if doctors think he can make a full recovery, writes Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche said offseason negotiations with the Orioles never got serious enough that his decision to sign with Washington was especially tough, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Not to pile on the O's, but Mark Teixeira echoed a sentiment similar to LaRoche's a couple days back.
Minors Notes: Jennings, Transactions, Red Sox
The Phillies' Domonic Brown became the latest prospect to get the call up to the big leagues today (although he debuted in 2010), but some blue-chippers remain down on the farm. Here's a note about one of them, and some other interesting items …
- Rays manager Joe Maddon said Desmond Jennings wasn't called up after Dan Johnson was designated for assignment because Tampa wants the speedy outfielder to play every day, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Of course, Maddon was implying that the decision was not related to Jennings' service time.
- The Phillies' signing of 17-year-old Australian catcher Liam Bedford was among last week's notable minors transactions, compiled by Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Another noteworthy move: The Angels have finally signed UC Irvine catcher Francis Larson, their 22nd-round pick in last year's draft.
- The Red Sox have a unique sales pitch for minor league free agents, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Boston has a recent track record of awarding promotions to players like Nick Green and Darnell McDonald, which is appealing to guys like Drew Sutton who are looking to latch onto organizations that will give them a legitimate shot of playing in the Majors.
Orioles Designate Troy Patton For Assignment
The Orioles have designated lefty Troy Patton for assignment from the 25-man roster, per a club press release. The move serves to clear space on the 25-man roster for infielder Ryan Adams, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Norfolk.
Patton, a ninth-round pick of the Astros in 2004, appeared in just one game for the O's this season, surrendering two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings on Thursday night against the Yankees. The lefty, now 25, was once a well-regarded prospect and was acquired by Baltimore after the 2007 season in the deal that sent Miguel Tejada to Houston.
Top Interleague Acquisitions For 2011
Another round of interleague play begins tonight, so let’s take a look at some players who switched leagues last winter and are off to hot starts in 2011. Here are a few of the players thriving in new leagues – and what it cost to acquire them:
Free Agents
- Cliff Lee – It cost $120MM in guaranteed money and a first round pick for the Phillies to reacquire Lee. He has a 3.84 ERA with a 68K/13BB ratio through 58 2/3 innings.
- Adam Dunn – After a slow start, Dunn has been hitting like his usual self this month and now has a .203/.321/.368 line. He cost the White Sox $56MM and the 23rd overall selection in this year's draft.
- J.J. Putz – Putz, one of many relievers to sign multiyear deals last winter, is living up to Arizona's $10MM investment. He has a 2.12 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 through 17 innings of work.
- Lance Berkman – Berkman wasn't out of the National League for long and he must be happy he's back. Though currently sidelined, the 35-year-old has a .349/.455/.683 line and is among the league leaders in many offensive categories. Well worth the Cards’ $8MM investment.
- Russell Martin – Easily one of the offseason's best bargains, Martin has a .268/.371/.480 line. Not only did he cost just $4MM, he's under team control in 2012.
- Jeff Francis – Francis has a 4.83 ERA with a 27K/10BB ratio through 54 innings and he cost just $2MM.
Trades
- Adrian Gonzalez – Gonzalez has a .314/.370/.560 line back in the American League, but he didn’t come cheap. The Padres obtained top pitching prospect Casey Kelly, former first rounder Reymond Fuentes and Anthony Rizzo, who is tearing through the Pacific Coast League. Rizzo has a .371/.443/.702 line through 174 plate appearances and it won't be long before he's making an impact at Petco Park.
- Shaun Marcum – Marcum is pitching better than ever for the Brewers and the Blue Jays are no doubt pleased with what 21-year-old Brett Lawrie’s doing to Triple-A pitching. The #40 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America, Lawrie has a .335/.395/.607 line with nine homers and as many steals.
- Matt Garza – Garza leads the National League with 11.0 K/9 and has a 3.72 ERA through 55 2/3 innings, though it took Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer to acquire him. We've all heard about Fuld’s hot start and Guyer homered in his first MLB game.