Olney On Red Sox, A’s, Trout, Harper, Morneau
It’s still a little early for struggling teams to acknowledge to fans that it’s time to start looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. As a result the trade market remains relatively quiet. Here are some of Olney’s notes on team needs and possible deals:
- The Red Sox are now focused on adding starting pitching.
- The Athletics are ready to talk trades now, so Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour and Bartolo Colon are available.
- General managers are impressed by Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, just like everyone else. One GM told Olney Trout’s faster than Rickey Henderson. "He just rockets around the bases; you don't find players that skilled," the GM said. “They're all tooled-up, and they know how to play," another GM said in reference to the pair of young stars.
- Rival executives view Justin Morneau as a tremendously risky trade target because of his $14MM salary and history with concussions (Twitter link).
- Olney had more details on the trade market last night.
Update On Timeline For Calling Up Prospects
In all likelihood, the wait is over. Teams can now call prospects up to the MLB level with the expectation that the players will not obtain super two status three winters from now. While there’s no way of predicting where the super two cutoff will fall in 2014, recent history suggests it’s now safe for teams to promote their best young prospects.
If a player gets called up tomorrow and never returns to the minor leagues, he’ll have two years and 110 days of service following the 2014 season (110 days remain in the 2012 championship season). Chances are that won’t be enough to qualify for super two status; the cutoff has been at least two years and 122 days in each of the past six seasons. Next winter, when baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect, the cutoff is expected to sit in familiar territory: two years and 134 days.
Heavily-hyped prospects such as Matt Wieters, Giancarlo Stanton and Stephen Strasburg were all called up around this time in recent years, and service time appeared to be a factor in each case. Now Shelby Miller, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Danny Hultzen, Mike Montgomery, Manny Banuelos, Brett Jackson, James Paxton and Matt Harvey are among the prospects who could safely be called up to MLB. Even if one of these players were to debut tomorrow, he wouldn't be on track for super two status. Prospects who already have MLB service time, such as Anthony Rizzo and Jacob Turner, are on different timelines, as I detailed this spring.
Players who qualify for super two status go to arbitration four times, instead of the usual three. In many cases, this means the player earns millions more than he otherwise would have.
Service time is just one element of a team's decision-making process. Plus, a substantial proportion of top prospects get optioned to the minor leagues early in their careers. The player's readiness and the team's needs generally trump service time considerations, but there's no denying they're a factor.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Ethier, Hamilton, Quentin
On this date in 2003, Reed Johnson became the fourth player in history to hit a lead-off homer and a walk-off homer in the same game. The then-26-year-old rookie opened the bottom of the first with a solo homer off Shawn Estes and ended the game by opening the bottom of the tenth with a solo homer off Mark Guthrie. Here's the latest from around the web…
- Redbird Rants interviewed Cardinals top prospect Shelby Miller.
- Seedlings to Stars interviewed Patrick Wisdom, the 52nd overall pick in the draft.
- Infield Shift interviewed Braves prospect J.R. Graham.
- SF Giants Rumors spoke to Baseball America's Jim Callis about the Giants' draft class.
- Baseball Time in Arlington wrote about Andre Ethier's extension and Josh Hamilton.
- River Ave. Blues wrote about Ethier's deal and its impact on the Yankees.
- Prospect Insider mused about a potential Jason Vargas extension.
- AL Eastbound & Down wrote about a potential Edwin Encarnacion trade.
- BoSox Injection says it's time for the Red Sox to trade Kevin Youkilis.
- MLB Prospect Watch wrote about the Tigers and Carlos Quentin.
- Meanwhile, MLB Reports thinks the Padres should trade Quentin.
- Dr. Strangeglove likes the idea of the Pirates pursuing Chase Headley.
- Obstructed View broke down Alfonso Soriano's trade value.
- Nolan Writin' says the Rangers don't need to add a starting pitcher.
- Lasorda's Lair thinks the Dodgers need a bat more than Ryan Dempster.
- Feeling Dodger Blue lists some potential trade targets for the Dodgers.
- Warehouse Worthy wonders if the Orioles should be buyers at the deadline.
- Crashburn Alley explains why the Phillies need to sell now.
- Kings of Kauffman wrote about Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and Super Two status.
- Talkin' Sox with Dan thinks the Red Sox need Ryan Kalish.
- Cleveland Indians Perspective analyzed the Indians' draft haul.
- South Side Showdown looked at White Sox GM Kenny Williams' draft history.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Quick Hits: Gio, Phillies, Rangers, Burnett
Brayan Pena's attempt to stretch a single into a double in the 9th inning drew a throw from the outfield and allowed Jarrod Dyson to score from third with the game-winning run in the Royals' 4-3 result over the Brewers tonight. It was Kansas City's second unusual walkoff victory in as many nights, as they won on a bases-loaded walk from Mike Moustakas on Wednesday. The Royals picked up the sweep against Milwaukee, winning all three games by one run.
Here's the latest from around the majors…
- The Nationals' trade for Gio Gonzalez was the "best deal anyone made last winter," a rival scout tells Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. "They didn't get him cheap, but he can dominate, and how many starters can you say that about?" The Nats look like the big winners of the deal thus far, given Washington's first-place position and Gonzalez's Cy Young Award-caliber numbers since joining the team.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News breaks down what the Phillies could possibly receive for some of their top assets on the trade market.
- The Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Astros and Red Sox are positioned to dominate the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline, predicts Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
- Despite injuries to Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara, Rangers GM Jon Daniels "still feels good" about his bullpen, reports Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (Twitter link).
- A.J. Burnett has brought both veteran leadership and quality pitching to the Pirates, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “It was important for our guys to see a guy that’s brought in and it’s not a trading-deadline deal where you have a guy for two months,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “We brought in a guy for two years. He can go ahead and unpack his bags. He’s going to be around, he can be involved, be engaged.”
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski outlines his team's pursuit of Roy Oswalt to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. Dombrowski said the Tigers were prepared to meet Oswalt's salary demands in the offseason but the veteran just didn't want to pitch in Detroit. Oswalt's representatives contacted Dombrowski again once the season began and Oswalt was without a team, but the Tigers had already moved on with Drew Smyly in the rotation.
Los Angeles Notes: Ethier, Haren, Draft Signings
Here's the latest from the City of Angels (and Dodgers)…
- Andre Ethier would've gotten more than a five-year, $85MM deal as a free agent, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in his latest Hot Corner video. Rosenthal noted that even in a crowded market for outfielders, Ethier's numbers were better than every other potential free agent outfielder (except Josh Hamilton) and Ethier could've found a contract akin to Jayson Werth's seven-year, $126MM deal with the Nationals. Still, Rosenthal calls Ethier's extension good for both sides, as Ethier enjoys playing for the Dodgers and the team gets to keep a big bat at a relative bargain price.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto talks to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times about the trade that brought Dan Haren to Anaheim, a deal that Dipoto swung from the other side while acting as the Diamondbacks' interim general manager.
- The Angels announced they have agreed to terms with 14 draft picks, with fourth-rounder Alex Yarbrough named as the highest-selected of the signees. The Halos have reached deals with 25 of 38 draft picks thus far. The Angels didn't make a selection until the third round, as they lost their first and second-round picks as compensation for signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson last offseason.
Cardinals Sign Michael Wacha
The Cardinals officially signed first-round draft pick Michael Wacha to a contract today. Terms weren't announced, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported (on Twitter) that Wacha received a $1.9MM bonus, which matches MLB's recommendation for the 19th overall draft selection. Wacha himself tweeted that he was flying to St. Louis for his physical on Wednesday.
The Texas A&M right-hander was touted by Baseball America as one of the year's top draft-eligible college pitchers. Wacha's repertoire includes the best changeup in the draft and a fastball that sits in the 90-93 mph range, according to the publication.
Olney On Red Sox, Quentin, Willingham, Pirates
ESPN's Buster Olney shared a number of items (via his Twitter feed) about a variety of hot stove topics and rumors…
- The Red Sox might be forced to deal Kevin Youkilis due to a "roster crunch" at the corner infield positions and players returning from the DL. Rival executives, however, think Youkilis currently has "no trade value" so it doesn't make sense for Boston to move him right now.
- The Angels and Yankees are "still waiting for needs to be defined" before exploring trades, while the Red Sox are only focused on acquiring starting pitching.
- Many baseball executives believe the Padres will trade Carlos Quentin, though Olney reports the Padres "would like to" offer Quentin a long-term extension sometime this summer. Olney's phrasing may relate to the uncertain status of the Padres' ownership situation.
- Teams have checked in on Josh Willingham but have been told that he isn't available. Some believe this could change but others believe Twins GM Terry Ryan "is, generally speaking, conservative with in-season deals" so the Twins could hold onto their slugger.
- The Pirates are looking for hitting but thus far found few sellers willing to deal.
- The Dodgers are asking about first basemen as they look to upgrade from James Loney but have "no reason to go crazy" finding a second base replacement for Mark Ellis, who will return from the DL at some point.
- The Rockies aren't seen as a team with much to trade, as their roster is split between "untouchables" (i.e. Troy Tulowitzki) and "role players" (such as Rafael Betancourt).
- Jim Thome could be a trade target for AL teams but Olney believes Phillies GM Ruben Amaro would first ask Thome if changing teams was something the respected veteran would want.
Yankees Notes: Quentin, Swisher, Nunez
The Yankees own baseball's all-time best record (164-109) in interleague play, including a 7-2 mark against the National League this year. The Bronx Bombers are riding a six-game winning streak thanks to consecutive sweeps of the Mets and Braves and they'll visit the equally red-hot Nationals in a three-game series this weekend. Here's the latest from Yankee Stadium…
- The Yankees don't consider Carlos Quentin as a fit for their needs, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Yankees would want to fill left field with someone "speedier" than Quentin, which probably also means someone more defensively capable (Quentin has a career UZR/150 of – 9.1). MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith explored Quentin as a trade candidate in May and the Tigers were linked to Quentin earlier today.
- Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees blog looks at how Andre Ethier's recent extension with the Dodgers may impact Nick Swisher's free agent value this winter and Swisher's chances of re-signing with the Yankees.
- MLB.com's Bryan Hoch looks at a few Yankee hot stove topics in a fan mailbag, including the possibility of an Alfonso Soriano trade and how the Yankees could be trying to build Eduardo Nunez's trade value by playing him at several different positions.
AL East Notes: Epstein, Cherington, Encarnacion
It was on this day in 1996 that Cal Ripken Jr. became professional baseball's all-time iron man. Though Ripken eclipsed Lou Gehrig's Major League record for consecutive games played in 1995, it took a while longer to surpass Japan's Sachio Kinugasa, who played in 2215 NPL straight games between 1970 and 1987.
Here's some news from both Ripken's Orioles and elsewhere around the AL East…
- Theo Epstein spoke to media (including WEEI.com's Alex Speier) about his days as the Red Sox general manager, noting that he felt some of the club's free agent signings deviated from the franchise's long-term plan and were made due to the pressure of staying competitive. It's a must-read piece for Red Sox fans, not to mention Cubs fans who could see what Epstein hopes to avoid during his tenure in Chicago.
- “We’re going to go see hundreds of players over the next few weeks,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “We may end up just acquiring one of those or none of them. In this particular year, we do believe we’re going to get impact players just by getting healthy. Still, we have to come together. I think this team still will be very good.”
- The Blue Jays could look to move Edwin Encarnacion, Kelly Johnson or "any bullpen piece" at the trade deadline if the team isn't in serious contention, opines FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi in a radio interview with the Brady & Lang show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan (Sportsnet.ca's Jeff Simmons has a partial transcript).
- Encarnacion's breakout season could put him in line for a big free agent contract this winter but Morosi says "a lot of GMs are wary" about Encarnacion's ability to play first base on a regular basis. "If you're viewed as a DH, that will affect his valuation going forward," Morosi said. "So we'll see how often he plays in the field and not having [Vladimir Guerrero] coming will certainly change how often he'll play first base."
- The Orioles and Blue Jays have both been scouting the Cubs, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Levine specified that Baltimore was looking at the Cubs' starting pitchers and Alfonso Soriano.
- For more AL East news, check out this batch of Yankees notes and the latest on the Kevin Youkilis trade rumors.
Minor Moves: Juan Miranda
Here are some of the day's minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the page…
- The Rays released Juan Miranda, according to the International League's transactions page. Miranda had just a .580 OPS in 176 plate appearances for Triple-A Durham after signing a minor league deal with the Rays last December. Miranda, 29, hit .213/.315/.402 in 202 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks last season.