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Archives for June 2012

Rosenthal On Headley, Blue Jays, Myers, Dodgers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that we should expect the unexpected once trade talk picks up this summer. For example, who expected Ubaldo Jimenez to be traded this time last year? Here are Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…

  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams says he’d prefer to focus on short-term goals for now and figure out whether to buy or sell closer to the July 31st trade deadline. “We’ll see where we are in July and then we’ll figure it out,” he said.
  • Chase Headley is a popular trade target, Rosenthal reports. The Padres could replace Headley at third with Jedd Gyorko or move Gyorko to second if they hold onto Headley.
  • The Diamondbacks explored the trade market for young catchers before signing Miguel Montero to an extension, only to find that acquiring a backstop such as Travis d’Arnaud or Austin Romine would have cost them top pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs and then some.
  • Some executives wonder if the Blue Jays should make their move this summer, asking “If not now, when?” One person says the Blue Jays are monitoring Matt Garza of the Cubs.
  • Carlos Lee can block trades to 14 teams, including the Dodgers, Rosenthal reports. Almost all of the teams on Lee’s no-trade list are high-revenue clubs. This provides Lee with some leverage, but doesn’t necessarily mean he’d block a deal.
  • Brett Myers’ $10MM option for 2013 likely vests with between 40 and 50 games finished, Rosenthal estimates. If a team acquired the right-hander and used him as a setup man, the option wouldn’t become an issue. But teams interested in using Myers as a closer might have interest in re-working the option like the Brewers did with Francisco Rodriguez a year ago.
  • The contracts for Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay of the Phillies include the same no-trade protection, Rosenthal reports. Each player can block deals to 21 teams per year.
  • Dodgers president Stan Kasten expects his team to be “aggressive, but not reckless” in considering possible upgrades.

Cubs Sign Hong-Chih Kuo

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The Cubs signed left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo to a minor league deal, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Kuo signed a Major League deal with the Mariners in February and has been a free agent since Seattle released him in March.

Kuo struggled through 40 appearances in 2011, posting a 9.00 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 and missing time with an anxiety disorder. His results were much better before last year; he had a 3.19 career ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 entering the 2011 season. The 30-year-old Octagon client underwent his fifth career elbow surgery in October of 2011 and the Dodgers non-tendered him two months later.

Latest First Round Mock Drafts

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Yesterday we heard that the Astros are expected to take Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick in tonight's draft, but there are still another 1,500 or so selections to be made after that, including another 59 this evening. Let's round up the latest mock drafts before the real thing begins (these articles are free for all; no subscription is required.)…

  • Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has the Astros taking high school outfielder Byron Buxton first overall despite yesterday's report about Appel. He reports that checks on the right-hander's signability "were not going well." 
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America has the Astros taking Appel with Buxton going second overall to the Twins and Florida catcher Mike Zunino third overall to the Mariners. 
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com puts together a mock draft that has the Astros selecting Appel, the Twins selecting Buxton and the Mariners selecting Zunino. Shortstop Carlos Correa remains an option for the Astros at #1, Law notes.
  • Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com agrees that Appel, Buxton and Zunino figure to be the first three players selected. Correa could be an option for the Twins at #2 or the Mariners at #3, Mayo writes.

Rockies Release Jamie Moyer

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The Rockies released left-hander Jamie Moyer, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. They had designated the 49-year-old for assignment last week. He has said he intends to continue pitching and MLBTR readers believe he'll find another opportunity.

Moyer, who turns 50 this fall, started ten games for the Rockies after signing a minor league deal with the team in January. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Pirates Notes: Jorge Soler, Stetson Allie

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The Pirates own the eighth overall pick in tonight's amateur draft, the first time they've selected outside of the top five since picking Andrew McCutchen with the 11th overall pick in 2005. Here's the latest from Pittsburgh…

Reds Release Jeff Francis

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The Reds have released Jeff Francis at his request according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN (on Twitter). The veteran southpaw exercised a June 1st opt-out clause in his minor league contract.

Francis, 31, pitched to a 3.72 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 77 1/3 innings across 12 starts for Cincinnati's Triple-A affiliate. He threw a nine-inning complete game shutout just last night. Given his solid performance in the minors and the demand for pitching, Francis could wind up signing a Major League contract and join a team's rotation in short order.

Red Sox Prioritizing Starting Pitching Depth

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The Red Sox are prioritizing starting pitching depth leading up to the trade deadline, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Boston's rotation came into today with a 4.53 ERA that ranks 28th out of the 30 big league clubs.

Although Daisuke Matsuzaka (Tommy John surgery) and Aaron Cook (laceration) are currently rehabbing their way back to the club, Daniel Bard's five-run, five-out outing yesterday ballooned his ERA to 5.24 in ten starts and one relief appearance. He has more walks (37) than strikeouts (34). Southpaw Felix Doubront (3.76 ERA) is the club's only starter with an ERA below 4.25.

Ross Ohlendorf recently opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox after pitching to a 4.61 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate.

Quick Hits: Alfonso Soriano, Cubs Draft, Mets

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The Nationals rewrote Major League history on Sunday in yet another sign that the beleaguered franchise has turned the proverbial corner. Bryce Harper and Steve Lombardozzi became the first rookies to hit back-to-back home runs to lead off a game in the modern era. Here's the latest odds and ends from around the league as we look forward to Monday's amateur draft…

  • Alfonso Soriano is open to being traded to a contender as he concedes his career is winding down at 36, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Soriano has made himself an attractive trade candidate with a 2012 slash line of .267/.311/.460, but remains unlikely to be moved thanks to his hefty contract. The Cubs owe Soriano the remainder of his $18MM salary for this year and $36MM over the next two seasons.
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum hasn't seen team president Theo Epstein or scouting chief Jason McLeod in days and that's because they are in lockdown mode for Monday's amateur draft, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "Theo and Jason and Jed (Hoyer), they've had a whole different system in the draft, and obviously it's worked pretty well," Sveum said. "The high picks they had in Boston panned out pretty good." Equipped with the sixth pick in the draft, the Cubs are expected to take high school center fielder Albert Almora or Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa based upon projections from Baseball America. 
  • Look for the Mets to consider making minor moves at the trade deadline rather than taking on salary to acquire an expensive veteran, writes Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. Cerrone points to Buster Olney's comments on Sunday night in which he stated that the team is focused on the big picture when Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler arrive in Queens in as soon as 14 months. 

Padres To Designate Matt Palmer For Assignment

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We'll keep track of the day's minor moves here…

  • The Padres will designate right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment prior to Tuesday's game against the Giants, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The move will allow the club to activate Huston Street off the disabled list on Tuesday. Palmer, 33, had struggled in three relief appearances with San Diego after having his contract selected from Triple-A Tucson on May 20.

Draft Notes: Astros, Orioles, Red Sox

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The Astros hope Stanford's Mark Appel follows in the path of Stephen Strasburg and David Price as successful big league pitchers who were first overall picks coming out of college. Houston is expected to take Appel with the top pick on Monday in the amateur draft as we noted earlier in the day. Let's catch up on the latest draft news and rumors as teams make their final preparations in the hunt for quality Major League talent…

  • The Astros need to ensure Monday's draft bolsters the team's rebuilding effort and that starts with drafting Mark Appel over Byron Buxton, opines Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports. Selecting Appel, a starting pitcher for the Stanford Cardinal, would take the team in a different direction than the addition of Buxton, a high school outfielder with five-tool potential. While Buxton may ultimately have a brighter future than Appel, the Astros are in need of a quality player who can contribute at the big league level as soon as possible.
  • Armed with the fourth pick in the draft, the Orioles have narrowed down their list of potential selections to four players, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. Baltimore will choose between Puerto Rican high school shortstop Carlos Correa, high school left-hander Max Fried, LSU right-hander Kevin Gausman and University of San Francisco right-hander Kyle Zimmer. The Orioles have encountered mixed success with their recent first-round picks as Matt Wieters (2007) has emerged as a top catcher in baseball while Brian Matusz (2008) has struggled in Baltimore. 
  • Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and scouting director Amiel Sawdaye talked with Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal about their approach to 2011's deep draft class. Sawdaye explains that the Sox felt fortunate to net Matt Barnes and Jackie Bradley Jr., both of whom they thought would be off the board prior to their selections at No. 19 and No. 40, respectively. Sawdaye cautions that it's dangerous for a team to set its sights on one specific player, as more often than not, that approach results in the disappointment of seeing the player go elsewhere.

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