Braves Not Interested In Trading Lowe
The Braves have no interest in trading Derek Lowe, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Despite some speculation that the Braves' starting pitching surplus could make Lowe available, the Braves aren't looking to deal the right-hander.
Brandon Beachy is now on the disabled list, so the Braves are calling on top prospect Julio Teheran to make his second career start Wednesday, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens round out the Major League rotation, which has been tremendous. Braves starters are among the MLB leaders across the leaderboard.
With Teheran, Mike Minor and Rodrigo Lopez in the minor leagues, the Braves have the depth to make a deal. However, they prefer to keep Lowe, who has a 3.73 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 56.9% ground ball rate through 50 2/3 innings.
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Astros Notes: Crane, Smith, Wade
Longtime owner Drayton McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to a group led by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Both McLane and Crane addressed the media today, though the sale hasn't been approved by MLB owners. Here's the latest:
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle guesses that president of business operations Pam Gardner and president of baseball operations Tal Smith, two of McLane’s most trusted advisors, “will be fired within six months.”
- Justice says he doesn’t know if Rays exec and Houston native Andrew Friedman will want to come home and run the Astros, but he points out that the opportunity could very well arise. If Friedman stays put, the Astros will likely pursue an assistant general manager “out of the same mold.”
- Crane says the Astros "will try to be smart and spend money wisely,” according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). “It starts with the draft," Crane said. "We need to make sure we're building a team for the future."
- GM Ed Wade introduced himself to Crane after today’s press conference, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). Wade had never met Crane before.
- Wade told Goff that if the sale is approved on time, it could have a “major effect” on the Astros’ approach to trades this July.
Rosenthal On Chapman, Braves, Rockies, Norris
Aroldis Chapman went on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation today, after Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on the Reds’ options for proceeding with the struggling Cuban left-hander. Here’s the latest on Chapman plus notes from around the league:
- A veteran scout insists that the Reds need to demote Chapman and make him a starter, but pitching coach Bryan Price isn’t so sure that a demotion is the way to go. He points out that Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson took time to develop. “Both struggled with command until they got enough work to figure out how their body works, how to put their hand in the right position to throw quality strikes,” Price said.
- The Braves would ideally add a leadoff hitter and put Martin Prado second in the order, according to Rosenthal. He suggests the Braves could target leadoff options Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Denard Span or David DeJesus via trade or free agency after the season.
- The Rockies appear to be concerned about losing out of options relievers Felipe Paulino and Franklin Morales to waivers.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says Bud Norris has become a much more mature pitcher. The 26-year-old right-hander has 60 strikeouts in 50 innings this year.
Cardinals Claim Jess Todd
Jess Todd is heading back to St. Louis. The Cardinals claimed the right-hander off of waivers from the Yankees, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
The Cardinals selected Todd in the second round of the 2007 draft and promoted him to the Major Leagues in 2009. That same year, the Cardinals sent Todd to Cleveland along with current Indians closer Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa. Earlier this season the Indians designated Todd for assignment and the Yankees claimed the 25-year-old. Soon afterward, New York needed roster space and designated Todd for assignment.
Todd has allowed 19 hits, 8 walks and 13 runs in 10 2/3 minor league innings this year, striking out 7. However, he has averaged more than one strikeout per inning in his five-year minor league career. Todd has 28 1/3 innings of big league experience and his 7.62 ERA is unimpressive despite a strong 29K/12BB ratio.
Tigers Will Consider Trades For Hitters
The Tigers will consider trading for an outfield or third base bat, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, though the $15MM salary owed to Mets' third baseman David Wright "appears too rich for them to take."
Wright's salary is listed at $14MM at Cot's Baseball Contracts, so acquiring him on July 31st would require adding about $4.5MM. I imagine the cost in players to acquire Wright would be an even bigger concern, but only if he starts hitting in the next two months. Plus, the Tigers are already paying Brandon Inge $5.5MM this year and next to man the hot corner.
The Tigers haven't gotten much from outfielders Ryan Raburn, Austin Jackson, and Magglio Ordonez so far this season. A few speculative trade ideas: Jeff Francoeur, Jason Kubel, Hunter Pence, Ryan Ludwick, and Luke Scott. Problems: acquiring Francoeur or Kubel from division rivals could be tough, and Pence may not be available. Carlos Beltran would be a nice fit, but he earns more than Wright.
The Tigers were seven games out and in third place ten days ago, but since then they've won seven straight. They're now in second place, 3.5 games behind the Indians with Max Scherzer on the hill tonight.
Mariners Release Milton Bradley
MAY 16th: The Mariners released Bradley, tweets Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. He's now a free agent, to no one's surprise.
MAY 9th: The Mariners designated left fielder Milton Bradley for assignment and recalled outfielder Carlos Peguero, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns. In the likely event the Ms eventually release Bradley, they'll have to eat over $9MM in salary. Johns tweets GM Jack Zduriencik's explanation: "We felt Milton was not part of our future and not part of our present. Therefore, the move was made."
The Mariners shook up the roster a bit today, designating veterans Bradley and Ryan Langerhans to make room for youngsters Peguero and Mike Wilson. Bradley, 33, hit .209/.298/.351 in 393 plate appearances for the Mariners since he was acquired from the Cubs for Carlos Silva and $9MM in December of '09. Essentially the Mariners took on Bradley for two years and $5MM in that bad contract swap.
Bradley's time with Seattle was tumultuous, with a benching, multiple ejections, time on the restricted list for counseling, arthroscopic knee surgery, and an arrest for making a criminal threat.
Free Agent Offensive Leaderboards
We're about a quarter of the way through the 2011 season. Here's a look at the impending free agent leaderboards.
Batting average
- Lance Berkman – .347
- Jason Kubel – .331
- Jamey Carroll – .319
- Jose Reyes – .310
- Jeff Francoeur – .295
On-base percentage
- Lance Berkman – .434
- Jason Kubel – .387
- Jamey Carroll – .380
- David Ortiz – .377
- Carlos Beltran – .373
Slugging percentage
- Lance Berkman – .694
- Carlos Beltran – .569
- Jeff Francoeur – .550
- Prince Fielder – .540
- David Ortiz – .504
Walk rate
- Carlos Pena – 17.5%
- Kosuke Fukudome – 16.4%
- J.D. Drew – 16.3%
- Jonny Gomes – 15.7%
- Lance Berkman - 14.5%
wOBA
- Lance Berkman - .463
- Carlos Beltran – .402
- Jeff Francoeur – .390
- Prince Fielder – .390
- Kosuke Fukudome – .387
Home runs
1. Lance Berkman – 11
2. Prince Fielder – 9
3. Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur – 8
5. David Ortiz, Rod Barajas, Albert Pujols – 7
If The Diamondbacks Become Sellers
The Diamondbacks currently sit at 17-22, in fourth place in the NL West and five games back of the Giants. The deficit doesn't seem insurmountable, but the Baseball Prospectus playoff odds report assigns the team a meager 0.8% chance. If GM Kevin Towers commits to selling in a couple of months, who might be available?
- Second baseman Kelly Johnson belongs at the top of the list, given his $5.85MM salary and impending free agency. However, Johnson is hitting .185/.256/.308 in 162 plate appearances and leads the NL in strikeouts. Even if he starts hitting, this will probably be a salary dump for Arizona at best.
- 29-year-old southpaw Joe Saunders is having a rough year, with a well-deserved 5.48 ERA through eight starts. There's a good chance he's non-tendered after the season. If he can put up a sub-5.00 ERA over the next two months the Diamondbacks might be able to save a few million on the contract. Lefty Zach Duke, recovering from a broken hand, may not make his season debut until late May or early June. If he pitches well in June, he could be a more affordable alternative to Saunders.
- There's an argument for trading shortstop Stephen Drew this summer. It'd probably make the team worse in 2012, but Drew's trade value could be higher than Jose Reyes' since the Arizona shortstop is under control for next season. Towers was willing to listen on Justin Upton during the offseason, and I think he'll field calls on Drew in the coming months. If Drew can be had, Towers would have to listen on catcher Miguel Montero as well, as Montero is also under team control through '12.
- Closer J.J. Putz is another solid player the D'Backs have to consider moving even if it hurts in the short-term. Putz is under contract for '12 and possibly '13. He's nine for nine in save opportunities in a world where Matt Capps can net a team Wilson Ramos.
- The Diamondbacks have a slew of additional veterans who wouldn't net more than salary relief in trade, assuming they're even around in July: Melvin Mora, Armando Galarraga, Aaron Heilman, Xavier Nady, Geoff Blum, Henry Blanco, Russell Branyan, and Willie Bloomquist.
Draft Prep: Know Your Bradleys
The draft is just three weeks away. Three Bradleys have first-round potential; let's brush up.
Archie Bradley
Archie is a right-handed pitcher out of Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma. In his recent top 100 list, ESPN's Keith Law ranked him tenth. Back in February, Baseball America placed him ninth. Law notes that Archie "is committed to Oklahoma as a quarterback but his passion is baseball." According to Law, this Bradley sits 92-95 and has a hammer curveball "that might be the best in the draft." Talking to BA's Nathan Rode in February, Bradley labeled himself a "front of the rotation guy," noting that "people get away from the fastball too much." Comparisons to Dylan Bundy are natural, because the two top ten draft prospects pitch in the same conference and are good friends.
Jed Bradley
Jed is a 6'4" left-handed pitcher out of Georgia Tech. Law ranked him 13th, while BA had him 12th in February. Law says Jed sits at 89-94 and is a clear first-rounder, but his ceiling is currently limited because he lacks an average breaking ball. On May 11th, ESPN's Jason Churchill wrote that Bradley's recent performance had his stock dropping a bit, but he'll still go in the middle of the first round at worst. MLB.com's Peter Gammons still considers Jed a "sure top-10 selection." BA's Teddy Cahill noted that Bradley was undrafted out of high school, but he bulked up, added velocity, and learned a lot from former Yellow Jacket teammate Deck McGuire.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Jackie is a 5'10" center fielder out of South Carolina. He's currently recovering from late April wrist surgery. While the injury itself doesn't affect his long-term outlook, it may prevent him from returning and breaking out of an extended slump. BA's Jim Callis puts Jackie in the second half of the first round, and Law ranked him 28th. Law's scouting report bottom line: "His upside is that of a plus glove in center who hits for average and probably 15-homer power." Jackie has over 4,000 Twitter followers and is advised by the Boras Corporation.